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Rory McIlroy has continued to dominate the game of golf as he picked up another win at Dubai this past weekend. Jessica Marksbury lets us know if Rory will be as dominant as he was last season. | 1 | 6,900 | sports |
Stop! Don't toss out that loaf of stale bread that's sitting on your counter. Instead, give it a new life by transforming it into shatteringly crisp croutons - it only takes a few minutes, and the results are far tastier than store-bought varieties. Whether you have half a loaf of bread leftover or only a few slices, the technique is simple and scalable. Use Day-Old Bread If Possible Day-old bread has lost some of its moisture and is sturdier, making for a better crouton. Slice the Bread For generous-size croutons, cut the bread into 1-inch slices. Cube the Bread Cut each slice into 1-inch-wide strips, then cut each strip into 1-inch cubes. Alternatively, tear the bread into chunks that are roughly 1-inch by 1-inch. Season the Bread For every two slices worth of bread cubes, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the bread and toss with your hands to coat. Season to taste with kosher salt (the bread should taste slightly salty) and add fresh or dried herbs, if desired. For dried herbs (such as herbes de Provence), add 1/4 teaspoon per two slices worth of bread. For fresh herbs (such as minced thyme or rosemary), add 1/2 teaspoon per two slices worth of bread. Toast Them Up Cook on a half-sheet pan at 400°F for about 15 minutes or until crisp, shaking the pan halfway through cooking to ensure the croutons are cooking evenly. If you want smaller croutons, adjust the slice width, cook time, and seasoning amounts accordingly. The size of the croutons isn't crucial -- what's more important is that they are similarly sized for even cooking. | 0 | 6,901 | foodanddrink |
There are two Danny Meyers. There is the ground-breaking restaurateur who opened Union Square Cafe, a restaurant that held the title of New York's favorite for the better part of a decade, in his early 20s. And then there is the founder of Shake Shack, whose fast-food empire doubled in value when the IPO launched late last week. Meyer, already a wealthy man from his many successful fine-dining restaurants, holds a 21% stake in Shake Shack, which is now worth roughly $330 million. The path from elite restaurant to premium fast food was laid over 20 years as Meyer expanded from Union Square, up Park Avenue and then over to Madison Square, the site of the hot dog cart that became the first Shake Shack. Along the way, Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group started Gramercy Tavern, one of New York's first farm-to-table restaurants that used the volume and purchasing power of the restaurant in back to develop a tavern up front where small dishes were served to diners looking for a more casual, affordable version of the farm-to-table experience. The success of Shake Shack's IPO, the acceleration of Chipotle's sales , and the growing number of imitators in the fine casual category who understand that customers equate sustainable agriculture with better taste are putting more and more pressure on the American food chain to harness small-scale farming. Ground-breaking restaurants can be crucibles where converts are made on both sides of the swinging door. Gramercy Tavern taught Danny Meyer that his service-centered approach to fine dining could be scaled toward no less a fast food staple than the burger. Others have also learned the lesson of scale and looked toward making the same declension in other parts of the food chain. What Danny Meyer was to farm-to-table restaurants in New York City, Josh Applestone was to grass-fed, organic, pasteur-raised butchers. Trained in the first wave of restaurants that put ingredients before process, Appleton eventually found his way to becoming a butcher through his experience breaking down animal carcasses in the kitchen. A vocal, visible and entertaining figure he had a starring role in Julie Powell's memoir, Cleaving, that followed up her Julie & Julia book and movie hits Applestone became the face of artisanal meat movement when he opened in 2004 his Hudson Valley-to-Brooklyn butcher shop, Fleisher's. Applestone also initiated a host of hipster butchers into the mysteries of his craft, housing them in an Airstream trailer on his property, before leaving Fleisher's last year to focus on his own sustainable second act, The Applestone Meat Company . These apprentices went on to found similar joints to Fleisher's where the food has a long backstory and a short shelf life. Many of Applestone's graduates chose to open outposts in hipster enclaves in smaller cities around the country. It turns out the challenge facing the meat business doesn't come from the consumer side. Americans like meat. They didn't need a primal food craze to convince them of that. But in places where the animals don't come with a provenance, the butchery trade doesn't attract new entrants because the labor economics just plain suck. In Minnesota, where there are 280 indy meat processors , a skilled butcher makes $23-an-hour, but the supermarkets and national chain retailers only pay $8-an-hour. Not surprisingly, those wages don't attract many ordinary young folks to want to pick up an knife and learn this highly technical (and dangerous) skill In Minnesota, husbandry still attracts many small producers. The USDA says the land of 10,000 lakes has 4,000 farms raising and slaughtering fewer than 10 cows a year. Those 4,000 farmers from Duluth, Fargo, St. Cloud and Wisconsin, go to a guy like Whitman Baird, a rare 34-year-old in the butchery business in Minnesota who makes most of his money servicing these small farmers and, one whole month out of the year, breaking down deer for the Cabela's set: "Most of our business is custom cutting," he said. "A farmer raises three beef; they put one in the freezer, give each a half to their kids for Christmas; the neighbors buy one." And that business is booming. "Especially in the fall time," he said. "Everyone wants to fill the freezer." The alternative meat industry needs better infrastructure. Even in the heart of the craft food industry, the Bay area, small producers are not plugged into an effective distribution network. There are broken links in several places. Restaurants and butcher shops take animal carcasses whole, in halves or quartered. But, as the food site civil eats pointed out two years ago, "As of February 2013, there is not a single meat processing facility in the Bay Area that will deliver a whole, half or quarter beef carcass to a restaurant or butcher shop. Ranchers aren't really equipped to make the deliveries themselves. One needs a refrigerated box truck with a meat rail inside of it something that very, very few ranchers have. Same for restaurants and butcher shops most chefs and butchers are not in the business of going out and picking up the products they purchase, particularly large bulky items that need to be kept cool at all times." Reforging these broken links in an economically viable, even attractive, way is the focus of a number of these second-act butchers. The New Yorker recently profiled Anya Fernald of Belcampo a $50-million, venture-backed, vertically-integrated, farm-to-table, sustainable meat company in California. Belcampo is built on a very California lifestyle appeal driven by the Paleo diet and its exercise-cult adherents who are part of the Crossfit craze. One reason that Belcampo is vertically integrated is to counter agribusiness which has been too successful in the US. Fernald's vision is to create a company that can control every aspect from pasteur to plate to capture every dollar of margin in what amounts to a high-end business for lifestyle consumers: Belcampo, which has its offices in Oakland, California, and its core landholdings near Mt. Shasta, owns a farm, a slaughterhouse, restaurants, and butcher shops, and grows most of its own feed. "Tyson figured out that vertical integration is the key to profitability," Fernald says. "That's the same thing we're figuring out." Tyson, the apogee of the industrial meat system, was founded during the Great Depression and succeeded in making meat plentiful, cheap, and commonplace. Belcampo, born in the teeth of a historic drought that is devastating California agriculture, in a country flooded with three-dollar-a-pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, wants to restore meat to its status as a luxury: delicious, expensive, and rare. Back East in Connecticut's Tesla towns, Ryan Fibiger is perfecting his own formula for his Craft Butchery in Westport, CT. "I came into this with a finance background but quickly became passionate about butchery," says Fibiger. "I discovered that this is an incredibly complicated business. To do it right has taken us almost four years to figure out just what the actual business model is." Fibiger trained at Fleisher's and first opened a new-look butcher shop in a town where higher price points tend to attract the customers rather than drive them away. Understanding that he was as much in the education business as he was a purveyor of meats, Craft Butchery eventually opened a cafe next to the shop to feature prepared foods and let his potential customers experience their better meat before buying their own cuts and bringing it home. The danger in an upscale town where homes have $100,000 kitchens that mostly hold take-out containers and prepared foods is that the restaurant business where the margins are higher will overwhelm the butcher shop. Fibiger is on guard against losing his focus. At Craft, he says, they lead with their core product, the meat. "You look at the menu ," Fibiger says, "and you can see that there's a conscious effort being made to use what's not selling in the meat case. If we were to conclude that we could make more money selling a ribeye through the cafe than through the meat case, that would be an internal problem. But we never sell items like that through the cafe. That's the way we differentiated it so you're not robbing Peter to pay Paul." Integrating small-scale producers with the large market that craves their products turns out to be a terribly complicated business. Fleisher's success and the many other craft butchers around the country is encouraging more to engage in animal husbandry as an avocation or a hobby. But the meat produced doesn't have to be ostentatiously expensive. In fact, it can't be if someone like Fibiger hopes to create a business of meaningful, not local, size. To do that a middleman like Fibiger has to crack the nut of logistics. "We absolutely need to gain control over our supply chain," he says, "to gain operational efficiencies and economies of scale to make our unique product accessible to a wider group of customers and demographics. The catch 22 is that the process of bringing local, humanely raised meat to market is expensive and requires some scale in order to control the costs." To get to that size, Fibiger has merged his business with Fleisher's, gaining two stores and a Red Hook processing facility. He's also signed on a location in another Connecticut town, this time Greenwich. The new chain of four locations will be Fleisher's Craft Butchery and now all Fibiger has to do is bring both ends back toward the middle. Like Danny Meyer, Fibiger is looking to grow without getting overwhelmed by success or become just another food chain. Demand for Fibiger's meat is a double-edged sword. "Other than the obvious affirmation that there is a sizable market for our product," he says, "there are some negative impacts that we're witnessing. Namely, the more mainstream something becomes, the more confusion there is about who the experts are, who is authentic and who is just on the bandwagon." In other words, it's not enough to be a hipster butcher anymore. The industry has to grown up. You have to create a broader footprint, build efficient logistics beneath it and provide the air cover of a strong reputation. "One of the reasons Craft sought out a merger with Fleisher's," Fibiger explains, "was because we saw a our niche marketplace starting to cut corners and emulate the efficiencies of big agriculture. That's not what we want our niche to represent and we think it actually serves to dull the differentiation that we've spent years creating. At a relatively young ten years old, Fleisher's has led the charge in our niche market and still represents the standard." | 3 | 6,902 | finance |
One of the best defensive ends in the country has made his decision. Find out what type of impact Byron Cowart will have next fall with the Auburn Tigers. | 1 | 6,903 | sports |
Josh Hamilton said he was going to have a .300, 30 HR, 100 RBI season this year. That may have to wait as Hamilton is set to undergo surgery on his shoulder and will miss 6-8 weeks. | 1 | 6,904 | sports |
If you were holding out on booking a cruise vacation because you couldn't find a room with a private sauna and spa treatments, you're in luck. Beginning today, you can make a reservation for the Regent Suite on the Seven Seas Explorer for an average of $10,000 per day for a minimum of two people. Billed by the company as "the most luxurious ship ever built," the Explorer will make its maiden voyage on July 20, 2016, carrying a maximum of 750 guests. Every room on the boat is a suite with a balcony, and round-trip airfare is included in every reservation, but the Regent serves as the crown jewel, by far. Over its two bedrooms and balcony, the suite takes up 3,875 square feet 2,917 of that indoors, at the front of the ship, boasting a 270-degree view from the 14th story at the front of the boat (aka the bow, if you're into nautical terms). Inside, there's a black marble bar and a custom Steinway Arabesque piano custom designed by Dakota Jackson , but the real selling point is in the master bathroom. This extravagant commode features a spa with "a treatment area, full sauna, ceramic heated relaxation loungers, and multi-jet shower," and an oversized, glass-enclosed hot tub sits nearby. According to Regent, this is the first-ever in-room spa on a cruise ship, and guests in the room have access to unlimited treatments by wellness professionals. Other perks include a personal butler, a free laundry, and private car service and guide for any on-shore excursions, which include stops in Monte Carlo, Ibiza, Barcelona, Sicily, Malta, and more on the maiden voyage. For anyone unwilling to fork over that kind of money, the Explorer has what the company calls "entry-level staterooms." For an average of $900 per day per person, the Veranda Suite gives customers under a tenth the size of the Regent at 307 square feet, including the balcony. Still, they'll have access to many of the same amenities as the big spenders, like unlimited shore excursions, complimentary alcoholic beverages, a free mini-bar, and pre-paid gratuities, among others. There's also a spa on board, though that'll cost extra. Following the July 2016 maiden voyage, the Explorer is staying in Europe for the rest of the year, with trips originating in cities from Venice to Jerusalem. The cheapest fare starts at $6,799 for the eight-day Monte Carlo to Athens trip . Unfortunately, none of the Regent Suite packages for any of these journeys includes lessons on how to play that custom Steinway piano. | 3 | 6,905 | finance |
Byron Cowart, one of the premier defensive end prospects in the class of 2015, has immediately bolstered Auburn's crop of incoming freshmen on Wednesday in announcing his commitment to the Tigers. ESPN reported Cowart's decision: Byron Cowart (#1 in #ESPN300 , #1 DE) commits to @FootballAU . Was also considering Florida #SigningDay pic.twitter.com/JjEHed0uN9 ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) February 4, 2015 Hailing from Armwood High School in Seffner, Florida, Cowart is rated as a 5-star prospect, the No. 1 strong-side defensive end and third-best recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. That suggests he's ready to make an immediate impact in college, and both his skill set and mature build help his cause. Cowart is already 6'4", 250 pounds and runs a 4.60-second 40-yard dash, per his 247Sports profile. As a junior, he registered 13 sacks and piled up 72 total tackles. In 2014, he had 21 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and five forced fumbles. Possessing such an impressive blend of speed and athleticism has allowed Cowart to dominate his formidable high school competition, so he could very well wind up producing similar results in college. With the ability to play the run well and to stand up on the edge and sink into coverage if needed, the versatility Cowart brings to the gridiron makes him a particularly coveted prospect. Although he's proven he can bull-rush with effectiveness, he'll have to use the other moves in his arsenal to find success against better competition. Former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards coached Cowart before the Under Armour All-America game and gave a glowing review, per BayNews9.com's Ryan Bass : Defensively, he's a game changer, but he goes about his business. He's a leader and he was our team captain. You could tell by the first day when you've got select captains, I'm going that guy right there is going to be a captain. ... ... He plays when the moment is big, and he gets it. He's a hard-working guy and he has a fantastic motor. He won't live off his talent. He's going to work at it. Whoever gets this guy, I'll tell you what, look out. ESPN's Derek Tyson was impressed with Cowart's performance in the big game, too: Co-MVP Byron Cowart finished with four tackles including a sack and a TFL. He was a beast tonight. #UAAllAmerica Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN) January 3, 2015 Cowart has an incredibly quick first step and explodes out of his stance once the ball is snapped. There is a sense of anticipation and a knack for diagnosing plays that's evident on tape, which bodes well for Cowart to crack the starting lineup sooner than later. Cowart can use his hands effectively to disengage blockers, swim past offensive linemen and gain inside leverage to drive his way into the opposing backfield. It doesn't even look as though he moves fast on the field, yet he still covers a ton of ground in a very short amount of time and usually finishes off the play with a violent collision. Raw power and strength is important for any lineman to succeed at the highest level of college football. In addition to possessing those traits, it's evident that Cowart is intent on improving his game. He seems to just be realizing his potential, which translates well to his future and long-term outlook. Now that he's added some finesse to his game and will only be coached up with even more intensity, Cowart has a seemingly limitless ceiling as a pass-rusher and a game-changing force who offenses have to game-plan around. Special teams likely won't be a phase that Cowart will have to go through. He should crack the defensive line rotation and could even line up inside if he adds more bulk to become a disruptive force who can collapse the pocket from the interior. Cowart is too polished and capable of producing big plays not to see the field right away in some fashion as a prominent contributor to the defense. | 1 | 6,906 | sports |
@MattDavidSPORTS wants to know if the White Sox could be in the running for James Shields. | 1 | 6,907 | sports |
For the first time, lung cancer has passed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths for women in rich countries. The reason is smoking, which peaked years later for women than it did for men. Lung cancer has been the top cancer killer for men for decades. "We're seeing the deaths now" from lung cancer due to a rise in smoking by women three decades ago, said Lindsey Torre of the American Cancer Society. The society released a report Wednesday, based on new numbers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Some highlights: THE CANCER BURDEN Globally, there were about 14 million new cancer cases and 8 million cancer deaths in 2012, the most recent year for which numbers are available. "Developing countries account for 57 percent of cancer cases and 65 percent of cancer deaths," Torre said. MEN VS. WOMEN, RICH VS. POOR COUNTRIES For men, lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer death globally for several decades. In poor countries, breast cancer remains the top cancer killer for women. Colon cancer has grown as a cause of death worldwide. As for the number of cases diagnosed, prostate and breast are the most common cancers in men and women, respectively, in rich countries. THE U.S. PICTURE Lung cancer became the top cancer killer for men in the 1950s, and for women in the late 1980s, reflecting trends in smoking rates. LOOKING AHEAD Smoking rates have leveled off or dropped in rich countries. In the United States, "we are already seeing lung cancer death rates decline," Torre said. HOW TO LOWER RISK The American Institute for Cancer Research says half of all cancers are preventable. Healthy diets and getting enough exercise cut risk. The hepatitis vaccine helps prevent liver cancer; the HPV vaccine lowers the risk of getting cervical cancer. The biggest factor: Stop smoking, or don't start. Quitting by middle age can avoid 60 percent of the risk of dying of lung cancer, Torre said. "It's never too late to quit." ___ Online: Cancer figures: http://globocan.iarc.fr Cancer prevention: http://www.aicr.org/can-prevent/?prevent50 ___ Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP | 7 | 6,908 | health |
Late in January, the trial of Ross Ulbricht, the 30-year-old alleged leader of the Silk Road black market website, led to a debate over a piece of eyebrow-raising evidence: a smiley face emoticon Ulbricht had typed at the end of a post. You know the one: :) The question was whether the two-character emoticon mattered to the case. The prosecutor didn't mention its appearance while reading aloud an excerpt from the chat conversation in which it appeared, so Ulbricht's lawyer objected to its omission. And at first glance, it's easy to see why the prosecutor avoided it: A colon and a close parenthesis make up a common emoticon ":)" that simply meant Ulbricht was smiling and approved of what he was saying in his post. Or did it? The judge in the trial ordered the jury to take note of symbols like the smiley face in the messages, but the case poses an important question over how we define textual communication. Anything presented in text, whatever the type characters, pictograms, onomatopoetic expressions can be interpreted in some way. And court cases involving unconventional, unpronounceable type aren't rare. As The Marshall Project found, emojis ( not emoticons) have already appeared in court: It was probably inevitable that emojis (and their more basic predecessor, emoticons) would get their day in court... Over the last year and a half, these little online signifiers have figured, peripherally, in at least nine cases, including six in the last two months. In none of these cases did the result hinge on how emojis were interpreted. But the courtroom exchanges indicate that at some point in the near future, the court system will have to determine whether these symbols express such specific and unambiguous meaning that, like words, they can be introduced into evidence. The question at the moment, therefore, isn't how emojis are defined; it's whether they're vital to a case in the first place. But the definitions of emojis will raise questions soon, because emojis are essentially fuzzy in definition. They're embedded in complicated social context, making them open to interpretation. The prayer hands emoji, for example, may represent gratitude in some cultures, straightforward praying in others, or even, oddly enough, a high five. While most emojis involving straightforward objects (office supplies, animals, vegetables, weather patterns, etc.) can be interpreted as is, some prove harder to read especially when they're used as stand-ins for facial expressions. That's where it gets thorny for any textual communication, says Tyler Schnoebelen, the linguist and chief analyst at language-data company Idibon. The expressions on a person's face can't be translated perfectly in text, even if emojis include a set of varied faces. "Face-to-face, you get intonation, speech tempo, hand gestures, furrowed brows," he tells me. "We're trying to make sense of an impoverished channel of communication. We're trying to make ourselves understood." So, a wide smile in emoji form may not mean joy, but could instead mean a variety of expressions not easily interpreted by the receiver of the message. Which makes sense. Actual facial expressions can be hard to read without proper context, too. To begin to understand why emojis and specifically the ones with faces can be so hard to read, it helps to look at the many ways people express laughter in text. The linguist Ben Zimmer tells me laughter allows for different gradations of emotion and phatic expression the use of language as a social function instead of a mode to convey information which makes it perfect for seeing the malleability of definitions behind textual expressions. The first aspect the gradation of interpretation is easy to see with laughter. With just two letters, 'h' and 'a,' we can combine them to produce the sound "haha," but also involve capitalization, length, and repetition to tweak its meaning. One "ha" could mean a chuckle; an almost never-ending, Channing Tatum-like string of the all-caps "HAHAHAHA" means... something else entirely. It works the same way with "lol," with 'h' and 'e' for "hehe," and so on. Each combination means laughter, but each also points to different intonations and different levels of laughing. And repetition has become a common tool to show expression online. In his study of repetition on Twitter, Schnoebelen found that more than half of Twitter users repeated strings of words ("no no no," "omg omg omg," etc.) to get their expressions across, even when constrained to 140 characters a tweet. In other words, repetition can be as meaningful as the word in and of itself. As he explains it in his post: Bursts of emotion are one of the hardest aspects of speech to capture in written text. It is difficult to capture exuberance and immediacy when you are allowing your readers to read your utterances at their own pace. But these sudden explosions of sentiment are also often the most interesting to track and analyze, giving us insight into a writer's emotional expressions. Repetition is one of the simplest ways that people overcome these limitations on writing, especially when it comes to expressing laughter. As for the phatic expression of laughter, "haha," "lol," "hehe," etc. can serve as placeholders as well, regardless of whether the sender of the message is laughing in real life. In these cases, letters stand in for the nods, smiles, or utterances (e.g. "uh huh") that we'd otherwise use in face-to-face conversations to signal to the other person that it's okay to keep talking and reassure that person we're listening. When we don't utter little noises or gestures of understanding, we worry about the silence. "We acknowledge each other all the time through the conversational turn-taking," Zimmer says, "so when it's not there in text, there's social anxiety." That's the basic idea behind how people interpret emoticons and emojis, too. "The introduction of emoticons and emojis just gives you more tools at your disposal," Zimmer tells me. "Emoji allow you to play with language in a way, and to express emotional state in a new way." They won't solve everything of course, because no text communication can fully replace how we represent ourselves in speech. Some expressions, like sarcasm, often require in-person intonation. We've tried to create punctuation and emoticons that can do the job, but it's not the same as hearing a sarcastic remark out loud. Others, like shock and frustration, require stage directions like "facepalm" and "headdesk" to convey exactly how the writer is feeling. So, the answer to the question of whether emoticons are relevant in Ulbricht's case is a resounding yes and no. The characters ":)" could represent a specific emotion on a spectrum of emotions or mean nothing at all. Each person who reads the emoticon could interpret it differently. And being a part of the conversation rather than just someone reading it later offers potentially crucial context. All this is familiar territory, of course. Words have all kinds of connotations and nuances, too. Adding a visual layer to the way we talk to one another can only help better mirror the way we communicate in person. As Zimmer puts it, "All of these social functions, even if it's not conveying information the way we think language is supposed to, they're the glue that's holding the conversation together. Without it, it falls apart." Also on MSN: Where will technology be in 2020? Consumers warned of hidden emoticon charges The best free apps for your iPhone | 5 | 6,909 | news |
Rendering courtesy of NL Architects Literal architecture is generally far from elegant. What with all the carpet museums shaped exactly like carpets , and office buildings reminiscent of watermelons , the effect is usually kind of neat, but it often fails the beauty test. The Dutch firm of NL Architects hopes to change the game. They recently released renderings of a downright dazzling, if kinda gimmicky, idea for a chain called the Amethyst Hotel . Each hotel will look like a sliced block of amethyst, complete with a shimmering, jagged purple façade, and a towering, cathedral-like shape. The gem hotels are currently being discussed for locations on an artificial island in China (clearly the architects are refusing to heed the Chinese president's request to end the country's rep for ' weird architecture '), and in Dubai ( no surprise there). Why an amethyst, you ask? Well, the architect's website notes a "large number of miraculous powers attributed to amethyst," including (but surely not limited to) "purifying any space of negative vibrations," cooling "excessive emotions," preventing nightmares, and the ability to "drive out evil spirits and inspire the intellect." Geodes: probably the next hospitality frontier. Take a look, below: All renderings courtesy of NL Architects · Will This Gem of a Hotel Come to Dubai [The National] · This May Be the Craziest Building Ever. Seriously. [Architizer] · All NL Architects coverage [Curbed National] · All Lookalikes posts [Curbed National] · All Rendering Reveals posts [Curbed National] | 2 | 6,910 | travel |
How to dress to impress even when the weather isn't accomodating. | 8 | 6,911 | video |
France has entered the campaign to tackle the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram by conducting reconnaissance flights along the borders of Chad and Niger, according to French officials. Despite French president Francois Hollande's previous claims that French warplanes were operating in Nigerian airspace, French officials have since confirmed that French operations are limited to the airspace of Nigeria's neighbours, Chad and Niger. "Our air force is carrying out reconnaissance missions, but not over Nigeria," a French defence ministry source told Reuters today. "Our support is limited to neighbouring countries such as Chad and Niger," the source added. The French government established an anti-Islamist operation in the Sahel region last year, entitled Operation Barkhane, with 3,200 troops stationed in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, and 20 combat helicopters, six fighter jets and four drones located in the wider Sahel region. Discussing how France's involvement will work in the fight against the terror group, Imad Mesdoua, a political analyst at Africa-focused advisory Africa Matters, says that the country will probably play a supporting role to fill in gaps in its partners' military and intelligence capabilities. "My guess is that the French would help their counterparts spot any unwanted intrusion or incursions or pick up anything noteworthy," he said. "These are really vast and arid territories and it's tough for the already overstretched Chadian, Nigerian and Cameroonian forces." Mesdoua says that cooperation between these three regional players is becoming increasingly important, as Boko Haram expand their attacks to the borders of Nigeria and they must work together to combat the jihadist threat. France launched Operation Barkhane in order to tackle jihadists groups in the Sahel sub-region and protect its former colonies. Niger and Chad both used to be colonised by France and analysts say that the threat to Paris' economic interests in the region, such as uranium mining and oil production, may have played a role in bringing France into the fight against Boko Haram. "There is a lot of French economic interest in Niger and Chad, given that they are former colonies," notes Manji Cheto, vice president at political risk consultancy Teneo Intelligence. "It's clear that there are very strong French economic interests, not only in Chad and Niger, but also in the Sahel more broadly." France has been reluctant to deploy ground troops into other regions of the Sahel given that they already have over 4,000 troops on the ground between Mali in the west and Central African Republic (CAR) in the east. However, France dispatched a number of security service operatives to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, last May in order to help find the Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. French nationals have previously been targeted by Boko Haram. In November 2013, a French priest was kidnapped by the group and a French family of seven were seized by the Islamists in northern Cameroon. A confidential Nigerian government report, seen by Reuters, confirmed that French and Cameroonian hostage negotiators had agreed to pay the Islamists £2.07m ($3.15m) in exchange for the French family. The news of the French surveillance flights comes after the African Union (AU) agreed last week to the creation of a Multinational Joint Task Force [MJTF] of 7,500 troops to tackle the radical Islamist group. On the ground, more than 2,000 Chadian troops crossed the Nigerian border yesterday to attack Boko Haram militants in the town of Gamburu, which was captured by the group last year. Chadian and Cameroonian forces also battled the group in the Cameroonian border town of Fotocol, where 200 Islamists and nine Chadian soldiers were killed in exchanges. "Our valiant forces responded vigorously, a chase was immediately instituted all the way to their base at Gamboru and Ngala [in Nigeria], where they were completely wiped out," Chadian military spokesman Col. Azem Bermendoa said in a national television address on Tuesday night. The Council on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker estimates that Boko Haram have killed up to 10,404 people since January 2014. In its four-year-long insurgency, which seeks to create an Islamic caliphate in similar vein to that of the Islamic State, the group have captured territory equal to the size of Belgium. The Hunt for Boko Haram, an in-depth ebook on the terrorists tearing Nigeria apart by Alex Perry, is available now from Newsweek Insights . | 5 | 6,912 | news |
