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A blind woman is given the gift of vision and the first thing she sees, is quite a sight. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) explains. | 8 | 8,700 | video |
Tennessee currently sits in second place in the SEC, but will head coach Donnie Tyndall's past come back to haunt the Vols? Mark Nagi joins Campus Insiders' Ray Crawford to discuss the atmosphere in Knoxville. | 1 | 8,701 | sports |
Reports that underinflated footballs were used in the first half of the AFC Championship Game have cast a shadow on the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX -- but provided lots of material for late-night hosts. | 1 | 8,702 | sports |
When you've never tried yoga , it can be intimidating, especially if you've been scoping the jaw-dropping, super bendy, pretzel-like poses your girlfriend practices each morning. But relax: It's actually the most basic postures not the fancy positions that provide you with the foundation of flexibility and strength that every man needs. With that said, there are a number of yoga styles, and finding the right one will help ensure that you'll want to come back. For those who want a more fast-paced practice, consider power yoga. If you want to wipe yourself out and break a serious sweat (no joke), try Bikram (hot) yoga. Hatha yoga is good for beginners because of its slow pace and introductory poses. And Vinyasa focuses around the mind-breath connection and works the body with aggressive stretching. That's just a handful of a number different yoga variations designed to improve flexibility, athletic ability, mental clarity and more. Before we get into the basic poses, here's why you should practice yoga, in any variation. 7 REASONS TO DO YOGA 1. Relieve stress. We all find ways to deal with stress. But Terrence Monte, a managing teacher at Pure Yoga, says, "Going to amped up gyms or punching a punching bag can make you more aggressive or more tired." Yoga, on the other hand, employs a number of relaxation techniques, which, with regular practice, can make you calmer overall. Sadie Nardini, host of "Rock Your Yoga," adds, "Along with training your body, yoga trains your mind to see the bigger picture and act from integrity instead of freaking out. If you want to be more James Bond than Charlie Sheen, get yourself on the mat." Being forced to unplug from text, calls, and email for 60 to 90 minutes doesn't hurt either. 2. Get flexible. Most series of yoga asanas (physical postures) include one or more spinal twists to loosen the many joints that make up your spine. This can improve your tennis game and golf swing, as well as promote detoxification and good digestion. Yogi Cameron Alborizan, Ayurvedic healer, yoga guru, and author of The One Plan , says, "Think of the body as a sponge filled with dirty sink water. Gentle twists help to wring the sponge out and purge toxins." 3. Build more muscle Yoga widens range of motion and increases access to more muscle fibers, allowing for more substantial hypertrophy in any given muscle group," says Kate Abate, a certified trainer and yoga teacher. Hypertrophy is when a muscle is enlarged because its cells are enlarged (it's basically muscle growth on a cellular level). If you supplement your regular lifting routine with yoga classes, you'll be able to activate ignored sections of muscle. For example, take the serratus anterior or "boxer's muscle," which is located under your armpit and over the side of your ribs. This muscle provides stability for your shoulders and is a base for developing deltoids and pectorals. Making your serratus anterior pop will help your abs look ripped, and you can get at it with yoga. 4. Prevent workout injuries. Most yoga classes begin with a reminder to honor your body's particular needs and limits on that particular day. This basic ability to scan and assess yourself as you practice will help reduce the incidence of injury when running or playing other sports. Plus, flexible, well-stretched yoga muscles will heal and recover more quickly after working out or getting strained. 5. Have better sex. A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found yoga to seriously enhance a woman's experience in the bedroom via greater lubrication, and more powerful orgasms as a result of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. For guys, yoga helps reduce anxiety and increases body awareness and confidence and it speeds the release of hormones that boost arousal and increase blood flow to the genital area, which is important for erections. 6. Calm your mind. In the midst of a jam-packed schedule, committing to the relaxed space of a yoga class might be the only way for some guys to slow down and breathe right. A 2013 review found that yoga relives mild clinical depression, even in people who didn't take antidepressants. The ancient Indian practice also was found to help better sleep better and longer. Furthermore, A study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that 20 minutes of Hatha yoga stimulates brain function more than walking or jogging on the treadmill for the same amount of time. 7. Smell better. Seriously. Michael Hewitt, founder of Sarva Yoga Academy says yoga is very much about waste removal. "Pheremonally, regular practice is more effective than cologne," he says. Exhaling and sweating help get rid of toxins during class, so that afterward, your sweat really will smell sweeter. "After a class," says Hewett, "[your body is] cleaner, more confident and focused than when you walked in." Now that you've found out why you regularly do yoga, it's time to lay down the mat and start opening up your hips (and every other joint too). But before you do that, remember these three beginner tips. TOP 3 TIPS FOR YOGA BEGINNERS 1. Stay in the back row. For your first few visits, lay your mat down in the back row so that you can see what the people around you are doing. This helps you learn, keeps your neck from straining to see what's going on, and provides you with an awesome view of your mostly female class. 2. Stay calm. Yoga is not easy. Don't freak out if your athletic build is getting in the way of some moves. Progress is supposed to be slow and steady, and the most challenging aspects are usually what your body needs the most. 3. Focus on your breath. Deep abdominal breathing is a huge part of yoga, and it activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone that forces your body to hold on to belly fat. Training yourself to breathe deeply through yoga can reduce stress and cortisol levels in your daily life. Ready to feel a stretch like never before? Try these ten poses on your own mat to see what yoga can do for your mind and body. 10 YOGA POSES TO TRY NOW 1. Mountain (Tadasana) Purpose: Simple but effective, mountain pose builds a solid foundation for all other standing poses. It strengthens and returns flexibility to your feet, improves your posture, and works your thighs and core. Directions: Stand with your big toes touching and heels slightly apart. Balance the weight evenly on your feet and lift up the arches. Engage the thigh muscles slightly to lift up the kneecaps, but avoid locking your knees. Improve: With every inhale, imagine lengthening your spine by stretching your head toward the ceiling. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your shoulder blades drawing down your back. 2. Tree (Vrksasana) Purpose: Like other standing balance poses, tree pose will improve your focus while strengthening the muscles in your ankles, calves and thighs. It also stretches the inner thigh and groin muscles on the bent leg. Directions: Shift your weight onto your right foot, pressing it firmly onto the floor. Bend the leftt leg at the knee and place the sole of the left foot on your inner right thigh. Point the toes toward the floor. If this is difficult, you can also place the sole of the foot on the inner calf or ankle (but avoid the knee). Bring your palms together in front of your chest and keep your weight centered over the left foot. Press the right knee back to open the groin while keeping your hips parallel to the front of the room. Release the foot and repeat on the other side. Improve: To improve your balance , keep your attention on the floor a few feet in front of you. 3. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) Purpose: Standing forward bend can calm your mind, while also stretching the hamstrings and muscles of the spine. Directions: Start in mountain pose with your hands on your hips, then exhale, tucking your chin slightly toward your chest and bending forward at the hips. (As you fold forward, lengthen the front of your torso to avoid curling the spine.) Relax your head, neck and shoulders and let your arms hang loosely. Place your palms or fingertips on the floor beside or slightly in front of your feet. (If you can't touch the floor, cross your forearms and grab your elbows.) To come out of the pose, bring your hands to your hips and lift up on an inhale. Keep your chin tucked and lengthen the front of your torso as you come back up. Improve: If your hamstrings are very tight, bend your knees slightly to let the spine stretch toward the floor. Avoid pulling yourself down with your hands let gravity do the work. 4. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) Purpose: Warrior I is often encountered during the Sun Salutation sequence. In addition to improving your balance, this pose stretches and strengthens the ankles, calves and thighs. It also stretches the chest, lungs, shoulders and groin. Directions: From mountain pose, step your right foot forward and lift your arms overhead. Turn your left foot 45 to 60 degrees to the left. Bend your right knee until it is over the ankle. Bring the hips parallel to the front of the room. Arch your upper back slightly, lifting your chest up toward the ceiling. Press your palms together, if possible, or keep your hands shoulder width apart with your palms facing each other. Look forward or up at your thumbs. When done, step the right foot back into mountain pose. Repeat on the other side. Improve: The most challenging part of this pose is lining up the front heel with the arch of the back foot. If you feel unbalanced, widen your stance. 5. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) Purpose: Downward-facing dog, another pose found in the Sun Salutation sequence, strengthens the legs and arms, while stretching the calves, hamstrings, shoulders, hands and wrists. Directions: Start on your hands and knees, with your hands just in front of your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Press your hands firmly onto the floor, with index fingers pointing forward. As you exhale, lift your knees off the floor, keeping the knees slightly bent. Stretch your tailbone toward the ceiling to lengthen your spine. Press your heels down toward the floor and your thighs back to straighten your legs. Keep pressing the base of your index fingers into the floor and lift along your arms from your hands to your shoulders. Draw your shoulder blades against your back and down toward your tailbone. When done, drop your knees to the floor. Improve: It's okay to keep the knees slightly bent in this pose focus more on lengthening your spine. Use your triceps to straighten your arms, but keep the shoulders from moving toward your ears. 6. High Lunge (Crescent Lunge) Purpose: Also known as crescent lunge, this is similar to Warrior I, except with the back heel lifted and the feet about hip width apart. In this position, you may find it easier to keep your hips parallel to the front of the room, but your leg muscles will work harder to maintain your balance. High lunge will also strengthen the arms and stretch the muscles of the groin. Directions: Start in downward-facing dog. As you exhale, step your left foot forward between your hands, keeping your left knee over the ankle and your feet hip-width apart. As you inhale, lift your torso upright and bring your arms out to the side and overhead. If possible, bring your palms together or keep the hands shoulder width apart with the palms facing each other. Press back through your right heel and lift up through the torso. To come out of the pose, bring your hands to the floor as you exhale and step back to downward-facing dog. Repeat on the other side. Improve: Don't lean forward keep the torso directly over the hips, and think about sinking your hips straight downward while engaging the back thigh to keep the back leg straight. Don't let the front knee move ahead of the ankle. To give your legs a rest, drop the back knee onto a mat or folded blanket, and focus on the stretch in your groin. 7. Boat (Navasana) Purpose: While often known for its ab-busting potential, boat pose also works the deep hip flexors, as well as the spine. When you add in the arms, even your shoulders will get stronger. Directions: Start seated with your legs extended in front of you. Press your hands into the floor just behind the hips, pointing your fingers forward. Lean back slightly and lift up through your chest, to keep your back from rounding. As you exhale, bend your knees and lift your feet off the floor until your thighs are at a 45-degree angle from the floor. Straighten your legs slowly. When you feel stable, lift your arms off the floor and bring them out in front of you, parallel to the floor with the palms facing each other. To come out of the pose, lower your legs and arms as you exhale. Improve: If your hamstrings are tight, keep the knees bent so you can maintain the neutral shape of the spine similar to as if you were sitting in a chair. For a more intense workout, lift your arms overhead. 8. Locust (Salabhasana) Purpose: Locust pose is a great way to slowly strengthen your back and prepare you for more challenging backbends. In addition to working the muscles of the spine, locust strengthens the buttocks and the muscles on the back side of the arms and legs. It will also stretch the chest, shoulders and thighs. Directions: Lie on your belly with your forehead on the floor and your hands by your hips, palms facing up. Point your big toes toward each other slightly to roll your thighs inward. As you exhale, lift your head, chest, arms and legs off the floor. Rest your weight on your belly, lower ribs and pelvis. As you inhale, lengthen your spine by stretching your head forward and your legs backward. Stretch back through your fingertips while keeping your arms parallel to the floor. Look down or slightly forward to avoid crunching your neck backward. Lower down on an exhale. Improve: As you hold the pose, think about lengthening your spine on every inhale and lifting the chest and legs slightly higher on each exhale. If you feel pinching in the back, lower the chest and legs slightly. 9. Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) Purpose: A deeper backbend than locust, bridge pose stretches the front side of the body, as well as the spine and the rib cage. Directions: Lie on your back with your arms by your side. Bend your knees and bring your heels close to your buttocks, with the feet about hip width apart. As you exhale, push your feet and arms into the floor and lift your hips toward the ceiling. Keep your thighs parallel as your lift. Interlace your fingers beneath your pelvis and stretch your arms toward your feet. To come out of the pose, release the hands and lower your hips slowly to the floor on an exhale. Improve: In the beginning, you may not be able to lift your hips very high. Instead of forcing it, focus on keeping the thighs parallel and stretching your tailbone toward your knees to lengthen the spine. With each inhale, lift a little higher. To keep the knees from spreading outward, hold a yoga block between your thighs while in the pose. 10. Reclining Big Toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana) Purpose: One of the best yoga poses for stretching the hamstrings, it also stretches the hips, groin, and calves. Done properly, it will even strengthen the knees. Directions: Lie on your back. As you exhale, bend the left knee and pull it toward your chest. Keep the other leg pressed firmly onto the floor while pushing the right heel away from you. Hold a strap in both hands and loop it around the middle of your left foot. As you inhale, straighten your left leg slowly toward the ceiling. Move your hands up the strap until your arms are straight, while pressing your shoulders into the floor. Once your left leg is straight, engage the left thigh slightly and pull the foot toward your head to increase the stretch. Stay here for 1 to 3 minutes. Then lower the left leg slowly toward the ground, keeping the right thigh pressed into the floor. Continue until the left leg is a few inches off the floor. Work the foot forward until it is in line with your shoulders. Inhale your leg back to vertical. Lower the leg and repeat on the other side. Improve: When you extend the leg upwards, press the heel toward the ceiling. Once the leg is straight, engage the thigh slightly and lift up through the ball of the foot. If you're a more advanced yogi, or just a really quick learner and breezed through those 10 poses, try these three challenging yoga poses to really release tension everywhere. THREE TOUGHEST YOGA MOVES FOR GUYS 1. Wheel Purpose: According to Stiles, the wheel pose will open up the spine, shoulders and quad muscles resulting in improved flexibility and safeguard you from injury. Directions: To achieve the pose, sometimes called a "Bridge," Stiles explains, "Lie down on your back and press your feet into the ground next to your hips. Press your palms on the ground beside your ears, elbows up. Press down with your hands and feet and lift up in your chest and abdomen. Only raise yourself to where you can breathe easily. Stay for 10 long deep breaths and lower slowly." Improve: Practice three sets in a row with rest in between for three days every week. 2. Handstand Purpose: Stiles recommends taking on the challenge of the handstand for strengthening the back, shoulders and core. Similarly to the headstand, this pose also improves athletic balance and focus. Directions: Stiles advises starting in the "Warrior 3" position (with one foot placed in front of the other, lift your back leg up and raise your arms straight out in front of you so your body forms a "T"). "Press palms on the ground with arms straight. Gently rock forward and back (inhale forward, exhale back) until you feel steady enough to lift both legs off the ground. Hang with the legs in an 'L' shape. If you are steady there bring the second leg up." Improve: Trying the handstand up against the wall will help improve your knowledge and feel of the pose with less fear of falling. 3. Crow Pose PURPOSE Purpose: When it comes to building strength, increasing body mechanics and coordination, this is Stiles' pick. A strong core is pivotal in fitness, and it will take most of the brunt along with the shoulders, biceps, triceps and forearms. Directions: "Come into a squat. Press your hands on the ground and place your arms inside your knees with your knee propped onto the back of your upper arms or triceps. When stabilized, lift up in your hips and belly until your feet come off the ground and your hands are the only things touching the ground." Improve: To master this pose, Stiles recommends practicing slowly lifting yourself rather than "jumping" into the pose. She says, "It's harder to lift up, but you'll stay focused and be able to stay in the pose longer than if you launch yourself." | 7 | 8,703 | health |
Not long before Marshawn Lynch made a lot of noise on the field for Seattle, there was Shaun Alexander. Alexander, a three-time Pro Bowler who helped take the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL during his 2005 NFL MVP season, thinks it's just fine for "Beast Mode" to stay in silent mode off the field. "When you went to school and there's a kid who was quiet, you could leave the kid alone, talk about him or try to talk to him," Alexander told Sporting News. "You look at Marshawn, he just likes to talk to his inner circle, his buddies. He doesn't want to get into the circus that can easily happen when you make plays like he does. All of a sudden, you can say one thing and it can be blown out of proportion." "He's just being real with himself that 'I can't get into all that', because sometimes he might need a filter. He would rather mind his own business, play football and do what he needs to do and pretty much stay out of it. I like guys who know who they are, and know their strengths and their weaknesses." Given there are plenty of other Seahawks who speak their mind for the reigning Super Bowl champs see cornerback Richard Sherman and wide receiver Doug Baldwin Alexander doesn't see the need for Lynch to get out of his comfort zone, when he's already pleasing who's most important his teammates. "At the end of the day, if he's a great speaker but just an average or OK football player, then he's working somewhere else." Alexander said. "Seattle has done a great job of understanding what's important. All the players get it, and he gets it. Just because it seems odd, it kind of creates its own little monster." Beyond Super Bowl XLIX against New England next Sunday, there are questions about Lynch's future in Seattle, given he'll turn 29 in April, inching closer to the time when such workhorse backs face sharp decline. For Alexander, the volume caught up to him in '06, playing only more NFL season with the Seahawks in '07. Just like with him then, Alexander thinks it's something that shouldn't be crossing Lynch's mind. "You're just trying to compete. You're not even looking for when the tires wear off," Alexander said. "When a running back's banged up, he's going to still figure out how to get the ball, make a run, score a touchdown and win the game. When your body can't do that anymore, you're not thinking about that the body can't do it. It's still, 'let me figure out how to adjust to make this thing work'. You rarely see a running back who says 'this was good, I'm out of here.' They're going to ride until the tires fall off." Alexander, who once undressed defenses with his own explosive runs and gaudy touchdown totals, understands and appreciates everything unique about Lynch producing similar results. "It's crazy, crazy position," Alexander said. "We're literally the guy who wants to touch the ball and have 11 other people trying to kill him. You have to think and be a little different, and the great ones are special in their own different way, and that's also what makes the position awesome." Shaun Alexander is one of the ambassadors for Verizon's #WhosGonnaWin campaign. Fans can vote via Twitter and Facebook to represent their preferred team's colors for Super Bowl XLIX and check out the live updates on WhosGonnaWin.com . You can also go to the website and use Google Street View to decorate houses and other landmarks in those colors. | 1 | 8,704 | sports |
Steve Sasman isn't grinding peoples' gears. He's for wheel. The Phoenix resident, a proud owner of a $118,000 Tesla Model S, has listed an airbed set up in the car's trunk for rent on Airbnb , billing the combo as "the world's first Tesla hotel." For $85 a night, a maximum of 2 guests can "camp out" in the vehicle, armed with two battery-powered candles and the car's audio system to set the mood. There's just one catch: renters will have to vacate the car by 8 a.m., so Sasman can get to work. "I've already slept in this thing three times so why not let other people do it," Sasman told Phoenix's CBS5 . He also vouched for the quality of the mattress, calling it "a premium air bed" that's "top of the line" and "comes with linens." Per his Airbnb listing, the twin bed itself is six-and-a-half feet long and 36 inches wide. "Sorry, no NBA players allowed," the listing advises. There will also be no driving of the car bed, as guests will be "securely parked" in Sasman's garage, with access to more conventional amenities in the attached condo, including a bathroom, shower, TV, and kitchen. Sounds... interesting. Or you could save some money and just buy a car bed for toddlers . Sasman is billing his Tesla as the "fastest hotel in the world," although that particular honor might actually go to KLM's refurbished jumbo jet, which was also available for rent on Airbnb for some time. | 2 | 8,705 | travel |