A former al Qaeda operative imprisoned for life for his role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has told lawyers for victims of the attacks that members of the Saudi royal family supported the Islamic militant group. Zacarias Moussaoui made the statements in testimony filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday by lawyers for attack victims who accuse Saudi Arabia in a suit of providing material support to al Qaeda. He said a list of donors from the late 1990s that he drafted during al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's tenure included some "extremely famous" Saudi officials, including Prince Turki al-Faisal Al Saud, a former Saudi intelligence chief. "Shaykh Osama wanted to keep a record who give money because ... who is to be listened to or who contribute to - to the jihad," said Moussaoui, a 46-year-old French native who pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in 2005. Moussaoui said he met in Kandahar with an official from Saudi Arabia's Washington embassy. Moussaoui said they were supposed to go to Washington together to find a location "suitable to launch a stinger attack" on the U.S. presidential plane, Air Force One. In Washington, the Saudi embassy said on Wednesday that Moussaoui's claims appeared aimed at undermining Saudi-U.S. relations and contradicted findings of the 9/11 Commission in 2004 that there was no evidence of Saudi funding of al Qaeda. "Moussaoui is a deranged criminal whose own lawyers presented evidence that he was mentally incompetent," the Saudi embassy said. "His words have no credibility." The testimony was filed in opposition to Saudi Arabia's latest bid to dismiss lawsuits that began more than a decade ago. Moussaoui made his statements in October at the super-maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado, where Moussaoui has been held since being sentenced to life in 2006. He wrote a letter offering to testify. Families of Sept. 11 victims allege that Saudi Arabia and a government-affiliated charity knowingly provided funding and other material support to al Qaeda that helped it carry out the attacks. Plaintiffs include families of the nearly 3,000 people killed, as well as insurers that covered losses suffered by building owners and businesses. Most of the 19 attackers were Saudi nationals who hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers revolted. The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 03-md-01570. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Howard Goller) | 5 | 6,913 | news |
Tiger Woods will try to rebound from the worst round of his professional career at the Farmers Insurance Open this weekend. Jessica Marksbury gives her expectations for Eldrick. | 1 | 6,914 | sports |
Here is look at foreign hostages believed held by the Islamic State group and some of those who have been released, reportedly in exchange for ransom payments: ___ JOHN CANTLIE: British photojournalist who appeared in several Islamic State propaganda videos delivering statements, purportedly from the Syrian border town of Kobani and the Iraqi city of Mosul, likely under duress. He was kidnapped with American journalist James Foley in November 2012. An Islamic State group militant beheaded Foley last August. In this Nov. 11, 2012 file photo, freelance British photojournalist John Cantlie poses with a Free Syrian Army rebel in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo, File) ___ FATHER PAOLO DALL'OGLIO: The Italian Jesuit priest went missing in July 2013 after traveling to meet Islamic militants in the Syrian city of Raqqa. Italian priest Paolo Dall'Oglio on September 25, 2012 in Paris. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/GettyImages) ___ SAMIR KASSAB: A Lebanese cameraman for satellite channel Sky News Arabia. He was kidnapped Oct. 15 while working near Aleppo, Syria's commercial capital and the scene of heavy fighting since rebels seized part of the city in 2012. In this Friday, Nov. 9, 2013 file image made from undated video by Abu Dhabi-based broadcaster Sky News Arabia, Samir Kassab, a Lebanese citizen, poses at an unknown place. (AP Photo/Sky News Arabia, File) ___ ISHAK MOKHTAR: A Mauritanian reporter for Sky News Arabia. He was kidnapped Oct. 15 while working near Aleppo. In this image made from an Oct. 20, 2013 file video by Abu Dhabi-based broadcaster Sky News Arabia, Ishak Mokhtar, a Mauritanian national, reports from Syria. (AP Photo/Sky News Arabia, File) ___ UNIDENTIFIED AMERICAN WOMAN: She was captured last year in Syria while working for aid groups. U.S. officials have asked that the woman not be identified out of fears for her safety. ___ THREE WORKERS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS: The three were taken near Saraqeb, in Syria's Idlib province, in October 2013. The organization has declined to provide information on their identities nor who has them, citing fears for their safety. ___ SEVEN LEBANESE SOLDIERS: Abducted in August in the Lebanese border town of Arsal during a cross-border militant raid from Syria. ___ GRETA RAMELLI and VANESSA MARZULLO: The Italian aid workers, aged 20 and 21, returned home in January after being held hostage in Syria for more than five months. Italian aid workers abducted in Syria last summer, Greta Ramelli (L) and Vanessa Marzullo arrive at Ciampino airport in Rome early on January 16, 2015 after being freed (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) ___ NICOLAS HAMMARSTROM and MAGNUS FALKEHED: Swedish freelance journalists released in January after about 90 days in captivity. Swedish officials declined to say who seized them or how they were set free. Swedish journalists Magnus Falkehed (L) and photographer Niclas Hammarstrom address a press conference at the Arlanda Airport north of Stockholm, Sweden on January 9, 2014. (JANERIK HENRIKSSON / TT/AFP/Getty Images) ___ EDOUARD ELIAS, DIDIER FRANCOIS, NICOLAS HENIN and PIERRE TORRES: French journalists released in April after being held hostage for 10 months. French President Francois Hollande, third from left, speaks upon arrivals of released French hostages, from left, Didier Francois, Edouard Elias, Nicolas Henin and Pierre Torres, at the Villacoublay military airbase, outside Paris, Sunday, April 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon) ___ JAVIER ESPINOSA, RICARDO GARCIA VILANOVA and MARC MARGINEDAS: Spanish journalists released in March after being held hostage for months. Spanish reporters Javier Espinosa, right, and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, left, poses upon his arrival at the military airbase in Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Pool) | 5 | 6,915 | news |
For all the criticism that Samsung has received for copying Apple over the years, it's the times when the Korean company has copied itself that have proven most frustrating. Last year's Galaxy S5 was a bigger version of the prior S4, which was a bigger version of the S III, which wasn't all that great a smartphone to begin with. This sorry record of repetition caught up with Samsung in 2014 as better and cheaper alternatives undermined the Galaxy line's dominance of both Android and smartphones in general. Stung by the unfamiliar sight of sales shrinking rather than growing , Samsung promised fundamental change to its smartphone range and the upcoming Galaxy S6 will be the truest embodiment of that reformation. Samsung's scale is such that when it chooses to change, the whole mobile industry feels the repercussions. So far, the key alterations from previous Galaxy S generations appear to be a move to an all-metal construction , a display that may be curved on one or both sides, and the repudiation of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors in favor of a full reliance on Samsung's own Exynos. These factors all matter individually, but taken as a whole they mark a major departure from the almost cynical pragmatism with which Samsung has approached its phones in the past. Let's address each one of them in turn. An electronics empire made out of flimsy plastic is rebuilding with better materials The company that built an electronics empire out of flimsy plastic is about to start competing on the strength of its design. Samsung promised as much in the summer of 2014 and delivered a good first taste of its new commitment to better design and materials with the Galaxy Alpha. Shortly thereafter, the Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge followed, using similar metal frames and abstaining from Samsung's previous penchant for simulating things like leather stitching and lustrous steel. Marrying that improved construction to Samsung's typically strong set of hardware specifications has made the Note 4 the unanimous choice as Samsung's best smartphone and the nearest and best competitor to Apple's iPhone 6 Plus. This augurs well for the Galaxy S6. Samsung will seek to distinguish its new flagship phone in a way that leaves no room for confusion about which Galaxy is top of its line, and the quickest way for achieving that is to use a unibody metal case like the one that leaked during CES last month . It would be a completely novel move for Samsung that would place serious pressure on HTC, a fellow Android phone maker that relies on its design lead as a major selling point. If Samsung successfully recreates the allure of HTC's design a very big "if" it won't matter who did it first or for how long. Samsung's deeper pockets will ensure better marketing to consumers and more prominent positioning on store shelves, undermining HTC's hopes for a revival in what will be a pivotal year for both companies . هل هذا قصد سامسونج في اعلانها الاخير؟ pic.twitter.com/TQnFuqiu5y Hamad A. Alajmi (@7mdalajmi) February 2, 2015 The curved-edge display that was already rumored for the Galaxy S6 seemed to be confirmed by invites for the phone's launch that were issued this week . They show a silhouetted line that most people have interpreted as a device akin to the Note Edge, where one side of the display slopes off. That doesn't immediately match up with the metal shells that have been pictured so far, but then Samsung's eagerness for differentiation could end up producing both an Edge variant and an all-metal version of the S6. In either scenario, the company will have something altogether new and exciting to present to its customers. The curved-edge screen remains a solution in search of a real problem to fix, but that won't stop it from being eminently marketable. Having such a signature look would help set the Galaxy S6 apart from its competitors and should developers make it as awesome as Samsung hopes, it would drive those competitors to emulate it and buoy a return to sales dominance. Curved screens don't have to be useful to be marketable While Samsung's exterior alterations remain imperfectly defined ahead of its March 1st launch of the Galaxy S6, the biggest internal change is now all but confirmed: there will be no Snapdragon-powered S6. A Bloomberg report blames the latest Snapdragon 810 for overheating during Samsung's testing, while The Wall Street Journal indicates that Samsung's faith in its new 14nm Exynos chip also factored into the decision to snub Qualcomm's offering. This will have a huge impact on Qualcomm, which relies on Samsung's immense order of processors every year to keep a healthy bottom line. The chipmaker has already had to revise revenue forecasts for 2015 because one of its big customers won't be using its flagship 810 processor, and Samsung is the biggest customer of them all. Qualcomm's mobile crown has been subtly slipping over the past year, and the latest data from Strategy Analytics (SA) shows that it had 80 percent of the LTE market in the third quarter of 2014 whereas it enjoyed a 95 percent dominance at the same time in 2013. MediaTek is taking sales away from Qualcomm and "during Q3 2014, HiSilicon, Intel, Marvell, and Samsung also made progress in LTE basebands," says Christopher Taylor, Director of SA's wireless research group, foreshadowing greater competition for the year ahead. Is the Exynos processor ready to carry the full burden of Samsung's global sales? Qualcomm's lead in selling applications processors has been built on the strength of its integrated LTE modem, but Samsung's progress has apparently been good enough to try and compete in 2015 instead of just playing along. It's a momentous decision given how many millions of smartphone sales are on the line and should dispel some of the hardware homogeneity that has set in among flagship Android smartphones over the past two years. An Exynos-powered Galaxy S6 would join the iPhone 6 in offering an alternative to the Snapdragon 810 that's still likely to figure in most other flagship devices, and would add a vector of differentiation between Samsung's best and the rest. Different doesn't guarantee better, but it's a necessary first step Samsung rose to its position as the world's most prolific smartphone maker by simply packing more features and higher specs than the competition into a calculatedly cheap plastic shell. It wasn't about being unique or different, it was a simple cost-benefit analysis that worked out well for the consumer and even better for Samsung. But the world that embraced those devices and rewarded Samsung for its strategy is no more. Now there's a dichotomy of ultra-cheap handsets, where Chinese competitors are beating Samsung at its own game, and super high-end smartphones that come with high demands for beautiful aesthetics and premium materials. Addressing the latter of those challenges starts in earnest on March 1st. The Galaxy S6 will be different, both from what Samsung has done until now and from the rest of the smartphone market in 2015. Being different isn't the same thing as being better, but it's a necessary first step along the way. | 5 | 6,916 | news |
Former Michigan coach Brady Hoke found a new job. According to CoachingSearch.com , Hoke will join Notre Dame's staff after Signing Day as the defensive backs coach. The report says Notre Dame defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks will join Oklahoma's staff. MORE: Signing Day live tracker | Seven reasons to hate Signing Day | Best 5-star quarterbacks Hoke compiled a 31-20 record as Michigan's head coach from 2010-13. He was fired after leading the Wolverines to a 5-7 record last season. He served as the head coach at Ball State (2003-08) and San Diego State (2009-10) before arriving at Michigan. | 1 | 6,917 | sports |
Jim Cramer explains why investors should own shares of Disney. | 3 | 6,918 | finance |
Jeb Bush on Wednesday will reveal his message on economic opportunism and the "right to rise" in his first major policy speech since announcing his likely GOP presidential candidacy. In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club in deep blue Michigan, the former Florida governor will begin laying out the framework for what will likely become the cornerstone of his campaign pitch. "How do we restore America's faith in the moral promise of our great nation that any child born today can reach further than their parents?," Bush will say, according to prepared remarks provided by his leadership PAC. "Today and in the coming weeks, I will address this critical issue," he will continue. "I will offer a new vision. A plan of action that is different than what we have been hearing in Washington D.C. It is a vision rooted in conservative principles and tethered to our shared belief in opportunity and the unknown possibilities of a nation given the freedom to act, to create, to dream and to rise." Bush's selection of Detroit appears strategic the city has been in a decades long economic decline, and many of its middle and upper class workers have fled the city for the outlying suburbs. The once-great manufacturing hub is for many a symbol of the sluggish economic recovery and the golden age of the American automotive industry. "Six years after the recession ended, median incomes are down, households are, on average, poorer … and millions of people have given up looking for a job altogether," Bush will say. "The recovery has been everywhere but in the family paychecks. The American Dream has become a mirage for far too many. So the central question we face here in Detroit and across America is this: Can we restore that dream that moral promise that each generation can do better?" Detroit was also a flashpoint of the 2012 election when Democrats hammered GOP nominee Mitt Romney for an op-ed he wrote in the New York Times arguing the automotive industry should go through a structured bankruptcy. The headline given by the paper was "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," which provided a succinct bumper-sticker ready attack for Democrats against Romney hat dovetailed with their portrayal of the former Massachusetts governor as a ruthless corporate raider. Democrats are already seeking to make the same argument about Bush. The Democratic National Committee early Wednesday pushed an editorial by Lon Johnson, the chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, arguing that Bush holds the same position as Romney on the issue. "Just a couple years ago Jeb Bush was asked by Charlie Rose if he supported the President's decision to rescue General Motors. Without hesitation, he responded: "I don't. I don't," Johnson wrote in a column that ran in papers across the state. "You don't? So Jeb Bush doesn't support the over one million jobs saved by the auto rescue? Jobs in Detroit and across Michigan and throughout the country. Bush's position echoes that of the last GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who was willing to "let Detroit go bankrupt." In the excerpts from Bush's Wednesday speech, he doesn't address the automotive industry specifically, but he takes a swipe at government interference in private industry. "The progressive and liberal mindset believes that to every problem there is a Washington D.C. solution," he'll say. "But that instinct doesn't solve any problem, other than the problem of how to keep Washington's regional economy well-lubricated." "I know some in the media think conservatives don't care about the cities," he continues. "But they are wrong. We believe that every American and in every community has a right to pursue happiness. They have a right to rise. So I say: Let's go where our ideas can matter most. Where the failures of liberal government are most obvious. Let's deliver real conservative success. And you know what will happen? We'll create a whole lot of new conservatives." Bush's speech in Detroit is the first in a series he'll be giving across the country focused on the "right to rise'"and economic opportunism for the middle class. Bush's leadership PAC is also called "Right to Rise." Bush spent the bulk of December and January meeting privately with donors and top level political operatives gearing up for a presidential run. He's now entering a more public phase of his campaign. Bush will make his Iowa debut on March 7 at an Agriculture Summit hosted by the Des Moines Register . Later in March, he'll give a speech to the Republican National Committee for the group's spring retreat. In April, Bush is expected to make his first political trip to New Hampshire in more than a decade for an event sponsored by the state's Republican Party. | 5 | 6,919 | news |
While the modern always-on, data-fueled environment spells opportunity for the enterprise, it also makes an attractive target for hackers. And the proliferation of such environments has turned hacking into a profession. Today's serious hackers are no longer attention-seeking geeks trying to make a statement instead, they're calculated criminals focused on acquiring information in a data-laden marketplace. What does this mean to the technology user? Hackers have a growing and constantly evolving arsenal of attack methods, putting everyone with a connection to the Internet at risk. Everyone has something that hackers are interested in, whether bank account information, personal identification or credentials into corporate email accounts. Users need to evolve in step. Malware and antivirus tools alone are not the solution. Organizations need to embrace robust ways of dealing with security breaches that can minimize their impact. In practice, this means automating rapid recovery of the IT infrastructure to a known good state. Defining Today's Hacker Today's breed of hacker did not just appear. Instead, the skilled professionals behind the latest security threats are the result of long-term evolution. When most people think about hackers and security, they are clinging to an outdated vision. Hackers are now part of a highly specialized and distributed criminal ecology. The most basic layer is filled with individuals focused on finding exploits in software. Instead of using the exploits, this professional often sells discoveries to a group specializing in packaging exploits and running them through botnets. Those individuals, in turn, rent their botnets to anyone who aims to gain unauthorized access to other computer systems. Bottom line, hacking is no longer about bragging rights. While less sophisticated hacktivists still exist, today's new hackers are doing this for money and so aren't talking about their exploits. It's hard to tie an accurate dollar amount to the costs associated with hacking. However, the sophistication of today's hacker is quite clear in the Ponemon Cost of Cyber Crime Study, which shows a 20 percent increase in successful attack rates year over year, even as organizations continue to invest in security tools. How Do They Do It? Part of hackers' growing sophistication is a direct result of the vast number of attack methodologies at their disposal. They can pick and choose among denial of service attacks, viruses, worms, trojans, malicious code, phishing, malware, botnets and ransomware, any of which could play a key role in opening business data centers to intrusion. Today's hackers also benefit from giant scale. They often build huge botnets from compromised computers they can harness in order to hack other systems. Often, the goal of these attacks is to compromise the desktop or workstations that allow them to work from within the organization. These attacks are launched against anyone and everyone, using generally less sophisticated techniques and better-known vulnerabilities. Many attacks are also precisely targeted against particular individuals with access to sensitive information proprietary corporate secrets, for instance, details of negotiations or other information that could be valuable to competitors or investors willing to base trades on it. These hackers are like snipers with carefully crafted attack plans. The danger here is that their attacks are highly unlikely to turn up in your typical malware or antivirus detection system. That's because such threats are often tailored specifically for particular targets and rely on innovative techniques and zero-day vulnerabilities. As a result most detection systems won't have a clue what to look for. Finally, modern hacker attacks are persistent. Once a hacker gets into one person's corporate email, they can gather enough information to social engineer everyone else in the company. Patience is a real factor in these attacks. Attackers do not just come in, poke around and leave. In most breaches, it turns out that the hacker has been inside the network for months. How To Fight Back There is no silver bullet capable of stopping today's attacker. Given that attackers are very likely to be successful in compromising their targets, we need a new approach to security. For a new approach to take root, people first need to let go of the notion that no hacker will target them or their company because they "don't have anything worth stealing." Today's hackers consider a lot of things valuable, especially financial information. Hackers are looking for online banking, credit card numbers or access to any other financials they can possibly find. More to the point, almost any Internet resource stolen at scale can be turned into something valuable. So everyone is at risk. That means the only way to assure the security of our computer systems is to assume that they have or will be compromised. We need to design networks in such a way that it's possible to revert them to a safe state. People have a mentality that when they are breached, they will simply clean it up. Instead, they need to think of themselves as always being in a breached state. Bottom line, no business is ever entirely free of viruses. Occasionally, something is going to penetrate the browser. What separates winners from losers rests with the organization's ability to make the consequences negligible. When countering targeted attacks, remaining anonymous can prove instrumental. If the hacker never recognizes the target, they will not pull the trigger. Organizations also need the ability to isolate browser activity in addition to conducting a rapid reset to a known good state. Security optimized virtualization is key for both of these. Running the browser in a properly designed and configured virtual machine ensures that any compromise is contained, and the browser virtual machine can be rolled back to a saved clean state without impacting the user's working documents. The trick is to destroy any possible trace of infection without losing important work or documents. It's possible to preserve key documents and other material and to restore them to the virtual machine after reset, taking great care to ensure that doing so doesn't also create an avenue for the malware to survive as well. Diverse resiliency is key. For example, good deep backups help neutralize the effectiveness of ransomware. The trend towards walled garden architectures with a requirement for signed binaries and enforced sandboxing may help, but itwill simultaneously reduce the flexibility and openness of our computers. It is unlikely that they will ever be completely reliable, and software will continue to have vulnerabilities so additional layers of protection will be needed for many years to come. Simply put, as hackers grow in sophistication, so too should our responses. | 5 | 6,920 | news |
A company offering a full graphic design on demand service, SketchDeck , has raised half a million in new funding after completing nearly 2,000 projects, some of which have been as simple as a PowerPoint presentation and others which have been as complex as a complete company rebranding. The funding comes from Y Combinator, Dharmesh Shah (HubSpot CTO), Michael Siebel (founder at Socialcam, Justin.tv) and other angel investors. When we first looked at SketchDeck last spring , the Mountain View-based startup was then focused on turning around slide decks for clients in just a day's time. Using design staff overseas, SketchDeck let you dump your notes or raw slideshows on SketchDeck's team, then wake up the next day to have them transformed into beautiful presentations. In addition to the convenience of the service, a big selling point was the access to professional design at freelancer prices (or less). For instance, pay-as-you-go pricing for presentations started at as little as $5 per slide for the most basic designs. Since last year, the company has been focused on growth, and expanding its product to include all other types of design services, including things like infographics, marketing emails, white papers, e-books, posters, and even website and app designs. To date, SketchDeck has worked with over 400 clients, says co-founder and CEO Chris Finneral, and eight of those are now using the service as its full-time, outsourced design team. SketchDeck has also moved away from using low-cost designers based in India, and now contracts with a number of freelancers in the U.S. and elsewhere. This has raised SketchDeck's pricing a bit. Finneral says the typical project is around the $400-$500 mark, for example. That's still a good deal, he insists. "The price point is still close to what you'd be paying for freelance designers, and a lot less than what you'd be paying design agencies," explains Finneral. "We're trying to deliver the quality you get from a design agency who often charge thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for graphic design work at a closer price point to freelancer design," he says. While the company can still turn around smaller projects in 24 hours as before, some of its work takes a little longer. However, the value proposition is still based around convenience and speed, the CEO says. It's still easy to start a project on SketchDeck a process which takes around 5 minutes and to offer feedback. SketchDeck can then whip out design work quickly. For instance, infographics arrive in 24 to 48 hours, and the team even implemented A/B testing with two designs on a client website in just two days. SketchDeck is still a small group of four full-time, but has grown to include 50 designers who work on its projects. These freelancers are paid by the hour for their time, and checks are cut every two weeks allowing some of them to rely on SketchDeck for a large portion of their income. For some designers, working with SketchDeck may be preferable to finding work via crowdsourced marketplaces like 99designs because they don't have to do spec work to get the job. With the additional funding, Finneral says SketchDeck is focused on growth in 2015, with the goal of growing 10x this year. It will hire engineers to help build out its product and also expand its sales and account management teams in order to sell to larger clients. | 3 | 6,921 | finance |
LEFT SHARK IS AT NEBRASKA. Is this a recruiting violation? #Huskers pic.twitter.com/g7VrF2V4Fv Erin Sorensen (@erinsorensen) February 4, 2015 Nebraska Athletics has a live camera set up in their recruiting office , which sounds precisely as exciting as setting up a feed in any office around the country. Just a bunch of people sitting around, drinking coffee, occasionally checking a fax machine. NOT SO! The Huskers weren't going to allow this to be boring, they brought the fun. The Teletubbies showed up Now there's just a waving cat, staring right at you | 1 | 6,922 | sports |
Maskcara recreates a bold neutral makeup look. | 4 | 6,923 | lifestyle |
Brooks Koepka is fresh off his first PGA TOUR victory as he enters the Farmers Insurance Open this weekend. What's the rest of the year look like for this rising star? | 1 | 6,924 | sports |
CNBC's Bob Pisani looks at what's moving in early morning trading, including weakness in biotech and energy stocks. Also Pisani shares insight on the synergies between Staples and Office Depot. | 3 | 6,925 | finance |
TransAsia plane crashes into Taiwan river Combined photos show an airplane crashing over a bridge in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, on Feb. 4, 2015. A plane of the Taiwan TransAsia Airways came down into a Taipei river with more than 50 people on board. Emergency personnel try to extract passengers from a commercial plane after it crashed in Taipei, Taiwan, Feb. 4, 2015. The Taiwanese commercial flight with 58 people aboard clipped a bridge shortly after takeoff and crashed into a river in the island's capital on Wednesday morning. A survivor is rescued from a commercial plane, after it crashed in Taipei, Taiwan. The Taiwanese commercial flight with 58 people aboard clipped a bridge shortly after takeoff and crashed into a river in the island's capital on Wednesday morning. The wreckage of a taxi cab hit by a commercial airplane ATR72 operated by a Taiwanese airlines TransAir in Taipei, Taiwan. Wreckage of a TransAsia Airways passenger plane on a highway bridge in Taipei, Taiwan. Rescuers search for pieces of the wreckage of the TransAsia flight in the Keelung river at New Taipei City. Rescuers lift the wreckage of the TransAsia flight out of the Keelung river. The wreckage of a TransAsia Airways aircraft is recovered from a river, in New Taipei City. Rescuers lift the wreckage of the TransAsia flight out of the Keelung river. Rescuers check the wreckage of the TransAsia flight on the Keelung river. Rescuers search inside the wreckage of a TransAsia Airways aircraft after it was recovered from the river. Rescuers watch attempts to reach the TransAsia Airways flight wreckage from the banks of the Keelung River. Emergency personnel attempt to retrieve passengers from the wreckage of a TransAsia Airways aircraft after it crashed in a river. A policeman takes photo of passengers' luggage recovered from a TransAsia Airways passenger plane which crashed into the Keelung River in Taipei, Taiwan. A TransAsia Airways plane crashed into the Keelung River near Taipei on February 4, 2015. The plane reportedly clipped a bridge shortly after take-off with more than 50 passengers on board. (In picture) A photo taken by an automobile data recorder shows the airplane losing altitude. A photo taken by an automobile data recorder shows the airplane clipping the bridge before crash. A photo taken by an automobile data recorder shows the debris flying in the air after the crash. Policemen control traffic next to the wreckage of a TransAsia Airways plane which hit a motorway before crash landing in a river, in New Taipei City. Rescue personnel work to free passengers. A rescue operation in place after a TransAsia Airways plane crash landed near Taipei. Rescue personnel work to free passengers from a TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane. Workers trying to rescue passengers. Rescuers and soldiers remove airplane parts after a TransAsia plane crashed into a river in New Taipei City. A rescue crew carries a window from a TransAsia Airways ATR 72-600 turboprop airplane that crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan airport. Rescue personnel put an injured passenger into a medical van. Rescue personnel carry an injured passenger. Emergency personnel approach a commercial plane after it crashed in Taipei. | 5 | 6,926 | news |
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis thinks restaurants sholudn't have to require employees to wash their hands. CBSN's Vladimir Duthiers and Elaine Quijano show us what's behind his argument. | 3 | 6,927 | finance |
The former "Michigan man" has a new gig in South Bend. Campus Insiders' Ray Crawford and Dave Miller discuss whether it's a good move for the Irish on the field and on the recruiting trail. | 1 | 6,928 | sports |