COLUMBUS, Ohio Center Steven Stamkos, eligible for free agency in 2016, made it clear Friday that his preference is to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning and not test the free agent market. "That's exactly what the plan is," Stamkos said on Friday's media day at the NHL All-Star game. "Obviously July 1 you can announce a deal and something hopefully similar to what Kane and Toews did, sometime after July 1." Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both re-upped with the Chicago Blackhawks for eight years at $84 million. Averaging $7.5 million per season on his last five-season contract, Stamkos would likely be looking for a deal in the vicinity of Toews and Kane. The two sides can't start negotiating until July 1 of this year. "It's a long ways away," Stamkos said. "I'm not really focused on that. We haven't really talked about that at all. We'll discuss that in the summertime, but I'm obviously very happy with where I am in Tampa. You see the team we've been able to develop the past couple of years, the ownership we have, obviously (GM) Steve Yzerman, the coaching staff, the young nucleus of the team. I feel like the old (codger) at 24." Added Stamkos: "Obviously I can't sit here and say exactly what's going to happen, but I can definitely we'll have those discussions and we'll see where it goes." PHOTOS: 2015 NHL All-Stars | 1 | 8,706 | sports |
1. Queen Elizabeth II, 88 Queen Elizabeth, head of state of the UK, has reigned for 62 years. Late this year, she'll overtake Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch of Britain. 2. King Abdul Halim, 87 The head of state of Malaysia and Sultan of Kedah, King Abdul Halim has reigned in Kedah for 56 years. He assumed the role of Malaysia's head of state in 2011. 3. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87 Thailand's king has reigned for 68 years. 4. Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 85 Kuwait's ruler has reigned for just eight years. 5. Sultan Ahmad Shah, 84 The sultan of the Pahang state, Malaysia, Ahmad Shah has ruled for 40 years. 6. Emir Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, 84 Emir of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates, Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi has reigned for 33 years. 7. Emperor Akihito of Japan, 81 Japan's emperor has reigned for 26 years. 8. Awujale Sikiru Kayode Adetona, 80 The king of Ijebuland, a state in Nigeria, Awujale Sikiru Kayode Adetona has ruled for 55 years. 9. King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, 79 Saudi Arabia's new king came to power on Jan. 22, 2015. 10. King Harald V, 77 Norway's king has reigned for 24 years. | 5 | 8,707 | news |
NEW YORK (AP) Peter Oosterhuis of England is retiring after 20 years as a golf analyst for CBS Sports and Golf Channel. Oosterhuis won 20 times on the European Tour and played the PGA Tour for 11 years. He played on six Ryder Cup teams and a 14-11-3 mark, a remarkable record considering that Europe lost every Ryder Cup from 1971 to 1981. He worked the first two events Golf Channel ever broadcast in 1995, and then he joined CBS in 1998. Oosterhuis says golf has been a big part of his life since he was growing up in England and that television allowed him to stay involved even after he stopped playing. He says now is the right time to retire so he can enjoy other things he always wanted to do. | 1 | 8,708 | sports |
Learn why you shouldn't take someone else's prescription medication and why you should listen when your doctor says you don't need an antibiotic. | 7 | 8,709 | health |
Earnings this week from General Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc. and Starbucks Corp. underscored the U.S. economy's strength amid a slowdown in global growth. About 77 percent of Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies that have reported so far have beaten analysts' profit estimates, with Netflix Inc. as the biggest positive surprise, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. GE today topped projections as sales from its power and water business blunted the impact of falling oil prices, and Honeywell benefited from demand for security systems. Starbucks has attracted customers with new food and holiday coffee drinks. Improving consumer confidence and a lower jobless rate are helping make the U.S. a bright spot in the world economy, as cheaper fuel prices leave more money in shoppers' pockets and boost profits for airlines. Earnings next week from Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips may show whether energy producers can weather the drop in oil, and investors will also get results from some of the world's largest technology companies: Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. Airlines are one obvious beneficiary of cheaper fuel. United Continental Holdings Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. on Thursday posted higher-than-expected profits and predicted that fuel costs will hit their lowest in more than five years this quarter, a boon for investors. Oilfield Impact Oilfield-services providers Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc., which are merging, and world leader Schlumberger Ltd. posted higher earnings for 2014's final quarter as they prepare for a downturn in the industry with oil prices near 5 1/2-year lows. Schlumberger will cut 9,000 jobs, while Baker Hughes plans to eliminate 7,000 positions. The reductions boosted the number of job cuts announced this year to about 31,000, almost double the same period last year, data compiled by Bloomberg show. American Express Co., one of the 20 S&P 500 companies that missed earnings estimates for last quarter, said this week it would trim its workforce by more than 4,000. Among the shortfalls was United Parcel Service Inc., which lowered its outlook today after a costly overexpanded program to handle a deluge of holiday shipments left its network underused on some days. Rival FedEx Corp. maintained its 2015 profit forecast, signaling that demand for package deliveries will remain healthy. Morgan Stanley, owner of the world's largest brokerage, missed earnings estimates as fixed-income trading revenue slid to the lowest since the financial crisis. Verizon Communications Inc., the biggest U.S. wireless carrier, also came in short because a surge in sales of deeply discounted phones squeezed margins. Global Turmoil To Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management, the earnings season so far has been disappointing because results would have been much better without the turmoil in the rest of world. "Finally the U.S. economy is going well but the results are weaker because the rest of the world is going south while we're going north," said Paulsen, who helps manage $351 billion in assets. One company that didn't disappoint was Netflix. The video- streaming company surprised investors this week, saying it will profitably reach all 200 of the countries that have broadband Internet service within two years. The outlook sent Netflix's shares up 17 percent on Jan. 21. Alcoa Inc., the largest U.S. aluminum producer, topped estimates on earnings and sales thanks to orders from the auto and aerospace industries. Technology Week Next week will be the busiest of the earnings season with 143 S&P 500 members scheduled to report. They include the biggest U.S. technology companies, with Microsoft Corp. on Monday; Yahoo! Inc. and Apple on Tuesday; Facebook on Wednesday and Google Inc. and Amazon on Thursday. ConocoPhillips and Chevron report Thursday and Friday, respectively. Ford Motor Co., which is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Thursday, said today that it took a one-time pretax charge of $800 million because the inability to exchange U.S. dollars for Venezuelan bolivars has restricted operations in the South American country. --With assistance from Richard Clough, Craig Giammona, Elizabeth Dexheimer, Michael J. Moore, Dakin Campbell and Scott Moritz in New York, Thomas Black and Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas, Michael Sasso in Atlanta, David Wethe in Houston, Lucas Shaw in Los Angeles and Liezel Hill in Toronto. To contact the reporter on this story: Cecile Daurat in Wilmington at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Cecile Daurat at [email protected]; Tom Giles at [email protected] John Lear | 3 | 8,710 | finance |
With Bill Belichick and Tom Brady both issuing strong denials , we still have no idea how 11 of the 12 game balls the Patriots used in the AFC Championship game got deflated. Is Brady lying? Was a rogue ball boy involved? Did the balls magically deflate by themselves?! Since the scandal broke the morning after the game, Patriots fans have been passing around a theory that the balls naturally deflated because of the cold weather. It's one of the only theories that can completely absolve the team of any wrongdoing. It's also full of holes. While a decrease in temperature would lead to a decrease in air pressure, it wasn't cold enough during the game to account for the type of underinflation that was measured in New England's game balls. In addition, the Colts' game balls would have been underinflated too if it was all about the weather, but they weren't. By rule, NFL footballs have to be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. Each team brings 12 balls to the game and uses its own on offense. Brady said at his press conference that he prefers the air pressure to be 12.5 PSI, and Belichick backed that up by saying the team's policy is to inflate their game balls in the "12.5-pound range." Two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, the officials tested the Patriots' balls with a pressure gauge and they were all legal. But when the officials tested the balls at halftime, 11 of the 12 Patriots balls were at least two PSI below the minimum limit of 12.5, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. New England's game balls went from 12.5 PSI to 10.5 PSI in a matter of hours. Importantly, all 12 Indianapolis game balls were still within the legal range when they were tested at halftime , according to SI's Peter King and other reports. And there's the first problem with this theory: If you assume the weather caused a pressure decrease of two PSI, Indy's game balls would have failed the test too, even if they were inflated to the maximum limit of 13.5 PSI before the game. That's not what happened. Indy's game balls didn't deflate like New England's did. But for the sake of argument, let's just forget about that for a second and ask the key question: could the cold weather have caused the balls to deflate? Let's turn to the science, specifically Gay-Lussac's Law on pressure and temperature. A bunch of writers and science people, from the Christian Science Monitor to WCSH6 in Maine , have run the numbers to see how the change in temperature would have affected the air pressure. In short, pressure is proportional to the temperature. The equation looks like this: P1/T1 = P2/T2 We know the air pressure of the ball before the game was 12.5 PSI. We know that the temperature outside at kickoff was 52 degrees Fahrenheit , an unseasonably warm night in New England. If we assume the ball was inflated in the locker room at a room temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the ball would have undergone a 18-degree temperature change. Is 18 degrees enough to account for a loss of two PSI? Probably not. When you do the math (accounting for atmospheric pressure and converting units to kilopascals and Kelvin), that temperature difference can only account for about ~0.9 PSI of deflation. As Boston College physics professor Michael Naughton noted , a 20-degree temperature change could account for a one PSI decrease in air pressure. But for the ball to decrease naturally by two PSI, it would have to undergo a temperature change of 40 degrees. On the night of the game the temperature never dipped below 48.9 degrees before the balls were tested at halftime. For temperature to account for air pressure change, the balls would have had to have been inflated in an 90-degree room. In conclusion: It wasn't cold enough for the balls to deflate as much as they did. And even if it was, it makes no sense that the Patriots balls deflated more than the Colts balls. | 1 | 8,711 | sports |
By Sean Tomlinson The eventual Super Bowl MVP is often easy to predict long before the game even begins. That's because superstar players tend to do heroic things on the NFL's grandest stage. Of the players who have received the prestigious MVP hardware, over half have been quarterbacks (26), and only nine have been defensive players. It wasn't difficult to predict that, say, Aaron Rodgers as an MVP winner. Same with Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady (twice), Troy Aikman, or Joe Montana (three times). Of the non-quarterback MVPs, pegging Ray Lewis also wasn't exactly a challenge before the game. But who exactly is Malcolm Smith? We all know who he is, of course, because if you're reading these football words on the Internet the sport is likely a pretty big deal to you. But the Super Bowl is the one game when football is introduced to a wider, often more casual audience. And to have a relative unknown like Smith named MVP last year was both awesome and odd. Which led us to thinking about the possibilities for this year's Malcolm Smith. As I see it, we have three leading candidates. Brandon LaFell Remember when Brandon LaFell was a disastrous failure as a second option with the Carolina Panthers? That was last year. LaFell was a third-round pick in 2010 by the Panthers. The intention was that after some development he'd first be a fine complementary option opposite Steve Smith, and then LeFell would replace an aging Smith. Neither of those things happened, and after four years he still hadn't topped the 50-catch mark, and his highest single-season output was 677 yards. That failure made him the perfect Bill Belichick free agency snatch. Belichick drools while sifting through the scrap heap of both the free agency and trade markets, and his offense was missing a critical weapon. The Patriots have plenty of slot speed between Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, and lots of brute force up the middle with Rob Gronkowski. But Tom Brady desperately needed a deep option. LaFell could be that guy, and although his start was sluggish this season, the end of 2014 certainly wasn't. LaFell finished with 953 yards, and made his explosive presence known with 11 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown during a Week 8 win over the Chicago Bears. Luke Willson The Seahawks often view passing the same as how you and I look at a trip to the dentist. It has to be done, so let's just get it over with. During the regular season they attempted a league low 454 passes. When you have Marshawn Lynch tossing humans around whenever he damn well wants to and Russell Wilson rushing for the fifth most yards from a quarterback in single-season history (849), passing takes more than a back seat. It sits in the trunk. But despite those minimal attempts Wilson still chucked 54 passes for 20-plus yards. The Seahawks finished just outside the top 10 in that category (11th), while the Patriots threw eight fewer long balls even with 155 more attempts. That's all vital information for understanding the growing phenomenon that is Luke Willson. The Canadian tight end was forced into a larger role when Zach Miller was put on injured reserve in November due to an ankle injury. Willson was on the field for only 59.6 percent of the Seahawks' offensive snaps this season. Because of that he's only logged 22 receptions. But seven of them have been of the deep (sometimes really, really deep) variety. Nearly a third of Willson's receptions have gone for over 20 yards. His breakout came in Week 16 when the 25-year-old needed only three catches to finish with 139 yards and two touchdowns. Then during a divisional-round win over the Carolina Panthers he had four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots often struggled against tight ends throughout the season, giving up an average of 65.6 receiving yards per game, according to Football Outsiders . LeGarrette Blount LeGarrette Blount may not be quite as under-the-radar as Willson and LaFell. But he's still a textbook Belichick discarded treasure grab after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers following an arrest for marijuana possession, and then signed by New England in late November. Blount being the MVP is especially a longshot because of Seattle's suffocating run defense that allowed only 81.5 rushing yards per game. But the antidote to the Seahawks' physical front seven is matching that power, much like Jonathan Stewart did during the divisional round when he averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Blount can be that hammer too, because tackling a 250-pound man is never fun or enjoyable. He's fresh off a 148-yard performance during the AFC Championship Game, and has averaged 4.6 yards per carry since re-joining the Patriots. | 1 | 8,712 | sports |
Former Formula One driver Philippe Streiff has apologized to FIA president Jean Todt and medical head Gerard Saillant for comments he made about the investigation into Jules Bianchi's Japanese Grand Prix accident. Todt and Saillant had threatened legal action on Thursday for defamation. "I let myself get carried away in front of the camera," Streiff said in a statement issued through the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in which he retracted the 'unfounded' accusations. "The interview took a long time, too long, and I am aware that I made insulting and defamatory comments about Jean Todt, Gerard Saillant and the FIA which I sincerely regret. "I ask Jean Todt and Gerard Saillant, who are well aware of my health problems, to excuse me," he added. "I regret having said things about them that are totally out of line with the consideration they both deserve." Streiff has been wheelchair-bound since a 1989 Formula One testing accident in Brazil. Bianchi, managed by Todt's son Nicolas, suffered severe brain injuries when his Marussia skidded into a recovery tractor in fading light in the October race at a wet Suzuka circuit. He is now in hospital in the south of France. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Tony Jimenez) | 1 | 8,713 | sports |
January Jones, Emily Blunt, and Amber Heard all get an F on this week's Fashion Offenders hosted by Wonderwall's Kirby Kristen. | 6 | 8,714 | entertainment |
When disaster strikes, check your policy to see if you're covered The next time something really bad happens to you, check the terms of your insurance policies. There's a chance you may be covered. By bad, we mean something expensive, of course. If something expensive happens to you, consult your insurance policy or contact your agent. While you're probably just as likely to learn that you aren't covered for whatever calamity has befallen you, many insurance policies homeowners in particular, but also auto and life occasionally offer compensation for unusual but somewhat common problems. As a general rule of thumb, the higher your premiums, the likelier you are to find coverage for more obscure problems, says Brett Woodward, a senior vice president at NFP, which specializes in offering life insurance for high-net-worth individuals. Still, even if you have a bare-bones policy, it can't hurt to give it a once-over. Maybe you are covered, or after reading this, you may want to adjust your policy so you have safeguards against these and other events. Here are some surprising protections you might find: Your college kid's belongings Some insurance policies will cover your child's belongings if he lives in a dorm, which is apparently considered less risky by the insurance industry than an off-campus apartment. (Good luck finding coverage for that on your policy, although your child can, however, get renters insurance.) "The average college student will bring between $5,000 and $10,000 worth of personal property to college, ranging from technology, electronics and textbooks to clothing, furniture and bicycles," says Dick Lavey, chief marketing officer at the Hanover Insurance Group, headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts. "Most students will suffer a loss at least once, with the most common cause being theft and the most severe being fire and weather events." Yard damage You know that if a tree falls on your house, your homeowners insurance typically covers that. But if a tree falls onto your fence or guest cottage, there's a chance you're covered for that, too. Scour your policy for the term "other structures." If you find it, you've probably struck gold. "Other structures coverage is a component of your homeowners insurance that pays for damages to other structures on your property, such as detached garages, sheds, fences and cottages," says Elaine Montgomery-Baisden, vice president of personal insurance at Travelers insurance company. She adds that a standard home policy will typically provide 10 percent of your total dwelling coverage, so if your home is insured for $200,000, you'd receive up to an additional $20,000 for those extras around your house. Car seats If you were unlucky enough to be in a car wreck, but lucky enough to emerge unscathed, you might want to replace your young child's car seat even if doesn't appear to have been damaged. In fact, just about every safety expert out there will tell you to replace it to be on the safe side. Many auto insurance policies will pay for the replacement a good thing considering how costly car seats can be. According to the parenting website WhatToExpect.com, you'll likely pay $90 to $350 for a good car seat (or far more, if you choose). Hanover Insurance, for example, pays $300 to replace a car seat, Lavey says. It probably goes without saying that in most and probably all cases, the car seat needs to be in your car not someone else's at the time of the accident. Spoiled food Say you bought a lot of steaks for a party, and your power went out the night before, so everything in the refrigerator spoiled. Many homeowners insurance policies cover that. Granted, you aren't likely to try and collect for the lost food in your refrigerator. You'd have to pay your deductible first, and chances are, it's higher than whatever is in the fridge. But this tidbit is worth remembering, just in case your power not only goes out during a storm, but a tree also collapses into your living room and on your shed (remember those other structures). In that case, especially if your refrigerator is well-stocked, you'll want to include spoiled food in your claim. Chronic illness Some life insurance policies offer a chronic illness benefit. Odds are, you're well aware of whether your policy has it or not since you have to pay extra for this. But if you have an elderly parent who is chronically ill and needs significant care, assuming you're the executor of his or her estate, you may want to check and see if there's a life insurance policy lying around, and one with a chronic illness benefit. "Some people who are concerned about outliving their money have these. It isn't meant to be a substitute for long-term care insurance, but it complements it," says Ray Caucci, senior vice president of product management, underwriting and advanced sales at Penn Mutual. The downside, of course, is that the money spent on your loved one's care means less money will go to beneficiaries on the policy. That said, it may not be the first place you turn to, but if money is getting scarce, and a rider that pays for care when you're gravely ill is on the policy, you may want to utilize it. Gravestones If a spouse or another family member has passed on, many homeowners insurance policies consider a gravestone an extension of your belongings, and will often reimburse you for $1,000 to $5,000 if something should happen to it. After all, teenagers have been known to occasionally vandalize gravestones. Mice in your car Say a family of mice now resides in your car, thanks to your stash of fast-food bags and crumbs on the floor. Or maybe a squirrel got into the engine and snacked on your wiring. It happens occasionally, and many car insurance policies will cover you for the damage as long as you have comprehensive coverage. Interestingly enough, if the same mouse and squirrel were to get inside your home and chew the wiring in the walls or do some other damage, most homeowners insurance policies won't cover that. The moral of the story? If something expensive happens to you, by all means, check your insurance policy just don't get your hopes up. | 3 | 8,715 | finance |