Once all the Oscars are handed out, the world's most powerful celebrities will be tucking into pears with 24-carat gold and BLTs made with lobster. Chef Wolfgang Puck returns to cater the post-telecast party for the 21st year and will oversee the choreography of 50 different dishes that will be passed throughout the evening for an estimated 1,500 guests. Along with signature and recurring Oscar dishes such as smoked salmon, chicken pot pie with black truffles and mini American Wagyu burgers, guests will also nosh on lobster BLTs, beet latkes with pastrami duck and apple mustard and Dover sole with orange miso vinaigrette. For the many stars who shun meat, vegetarian offerings will include organic parsnip soup with white chocolate, pears and 24K gold, artichokes with asparagus, fava beans, baby beets and citrus vinaigrette. Desserts - should the stars permit themselves to indulge - will include apple millefeuille with cider jelly; peanut butter strawberry lollipops and Puck's 24-carat gold chocolate Oscars. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the filmmaking community will gather for their own celebration at chef Daniel Boulud's New York restaurant Daniel, the only East Coast viewing party officially hosted by The Academy. At Daniel, guests will tuck into canapés inspired by Best Picture nominees including Boyhood , American Sniper and The Theory of Everything . Guests will be greeted by life-sized Oscar statues flanking the restaurant entrance and will be able to watch the event live on high-definition LCD monitors installed throughout the dining room. The 87th Oscars will be held on Sunday local time and televised in more than 225 countries worldwide. | 0 | 6,929 | foodanddrink |
Put a notch on the Buckeyes' belt early on National Signing Day. K.J. Hill, a four-star wide receiver from North Little Rock, Ark., has chosen to head north and play for the national champions over Arkansas and Alabama, among others. Ohio State director of player personnel Mark Pantoni confirmed the decision Wednesday morning, which is a first for the Buckeyes in many years. Hill had originally committed to play for the Razorbacks at the end of August but what appeared to be a big in-state get for former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema instead turns into a miss. The 6-foot, 190-pound Hill was selected to play in the 2015 U.S. Army All-American Bowl after a strong senior season, in which he had more than 1,000 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns through the air, seven touchdowns on the ground and one on a kick return. YouTube highlights mixes are far from the be-all, end-all but Hill shows speed and elusiveness in this one from his senior year. | 1 | 6,930 | sports |
Serena Williams says she will return to play in the tournament at Indian Wells, California, next month after boycotting the event for 14 years. In a column for Time.com, Williams writes about the jeering and booing and an "undercurrent of racism" she felt during the 2001 semifinal and final. Williams writes that with "a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015." After older sister Venus withdrew from the '01 semifinal against then 19-year-old Serena with an injury, the crowd booed. Serena wrote that there were allegations that matches between the sisters were fixed. In the final, against Kim Clijsters, the booing continued. "In a game I loved with all my heart, at one of my most cherished tournaments, I suddenly felt unwelcome, alone and afraid," Serena writes in the column. The tournament is scheduled for March 11-22. | 1 | 6,931 | sports |
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena will visit India on Feb. 16, his first state visit abroad, a government official said on Wednesday, part of efforts to repair relations with New Delhi which soured under the previous government. Sirisena earlier pledged to pursue a more global foreign policy in a break with his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa's pursuit of close ties with China, a key supporter of Sri Lanka's economy since its 26-year civil war ended in 2009. "In considering the past, we make a clear commitment towards following a foreign policy of the middle path, in friendship with all nations," Sirisena said during a speech marking Independence Day. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted he was looking forward "to welcoming President Sirisena later this month." Modi is scheduled to make a reciprocal trip in the second week of March, according to Sri Lankan government officials. Sirisena's trip will last two days, the official told Reuters, declining to be identified. Sri Lanka's January 8 elections unexpectedly ousted Rajapaksa and brought Sirisena, a former Rajapaksa ally, to power on a platform of rooting out corruption and bringing constitutional reforms to weaken the presidency. Sirisena's administration has ordered a review of all Chinese infrastructure projects awarded under Rajapaksa, a move expected to sit well with India and Western nations concerned about Beijing's growing influence and military presence in the region. Rajapaksa's decision to allow two Chinese submarines to dock in Sri Lanka last year angered India, as the move breached an existing agreement between the two countries. In the run-up to the January vote, Sri Lanka expelled India's spy chief for helping to unite a fractious opposition to defeat Rajapaksa, according to diplomatic and political sources, although India denied any expulsion. Sirisena's visit to India will mark the changing attitudes of both nations, said P. Sahadevan, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. "Earlier, though it was not displayed openly, there was quite a bit of antipathy from India toward the Rajapaksa regime," Sahadevan said. "That's gone." Sirisena has also pledged to grant autonomy to the island's former northern war zone where members of the country's ethnic Tamil minority predominantly live, part of an agreement with India that the Rajapaksa government failed to fulfill. (Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Krista Mahr; Editing by Krista Mahr and Raissa Kasolowsky) | 5 | 6,932 | news |
By Steve DelVecchio Alex Rodriguez and his girlfriend, former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson, have reportedly broken up. According to the New York Post's Page Six, Wilson and A-Rod recently decided to split because Rodriguez is unwilling to make a serious commitment and his ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis is still involved in his life. Over the summer, A-Rod spent a day with Wilson, Scurtis and his two daughters. A-Rod and Wilson had been dating for at least a few years . A source reportedly told Page Six that Wilson and Rodriguez had a tendency to "fight over his flirtations with other women," which she did a good job of hiding two years ago when the New York Yankees slugger was busted for flirting with some female fans during a game. Several members of the Yankees organization reportedly feel that Wilson was a good influence on A-Rod. "Torrie is a lovely girl," a Yankees source told Page Six. "The last thing Alex needs now is to be single, dating and distracted by women." The ironic thing is A-Rod's publicized cheating is what led to his divorce with Scurtis, and now she is supposedly one of the reasons Wilson is deciding to call off her relationship with Rodriguez. All single ladies take note if you care about money and literally nothing else, A-Rod is available. | 1 | 6,933 | sports |
Inspired by conversations on the Food52 Hotline , we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun. Today: Don't get sour about balsamic vinegar. Learn to navigate the labels! Ever find yourself at the grocery store hoping to buy balsamic vinegar but have no idea which one to choose? It's happened to us. Don't panic and take shelter in the chocolate aisle. We're here to help! First, what is balsamic vinegar? Balsamic vinegar is a reduction of unfermented grape juice (called grape must), which is cooked down and then aged. Traditional balsamic vinegar is thick enough to coat a spoon and has a delicate balance of sweet and sour. Most stores carry at least a handful of balsamic vinegars, some the real deal and others thin, acrid-tasting imitators. The problem is they all appear the same in the bottle. In order to help differentiate, the European Union created different terms to signify where and how a vinegar was made. Here's how to decode the labels: First, and most importantly, all balsamic vinegars fall into three categories: tradizionale (DOP), balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP), or condimento grade. Generally, the more expensive the bottle, the more viscosity, complexity, and sweetness the vinegar will have. From left to right: Condimento grade balsamic, balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP), and tradizionale (DOP) balsamic The most expensive is traditional balsamic vinegar (DOP) , or aceto balsamico tradizionale . Produced only in Modena or Reggio Emilia, this vinegar has a protected designation of origin (DOP) from the European Union. These true balsamic vinegars are made from cooked grape must (made by pressing Trebbiano or Lambrusco grapes), which is then aged in barrels. To qualify as tradizionale , balsamic vinegars must be aged for a minimum of 12 years and have no ingredients other than grape must. The color of the label indicates the minimum level of aging: Red means 12 years, silver means 18 years, and gold means 25 years. Aging yields an intense sweetness with a thick, syrupy texture and a smooth finish. Depending on the type of barrels used for aging, the vinegars will have hints of oak, cherry, and other woods. Use: If you're making a dish where balsamic is the star -- like a panna cotta topped with balsamic-macerated strawberries -- spring for the expensive bottle. You'll taste the difference. The price is steep (a gold label vinegar can cost around $200 for a mere 3 ounces), so a high-end aged balsamic is best used after cooking as a finishing touch. Drizzle balsamic over this soup or pair it with cheese. Avoid using it in dishes with strong flavors, like spicy food or steak or fish -- it's expensive and complex-tasting and you want it to shine. The most common balsamic vinegar that can be found at most grocery stores is balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP) , often written as aceto balsamico di Modena . Look for the letters IGP on the label, which stands for "protected geographical indication," and means that the vinegar was produced and bottled in Modena, Italy. Though not quite as rigorous as the criteria for tradizionale vinegars, this geographic designation ensures a certain, controlled standard of quality. Made from a combination of wine vinegar and grape must, the grapes in IGP vinegars can come from anywhere in the world, but must be processed and packed in Modena to earn the label. That variety in grapes yields greater diversity of flavor and texture in IGP vinegars. Tradizionale balsamic vinegars will taste very similar regardless of brand, whereas the taste of IGP vinegars can vary. A general rule of thumb is to look at the color and price -- darker vinegars will be thicker and sweeter, and pricier vinegars should be more complex and nuanced in flavor. Use: Taste your vinegar first! Most IGP vinegars will be as sour as other vinegars (like red wine or white wine), but with a touch more sweetness. Use them in cooking when they're a prominent ingredient in the recipe -- such as in a sauce , or in a delicate dish like risotto where you'll notice the flavor. More: Feeling overwhelmed? Take a deep breath and have some strawberry balsamic breakfast cake. The final category -- condimento grade balsamic vinegar -- is the least tightly controlled. This term refers to all balsamic vinegars that don't meet the IGP or DOP standards. Since the origin and production process isn't guaranteed by the label, you'll get a very wide range of quality. Some condimento vinegars might be excellent -- aged for years and made from cooked grape must -- and some might be wine vinegar with food coloring masquerading as Italian balsamic. Any label that says balsamic vinegar but doesn't have the letters IGP or DOP listed is technically considered condimento grade. Check the ingredient list before you buy; cheap balsamics often have added sugar to mimic the sweetness of aged balsamic, so stick with vinegars that only list grapes or grape must. Use: Ideal for salad dressings and marinades . The flavor of these vinegars won't be as sweet or complex, so they're best when playing a supporting role. If you want to mimic that viscous texture of tradizionale vinegar for pouring over ice cream or dipping bruschetta , you can reduce condimento grade vinegar down in a saucepan over low heat. It will sweeten and thicken, so in a pinch it's a decent trick for imitating the syrupy texture of tradizionale balsamic. More: Master the genius recipe for sticky balsamic ribs . Now that you're armed with all the right information, go out and try every type of balsamic. See which ones you like best. Make strawberry balsamic ice cream and baked figs with balsamic and feta and impress all your friends with your wicked culinary knowledge. Photos by James Ransom | 0 | 6,934 | foodanddrink |
Ben Carson says illegal immigrants are partly to blame for the measles outbreak. Carson, a doctor considering a 2016 run for the White Hosue, said it's a fact that people are entering the country illegally without being screened for measles. While U.S. citizens who don't get vaccinated are also a factor in this year's rising number of measles cases, he said it's "a combination of non-compliance [with vaccine requirements] and introduction into our society of people who perhaps haven't been well screened." Carson said he wasn't trying to speak in code when he was asked by CNN host Chris Cuomo if he was turning the measles debate into an immigration debate. "It's not code and I'm not trying to make it into any particular argument, I'm stating what the facts are," he replied. "The facts are that there are people in our country who have become lax in terms of their vigilance, getting their kids immunized, and we have people coming in who are not necessarily being properly screened. That's not making it an issue, it's stating facts." Carson was unable to point to an example of someone in the country illegally who had caused a problem by not being vaccinated. "Let me put it this way, if I found you somebody who came in from another country who had not been vaccinated and caused a problem, would that convince you?" Carson replied, before adding, "No." "It's not to prejudice anybody, but we have to deal with reality, and if you have people coming into your country who have not been properly screened, who have not had the same kind of care as people in this country, I don't think you have to be a genius to figure out that that could introduce some communicable problems," Carson added. A return of the measles, mostly in California, has been linked to the refusal of some parents to vaccinate their children. The issue of vaccination has flared up in the Republican presidential contest after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) indicated that parents should have some choice as to whether to vaccinate their children. Carson is on the pro-vaccination side. "Certain communicable diseases have been largely eradicated by immunization policies in this country and we should not allow those diseases to return by foregoing safe immunization programs, for philosophical, religious or other reasons when we have the means to eradicate them," he said in a statement on Monday. He added a defense of the government's role on the issue in the CNN interview Wednesday. "We have to recognize that public safety and public health is a responsibility of the government," he said. | 5 | 6,935 | news |
In honor of National Signing Day, we take a look back at the 2014 NFL Draft and see how the top five draft picks ranked in high school. How do you think these guys turned out compared to their rankings? | 1 | 6,936 | sports |
As RadioShack (RSH) teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, one portfolio manager is making the case that another struggling retail icon will not follow in the electronics chain's footsteps. According to Don Ingham, a director at Tenth Avenue Holdings private investment firm, investors are looking at Sears (SHLD) all wrong. Instead of viewing the retailer's deteriorating stores as a reason to be bearish on the stock, they should be seen as a prudent decision that Sears will focus its investments on the future of retail, which is taking place online, Ingham said. What's more, he argues that the company's loyalty program a frequent target of criticism, as it offers members even steeper discounts without charging a fee will help it retain customers as it shrinks its store count. "We're fully aware that if you look at it from a traditional perspective, as a traditional retailer ... it does basically look like it's going out of business," Ingham said. "[But] I do think that there is a profitable configuration of the assets." Ingham, whose investment firm owns shares in Sears, said accelerated store closings make the company's financials look much worse than they are, as they have to ramp up spending to shutter the locations. But that temporary pain is necessary for the company to achieve long-term stability, Ingham said. And because the retailer has a lot of work to do to right-size its fleet which included more than 1,800 domestic locations as of its most recent earnings report spending cash to upgrade stores would be money poorly spent. "They know they need less square footage," he said. "That's why they've invested less in what they know ultimately may no longer be relevant." As Sears shrinks its physical footprint, Ingham said its same-store sales should turn positive within the next few quarters, as sales comparisons at physical stores will be derived from its stronger locations. He added that the Shop Your Way rewards program, whose members accounted for 72 percent of eligible sales in the most recent quarter, has created a more loyal shopper base. That should serve as a buffer in markets where it decides to shutter bricks-and-mortar locations. It's particularly important in the context of industry research, which has shown that retailers' sales tend to be highest in markets where they have both a physical and an online presence. Sears already has a leg up in its online business among department stores. It ranked fifth on Internet Retailer 's 2014 list of the top 10 online retailers in the U.S. by revenue, beating out both Macy's (M) and J.C. Penney (JCP) . "With the Shop Your Way [program] they've been able to retain a portion of their customers," Ingham said. Sears is also considering converting hundreds of its stores into a real estate investment trust, through which it would lease up to 1,400 locations. Ingham said this tactic could provide the retailer with enough capital to complete its transformation. Ingham's analysis stands in stark opposition to the opinions of many in the industry. For their part, Sears bears have argued for months that the company's money-boosting maneuvers do nothing but delay its demise . They're quick to point out that the company continues to bleed money, and is losing relevancy against competitors in nearly every major category . Despite his more optimistic outlook, Ingham acknowledged that it will likely take several more years for Sears to return to profitability. "The reality is the world has changed," he said. "They need to adapt." According to Retail Metrics, Sears hasn't posted a profit since the fourth quarter of 2012. In the most recent quarter, it reported an adjusted loss of $296 million; that was an improvement from the same period of the prior year, when it had a loss of $310 million on an adjusted basis. "During the quarter, we unveiled or expanded several integrated retail customer initiatives, which helped drive online and multichannel sales," CEO Eddie Lampert said in December. "Our members are responding to our transformation, and we are encouraged by the year-over-year domestic adjusted EBITDA trends, which mark a positive departure from the prior six quarters." Although Sears and RadioShack are often lumped together, Sears which owns a hefty amount of its real estate has more financial flexibility than RadioShack, and is therefore in a less dire situation. | 3 | 6,937 | finance |
Parents cry foul when their children encounter naked sunbathers in California | 8 | 6,938 | video |
Keith Yandle has been here before. He's heard the chatter, answered the reporters' questions, contemplated the potential scenarios. He's prepared to receive that phone call, or be pulled into Don Maloney's office, and pack his bags, say goodbye to his teammates, his coaches, his home and start fresh elsewhere. At this point, how could he not be ready? "It's one of those things where it seems like every year I hear my name," he told Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com . "I'm immune to it now. I don't take any of it personally. I tell myself that it's a good thing other teams want you. It's been talked about for the last six years, and you just have to play it by year." Indeed, Yandle knows what it's like to be the subject of trade speculation. It's become something of a tradition to discuss potential deals for the Cushing Academy product. When you're a good player on a bad club located in a struggling market, it comes with the territory. In past seasons, the Coyotes have been reluctant to move Yandle in hopes of building a cost-efficient winner with their present foundation. This, of course, hasn't worked out as planned. At 19-26-6, Arizona is on pace for 70 points, which would result in its third-worst campaign since moving to the desert. Such a decline has Maloney, general manager since 2007, prepared for a rebuild, meaning Yandle -- along with Antoine Vermette and Zbynek Michalek, among others -- might be on the way out. Yandle is only 28 and could be a part of the next era, but he could garner a significant return, as well. And since he has one more year left on his contract for a reasonable $5.5 million, the Coyotes could get far more for him than if he were simply a rental. According to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe, Arizona could want a young roster player, a prospect and a draft pick for the star rearguard -- a steep price, yes, but guys like Yandle don't come around often. A good way to put his skill set into perspective is by using Dominic Galamini's new HERO charts ( explained here ). To summarize: these numbers remove the effects of usage -- quality of teammates, quality of competition and zone starts -- to isolate individual production. Yandle's chart is impressive, to say the least: He's not a shutdown defenseman who thrives in his own zone, as evident by his pedestrian usage adjusted Corsi. He is, however, a prototypical "puck-moving D-man" who generates lots of shots and is capable of handling big minutes. His one weakness appears to be shot suppression, a weakness that can be masked with proper deployment and a strong supporting cast. Undoubtedly, Yandle's offensive prowess is his greatest strength. With 36 points (four goals, 32 assists), he's currently fifth in points among NHL defensemen. His shooting percentage is just 2.5, so one should expect him to experience an uptick in goals sooner or later. Furthermore, his on-ice shooting percentage is only 8.3, so all those assists aren't products of good luck. If anything, his output should only improve down the stretch. Yandle is especially valuable on the power play. His 21 points (one goal, 20 assists) during 5-on-4 action are tied for most in the NHL with Claude Giroux. If a contender is struggling on the man-advantage, there aren't many (if any) better options. Anaheim, who has an average power play and is receiving little offense from its blue liners, could certainly benefit from acquiring the left-handed D-man. Detroit could benefit, too, and has lots of youthful, enticing assets to offer. But let's not put the cart before the horse. While Arizona is open to trade talks, it doesn't seem to be in any rush to pull the trigger. "We don't have enough Keith Yandles," Maloney noted. "That's not to say if a deal comes along in the next week or the next month or at the draft ... but he's still a relatively young player that does something better than most players in the league." Something else to keep in mind: Arizona has to worry about the salary cap floor, and Vermette, Michalek and Martin Erat are slated to become unrestricted free agents this spring. Shane Doan and Sam Gagne come off the books after 2015-16, when they'll make nearly $10 million combined. Since the Coyotes will have to dole out a lot of cash over the next few years to remain above the floor (and somewhat competitive), better to give an expensive contract to Yandle -- proven, skilled, consistent -- than risk overpaying someone far worse. If Yandle is open to extension talks, it may be best to hold onto him -- at least through the end of 2014-15. If he can't be re-signed in the summer, the Coyotes could still get a large return for his services. | 1 | 6,939 | sports |
Serena Williams says she will return to play in the tournament at Indian Wells, California, next month after boycotting the event for 14 years. In a column for Time.com, Williams writes about the jeering and booing and an ''undercurrent of racism'' she felt during the 2001 semifinal and final. Williams writes that with ''a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015.'' After older sister Venus withdrew from the '01 semifinal against then 19-year-old Serena with an injury, the crowd booed. Serena wrote that there were allegations that matches between the sisters were fixed. In the final, against Kim Clijsters, the booing continued. ''In a game I loved with all my heart, at one of my most cherished tournaments, I suddenly felt unwelcome, alone and afraid,'' Serena writes in the column. The tournament is scheduled for March 11-22. | 1 | 6,940 | sports |
CLEMSON Deshaun Watson's "head start" on recovery following knee surgery in mid-December already is paying off. Clemson's freshman sensation quarterback, whose season was ended on Dec. 12 when he underwent surgery for a torn ACL, is progressing rapidly in his rehabilitation, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Wednesday. "He is not your normal player," Swinney said during a National Signing Day interview on ESPNU. "He is a month or two ahead of where anyone else would be." That's good news for the Tigers, who are counting on Watson to be ready in time for fall camp, which will open Aug. 4. Watson played with a torn ACL in Clemson's 35-17 victory against South Carolina on Nov. 29, passing for 269 yards and four touchdowns, and Swinney indicated that he might be available for the Tigers' bowl game on Dec. 29. But Swinney and Watson decided the team might be best served if Watson had surgery immediately in order to jump-start his rehab. Watson missed four games with injury last season; he also broke a bone in his throwing hand against Louisville and missed his next three starts. He returned to the lineup against Georgia Tech on Nov. 14, but played less than a quarter before suffering a strained knee ligament. Watson then tore an ACL in practice prior to the South Carolina game. The Gainesville, Georgia, native completed 93 of 137 passes (67.9 percent) for 1,466 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was intercepted just twice and compiled an efficiency rating of 188.6. Scott Keepfer writes for The Greenville (S.C.) News, a Gannett paper. | 1 | 6,941 | sports |
15 'Healthy' Foods That Aren't We hereby authorize liberal use of air quotes when discussing these "healthy" foods items that come plastered with health-related packaging claims but consistently fall short in the nutritional department. Here's the unfortunate truth about 15 "healthy" products, plus suggestions for what to buy instead. Twig & Flake Cereals Just because a cereal is organic, made with whole grains, high in fiber, or studded with flax seeds doesn't mean it gets an instant health halo. Organic sugar is still sugar and a lot of organic cereals pack just as much of the sweet stuff as conventional brands. Don't be fooled by high-fiber cereals, either: They're frequently supplemented with synthetic fiber (read: not as absorbable) to make up for the fact that they're full of over-processed, refined grains. What's better: Look for cereals that have less than 6 grams of sugar per serving these 10 picks are a good place to start and short ingredients lists. Go for whole grains, freeze-dried fruits, and unprocessed nuts, not artificial sweeteners or added fibers. Veggie Chips Most packaged chips that claim to be chockfull of vegetables are made mostly of potato starch or corn flour. Usually, the only "veggie" you're getting is a weak tint of color from vegetable powders. What's better: Try making your own chips with real veggies. Or look for chips where kale, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts are first on the ingredient list. These "chips" are easy to spot because they look more like veggies and less like potato chips. Parfaits In the coffee-shop sea of oversized croissants, muffins, and bagels, a fruit-and-yogurt parfait may seem like the best option. Many are rich in protein and calcium and ridiculously high in sugar. Most have at least 30 grams of sugar, while some even surpass the 50-gram mark. Compare that to the to the 4 grams of sugar in a Starbucks croissant. What's better: Head to the refrigerated section at your coffee shop and look for single cups of plain yogurt and some fresh fruit. Mix the fruit into the yogurt and add a touch of stevia or honey and voilà: your own fruit-and-yogurt parfait with way less sugar than premade cups. Fiber-Fortified Granola Bars Many high-fiber granola bars pack more than a third of your daily fiber needs in just 140 calories. But these bars aren't getting their roughage from oats or nuts: Most are fortified with extract of the chicory root, a tasteless plant that's high in fiber. The real problem is in the rest of the ingredients list: Many bars are littered with added sugars, refined oils, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives. What's better: If you're going to eat granola bars, make sure the ingredient list is short and replete with naturally high-fiber ingredients like nuts and whole grains. We like PaleoKrunch Original Grainless Granola, which has 7 grams of fiber and only 6 grams of sugar per bar. Bottled Green Juices While it's nice to think you're getting all the benefits of spinach in a green refrigerated drink, you're likely getting more sugar than anything else. Some of these smoothie-like juices pack upwards of 50 grams of sugar per bottle, mostly from fruit. And although that's a natural source, it will still hit your bloodstream like a bag of Skittles. What's better: Try a zero-calorie sparkling water or stevia-sweetened drink like Bai5, and eat your veggies (or juice them at home) instead. Quinoa Pasta & Chips You'd hope a product with the word "quinoa" in its name would be made of mostly quinoa. But four different natural brands peddle quinoa pastas that are made with more corn, rice, or wheat flour than the high-fiber and high-protein grain. What's better: If a product, whether pasta or chips, touts quinoa on the outside, check the ingredients list to make sure the claim is substantiated on the inside. Simply 7 Quinoa Chips and Pereg Quinoa Pasta both list quinoa flour as the first ingredient in their products. Pita Chips Since they're often baked rather than fried, pita chips have earned an undeserved health halo. No matter how they're prepared, many are made with enriched wheat flour, a refined grain with next to nothing in fiber or the other nutrients found in whole-grain flour. What's better: They're not easy to find, but you can get pita chips made with whole-grain flour like Athenos Whole Wheat Pita Chips. Frozen Veggie Burgers Many commercial veggie patties are made from highly processed soy or "textured vegetable protein," which is derived from soy and/or wheat not veggies. In fact, it's difficult in many conventional supermarkets to find a "veggie" burger that actually contains vegetables. What's better: Choose veggie burgers that aren't made from soy but get their protein from whole, unprocessed foods like beans, seeds, and whole grains. Even better: veggie burgers that actually feature veggies. Hilarys' Eat Well Adzuki Bean Burger hits every mark. Vegan Baked Goods Giving up animal-derived ingredients like butter certainly seems like a good way to reduce calories in baked goods, but the plant-based margarines often used in vegan versions are just as calorie-dense as butter. And, vegan or not, most baked goods are still filled with refined flours and sugars a.k.a. empty calories. What's better: Vegan baked goods are best for those allergic to eggs or dairy or who have ethical concerns about consuming animal products. For anyone else: Eat homemade baked goods in small portions, or try a lightened-up recipe. Yogurt-Covered Pretzels We're not sure how food manufacturers have been able to smother pretzels in shelf-stable icing and pass it off as "yogurt" for so long. Although the coating does contain an ingredient called "yogurt powder," it's mostly made up of sugar and palm kernel oil. That explains why some brands pack as much as 18 grams of sugar into just 6 "yogurt"-covered pretzels. What's better: Get your sweet-salty fix from a different kind of snack. We like low-sugar kettle corn and sea-salted dark chocolate. Rice Cakes Sure, rice cakes are low in fat and calories, but they're also pretty low on nutrition. Most provide a single gram each of protein and fiber without almost any other micronutrients to speak of. Flavored versions are often rife with artificial sweeteners, flavors, and colors. What's better: If you're craving something crunchy, try a whole-grain cracker that has a little staying power. Mary's Gone Crackers' Original flavor has 3 grams of protein and fiber in each serving. Gluten-Free Snacks It's time, once and for all, to clear up the misconception that gluten-free foods are inherently healthier than wheat-based ones (unless you have celiac disease, of course). Most alternative flours used to make gluten-free crackers, pretzels, baked goods, and other snacks have just as many carbs or more per serving than wheat does, while offering little more in the way of nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. What's better: Unless you have celiac disease, stick to products made with 100% whole-wheat flour or 100% whole-grain flours like almond, quinoa, or chickpea flour. Self-Serve Yogurt A trip to the fro-yo shop somehow feels indulgent and guiltless at the same time. But even if you pick the plain flavor, chances are you're getting a bigger sugar rush than you think: Plain froyo has about the same amount of sugar as even the most decadent flavors. Across the board, ½-cup of self-serve froyo has around 25 grams of sugar and that's before you add in the Oreos or cheesecake bites. What's better: Replicate the experience at home by topping plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, chocolate chips, granola, a drizzle of honey. Sushi High-protein, low-carb sushi certainly wins out over fast-food burgers and fries if you're looking for a quick dinner, but it's surprisingly easy to overdo it on mercury if you're eating sushi often. Fish commonly utilized in sushi rolls, like tuna, sea bass, and swordfish, are among the ocean's worst for mercury contamination. What's better: Check out the Natural Resources Defense Council's guide to choosing low-mercury (and sustainable) sushi fish and order accordingly. Frozen Diet Meals Fad diets come and go, but there's one constant we can associate with all of them: deprivation. That's the name of the game when it comes to hyper-processed frozen "diet" meals that boast paragraph-length lists of ingredients that sound like they belong more in a chemistry class than dinner. What's better: Just about every dieter would be better off skipping the frozen aisle and heading for the fresh produce, but sometimes life calls for frozen meals. When those times come, we like these 6 surprisingly tasty and satisfying frozen meals . | 7 | 6,942 | health |
World's most admired men and women of 2015 YouGov, an international internet-based market research firm, has revealed a list of the most admired men and women in the world, based on a survey. Around 25,000 people from 23 countries gave their mandate and final average scores were then calculated. Humanitarians and self made entrepreneurs like The Dalia Lama, Angelina Jolie, Bill Gates and Jack Ma are more popular than some of the top world leaders. Click through to see if your favourite idols rank among them! Source: YouGov 20. George W Bush and Dilma Rousseff 19. Billy Graham and Ellen DeGeneres 18. Joko Widodo and Elizabeth Warren 17. George Clooney and Faye Wong 16. Prince William and Emma Watson 15. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kate Middleton 14. Bill Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence 13. Brad Pitt and Sonia Gandhi 12. Warren Buffett and Beyonce Knowles 11. Valadimir Putin and Taylor Swift 10. David Beckham and Angela Merkel 9. Stephen Hawking and Aung San Suu Kyi 8. Jack Ma and Julia Roberts 7. The Dalai Lama and Oprah Winfrey 6. Pope Francis and Celine Dion 5. Narendra Modi and Michelle Obama 4. Jackie Chan and Queen Elizabeth II 3. Xi Jingping and Hilary Clinton 2. Barack Obama and Malala Yousafzai 1. Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie | 5 | 6,943 | news |
We're getting some clarity now on oil and how things will unfold. It looks like the companies with the most commodity exposure and the weakest balance sheets are going to be able to get by with some joint ventures like the one Linn Energy did with Blackstone's GSO unit -- where for $500 million the finance guy gets the upside -- or the one Continental Resources' Harold Hamm did with Rich Kinder , where for $3 billion Kinder Morgan got the best pipe out of the Bakken. This morning I posited that you had to watch Freeport-McMoRan to see what happens. With oil up 19% from last week, I think it might be able to get a Blackstone deal. In the meantime, there are a ton of oil company producers with pipe or pipe companies with too much commodity exposure, and Kinder will pick up that pipe. Must Read: 10 Stocks Carl Icahn Loves for 2015: Apple, eBay, Hertz and More What will the majors do? I don't know. Exxon Mobil clearly said it wants to bolt on acquisitions, but is Exxon fleet of foot enough to do so? Rich Kinder made it pretty clear that oil can't stay down here for long if there are only about 1.5 million excess barrels worldwide. That's why I think he had to make his move on Hamm's properties . It was just too dicey that Hamm could have ridden it out if Kinder didn't act. Now he has a pipe that handles oil that can be extracted profitably at $40 -- that's how good the acreage is that the pipes are attached to. I think we are all going to have to be on the lookout for the acquirers now. They are going to get the better of the deal. Sure, some guys won't be able to cover the cash flow, but this last spike has given some of the more hobbled companies all the breathing room they need to sell forward in the $60s, which is going to save a bunch of them until they can make a GSO/Kinder deal and lose their upside but stay alive to play another day. Must Read: Dan Dicker and Jim Cramer: Have Oil Prices Finally Bottomed? | 3 | 6,944 | finance |
My girlfriend and I dated for four years before we moved in together. I hear that's a long time.It's not that I wasn't sure about her there's nobody I'd rather be a sous chef for or have interrupt my shower to ask a "very important" question about her first fantasy-football team. I just wasn't sure about living together. I come from a pretty religious family for one thing, so cohabitation would involve changing our mailing address to the Fiery Pits of Hell. More than that, I like being alone, preferably on the couch and preferably in shorts. She was nervous too, worried that if we moved in before we were engaged or married and things didn't go smoothly at first, we'd give up too easily.Circumstances finally gave us the necessary push. When our friends needed a place to live while they waited for a new apartment, we decided to try shacking up. For two months, our friends took my apartment, and I moved into my girlfriend's 350-square-foot studio. If we could endure living in a home so small you could open the oven and flush the toilet from the same spot on the couch, anything else would be simple.Still, we worried that the close quarters and constant togetherness would make us hate each other, so we force-planned time alone. (She would do more dinners with her friends and without me, or I would shift my gym schedule to give her the apartment after work.) It took only a week before we realized we didn't need to do that. As it turned out, I liked opening the door every night to my favorite face, and she … liked having someone around who could reach the breakfast plates without a step stool.I eventually moved back to my place, but when her lease was up that summer, it was an easy decision for her to move in. There have been issues, sure. My preference for sitting on the couch over going out can be a challenge for anyone with a normal social life. And I get irrationally angry when asked if the dishwasher is clean or dirty. As for her, she's not at all bothered by clutter. If there's a chair nearby, she prefers it to a closet. She's scared to open mail that looks like it won't be easy to deal with updates from mutual funds, changes in her insurance plan so instead she piles it up on the bookshelf.You overcome that stuff mostly by getting over yourself … and by figuring out the few things that truly bother you and letting the other person know. I'm able to still cherish my alone time because she graciously accommodates me with a little Peter Time each week. Her mail pile? It kills me. But even though she hates going through it, she does it more often than she'd like for me. Seeing her do that is just as rewarding as coming home to dinner and a hug … or the surprise appearance of a breast. This article was originally published as " What He Really Thinks About Moving In With You " in the February 2015 issue of Cosmopolitan . | 4 | 6,945 | lifestyle |
On Jan. 1, 2015, two helicopters hovered low over Raqqa, the Syrian headquarters of the Islamic State group, where a Jordanian fighter jet had crashed a week earlier. Coalition jets pounded the area in some of fiercest airstrikes since the beginning of the U.S.-led air campaign in Syria, while soldiers dropped from the helicopters. As ISIS armed men flocked to the scene of the attack, two other helicopters were attempting to land in another corner of Raqqa, where a building was being used as a prison holding the captured Jordanian pilot who had bailed out a week earlier from that crashing jet, Muath al-Kasaesbeh. The attempted distraction did not draw in every militant. Those near the prison shot anti-aircraft missiles at the helicopters, which had to retreat. Just 20 minutes after they arrived, the helicopters and soldiers were gone; al-Kaseasbeh was not with them. ISIS allegedly executed him three days later. That is how the anti-ISIS activist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently described to International Business Times what it called a failed mission to rescue the Jordanian pilot, possibly conducted by Jordanian special forces. The group has been the first to report on several stories from Raqqa, including the death of 26-year-old al-Kaseasbeh in January, all of which later proved to be true. Abu Ibrahim Raqqawi, a spokesperson for group who is based outside of Syria, recounted an eyewitness account of the mission to International Business Times via Skype. He maintains constant contact with at least 12 members of the group in Syria, who cannot speak to press for security reasons. The activists inside Raqqa record the "crimes of ISIS" and the spokesman publishes them on their website and through social media . "They were very, very close to the building where Muath was," said Raqqawi, citing sources with links to ISIS. "After that, they moved him." ISIS released a video Tuesday that purportedly shows the Jordanian pilot's execution, by burning alive. After news of the video broke, Jordan state media confirmed Tuesday that the Islamic State group executed al-Kaseasbeh, and said he was killed a month ago, on Jan. 3. When the group first reported on the alleged rescue mission in January, the Pentagon denied that the U.S. was involved. However, a covert and high-risk rescue mission such as this one would likely have been carried out on the ground by the hostage's national government, not the U.S.-led coalition, which may however have provided air cover with jets. Members of Raqqawi's group "reported seeing soldiers wearing the Jordanian Army uniform while the troops tried to look for the hostages in the nearby villages," on the day of the alleged rescue attempt. "We think they are Jordanian but we cannot confirm," he said. The spokesperson for both the Jordanian ministries of Interior and Defense said he was unwilling to give information regarding Jordanian Special Forces in Syria, and said that Jordan was not releasing information regarding al-Kaseasbeh until Wednesday. The U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the attempted rescue mission. However, spokespeople for Operation Inherent Resolve, as the airstrikes campaign is code-named, said the U.S. and its regional allies conducted only two airstrikes in Raqqa on Jan. 1, 2015. "It's not the first time we report on something like this first," Raqqawi said. The group was one of the first to report that U.S. Special Forces attempted to rescue James Foley and Peter Kassig on July 4, 2014. The Pentagon confirmed this in August, after ISIS had already released a video of Foley's execution. According to the group in Raqqa, Jordanian special forces assisted in that mission. | 5 | 6,946 | news |
You know when you walk into your favorite department store and are immediately inundated with hundreds of beauty products to choose from? It's...overwhelming. Thankfully, Rank & Style came along and simplified shopping with their daily lists of the top 10 products in basically every category. And the best part? These lists are created scientifically. They're not based on personal opinion, but on real data from magazines, blogs, department stores, and social media, all of which help to rank products by popularity, quality, and buzz. Today, we're looking at the best natural beauty products on the market, from deodorant to lip balm to a truly decadent face mask. 5 . Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant, $14; sephora.com Deodorant shoppers complain that what's out there in terms of aluminum-free options simply doesn't work. That's not the case with Lavanila's offerings. Their 100 percent aluminum-free 'Healthy Deodorant' offers very effective odor protection in four refreshing scents like Vanilla Grapefruit and Vanilla Lavender. And, thanks to its soothing essential oils, the 'Healthy Deodorant' leaves your underarms smooth, too. 4. RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, $38; net-a-porter.com Luminizers are a celebrity makeup artist must-have for their ability to brighten up an actress' skin in seconds. So why not give yourself the same star treatment by adding RMS Beauty's Luminizer to your makeup arsenal? It contains organic light-reflecting minerals that leave your skin dewy and glowing wherever you put it. (Rumor is that Gisele Bündchen dabs it on her collarbone and shoulders.) 3. Elizabeth Dehn for One Love Organics Vitamin B Enzyme Cleansing Oil & Makeup Remover, $38; anthropologie.com There's nothing worse than a makeup remover that leaves you with a thin film of foundation still on your face. One Love Organics is dedicated to making products that are not only rich in organic ingredients (like sunflower seed oil, pumpkin seed oil, and papaya seed oil) but still work. 2. Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask, $55; nordstrom.com You'll be hard pressed to find a beauty editor that doesn't absolutely love Tata Harper's natural beauty products. Their smell alone makes you want to buy them in bulk. This resurfacing mask has all the good natural stuff you could ask for: aloe leaf juice, bark extract, rose clay, essential oils, and so much more. Plus, having the jar on your bathroom sink will make you look très chic. 1. Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner, $26; net-a-porter.com This all-natural tinted lip conditioner moisturizes like a lip balm but packs almost the same amount of pigment as your go-to lipstick. You can reapply it to make your favorite shade appear more intense, or swipe once to get just a light tint along with that serious hydration. This list isn't complete! To see the rest of the best natural beauty products out there, visit Rank & Style. | 4 | 6,947 | lifestyle |
MONTPELLIER, France The ATP says it is looking at the circumstances of a Tunisian tennis player's retirement from a match after winning the first set in a French tournament Wednesday, citing an injury that keeps him from facing an Israeli in the next round. Malek Jaziri quit after winning the first set 6-3 against sixth-seeded Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the first round of the Open Sud de France. Tournament organizers said in an email to The Associated Press that Jaziri, who called for a trainer twice during the match, "suffered again from an elbow injury he picked up" at the Australian Open. Had Jaziri beaten Istomin, he would have played Israel's Dudi Sela in the next round. In 2013, Tunisia's tennis federation ordered Jaziri to withdraw from a match against an Israeli opponent at a second-tier tournament in Uzbekistan. Jaziri had been scheduled to play Israel's Amir Weintraub in the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger tournament in Tashkent. He withdrew before the match. The ITF subsequently banned Tunisia from the 2014 Davis Cup, saying that the Tunisian federation was guilty of "interfering with international sporting practice." The ATP confirmed that Jaziri's latest retirement was due to an elbow injury, "as verified by the ATP physiotherapist on-site," but started to examine the case. "Given a previous incident involving the player's national federation in 2013, we are looking into any wider circumstances of his withdrawal as a matter of prudence," the ATP said in a statement to the AP. The 65th-ranked Jaziri, who lost in the third round at the Australian Open, also withdrew from the doubles, where he would have faced an Israeli opponent. He and Spanish partner Marc Lopez had been set to play Jonathan Erlich of Israel and Cermak Frantisek of Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. The Tunisian tennis federation did not reply to emails and phone calls seeking comment. Arab countries have for decades observed, to varying degrees, boycotts against Israeli athletes in protest over the situation of the Palestinians. | 1 | 6,948 | sports |
FALL RIVER, Mass. - In cross-examination of a top government witness Wednesday, defense attorneys for Aaron Hernandez attempted to prove a close relationship existed between the former New England Patriot and the man he is accused of killing. Football games. Birthday parties. Cookouts. Dinner at PF Changs. Trips to the movie theater. Bowling. Brunch on Mother's Day. And visits to nightclubs in the two weekends leading up to Odin Lloyd's death. Defense attorney Charles Rankin grilled the victim's girlfriend, Shaneah Jenkins, about the myriad of social interactions between Hernandez and Lloyd in the months between when the men were introduced in August 2012 and when Lloyd was shot in June 2013. Jenkins, 23, is the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins. A key component of the defense strategy is that Hernandez could not have killed Lloyd because the two men had such a close relationship. Shaneah Jenkins provided valuable testimony for the prosecution when she testified that the two men were no more than "cordial" to each other, and described their relationship at "the beginning stages of a friendship." But in drawing from her testimony about specific family gatherings and social outings in the year leading up to Lloyd's shooting, Rankin painted a scene of a tight-knit group of family and friends - linked by the two Jenkins sisters, who, with their significant others, had formed a friendly foursome. The ties have since been severed. Shaneah and Shayanna Jenkins now sit on opposite sides of the courtroom, each choosing to remain loyal to the family of the man she was dating. Lloyd is dead. And Hernandez, charged with murder, has been behind bars for nearly two years. During cross-examination Wednesday, Rankin asked Jenkins to testify about events, like her mother's birthday party, that both Lloyd and Hernandez attended in the nine months leading up to the shooting. "Is it fair to say that during these family gatherings, a lot of time, Aaron and Odin would be hanging out together?" Rankin asked. "Correct," Jenkins said. On Mother's Day, she told jurors, she and her sister had left Hernandez's North Attleborough home to get their nails done, and left their boyfriends home to babysit Hernandez's daughter, who was six months old at the time. Jenkins, during direct examination by the prosecution, had said that the first time Hernandez and Lloyd spent time together outside the sisters' presence was the weekend Lloyd was killed - when three nights before Lloyd's death the two men went to Rumor nightclub in Boston together. But Rankin asked Jenkins to testify about a time when the four of them had been out together, and the sisters had to wait outside by the car for Hernandez and Lloyd, who were hanging out together. She also testified about the two weekends leading up to the shooting - in both those weekends, the Jenkins sisters, Lloyd, and Hernandez had gone to nightclubs together. Shayanna Jenkins sat in the front row of the courtroom Wednesday, next to one of Hernandez's uncles. She and her sister did not make eye contact, but she listened intently as her sister described the day after Lloyd's shooting - when prosecutors say Shayanna Jenkins removed the murder weapon from the house. Testimony resumed in Fall River Wednesday while Hernandez's former teammates were parading around Boston on a duck boat, celebrating their Super Bowl win. Hernandez is being tried for murder and two illegal firearms counts in Lloyd's death. He faces a total of 14 charges in Massachusetts, including two counts of murder in a 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston. | 5 | 6,949 | news |
Too much green is leading to too much green. | 8 | 6,950 | video |
For years we've been hearing that cutting carbs should be a cornerstone of most diets when you're trying to lose weight… but not so fast! Turns out, there are some carbs you're going to want to keep around. Barley Popcorn Quinoa Roasted chickpeas Whole-grain rye crispbread Sweet potatoes 2% plain Greek yogurt | 0 | 6,951 | foodanddrink |
Lorie Parch was a hater. An exercise hater, that is. As a writer in her early 30s in New York, she had every reason to be: It was cold, she was busy, she was tired. "I didn't know where to start," says Parch, 49, the editor-in-chief of Addiction.com in Los Angeles. Sound familiar? That's because "this is most of America," says Adam Wright, a personal trainer in New York and doctoral student in sport and exercise psychology at Temple University. "People don't want to be sweaty, they don't want to be uncomfortable, they don't want to be sore," Wright says. "Most people are over-stressed and pained already. Why the heck would you want more of that in your life?" In fact, about 80 percent of the U.S. population isn't meeting the federal government's physical activity recommendations to get at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise a week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Some people may be especially averse to exercise. In a 2013 study in the American Journal of Physiology , researchers bred 26 active rats with each other, and 26 lazy rats with each other, based on how much they ran on wheels in their cages. After 10 generations, they compared their brains and identified 36 genes that may play a role in exercise motivation. "Genes … definitely impact how we experience exercise," from perception of intensity to ability to adhere to a particular regimen, says Wright, who was not involved in the study. "Some people are super-responders, some people are under-responders and some people will actually not respond at all." But even under-responders can learn to love, or at least appreciate, exercise. Here's what Wright and other experts say you should do if you're convinced that exercise just isn't your thing: 1. Redefine 'exercise.' I say "exercise," you say "gyms, treadmills, weights." I say "exercisers," you say, "people who are fit and rich not me." But, says sport psychology consultant Gregory Chertok, "that doesn't have to be an accurate depiction of what exercise is." "Everything from ballet to yoga to gardening to lovemaking to lunges in the shower or jogging between grocery aisles can be considered exercise," says Chertok, director of mental training at CourtSense, a junior tennis academy in Tenafly, New Jersey. "While one's image of exercise may be different than the typical gym environment, that doesn't make it any less effective or any less real." Even better, research suggests that simply shifting your mindset about what constitutes exercise can affect your health even if your habits don't follow suit. In one well-known 2007 study in the journal Psychological Science , researchers told a group of hotel maids that their work was good exercise and met the Surgeon General's recommendations for an active lifestyle. Four weeks later, the maids' behaviors hadn't changed, but they had lost weight and body fat, and reduced their blood pressure, compared to the maids who hadn't been given that information. "Perceptions matter," Wright says. "What we think of as exercise and what we think of as not exercise maybe has to change." 2. Reminisce. For Parch, the transition from exercise hater to lover came when she forced herself to think of a time she enjoyed movement. The answer? When she was a kid growing up in Arizona, where she played racquetball, softball and swam. "They always say, 'Find something you like,' and then you're like, 'Well, I don't like anything,'" Parch says. "So you probably have to dig pretty deep, and you might have to go back pretty far." Her memories inspired her to find a New York City pool and jump in. Recent research supports Parch's technique. A 2014 study in the journal Memory found college students who were prompted to think about a positive memory that would motivate them to exercise were more likely to work out the following week than those who didn't reminisce regardless of their attitudes, motivation and exercise habits . Still stumped? Even recalling a negative memory that motivates you to exercise is more effective than staying in the here and now, the study found. 3. Do it for the 'wrong' reasons. If you think you should exercise for the long-term health benefits , you're right. But if you think motivating yourself in those terms will work, you're wrong. "Improved health or improved appearance … are good benefits, but they're not generally motivating enough to make the exercise compelling enough to do today," says Emily Mailey, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University who studies interventions that promote physical activity. Instead, she says, focus on more immediate benefits you'll get from exercise, such as boosted energy, strength or mood. Not sold? Consider what you do value or enjoy, then find a way to fit fitness in. "Figure out what's going to make the behavior meaningful for you," Mailey says. If you treasure time with friends, for example, suggest regular walking dates . If you love indulging in a particular TV show, watch it while jogging on the treadmill. If value spending time with your kids, get active with them by taking bike rides or throwing dance parties in your living room, Mailey suggests. "Think of those as ways you're aligning the exercise behavior with other things that you enjoy," she adds. 4. Give yourself time. When Parch first got back in the pool, she braced herself for misery, since it usually takes her about three months to get past a new activity's initial discomfort when she's out of shape. "It doesn't take much time at all to lose fitness," she says. But pushing through the pain has its merits. One 2012 study in the European Journal of Neuroscience found that rats forced to run on automated wheels for six weeks reaped the same anxiety-reducing benefits as rats who could run on their wheels whenever they pleased. Over time, however, reluctance can turn into inspiration. "As you gain fitness, there are more 'aha' moments," like running 6 miles for the first time, Parch says. "And then it becomes more fun." Her experience is a case in point. Since her days as an exercise hater, Parch has enjoyed boot camps , trained for a half marathon and even launched ih8exercise.com to help convert other fitness-averse people. "[Having] the confidence to say, 'I'm just going to check this out'… is a whole different feeling than, 'I'm going to be the biggest person in there. I'm going to be the slowest person. I haven't sweat in 15 years, and I don't like that feeling,'" Parch says. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report | 7 | 6,952 | health |
The machines may be taking over, but not everyone will end up working for them. Indeed, according to recent MIT research, it accomplishes little to rage against the AI machine, Luddite hammer in hand. No, the best way to beat the machines is to complement them with uniquely human skills. In other words, if you don't want to work for machines, don't be a tool. Honey, The Machines Shrunk My Labor Pool Ensconced in the bubble-fied atmosphere of Silicon Valley, it's easy to forget that not everyone views technology as salvific. In fact, many fear their jobs will be automated away, just as they may have once (or still do) felt that their jobs would be off-shored. Their fears are not misplaced, though technology hasn't always had its desired effects. Though technology is meant to boost productivity, John Fernald, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and a noted authority on worker productivity, has found that technological innovations over the past decade have failed to spark productivity gains. Why? Largely because those innovations were focused on the technology industry itself. Applied to other areas like the service sector, as the Economist notes, would likely yield much greater gains. It would also yield significant unemployment for those whose jobs are displaced. The light at the end of the tunnel, the Economist continues, is that "as technology displaces workers from a particular occupation it enriches others, who spend their gains on goods and services that create new employment for the workers whose jobs have been automated away." Sounds great, right? Well, not if it's your job that has been handed to the machines. Rule #1: Don't Be A Tool In their research, however, MIT professors Frank MacCrory, George Westerman and Erik Brynjolfsson, in partnership with Yousef Alhammadi from the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, parse data from studies in 2006 and 2014 to show the kind of job skills that have increased in value as technology has taken over. In 2006, the seven skills that would get you ahead looked like this: Manual : Dynamic strength, gross body coordination, handling physical objects, manual dexterity, speed of limb movement, stamina Equipment : Equipment maintenance, installation, operation monitoring, repairing, systems analysis, troubleshooting Supervision : Coordinate others' work, develop/build teams, guide/motivate subordinates, manage financial resources, monitor resources, schedule work or activities Perception : Category flexibility, far vision, perceptual speed, selective attention, speed of closure, visual color discrimination Interpersonal: Adaptability, assisting or caring for others, cooperation, dependability, service orientation, stress tolerance Initiative : Achievement, independence, initiative, tnnovation, persistence Vehicle Operation : Operate vehicles, night vision, peripheral vision, sound localization, spatial orientation By 2014, the list of desirable skills had narrowed to five: Cognitive: Complex problem solving, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, oral comprehension, speed of closure, written expression Manual : Equipment maintenance, finger dexterity, handling physical objects, multi-limb coordination, reaction time, visual color discrimination Supervision : Coordinate others' work, develop/build teams, guide/motivate subordinates, manage financial resources, monitor resources, schedule work or activities Interpersonal : Adaptability, assisting or caring for others, cooperation, dependability, service orientation, stress tolerance Initiative : Achievement, independence, initiative, innovation, persistence By comparing the two, the authors conclude that the skills that continue to drive higher salaries and continued relevance in a technology-fueled marketplace are those that are distinctly human: More complex interpersonal interactions, such as those in sales, customer service, and supervision, remain the domain of human workers. We can expect that occupations will shift toward those skills in which humans have a relative advantage over machines. Machines have demonstrated limited ability to perform interpersonal tasks, and human customers have a preference for interacting with other humans Which Is Which? It's not always easy, however, to discern between "machine-ready" and "people-oriented." As one example, the research describes legal contract review as something we may feel only a lawyer can do. (No jokes, please, about the relative humanity of lawyers.) Lawyers, despite a healthy dose of self-respect, deliver a paltry 55-60% success rate at finding problems in a contract, while computers routinely see a much higher success rate of 80-90%. Contract review is tedious and repetitive (every single review involves haggling over indemnification and limitation of liability, for example), but it seems like a human affair. Not so, apparently. At any rate, rather than fear that machines will steal our jobs, it's perhaps time to focus even more on developing our humanity. It's the one thing computers can never replace. | 5 | 6,953 | news |
WASHINGTON A top Republican senator accused the Health and Human Services secretary of being "contemptuous" of Congress on Wednesday by sidestepping about the Obama administration's preparations for a Supreme Court challenge to President Barack Obama's health care law. At a Senate Finance Committee hearing, GOP senators repeatedly asked HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell about her plans should the court rule that federal subsidies for millions of Americans' health insurance are illegal. A decision in the case is expected by June. As she and other administration officials have done previously, Burwell did not answer directly. She said instead that she is focused on implementing the law. "That doesn't strike me as working with Congress, but rather contemptuous of Congress' oversight responsibilities. It's a very, very serious matter," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the No. 2 Senate GOP leader. Asked later in a brief interview if he might explore contempt of Congress charges against Burwell, Cornyn said he would talk to colleagues about possible next steps. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., defended Burwell for not answering hypothetical questions. The lawsuit, backed by many Republicans, claims that the 2010 health care law allows government subsidies for health coverage that people buy from state-run insurance marketplaces, not those run by the federal government. The marketplaces are run by the federal government in 37 states. A court decision invalidating the subsidies in those states could force millions of people to drop coverage that would suddenly become unaffordable, and cause insurance rates to rise for many others as well. | 5 | 6,954 | news |