Not so long ago, we came to praise the New England Patriots. Now, it's time to bury them. Deflategate and a brazen disregard for the truth should be more than enough for the NFL to order Bill Belichick to stay at home on Super Bowl Sunday. If the Patriots' coach wants to wear his hoodie during the biggest game of the season, he can break it out while watching the telecast from his couch. Seriously, this should be an easy one for the NFL, though the league's response on everything from concussions to Ray Rice leaves plenty of doubt that the suits in New York will do the right thing. Here's what we've learned from various reports: 11 of the 12 footballs the Patriots used on offense in the AFC championship game were significantly deflated. That could have made them easier for quarterback Tom Brady to handle on a cold, windy day. Brady threw three touchdown passes and the Patriots won the game in a rout, 45-7. Then, when the shenanigans were discovered, Belichick - a control freak who has never left even the smallest detail to chance - ludicrously claimed he had no idea what happened. As a repeat offender from Spygate, Belichick should be banned from the Super Bowl. To make sure he really gets the point, bench him for the first four games of next season and put him on permanent probation, leaving no doubt that he's got two strikes against him and the next one would get him thrown out of the league for good. For good measure, take away a couple of first-round picks. A week ago, we wrote that the Patriots should be celebrated for their amazing run under Belichick, despite his general unpleasantness and skirting of the rules. After all, no franchise in the era of salary caps and free agency has come close to their streak of 14 straight winning seasons, 12 playoff appearances, three Super Bowl titles and nine appearances in the conference championship game. Now, some of that success could seem tainted, even dirty. Belichick certainly didn't help his cause with a news conference Thursday, where he spent 8 1-2 minutes trying to convince everyone he didn't know a thing about the rules and procedures for game balls, then refused to give a meaningful answer to 14 questions - all concerning Deflategate - that were thrown his way over the next 3 minutes. ''I have told you everything I know,'' Belichick kept repeating, over and over again. Yeah, right. Belichick began his prepared remarks sounding a lot like Sgt. Schultz from the old TV sitcom, ''Hogan's Heroes.'' You know, the bumbling German prison guard who turned a blind eye to inmates coming and going as they pleased, always insisting, ''I know nothing. Nothing!'' As Belichick regaled us with his little tale, the only thing missing was Col. Hogan popping up from a tunnel under the podium. ''I learned more about this process in the last three days than I knew or talked about in last 40 years coaching in this league,'' Belichick insisted. ''I had no knowledge of the various steps involved in the game balls and the process that we went through, what happened between when they were prepared and went to the officials, and went into the game.'' We kept watching this sham, but only to see if his nose started growing. ''In my entire coaching career, I have never talked to any player or staff member about football air pressure,'' Belichick said, somehow managing to keep a straight face. ''That is not a subject I have ever brought up.'' Now, if you believe that, we'd love to give you membership to the ''Bill Belichick School of Charm and Integrity.'' As often happens when someone is trying to pull off a scam, the story gets a bit convoluted. For Belichick, that happened when he talked about the balls that the Patriots use in practice. Apparently, he cares A LOT about how those are prepared. ''I'm sure that any current or past player of mine will tell you the balls we practice with are as bad as they can be,'' he said. ''Wet. Sticky. Cold. Slippery. However bad we can make `em, I make `em. Anytime players complain about the quality of the balls, I make them worse, and that stops the complaining.'' But on game day, we're expected to believe, he doesn't pay a lick of attention to the state of the football. Brady followed Belichick to the podium and issued the same blanket denial, though his remarks were peppered with plenty of ''what, me worry?'' grins, like a suspect in the interrogation room who wants you to know he did it - and knows you know he did it - but figures there's no way to pin the crime on him. Everyone wants to know: Why would the Patriots feel the need to cheat when they were playing at home and, judging by the score, clearly had the superior team? Not to put these on the same level of historical significance, but it's a reminder of the early 1970s, when President Richard Nixon's henchmen launched a totally unnecessary operation that became known as Watergate, not long before Nixon cruised to victory in one of the greatest U.S. presidential election routs. The ensuing cover-up was worse than the crime and wound up costing Nixon the presidency. This one should cost Belichick his spot on the Super Bowl sideline. --- Paul Newberry is a national writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 | 1 | 8,716 | sports |
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case reviewing the legality of lethal injection procedures in Oklahoma, just a week after the state executed its first prisoner following a botched attempt last year. The justices will review an appeal concerning whether a sedative known as midazolam is an appropriate drug to use in the executions of death-row inmates. Oklahoma uses the drug as part of a three-drug cocktail in its lethal-injection executions, which the Court's four liberal justices deemed worthy of further consideration. "The time is right for the Court to take a careful look at this important issue, particularly given the bungled executions that have occurred since states started using these novel and experimental drugs protocols," said Dale Baich, an attorney that represents prisoners on Oklahoma's death row. Capital punishment garnered intense scrutiny and media attention last year, as a number of executions were botched as states scrambled to procure the drugs necessary to carry out a death sentence amid boycotts from European manufacturers. Some states, including Oklahoma, have attempted to conceal the source of their drugs. In April of last year, Oklahoma bungled the execution of Clayton Lockett, an inmate convicted in 2000 of the rape, kidnapping and murder of 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman. Lockett awoke 10 minutes after his execution began and started writhing in his gurney. The state had used a then-untested three-drug combination, which included midazolam. The Supreme Court last considered the legality of lethal injections in 2008, in a case that held that the procedure did not violate the Constitution's protection against cruel and unusual punishment. The Supreme Court will consider oral arguments this spring, likely in April. Last week, the Court came one vote short of halting the execution of Charles Warner, who was the first inmate executed by Oklahoma following the the the Lockett botch. The Court's four liberal justices--the same that granted a review on Friday--argued that there was enough concern about the state's execution procedures to merit further consideration. A handful of states, including Oklahoma, carry out the vast majority of executions in the United States, almost exclusively by way of lethal injection. Oklahoma boasts the highest per-capita rate of execution in the country, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The state is not new to controversy regarding how it carries out death sentences. In January of last year, the state put to death Michael Lee Wilson with a similarly secretive batch of untested drugs. His final words, according to witnesses, were, "My whole body is burning." State records published last year revealed that Oklahoma has injected lethal drugs into already-dead convicts for "disposal purposes." Internal email correspondence also showed officials joking about helping Texas obtain certain lethal drugs in exchange for college football tickets. | 5 | 8,717 | news |
If you want to melt that midsection or tighten your tummy, fitness and nutrition expert John Basedow (@JohnBasedow) has some of the best foods to accomplish your goals. Eating things like wild salmon, quinoa, leafy greens, berries, apples, soy beans, yogurt and eggs can reduce belly fat. | 8 | 8,718 | video |
DES MOINES, Iowa The Republican woman most likely to run for the White House next year isn't happy her party backed down on a bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. "I think it's really disappointing that that bill was not brought to the floor for a vote," former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina told The Hill on Friday. "I am on board with that bill and that ban and so are the vast majority of American people and the vast majority of women in this nation. This isn't something that's extreme as Democrats want to cast it." House Republicans were forced to cancel a vote on the bill earlier this week after a number of female and moderate Republican members threatened to vote against it. They were upset that the GOP was focusing on abortion politics as it heads into another presidential cycle and angry about the wording of the bill's rape exemption that would have required women to report rapes to the police to qualify. But Fiorina, who is in Iowa this weekend to meet with activists and speak at a major GOP gathering on Saturday, disagrees. "The fact that this bill was pulled I find really disappointing. It's bad policy and it's bad politics," she said. The GOP businesswoman has been moving toward a potential presidential bid and is using her Iowa trip to test the waters, planning to tout her business experience as a selling point. She's looking to court the state's large population of religious conservatives and has ramped up her rhetoric on social issues though she said she offers a unique skill for the race. "I bring a wholly different set of experiences. I'm not a professional politician, though I'm also not a political neophyte," said Fiorina. "I'm really going to talk about what I think our nation needs to do to restore its promise and leadership in the world, the importance of citizenship and citizen government and the importance of leadership." Strategists are skeptical the little-known Fiorina, whose only foray into electoral politics was a double-digit loss against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in 2010, has the chops to rise to the top tier of the campaign. But many speculate she could be in the mix for vice president or a Cabinet slot if she impresses on the campaign trail. And her position as the only woman likely to be in the race gives her a unique role. "Our party needs to be as diverse as the nation we represent. A woman's voice matters in this conversation," she said. "Every issue is a woman's issue. We're half the nation. We're 53 percent of voters. I bring a different perspective." Fiorina's big speech will be at an event hosted by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a conservative firebrand who often makes controversial remarks on immigration. She said the party needs "to be respectful and empathetic" when talking about the issue, and argued that the U.S. must secure its border and fix the legal immigration system before it could tackle how to handle the approximately 11 million immigrants, arguing that an eventual path to legalization might be appropriate but not a path to citizenship. Fiorina downplayed the importance of her Senate loss, pointing out California heavily favors Democrats. She demurred when asked what lessons she'd learned from her loss, pointing to Republicans' weaker ground game in the state rather than anything she did wrong as a candidate. She also said she'd discovered a love for the campaign trail. "I always find my energy talking to people," she said. | 5 | 8,719 | news |
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No Sidney, no Geno, no Bob and no Henrik. Between a rash of injuries and the conspicuous absence of NHL superstars, the 2015 All-Star Game on Sunday in Nationwide Arena might better be dubbed the Some Stars Game. Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar, pulled out of the game late Thursday, citing a lower body injury, even though he played 23 minutes and appeared healthy a night earlier in a shootout loss to Chicago. Crosby, who has played in only one All-Star Game during his 10-year career, is ineligible to dress in Pittsburgh's first game out of the break, the NHL said. Earlier in the day on Thursday, teammate Evgeni Malkin, who did not play Wednesday, announced that he would miss the midseason classic. "I know they wanted to be here," said goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins' lone representative this weekend. "Obviously, they're taking time to heal up. "It's a little disappointing to not have my teammates with me, but I'm trying to make the best out of it." Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (groin), Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson (lower body), Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard (groin) and Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne (knee) have all pulled out of the game in recent days. Meanwhile, some of the NHL brightest stars -- Detroit's Pavel Datstyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and Montreal's P.K. Subban -- are absent. "As much as some guys need the break, I think it's important that you be here," Anaheim forward Ryan Getzlaf said. "This is a big even for the league, and you want to have all the superstars here at the same time. "But at the same time, your loyalties, first and foremost, lie with your hockey team and being able to perform in the second half of the season. Sometimes, a three- or four-day rest could be huge down the road." The league had such a difficult time finding replacements -- most players left off the initial rosters make plans to travel immediately after the last game before the break -- that it elevated Nashville's Filip Forsberg and Florida's Aaron Ekblad from rookie invites in the skills competition to players in Sunday's game. This is nothing new, of course. In 2012, Washington's Alexander Ovechkin skipped the All-Star Game in protest of a three-game suspension levied by the league. In 2009, Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Datsyuk were suspended one game for skipping the All-Star Game without proof of injury. "It's kind of an obligation," Ovechkin said Friday during media day. "We have to help the fans, because they want to see not only Capitals or Columbus, they want to see everyone together, all the best players together, playing one game. It's fun." St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott -- who took Bobrovsky's spot on the roster -- made a huge sacrifice to be in Columbus this weekend. When the league contacted him on Thursday, he was just getting settled for a four-day vacation on the Turks and Caicos Islands. He's expected to arrive late Friday. "You can't really deny this," said Elliott's teammate, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. "You don't know how many times this is going to happen in your career. "Some guys have the luxury of knowing their going to be here every year. But in 20 years, you don't want to say you skipped an All-Star Game because you wanted to stay on the beach for an extra day or two." ----------------------------------------------- | 1 | 8,720 | sports |
Every pregnant woman deserves some R&R Kate Middleton included! The Duchess of Cambridge, hubby Prince William and 18-month-old Prince George are enjoying a vacation on the island of Mustique, sources tell People. A source confirms to E! News that there's increased security on the island and restrictions in place due to "important guests" visiting on holiday. (The Palace would not comment or confirm details.) Kate, Wills and Georgie reportedly made their way to the tropical paradise by way of St. Lucia. The reason for their return to their beloved getaway spot? To celebrate Carole Middleton's upcoming 60th birthday! Last year, Prince George tagged along with his mum and the Middletons to Mustique for the annual family trip (dad stayed back in London to focus on his studies). This was the future king's first international trip, and George's grandparents weren't the only ones happy he made the trek. Everyone's happy for them to visit! A source tells E! News the royals are always "very friendly people when they stay," adding, "Many of the locals have fun together with them." Kate and William should certainly have some fun before they really have their hands full with two kids under 2! And even though Prince George's little brother or sister isn't due for a few more months, he or she certainly won't be forgotten this trip! As Kate recently revealed, via The Telegraph , the baby-to-be is "moving all the time" and kicking like crazy! Aw! A reminder to the royals, though (and everyone else): Don't forget to wear sunscreen! Love all things royal? Check out E!'s new series The Royals , starring Elizabeth Hurley and premiering in March 2015. Reporting by Senta Scarborough and Michelle Falls | 6 | 8,721 | entertainment |
CNBC's Kate Rogers goes inside the world's first sneaker pawn shop created by teen Chase Reed. | 8 | 8,722 | video |
Let's address the $68,785 elephant out the room right now: No one is going to cross-shop these cars. Most of the folks who'll fork over $145,785 for a 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 have already owned a 911. Or two. Or three. They're not going to be tempted by a Chevy, no matter how good its Nürburgring credentials might be. The $75,000 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, on the other hand, is a white-space car. The most track-focused street-legal Camaro in history since the original COPO quarter-mile killers of the late '60s, the new Z/28 is attracting a mix of buyers, from loyalists who want the ultimate Camaro, to collectors who see a future classic, to general enthusiasts who want an affordable factory-engineered track-day car. And that last piece is what this comparison is all about: The Z/28 and the GT3 have both been created by the best and brightest brains in the Chevrolet and Porsche engineering departments to deliver the closest thing to a race car with license plates. What we want to know is, who's done it best? And in this context, the sticker price differential between the two, while not inconsequential, is perhaps less important than how much each company is charging for all the engineering and hardware required to turn their road cars into track rats. Call it the go-fast premium. Using the entry-level, 350-hp, $85,295 Carrera as a baseline, Porsche charges $46,100 to turn it into a GT3. Chevy charges $50,300 for the transformation of a $24,700 323-hp V-6 Camaro coupe from rental queen to a road-course warrior. However, our GT3 stickered at $145,785 thanks to the addition of a number of non-performance-enhancing options, plus the $9,210 PCCB carbon-ceramic brake package. The Z/28 comes standard with the Brembo carbon-ceramic brake package shared with the new Z06 Corvette, so with like-for-like brakes, the go-fast premium for the Porsche is $56,300. The point is, regardless of the baseline vehicle price, the upcharge for both cars is remarkably similar. What does that money buy you? In the GT3 you get an engine that shares only its block and a handful of other components with quotidian 911s. The heads are new, and there's a new variable-length intake system to help with low-end torque and high-end power, a dry-sump oiling system, plus a new direct-injection setup that pumps fuel at much higher pressure. The pistons are forged aluminum, the rods forged titanium, and a new cam-follower system allows the whole lot to spin to a dizzying 9,000 rpm. Peak power is 475 hp at 8,250 rpm, and torque tops out at 324 lb-ft at 6,250 rpm, remarkable numbers for a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated road-car engine. Under the Z/28's hood is the mighty 7.0-liter LS7 from the C6 Corvette Z06. Lighter than the LS3 in regular V-8-powered Camaros, this hand-built engine also features CNC-ported aluminum heads, a forged-steel crankshaft, Pankl titanium rods, Mahle forged pistons, and a dry-sump oiling system, as well as titanium valves and hydroformed headers. The engine develops 505 hp at 6,100 rpm and a healthy 481 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm. Both cars feature upgraded transmissions. The Camaro is fitted with a Tremec TR606 six-speed manual with a short-throw shifter, close-ratio gear set, and oil cooling. The GT3's version of Porsche's PDK dual-clutch transmission is lighter, has more closely packed ratios, and has been programmed to deliver even faster, more seamless shifts. The GT3 comes with continuously variable adaptive shocks, and both cars have track-specific alignments and differentials designed to distribute torque to different drive wheels during different phases of cornering. The GT3 is the sharpest, most precise, most buttoned-down 911 in history. Neither the regular 911 nor the base Camaro provide an ideal baseline package for a hardcore track car. The Chevy is too big and heavy, and the Porsche's engine is in the wrong place. The Z/28 development team worked hard -- lighter engine, brakes, wheels, thinner rear glass -- but the car still weighs 3,882 pounds, a hefty 615 pounds more than the GT3, and 53 percent of that is on the front wheels. That explains the Z/28's killer app: what Chevy says are the widest and stickiest front tires ever fitted to a production car. The GT3's weight-bias problem, of course, is at the other end of the car. Porsche's killer app? Rear-wheel steering. Electric actuators steer the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speeds to improve agility and in the same direction at high speeds to improve stability. Fire up the GT3, and the engine rattles like a bucket of bolts in a cement mixer until everything warms up. It might be a near-race engine, but it's wonderfully tractable and flexible and easy to drive around town. Put the PDK selector in D, and the GT3 will happily mooch down to the mall, only the firmer-than-usual ride and the giant wing bisecting the view in the mirror betraying the beast within. Switching the PDK and suspension modes to Sport, and opening up the exhaust flaps, doesn't so much unleash the beast, for there's not a perceptible change in mood, but focus it on the serious business of going fast. The 0-60 mph sprint takes just 3.1 seconds, making the GT3 the fifth-quickest two-wheel-drive car we've tested, behind McLaren's P1 and MP4-12C, and Ferrari's 458 Italia and F430 Scuderia. The quarter mile takes just 11.3 seconds at 122.9 mph, and the figure eight is all over in just 22.8 seconds at an average of 0.96 g. Despite 157 lb-ft more torque and an extra 30 horses, the Z/28 struggles to overcome its weight handicap and is further hampered by the human factor in the transmission: No matter how hot a driver you think you are, there's no way you can match the PDK's shift speed and precision. The Z/28 hits 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and thunders down the quarter in 12.3 seconds at 116.1 mph. The figure eight takes 23.6 seconds at an average of 0.89 g. On real-world roads, there's little separating the two, however. The GT3 is by far the sharpest, most precise, most buttoned-down 911 in history, but it still retains the elegantly fluid handling of the 991-series cars. Front-end grip is phenomenal -- there's not a trace of understeer -- and the rear-wheel-steering system neatly damps tail-end yaw motions. This GT3 feels at once agile yet remarkably neutral -- the most neutral 911 ever. And that engine! The power comes on with a smooth, elastic surge, and there always seems to be another 1,000 rpm left when you need it. Above 7,000 rpm it yowls like it was born and bred on Mulsanne Straight. The Z/28, by contrast, is all muscle and thunder, Thor on four wheels. The LS7 is one of the all-time great Chevy small-blocks; torquey, yet free-revving, and with a delicate crispness to the throttle response its supercharged cousins can't quite match. Incredibly, the big Camaro's front end feels even more responsive than the Porsche's, thanks in part to those massive 305/30R19 Pirellis. What's more, the Z/28's steering feels more perfectly linear and more beautifully weighted than the Porsche's. While it can hang with the GT3 on most any road, the Camaro is always a more physical, visceral drive; your right arm and left leg are busy executing gearshifts, that big V-8 bellows in your ears, and you're pounded by violent vertical body motions from bumps the light-footed Porsche skips across like a pebble skimming a lake. You're always aware the Chevy is a much bigger, wider, heavier car. On the road the differences between the GT3 and the Z/28 seem more a matter of style. On the track they can be measured. In the hands of our resident hot shoe Randy Pobst the Z/28 turned a best lap of 1 minute, 29.72 seconds around SoCal's challenging 2.42-mile Willow Springs road course. The GT3? 