President Obama's fiscal 2016 budget would raise government revenues as a share of gross domestic product steadily over the next decade, and make the tax code far more complex. By now, everyone has heard of the increase in capital-gains tax rates (yielding $208 billion over 10 years), the 19 percent tax rate on foreign earnings ($206 billion), and limits on individual itemized deductions together with a 30% tax rate for millionaires ($638 billion). But what about the tax changes the pundits have overlooked? Here are five little-discussed tax proposals. 1. Forget deductions for charitable contributions linked to college sports ticket purchases. Few provisions will cause more of an uproar than this: a contribution to the alma mater is not counted as a charitable contribution if it entitles donors to buy advance tickets for sporting events. It will not even sit well with the president's liberal ivory tower supporters. Today, if donations entitle alumni to advance ticket purchases, they can deduct 80 percent of the donation. Come Jan. 1, 2016, none of the contribution would be deductible. This goes to the heart of alumni contributions to Ole Miss and the Crimson Tide. The White House estimates that this change would bring in $2.5 billion over 10 years. But colleges and universities will not give in so easily. It is far more likely that universities will move to an informal donation system, one that is not traceable by the Internal Revenue Service. 2. Stop saving, stupid. Many say that Social Security is going broke, people are living longer, and that we are not saving enough for retirement. But the president thinks Americans are saving too much. His budget wants to limit retirement savings to an amount sufficient to generate an annuity of $210,000 beginning at age 62. No matter that this is hard to estimate, even for actuaries. Too bad for you if you live in New York City or San Francisco, where $210,000 might not be enough to pay the rent, go out to dinner and make occasional trips to see the grandchildren. This provision would generate $26 billion over 10 years. 3. Force independent contractors to become employees. Many workers prefer to operate as independent contractors. It suits them because they can work for a variety of employers and get higher cash wages, skipping the benefits. But unions, a key part of the administration's base, want to count independent contractors as employees whenever possible, so they can be forced to participate in elections for union representation. An independent contractor is not a potential member of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers or the Service Employees International Union. So the president proposes to raise $10 billion over the next decade by allowing the Internal Revenue Service to reclassify independent contractors as employees. The budget states: "New enforcement activity would focus mainly on obtaining the proper worker classification prospectively, since in many cases the proper classification of workers may not be clear." Quite. It is too much to expect the administration to allow workers to decide by themselves whether they want to be independent contractors or employees. 4. Return of a repealed Obamacare provision. In a blast from the past, businesses that purchase more than $600 worth of goods or services from a contractor would have to get that contractor's Taxpayer Identification Number and check that TIN with the Internal Revenue Service. If the IRS does not certify the TIN as valid, the business is required to withhold a portion of the payments, either 15 percent, 25 percent, 30 percent or 35 percent, and presumably send the amount to the IRS. The provision is supposed to raise $831 million over 10 years. This is similar to an Affordable Care Act provision, repealed by Congress in 2011 , that would have required businesses to send a Form 1099 to any supplier from which they purchased $600 or more in goods and services. It was deemed overly complex and impractical. A taxi company would have to keep track of all gas purchased from different gas stations, for instance, and people might be purchasing from the same supplier operating under different names and unintentionally violating the law. The same difficulties would apply to the new proposal. It takes real audacity for the president to propose a tax that was signed into law and repealed a little over a year later. 5. Expand electric-car tax credits to more worthy vehicles. President Obama wanted a million electric cars by 2015, but, according to the Electric Drive Transportation Association , there were only 174,000 battery-powered and hybrid plug-in vehicles on the nation's roads in 2013. The administration now wants to replace the electric-vehicle credit with credits worth $3.3 billion over 10 years for "advanced technology vehicles." Passenger vehicles, which would get $2.9 billion of the credits, qualify if they "operate primarily on an alternative to petroleum" and "there are few vehicles in operation in the United States using the same technology as such vehicle." This raises the possibility of credits for natural-gas vehicles, the closest substitute for the gasoline-powered engine. People could get tax credits of $10,000 per vehicle ($7,500 if the car costs more than $45,000). Related: The 10 Best States for Taxes in 2015 The problem is that the $3.3 billion could be better spent. Awarding tax credits for particular technologies puts the government in the dangerous role of picking winners and losers. Natural gas is inexpensive and plentiful, and these cars would likely be chosen by consumers without the credit. They are popular in many parts of the world. Natural gas is already used to power fleets of buses and trucks, which can be charged overnight. These funds are a waste of taxpayer dollars because the technology will likely be adopted anyway. And if it isn't, it probably isn't worth the investment. The good news is that with a Republican Congress that was elected on a platform of lowering taxes, none of these proposed tax changes are likely to become law. The bad news is that cooperation between the two parties seems as far off as ever. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former chief economist of the U.S. Department of Labor, directs Economics21 at the Manhattan Institute. You can follow her on Twitter here . This article originally appeared in MarketWatch and in e21: Economics for the 21st Century . Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: 5 Winners in Obama's Budget Proposal Huckabee Lets Loose on Gun-Control Liberals 10 Outrageous Items Confiscated by the TSA in 2014 | 3 | 6,955 | finance |
Editor of the New York Times Book Review Pamela Paul's recent column "How to Be Liked By Everyone Online" describes how social media "has upended social and psychological norms" by changing some words to their opposite, or at least giving them a very different gist than they initially had. With Facebook, "to friend" has become a verb, and yet to do so, in the social-media sense, is a fairly passive act, Paul said. In real life, when a friendship ruptures, it's a major event. But just as it's easy to start a Facebook relationship, it's virtually effort-free to end one. The personal investment on either side of "unfriending" somebody is infinitely lower than offline. "The whole concept of what it is to make a friend has shifted," she explained. For the 71 percent of Internet users now on Facebook, the word "friend" includes much more tenuous associations old classmates, colleagues, one-night stands, in some cases, people who might otherwise be complete strangers. Facebook places every type of social connection into a single "friend" basket. But relationship categories can serve an important function: An acquaintance versus a true friend, for example, signals different levels of trust and expectations. As 70 percent of Facebook users are on the site daily, sociologists and psychologists are examining the link between Facebook use and changes in relationship strength. Facebook may simply prolong superficial connections that would have naturally dissipated otherwise. For the past four years, photographer Tanja Hollander has been fascinated with the definition of friendship in the modern age. As Hollander tells it, on New Year's Eve 2010, she found herself in her Auburn, Maine kitchen, simultaneously writing a letter in pencil to a friend deployed in Afghanistan, and on Facebook messaging a friend working on a film in Jakarta. Hollander was struck by the dichotomy. While the letter had a "tangibility and physicality that made it seem more genuine and real," Facebook gave her an immediate and personal back-and-forth with a friend more than 9,000 miles away an exchange she believes never would never have happened without social media. As an artist, she was profoundly impacted by the analog and digital experiences together, shared with two friends (who don't know each other). She describes how, over the first few months of 2011, she analyzed her Facebook use and the "friends" she had accumulated. "I found some of my Facebook friends [who] I'd never met and then a few I wasn't speaking to in real life," Hollander said. "There were ex-lovers with new partners, ex-partners of good friends, art dealers, curators, people from high school I hadn't seen in over 20 years. And I asked myself, I communicate with them, but am I really friends with all of them?" So, she decided to "use the only tools [she] know[s]" a film camera and a tripod and set out to visit all 626 of her Facebook "friends" at their homes to take formal portraits of them. Thus far, Hollander has crowd-sourced $50,000 for her project titled "Are You Really My Friend?" which is scheduled to open at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in March 2017. She's traveled to 43 states, 5 countries, and roughly 150 towns or cities, averaging two weeks away from home per month, and says her personal documentary on friendship is as much about our newly "networked lives" as it is about the physical places people call home. By Hollander's estimates, 95 percent of her Facebook friends have welcomed her into their homes and sat for a portrait, with 74 percent offering her a meal or a place to stay for the night which she admits felt strange or slightly invasive at the beginning, especially for those "friends" she had never met in real life. Hollander found that people are still extremely proud of where they live, wanting to show her their favorite museums, restaurants, and parks the physical places that embody an identity. In Paris, Hollander stayed with two Facebook friends, one an old classmate from Hampshire college, the poet and hip-hop artist Mike Ladd , whom she hadn't seen for a decade, since a mutual friend's wedding in Calcutta. She met Ladd's wife and children, Martin and Maya. To communicate with Hollander over the course of her stay, the older boy translated for his little sister, who understood English but could only respond in French. Early in her travels, Hollander was surprised when a professional contact, Amy Munger , a designer in Houston, Texas, who had used some of Hollander's earlier photographs in several of her clients' spaces, responded to her message about the project by inviting Hollander to stay in her home for the weekend. When Hollander arrived, Munger had to leave for an appointment, but she gave Hollander a set of keys and told her "to make herself at home." Munger brought Hollander to a traditional Texas rodeo, and introduced Hollander to her parents and sisters. Hollander was moved by how much personal time Munger took to share her "real life" with someone who, pre-Facebook, would not have been considered a "friend." For her to be willing to do that, something must have existed between them before Hollander arrived at Munger's house. "Can you really know somebody if you've never seen their home?" Hollander asked. "To me, when I started, a friend was someone whose house you knew, someone you had eaten dinner with, but now I've realized that might not be as important to the definition of friendship." She felt an immediate sense of connection to the Facebook friends she visited, even those she had never met physically as did they, she believes, evidenced by the high participation rate. The project also serves as a litmus test or Facebook filter. Hollander reaches out to friends about taking their portrait several times. If she gets no response, she unfriends them, weeding out friendships that won't translate into real life. "When I first began the project, I imagined what a behind-the-scenes blog with Farm Security Administration photographers of the 1930s would be like," she writes on her Facebook page , referring to the government-led program that created a photographic record of American life during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. "I thought about how different The Americans would be if the entire world were watching [photographer] Robert Frank's journey around the U.S. in the [post-war] 1950's, and how that archive would be a teaching tool for future generations, much like Lewis and Clark's journals ." At the time, Frank's photographs were an infamous departure from the glossy, prosperous images of mid-century America and the iconic photo essays of Life magazine. Hollander's project can be seen as a similar endeavor capturing the actual people and homes behind the staged façade of a Facebook profile. Jessica Vitak , a professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, examines Facebook's role in relationship maintenance across subcategories, such as close friend, family member, or casual acquaintance, comparing those who interact frequently outside of Facebook to those who rely on the site as a primary form of communication. Through a combination of surveys, interviews, and server data, she studies how people use the site to exchange emotional and tangible resources. For instance, when users post bad news, looking for support from their friends, or ask for help moving or advice about a restaurant, people are sharing what sociologists call "social capital." She's also looked at how highly engaged Facebook users define online friendships. According to Vitak, people make very clear distinctions between individuals with whom they are "technically connected" through the site and the subset they perceive as "actual friends." However, having access to a large network of contacts with little to no time investment required has significant social advantages. "Does it matter that you can see pictures of a high school acquaintance's family even though you haven't spoke to her in 20 years?" Vitak asked. "I would argue that, generally speaking, there are benefits to maintaining those weak ties. Social networks can provide a variety of information that our closest friends and family may lack." For example, she said, if you have a question that a Google search won't easily answer, you can post a status update and get responses within minutes, depending on the breadth of your Facebook network. Sociologist Mark Granovetter has shown that relatively weak ties between two individuals can act as a "crucial bridge" between "two densely knit groups of close friends." Acquaintances, as opposed to closer connections, are more likely to move in distinct social circles and therefore have access to a wider range of social information. An acquaintance can link one group to another. When someone attends the wedding of a casual work colleague and meets his close friends, she may keep in touch with some of them and they may end up helping one other personally or professionally later on. Granovetter's theory suggests that even infrequent relationships, with little emotional closeness or shared history, still play a valuable role in a person's social existence. By the same token, responding to a status update or a user's question has its own benefits, said Nicole Ellison , an associate professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information. It exposes you to a new set of people, your friend's "friends." Ellison and her co-authors examined 20,000 public Facebook updates of users seeking responses from their network to understand what kind of help people tend to request. In a related study , they found that people who ask for favors or advice Can anybody give me a ride to the airport? What novels should I bring on vacation? reported a greater sense of social capital (or access to the resources of others) than those who didn't. In other words, help comes from those who seek it, and Facebook relationships are stronger for those who use the site more actively. And while it's easy to trivialize or denigrate the simple action of "liking" a post, Vitak's research also found that Facebook users value these "lightweight interactions" and that quickly responding to a status or wishing someone a happy birthday signals "a relational investment" on both sides. With that in mind, Vitak cautioned against an all-or-nothing divide that Facebook is either "a waste of time" or "the most important social development in history." "Those who see Facebook as meaningless," she explained, "will likely not take the steps to share content and interact with network members, and won't be able to view online interactions as meaningful." In fact, the distinction between online and offline may be less relevant than it seems. Thinking about social media as a kind of place you go, divorced from physical reality, is a forced demarcation. Facetiming and meeting a friend for coffee certainly aren't the same experiences, but as Nathan Jurgenson , a contributing editor at The New Inquiry and a researcher at Snapchat, points out, "the self is fluid." Facebook messaging one friend and writing in pencil to another, as Hollander did that New Year's Eve, may be more equivalent ways of communicating and expressing herself than she thought. A video chat is physically intimate, Jurgenson argues . And what he calls "digital dualism," the separation of online interactions from "real life," doesn't capture relationship dynamics in the 21st century. At the same time, researchers refer to " context collapse ," the way a site like Facebook flattens a network into a homogenous group, compared to offline interactions, where people may share different information about themselves in different contexts. A person is unlikely to tell the exact same stories or jokes, or share the same opinions at the office, the PTA meeting, or at a cocktail party. But Facebook in particular encourages a single identity, according to Richard Kraut, a social psychologist and professor of human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. Most people make all of their content visible to all of their friends, and as a result, users experience "bleed through" where all of their posts or pictures are available to all of their connections. "Blurring the boundaries is a double-edged sword," said Kraut, author of Building Successful Online Communities . Most of her Facebook friends who are also artists, Hollander said, made "really beautiful homes" for themselves and their families with little money. Occasionally, however, she did come across living spaces that were much nicer than she expected although most of the time, she found that the home matched her previous conception of the person she was visiting. Sam Gosling, a University of Texas psychologist and the author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You , studies social perception and what a person's private space reveals about their personality . He has found that it's quite hard to express a false identity either at home or online because both contexts reflect the accumulated activities of daily life. It would be difficult to sustain a false persona consistently over time. "It's worth remembering that even in contexts where people might be able to create false impressions," said Gosling, "there's research showing that's typically not what people want [to do]." Generally, users only feel connected to others when projecting an authentic self. Oxford anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar is famous for his "Dunbar number" how many people an individual can really be friends with at any given time. His research found that based on the size of an adult brain, the average human can have around 150 people in his or her social group, and that anything more than that is too complex for most of us to process. Think of 150 as the holiday-card list , the broad group of people with whom you want to stay in touch in some meaningful way. According to Dunbar, social media has only reinforced his conclusions. He explained that a recent analysis of one million Facebook pages showed that the layers of friendship (most intimate, best, good, just friends) are the same size as they are "in real life" (about 5, 15, 50, and 150). What seems to happen, Dunbar said, is that Facebook introduces "a few extra people" to the outermost layer of casual acquaintances (people you know but wouldn't send a holiday card), which can extend out to 500 individuals. Facebook confuses things by calling all of these relationships friends. But while Facebook probably slows a relationship's "rate of decay" when you no longer meet in person, he suspects social media won't stop a more intimate friend (say, in the 15 or 50 category) from moving into a further-out ring if there's no longer any face-to-face contact. For Hollander, the journeys to her Facebook friends' homes and the portrait sessions that followed have undoubtedly brought her closer to them. She believes people who might have originally been in Dunbar's outermost layer of 500 when she started have moved into more intimate circles after she's spent a night or two in their homes or toured their cities with them. Her Facebook connections might not have really been her friends before the project, but they are now. This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/how-real-are-facebook-friendships/384780/ | 5 | 6,956 | news |
Dinner is coming. Here's your chance to feast like a Lannister: HBO is hosting an "exclusive" pop-up inspired by Game of Thrones in London this month. According to its website , the pop-up is being held to promote the release of the show's fourth season on Blu-ray. Called All Men Must Dine , HBO promises the restaurant will serve diners a "one-of-kind epic banquet" featuring "the finest delicacies Westeros has to offer." The Independent writes that this means dishes like "The Lies of Tyrion Lannister and his Proclaimed Innocence," which is poached veal tongue with beetroot, horseradish, and mustard. There is no word regarding whether or not the pop-up will serve one of the many Game of Thrones -themed wines or beers . Who is your favorite Game of Thrones character, and what would you cook to win their heart? The pop-up which is themed around "a clandestine meeting of the Small Council in King's Landing" will be held over three nights at the Andaz Liverpool Hotel in London, starting February 13 . The meal itself will be cooked up by "pop-up connoisseurs" and catering company The Wandering Chef, and cocktails will be handled by Grosvenor Mixologists. To score a seat at the table, fans must enter a competition online, which requires answering the question, "Who is your favorite Game of Thrones character, and what would you cook to win their heart?" Entries must be submitted today to win a pair of tickets to the dinner. HBO is a bit late to the the Game of Thrones -themed dinner idea. Smack Shack, a restaurant in Minneapolis served up a menu inspired by the show last year. It featured plenty of meaty and hearty dishes like herb-crusted crown rack of lamb ribs and goose leg confit. | 0 | 6,957 | foodanddrink |
Last week, the Supreme Court put three executions in Oklahoma on hold as it reviews the constitutionality of the state's death penalty protocol. If the nation's top court strikes down Oklahoma's lethal injection procedure, what would it mean for the death penalty? We've asked the experts what you need to know. What exactly is the Supreme Court reviewing? The court is assessing Oklahoma's use of the drug midazolam , a sedative used in its three-drug lethal injection protocol. According to the Death Penalty Information Center , five states have used midazolam for their executions, and at least five other states have proposed using it. In the wake of several botched executions in 2014 involving the drug, a group of death row inmates in Oklahoma filed a petition challenging the efficacy of midazolam to mitigate pain, which they claim would render the state's executions in violation of the Eighth Amendment's protection against "cruel and unusual" punishment. "[Midazolam] doesn't guarantee that the prisoners will be insensate throughout the execution," said Eighth Amendment expert Megan McCracken from U.C. Berkeley School of Law's Death Penalty Clinic. Legal experts are not the only ones with concerns about Oklahoma's drug protocol. Several anesthesiologists have expressed concern about using midazolam for executions. The drug is typically used in surgical procedures to sedate patients before they receive anesthesia. To sedate an average adult in surgery, a dose of midazolam is normally no more than 2 milligrams. State executioners, however, administer the drug in much greater quantities. During recent executions , about 500 milligrams have been used. Many medical experts have noted that little is known about how the body reacts at that dose. "We don't know the effects of 500 milligrams of midazolam," said Dr. David Waisel, an anesthesiologist at the Boston Children's Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. "We don't study it, and we don't use it clinically. They are experimenting." Why did the Supreme Court agree to consider a challenge to lethal injection now? The lethal injection landscape has been fraught with issues since 2011, when Hospira, the only American manufacturer of a key lethal injection drug, stopped its production in the midst of an international campaign by capital punishment opponents. The company's decision set off a scramble to find another supplier and ultimately another drug. In late 2013, Florida became the first state to execute an individual using midazolam, but it wasn't until April 2014 that concerns about midazolam became widespread. That month, Oklahoma botched the execution of prisoner Clayton Lockett. Despite receiving an injection of midazolam, Lockett groaned and writhed on the gurney for about 40 minutes until his death, witnesses reported . "I think the Supreme Court would prefer not to have to get involved in the details of executions, but felt compelled to because of what happened last year," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. "Something went really wrong, and somebody's got to monitor this thing or states will keep repeating it." The Supreme Court is expected to hear the Oklahoma prisoners' case in April and make a final ruling by July. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, midazolam was used for at least 11 of 35 executions in 2014. Is this the first time that the Supreme Court has weighed in on lethal injection? No. The last time the court weighed in was seven years ago, when it upheld Kentucky's lethal injection protocol in the case Baze v. Rees . According to McCracken, it's critical to look at what has changed since then. "In 2008, all of the states were using a very similar protocol--all the states were using the same three drugs," McCracken said. "Because some pharmaceutical companies have made their drugs unavailable for executions, the states have been changing their methods." McCracken considers the botched executions a "consequence of using untested, untried combinations." What happens if the court strikes down the lethal injection method? It's possible that midazolam would no longer be used. Other drugs might take its place or Oklahoma might decide to use a single-drug protocol in place of the current three-drug cocktail. "I don't think that the death penalty is going anywhere," said Michael Rushford, president of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation. Even if the court limits the use of lethal injection and states continue to face difficulty getting approved drugs, there are other methods that prisons could employ. Virginia lawmakers have already discussed bringing back the electric chair when the approved drugs are not readily available. Wyoming lawmakers have proposed allowing firing squads. Death penalty experts doubt that such methods would become the primary protocol for execution. "States changed from hanging to electric chair because it was a modern, supposedly painless method of execution," said Dieter of the Death Penalty Information Center. "There has been a continuous attempt to make executions appear more palatable, humane, and modern." Could this be the beginning of a larger trend moving away from the death penalty? Not really. "The Supreme Court position is that if the death penalty is constitutional, some method of execution will be allowed," Dieter said. "But you have to try to do the best. You have to minimize the harm. You can't just use any drug that's on the shelf. It has to be something reputable that stands up to scrutiny. [The Supreme Court] is not going to narrow it so much that it makes it impossible." The rate of executions across the United States, however, has decreased markedly over the past decade. Ten years ago 60 inmates were executed. In 2014, there were 35. Among the 32 states that allow the death penalty , only seven had executions in the past year. "In many places in the U.S., the death penalty is at best a symbolic gesture," said Austin Sarat, Amherst professor and author of "Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America's Death Penalty". Regardless of this downward trend, more than 3,000 people remain on death row in the United States. | 5 | 6,958 | news |
"Game of Thrones" actor Hafthor Bjornsson recently broke a 1,000 year-old Viking record for strength by carrying a 32-foot, 1,433 pound log for five steps at The World's Strongest Viking competition in Norway, a regional competition similar to The World's Strongest Man. Check out the full video here: On "Game of Thrones," Bjornsson plays "The Mountain," a knight known for his ferocious strength . Outside of the show, Bjornsson is a professional strongman, spending his time lifting huge weights and competing in strongman competitions like The World's Strongest Man. The record that Bjornsson broke comes from the Icelandic legend of viking Orm Storulfsson, who it was said carried the mast of a ship with the same specifications for three steps. In the legend, 50 men had to place the log on Storulfsson's back and, after the third step, he broke his back and was never the same. Bjornsson had no such trouble, suffering no injuries in the effort. Bjornsson is now moving on to The World's Strongest Man competition. Last year, he placed second, losing to four-time champion Zydrunas Savickas. NOW WATCH: Here's what everyone gets wrong about the WWE being fake | 6 | 6,959 | entertainment |
The top US telecom regulator proposed Wednesday to regulate broadband Internet service providers as "public utility" carriers, in a renewed effort to enforce "net neutrality" rules. Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler unveiled the plan which aims to prevent Internet providers from playing favorites or blocking some services or allowing others to pay for "fast lanes." The new proposal comes a year after a federal court struck down the FCC neutrality rules, saying it lacked the authority because Internet providers were not "common carriers" under US telecom law. The plan, which is expected to unleash a fresh legal and political battle, aims to resolve the impasse by reclassifying Internet service providers as regulated entities under the 1934 Telecommunications Act. "The Internet must be fast, fair and open," Wheeler said in an essay in Wired magazine. "That is the message I've heard from consumers and innovators across this nation. That is the principle that has enabled the Internet to become an unprecedented platform for innovation and human expression." Wheeler said his plan, to be submitted to the five-member commission for a vote later this month, would call for "the strongest open Internet protections ever proposed by the FCC." He would ban "paid prioritization," which would allow services to pay for faster connections, as well as "blocking and throttling of lawful content and services." The move comes after President Barack Obama voiced support in November for a similar plan, arguing online services that don't pay extra fees should not be in a "slow lane." - Mobile Internet, too - The Wheeler plan would reach deeper into the Internet, beyond consumer-facing offerings to "interconnection" services and allow the FCC to investigate alleged discriminatory practices at that level. Wheeler said he would apply the rules to the mobile Internet for the first time as well. Critics of the approach argue that the 1930s-style regulation would choke off investment in the Internet and stifle innovation. A senior FCC official said however the move represents a "light touch" effort which uses only some segments of the 1934 law without imposing fees or other types regulation. Wheeler pledged "no rate regulation" or tariffs and said his plans "can encourage investment and competition." The "neutrality" rules aim to ensure that all services have equal access to the Internet, so that a provider such as Verizon or AT&T could not block a service such as Netflix and favor a rival like Hulu. - Reaction on both sides - Reaction was swift to the plan, which had generated speculation for days. Doug Brake at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a conservative think tank, said the plan was "an unjustified, overblown response to what has in actuality been a by-and-large hypothetical concern" and warned it may "Balkanize the Internet into distinct private networks and specialized services." But the digital rights group Access welcomed the move as a win for consumers. "The FCC's move will be felt far beyond US borders," said Access policy counsel Peter Micek. "Advocates around the world -- from Argentina to Turkey to South Korea to the European Union -- are fighting for many of the same protections as those being proposed by Wheeler." The Internet Association, which includes Google, Facebook and Netflix, also lauded the plan. "There is only one Internet, and users expect that they be able to access an uncensored Internet regardless of how they connect," association president Michael Beckerman said. The new initiative comes after the January 2014 ruling by a federal appeals court which struck down the FCC's 2010 rules on net neutrality. But even if the new proposal is adopted, a fresh legal challenge is likely. Verizon, which filed the earlier legal challenge, quickly criticized the new Wheeler plan. "Heavily regulating the Internet for the first time is unnecessary and counterproductive," said Verizon vice president Michael Glover. Republican lawmakers criticized the move, saying Congress is prepared to pass its own guidelines. Representative Greg Walden denounced the move as a "heavy-handed regulatory takeover of the Internet." Bob Goodlatte, who heads the House Judiciary Committee, said Wheeler "overestimates the FCC's authority to rewrite our nation's communications laws -- a responsibility tasked to Congress... and ignores the fact that his net neutrality rules almost certainly will be stuck in courts for years." | 5 | 6,960 | news |
A squirrel spins around a feeder trying to get a seed. | 8 | 6,961 | video |