1 minute, 27.22 seconds. The Porsche's lightning-quick PDK transmission helped: "I like the perfection, miss the driver involvement," Pobst said. But the traces showed the GT3 to be consistently quicker into, and through, corners, too. The Camaro Z/28 is all muscle and thunder, Thor on four wheels. Pobst wasn't entirely happy with the Z/28's demeanor. "This one is loose," he said. "It doesn't have the confidence-inspiring balance I've experienced in other Z/28s." He felt the Camaro was easier on the entry into corners than the Porsche, but its rock-solid composure crumbled into uncharacteristic (and time-wasting) power oversteer on exits. The lack of grip cost the big Chevy plenty through Willow's fast, endless Turn 8. This particular Z/28 is our long-term tester, and its 60 treadwear Pirellis might have already been past their prime. We'd also taken the car to have the suspension adjusted to the recommended race settings, which might not have suited the cool track temps. In the coming months we're going to revisit the suspension settings, bolt on some fresh rubber, and find out. That said, there's more time to be found in the Porsche, as well. "The grip is unbelievable for a street car," Pobst said after his first session in the Porsche. "Fabulous turn-in, and not a lick of understeer. But you get trailing throttle oversteer on the second half of corner entry. You have to get on the gas early to compensate." Dial out that oversteer, Pobst says, and there's easily another second to be shaved off the GT3's lap time. On the road the differences between the GT3 and the Z/28 seem more a matter of style. The key point is, he's not talking hypothetically. The GT3's suspension allows for more fine adjustability than the Z/28's setup, and it's here the experienced enthusiast will always be able to find an edge over the Chevy on the track. Even with our Z/28 in top form, it's not going to catch the GT3. If you're after a fast, rewarding, utterly exhilarating track-day car, the Camaro Z/28 is a truly unbelievable bargain. For the money you'd spend on the GT3, you could buy a Z/28, a truck and trailer to take it to the track, and have enough money left over for a few sets of tires. But the talented, sophisticated, and deeply competent GT3 shows Chevy still has a few tricks to learn when spending go-fast money to make a road-legal race car. Perhaps we shouldn't surprised -- after all, Porsche's been taking 911s to the track for more than half a century now, and the 2015 Z/28 is Chevy's first attempt at a track-rat Camaro. And that's what excites us most. Good as this one is, the next Camaro Z/28 is going to be a helluva car. Because racing improves the breed. Weights and Measures Five hundred feet. All of us were surprised that the Z/28 was a whopping 1 2/3 football fields behind the GT3 when the Porsche touched the finish line. The Z/28 has 3.2 liters of extra engine displacement, 30 more hp, and substantially wider front tires. How'd that happen? Weight is the Bow Tie's most obvious enemy, the Chevrolet's extra 615 pounds depressing its pounds-per-horsepower ratio by 12 percent compared to that of the GT3. And that -- plus being one gear short in transmission cogs -- immediately shows as they accelerate into the first corner, where the Porsche arrives traveling 8.2 mph faster as they grab their brakes. The pattern is repeated on each straight, but the GT3 has other tricks, too: Notice how it doesn't brake nearly as much before twisting into corners 2 and 9. With its 40-percent front, 60-percent rear weight distribution, the Porsche is better balanced under braking to incrementally add cornering g's to both axles. Lastly, notice how driver Randy Pobst uncharacteristically slows his shift in the Camaro at Turn 6. Why? It's right where a small hill suddenly falls away beneath you -- not a good place to unload the Z/28's prodigious V-8 torque. Does the Porsche's advantage arise from magic? No. There's nothing more up its sleeve than highly trained muscle. 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD Rear-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE 90-deg V-8, aluminum block/heads Flat-6, alum block/heads VALVETRAIN OHV, 2 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 427.6 cu in/7,008 cc 231.9 cu in/3,800 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 11.0:1 12.9:1 POWER (SAE NET) 505 hp* @ 6,100 rpm 475 hp @ 8,250 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 481 lb-ft* @ 4,800 rpm 324 lb-ft @ 6,250 rpm REDLINE 7,000 rpm 9,000 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 7.7 lb/hp 6.9 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual 7-speed twin-clutch auto AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.91:1/2.46:1 3.97:1/3.33:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multi-link, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 16.1:1 13.1-17.2:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.5 2.5 BRAKES, F;R 15.5-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 15.3-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc, ABS 16.1-in vented, drilled carbon-ceramic disc; 15.4-in vented, drilled carbon-ceramic disc, ABS WHEELS, F;R 11.0 x 19-in; 11.5 x 19-in, forged aluminum 9.0 x 20-in; 12.0 x 20-in forged aluminum TIRES, F;R 305/30R19 102Y Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R 245/35R20 91Y; 305/30R20 105Y Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 112.3 in 96.5 in TRACK, F/R 66.1/64.7 in 61.0/61.2 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 192.3 x 76.9 x 52.4 in 178.9 x 72.9 x 50.0 in TURNING CIRCLE 39.0 ft 36.4 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,882 lb 3,267 lb WEIGHT DIST., F/R 53/47% 40/60% SEATING CAPACITY 4 2 HEADROOM, F/R 37.4/35.3 in 37.8/- in LEGROOM, F/R 42.4/29.9 in 66.7/- in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 56.9/42.5 in 53.4/- in CARGO VOLUME 11.3 cu ft 4.4 (fr) 9.2 (rr) cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.6 sec 1.2 sec 0-40 2.3 1.7 0-50 3.0 2.4 0-60 4.0 3.1 0-70 4.9 4.0 0-80 6.2 5.0 0-90 7.5 6.2 0-100 9.0 7.5 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.8 1.5 QUARTER MILE 12.3 sec @ 116.1 mph 11.3 sec @ 122.9 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 100 ft 98 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.08 g (avg) 1.11 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.6 sec @ 0.89 g (avg) 22.8 sec @ 0.96 g (avg) 2.42-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 89.72 sec 87.22 sec TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,500 rpm 2,500 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $75,000 $132,395 PRICE AS TESTED $76,150 $145,785 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes Yes/Yes AIRBAGS Dual front, front side, f/r rear curtain Dual front, front side, front head BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/36,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/100,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 yrs/100,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 19.0 gal 16.9 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 13/19/15 mpg 15/20/17 mpg ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY 259/177 kW-hrs/100 miles 225/169 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.28 lb/mile 1.15 lb/mile RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium Unleaded premium *SAE certified | 9 | 8,723 | autos |
Photograph by Getty Images/Blend Images Ever wondered what somebody's like in bed? (Of course you have.) Your lover's sun sign can reveal a lot about the skills and struggles they bring to the sack. Here's a heads up about what every sign can and can't do for you after you dim the lights. Aries : Striking like lightening, Aries is a fiery mix of energy and toughness, and this sign's got the power of surprise on their side. Cardinal signs such as Aries live to take the lead in bed. Unfortunately, like lightening, Aries can fizzle just as fast. They strive to be first when it comes to everything, even, you guessed it, climaxing. Needless to say, sleeping with someone who treats sex like a competition can grow tiring. Taurus : Fixed sign Taurus is the picture of stamina. Plus, ruled by Venus, this sign has got sensuality in spades. So, sing sweetly, wear soft fabrics, spritz on the perfume, paint on the rouge and cover your sexy spots in honey, because with a Bull, none of those details go to waste. Though believed to be a little set in their ways, once Taurus natives find the tricks to turn you on, they might stick with them. Generally lacking spontaneity and typically adopting a traditional attitude towards sex, Taurus could be empty calories for those who value unpredictability. Gemini : Geminis are energetic and curious. They live to learn and are pros at connecting. Active in mind and body, their sexual style is constantly evolving. To a Gemini, nothing is taboo, making them one of the most sexually open signs of the zodiac. But like their attention span, their libido can be short-lived. As quickly as a Gemini can turn you on, this sign may have a change of heart and decide to spend the night watching TV instead. Twins' sex drive can be inconsistent, so always have a plan B for getting them back in the mood. Cancer : No one will hold you as tight or make you feel as secure as Cancer. At their best, they pour all their sweetest emotions into the sex, making their affection gold even if you just met. Don't be surprised if sex with a Cancer sparks an instant spiritual connection. The downside? Similar to a pendulum, moody Cancer can transform from caring to insensitive. As a result, sex may become rough and detached. Sure, it seems fun for a minute, but when a Crab is feeling defensive, sex may not be enjoyable. Leo : Regal Leos follow an ultra-romantic protocol. Passionate and bold, hooking up with one, no matter how long the duration, will make you feel like you're in a Harlequin novel. Expect few limits on the extravagance, ambiance and drama. Just keep in mind that Leos have a reputation for loving themselves more than anyone else. This can make them lazy in bed. They may revel in your worship, while neglecting to shower you with the same level of affection. Virgo : Virgo aims to please. They'll adapt their skills to your needs, aiming for efficient release. At the same time, while Virgos tend to be quick-witted, their genius sometimes escapes them in bed. Virgo's aren't the best initiators of sex, which may put you permanently in charge. Libra : Chivalry means everything to this Venus-ruled sign. Partnership and elegance are Libra's priorities. With them, sex is all about creating a beautiful experience. When you hop in the sack with a Libra you truly are making love . On the flip side, as notorious people-pleasers, Libras may require psychological pliers when it comes to discussing their sexual needs. Their non-confrontational nature may mean they neglect their wants for their lover's and then become passive aggressive. Scorpio : Scorpio is the ruler of sex, making it like a second language to them. However, forget a safe word, because when you give up your boundaries, you get the best of them namely, unconditional sexual devotion. Yet, Scorpio mind-games can be fatal (to your sex life, at least). Scorpios are clever at striking below the belt while making themselves out to be the victim. Be mindful of the sexual secrets you share in the bed, because if their sense of control wanes, they may be tempted to smear your reputation. Sagittarius : Sex with an exploratory, open-minded, optimistic Sagittarius can be like a trip to an amusement park. Sags will toss you around, overload your senses and add an indelible memory that permeates you, even if the experience is brief. And your tryst could be short-lived. The most free-spirited and independent sign, Sags are thought to be loners at heart, which can make sex with a Sag feel impersonal and insignificant. At worst, you could feel like an objectified sexual vehicle that gets this sign to where it wants to be. Capricorn : Don't be fooled: Behind Cap's buttoned-up image is a dirty birdy. Capricorns wield kink like masters, always more intense than their poker faces let on. They use being underestimated to their advantage, turning it into their secret weapon. Though you should remember, like fine wine, it takes time for Capricorns to get in sync with their boos. This means you may need to be patient. Caps aren't always quick to observe a lover's needs. Aquarius : Aquarians are innovators, so they're usually game to experiment and explore their sexuality. They approach sex with the most open of minds, making them the perfect nonjudgmental partner to get your freak on with. However , in addition to being aloof, Aquarius primarily approaches sex from a mental standpoint, rather than from a physical, emotional or spiritual place. Consequently, sex may feel more like an experiment than an experience. Pisces : Pisces are intuitive and understand body language so innately, when tuning into a lover, Fish are usually one step ahead. Sex with ultra-receptive Pisces can be a true bonding experience in body and mind. Still, Pisces sometimes operates in black-and-white, leaning toward being either selfless or selfish. If it's the latter, beware of a virtuosic ability at playing the guilt card you may find yourself in an emotional trap. | 4 | 8,724 | lifestyle |
Europe's biggest economy is awash in fake money, according to a new report released Friday by Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, which saw 3.3 million ($3.7 million) worth of counterfeit euro bills flood the country last year. The Bundesbank said the number of registered cases ballooned last year, up 63 percent compared to 2013, for a total of 63,000 - or the equivalent of eight forged bills for every 10,000 citizens. "The forgers have become more active in terms of distribution," said executive board member of the Bundesbank, Carl-Ludwig Thiele. Fake 50-euro notes led the surge, with more than 29,000 in circulation last year, followed by nearly 23,000 forged 20-euro bills. Combined, they accounted for more than 80 percent. The number of counterfeit coins, however, was on the decline, down to 46,000 from 52,000 the year before. 2-euro coins were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular mint among forgers, making up 80 percent of the 80,946 worth of fake euros. New record not too worrying But the problem extends far beyond Germany. European authorities reported 838,000 registered cases - a 25-percent increase and the highest level since 2009. In the second half of 2014 alone, more than 507,000 new counterfeit banknotes made the rounds - a new record. Even though this may sound alarming, the Bundesbank is not overly worried. "Measured against the much higher number of more than 16 billion genuine euro bills that were in circulation in the second half of 2014, the share of counterfeits is very low," said the Bundesbank. The usual suspects Recent police investigations have shown that the bulk of forgeries can be blamed on international counterfeiting rings. "It's the same old usual suspects. We're seeing the same counterfeits that we've seen for years, entering Germany from southern Europe," said Rainer Elm, head of the Bundesbank's National Analysis Center. "They haven't gotten better," he added. However, Elm said, even though the forgery business is booming, "it looks like maybe the counterfeiters have overdone it." To make life harder on the criminals, the European Central Bank has begun introducing a new series of banknotes. The five euro note hit the market in 2013, followed late last year by the ten euro note. In February, it will roll out a new 20 euro bill. Not sure how to spot genuine banknotes? The ECB shows how here. pad/uhe (dpa, AFP) | 3 | 8,725 | finance |
Steve Fisher hadn't considered it. J.J. O'Brien thought it might be the case. Something had to be behind the San Diego State basketball team scoring 77 points at Air Force on Tuesday . The Aztecs have a good program, but not one that scores a lot (season-high point total was 79 against Cal State-Northridge), instead focusing on defense and a slow tempo. When mentioning the surprise in seeing his team score 15 more than its season average to Fisher, his only response was, "I didn't realize we could (score like that), either." There was no obvious explanation to how SDSU was able make 13 3-pointers in its 77-45 win. Practice this week has been no different than any other. The only change was an added member on the Aztecs' bench, Dwayne Polee II, who made his first road trip with the Aztecs since infamously collapsing mid-game against UC-Riverside on Dec. 22. His presence, O'Brien said, was motivation for the Aztecs (15-4, 5-1 MW) to put on a special performance. "Right before practice (Monday), we saw him walk in with his suitcase and that's when we knew (he was coming with us). ... I was surprised," said O'Brien, a senior guard. "We're so happy that he's back and traveling with us. Anytime Dwayne is around, he has an effect on people. He's a great guy and has a great effect on our team. I think he inspired us a bit." Polee II's absence since his in-game blackout that sent him to the hospital hasn't taken the toll on SDSU you'd expect most teams to suffer after losing arguably its best player. The Aztecs are 6-1 without him, and even so, he remains tied for third on the team in points per game fifth in total points scored (101, the same as starting forward Angelo Chol). In last season's NCAA tournament, he averaged 14.3 points per game and was the Aztecs' savior in their opening-round overtime win against New Mexico State. SDSU's visible drop off in performance has been minimal. Emotionally, though, life without Polee II has been taxing. The moment Polee II went down, O'Brien said, basketball started to become a secondary concern for the team with the rest of life moving to the forefront. Even since SDSU learned its one player who never fails make teammates smile in the face of uncertainty would be OK, it hasn't stopped playing for him. Fisher says his return is a possibility. He'll be on SDSU's trip to Colorado State University (17-2, 4-2) for Saturday's 8 p.m. tip on ESPNU as moral support, but finding playing time is at least a few weeks out. Because Polee II, a transfer from St. John's, has played in 12 games this season, he's not eligible to apply for a medical hardship with the NCAA to get an extra year. "When Dwayne had his health issues, it was absolutely scary for all of us. Now we're hoping and praying we'll be able to, at the right time, get him back on the court," Fisher said. "We're cautious, we're careful, we're getting third and fourth opinions and he's seeing some great doctors. I think it's close to where they're going to give him some clearance to start some structured rehab. We'll see where that takes us." Youth has a way of feeling like its invincible, Fisher, 69, said, and his 17 players realize now that they're not. When Polee II does return to practice, coaches, trainers and players will watch every move he makes with a cautious eye. In part to make sure he doesn't collapse a third time (it happened in practice during December 2013), while hoping he gets a chance to play college basketball once last time. "I came in with Dwayne, so it would be great if we got to finish out our seasons together," O'Brien, a transfer from Utah, said. "It would be amazing if he can come back and play. We're looking forward to that day." Matt Stephens writes for The Coloradoan, a Gannett paper. | 1 | 8,726 | sports |
Conservative party member of parliament Michael Gove was reportedly red-faced after his smartwatch suddenly started blaring a Beyoncé song in the middle of a cabinet meeting. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story. | 8 | 8,727 | video |
The next time you walk into a McDonald's (MCD) , the menu will likely look a little different. This week, the fast food giant is rolling out its newly simplified menu, which features fewer items in order to reduce confusion and boost speed. So what's getting axed? One director of operations for a mid-size Midwest franchisee, who requested anonymity, told CNBC the following would be removed nationally: the honey mustard Snack Wrap, chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap, bacon habanero ranch Quarter Pounder, bacon and cheese Quarter Pounder, premium chicken club sandwich and premium ranch BLT chicken sandwich. A separate location in California confirmed these items would be cut from its menu. The southern-style chicken sandwich will also be axed except in some markets, the Midwest franchise executive said. Additionally, local level operators can choose to remove the buffalo ranch McChicken or grilled onion cheddar burger from the menu. McDonald's did not respond to requests for comment on the eliminations. Deeper cuts at the chain could be on the way. On the company's conference call Friday, McDonald's USA President Mike Andres said its menu rationalization test is "clearly ongoing," as the chain has unveiled a lot of products during the last year and a half. The cuts are aimed at simplifying a menu that's grown complex over the years and proved to be an obstacle in the fast-food giant's need for speed. Indeed, McDonald's menu items excluding beverages, desserts or combo meals grew to 72 last year from 53 just four years earlier, according to market research firm Datassential. Test results of the pared down offering saw "faster order times" and better performance compared to those with the longer menu, Andres said. In a recent survey from Janney Capital Markets, some franchisees called for more cuts to the many with several expressing frustration with complicated Happy Meals and some McCafe offerings. The Midwest franchise executive views the changes as a positive. "The menu was confusing to the customer, and it was confusing to the people making the sandwiches," he said. "There were too many options for the customer, and our grill team wasn't on the ball enough." The cuts come as McDonald's is rolling out its customizable create-your-taste platform, a build-your-own sandwich option the company plans to begin expanding aggressively to 2,000 stores in the US this year. It is part of the Golden Arches' effort to turn around its struggling U.S. business and compete with restaurants like Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) that have seen success with their customized offerings. At a location in Laguna Niguel, California, a bacon cheeseburger combo meal ordered using create your taste will set customers back about $10 including tax a pricey offering for a chain built on low-priced items. Still, the location's general manager Salvador Garcia said in a phone interview that customers shell out for the burger and chicken sandwiches, which contain the same meat as those ordered at the counter. "Definitely, customers are willing to pay that," Garcia said. "And they wait a little longer." | 3 | 8,728 | finance |
Photograph by Getty Images/Flickr RF Sadly, no astrological sign is immune to cheating. With temptation lurking everywhere, anyone could easily develop a wandering eye. However, because of their specific personality traits, certain signs may be especially prone to look outside their relationship for love and sex. If you're dating a Gemini , symbolized by Twins, two heads can double the trouble. Whizzes at compartmentalizing their feelings, Geminis are equipped to juggle more than one partner. Plus, as a sometimes fickle Air sign, Gemini can be indecisive and may tire of one lover quickly, creating quite an emotional jungle. Fortunately, some mental magic can go a long way with Twins. Hold their curiosity and fidelity by being witty and a little unpredictable. Similarly dual-natured, Pisces , represented by the up-fish and down-fish, can be total saints or total sinners. The sign of fantasy and escape, Pisces follow their emotions like a GPS. They're often so in the moment that they detach from reality and wander to wherever they think they'll find romance. They tend to stay focused on those who dote on them and join them on escapades. Make sure the passion in your relationship burns bright, and pamper the heck out of your Fish to keep them true. (Wondering when you'll find true love? Check your romantic forecast to discover the best times for romance) As the sign of sex, Scorpio 's inclination toward cheating may seem like a no-brainer. However, famous for intense loyalty, it's not necessarily their loins that lead Scorpios astray. As an extreme sign, if Scorpios lose an ounce of respect for you, they will be tempted to look elsewhere for love. But if you remain a loyal confidant, you'll win over your Scorpio for good. Mutual trust is this Fixed sign's ironclad proof of loyalty. Cheating typically has nothing to do with sex for Libra , the sign of partnership. Libras are thought to be at their best when they're coupled up. If your relationship starts falling apart, a Libra could be tempted to set up shop elsewhere before officially breaking things off with you. As the sign of justice, their affair may not include sex at all, as they might believe that withholding sex keeps them innocent. To solidify a Libra's loyalty, make an effort to build a shared social network. The more people Libra has invested in their relationship, the more they may strive to be fair and faithful. Leo rules drama, romance and ego (in other words, a Lion can be a bit of a diva). They typically live for all that's grand and are known to have a strong sexual drive that oozes with magnetism. For some Leos, ruling the world means feeling above the law. They may feel at liberty to indulge their libidos and egos with a sidepiece in their kingdom, they're the only one that matters. Your move? Assert your power. Few things are hotter for a Leo than merging two strong empires through love. | 4 | 8,729 | lifestyle |
We don't need E.L. James to tell us that people like their pleasure with a little bit of pain. Just consider the countless films that alternately thrill us and turn us on. Sure, there's a murderer on the loose and he or she probably wants you dead, but there's always time for a sweaty lovemaking scene to turn up the heat and raise the stakes especially when you realize the murderer was your lover all along. Oops.Out January 30, The Loft has all the makings of a sexy-suspenseful thriller. Five married pals James Marsden, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eric Stonestreet, Wentworth Miller, and Karl Urban use the same penthouse for their indiscretions. Cue beautiful women, some between-the-sheets action, and a dead, naked blonde in the bed. Dun dun dun.To psyche us all up for what looks to be a sleek and seductive frightfest, we've rounded up some other sexy thrillers that deserve a rewatch. Dim the lights and get under the covers with the person whose shoulder you'd most like to bury your face in during the really scary scenes. Who knew danger could be such an aphrodisiac? Photo: Courtesy Focus Features. We don't need E.L. James to tell us that people like their pleasure with a little bit of pain. Just consider the countless films that alternately thrill us and turn us on. Sure, there's a murderer on the loose and he or she probably wants you dead, but there's always time for a sweaty lovemaking scene to turn up the heat and raise the stakes especially when you realize the murderer was your lover all along. Oops.Out January 30, The Loft has all the makings of a sexy-suspenseful thriller. Five married pals James Marsden, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eric Stonestreet, Wentworth Miller, and Karl Urban use the same penthouse for their indiscretions. Cue beautiful women, some between-the-sheets action, and a dead, naked blonde in the bed. Dun dun dun.To psyche us all up for what looks to be a sleek and seductive frightfest, we've rounded up some other sexy thrillers that deserve a rewatch. Dim the lights and get under the covers with the person whose shoulder you'd most like to bury your face in during the really scary scenes. Who knew danger could be such an aphrodisiac? Photo: Courtesy Focus Features. Swimming Pool, 2003Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier star in this British-French thriller about a buttoned-up crime novelist staying in her publisher's home in the south of France. Sagnier smolders as the publisher's daughter (or is she?), engaging in promiscuous encounters and trotting out one bikini after another. If you're a fan of Sagnier's work, follow this up with Love Crime. The thriller with Kristin Scott Thomas inspired a remake, Passion, with Rachel McAdams, but the French original is far better. Photo: Courtesy Paramount Pictures. The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999You really can't blame Matt Damon for crushing so hard on Jude Law. Oh, that bathtub scene... Photo: Courtesy TriStar Pictures. Basic Instinct, 1992This Michael Douglas/Sharon Stone film essentially defines erotic thrillers. Even the murder weapon of choice an ice pick seems particularly sexual. If you can handle it, consider a double-feature of this and 1989's Sea of Love. Each involves detectives screwing blonde murder suspects despite their better judgment. Photo: Courtesy TriStar Pictures. Devil in a Blue Dress, 1995Jennifer Beals was on-point as a damsel in distress with a mysterious past, but its Lisa Nicole Carson's unapologetic seduction of Denzel Washington deserves extra props. SPONSORED The LoftTake a secret luxury loft, a group of friends up to no good, and a dead woman found handcuffed to a bed, and you've got deception, temptation, and quite a twisted plot. See for yourself when The Loft hits theaters January 30. Photo: Courtesy Miramax Films. Heavenly Creatures, 1994Newbies Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey (this was the debut film for each of them) play murderous pals, and ultimately lovers, in this New Zealand drama directed by a budding filmmaker named Peter Jackson. Photo: Courtesy MGM/Columbia Pictures. Casino Royale, 2006Eva Green's Vesper Lynd has pretty much ruined us for any future Bond girl. Photo: Courtesy Paramount Pictures. Fatal Attraction, 1987Director Adrian Lyne's first example of how having a torrid extramarital affair can ruin your life. Elevator sex, though. Photo: Courtesy 20th Century Fox. Unfaithful, 2002Director Adrian Lyne's second example of how having a torrid extramarital affair can ruin your life. Or your French lover's life. And, your nifty snow globe collection. Photo: Courtesy Canal+ España. The Body (El Cuerpo), 2012This Spanish thriller is bound to get remade for American audiences, but the original is worth watching. Brace yourself for passionate clinches and we-did-not-see-that-coming plot twists. Photo: Courtesy 20th Century Fox. Gone Girl, 2014Forget the oral sex and library humping. Nick's wife goes missing and he still manages to squeeze in a quickie with his college-aged mistress. Photo: Courtesy Paramount Pictures. Rear Window, 1954As Carrie Bradshaw might say, "The subtext of that text is sex." Sultry summer nights and voyeurism call for sleepovers with Grace Kelly. She even brings her nightie. Photo: Courtesy DreamWorks Pictures. Match Point, 2005An important lesson: Don't cheat where you eat, even if ScarJo's packing the baby oil. Like this post? There's more. Get tons of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and cat videos on the Refinery29 Entertainment Facebook page. Like us on Facebook we'll see you there! | 6 | 8,730 | entertainment |
We conducted painstaking journalistic research to figure out the very best burger in every state, from mom-and-pop joints to celebrity-chef restaurants and everything in between. Based on accolades, reviews, and our own stomachs, we came up with a comprehensive list so you can devour a truly great burger anywhere in the U.S. Colorado: Cherry Cricket Restaurant Featured on the Denver episode of Travel Channel's "Man v. Food," Cherry Cricket Restaurant's half-pound Cricket Burger can be made basically any way you want; the joint even has a dartboard with a list of all possibility of ingredients, from guacamole to cream cheese to fried shrimp, for burger lovers who just want fate to decide their meal. Arkansas: Midtown Billiards Voted one of Esquire's Best Bars in America, Little Rock's Midtown Billiards has the best drunk food, too. The standard Midtown burger comes with your choice of sharp cheddar or zippy pepper jack cheese, but if you order the "gut bomb" variety you'll get both cheeses as well as bacon, Spam, and a fried egg. Alaska: Tommy's Burger Stop Tommy's Burger Stop, which just celebrated its 12th anniversary, serves sky-high beef patties topped with all sorts of goodies from deep-fried jalapeno pepper slices to onion rings to everyone's favorite, bacon. The Stella Bleu Burger alone a blue-cheese-oozing monster is worth a trip to Anchorage. Alabama: Chez Fonfon Chez Fonfon a fancy name for a fancy restaurant. The Birmingham bistro is better known for its French cuisine, but it's widely regarded as the home of the best burger in Alabama. The "Hamburger Fonfon" comes with comté cheese and pommes frites. Arizona: Phoenix's Delux Holding multiple accolades for its perfectly balanced burgers, Phoenix's Delux proudly serves beef burgers made with grass-fed, humanely raised cattle from local Niman Ranch. Connecticut: Louis' Lunch Home of the original hamburger sandwich, Louis' Lunch in New Haven chose to put its burger between two slices of toasted bread instead of a bun. The simplicity of the burger, with tomato, onion, and cheese, is perfect and perfectly satisfying. Delaware: Union City Grille Union City Grille chars its Angus burgers on the grill and tops them with cheese. Its burgers are so popular that last year it won the People's Choice award in Wilmington's annual Burger Battle. Georgia: Illegal Food Illegal Food grinds its own meat to create succulent juicy burgers, including classic beef burgers, pasture-raised lamb burgers, and a Vietnamese banh mi-style burger with pork, cilantro, Sriracha mayo, and pickled vegetables. The most popular is The Hank, a burger dressed in American cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, onion, special house sauce, and housemade pickles. California: In-N-Out In-N-Out can be found all over the West these days, but it's still a California institution. Part of what makes it so great: the (not so) secret menu items. But since everyone orders their burgers "Animal Style" these days, go for the SUPER secret menu items and try the Flying Dutchman: a cheeseburger where the burger patties serve as the bun. Idaho: Grind Modern Burger It only just opened in August, but Grind Modern Burger's Homestead burger has been dubbed the best burger in The Valley by The Idaho Statesman. The Homestead comes with housemade mayo, white cheddar, Spam, roasted tomato spread, white onions, and a fried egg. On the side: amazing fries. It is Idaho, after all. Florida: ROK:BRGR Voted the No. 1 burger joint in South Florida, ROK:BRGR has 18 burgers on its menu, each one more exotic and twisted than the last. The Florida chain takes a farm-to-table approach to its burgers. Read more Hawaii: Annie's Island Fresh Burgers Voted the best burger in West Hawaii for the last three years running, Annie's Island Fresh Burgers is committed to fresh, local, and organic. Each burger is seared to your preferred level of done-ness, and comes with hand-cut fries, coleslaw, or housemade purple potato salad. Illinois: Au Cheval Cooked medium, the burger at Au Cheval is made with high-quality beef and a toasty locally made bun. The Chicago diner also has 30 international draft beers on its menu. Indiana: Workingman's Friend Workingman's Friend in Indianapolis is renowned for its crispy-edged "smashed" double burgers. Though they're flatter than your typical burger and pack an impressive crunch from the grill oil, these burgers maintain a surprising amount of satisfying juiciness. Maine: Owls Head General Store Halfway between Portland and Bar Harbor, the Owls Head General Store is famous for its epic Seven Napkin Burger. Loosely packed and severely juicy, you'll find out why they call it the Seven Napkin Burger. Or challenge yourself with The Whole Hoot, a burger that uses two grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun. Kansas: Winstead's Steakburgers Winstead's serves steakburgers burgers made from U.S. choice steak in single, double or, for the extra-hungry, triple stacks of patties made from U.S. choice steak. The Overland Park joint tops its burgers with ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onions. Iowa: Brick City Grill Brick City Grill, winner of the 2014 Best Burger In Iowa contest, says the secret to its victory is to always select the best ingredients. The Ames restaurant seasons its burgers with salt and pepper only so that the beef speaks for itself. Louisiana: Company Burger Company Burger was called the best burger joint in New Orleans by Gambit's Best of New Orleans two years running. Its winning menu item is THE Company Burger, a classic rendition of the all-American double hamburger with American cheese, homemade pickles, and red onion. Massachusetts: The Blue Ox In Lynn, Massachusetts, the Blue Ox's gluttonous Sin Burger won Boston Magazine's 2013 Battle of the Burger, and for good reason. It features only the highest quality ingredients, including USDA prime beef, applewood smoked bacon, truffle aioli, and a sweet brioche bun. At $16 it's a splurge of a burger but worth every penny. Kentucky: Tolly-Ho Tolly-Ho has been providing Lexington with simple yet delicious burgers and shakes since 1971. Its signature burger, the Tolly-Ho, is served on a toasted sesame-seed bun and topped with its housemade secret "Ho" sauce. Michigan: Laura's Little Burger Joint The burgers at Laura's Little Burger Joint in Decatur are anything but little. Ranking No. 1 on MLive's list of the best burgers in Michigan, the Chapman Burger is seven ounces of beef that's grilled and topped with pepper-jack cheese, bacon, and grilled onions. Maryland: Abbey Burger Bistro Baltimore's Abbey Burger Bistro prides itself on the build-your-own method: you can choose from beef, chicken, bison, kangaroo, and a range of other meats and top to your heart's content to make the burger of your dreams. Minnesota: Matt's Bar The Jucy Lucy (or Juicy Lucy, depending on where you order it), a burger that's stuffed with cheese that oozes out at the first bite, is Minneapolis' best burger. Two establishments 5-8 Club and Matt's Bar both claim to have invented it and both are great burgers, but we'll have to go with Matt's on this one. Montana: The Burger Dive The Blackened Sabbath burger from The Burger Dive in Billings won Red Robin's Best of the Bash Award. The burger is blackened and topped with bacon, beer-battered onion rings, garlic basil mayo, goat cheese, arugula, and Sriracha. Missouri: Five Bistro There's nothing new or out-there about the burgers at Five Bistro, but they're still the best in town, according to St. Louis Magazine. The burger patty is juicy and tender on the inside and caramelized on the outside. Nebraska: Stella's Bar & Grill The Bellevue burger from Stella's Bar & Grill is made from 6.5oz of freshly ground beef served with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and mayo. Other topics include fried eggs, peanut butter, and even donuts for a bun. Oregon: Foster Burger Everything (except for the ketchup) is made in-house at Foster Burger, a lively Portland chain. The two stand-outs are the classic burger and the Burner, a beef burger served with fried onion straws, jalapenos, cheddar and American cheeses, shredded lettuce, and Sriracha. Mississippi: LATHAM's Hamburger Inn LATHAM'S Hamburger Inn in New Albany serves the Southern dough burger, a patty with flour mixed into the meat that is then fried on a cast-iron skillet for extra crunch. Nevada: Gordon Ramsay BurGR The Gordon Ramsay Burger at Gordon Ramsay BurGR stands out as the best burger on the Las Vegas Strip. The burger, which is made with Mangalitsa pork, maple butter, English sharp cheese, and arugula, is cooked over an open wood flame. New Hampshire: The Common Man New Hampshire Magazine readers voted The Common Man's burger the best in the state. The burger is made from grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free ground beef and is served on a pretzel bun. New York: Minetta Tavern EATER declared the indulgent Black Label Burger at Manhattan's Minetta Tavern the number one burger you had to eat in New York City before you die. The $28 dollar whopper includes a selection of prime, dry-aged beef cuts served with sweet caramelized onions and crispy pommes frites. New Jersey: Left Bank Burger Bar The Left Bank Burger Bar in Jersey City uses all-natural, grass-fed beef in its burgers. Each week it hosts a "burger battle," where it pegs two new burger combinations against each other. The one that gets the most orders in the week faces a new challenger the next week. New Mexico: Buckhorn Tavern Buckhorn Tavern's Green Chile Cheeseburger won a throwdown against grill master Bobby Flay in 2009. Along with the cheese and famous green chile, the burger includes lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and mustard. North Carolina: Duke's Grill Open since 1951, Duke's Grill in Monroe serves a mean Carolina Burger, a patty with chili con carne, coleslaw, mustard, and chopped onions. The joint requires all customers to turn off their cellphones upon entering, and has been visited by the Food Network and Travel Channel. North Dakota: JL Beers For less than five bucks, you can get JL Beers' delicious Humpty Dumpty, which comes with cheese and a fried egg on a soft bun. This regional chain, which originated in North Dakota, recently won best burger by High Plains Reader and other publications. Oklahoma: Nic's Grill Nic's Grill may be a tiny Oklahoma City shack, but tons of people come to try its delicious onion burgers, which are served with heaps of fries. Nic's was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives." Ohio: Swenson's Drive-In Swensons Drive-In in Akron, Ohio, has been around for 80 years and has been making local Best Burger lists for over a decade. The signature burger is the "Galley Boy," a double cheeseburger with two special sauces and an olive for garnish. Pennsylvania: The Royal Tavern The Royal Tavern in Philadelphia serves only one Angus burger, but it's so delicious that the Food Network named it the best burger in the state. The famous patty comes with bacon, caramelized onions, smoked Gouda, pickled long hots (a kind of pepper), and chili mayo. Rhode Island: The Abbey The Abbey in Providence is a little pub known for its burgers and beer. It has 14 different signature burgers, but the best is the "Hair-of-the-Dog-That-Bit-You" burger, a 10 oz burger smothered in sautéed onions and topped with a grilled sausage patty, fried egg, bacon, and American cheese. South Dakota: Nick's Hamburger Shop The mini burgers from Nick's Hamburger Shop started off at 5 cents during the Great Depression and today sell for only $1.48 apiece. The Brookings restaurant only has four simple options: double and regular hamburgers, or double and regular cheeseburgers. South Carolina: Poe's Tavern This quirky beachside restaurant pays homage to poet Edgar Allan Poe. Named after one of Poe's most famous poems, the Annabel Lee burger consists of a patty topped with a Charleston-style crab cake and fresh vegetable remoulade sauce. Texas: The Grape Texas Monthly rated The Grape's cheeseburger as the No. 1 burger in the state. The cheeseburger comes with a 10 oz patty, homemade peppered bacon, Vermont white cheddar, Nathan's horseradish half-sour pickles, and Dijon mayonnaise. Tennessee: Rotier's Located close to Vanderbilt University, Rotier's is famous for its cheeseburger on toasty French bread. According to Food Network, who hailed Rotier's as having Tennessee's best burger, the secret of the flavor is in the 64-year-old flat top grill. Utah: Crown Burger We couldn't leave Crown Burgers' famous, meat-tastic Pastrami Burger off this list. The Salt Lake City burger is topped with a quarter pound of thin-sliced pastrami, slathered with a thousand island-style sauce, and topped with tomatoes, shaved lettuce, and onions. Washington: John Howie Steak John Howie Steak's 60/40 Prime Juicy Lucy Burger has a whole lot of goodness going on. The burger is made of ground prime chuck and Kurobuta bacon, and comes stacked with sharp New York cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, caramelized onions, mayo, lettuce, and tomato. The whole thing is sandwiched between a sweet, house-baked bun. Vermont: Worthy Burger Worthy Burger won Vermont's best burger by Seven Days, a local publication. In addition to serving great burgers, the "Craft Beer and Burger Bar" offers an array of local Vermont cheeses and housemade condiments. Virginia: Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers Serving hamburgers massive enough to split, Leesburg's super-popular Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers is the real deal, according to diners. Melt Gourmet won best burger in its county, boasting freshly baked buns and creative concoctions, like the lump crab and Tex-Mex burgers. Washington, D.C.: BGR: The Burger Joint BGR: The Burger Joint only uses free-roaming, grain-fed cattle with no hormones, fillers, or antibiotics. They grill their beefy patties over an open flame and get their fresh buns delivered daily. Their "Legend" is served with prime, dry-aged beef, and you can add your own toppings like Applewood bacon or grilled pineapple. West Virginia: Fat Patty's Locals swear by the West Virginia staple that is Fat Patty's. The popular Born on the Bayou burger is blackened with Cajun spices, sautéed onions and peppers, melted provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato, and served with a special honey mustard glaze slathered on the bun. Wisconsin: Tipsy Cow Madison's Tipsy Cow serves the delicious Tipsy Burger, made with two quarter-pound patties, aged cheddar, local Widmer's brick cheese, bacon, pickles, onions, and a secret "Tipsy sauce." Wyoming: The Bird The Bird is a laid back bar and restaurant in Jackson that grinds all its meat in-house. Its burgers come on English muffins, and guests are strongly encouraged to order medium rare to get the full flavor. You can have fun ordering the "dirty @*&%" which comes with bacon, a fried egg, American cheese, and pickled beets. | 0 | 8,731 | foodanddrink |