It's hard enough when hemlines suddenly drop six inches at least all that requires is an afternoon of strategic shopping. But when last season's ubiquitous long bob is elbowed off the runways by Rapunzel-esque locks, a few hours spent with your credit card just won't do the trick. "There is something so ultrafeminine about long hair right now," says Mark Townsend, stylist to Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, and the Olsen trifecta (Mary-Kate, Ashley, and Elizabeth). "And women are convinced that men prefer it." So what's a bobbed girl to do? "Your hair growth is largely genetically programmed, and while you can't change that, the right lifestyle can help you make the most of your genetics and affect how fast your hair grows," says Doris Day, a New York dermatologist. "By turning off or reducing the inflammation process which can be caused by stress, diet, or overprocessing, and can age the hair follicle you create a strong foundation, nourish the scalp, and allow hair to grow to the best of its ability." For a one-two punch, treatments that reduce inflammation can be combined with targeted options, from at-home lasers to caffeine-laced shampoos, that promise to encourage faster hair growth by increasing circulation to the scalp. Consider them the follicular stepchildren of minoxidil (the active ingredient in Rogaine). Though researchers are not exactly sure how minoxidil works, studies have shown it effective in combating thinning. "Hair grows on average about a centimeter [.39 inches] a month," says Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist in Vallejo, California, who specializes in hair disorders. "Hormones play a role hair grows faster during pregnancy, and slows after age 40." To speed up the process, Day recommends a boot-camp approach. Her Hair Growth System ($120) consists of a shampoo and conditioner as well as a serum with peptides and red clover extract to help reduce inflammation. "My patients use them with Rogaine and Viviscal supplements with a marine complex and biotin," she says. Many of the glossiest girls in town, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Karlie Kloss, swear by Viviscal ($49.99 for a 30-day supply). "I can't think of anyone not taking Viviscal," says Townsend. Biotin is also a star ingredient in Dr. Frank Lipman's Be Well Hair, Skin & Nail Formula ($39 for a 30-day supply), though the vitamin's efficacy remains controversial. Day advises her patients to wait three months for results, and then, if necessary, up the ante with in-office laser treatments, which aim light waves at the scalp and may decrease inflammation and increase circulation (cost: $3,000 for a three-month course of weekly sessions). Home laser treatments are now an option too, including the FDA-cleared HairMax Professional 12 LaserComb ($545). It uses light energy to stimulate hair follicles, according to HairMax founder David Michaels. "HairMax helps extend the anagen [active] phase of the hair growth cycle, which allows for the hair to grow longer and may help it grow faster," he explains. For scalp stimulation sans lasers, there's a slew of new shampoos and treatments. Toppik's Hair Regrowth Treatment ($25) contains 2 percent minoxidil, and is sprayed on the scalp twice daily. Alterna's Caviar Repairx Lengthening Hair & Scalp Elixir ($38) contains a tetrapeptide and a floral extract to reduce inflammation. Valmont Hair & Scalp Cellular Treatment ($595) also uses a peptide to help anchor the hair follicle to the scalp and prolong the active growth phase. And Glossy Locks Grow More Shampoo ($35) has caffeine, ginseng, and mint to jump-start circulation. It's just as crucial to protect your hair from breakage caused by chemicals and overstyling. "Lay off the heat tools," recommends Harry Josh, Gisele's stylist of choice. "Even if you cut back one day a week, you'll notice a difference." Well-conditioned hair is less likely to snap as well. Redken's new Extreme Length Primer ($22) and Extreme Length Sealer ($24) with biotin are designed to fight breaking points from root to tip, and promise to preserve up to six inches of additional length. The real secret to longer hair, though, doesn't require hyperactive follicles hopped up on caffeine. "Ninety percent of the women you see on the red carpet have extensions," Townsend admits."Extensions are more accessible than ever. If you invest in one set, you can have them put in when you go for a blowout. I get all my hair from GarlandDrake.com ." It seems an afternoon spent shopping can solve the quest for longer hair after all. | 4 | 6,962 | lifestyle |
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has gone into the state up north and landed the top player for the second straight year. Detroit Cass Tech running back Mike Weber, a 5-foot-10, 215-pound four-star recruit, signed an official letter of intent Wednesday to become a Buckeye, along with teammate Joshua Alabi, a defensive tackle. A year ago, Cass Tech cornerback Damon Webb, widely considered the state of Michigan's No. 1 player just like Weber is this year, also signed with the Buckeyes. Webb is projected as a potential starter as a sophomore next season for the reigning national champions. It's an interesting trend that's emerged at Cass Tech, which is coached by former Wolverines running back Thomas Wilcher, and has historically sent its best players to Ann Arbor. "He had a hard decision to make," Meyer said of Weber during his radio show on a Columbus, Ohio, station. "I have so much respect for that kid. Talk about pressure. He had former (Michigan) players come into his house, NFL guys. That's just guys working, trying to get him. "That was a big, big get for us." Weber, who rushed for 2,268 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior, originally made an oral commitment to Michigan before changing his mind late in the Wolverines' 5-7 season that led to Brady Hoke's firing as coach. He then made a commitment to Ohio State on December 10, but there were rumors in recent days, even Wednesday morning, that Weber was seriously considering the Wolverines again since the hiring of coach Jim Harbaugh. "It's real stressful," Weber told reporters following his announcement. "I'm glad it's over with. "A lot of people wanted me to go to Michigan. Family, coaches. But I've got to live with the decision. Ohio State's a better fit for me." Weber said that Wilcher, who was a teammate of Harbaugh's at Michigan, "just told me to go with my heart." Meyer was on the phone late Tuesday night to try to hold off the surge from Harbaugh and the Wolverines. In the end, Weber kept his latest commitment, as did Alabi, who was also rumored to be reconsidering another offer from Miami (Fla.) Meyer won't refer to the Buckeyes' longtime arch-rival as "Michigan," choosing instead to use the term "that team up north." But he, obviously, doesn't have a problem coming up here and snatching elite players. Weber is ranked as the No. 9 running back and No. 69 player overall in the nation by Scout.com. His news conference to announce his decision was delayed nearly an hour, fueling more speculation about his plans. Weber admitted he was surprised when he heard earlier in the morning that the Wolverines signed another running back, Karon Higdon, who was a late flip after orally committing to Iowa. Weber thought he would be the only running back in Michigan's class if he chose the Wolverines. Ohio State didn't sign any other running backs this year, but does have an oral commitment from Kareem Walker, arguably the top back in the country for the class of 2016. One of Meyer's selling points to Weber was the team's strong run game behind a quality offensive line that returns four starters. Michigan, on the other hand, has to rebuild its offensive line, which has been a weakness in recent years. Weber called Meyer "a winner" who has "won everywhere he went." What's more, Weber added, "He knows how to get guys to the NFL." Weber said his plan is to play in college for three years before going to the NFL. First things first: He will compete as a freshman for the back-up job behind Ezekiel Elliott, who emerged last season as one of the top running backs in college football. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to play a lot," Weber said. So, Meyer stole another big one from the state he refuses to name. The question that remains to be answered is whether he will continue to do so once Harbaugh gets settled in and starts to have some success of his own. EMERGING MAC POWER? After winning only one game in his first year as Western Michigan's coach, P.J. Fleck has now put together what's widely considered the Mid-American Conference's top recruiting class for the second straight year. The Broncos announced at 8:25 a.m. that all 25 of their commitments had signed. Fleck and his staff then celebrated with a "grape-juice toast." The top-ranked player in the class is Justin Tranquill, a 5-11, 185-pound versatile athlete from Fort Wayne, Ind. Tranquill, who received four stars from Scout.com, is likely to be a defensive back and return specialist for the Broncos. "Can do it all," WMU assistant coach Rob Wenger said in an interview posted on the school's website. "He is a special, special talent. Immediate-impact guy." The Broncos also added the brother of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Tom Flacco, a 6-1, 185-pound quarterback from Voorhees, N.J., finished his high-school career in 2013 before being "grayshirted" last season and enrolling at WMU this winter. Broncos offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarroca was the offensive coordinator at Delaware when Joe Flacco played there in college. Tom doesn't have Joe's size, but he's considered a dual threat who has "tremendous intangibles," according to Ciarroca. | 1 | 6,963 | sports |
1. They understand when you get embarrassingly passionate. They don't question why we get so defensive about Star Trek continuity, fantasy football team fiddling, and screaming at the TV screen while playing multiplayer games. 2. They won't nerd-shame you. They will never make us feel bad for secretly knowing the entire history of Batman (and also Earth-Two Batman). 3. They buy great gifts. We're pretty much guaranteed to get something cool, like a video game or a set of Blu-rays or a bunch of graphic novels. 4. They will understand why you'd choose to use your last vacation day to take off the day after the midnight Star Wars release and not on your anniversary. Any woman who insists on being there at midnight on Dec. 18, 2015, is a keeper. 5. You've always got a player two. Playing video games actually counts as a romantic date. 6. They understand the importance of always having the latest phone, even if it means you'll be eating nothing but ramen noodles for a week. And they understand that this trade-off is absolutely worth it. 7. You guys watch the really good Netflix shows. Like Black Mirror and Broadchurch. Not ... well, pretty much anything else. 8. They're always reading. Reading is sexy. Case in point: Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Best princess. Fight me. 9. They're good at sex . Statistically proven. Also, statistics. 10. They'll definitely let you have a man cave. Except you'll both use it all the time, so it'll just be a gender-neutral cave. Or just a cave. Or the place you'll both spend most of your time. 11. Glasses are always cute. Not every nerd has glasses, but the ones that do ... well, it's never a bad thing. | 4 | 6,964 | lifestyle |
No two people experience a divorce the same way, but most can agree that it's an extremely painful and difficult situation, both mentally and physically. Though you'll be busy filling out legal paperwork with your attorney, it's essential to pay attention to your mind and body: Research shows that divorce can take a serious toll on everything from your sleep habits to your heart (no surprise there). Knowing about the following conditions will allow you to take charge of your health and do everything you can to prevent them from developing. 1. Anxiety "Typically, after a divorce anxiety levels shoot sky high," says Fran Walfish, PsyD , a psychotherapist in Beverly Hills and an expert panelist on the upcoming television series Sex Box . "You don't have a companion in the big, bad world anymore," she says, and the future that you once pictured no longer exists. Plus, there's a ton of uncertainty, which can lead to feeling insecure. Depending on the circumstances, you might suddenly have to move, get a new job, and survive on less money than before. Your children might need to change schools or get used to a back-and-forth arrangement with you and your ex. Walfish says that anxiety can sometimes manifest itself in controlling behavior, such as sending a gazillion emails to your divorce attorney or emptying your joint bank account to try to take over the finances. 2. Drastic Weight Change Gaining or losing a significant amount of weight is something else you might notice during or after a divorce. Some people turn to comfort foods because doughnuts or fried chicken might temporarily perk them up. For others, divorce has the opposite effect. "I had a patient walk in after a long absence. She was very slim, and I remarked upon it. She said, 'Yep, I'm getting a divorce. I call it the Grief Diet,' " says Walfish. "She lost her appetite. Sometimes you can't eat when you're distraught." 3. Metabolic Syndrome Metabolic syndrome occurs when you have several dangerous conditions at once, including high blood pressure , high blood sugar, excess belly fat, and high cholesterol. It increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. A study published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who are divorced (as well as women who are widowed or in unhappy marriages) are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than women who are in happy marriages. 4. Depression After a marriage dissolves, "many people feel like failures," says Walfish. What contributed to the divorce may also play a role. For instance, if your spouse cheated on you, that knowledge might send you into a downward spiral of hopelessness and destroy your self-confidence. "I really and truly believe that this is the pivotal moment in life where it's beneficial to seek out a good therapist," says Walfish. For one thing, it helps to gain support from someone who is emotionally removed from the situation. This is also your chance to discover why you were drawn to the relationship in the first place and learn how to avoid a similar situation. "It's a golden opportunity to write a new, brighter script for the next chapter in your life," says Walfish. (Take our quiz to help determine if you might be depressed.) 5. Cardiovascular Disease A study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family found that both middle-aged men and women are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease after going through a divorce, compared with married people of the same age. It also revealed that middle-aged women who get divorced are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than middle-aged men who get divorced. Why do women have it worse? Here's one explanation: Research shows that the stress of divorce leads to higher levels of inflammation in women, and those levels persist for some time, explains Mark D. Hayward, professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. "Part of the reason for the continued elevation in women is that the period after divorce is highly stressful, too. Women often take bigger hits in terms of finances, and they tend to stay single longer than men." 6. Substance Abuse Post-split, you might find yourself becoming more dependent on cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs to cope with feeling lonely, anxious, or depressed. One 2012 review of scientific literature published in The Journal of Men's Health found that divorced men have higher rates of substance abuse, as well as higher rates of mortality, depression, and lack of social support, compared with married men. The stress you feel from a divorce is second only to the stress you feel from the death of a spouse, explains study co-author Dave Robinson, PhD, director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Utah State University. "And men are more likely to ignore the significant impact that divorce has on them." 7. Insomnia "In my divorced clients, sleep disruption is very common, as well as nightmares," says Walfish. This might mean having trouble falling or staying asleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, insomnia is very common among those who are depressed, so divorce-related depression is one possible underlying cause of the sleep issues. 8. Chronic Health Problems & Mobility Issues Many health consequences of divorce are linked. For example, it can be harder to eat well and exercise regularly if you're feeling depressed and not sleeping well. And those unhealthy habits can lead to serious diseases and conditions. A study published in Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that divorced or widowed people have 20% more chronic health conditions (such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer) than people who are married. They also have 23% more mobility limitations, such as not being able to climb stairs or walk a block. Consider this one more reason to make sure you get a physical each year. | 7 | 6,965 | health |
McDonald's was a major contributor to Chipotle's success. The burger chain made an investment in Chipotle in 1998 that helped it grow from 14 locations to nearly 500 within seven years. But the companies had a lot of clashes along the way, Bloomberg reports . Specifically, McDonald's had a lot of suggestions for changes to Chipotle's business strategy that Chipotle rejected. Here are some of the suggestions: 1. McDonald's wanted Chipotle to add drive-thrus to its restaurants and to start serving breakfast. "Bless their hearts, McDonald's had a lot of great suggestions, and we were always polite about it," Chipotle chief operations officer Gretchen Selfridge told Bloomberg. "They really wanted us to do drive-thrus. They really wanted us to do breakfast. But we just really didn't do any of that." 2. McDonald's asked Chipotle to change its name to Chipotle Fresh Mexican Grill. "One of the McDonald's guys thought we should call it 'Chipotle Fresh Mexican Grill,' because the term 'fresh' was such a great term, and Baja Fresh had 'fresh' in its name," Chipotle co-CEO Monty Moran told Bloomberg. "And I remember Steve had a very non-tactful, politically incorrect response: 'Well, that's a bunch of you-know-what. Why would we do that? It doesn't make any sense.'" 3. When Chipotle opened restaurants in new locations, McDonald's advised that the burrito chain change its menu to cater to local tastes. The burger chain said Chipotle should put barbecue in the burritos in Kansas City and add green chiles to the menu in New Mexico, according to the report. McDonald's also forced Chipotle to franchise some of its restaurants, which it did reluctantly. 4. McDonald's censored Chipotle's advertising once. Chipotle had an ad showing a foil-wrapped burrito that said, "Usually when you roll something this good it's illegal." McDonald's asked Chipotle to pull the ad and Chipotle complied. Summing up the companies' relationship, Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold told Bloomberg, "I would think of it in terms of McDonald's being the rich uncle and Chipotle as the petulant nephew where we take the money and are grateful but are stubborn and strong-willed enough that we're going to do what we want with it anyway." | 3 | 6,966 | finance |
Get inspired by these starlets' streaks. Mindy Kaling Olivia Palermo Jennifer Aniston Freida Pinto Lucy Hale Camila Alves Blake Lively Rose Byrne Gigi Hadid Sienna Miller Joan Smalls Suki Waterhouse Jessica Alba Halle Berry Jennifer Lopez | 4 | 6,967 | lifestyle |
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. A man charged with killing a Pennsylvania pharmacist and the pharmacist's girlfriend used plastic ties to restrain a jeweler during a 2003 home invasion and robbery the same kind prosecutors say he had used to strangle his victims months earlier. Hugo Selenski is on trial in the slayings of Michael Kerkowski and Tammy Fassett, who prosecutors allege were killed as part of a plot to rob the pharmacist of proceeds from an illegal prescription drug ring. Selenski is already serving decades in prison for robbing jeweler Samuel Goosay, who testified Wednesday in the murder trial about Selenski's brutal and bizarre behavior during the robbery. He was the prosecution's last witness; the defense is expected to begin its case Thursday. Kerkowski and Fassett were reported missing in May 2002, shortly before he was to be sentenced on drug charges. Authorities found their bodies along with at least three other sets of human remains on Selenski's property north of Wilkes-Barre about a year later. Selenski has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Another man, Paul Weakley, has pleaded guilty in the homicides and the Goosay robbery, and he testified against Selenski. On the witness stand Wednesday, Goosay said two masked men forced their way into his home as he was eating dinner, bound his hands with plastic ties and put duct tape around his eyes. He said one of the men whom he later identified as Selenski threatened him with a gun, saying, "I'm going to kill you if you don't cooperate." Goosay provided the code to the jewelry store's security system but withheld the additional steps needed to avoid tripping the silent alarm. After finding about $800 in Goosay's pocket, Weakley drove to the jewelry store in Goosay's car while Selenski stayed behind, prosecutors said. As Selenski rifled through some dresser drawers, Goosay pushed the duct tape off one eye, spied the assailant's gun on top of the dresser, grabbed it and put it to Selenski's head. But Selenski lunged for the gun and Goosay, now 71, was no match for the younger, stronger man. Selenski beat Goosay, bound his feet and sat him on his bed, Goosay testified. That's when the robbery took a bizarre turn. Selenski saw a pack of cigarettes in Goosay's shirt pocket and asked for one, Goosay said. "I said, 'As long as I can have one,'" he recalled. Selenski put a cigarette in Goosay's mouth and lit it. The two men smoked and chatted about the stock market and international finance, Goosay said. "We had what I thought was a very intelligent discussion," he said. Then the phone rang. It was the security company Weakley had tripped the alarm, and police had been dispatched. Selenski clobbered Goosay with the gun and fled the house, Goosay said. Jurors will be permitted to consider Goosay's testimony as possible evidence of Selenski's "signature or modus operandi" in the homicides, Luzerne County Judge Fred Pierantoni III said. Prosecutors are taking a second crack at Selenski after he beat homicide charges in 2006. Selenski was charged with killing two accused drug dealers whose charred remains were also found on his property. A jury acquitted him of one homicide and deadlocked on another but convicted him of abusing the men's corpses. The fifth body found on Selenski's property has never been publicly identified. | 5 | 6,968 | news |
Regardless of the season, sunglasses are an easy way to switch up your look. Feeling classic today? Aviators are tried and true. If you're looking for something more experimental, the best new trends are reflective lenses that come in a variety of fun hues or opt for wooden frames for a more understated look. Shop our selection of the chicest shades inspired by some of our favorite celebrity looks. Aviator Kendall Jenner Aviator Tory Burch sunglasses, $149, toryburch.com. Aviator Gucci sunglasses, $395, net-a-porter.com . Aviators Victoria Beckham sunglasses, $330, mytheresa.com. Cat Eye Emma Roberts Cat Eye Stella McCartney sunglasses, $300, net-a-porter.com . Cat Eye Sunday Somewhere sunglasses, $280, avenue32.com . Cat Eye Thierry Lasry sunglasses, $395, barneys.com . Cat Eye Le Specs sunglasses, $60, lespecs.com . Club Master Lily Aldridge Club Master Selima Optique for Pamela Love sunglasses, $375, shopBAZAAR.com . Club Master Topshop sunglasses, $25, topshop.com . Club Master Wildsoul sunglasses, $135, thewildsoul.com . Reflective Jamie King Reflective Illesteva sunglasses, $220, shopBAZAAR.com . Reflective PRISM sunglasses, $420, prismlondon.com . Reflective Westward Leaning sunglasses, $180, shopBAZAAR.com . Wood Naomi Watts Wood Finlay & Co. sunglasses, $230, shopBAZAAR.com . Wood Palens sunglasses, $129, palens.com . Wood Tom Ford sunglasses, $360, barneys.com . | 4 | 6,969 | lifestyle |
In recent years, countries including the U.K., Poland, Ireland and Sweden have raised the age of eligibility for military pensions. The U.S., on the other hand, is sticking with the status quo and at a time of strained budgets, that's a potentially costly problem. The military retirement system permits members of the armed forces who serve full time for at least 20 years to retire as early as age 37 with a defined-benefit pension. On Jan. 29, the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission released a report that recommends no changes to the benefit eligibility requirements for the military's pension plan, though it did recommend some significant changes in its structure. John Turner and Bruce Klein, economists at the Pension Policy Center in Washington, D.C., subsequently released their own report, arguing that the military needs to "modernize" its pension system. Their principal recommendation: To raise the eligibility age for benefits. Turner and Klein's report is full of detail about how the U.S. compares to many of its NATO allies. On average, the report says, "the eligibility age for U.S. military pensions is lower by 15 years compared with the United Kingdom, and by 20 years compared with some other NATO countries." Moreover, it adds, the eligibility age has not been changed in nearly 70 years a period during which life expectancy has increased dramatically. The upshot? "With current life expectancies, U.S. military personnel on average can expect to receive a pension for more than twice as many years as they served in the military." In 2012, the U.S. spent $52.9 billion on military retirement benefits, versus $57.5 billion on pay for active military personnel, Turner and Klein say. The unfunded liability for military pensions: $934 billion in 2012. According to current rules, enlisted men and women who join the military at the youngest age possible, 17, can begin collecting benefits as young as 37. For officers, who are required to have a college degree, the earliest age to collect benefits is typically 41 or 42, the report notes. The longer you serve, the more generous the benefit: Someone who serves for 40 years will receive 100% of final pay. In contrast, other nations have reduced the costs of their military pensions. In recent years, the U.K. has raised its eligibility age for a military pension to 55; Poland has raised its age to 55, Ireland to 50, Portugal to 60, and Sweden to 61. In contrast, the U.S. last changed its age of military pension eligibility in 1947. Rules "that permit collection of pension benefits for people in their late 30s and early 40s need to change," Turner and Klein argue. Such a recommendation would impact officers far more than enlisted men and women. The reason: Fewer than 17% of enlisted personnel meet the 20-year vesting requirement to receive a pension. But among officers, 49% collect a pension. Overall, more than 60% of those who are eligible for benefits take them at the earliest possible time. As a result, the average age for first drawing benefits is 42, Turner and Klein report. The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission did make one significant recommendation governing retirement benefits. Its proposal: To automatically enroll military personnel in the federal Thrift Savings Plan, a 401(k)-like retirement plan and have Uncle Sam kick in up to 6% of pay annually as an employer contribution. In a 401(k)-style plan, military personnel could build up some retirement savings even if they served less than 20 years, as many do. In return, the government would reduce some of the benefits in the defined benefit pension plan. | 3 | 6,970 | finance |
NEW YORK (AP) Iggy Azalea and Sam Smith led the finalists for the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards with five nominations apiece, with Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande each receiving four nominations. iHeartMedia and NBC announced the nominations Wednesday. The awards will be presented March 29 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The event will be televised live on NBC and air simultaneously on iHeartMedia stations and across the network's digital music platform. Swift, Azalea, Grande, Smith and Luke Bryan are nominated for artist of the year. Best new artist nominees include Azalea, Smith, Bastille, Cole Swindell and Meghan Trainor. Other categories include song of the year and best collaboration. Fans can vote for three awards, including best lyrics. | 6 | 6,971 | entertainment |
You're obsessed with braids (Who isn't?!), which is exactly why Cosmopolitan.com asked Glamsquad stylist TeQuan Johnson to come up with a new twist on a fishtail braid. Here, he shows you exactly how to execute this gorgeously simple style. 1. Boost body and texture in your hair. Model Lizzie used Kérastase V.I.P Dry Volumizing and Texturizing Spray to coat all her strands. Texturizers add grip, which helps any braid you create stay in place longer. 2. Begin fishtail-braiding your hair right above the nape of your neck. Need a tutorial on how to create a fishtail braid? Click here . After you're finished braiding, secure your plait with a clear elastic hair band, like Goody Ouchless Mini Elastics . 3. Starting with the end of your braid, roll your hair under until you reach the nape of your neck. 4. Secure the rolled style with bobby pins. Finally, finish your gorgeous look with flexible hold hairspray, like Aussie Mega Hair Spray Aerosol Flexible Hold , and then get ready to go out, because girl, your hair looks stunning! Makeup by: Lauren Cosenza Sequin Jacket: Awoke Vintage Follow Carly on Twitter . | 4 | 6,972 | lifestyle |
Joe Teti and Matt Graham let you in on four keys to survival that helped them make it through some tough situations in the wilderness. | 8 | 6,973 | video |
A wildlife refuge in Florida experienced one of the most adorable wildlife invasions ever this week. Three Sisters Springs, a complex of warm-water springs in Crystal River, Fla., had to close their doors on Monday, Feb. 2, even parts of Feb. 3 as well, after being swarmed by more than 300 manatees, according to Tampa Bay's WTSP-TV . The springs are a natural refuge for these marine giants, many of whom migrate up from the Gulf of Mexico each fall to feed and rest in the warm waters. The springs are part of Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge , and also a popular attraction for tourists, who visit to view the gentle, slow-moving animals. At Three Sisters Springs, visitors can swim, canoe, or walk along the water's edge to observe the manatees. When more than 300 manatees suddenly moved into the narrow springs, likely swimming in from nearby Kings Bay, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asked the park to close for the manatees' protection. The incident isn't necessarily unusual, says Kimberly Sykes, assistant manager of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. High volumes of manatees periodically move into the springs during cold weather events, where they rest and recharge in the warm waters. "Because manatees don't have any blubber to help them stay warm, they have to come into these warm water springs to stay warm," she says. " If not, they could get cold-stress and die." It's a typical Fish and Wildlife policy to shut down the area when large numbers of manatees are resting there, Sykes says. It's already happened a few times in Crystal River this season. And 300 manatees isn't the largest number she's see in the springs, either. "We've recorded over 580 in the springs at one time," she says. Manatees are protected in the US under the Endangered Species Act, and keeping their habitat safe is a priority for Florida wildlife managers. Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge With the park accommodating hundreds of visitors at a time on Dec. 27, one of the busiest days of the year, there were 842 swimmers and 340 boaters at the springs, according to Sykes closing the area during a manatee rush is essential to protecting the endangered animals from boisterous tourists and allowing them the space they need to rest and get warm. There's no "cut-off number" of manatees that need to come in before the area closes, Sykes adds. The call is made on a case-by-case basis and depends also on temperature, weather, visibility in the springs, and a variety of other factors. On Tuesday, Feb. 3, for instance, the area reopened at 10 a.m., but was closed again at 2 p.m. It opened again Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m., and Sykes expects it to stay open all day, but manatees can be unpredictable. "We're just assessing it on a daily basis," she says. NOW WATCH: Research Reveals Why Men Cheat, And It's Not What You Think | 2 | 6,974 | travel |