Think you can't change the world of dining with ramen ? David Chang already has. And now he's going to do it all over again. Chang -- the man (and chef) behind upscale ramen eatery Momofuku -- has just blown our minds with a video tutorial on how to make Ramen Fried Chicken. In the Lucky Peach video above, Chang transforms the traditional Southern dish he mastered long ago into an explosive combination of goodness that he rates as "the best seasoning I've ever had on chicken." Here's how Chang prepared it: Step 1: Brine your chicken in salt + sugar mix for 3.5 hours Step 2: Grind your instant ramen into flour Step 3: Season ramen flower and buttermilk with ramen seasoning packets Step 4: Dip chicken in seasoned buttermilk Step 5: Dredge in seasoned ramen flour Step 6: Deep fry for 10-12 minutes Step 7: Sprinkle on more ramen seasoning Eat hot! Basically, this video gives us hope that we can make Momofuku-quality goodness in our own homes, and surprise the sh*t out of our Southern mothers when we make this for them. No way this tastes anything but awesome. Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest and Tumblr . | 0 | 8,732 | foodanddrink |
The French fashion and beauty brand announced that Laetitia Casta will represent the new women's fragrance L'Extase. Aside from the announcement of the French actress as the spokesmodel, Nina Ricci has not revealed details on the campaign, nor on the new perfume slated to debut in the coming weeks. For now, all that is known is that the fragrance was created by master nose Francis Kurkdjian as a symbol of eroticism. So it's no surprise that Nina Ricci enlisted the dreamy and sensual Laetitia Casta as the face of L'Extase. In the campaign, the French model will send out a call to women everywhere: "Unleash your fantasies." At age 36, the French actress continues to pose for some of the leading names in fashion and beauty. A L'Oréal Paris spokesmodel, she also appears regularly in women's magazines and has been the face of several Dolce & Gabbana fragrances. | 4 | 8,733 | lifestyle |
Cory Batey was so drunk on June 23, 2013, his judgment and intent could have been impaired, a forensic psychologist told a jury today. Dr. James Walker testified in Batey's defense Friday morning in the 10th day of the Vanderbilt rape trial. Batey, 20, and Brandon Vandenburg, 21, are accused of raping an unconscious woman in Vandenburg's dorm at Vanderbilt University. Both men are former football players. Also Friday, attorneys for Vandenburg rested their case. Vandenburg will not testify in his own defense. His attorneys had put on two witnesses Thursday afternoon who said multiple and mixed male DNA profiles were found on the victim's clothing. It was an allusion to a promiscuous culture on college campuses the attorneys say is partly to blame. Walker's testimony goes to the same defense angle. Walker first met with Batey after issues of intoxication were raised in the case in October, about 14 months after the alleged crime took place. In the interview, Batey told Walker he'd had 14 to 22 drinks the night of the alleged incident. He'd previously told police he had nothing to drink. Walker said Batey told him "he was horrified by his actions that night." Another expert, who has not testified but whose findings were introduced by Walker, estimated Batey's blood alcohol content was between 0.175 and 0.33 percent. The legal limit to drive is 0.08 percent. "He was so intoxicated he was not his normal self," Walker said. "He was doing things he would not normally have done." Walker said Batey was a man of good moral character when Batey arrived on a full scholarship at Vanderbilt. But he soon fell victim to a culture that included peer pressure, and an "ease and availability" of women. "The football members conspired together to go out with these particular women," Walker testified. He said that Batey's girlfriend at the time, who may testify in the case, had reported Batey being sexually aggressive once before. She said Batey stopped when asked. Walker said Batey had twice been in trouble at Vanderbilt before the alleged rape and been sanctioned for marijuana use. He said, based on records he'd reviewed, it seemed to be a "routine thing" that athletes at the school who failed drug tests were allowed to continue playing without any sort of treatment. The defense case will continue Friday afternoon. Judge Monte Watkins said on Thursday that, even if evidence concludes Friday, closing arguments are likely to be held Monday. Then the jury will be charged with deliberations. Stacey Barchenger writes for The Tennessean | 1 | 8,734 | sports |
I should have known by looking at my to-do list. Eight errands to run. One morning. Two active toddler boys. We breezed right through the deposit at the bank and gas at Sam's Club, probably because, for those errands, I could keep both boys in their car seats. But by five minutes into the wait for the Geek Squad at Best Buy, I could tell this wasn't going to be a pleasant morning. The boys just wanted to, well… be toddlers. They wanted to run. And climb. And touch buttons And turn up speakers. By the time I got to the front of the line, the Geek informed me that our external hard drive, which holds our last five years of family pictures, could not be repaired. All of those pictures…. I barely noticed the old couple scowling at us, as I peeled my kids off the DVD rack and walked them out to the car. Well, check that off the to-do list. As I pulled into the parking lot at the mall, I realized that I'd committed a cardinal mistake for a mom of two toddlers: I only had my single stroller with me. After narrowly avoiding a potty accident by having him pee into an empty sippy cup in our Suburban, we walked in through Macy's and made a quick stop at Victoria' Secret. A few minutes later, we arrived at Bath & Body Works, where I decided I had to smell every single soap before deciding which one I would buy (blame the pregnancy nose), and didn't noticed the toddler dispensing sweet pea foaming soap right onto the tile floor. I got him a paper towel and had him wipe it up and throw it away. This is good. He's cleaning it up. We're doing fine. That's when the shit hit the fan. As we were waiting in line, he got bored and started grabbing items out of every single box in the display. After asking him several times to put things back, and basically repeating the exact same message over and over, I was beginning to the entire store's eyes on me. So, I started threatening. Sweetheart, if you want to play at the playground after this, I need you to behave right now. Please listen, if you want that Lunchable in the car. Eventually, I realized words weren't getting through, so I grabbed his arm to bring him back to the stroller. He fought me, hit me and then tried to jump, and in the process, slipped and fell, hitting his head on the tile floor. Enter the screaming. I tried to comfort him while also explaining that it was wrong of him to hit me, and since he wasn't able to listen to my requests to stop touching things, I would have to put him in the stroller. Screams continue. I didn't make eye contact as I threw my soaps and coupons onto the counter in front of the cashier. She didn't say a word as she took my card and handed me a bag. Five months pregnant, I hoisted the 19 month old onto my hip and tried to maneuver our umbrella stroller, holding the still-shrieking three year old, out of the store. Hello, public humiliation. I made my way to a couch in the center walkway of the mall because I knew we needed to regroup. Plus, there was no way I could keep carrying the baby and pushing the stroller with one hand. I didn't make eye contact with the old couple at the couch across from us. Tears streaming down his face, the toddler continued shrieking as I unbuckled him from the stroller and had him sit on the ground while I gathered myself. I put the baby back in the stroller, took a deep breath and then asked the toddler to come over to me. I told him again why he was on timeout, and asked again if he thought he could follow directions while we're in the mall so that we can get to the playground, and that I loved him. We hugged. The old couple was still staring. At the mall playground, I was just over it. I pretended I didn't see my three year old jumping off the slide. I was done. As I asked the boys to get their shoes back on, the older one sprinted out of the playground toward a motorized toy helicopter that takes quarters. The same one I'd asked him not to get on about seven times. That's it. We're going to the car. I pushed the stroller with our 19 month old and power-walked through Macy's as an epic cryfest ensued behind me. A trail of shrieks and cries was the only evidence my toddler was following. On the way to the produce market, I zoned out. The kids asked for their waters and for me to put their windows down. I'm usually very responsive to them in the car, but today I was completely silent. They could wait. I was done. Not mad, just defeated, and tired and feeling broken, embarrassed and confused. I realized I'd expected too much of my kids today, and now, I was suffering the consequences. At this point, I really just wanted to go home, but I had to stop at the produce market. It was the one errand I really wanted to get done that day, especially since it would be a week until I was back on this side of town. It's okay. I'll bet I can just run in and leave the kids in the car, I thought. If I park right in front, I'll have a clear view of them through the windows. As I put the car in park, I gave both boys a Lunchable, rolled their windows all the way down and locked the car. It was 72 degrees. In between grabbing lettuce and red bell peppers, I'd dart to the front doorway of the store to check on the car. Everything looked fine. They looked happy and content. And, I'm getting this errand done at least twice as fast as I could have with them. I totally got this. As I got to the front cashier to check out, my heart sank as I saw an adult figure peering into the three year old's side of the car. I immediately bolted outside, thinking it was a stranger from the sketchy neighborhood nearby. Nope. It was a uniformed police officer. "Hi," I said with a tinge of attitude. (Like, 'What are you doing here?') "Hi there," she said. "Can you come out here for a minute?" Oh great. Just what I need. Furious, I paid for the rest of my produce and wheeled my cart over to her in a huff. Now I'm going to get scolded by a cop, after the day I've had? Unbelievable. "Are you going to ticket me or something?" I asked with disdain in my voice. "Maybe. Can I see your license?" As I opened the passenger door, grabbed my wallet and gave her my ID, I turned my angst toward furiously loading bags of produce into the passenger seat. I wanted nothing to do with the cop standing in front of me. "So what happened?" she asked. There was so much to say, but I didn't want to say it. Without looking up, I kept loading my groceries, the silence punctuated only by my occasional grunt of disgust. The last thing I need is to be reprimanded after the day I've had. I screwed my lips together tightly, realizing that at my first word, the frustrations, embarrassments and defeat of my day would come pouring out in a flood of hot tears. That my buried thoughts of I'm-not-good-enough and why-are-my-kids-acting-this-way would come flooding to the surface. And I didn't want her to see that. "Do you have kids?" I asked. "No." Of course she doesn't. There's no way she'll understand my day. I started talking and stopped myself. "No, I want to hear," she said. Then I looked at her. She had rosy cheeks and the earnest eyes of someone who was trying to help. She was authoritative but not condescending. I realized she really wanted to hear my answer. As I opened my mouth, the sobs started uncontrollably, and the next seven minutes were a tangled mess of 'I've had the worst day,' 'the boys were everywhere,' 'I was just running in here,' 'I've never done this before' and 'it's not even hot outside.' But I could have summed it up in one sentence: I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN. When my mouth paused, I looked down as my body heaved with tears. I was ashamed. I was a failure. I was an unfit mother. Who was talking to a cop in a parking lot. In a few minutes, I'd gone from 'I'm a great mom' to 'I'm the mom who left her kids in the car.' That same mom who I had reported on in my days as a TV news reporter. The mom who I'd labeled as lazy, uneducated, stupid. Who needed a cop to tell her how to take care of her kids. What a failure. Those hot tears continued to pour down my face as I fully felt the shame of my day. First from my children, then from strangers, and now from a uniformed police officer. I had nothing left. The officer explained that this isn't a great neighborhood, and someone could have easily come up to the car and taken the children. "That," she explained, "would have definitely made your bad day even worse." She was right. She handed me my ID and let me go with a warning. No doubt she could tell from my cryfest that I'd definitely learned my lesson. (As it turns out, under Florida law, it's legal to leave your kids in the car for less than 15 minutes, if they are safe and the car isn't running.) I got into the driver's seat and drove away, my sniffles erupting into full-blown crying every few minutes on the ride home. It's been a few days since, and to be honest with you, I'm still traumatized by the day. I know that what I did was wrong… but sometimes, I really feel like I can't win. | 4 | 8,735 | lifestyle |
Manchester United's Juan Mata is statistically the most efficient free kick taker in the Premier League | 1 | 8,736 | sports |
Written by Charyn Pfeuffer They're rich, famous, gorgeous and they're related! These supermodels may rule the runway, but good genes run in the family. Some of these names are tabloid staples. Others you may not have even known existed. One thing's for sure these siblings aren't living in anyone's shadow. KARLIE KLOSS With a supermodel sis, this sibling was pretty much destined for a future in the fashion industry. After interning at "Teen Vogue," she now works for Bay Area-based shopping app, Shopkick. BING: WHO IS HER SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Kate Upton Before her sister was named "Sexiest Woman Alive," ( by which magazine ?) these siblings were nationally-ranked equestrians with the American Paint Horse Association (NPHA). BING: WHO IS KATE'S SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Joan Smalls She's a social entrepreneur and proud Rottweiler mama who splits her time between the Big Apple and Puerto Rico. Joan ( how tall is she ?) is the first Latina ambassador for Estée Lauder. BING: WHO IS JOAN'S SISTER ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Gigi Hadid Move over Kardashians, the fashion world has a new pair of "It" siblings. This brunette beauty is following sister Gigi's ( real name ?) footsteps with a move to the Big Apple and a major modeling contract. BING: WHO IS HER FAMOUS SIS ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Molly Sims Growing up, golf was a big to-do bonding experience in this family. When he wasn't out on the course or watching tournaments, this sibling gives little sister Molly lessons on how to stand, grip and swing. BING: WHO IS HER SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Doutzen Kroes After a one-year stint in New York City with her sought-after model sis, she moved back to the Netherlands. Daughters of an organic farmer and a nutritionist, this sibling touts healthy living in her book, "Powerfood." BING: WHO IS DOUTZEN'S AUTHOR SISTER ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Miranda Kerr Although he works for his supermodel sister's company, Kora Organics , this sibling is busy getting ready for his upcoming wedding to his longtime beau. BING: WHO IS MIRANDA'S BROTHER ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Gisele Bündchen Twice as nice! Younger by seven minutes, this fraternal twin took modeling classes with sister Gisele ( her net worth ?) before finding success her manager. BING: WHO IS HER SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Natalia Vodianova Despite a rough start being raised poor in a Russian provincial town ( which one ?), these sisters worked hard and achieved success. This sibling studies at American University, while her half-sister Natalia has been called the "Cinderella supermodel" ( her other nickname ?) BING: WHO IS HER SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Alessandra Ambrosio This Brazilian-born beauty inherited look-alike good genes and a long legs, just like her Victoria's Secret Angel sister. BING: WHO IS HER SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Cindy Crawford Instead of following in her sister's footsteps, one of VH1's "40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s," Cindy's sister is a reading specialist in Colorado. BING: SEE THEM TOGETHER Karen Elson Model DNA runs in this family. This British model and documentary-maker worked alongside her supermodel twin Karen ( who was she married to ?) in the 2011 H&M Holiday Campaign. BING: WHO IS HER FAMOUS SIS ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Christy Turlington It's one big happy family for these look-alike sisters. This sis married her Christy's brother-in-law. Who is Christy married to ? BING: WHO IS HER SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Coco Rocha Originally from Canada ( where, exactly ?), this stepsister started her own literary press in Alabama a few years ago. Her sister Coco was discovered by a scout at an Irish dancing competition. BING: WHO IS COCO'S SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Candice Swanepoel This South African native and golf enthusiast studies Clinical Psychology Columbia State University. His little sister Candice is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret; she was picked to wear the "Fantasy Bra" at the 2013 VS Fashion Show. BING: WHO IS HER SIBLING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Lily Aldridge This California-born beauty has catwalked for Prada, Gucci and Dior. Hailing from a fashion-focused family, she's the only full-sibling (of seven!) to her Victoria's Secret Angel sister Lily. Her half-sister was the face of Ralph Lauren in the 90s and her brother is a top fashion photographer . BING: WHO IS HER FAMOUS SIS ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Cara Delevingne Like her sister, this socialite is a fixture on the London fashion circuit. A sought-after face in her own right (minus her sister's famous eyebrows), she's graced campaigns for Anya Hindmarch, Mango and Burberry. BING: WHO IS CARA'S FAMOUS SIS ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Kate Moss This fresh-faced British teen was snapped up by the same agency that famously scouted her half-sister Kate at an airport when she was 14. She recently posed for the designer that popularized " heroin chic " and crowned her sister as its trend-setting queen. BING: WHO IS KATE'S SIBILING ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER Jodie Kidd Sister of an international supermodel, this British countess also walked the runway before turning make-up artist. The mother of three most recently launched a line of lux pajamas for Harrods. BING: WHO IS JODIE'S FAMOUS SIS ? | SEE THEM TOGETHER | 4 | 8,737 | lifestyle |
It took so long for the first Ebola vaccination to be shipped to Liberia that the crisis there was waning before British company GlaxoSmithKline announced that 300 doses of an experimental vaccine were on their way to the West African nation on Friday. In medical research terms the vaccine was brought to the testing stage at record speed, but it probably comes too late to turn around the outbreak of Ebola: The turning point may have already come. With testing in West Africa still several weeks away, the new infections in the three worst-hit countries are declining sharply, according to statistics from the World Health Organization. The change is attributed to the isolation of new cases and steps taken to ensure the safe conduct of burials. The decline in cases raises questions about whether there will be enough patients left in Liberia in several weeks' time to prove the efficacy of the vaccine against the virus. The rate of new infections in the country is halving every fortnight; the number of confirmed new infections fell to just nine in the eight days ending Jan. 20. When Ebola peaked in Liberia in August and September, there were several hundred new infections a week. The worst-hit country, Sierra Leone, accounting for just under half of all infections, had 117 new confirmed cases in the week ending Jan. 18, according to WHO, compared with 248 new cases two weeks before that and more than 500 a week last month. The first people to receive the experimental vaccine in Liberia will be healthcare workers. Initial testing indicated the vaccine had an acceptable safety profile, according to GlaxoSmithKline in a statement Friday. The next phase of the trial will assess whether the immune response produced by the drug translates into meaningful protection against the disease, according to the company. "If the candidate vaccine is able to protect these people, as we hope it will, it could significantly contribute to efforts to bring this epidemic under control and prevent future outbreaks," said Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chairman of Global Vaccines at the company, in the statement. He said trials with 200 volunteers in the U.S., Britain, Switzerland and Mali were "encouraging." The vaccine's future would depend on whether WHO and regulators were satisfied that the drug would protect people from being infected without dangerous side effects, he added. The Liberian trials will involve 30,000 people, a third of whom will be given the drug. There are plans to eventually expand the trial to Sierra Leone and Guinea, the third country hit hard by the outbreak. The company also plans to test the drug in other African countries not affected by the disease. The vaccine uses a chimpanzee cold virus to deliver benign genetic material from the strain of Ebola that has raged across the three West African countries, according to the company. When the disease raged in September and October, cases increased exponentially and treatment facilities in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, filled to overflowing the moment they opened their doors. Many people died in desperate circumstances waiting outside the gates of treatment units. While WHO cautions against complacency over the deadly virus, the dramatic fall in new infections in the three countries seems to be the first real sign that the virus is coming under control after more than a year. Ebola is believed to have infected at least 21,797 people and killed at least 8,675, according to the latest WHO report released Friday. WHO said this week that Ebola remains a global health emergency. Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO's assistant director general in charge of the Ebola response, told journalists in Geneva on Friday that the situation remained precarious and the approaching rainy season could complicate efforts at control. Calling for donors to continue to step up, he said that "if you go into a real wet season with this disease you're looking at another hard year of work or plus." WHO needs a total of $250 million to fight the disease in the next six months. "There is no such thing as Ebola control, it has got to drive to zero," he said. "It's still an incredibly dangerous situation." Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma on Friday lifted travel restrictions designed to prevent the spread of the virus from one region to another. About half the country had been banned from travel, choking the economy. Although Liberia had fewer cases than in Sierra Leone, it suffered the highest death toll at 3,636. Humanitarian agencies such as Doctors Without Borders began to see an improvement in Liberia about October, when there was a rapid increase in the number of treatment beds and progress in stopping burials conducted without proper hygiene. But the crisis worsened in Sierra Leone toward the end of the year before new cases finally began to decline. The virus devastated the economies of West Africa; more than 40 countries placed quarantines or travel bans on people coming from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. WHO opposes such measures because they discourage international health workers from traveling to West Africa to respond to the disease and stigmatize people from the worst affected countries. | 5 | 8,738 | news |
A big asteroid will fly by Earth, but NASA says don't worry -- we'll be safe. CNN's Rachel Crane reports. | 8 | 8,739 | video |
Staffers at the Animal Care and Control Shelter in San Francisco are dressing one of their favorite dogs up in a variety of silly hats to prove how friendly and adorable he is. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the video. | 8 | 8,740 | video |
Fourth-division outsiders Cambridge United earned themselves a money-spinning FA Cup fourth-round replay at Old Trafford after holding Premier League giants Manchester United to a 0-0 draw on Friday. There were 76 places in the English league system between the teams at kick-off, but League Two Cambridge held their own against their illustrious visitors in front of 7,987 fans at their Abbey Stadium home. The clearest chance of the game fell to United striker Radamel Falcao in the second half, but the on-loan Colombia superstar was denied by a fine save from Cambridge goalkeeper Chris Dunn. Fans of the club from the university city were left to plan a trip to the Theatre of Dreams, less than a year after they returned to the Football League following nine years as a non-league outfit. And while United's dreams of a first FA Cup success since 2004 remain alive, the extra fixture is a game that manager Louis van Gaal could do without. Van Gaal's curious eve-of-match admission that watching United play in a 4-4-2 formation gave him a "twitchy ass" meant the visitors' team-sheet was awaited with more anticipation than usual. They lined up with a back four and a midfield diamond, while Wayne Rooney was absent from the squad amid reports of a foot injury, but on a bitterly cold night in eastern England, it was the home side who made the early running. Right-winger Ryan Donaldson in particular caught the eye, crossing for Tom Elliott to head over and seizing on a dangerous loose pass from Phil Jones, only for his heavy touch to allow the United defender to clear. - 'Waste of money!' - At the other end, Dunn saved with his legs from Daley Blind, but the best chance of the first half fell to Cambridge defender Josh Coulson, who headed just over after he had inadvertently blocked a goal-bound header from team-mate Michael Nelson. Van Gaal had warned United about Cambridge's aerial threat prior to the game, but the 11-time cup winners looked vulnerable at set-pieces nonetheless, while in attack they struggled to stretch the play. Angel di Maria, back in central midfield, had several attempts from long range, but failed to extend Dunn with any of them, prompting inevitable chants of "What a waste of money!" from the home support. United began to force Cambridge back in the second half and after Adnan Januzaj had worked Dunn at his near post, the Cambridge goalkeeper produced an excellent save to thwart Falcao, who had been released by Michael Carrick. With just over 20 minutes to play, Van Gaal made a double change, sending on Robin van Persie and Ander Herrera for James Wilson and Marouane Fellaini. Van Persie squandered a chance to put United ahead when, from an awkward angle, he hooked Di Maria's bouncing ball over the bar, while Dunn produced a sharp low stop to thwart Di Maria in stoppage time. Former United midfielder Luke Chadwick received a warm reception from both sets of supporters after entering the fray for Cambridge as a late substitute, but it was the home fans who cheered loudest at the final whistle. | 1 | 8,741 | sports |
It takes cojones to rip the runway, literally! From the tunics to the high necklines, Rick Owen's definitely went balls to the walls with his 2015-2016 menswear collection. However, there was an added touch to the garments that had us scratching our heads. Owens had the models strut their stuff down the runway leaving little to the imagination. The designer didn't just let it all hang out, he did introduce some tradition outfits like peacoats and sweaters. Check out the video to see the risque show! | 8 | 8,742 | video |
These powerful images range from touching to tragic, but together they will move you to tears A surgeon rests after a performing a successful heart transplant operation that lasted 23 hours. His assistant sleeps in the right corner. A firefighter pauses to give water to a thirsty koala in 2009, when the devastating Black Saturday bushfires rolled through Victoria, Australia, killing 173 people. After serving in Iraq for seven months, Terri Gurrola is finally reunited with her daughter. An Afghan offers tea to a thirsty soldier. A resident of Cuttack City, India, saves three kittens during the treacherous floods of 2011. A Russian solider plays an abandoned piano in Chechnya in 1994, during the First Chechen War. A German World War II prisoner is reunited with his daughter after being released by the Soviet Union. The girl had not seen her father since she was one year old. 14. A man embraces his dog after finding her alive inside the remains of his Alabama home, which was hit by a tornado in March 2012. Five-year-old Tanisha Blevin holds the hand of Nita LaGarde, 105, during the evacuation after Hurricane Katrina. Harold Whittles hears for the first time in his life after a doctor fits him with a hearing aid. Brazilian violinist Diego Frazão Torquato weeps as he plays at the funeral of John Evandro da Silva, the teacher who introduced him to music, offering it as an escape from poverty. Anti-war activist Jane Rose Kasmir, 17, holds a flower above a guard's bayonet during the 1967 March on the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War. A Russian soldier prays before the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. A decorated veteran revisits a tank once assigned to him, which is now on display as a World War II memorial. Phyllis Siegel, 76, embraces her new spouse, Connie Kopelev, 84, after they became the first same-sex couple to get legally married at the Manhattan City Clerk's office in 2011. Kopelev arrived in a wheelchair but stood with a walker during the ceremony. The couple had been together 23 years before their marriage. In 2013, the city of San Francisco honored Miles Scott's dream of working with Batman for the day. Sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Miles while bravely battling lymphoblastic leukemia saved a damsel in distress, worked with President Obama and earned the key to the city during his day-long reign. Here, Miles finishes a hard day's work with his beloved idol. Here, a woman finds a new way to dine alone together. With a cherished photo of her late husband on hand, she enjoys her tribute in an intimate booth. "My girlfriend works here," the original poster captioned the image. "This woman's husband passed away, but she still has lunch with him every day." After the Supreme Court ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Michael Knaapen and John Becker pause for an emotional celebration. Married seven years earlier in Toronto, they have been anxiously awaiting a policy change in the U.S. "Made with pride," their sign reads.. Kentucky police dog Figo pays his respects to partner Jason Ellis, a 33-years-old officer killed in an ambush five days earlier. "Figo was almost giving him that final hug goodbye. I think that picture brought more tears than anything," Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin told the Daily News in 2013. A waiter displays a generous tip from grieving parents. "In memory of our son Joel," the note they wrote on the receipt reads. "He brightened everyone's day may this brighten yours." In 2013, 77-year-old Larry Swilling took to the streets with this heart-wrenching sandwich board. Swilling's wife, Jimmy Sue, was born with one kidney, which later proved insufficient after the trauma of childbirth. "I'm trying," Larry told CBS of his efforts. "I had to do something."Shortly after his quest went viral, a kidney donor for Jimmy Sue came forward. This photo by Matej Peljahn captures a moment of freedom for 12-year-old Luka, a devoted Lakers fan who was born with muscular dystrophy and sidelined due to his illness. Here, with Peljahn s help, Luka is seen shooting his very first basket. Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor feeds a two-week-old kitten between battles in Korea in 1952. The kitten named "Miss Hap" was orphaned when her mother was killed during a mortar attack. Moments after Arden McMath collapsed on the track during a 3,200-meter race, her competitor Meghan Vogel stops to help the fallen runner up and toward the finish line. Schoep is cradled by his owner in the waters of Lake Superior, giving the 19-year-old dog relief from his debilitating arthritis and allowing him to sleep, however briefly, in comfort. An earthquake survivor, sitting on the remains of his home, looks at a family photo album. The 2008 quake in Sichuan, China, measured 8.0 and killed nearly 70,000 people. At the Hospital Infantil Sabara in Sao Paolo, Brazil, a window cleaner dressed as Superman waves to two-year-old Joao Bertola and his father. Look closely and see how their hands connect through the glass. A fellow window washer dressed as Captain America later surfaced for an equally touching encounter. A polar bear looks longingly its natural habitat while trapped in the confines of a city zoo. In another photo in this series, a giraffe tries to snack on the edges of a mural depicting greenery. This is the first in a three-part series of photos that capture the relationship of a father and son. Even the family dog seems to celebrate their display of love. A husband reminisces about his late wife while the photographer holds up a snapshot of the couple sitting on the very same bench. A man teaches his girlfriend the alphabet as she struggles with severe memory loss. No less touching is the "study buddy" coffee break they work into the session. Neil Armstrong gets emotional after his first and man's first walk on the moon. Lucas Hembree, a victim of Sanfilippo syndrome, gives a show of affection to his service dog Juno. Lucas' father, a former law enforcement officer, trained the dog himself after Lucas was judged as a poor candidate for a service animal. | 4 | 8,743 | lifestyle |
We got all the hottest, spiciest ingredients we could find and put them in the 7-Alarm Layer Dip! Your game-day eats just reached a whole new level . . . Can you survive this spice challenge? | 4 | 8,744 | lifestyle |
The award-winning actress recalls making an eggplant parm that didn't exactly go over so well with her guests. | 0 | 8,745 | foodanddrink |
We all know how hard it is to eat a healthy and balanced diet. But a new app promises to connect you to a live nutritionist for all the expert advice and feedback you need to make healthy decisions wherever you go | 7 | 8,746 | health |
Small-screen Goliaths Netflix and Amazon are ready for their close up, but the pressure the two video-streaming companies could put on the film industry shouldn't be a cause for concern. In some cases, it might even be a reason to celebrate. A press release from Amazon Inc. on Monday laid out the company's plan to begin launching as many as 12 movies a year in theaters. And Netflix Inc. has already announced its plan to simultaneously release "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend" in theaters and on its streaming service. Early Friday, DreamWorks Animation announced it would cut 500 jobs (18% of its work force) and scale back productions of original films. For 2014 sales, the FactSet consensus has DreamWorks sitting at $702 million. If that holds true, it would be down from $749 million two years prior, and $784 million two years before that. The scene in Hollywood right now looks a lot like the Apollo Creed bout in "Rocky," but Paul Degarabedian, senior media analyst for global media measurement firm Rentrak, doesn't see it that way. He doesn't see the moves by Netflix and Amazon as threats to movie theaters and a film industry that has struggled in recent years. Degarabedian said he believes the two entities, big screen and small, can live in harmony. "I don't see this as a threat to theaters," Degarabedian said before DreamWorks announced cuts. "I really see this as an indie film move. This is more about (Netflix and Amazon) testing the waters and seeing what kind of projects they can get and what kind of success they can have. "It's hard to say that the big screen is dying when it's set to have a record year in 2015." It's too early to really determine exact estimates for 2015, but looking at the year-to-date numbers, up about 4% according to Rentrak, the industry is fairing better than last year. Most of 2015's early success can be attributed to "American Sniper" and the more than $128 million it's grossed domestically since its limited release on Christmas day. Degarabedian believes that if studios continue to do potentially big blockbuster type movies, that their share of the market is safe. With highly anticipated releases like "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Jurassic World," and "Fifty Shades of Grey," he said 2015 is going to be a great year. Degarabedian said there's no replacement for a good in-theater experience the 50-foot screen, the audience atmosphere, and even just the desire to get out of the house. Film studios should be aware of what is brewing with the likes of Netflix and Amazon, but if anything, Degarabedian said this will only up the game and level of competition across the board. Netflix and Amazon did not respond to request for comment before publication. "The ultimate winner here is the audience," Degarabedian said, rattling off a list of theater reward programs. "Never before has there been so much content in the home... and now we're being bombarded with all these choice. And it's only going to get better." | 3 | 8,747 | finance |
Sailor Gutzler, a 7-year-old girl, is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed several of her family members. CNN's George Howell reports. | 8 | 8,748 | video |
Kobe Bryant is expected to miss rest of the 2015 season with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne . A final announcement is expected to come later Friday afternoon, but it appears Bryant's season will now ended prematurely due to an injury in three straight years. The injury took place in the Lakers' 96-80 loss to the Pelicans on Wendesday. Although Bryant did return to Wednesday's game, he was clearly hampered and even shot his trademarked turnaround jumper left-handed . Coach Byron Scott took the blame for putting Bryant back in and apologized to the Lakers' star for playing him too many minutes all season. It's possible to play with a torn rotator cuff, especially if it's a partial tear -- Patty Mills did so during the Spurs' championship run last season. However, the Lakers are unlikely to make the playoffs, and Scott told reporters earlier this year that he would consider sitting Bryant if the Lakers are "nowhere near playoff contention" in March. Thus, it appears Bryant will sit out and focus on returning healthy next season . Bryant is one of the NBA's greatest players, but the twilight of his career has come with a price. He only played six games last season before missing the rest of the year with a torn Achilles, and this season Lakers have bottomed out as one of the league's worst teams. Last week, Bryant admitted retirement has "crossed his mind," and it remains to be seen whether the 36-year-old will attempt a comeback next season or decide to call it a career. The Lakers expect him to return, according to Shelburne , but much can change in a few months. Bryant finally passed Michael Jordan's scoring record in December and this injury could give him a new motivator to encourage Bryant to come back and make one more run at it in Los Angeles. Bryant was recently voted into the starting lineup of the Western Conference All-Star team for the 17th time in his career, though he now won't play. He's averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season, although he's only shot 37.3 percent from the floor. | 1 | 8,749 | sports |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- We know about all the fantastic and heart-stopping plays from the Royals' magical 2014 playoff run. We remember the Sal Perez game-winner down the left-field line against Oakland in the Wild Card game. We remember the extra-inning homers from Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer to win the first two games of the American League Division Series. We remember Alex Gordon's extra-inning bomb against Baltimore in the AL Championship Series. We remember Yordano Ventura silencing the Giants in the must-win Game 6 of the World Series. Those were just some of the unforgettable moments. But there were plenty of other special moments as well, memories that simply got trumped by bigger plays that occurred in the same games. Here's a look back at eight such moments that were massively huge at the time: WILLINGHAM'S BLOOPER It was the bottom of the ninth in the unforgettable Wild Card game and the Royals were down by a run. Pinch hitter Josh Willingham started the rally that forced extra innings by serving up a flare down the right-field line that fell safely for a single. Jarrod Dyson pinch-ran, went to second on a bunt (naturally), stole third and scored on Nori Aoki's sacrifice fly. Without Willingham's pop-fly single, we'd never have seen the rest of October's heroics. THE LoCAIN CATCH In the bottom of the first in Game 1 of the ALDS at Anaheim, Calif., Kole Calhoun led off and blasted a Jason Vargas fastball toward the wall in right-center. But Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall; television replays captured Vargas' stunned (and appreciative) reaction. The grab set the tone for the entire series as the Royals' defense choked off the potent Angels attack. NORI'S BLIND STAB Also in Game 1, the score was 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth when the Angels mounted a rally. There were two on and two out when Howie Kendrick mashed a drive toward the right-center alley. Cain and Aoki converged on the ball, but at the last second as Cain leaped toward the ball, he seemed to lose track of it. Aoki, a few feet behind Cain, stuck out his glove with his head turned away from the play. The ball somehow found Aoki's glove and the threat was over. If that ball had dropped, two runs would have scored and the Angels likely would have taken the first game, perhaps even the series. Who knows? THE DYSON DP In the bottom of the eighth of Game 2 of the ALDS, the Royals turned in another defensive gem with the score tied 1-1. With pinch-runner Collin Cowgill on second base, Chris Iannetta of the Angels drilled a liner toward left-center. Dyson, in as a defensive replacement in center as Cain shifted to right field for Aoki, snared the liner and threw a one-hopper to Moustakas at third. Moose dived back toward the bag and tagged out Cowgill, who was trying to advance, for a dramatic double play, shocking the Angels and their fans. Then came Hosmer's heroics in extra innings. THE MOOSE BOMB On a misty, rainy night in Baltimore in Game 1 of the ALCS, the Royals squandered a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in the top of the ninth. Then, you'll recall, Gordon smacked a towering home run to right field in the 10th, silencing the Oriole faithful. But it is what happened a few moments later that shouldn't be forgotten. Three batters later, Moustakas whacked a two-run homer to right to give the Royals an 8-5 lead. As it turned out, that two-run jack became critical when closer Greg Holland was nicked for a run in the bottom of the 10th, the only run Holland gave up in the entire postseason. OMAR'S HUSTLE In Game 2 of the ALCS, the Royals and Orioles again were tangled up in a nail-biter with the score tied 4-4 in the top of the ninth. That is when Infante, who had been battling lower back and shoulder pain for weeks, hit a chopper off the plate toward third. Infante's back injury had seemed to limit his range at second base during the playoffs. But on this play, Infante gutted it out and sprinted as hard as he could toward first and beat the throw for an infield single. That launched the game-winning rally as Alcides Escobar later doubled in a run and Cain singled in another. BILLY'S BIG AB In the bottom of the sixth in Game 3 of the ALCS with the score tied 1-1, the Royals had runners on first and third with one out and Billy Butler up. Royals fans were fearing the worst -- a 6-4-3 double play. But Billy came through with a fly ball to left-center, just deep enough to score Dyson, who was in to pinch run, from third. The Royals went on to beat the Orioles 2-1 and took a 3-0 lead in the series. ANOTHER BIG AB FROM BILLY In the bottom of the sixth of Game 2 of the World Series, the Royals were in must-win mode, down 1-0 in the series. There were runners on first and second with none out and the score tied 2-2. Butler, who already had delivered a big two-out RBI single in the first, was up as the Giants were looking for the double play. But Butler roped a single over the shortstop's head and the Royals took the lead for good, 3-2. Butler's key hit likely has been lost in most fans' memory banks -- it was before Perez's big two-run double and Infante's two-run homer, and before reliever Hunter Strickland's bizarre shouting match with Perez that wound up clearing the benches. You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at [email protected] . | 1 | 8,750 | sports |
Some 'healthy' foods are actually fattening. Fitness and nutrition expert John Basedow (@JohnBasedow) shines a light on the sneaky foods like nuts, seeds, granola, trail mix, avocados, guacamole, olive oil, peanut butter, fruit juices and salads that are good for you...but not so much for your waistline. | 8 | 8,751 | video |
Roma have agreed to a deal with Chelsea to sign Mohamed Salah on loan until the end of next season, Goal Italy reports. The Serie A club has been locked in talks with Chelsea over the past 24 hours and has settled on a 500,000 euro loan fee for the 22-year-old, while 16 million euros will need to be paid in order to make the move permanent. Roma has the option send Salah back to Stamford Bridge if he fails to convince, but the Italian side also has the opportunity to sign the Egypt international on a permanent transfer at any point during his 18-month loan spell. The Italian side has agreed to a contract with the midfielder worth €2 million a year, plus bonuses, until 2019. Salah, who joined Chelsea from Basel for around €13 million last January, has played only 30 minutes in the Premier League this season. Salah has already been offered to Atletico Madrid and Monaco during this transfer window, while Chelsea also explored the option of using winger as part of a deal to land Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina. | 1 | 8,752 | sports |