(Bloomberg View) -- Satya Nadella is celebrating his first anniversary as Microsoft's chief executive officer, and the last year has offered a tale of two companies. The first is an institution that Nadella has encouraged to be more open and collaborative, less siloed and fiercely competitive. The second is a legacy powerhouse that's flatlining and saddled with a turnaround plan that won't generate meaningful growth for a long, long time. Since Microsoft will inevitably march along, more or less profitable for many quarters to come, that Dickensian analogy might be too harsh. So here's another, very techie, way to look at Nadella's first year: He vastly improved Microsoft's user interface, but he hasn't found a way to optimize its corporate hard drive. It should come as no surprise that Nadella generated a lot of goodwill inside and outside of Microsoft when he ascended. Thanks to his ministrations, the software giant has a friendlier halo around it. It now plays nice with everyone from Salesforce.com to Oracle and with startups like Dropbox and GitHub. Nadella also speaks on the company's quarterly calls with analysts, a practice that his predecessor as CEO, Steve Ballmer, eschewed. Nadella wants to be a good partner to employees too. He has embraced issues such as diversity and unconscious bias against women and minorities in the workplace. He did so after apologizing for a callous public comment he made late last year about women and pay raises that caused a big dust-up. When he fumbles, Nadella appears to learn from his mistakes and tries to do better. He is thought to be genuinely kind. For employees, shareholders and partners, he's been a much- appreciated change from Ballmer's brash, sales guy persona. But Nadella still hasn't figured out how to fix Microsoft's core business conundrum: How can the company be less dependent on PC sales -- which the mobile market and smartphones are undermining -- without getting a lot smaller overall? Microsoft's most recent financial results showed that corporate technology sales grew by a sluggish 5 percent last quarter, and the company said that overall revenue growth would be slower than expected in the first half of this year. Investors were more interested in the trouble at Microsoft's core than they were in Nadella's myriad cultural improvements. Microsoft's stock fell 10 percent when that earnings news landed and has yet to fully recover from that swan dive. As growth slows, Nadella is putting a lot of resources behind Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform that rents data center space and other infrastructure to customers like GE Healthcare. He's also pushing Office 365, a cloud version of the company's Office software that customers essentially rent, to adapt to new storage and software trends. In addition, Nadella also decided to give versions of Windows away for free to connected-device developers and for use on devices with screens smaller than 9 inches. These initiatives keep Microsoft relevant in a world dominated by Amazon Web Services in cloud computing, Apple iOS and Google Android in operating systems, and Google's office software suite for consumer and small business software. But Microsoft's newer offerings are less profitable than the traditional Windows and Office products that once made Microsoft such a dominant force. As cloud-based and free products make up more of Microsoft's sales mix by volume, revenue and margins will probably shrink. The free version of Windows is a particularly tricky offering because of how quickly pricing power could collapse over time. The distinction between devices with large and small screens will become more and more arbitrary as businesses use more mobile devices and ever-smaller laptops. All of this will make it harder to draw a line in the sand between free and premium products. Nadella has done a lot of positive and exciting things for Microsoft. He's breathed new life into the place, cut costs and revealed some projects that made the startup-dominated tech world take notice (such as the HoloLens). This is all very important stuff, but none of it has yet to truly address Microsoft's larger financial and business challenges. A lot of Nadella's supporters note that the stock went up when the company announced last year that he would be its new CEO. What they forget, however, is that the stock move wasn't just about Nadella. Some of that was due to the fact that Wall Street assumed no one could spend (and waste) as much money as Ballmer. Yet when it comes to Microsoft's core business, Nadella is in some ways executing on initiatives that Ballmer had already put in place -- such as Azure, a corporate reorganization and even the HoloLens project. In that regard, Nadella is acting more as a steward than as an innovator. Nadella has a better relationship with Wall Street than Ballmer did, but it's not a perfect one. Value Act, the activist hedge fund that forced Ballmer out, wanted eBay chief John Donahoe for the CEO job at Microsoft and was disappointed when he wouldn't consider the position, three people with knowledge of the search have told Bloomberg View. Investors are happier with Nadella than they were with Ballmer, but they're carefully watching to see how he manages Microsoft as its core business shrinks. Nadella spent his first year making Microsoft genuinely exciting and interesting again. In year two he'll have to show that he can offer more than buzz and kindness. He'll have to prove that he can make Microsoft grow. To contact the author on this story: Katie Benner at [email protected] To contact the editor on this story: Timothy L O'Brien at [email protected] | 5 | 6,975 | news |
You've probably heard that "a rose is a rose is a rose," but while perfectly poetic, the Victorians wholeheartedly disagree. Flower meaning dictionaries were quite popular during the Victorian era for instance, pink carnations meant "I will never forget you," and chrysanthemums meant "truth." Though people didn't necessarily send secret messages through buds and bouquets, the meanings were still important to people during that period.We think this bit of historical trivia is pretty charming, so we explored this recently published flower dictionary to discover the meanings behind different kinds of roses so you know exactly what you're getting into if you give flowers this Valentine's Day. 1. Red rose: If you planned on delivering this classic choice to your significant other, you're in luck. It means "love." 2. White rose: But maybe save these babies for a melancholy moment. They mean "a heart unacquainted with love." 3. Pink rose: Deliver the gift of "grace" when you send a friend these sweet blooms. 4. Peach rose: These bashful beauties signify "modesty." 5. Purple rose: A quirkier hue calls for a quirkier meaning; violet shades lend themselves to "enchantment." 6. Burgundy rose: These flowers mean "unconcious beauty." Perhaps because they feel inferior to the more classic red rose? 7. Orange rose: An energetic, curious color comes with a meaning to match: "fascination. " 8. Yellow rose: You wouldn't think it cruel to gift someone a bouquet, but these sunny flowers imply "infidelity. "TELL US: What's your favorite rose?More Fun Stuff: Send a Secret Message With Your Favorite Flowers 11 Clever Flower Arranging Tricks 8 Biggest Mistakes You Make With Fresh Cut Flowers Photos: Getty | 4 | 6,976 | lifestyle |
A Colorado dad took cosmetology lessons to learn how to style his daughter's hair and now has Facebook fans asking him for advice. Mara Montalbano has the story. | 8 | 6,977 | video |
DETROIT His father was a post-Cold War statesmen, loser of his 1988 re-election bid. His brother was a "compassionate conservative," a two-termer who left office wildly unpopular. Now it's Jeb Bush's turn he thinks and he's scratching out plans to revitalize the family brand. The former Florida governor wants to be known as a 21 st century conservative a leader who applies right-of-center policies to traditionally Democratic issues: wage stagnation, income inequality, and declining social mobility. Two weeks ago, President Obama offered a progressive prescription that included raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for tax cuts and programs for low- and middle-class Americans. Bush's retort: Economic recovery under Obama has been "very little and has come very late." "The American Dream has become a mirage for far too many," Bush said in the first major speech of his unofficial presidential campaign. He called improving economic opportunity "an urgent issue." As the epicenter of middle-class growth and decline in the 20 th century, Detroit is an attractive metaphor for presidential candidates promising revival even when the politicians, like Bush, carry old or vague ideas into the city and pander to the elite. Bush addressed the well-heeled Detroit Economic Club and toured a hot new manufacturing plant, Shinola, where expensive watches and bikes are marketed as part of Detroit's rebirth narrative. "I know some in the media think conservatives don't care about cities. But they're wrong," Bush said. Everybody has a right to success, Bush added, "So let's go where the ideas matter the most, where the failure of liberal policies are the most obvious." His message is aimed squarely at white work-class and middle-class Americans who, along with young "millennial" voters, are seeping from the Democratic Party under President Obama. Many of these disaffected Americans are children and grandchildren of "Reagan Democrats," the term used for traditionally Democratic voters who defected to Ronald Reagan in 1980 and, in smaller numbers, to President George H.W. Bush (Jeb's father) in 1988. Identified by Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg in the Detroit suburbs of Macomb County, these voters tended to be moderate Democrats who are more conservative than liberal on issues like national security, immigration and race. The day before Bush's speech, I talked to a couple dozen voters at Macomb County Community College and found intense ambiguity. They are unhappy with the unfulfilled promise of Obama ("He was supposed to bring people together," said Charlotte Hurst, an 83-year-old black retiree waiting for her daughter and grandson to finish their classes) and alarmed by the harsh rhetoric of the hard right ("Some of those guys are just crazy," said Carolyn Pawlicki, a 20-year-old independent from Dearborn, Mich.). Every voter I met spoke of two things. First, their frustration with the cost of higher education in an economy that virtually requires one or more degrees; they appreciate Obama's proposal for free community college, but worry about its cost to the federal treasury. Second, their disillusionment with the U.S. political system; neither party seems capable of reversing the decades-old decline of economic opportunity that is so palpable here. "The way they go about it in Washington one side against the other, bickering, and nothing gets done," said Mary Feighner, 21, of St. Clair Shores, Mich. "They argue like little children." In his essay "The Emerging Republican Advantage," my colleague John B. Judis wrote: The White House understands that Democrats have a problem with white working-class and middle-class voters and is now calling for a "middle-class tax cut" aimed squarely at them. Yet the Democratic nominee in 2016 will still have to shoulder the size-of-government and who-benefits-from-tax-dollars grievances created by Obama's initial spending programs and by the Affordable Care Act. The Democrats' best chances in next year's elections will come if Republicans run candidates identified with the Religious Right or the tea party or the GOP's plutocratic wing. If Republicans are smart, they will nominate for president someone in the mold of George W. Bush in 2000 or the numerous GOP Senate candidates who won last year a politician who runs from the center-right, soft-pedals social issues, including immigration, critiques government without calling for abolishing the income tax and Social Security, and displays a good ol' boy empathy for the less well-to-do. Such a candidate would cater to the Republican advantage among the middle class without alienating the white working class. Bush wants to be that candidate the sensible conservative who appeals to white working-class and middle-class voters. But he has to win the GOP nomination first and that will be a far harder task for the former Florida governor than it was for his father or brother, George W. Bush. His team is worried about two things: Will fire-breathing conservatives bury his candidacy in its crib? Can the candidate and his team adapt to vast changes in electoral politics? On the first challenge, people close to Bush freely acknowledge the potential for 2016 becoming what one called "our McGovern year" a reference to the 1972 Democratic nominee George McGovern, an unabashed liberal who lost to Richard Nixon by nearly 25 percentage points. Early voting states Iowa and South Carolina favor the most conservative candidates in GOP nomination fights, and New Hampshire "is no no-brainer," one Bush source told me. Michigan is an important piece of the nomination puzzle. Bush wants the state's primary and its moderate electorate to be his candidacy's early-voting firewall, but local party leaders are angling for a later primary or caucus date to preserve the state's convention delegates. Former GOP Gov. John Engler is close to the Bush team and may be counted on to lobby state officials on the candidate's behalf. On the second challenge, Bush has directed his team to exploit social and digital media like no other presidential candidate. In December, Bush used a low-quality mobile phone video to announce that he was "actively considering" a presidential run. (Make no mistake: He's running.) On Tuesday, a staff member toting a cutting-edge mobile video camera shot footage of Bush touring Shinola. The footage was being edited and posted online the first of many day-in-the-life online videos that aides hope will go viral. In a speech heavy on themes and light on substance, Bush called Washington "a company town" that described his economic philosophy as "growth above all," a phrase that will make conservative economists happy. He called for fewer and modernized government regulations, government reform, and improved schools in both rich and poor neighborhoods. In a question-and-answer session with club members, Bush said his family's legacy would be both a challenge and opportunity. He hopes to connect "on a human level with people" and offer uplifting policies "so when they think of me they'll think that I'm on their side and the issues I care about will help them rise up." Introduced as the father of Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the former Florida governor didn't run away from the family name. "I'm pretty proud of 41 and 43," he said, referring to his father and brother by the numerical order of their presidencies. "I know that's hard for the political world to accept." On America's relationship with the Bushes, Jeb is about to find out how much love has been lost. | 5 | 6,978 | news |
Marshawn Lynch was just there so he wouldn't get fined. And he won't be. The NFL says the Seattle Seahawks' running back complied with his media and wardrobe obligations during Super Bowl week. "Marshawn Lynch complied with his obligation to attend all required media sessions at the Super Bowl," league spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email Wednesday. "In addition, there is no basis for a fine for the hat he wore at the media sessions, which was made by and given to him by an NFL licensee, New Era, and was in team colors." The NFL had fined Lynch twice previously for failing to fulfill his contractual obligations with the media and threatened an even bigger fine if he didn't participate at Super Bowl XLIX. So, Lynch spent 5 minutes at the podium each of the three days on which attendance was required, timing each session on his cell phone. He used a single answer the first two days "I'm just here so I won't get fined" and "You know why I'm here" and critiqued the media on the third. There was speculation Lynch could be fined for the hat, bearing the logo of his Beast Mode brand, that he wore throughout the week. But that won't happen either. | 1 | 6,979 | sports |
@gregclemens62 wants to know why fax machines are still a part of National Signing Day. | 1 | 6,980 | sports |
Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was arrested Tuesday night on felony charges of possession of marijuana and a firearm, Florida police say. The police department in Starke, Fla., issued the following release Wednesday: "On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at approximately 11:03 p.m. EST, a traffic stop was conducted on a 2015, Dodge Ram, truck for Failure to Maintain a Single Lane. The traffic stop was conducted in the vicinity of 2302 North Temple Ave. in Starke, Florida. As the officer was behind the vehicle, he reports that he could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. "The officer approached the driver's side of the vehicle and observed the driver partially hanging out of the driver's window. The driver then asked the officer if he knew who he was. Due to the driver's behavior and due to the smell of marijuana, the officer asked the driver, who was later identified as Letroy Shelton Guion, Jr. to step out of the vehicle and called for back-up units. "When asked if he had anything illegal in the vehicle such as weapons or narcotics, Mr. Guion disclosed that he had a firearm, registered to him, inside the vehicle. When backup units arrived, the officer initiated a search of the vehicle, due to his probable cause established by the Strong Odor of Marijuana coming from the interior of the vehicle. The officer quickly located Mr. Guion's firearm which is described as a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. "The officer continued the search after securing the firearm, and reports that Mr. Guion became 'extremely uncooperative and hostile'. The officer reports that Guion 'kept coming towards the vehicle several times saying 'hey man, my money is in there. Don't let him take my money'. The officer reports that Guion then 'rushed' the driver's side of the vehicle in an attempt to remove a black bag pack that was located on the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Mr. Guion was then secured in hand cuffs for officer safety. "After Mr. Guion's attempt to remove the black bag pack, the officer observed that the bag was half unzipped. Inside the bag the officer observed a large bag containing a green leafy substance that appeared to be marijuana. The officer then opened the black bag pack and observed a large plastic bag containing two clear gallon Ziplock bags, both containing the green leafy substance appearing to be marijuana. Substance samples from each bag were individually tested with a KN Reagent Marijuana test kit and tested positive for marijuana. Mr. Guion was then placed under arrest for felony possession of Marijuana, due to the weight of the marijuana being more than 20 grams. He was additionally charged with possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The bags were weighed at 190 grams and 167 grams for a total weight of 357 grams of marijuana. "As the officer continued searching the black bag pack, he located a total of $190,028.81 in US Currency in the middle pocket of the bag. "Due to the currency being located in the same bag as the large quantity of marijuana, the currency was seized and secured. The vehicle was towed and secured. Mr. Guion was provided with a notice of forfeiture and property receipt. The firearm, marijuana, and additional evidence were secured in evidence." A Packers spokesman said Wednesday morning, "We are aware of a serious matter involving Letroy Guion. We have not yet spoken to Letroy and we will have no further comment." Guion is the first Green Bay player to be arrested since former outside linebacker Erik Walden was jailed over Thanksgiving weekend in 2011. Guion signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Green Bay last offseason and turned in a very productive 2014 season. Guion, 27, who spent his first six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, posted career highs with 3.5 sacks and 32 tackles in his first season with the Packers. Guion, who is an unrestricted free agent had expressed strong interest in continuing his career in Green Bay, and the Packers had eyes on bringing him back for at least one more season. Now, however, Guion's charges could dissuade the publicly-owned franchise from agreeing to any new contract with him. Follow Paul Imig on Twitter | 1 | 6,981 | sports |
~*BiKiNi BoDiEs*~. Carrie Underwood Carrie announces a new line of swimwear with a bikini selfie. Suki Waterhouse Suki gets up close and personal with her very own swan cloud . Bella Hadid Happiness is being able to have great hair while chilling by a nearly empty pool in St. Barts. Jessica Simpson Jessica goes undercover as Daisy Duke while wearing a pair of Daisy Dukes in Los Cabos, Mexico. Britney Spears Say aloha to Britney, those abs, and that cute little beach ball. Jessica Alba A reminder of why you should never wear a shirt while swimming in the ocean. Lea Michele Lea spends the most beautiful day by the most beautiful pool. Amy Schumer Those who take boat selfies together stay together, like Amy and her Ben. Britney Spears Britney celebrates the first day of ~*spring*~ with a teeny-tiny yellow bikini . Serena Williams Serena reigns supreme as the bikini cutout queen. Ariel Winter Ariel uses her imagination and this bathroom selfie to refine her spring break 2016 plans. Emily Ratajkowski This is what 82 degrees looks like in Los Angeles, FYI. Taylor Swift Taylor strikes a pose for boyfriend and part-time bikini photographer Calvin Harris during their ~tropical getaway~ on Mar. 15, 2016. Gregg Sulkin and Bella Thorne Bella gets her tan on during a break from the SXSW festivities while bae stays cool in the shade on Mar. 15, 2016. Kylie Jenner Kylie channels her inner Kim Kardashian with a bathroom (and bikini ) selfie on Mar. 9, 2016. Ciara Ciara takes a break from paradise for this much needed beachside postcard on Mar. 9, 2016. Reese Witherspoon Reese matches her one-piece to her towel on Mar. 2, 2016. Nicole Scherzinger Nicole gets her tan on while doing a little stretch by the pool on Mar. 1, 2016. Kylie Jenner Kylie proclaims her love for L.A. in a two-piece on Feb. 27, 2016. Jenna Dewan Tatum Jenna makes a beach day out of her seaside photo shoot in Malibu on Feb. 25, 2016. Bella Thorne Go to the beach, celebrate 10 million Instagram followers . That's what Bella did Feb. 24, 2016. Paris Hilton Paris channels her inner tropical fruit while in #paradise Feb. 18, 2016. Bella Hadid Bella lets her hair down and shows off her toned figure during a poolside gathering in Malibu on Feb. 7, 2016. Nina Dobrev Nina puts her abs on display in a cute mismatched two-piece while relaxing with friends including Jessica Szohr in Maui on Jan. 30, 2016. Emily Ratajkowski Emily leaves little to the imagination while hanging out by a pool in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2016. Audrina Patridge Audrina Patridge shows off her baby bump at the beach on Jan. 19, 2016. Leigh-Anne Pinnock Leigh-Anne Pinnock hangs out on a yacht on Jan. 13, 2016. Perrie Edwards Perrie Edwards takes a selfie on Jan. 11, 2016. Gisele Bündchen Gisele and her 'little koala' play on the beach on Jan. 6, 2016. Mariah Carey Mariah Carey enjoys the island life on Jan. 6, 2016. Emily Ratajkowski Emily Ratajkowski poses in a bikini on Jan. 5, 2015. Hilary Duff Hilary Duff in Maui on Jan. 4, 2015. Bethenny Frankel Bethenny Frankel wears a white swimsuit while in Miami on Jan. 4, 2015. Reese Witherspoon Reese Witherspoon and her son spend their last day of vacation by the pool on Jan. 3, 2015. Lena Dunham Lena Dunham lays out by the pool on Jan. 3, 2015. Nina Dobrev Nina Dobrev free dives with her friends Juan Oliphant, Lane Cheek, and Hilary Harley and 22 wild sharks on Jan. 3, 2015. Rita Ora Rita Ora lays in the sun on Dec. 30, 2015. Shay Mitchell Shay Mitchell at her Airbnb in Jamaica on Dec. 30, 2015. Suki Waterhouse Suki Waterhouse takes a selfie with her sister Maddie on Dec. 28, 2015. Rita Ora Rita Ora in Miami on Dec. 28, 2015. Whitney Port Whitney Port enjoys some beach time in Harbour Island, Bahamas, on Dec. 24, 2015. Bethenny Frankel Bethenny Frankel spends some time at the beach in Miami on Dec. 27, 2015. Mariah Carey Mariah Carey poses in a swimsuit while vacationing in Aspen on Dec. 27, 2015. Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney Kardashian shares a photo of her riding a bike in St. Barts on Dec. 20, 2015. Zoe Saldana Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego enjoy some beach time on Dec. 15, 2015. Olivia Wilde Olivia Wilde in Hawaii on Dec. 13, 2015. Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger takes her selfie stick on her vacation to the Maldives on Nov. 22, 2015. Whitney Port Whitney Port does a handstand while on her honeymoon in Fiji on Nov. 15, 2015. Suki Waterhouse Suki Waterhouse plays in the sand on Nov. 16, 2015. Kate Hudson Kate Hudson waters her lawn in a bikini Nov. 11, 2015. Farrah Abraham Farrah Abraham debuts her new 800cc implants in a fur cavewoman bikini Nov. 11, 2015, in Santa Monica, California. Olivia Munn Olivia Munn doesn't let the rain stop her from enjoying some time by the pool Oct. 24, 2015. Bella Thorne Bella Thorne takes a swim before lunch Oct. 18, 2015. Zoe Kravitz Zoe Kravitz in Miami Beach on Oct. 5, 2015. Serena Williams Serena Williams enjoys some time by the water with friends Val Vogt and Colton Haynes on Oct. 4, 2015. Whitney Port Whitney Port celebrates her upcoming wedding with friends in Mexico on Oct. 2, 2015. Shay Mitchell Shay Mitchell shares this photo to Instagram on Sept. 29, 2015. Ellie Goulding Ellie Goulding hangs out in Dubai with friends Sept. 24, 2015. Kate Hudson Kate Hudson snacks on cheese puffs Sept. 20, 2015. Lady Gaga Lady Gaga spends the day poolside Sept. 7, 2015. Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney Kardashian celebrates Labor Day riding a tricycle in a gold bikini Sept. 7, 2015. Kelly Osbourne Kelly Osbourne lies on a yacht Sept. 7, 2015. Bella Thorne Bella Thorne ups her swan game for Labor Day on Sept. 7, 2015. Sarah Hyland Sarah Hyland hangs out in Cabo San Lucas with her friend Laura Samuels on Sept. 7, 2015. Kim Kardashian Kim Kardashian takes a stroll in St. Barts on Aug. 28. Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker goes for a swim in Ibiza on Aug. 26, 2015. Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney Kardashian poses by the pool on Aug. 20, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner spends the day on a boat on Aug. 20, 2015. Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner on vacation in St. Barts on Aug. 19, 2015. Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney Kardashian poses in a palm print bikini on Aug. 18, 2015. Kendall Jenner Kendall Jenner hangs out with her sisters (not all pictured) in St. Barts on Aug. 17, 2015. Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Hudgens on Aug. 17, 2015. Sarah Hyland, Austin Butler, and Vanessa Hudgens Sarah Hyland at Austin Butler's birthday party with Vanessa Hudgens on Aug. 17, 2015. Kendall and Kylie Jenner Kendall and Kylie Jenner pose for a selfie before heading out in St. Barts on Aug. 18, 2015. Hailey Baldwin Hailey Baldwin shares this pic from her vacation in Mexico on Aug. 13, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner and Tyga in Mexico on Aug. 12, 2015. Perrie Edwards Perrie Edwards posts this photo to Instagram on Aug. 10, 2015, with the caption, "Pool vibes." Ashley Tisdale Ashley Tisdale prepares for a beach day with friends on Aug. 9, 2015. Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Nyong'o splashes around a pool at Miraval Resort on Aug. 7, 2015, in Tucson, Arizona. Rihanna Rihanna relaxes at home in Barbados on Aug. 7, 2015. Blac Chyna Blac Chyna posts to Instagram on Aug. 8, 2015. Karlie Kloss Karlie Kloss poses in Diane von Furstenberg for an Instagram photo on Aug. 6, 2015. Ruby Rose Ruby Rose hangs out with Elisabeth Giolito, Emily Searcy, Shayna Taylor, and Erick Morillo on a boat in Ibiza on Aug. 3, 2015. Behati Prinsloo Behati Prinsloo spends the day at the beach with friends, Savannah Buffet, Brie Larson, and Nasin Pedrad on Aug. 3, 2015. Rita Ora Rita Ora and friends enjoy a day out on a boat on Aug. 3, 2015, in Formentera, Balearic Islands. Rihanna Rihanna hangs out in Barbados with Melissa Ford on Aug. 2, 2015. Katharine McPhee Katharine McPhee drives a boat on Aug. 2, 2015. Chelsea Handler Chelsea Handler shares this bikini photo on Aug. 2, 2015. Bella Hadid and Yolanda Foster Bella Hadid spends the day by the pool with her mom, Yolanda Foster, on Aug. 2, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner snaps a selfie before going swimming with sister, Kourtney, on Aug. 2, 2015. Rihanna Rihanna pairing her Jacquie Aiche jewelry with a bright bikini on July 31, 2015. Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence build a human pyramid with the help of a few friends while on vacation on July 30, 2015. Avril Lavigne Avril Lavigne enjoys a pool day on July 30, 2015. Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Pinkett Smith shows off her rockin' bod in a skimpy bikini while in Hawaii on July 29, 2015. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi Snooki spends the day at the beach with her two kids on July 27, 2015. Bethenny Frankel Bethenny Frankel goes paddle boarding on July 26, 2015. Heidi Klum Heidi Klum goes for a boat ride in St. Tropez on July 24, 2015. Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Rodriguez wears loose linen capris and a chambray shirt over her white bikini at Club 55 in Saint Tropez on July 24, 2015. Britney Spears Britney Spears shares a vacation photo from Hawaii on July 23, 2015. Heidi Klum Heidi Klum on July 22, 2015, in Saint-Tropez, France. Nina Dobrev Nina Dobrev has the time of her life as she and her crew of girlfriends tan and jet ski on their mega yacht in St. Tropez on July 21, 2015. Emily Ratajkowski Emily Ratajkowski chills out by a pool in Los Angeles on July 20, 2015. LeAnn Rimes LeAnn Rimes poses in a bikini on July 19, 2015. Kendall Jenner Kendall Jenner lays out by her pool on July 19, 2015. Jessica Simpson Jessica Simpson shares this snap from her vacation on July 14, 2015. Zoë Kravitz Zoë Kravitz rocks a black bikini and elaborate silver body jewelry as she hits the beach in Miami on July 12, 2015. LeAnn Rimes LeAnn Rimes jumps on the beach in this Instagram pic on July 8, 2015. Emily Ratajkowski Emily Ratajkowski spends her day on a boat on July 8, 2015. Taylor Swift and Serayah Taylor Swift and Serayah float on a unicorn on July 5, 2015. Lady Gaga Lady Gaga shows off some sideboob in a swimsuit while working out on July 5, 2015. Gina Rodriguez Gina Rodriguez in New Orleans on July 5, 2015. Bella Thorne Bella Thorne celebrates Independence Day on July 4, 2015. Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus and friend, Katy Weaver, take a selfie on July 4, 2015. Leann Rimes Leann Rimes goes for a boat ride on July 4, 2015. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris hang out on July 3, 2015. Eva Longoria Eva Longoria in Miami on July 1, 2015. Lucy Hale Lucy Hale spends some time in Maui on June 30, 2015. Mariah Carey Mariah Carey on a yacht in Ibiza on June 30, 2015. Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger at the beach on June 27, 2015, in Mykonos, Greece. Beyoncé Beyoncé shares this photo from her vacation on June 30, 2015. Shay Mitchell Shay Mitchell enjoys her last day in Hong Kong on July 1, 2015. Emily Ratajkowski Emily Ratajkowski gets some sun on June 28, 2015. Jessica Lowndes Jessica Lowndes spends the day poolside on June 28, 2015. Gigi Hadid Gigi Hadid films a music video for a Calvin Harris song in Malibu, California, on June 25, 2015. Kaley Cuoco Kaley Cuoco shows off her swimsuit pants on June 24, 2015. Hailey Baldwin Hailey Baldwin enjoys the summer weather in New York City on June 24, 2015. Tallulah Willis, Demi Moore, and Scout Willis Tallulah Willis, Demi Moore, and Scout Willis pose for a photo by the pool on June 21, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner shares this photo from her time in Miami last week to Instagram on June 23, 2015. Kendall and Kylie Jenner Kendall and Kylie Jenner hang out poolside in matching swimsuits with friend, Lauren, on June 21, 2015. Britney Spears Britney Spears spends the day on a boat in Louisiana on June 21, 2015. Alessandra Ambrosio Alessandra Ambrosio celebrates Friday at a pool in Rio de Janeiro on June 19, 2015. Jessie J Jessie J at the beach in Portugal on June 17, 2015. Kristin Cavallari Kristin Cavallari cradles her baby bump on June 14, 2015. Karrueche Tran Karrueche Tran goes for a dip with friends on the beach in Miami on June 15, 2015. Lady Gaga Lady Gaga gets some sun on June 15, 2015. Bethenny Frankel Bethenny Frankel lounges on a yacht on June 15, 2015. Kate Hudson Kate Hudson in Greece on June 16, 2015. Bella Hadid Bella Hadid shares this photo on June 11, 2015. Beyoncé Beyoncé shares this photo on June 8, 2015. Gisele Bündchen Gisele posts this photo to her Instagram with the caption, "This year's WED theme is 7 Billion Dreams.1 Planet. Consume with Care. To live in harmony with nature, we need to have awareness of each action we take. It starts with individual initiative that can lead to collective power ... and make the exponential impact on our world! How can you help our environment? Reduce food, water, and energy waste? Share your dreams and pledges with us. @UNEP @unenvironment #WED2015 #worldenvironmentday http://www.unep.org/wed/ 🌳🙏🍃 O tema do dia Mundial do meio ambiente esta ano é 7 Bilhões de Sonhos. 1 Planeta. Consuma com cuidado. Para viver em harmonia com a natureza, precisamos ter consciência de cada ação que tomamos, e isso começa com a iniciativa individual e pode levar ao poder coletivo ... e fazer um grande impacto no nosso mundo! Como você pode ajudar o meio ambiente ? Reduzir o desperdício de comida, de água ou de energia? Compartilhe seus sonhos e promessas conosco. #diamundialdomeioambiente" Rita Ora Rita Ora posts a selfie from Indonesia on June 4, 2015. Amber Rose Amber Rose posts a bikini pic on her Instagram on June 4, 2015. Alessandra Ambrosio Alessandra Ambrosio poses on the beach on her Instagram on June 3, 2015. Gisele Bundchen Gisele Bundchen posts a bikini pic on Instagram on June 5, 2015. Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus posts this photo to Instagram on June 1, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner poses in a black bikini in a photo posted to her Instagram on May 31, 2015. Ellie Goulding Ellie Goulding lounges in the sun on May 29, 2015. Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus wears a sequined bikini for Golden Lady's summer campaign. Hailey Baldwin Hailey Baldwin enjoys the sun in Monaco on May 23, 2015. Bella Thorne Bella Thorne at Joel Silver's Memorial Day party in Malibu, California, on May 25, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner posted this to Instagram on May 23, 2015. Kendall Jenner Kendall Jenner shares some snaps from her yacht trip on May 23, 2015. Jenni "JWoww" Farley JWoww shows off her bikini body while vacationing poolside with her fiancé Roger and daughter Meilani in Cancun, Mexico, on May 16, 2015. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jionni LaValle Snooki and Jionni on vacation in Florida on May 17, 2015. Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Hudgens in the Hamptons on May 12, 2015. Kendall Jenner Kendall Jenner hangs out with Hailey Baldwin on May 10, 2015. Amy Schumer Amy Schumer enjoys some paddle boarding in Hawaii on May 8, 2015. Sarah Stage Sarah Stage models a bikini on May 4, 2015, just weeks after giving birth. Fergie Fergie shows off her bikini body as she hits the water in Palm Beach, Florida, on May 1, 2015. Rihanna Rihanna takes a stroll in a white bikini along the beach in Hawaii on April 26, 2015. GIGI HADID Gigi Hadid shoots for Seafolly Australia in Miami Beach, Florida, on April 23, 2015. MIRANDA KERR Miranda Kerr posts a bikini selfie in celebration of Earth Day, April 22, 2015. KIM KARDASHIAN Kim shares a "plant bikini selfie" from her upcoming selfie book on April 22, 2015. Miley Cyrus Miley takes a bikini selfie on April 20, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner shows off her bikini body in an Instagram photo on April 19, 2015, captioned, "chill pool day @ the Disick mansion." Chelsea Handler Chelsea Handler takes a photo with Harry Styles while wearing bikini bottoms with "Harry" written across them on April 18, 2015. Demi Lovato Demi Lovato takes a bikini selfie in Brisbane, Australia, on April 17, 2015. Naya Rivera Naya Rivera posts this photo to Instagram and captions it, "Baby moon," on April 17, 2015. Beyoncé Beyoncé posts this video while on vacation on April 16, 2015. Selena Gomez Selena Gomez shows off her figure in a two-piece bikini as she enjoys a day at the beach with friends in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on April 15, 2015. Kendall Jenner Kendall Jenner posts a photo of her and her friends to Instagram with the caption, "💛," on April 11, 2015. Jaime King Jaime King posts this photo to Instagram on April 10, 2015, with the caption, "Pregnancy tip- play dress up! Summer is coming! Photo by @jamiebelzowski." LeAnn Rimes LeAnn Rimes posts this selfie to Instagram on April 6, 2015. Bella Thorne Bella Thorne posts this photo to Instagram on April 5, 2015, with the caption, "Happy ☀️day" Victoria Justice Victoria Justice posts this photo to Instagram on April 3, 2015, with the caption, "We're in the Keyes! Palm trees🌴, ocean breeze 🌊 What more could you want? :) And I'm with my lil sis, this girls a gem @themadgrace" Reese Witherspoon shares a picture to Instagram on April 3, 2015, captioned, "#DonutWorryBeHappy?! #HappyFriday (I couldn't resist)" Jessica Alba Jessica Alba spends a day on the beach in the Caribbean with her family on April 2, 2015. Kristin Cavallari Kristin Cavallari shares a photo on April 2, 2015, captioned, "Paradise with my boys ❤️" Hilaria Baldwin Hilaria Baldwin posts this photo to Instagram on March 31, 2015, with the caption, "One more mommy and daughter shot for tonight... Isn't it amazing how much you can love someone? I'm excited to see how that love expands with the little guy here in about 3 months! #BaldwinBabyBump." Emily Ratajkowski Emily Ratajkowski poses topless on March 28, 2015. Doutzen Kroes Doutzen Kroes plays paddle ball in a one-piece bathing suit on the beach in Miami on March 30, 2015. Bethenny Frankel Bethenny Frankel in Mami Beach on March 30, 2015. Demi Lovato Demi Lovato posts this photo to Instagram on March 28, 2015. Kylie Jenner Kylie Jenner posts this selfie on Instagram on March 29, 2015, with the caption, "thanks @goldteethgod for the necklace of my G wagon." Bethenny Frankel Bethenny Frankel in a turquoise bikini and a white cardigan, her face covered by a large brimmed sun hat in Miami on March 29, 2015. Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney posts a bikini picture to Instagram with the caption, "#FBF One more from the day I met @letthelordbewithyou . We became friends and fell in love almost a year later." Britney Spears Britney shows off her bikini body while on vacation in Hawaii. Britney Spears Britney Spears posts this photo to Instagram on March 26, 2015, with the caption, "AL-O-HA!" John Legend and Chrissy Teigen John Legend and Chrissy Teigen vacation in the Caribbean with Jessica Alba and Cash Warren (not pictured) on March 26, 2015. Selena Gomez Selena Gomez posts this photo to Instagram on March 23, 2015, with the caption, "Remembering how precious every day is." Gisele Bündchen Bikini-clad Gisele Bündchen hits the beach with shirtless hubby Tom Brady, their kids Benjamin and Vivian, and the family dogs in Costa Rica on March 20, 2015. Dakota Johnson Dakota Johnson in Cancun, Mexico, on March 17, 2015. Christina Milian Christina Milian posts this selfie to Instagram on March 17, 2015, with the caption, "Nothing better than the beach… 😻😻😻 #cancun" Mindy Kaling Mindy Kaling posts this photo to her Instagram on March 18, 2015, with the caption, "#nofilter needed for my new @marahoffman one piece which literally looks good on EVERYONE. Trying to channel @miamatangi on vacation." Gisele Bündchen Gisele Bündchen posts this photo to Instagram on March 18, 2015. Kate Hudson Kate Hudson and Chris Martin enjoy a family beach outing in Malibu, California, on March 14, 2015. Hilary Duff Hilary Duff shares a selfie captioned, "Hey #moms #westillgotit ❤️ #loveyourbod" on March 15, 2015. Gigi Hadid Gigi Hadid on the beach in Miami on March 15, 2015. Audrina Patridge Audrina Patridge relaxes poolside in Los Angeles on March 12, 2015. Evan Ross and Ashlee Simpson Evan Ross caresses Ashlee's baby bump while vacationing in Hawaii on March 10, 2015 Jessica Lowndes Jessica Lowndes poses in Laguna Beach on March 10, 2015. Hailey Baldwin Hailey Baldwin posts this photo to Instagram on March 11, 2015, with the caption, "needed some sun." Katherine Heigl Katherine shares photo on March 6, 2015, captioned, "Having the time of my life in Punta Miita Mexico #familyvacation2015." Kendall Jenner Kendall posts a bikini photo to Instagram on March 1, 2015. Demi Lovato Demi shares a shot of her flawless bikini body to Instagram on Feb. 27, 2015. The singer takes a stand on thigh gaps and says, "Regardless of what society tells you these days... You don't have to have a thigh gap to be beautiful. It is possible to love your body the way it is. #fitness#health #acceptance #selflove." Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa posts this photo of her vacation in New Zealand to Instagram on Feb. 25, 2015. Amber Rose Amber posts a pic from her vacation in Trinidad to Instagram on Feb. 19, 2015. Miranda Kerr Miranda posts this photo to Instagram on Feb. 15, 2015 with the caption, "Taking it all in 🌊☀️🙏" Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian Kourtney posts a photo of her crew in matching bikinis to Instagram on Feb. 15, 2015. Doutzen Kroes Doutzen at a photo shoot on the beach in Miami on Feb. 12, 2015. Bethenny Frankel Bethenny on Feb. 8, 2015, in Miami. Kim Kardashian Kim shares a bikini selfie from a past trip in Thailand. Gigi Hadid Gigi Hadid takes a photo behind the scenes on a shoot. Audrina Patridge Audrina Patridge cuddles up to Australian boyfriend Corey Bohan. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift soaks up the sun on her Hawaiian getaway with the Haim sisters on Jan. 25, 2015. Kesha Kesha in Brazil on Jan. 29, 2015. Karlie Kloss Karlie Kloss poses in the snow in Central Park on Jan. 27, 2015. Jessica Alba Jessica Alba spends some down time in Thailand before work on Jan. 25, 2015. Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus posts a bikini selfie to Instagram on Jan. 24, 2015. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift shares a photo from her trip to Maui on Instagram. She captioned the pic, "'She's always wearing, like, a 1950's bathing suit.'" Sassy Taylor! Britney Spears Britney Spears posts this photo to Instagram on Jan. 21, 2015, with the caption, "Putting in work in preparation for my tryout for the US Synchronized Swimming team. Rio here I come..." Miley Cyrus and Patrick Schwarzenegger Miley Cyrus and Patrick Schwarzenegger in Maui, Hawaii, on Jan. 18, 2015. Tara Reid Tara Reid posted this photo to Instagram on Jan. 19, 2015, with the caption, "The sun is really coming out! Wish you guys where here playing!" Emily Ratajkowski Emily Ratajkowski posts a photo to Instagram with the caption, "LA picnics," on Jan. 17, 2014. Jessica Lowndes Jessica Lowndes posts a photo from her vacation in Hawaii to Instagram on Jan. 16, 2015. Megan Fox Megan Fox spends time in Hawaii with Brian Austin Green on Jan. 14, 2015. Jenelle Evans Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle Evans posted a picture from her day at the beach to Instagram on Jan. 11, 2015. Jessica Alba Jessica Alba celebrates New Year's on the beach in Cabo on a family vacation on Jan. 2, 2015. Lorde Lorde posts a bikini photo on Jan. 6, 2015, from Lake Taupo in New Zealand. Gigi Hadid Gigi Hadid posts a bikini photo on Jan. 5, 2015. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Rosie Huntington-Whiteley shows off her flash tattoos in a bikini on Jan. 6, 2015. Ellie Goulding Ellie Goulding and Dougie Poynteron on Jan. 5, 2015, in Miami Beach, Florida. Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Pinkett Smith shows off her toned body on the beach in Hawaii on Jan. 2, 2015. Kate Moss Kate Moss wears Valimare 's Salinas bikini in Brazil in December 2014 while on vacation with longtime friend Naomi Campbell. Kate Moss Kate Moss hits the beaches of Brazil on Jan. 1, 2014. Kendall Jenner Kendall Jenner posts a bikini selfie from Dubai on Dec. 31, 2014. Stephanie Pratt Stephanie Pratt vacations in Barbados on January 2, 2015. Lea Michele Lea Michele shares a stunning picture from Mexico where she soaked up the sun topless. LeAnn Rimes LeAnn Rimes shares a beautiful picture to Instagram on Dec. 30, 2014. Martha Hunt Martha Hunt at the beach Dec. 21, 2014, in Miami. Whitney Port Whitney Port on the beach Dec. 4, 2014, in Miami Beach. | 4 | 6,982 | lifestyle |
Three cute kittens bob their heads in unison. | 8 | 6,983 | video |
WASHINGTON A small, influential group of Republicans in search of a replacement health care law intends to propose tax credits to help lower-income individuals and families purchase insurance, while simultaneously jettisoning the controversial coverage requirement in the current law, officials said Wednesday. The proposal is part of an outline that Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Richard Burr and Rep. Fred Upton plan to make public on Thursday, and will be an early marker in a series of competing recommendations likely to be floated in advance of an expected Supreme Court ruling in June on the constitutionality of a key part of the law known as "Obamacare." Hatch, from Utah, is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over much of the current law. Burr, R-N.C. is a member of the panel. Upton, R-Michigan, chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has significant authority over the law in the House. Aides to Hatch and Burr declined comment. Upton declined to provide any details of the plan, but said on Tuesday the effort is aimed at "being prepared to talk about something we could support" if the court strikes down a part of the law that provides subsidies for millions who purchase coverage under the current arrangement. Like other alternatives expected to follow, the starting point for the three lawmakers is repeal of the current law, which Republicans voted against unanimously when it passed in 2010 and have tried repeatedly to uproot since then. Officials familiar with the emerging proposal said it is based in large part on an outline that Hatch, Burr and former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, outlined a year ago. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record before a formal announcement. By repealing President Barack Obama's health care law, the plan would eliminate the government requirement for individuals to purchase coverage and the penalty for noncompliance a key irritant to Republicans and a companion mandate for businesses to provide it for their workforce. It also is expected to scrap a requirement for all plans to provide coverage in specific areas, including inpatient settings, hospitalization, maternal and newborn coverage, pediatric care and more. Their plan will call for tax credits to individuals and families up to 300 percent of the poverty line to encourage them to purchase coverage, officials said. For a family of four, that translates to annual income of up to $71,400, according to the Department of Health and Human Services website. To help finance the program, Hatch, Burr and Upton are expected to recommend taxing the value of health insurance plans above $30,000 a year as regular income, the officials added. In their proposal of a year ago, Hatch, Burr and Coburn proposed retaining a politically popular requirement in the current law that bans insurance companies from imposing caps on lifetime benefit limits. That is expected to be repeated in the revised recommendations, officials said. As was the case a year ago, the proposal will require insurance companies to permit children up to the age of 26 to remain on their parent's plan, although individual states could opt out of that rule. Officials also said the alternative will include permission for insurers to sell plans across state lines as we as steps to limit the size of monetary damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice suits. Republicans say both provisions would hold down the cost of health care. In addition to Hatch, Burr and Upton, at least two other Republican groups are studying possible replacement legislation. The House voted on Tuesday to require Upton and other committee chairmen to propose alternatives, although it is not clear when they will do so, or even if they will if the court upholds the current law. A group of Republican senators led by Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Hatch is also studying the issue in anticipation of a court ruling. | 5 | 6,984 | news |
Charlie Sifford, who only wanted a chance to play and broke the color barrier in golf as the first black PGA Tour member, died Tuesday night, the PGA of America said. Sifford, who recently had suffered a stroke, was 92. Details of his death and funeral arrangements were not immediately available. PGA of America President Derek Sprague called Sifford ''an uncommon and faithful servant.'' ''His love of golf, despite many barriers in his path, strengthened him as he became a beacon for diversity in our game,'' Sprague said. ''By his courage, Dr. Sifford inspired others to follow their dreams. Golf was fortunate to have had this exceptional American in our midst.'' A proud man who endured racial taunts and threats, Sifford set modest goals and achieved more than he imagined. Sifford challenged the Caucasian-only clause and the PGA rescinded it in 1961. He won the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969. He also won the 1975 Senior PGA Championship, five years before the Champions Tour was created. His career was fully recognized in 2004 when he became the first black inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Last November, President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are the only other golfers who received that honor. ''Charlie won tournaments, but more important, he broke a barrier,'' Nicklaus once said. ''I think what Charlie Sifford has brought to his game has been monumental.'' The one goal that eluded him was a chance to play in the Masters, which did not invite its first black player until Lee Elder in 1975. Sifford remained bitter, though the pain was eased when Tiger Woods won the first of his four green jackets in 1997. Woods often has said he would not have played golf if not for Sifford and other black pioneers. ''It's not an exaggeration to say that without Charlie, and the other pioneers who fought to play, I may not be playing golf,'' Woods said in an email to The Associated Press late last year. ''My pop likely wouldn't have picked up the sport, and maybe I wouldn't have either.'' The road was never easy. Sifford was born on June 22, 1922 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He worked as a caddie and dominated the all-black United Golfers Association, winning five straight national titles. He longed to play against the best players, only to run into the same barriers that Teddy Rhodes and Bill Spiller faced - the Caucasian-only clause. In his autobiography, ''Just Let Me Play,'' Sifford told of meeting Jackie Robinson in California about the time Robinson was trying to break the color barrier in baseball. ''He asked me if I was a quitter,'' Sifford wrote. ''I told him no. He said, `If you're not a quitter, you're probably going to experience some things that will make you want to quit.''' During the 1952 Phoenix Open, one of the few events that blacks could play, Sifford found human feces in the cup when he got to the first green. He received death threats over the phone at the 1961 Greater Greensboro Open and heard racial slurs as he walked the fairways. He finished fourth, and didn't quit. He was beloved my some of golf's biggest stars, including Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. During his induction ceremony, Sifford told of his first meeting with Palmer. They were playing in the 1955 Canadian Open and Sifford opened with a 63 to lead Palmer by one shot. He recalled Palmer standing in front of the scoreboard saying, ''Charlie Sifford? How the hell did he shoot 63?'' ''I'm standing right behind him,'' Sifford said. ''I said, `The same damn way you shot 64.' That's how we met.'' Sifford also received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland for his career as a pioneer. He often attended the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, not far from his home in Ohio. During an interview with the AP in 2000, Sifford said he was proud of the role in played in making the PGA Tour accessible to blacks. ''If I hadn't acted like a professional when they sent me out, if I did something crazy, there would never be any blacks playing,'' he said. ''I toughed it out. I'm proud of it. All those people were against me, and I'm looking down on them now.'' | 1 | 6,985 | sports |
@darrenrovell yet another addition to the ever growing line. Coming soon to a grocery store near you. pic.twitter.com/DzP1UEmwKN Michael C DeSouza (@michael_desouza) January 30, 2015 We still haven't quite gotten over Oreo's limited editionred velvet flavor , and now there's a very enticing rumor floating aroundTwitter that the iconic brand will release its most exciting cookie to date.That's right it looks like s'mores-flavored Oreos could be the next additionto the Oreo cookie family. So far there's no official word confirming that theproduct exists (or when it will hit store shelves, if it does), but Twitter user@michael_desouza posted a pretty convincing photo of possible packaging (alongwith a bar code ) and claims to work for Oreo's parent company Mondelez. IfDeSouza's post is in fact accurate, S'mores Oreos would feature two kinds of creme:chocolate and marshmallow. And the sweet sandwich exteriors would be the thirdchange up from the original chocolate, featuring graham cracker-flavoredcookies. Now the only question is: are they real? Oh, and when can we eat them?! [via Foodbeast ] | 0 | 6,986 | foodanddrink |
Actor Val Kilmer was hospitalized on Saturday, Jan. 31, after he started bleeding from the throat. While Kilmer posted to his Facebook that he was going to the hospital for a "complication," not a tumor, tumor operation, or any operation, his family isn't convinced. According to TMZ , doctors at the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, Calif., found and removed a throat tumor via invasive surgery and Kilmer's family is worried Kilmer delayed this surgery because it doesn't fall in line with his spiritual convictions. Kilmer has identified as a Christian Scientist, a group that's been known to "advocate prayer before or instead of medical treatments when a person is ill," Reuters reported. Apparently, Kilmer's family said, the actor has been neglecting his health since the summer. His neck swelled so much he would cover it up with scarves, and he had trouble speaking. After this weekend's alleged surgery, his family is hopeful Kilmer will be more receptive to medical treatment now that his "complication" has gotten more serious. Kilmer himself, however, hasn't written another Facebook message or released a statement to confirm TMZ's report. His last post was on Feb.1, calling out USA Today for sharing the idea contrary to his own admissions on the social network, a representative of his said he is, in fact, undergoing tests for a possible tumor. In a lengthy response, Kilmer added if fans want to know anything about him to ask him on Facebook. He said he'll go as far as coordinate live chats and interviews. Of the representative USA Today quoted, Kilmer wrote, "Maybe she can help get me into the 21st century communicating honestly and consistently with people who enjoy my work and deserve better than the no fact-checking blogging that gets sold as legitimate news today to our grand lazy public." His Facebook fans excluded, of course. | 7 | 6,987 | health |
BOSTON (AP) -- Giddy fans of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots chanted "Brady! Brady!" and leaned on massive snowbanks for better views as players danced and waved their way through Boston in a Wednesday parade celebrating their fourth NFL title. Well-wishers pumped their fists and screamed from behind barriers as the team rolled through downtown aboard the World War II-style amphibious "duck boat" vehicles that have become a staple of the city's championship parades. Some fans peered from behind giant piles of snow left from last week's blizzard, straining to get a glimpse of quarterback Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and other players as a truck blew plumes of confetti into the air. The crowd roared as Belichick and his players snapped selfies and took turns waving the Lombardi trophy as the convoy rolled down Boylston Street and past the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where two bombs killed three people and wounded more than 260 others in 2013. Dozens of police officers walked alongside to secure the team. Fans sported No. 12 Brady jerseys, shouted the MVP's name and held "We are the CHAMPIONS" placards. One had a sign that read: "Belichick for President." A beaming Brady held his young son, Benjamin, who grinned and waved to the crowd. Sunday's 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks was New England's fourth championship and their first in a decade, and that brought exuberant fans out into the winter chill. "I'm freezing but it's been great. It's exciting," said Annie Cushing, of Quincy, wearing a Rob Gronkowski jersey and a homemade Lombardi trophy hat made of tin foil and tape. By the granary burial ground where famous Bostonians are buried, a boy held high a sign on a wooden picket saying: "13 years old, nine championships," a nod to the city's other successful sports franchises. A few parade watchers furtively sipped from small bottles of booze to keep warm, while others stood on snowbanks piled along mostly cleared sidewalks. Carl Estrelle of Cambridge wore a white T-shirt saying "deflate this" -- a reference to allegations that the Patriots used underinflated footballs in their AFC championship win against the Indianapolis Colts. But he made his loyalties clear. "That was the best championship," he said. "They deserved to win. They did their job." | 1 | 6,988 | sports |
Yes, we know that they have a team of makeup, hair, and outfit gurus at their disposal. But still, how do celebs manage to maintain such a low percentage of unflattering photos when they're constantly in front of the camera? According to Matt Sayles an L.A.-based portrait photog whose A-list portfolio includes Lupita Nyong'o, Taylor Swift, and Sophia Loren there are actually several handy secrets to keep in mind. Follow his refreshingly simple rules to looking gorgeous (and natural!) every single time, and you'll never have to sit through a cheek-aching photo sesh at a party again. Choose the right angle. "Everyone looks great from above! Make sure the camera is at least eye level if not higher when taking pictures. This angle will highlight those gorgeous eyes and hide any less than flattering elements under the chin. Many years ago, I made the mistake of shooting an A-list actor from below I received a quick 'eye-level' reprimand and never forgot it." Smile like you mean it. "This is a hard one, and everyone will have a different kind of smile that works best for them, but here are a few tips: The best smile is always an authentic one, so think of something or someone who makes you smile when posing for a photo. One time I was shooting an actor and I shared a photo of my newborn son with him, and the smile I captured as he was looking at a picture of my son on the computer screen was just perfect. True smiles come from within so, happy thoughts! If you need to fake a smile, try pushing your tongue against the top front of your mouth. This will help lift your cheeks and make your smile feel real. Finally, when all else fails, look at the pictures of yourself where you like your smile and learn to replicate that. " Go towards the light. " The more light, the better. Smart phones and point and shoot cameras are getting better, but low light is still their weakness. Wherever you can find some light whether it's a window, a doorway, a candle, or a bathroom mirror go towards it and take the picture there. This is one case where you definitely want to follow the light. Also, keep that light in front of you and not to the side , which will result in unfortunate shadows on your face. Primp without going overboard. "Mascara and lipstick (or lip gloss) are the most important makeup elements when posing for a photo. It's easy to get carried away with eyeshadow and blush, but they can distract, so keep it simple and light. But really, the key to great makeup is the way that it makes you feel: Use what makes you feel beautiful, because it's not the makeup but your confidence that will really make you shine." A tailor can make a world of difference. "Clothes that don't fit never look good whether they are too big or too small." Be wary of photobombers. "Check the background don't pose with random people or things behind you that distract from you." Do something with your hands. "Don't just leave them hanging! Put them in your pockets or on your hips, cross your arms...basically anything is better than just having them hang there." Your outfit should make you pop. "When picking colors, it's best to avoid really crazy patterns and colors that are too close to your skin tone. Pick something that provides a nice contrast to your skin." | 4 | 6,989 | lifestyle |
You know when you walk into your favorite department store and are immediately inundated with hundreds of beauty products to choose from? It's...overwhelming.Thankfully, Rank & Style came along and simplified shopping with their daily lists of the top ten products in basically every category. And the best part? These lists are created scientifically. They're not based on personal opinion, but on real data from magazines, blogs, department stores, and social media, all of which help to rank products by popularity, quality, and buzz. Today, we're looking at the best natural beauty products on the market, from deodorant to lip balm to a truly decadent face mask. 5. Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant, $14; sephora.com Deodorant shoppers complain that what's out there in terms of aluminum-free options simply doesn't work. That's not the case with Lavanila's offerings. Their 100% aluminum-free 'Healthy Deodorant' offers very effective odor protection in four refreshing scents like Vanilla Grapefruit and Vanilla Lavender. And, thanks to its soothing essential oils, the 'Healthy Deodorant' leaves your underarms smooth, too. 4. RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, $38; net-a-porter.com Luminizers are a celebrity makeup artist must-have for their ability to brighten up an actress' skin in seconds. So why not give yourself the same star treatment by adding RMS Beauty's Luminizer to your makeup arsenal? It contains organic light-reflecting minerals that leave your skin dewy and glowing wherever you put it. (Rumor is that Gisele Bündchen dabs it on her collarbone and shoulders.) 3. Elizabeth Dehn for One Love Organics Vitamin B Enzyme Cleansing Oil & Makeup Remover, $38; anthropologie.com There's nothing worse than a makeup remover that leaves you with a thin film of foundation still on your face. One Love Organics is dedicated to making products that are not only rich in organic ingredients (like sunflower seed oil, pumpkin seed oil, and papaya seed oil) but still work. Like, really really well. 2. Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask, $55; nordstrom.com You'll be hard pressed to find a beauty editor that doesn't absolutely love Tata Harper's natural beauty products. Their smell alone makes you want to buy them in bulk! This resurfacing mask has all the good natural stuff you could ask for: aloe leaf juice, bark extract, rose clay, essential oils, and so much more. Plus, having the jar on your bathroom sink will make you look très chic. 1. Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner, $26; net-a-porter.com This all-natural tinted lip conditioner moisturizes like a lip balm but packs almost the same amount of pigment as your go-to lipstick. You can reapply it to make your favorite shade appear more intense, or swipe once to get just a light tint along with that serious hydration. | 4 | 6,990 | lifestyle |
The Hollywood Reporter sits down with exclusive interviews from members of the 'SNL' Five-Timers Club (talent who hosted the show five or more times). | 8 | 6,991 | video |
A cute dog and a girl go down a slide together. | 8 | 6,992 | video |
We've been tracking the spring campaigns very closely , and one in particular the shoot for Red Valentino, the younger, lower-priced line from the Italian fashion house gave us a major sense of déjà vu. The ads, shot by Venetia Scott, are a series of dreamy, slightly washed out images that feature model Amalie Schmidt wearing some sweet, girly dresses in an open meadow, with a horse as her co-star. Sure, this isn't the most unique concept, but the style and composition of the photos are eerily similar to the Juergen Teller-lensed campaign for Marc Jacobs's Daisy Eau so Fresh fragrance, which was highly memorable when it was first released in 2011. The same aesthetic was carried through the first commercial for the perfume (which you can watch right here ) and in every campaign since including the ads directed by Sofia Coppola . See more of the Red Valentino images below, and tell us: are these campaigns a bit too close for comfort? This article was written by Alyssa Vingan from Fashionista and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. | 4 | 6,993 | lifestyle |
The Schlieren technique is used to visualize fluctuations in optical density. What we were able to capture will astound you! | 8 | 6,994 | video |
Sure, there are plenty of reasons why Tim Riggins has your heart, but actor Taylor Kitsch is just as sexy off screen, too. The 34-year-old Canadian first won over fans as tough, hunky football hero Riggins on Friday Night Lights, and over the past few years, he's been on the big screen thanks to movies like John Carter, Battleship, and Savages. Soon, he'll be returning to the small screen with a buzzed-about role on True Detective. In any case, now seems like the perfect time to look back at some of his sexiest snaps from over the years, including a mix of red carpet appearances and crazy-hot magazine editorials. Brace yourself - there are some really, really good ones. | 6 | 6,995 | entertainment |
Microsoft today released early builds of its Office suite designed for Windows 10 , software that is designed to accept touch input and work across tablets and phones. Office 2016, the desktop edition of Office, will also ship this year . Windows 10, of course, is Microsoft's new operating system that is designed to work across every device category and screen size. The move to harmonize its operating system platform will allow it to offer a larger user base to developers, which might make creating apps for its software more enticing. You can snag the new apps in the Store, or here , here , and here . The introduction of a touch-friendly build for Windows comes after the company announced versions of Office for Android and iOS. Users of its own platform were not entirely enthused. The cross-platform, touch-friendly build of Office for Windows that is now partially released wouldn't have made sense before Windows 10 existed it will function on both phones and tablets, something that Windows 10's predecessor, Windows 8, did not handle. | 5 | 6,996 | news |
After disappointing sales from Chipotle, the stock is lower. Brothers Pete and Jon Najarian, debate the play on the stock. | 3 | 6,997 | finance |
Some college football coaches like to get a bit sassy and show some personality on twitter. It can be good for their #brands, and having some personality rarely hurts. On Wednesday, Wake Forest special teams coach Adam Scheier was really feeling it. BREAKING: WF demonstrates u can come 2 North Carolina & earn a degree at a school that's not UNClear about the definition of student-athlete Adam Scheier (@CoachScheier) February 4, 2015 Do you see it? Do you see that incredible burn? For those that are unaware, North Carolina athletics have been involved with a rather prolonged academic scandal . To the best of everyone's knowledge, Wake Forest has not. Also, Duke is a good school in North Carolina, and they've been a great deal better at football than Wake Forest recently. But far be it from me to stop Coach Scheier's shine. | 1 | 6,998 | sports |
Mental health issues may seem like adult-only problems, but they can also have a profound impact on younger minds. In fact, anxiety in preschoolers may lead to physiological changes in the brain, a recent study suggests. Researchers from Yale, Duke and Vanderbilt universities examined children's brains over the course of five years and found long-lasting neurobiological effects in those with an anxiety disorder (which includes generalized anxiety, social phobia and separation anxiety). The study showed there was weaker connectivity in the brains of these children between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, two regions that interact to play an important role in regulating anxiety, the Yale Daily News reported. Children ages 2 to 5 were tested using a psychiatric assessment developed by the researchers, which examined the kids' behavior and emotions through parental interviews. After the participants reached an age range of 5 to 9, the researchers administered fMRI scans to look at their brains, discovering that changes varied depending on the type of anxiety disorder. The study reaffirms the notion that having a mental illness is not simply "all in a sufferer's head" or a "phase" -- even when it comes to children. The recent findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, suggest that these types of disorders are rooted in biology and may even lead to physically different brains. Experts stress that mental illness should be held with the same gravity as other health conditions. Yet despite the mounting research, there still seems to be an uphill battle when it comes to empathy and treating the illnesses like a physical problem. | 7 | 6,999 | health |
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