Written by Sara Loken It's hard to predict which nominees for the 2015 Grammy Awards are destined for greatness or consigned to the pile of one-hit wonders. Look back at other artists whose careers may have peaked on Grammy night. SIR MIX-A-LOT Sir Mix-A-Lot's Grammy award winning hit has made a recent comeback thanks to a sample in Nicki Minaj's latest single " Anaconda ." Sir Mix-A-Lot has continued to stay active in music through producing and collaborating with other artists. In June 2014, he collaborated with the Seattle Symphony (he's from the Seattle area) to honor Seattle musicians. BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID IT WIN ? Bobby McFerrin Everyone was happy in 1989 thanks to Bobby McFerrin's reggae-inspired hit. Recently, McFerrin has focused his career on the science of music and co-hosted the PBS documentary " The Music Instinct: Science and Song ." In 2013, he released and toured for an album of spiritual songs called " Spirityouall ." BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARDS DID IT WIN ? Paula Cole In 1997, Paula Cole was all over the radio with " Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? " and on TV singing the theme song for " Dawson's Creek ." Since her 1996 album "This Fire," Cole has released four albums, the most recent in 2013 titled "Raven." She's currently on the faculty at Berklee College of Music . BING: WHAT WAS HER OTHER HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID SHE WIN ? Baha Men Blaring through every stadium speaker in 2000, the Baha Men had a massive and short-lived hit that still has people dancing. They released an album, " Holla! ," in 2004, and continue to ride on the fame of their one hit, performing at festivals and concerts. Check out their 2011 single " Go! " BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID IT WIN ? Coolio Coolio had a hit song in 1995 for the movie " Dangerous Minds ." He's since made his name as a star on various reality shows including " Celebrity Big Brother " and "Wife Swap." He also released a cookbook and a web series called " Cookin' with Coolio ." BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID IT WIN ? Hootie & the Blowfish For Hootie & the Blowfish , the mid-'90s were all about their album "Cracked Rear View." The album had four hits and earned the group its first and only Grammy. In 2008, lead singer Darius Rucker embarked on a solo career in country music, where he found success with single " Don't Think I Don't Think About It ." BING: WHAT WAS ONE OF THEIR HIT SONGS ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID THEY WIN ? Seal Thanks to a song in 1996 for hit movie " Batman Forever ," Seal was launched stateside after fame in Great Britain in the early '90s. Seal has stayed in the news with his marriage and divorce from supermodel Heidi Klum . He was a judge from 2012-2013 on Australia's version of " The Voice ." BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARDS DID HE WIN ? Christopher Cross Christopher Cross was sailing high in 1981 with two hit songs. " Arthur's Theme " won an Oscar for Best Original Song, while another hit earned him several Grammys. Cross had almost instant success and released 12 albums, his most recent in 2014 titled " Secret Ladder ." He also recorded " Lemon's Theme " with Tina Fey for "30 Rock." BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARDS DID HE WIN ? Shawn Colvin Folk singer Shawn Colvin saw fame across musical genres with her 1997 hit on her album "A Few Small Repairs." In 2009, she earned another Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Recording for her album " Shawn Colvin Live ." She also made an appearance in 2011 on HBO's " Treme ." BING: WHAT WAS HER HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARDS DID SHE WIN ? Creed Creed had a massive hit in 1999 with " Higher " and they earned a Grammy award for their second hit off their " Human Clay " album. The band broke up in 2005 and lead singer Scott Stapp embarked on an unsuccessful solo career. The band reunited in 2009 and released their first album together in eight years, "Full Circle." Stapp has continued to make headlines. In November 2014, his wife filed for divorce and he announced he was penniless . BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID IT WIN ? Jamiroquai Jamiroquai's biggest hit in 1997 had a small resurgence in 2004 thanks to a dance routine in " Napoleon Dynamite ." The group continues to tour and lead singer Jay Kay is still recognizable for his outlandish hats. Rumor has is they're set to release a new album this year. BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID THEY WIN ? Lauryn Hill After the 1997 split of the Fugees , lead singer Lauryn Hill shot to fame with the release of her solo album " The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill ." Hill earned five Grammys for the album, and it's still the only studio solo album she's released. Hill was sent to prison for three months in 2013 on charges of tax evasion . Today, she performs at various events and festivals but hasn't announced any plans to release a new album. BING: WHAT WAS HER HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARDS DID SHE WIN ? Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band's 1976 hit earned them three Grammy nominations and continues to weave its way through popular culture. The band broke up in 1981, but member Bill Danoff continues to perform solo. Danoff released an album in 2002 of songs he co-wrote with friend John Denver , "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado." BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID THEY WIN ? Michael Bolton Michael Bolton was all over the early '90s adult contemporary and easy listening charts. Female fans were in love with his hit " How Am I Supposed to Live Without You? " His second massive hit was a cover of a Percy Sledge song. Bolton had an on-again, off-again relationship with actress Nicolette Sheridan that finally ended in 2008. In 2010, he was a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars," and he released an autobiography in 2013, " The Soul of It All: My Music, My Life ." BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID HE WIN ? Gnarls Barkley The song of the summer in 2006 was the brainchild of singer CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse (Brian Joseph). The group was put on hold in 2008 after their follow up album " The Odd Couple ," but has never formally broken up. Meanwhile, Green has made appearances as a judge on the reality show "The Voice" and Danger Mouse has produced albums for a variety of artists including The Black Keys . BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID THEY WIN ? Sammi Smith Country singer Sammi Smith became a household name in 1971 singing a song written by songwriter and country star Kris Kristofferson . Smith would continue to record through the '70s and had a small hit in 1986 with "Love Me All Over." She passed away in 2005. Her son, Waylon Payne , played Jerry Lee Lewis in the Johnny Cash biopic " Walk the Line ." BING: WHAT WAS HER HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID SHE WIN ? Alannah Myles Canadian artist Alannah Myles released her first album in 1989 and had an instant hit with her first released single. In 1992, she was nominated for another Grammy for her " Rockinghorse " album. In 2009, she released her fifth album titled after her hit single from 1990. BING: WHAT WAS HER HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID SHE WIN ? Bob Carlisle Bob Carlisle's 1997 hit was heard on every country radio station and at every wedding that year. Carlisle has had more success as a Christian recording artist and had a song on the soundtrack for the 2006 film version of " Charlotte's Web ." BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID HE WIN ? Marc Cohn Marc Cohn has steadily been releasing albums and collaborating with fellow musicians since his massive hit in 1991. In the late '90s, he worked with Kris Kristofferson and Jackson Browne . In 2005, Cohn was shot in the head in Denver, Colo., in an attempted carjacking after a performance. His last album was a covers album released in 2010, " Listening Booth: 1970 ." BING: WHAT WAS HIS HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID HE WIN ? Milli Vanilli Lip syncing pop duo Milli Vanilli was set to release a comeback album titled " Back and In Attack " in 1998 when singer Rob Pilatus was found dead in his hotel room during a promotional tour. The other half of the group, Fab Morvan , has continued work as a solo artist, releasing his first album in 2003. Rumors have swirled since 2007 of a movie based on their careers . BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID THEY WIN (AND HAVE TO GIVE BACK )? A Taste of Honey Disco duo A Taste of Honey couldn't quite recapture the fame they had with their 1978 hit, and when disco era died, so did their popularity. The pair reunited in 2004 for a PBS special called " Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion ." BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID THEY WIN ? Jody Watley Jody Watley had already been singing on the soul circuit before she won her first Grammy. In addition to being a soul icon, Watley has been a fashion star, appearing in Vogue, Essence and Vanity Fair. She's released nine albums in her career and her latest single, " Nightlife ," was released in 2013. BING: WHAT WAS HER HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID SHE WIN ? Macy Gray Soul singer Macy Gray is still an active recording and performing artist, releasing her latest album " The Way " in 2014. While it failed to chart in the U.S., Gray has found a second line of work as an actress, scoring parts in films like "Training Day," " The Paperboy " and " Idlewild ." BING: WHAT WAS HER HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID SHE WIN ? The Wallflowers Members of The Wallflowers have come and gone over the years, but singer Jakob Dylan has remained the only constant. The band went on hiatus in 2006, touring sporadically, but reformed and released a new album titled " Glad All Over " in October of 2012. BING: WHAT WAS THEIR HIT SONG ? | WHAT GRAMMY AWARD DID THEY WIN ? | 6 | 8,753 | entertainment |
Recently, on a road trip, we were able to stop by Owens Salvage in Wellington, Texas, for a real treat. If you can only imagine turning back the clocks to the early '70s when salvage operations were at their peak, you're just touching the surface because this place is a total time warp. Upon pulling into the parking lot we were immediately greeted by a massive building that houses their showroom, general offices, and cavernous rooms where parts are pulled and categorized. The operation is run by Bob and Linda Owens who are second-generation to the family run business. Set across 65 acres you'll find what seem like endless rows of vintage cars (ranging from 1928-1980) categorized by decades, and manufacturers with complete areas dedicated to pickup trucks as well. The majority of the cars and trucks on site fall within the '40s through the '70s and many of them are still somewhat complete. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though as amassing something this cool didn't just happen overnight; rather it took decades to come together. It was actually Robert Owens Sr. who, while in high school in the late '50s, owned and operated a local Chevron gas and service station who got it all started. While running the busy repair side of the business, occasionally there were cars that were beyond help, which were abandoned at the shop. Being a hot rodder, this meant having extra parts around for his personal projects as well as bits and pieces for future jobs that might come in. Problem was the dead cars seemed to multiply, creating a storage problem on the property. Being a smart businessman he purchased a five-acre land parcel in town to begin storing the salvaged cars. Almost immediately, people began showing up at the service station wanting parts from the cars on his new lot, thus forcing him to split his time between both businesses. By the time 1964 came he decided to focus his concentration exclusively on the salvage operation. Humble beginnings, as he then purchased an old two-room farmhouse and transported it to the site to act as their first building. As the years passed, business increased at a rapid rate where Robert acquired 60 added acres of land, boosting the operation to 65 acres and a growing staff. By the time 1969 came he had added their first big building dedicated to stripping cars and cataloging parts. In fact that very same year they were voted America's Best and Cleanest Salvage Yard, a great honor seeing how particular Robert and his wife, Kitty, were into keeping his facility it tip-top shape. Always the innovator, Robert built and designed his own crusher for when cars needed to get flattened and shipped out for final scrap. He did this by incorporating his design with '50s-era military hydraulic cylinders used to raise and close missile silo doors and being powered by a military surplus Detroit diesel engine. Somewhere in the middle of this a young Bob Owens decided to pass up afternoon cartoons after school for a chance to hang out with his dad at work with his first set of tools to take stuff apart. By the time he was 13 he was driving a wrecker to nearby towns picking up salvage vehicles. No small feat for the young teen. By the mid '70s contracts with insurance companies had the yard processing well over 100 cars per month, in addition to their regular business, with up to 20 employees making it all happen on a daily basis. By the time 1980 hit their current building was added to give them even more indoor space for parts and disassembly. In the last decade Bob and his wife, Linda, have taken over the daily operation of the yard and organized it to its current layout by manufacturer and decade, giving you a real treat as you walk through. They have truly seen a dramatic change in how the business moves thanks to the Internet in today's market. Even with the increased web-based customers driving the business now, Bob still enjoys the sounds of visitors coming into the showroom looking for just the right part and to be able to help them personally. Sales have also gone worldwide, with orders being shipped on a regular basis to countries including New Zealand, Australia, Norway, and the UK to help with their needs. Thanks to having places like Owens Salvage still on our landscape, hot rodders and restorers alike can know that their particular needs for vintage parts can still be met. Owens Salvage Company www.owenssalvage.com | 9 | 8,754 | autos |
Nice, who played most of the second half with 10 men, downed Marseille 2-1 on Friday to compound an already trying week for the French giants and put an unexpected dent in their Ligue 1 title aspirations. Second half goals from Romain Genevois and Niklas Hult earned Nice the deserved bragging rights in a frenetic Mediterranean derby and left Marseille seeking their first win on the road in three months Marseille turned up at Nice's Allianz Riviera stadium anxious to get down to the business of playing football and forget about their legal woes that saw a dozen people arrested this week in connection with an inquiry into suspect transfers. Former coach and sporting director Jose Anigo was among the group picked up for questioning and subsequently released without charge. The suspect transfers being investigated date back to 2010 and include that of French international striker Andre-Pierre Gignac. In front of 30,000 fans Nice were seeking to secure their third successive league win, while Marseille were intent on keeping the pressure on Lyon at the summit. The loss kept them one point adrift of Lyon, who can extend their advantage when they take on fourth-from-bottom Metz on Sunday. Nice moved up to ninth, on 31 points. "I think we did enough to win the match but we have to give credit to our opponents who played 35 minutes with 10 men," said Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa. "And they never stopped attacking even when a man down." In a free-flowing first period an early poor clearance by Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda was pounced on by Alassane Plea but the Nice attacker's attempt went wide. Down at the other end, Marseille's Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi shrugged off his Nice minders to strike a tricky volley over the crossbar after a precision cross from Florian Thauvin on the left. On 21 minutes Eric Bautheac's free-kick into the Marseille penalty area was narrowly headed over the bar by Plea. Shortly after Bautheac briefly needed medical attention after being felled by Baptiste Aloe, the Marseille man receiving the first booking of the game. Despite their endeavour neither side had a single shot on target in the first half. That all changed two minutes after the restart when Valentin Eysseric sent a cross into the area and after a frantic goalmouth scramble Haiti defender Genevois poked the ball across the line with his right-foot for his first goal for the club. On 55 minutes Nice were down to 10 men when Kevin Gomis picked up his second booking, two minutes after his first for obstructing Dimitri Payet. On the hour, Mandanda denied an attempt by Nampalys Mendy, but on 73 minutes the Marseille keeper was unable to stop Hult's close-range shot. The excellent Thauvin gave Marseille a glimmer of hope of getting something out of the game with a left-footed lob over Nice keeper Mouez Hassen and into an empty net with 13 minutes remaining. While Lyon are at Metz, champions Paris Saint-Germain, who knocked Bordeaux out of the French Cup midweek, face a tricky trip to St Etienne. PSG are placed third, four points behind Lyon, with St Etienne a point behind the French capital club in fourth. | 1 | 8,755 | sports |
COLUMBUS, Ohio Hockey players always like to talk about how injuries create opportunities for others, and the All-Star Game is no exception. Though the withdrawals of Pittsburgh Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Colorado Avalanche defensemen Erik Johnson rob the NHL of marquee names, it is allowing the league to show off its young talent by adding rookies Filip Forsberg and Aaron Ekblad to Sunday's game. Johnny Gaudreau also is expected to get the call. The three were supposed to take part only in Saturday's skills competition but now will be in a bigger spotlight. "It was pretty surprising," Forsberg, a Nashville Predators forward, said of getting the Thursday afternoon call. The three are frontrunners for rookie of the year and took vastly different paths to get to this point. Gaudreau, a Calgary Flames forward, went the college route and Florida Panthers defenseman Ekblad was drafted No. 1 overall last June out of the Ontario Hockey League. Forsberg came from Sweden and spent most of last season in the American Hockey League. "I was just really determined all summer to come back from last season's up-and-down season and try to play good hockey again," he said. "I always knew I had it in me and I was just trying to prepare as well as possible for this season, and it's been working so far." Playing most of the season with newly arrived creative center Mike Ribeiro and a coaching change to offensively oriented Peter Laviolette has Forsberg leading the rookie race with 40 points. "I want to play offensive hockey and that's what our team wants to do, too, and that fits me pretty good," he said. Gaudreau also is an offensive whiz, winning the Hobey Baker Award at Boston College last season, but in his last visit to Columbus in October, he was a healthy scratch and wondering whether he'd stick with the Flames. Using that a wakeup call, he began picking up his game in November and won rookie of the month in December. "I don't know if it was a certain game or whatnot, but as each game goes on, I feel a little more comfortable and I get more experience as each game goes on," he said. "I think it's really crucial for me to make sure to think about things like that." Ekblad, 18, is thriving at a position that most consider takes years to master at the NHL level. It helps to have Stanley Cup winners Willie Mitchell and Brian Campbell as teammates and Hall of Famer Bobby Orr at his agent. "It's a good support system to have, that's for sure," he said. Ekblad is one of the few June draft picks to stick around with his NHL team this season and is the most polished of the bunch. "We've played them a couple times and he's been real tough to play against," Forsberg said. "He's playing with huge confidence and is tough on both ends of the ice. He's shutting people down on defense and putting up points on offense. He gives you everything you want from a defenseman and at that age, it's impressive." Ekblad has dealt with the greater NHL speed by focusing on sound positional play. The hardest part, he says, has been adjusting to the schedule. "Eighty-two games, in and out of different time zones, Canada and U.S., traveling, flights, it's not as easy as it looks," he said. The whole season has been a blur to him. "I didn't know I'd be coming to this (weekend)," he said. "I didn't know that I'd have an opportunity to maybe play in the game. It's a whirlwind. It's all been moving very, very quickly. I'm 18 and it's a lot." | 1 | 8,756 | sports |
Which state is crazy about fried dill pickles? New York is well on its way to making yogurt the official state snack. It turns out that several other states have already designated official snack foods: Jell-O was declared the official snack of Utah back in 2001, and Illinois a top producer of corn made popcorn its official snack in 2003. We think every state should have an official snack food, and researched the best snack from every state in the U.S. ALABAMA Moon Pies a treat made of 2 graham crackers with marshmallow filling, coated in chocolate are so beloved in Alabama that a 12-foot version of the cookie drops from one of Mobile's tallest buildings on New Year's Eve. ALASKA The state's great salmon run is seasonal, but healthy, smoky salmon jerky can be enjoyed year-round. ARIZONA Prickly Pear Cactus Candy is chewy, sweet, and made with prickly pears straight from Arizona's arid land. ARKANSAS The state claims to have invented fried dill pickles. The sliced and battered treats are the highlight of Arkansas' annual Picklefest. CALIFORNIA See's Candy, famous for its assorted chocolates and chews, is a California institution. It's practically a faux pas to visit the state without bringing home a box. COLORADO Colorado is known for its wild game, and jerky is a popular energy booster on the state's hiking, mountain biking, and ski trails. CONNECTICUT Famed New Haven pizza spot Frank Pepe's is home of the white clam pie, which contains oregano, grated cheese, chopped garlic, and fresh littleneck clams. DELAWARE Delaware is famous for its fresh crab, and crab puffs made with crab meat, cheese, and baked or fried are the perfect way to enjoy this delicacy in snack form. FLORIDA Anastasia Confections' Coconut Patties a creamy coconut filling with a dark chocolate shell are a Florida favorite. GEORGIA Pimento cheese, dubbed "caviar of the South," is a mixture of pimentos, cheddar cheese, mayo, and spices, and is staple on the menu at annual The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National. HAWAII Crack seed, which originated in China, is dried fruit that comes in a wide variety of flavors, from salty to sweet. IDAHO Idaho is practically synonymous with the potato, and some of America's best french fries can be found there, at places like Boise Fry Co. ILLINOIS Illinois is a major producer of corn, and adopted popcorn as its official snack in 2003. Locals swear by Garrett Popcorn, whose flavors range from cheese to caramel. INDIANA The state is home to Hinsdale Farms, one of the largest corn dog manufacturers in the world. These deep-fried treats are best consumed with sides like mustard, mayo, and ketchup. IOWA The Walking Taco a bag of Doritos or Fritos crushed up and filled with taco fixings like sour cream salsa, and jalapeños was supposedly invented at the Iowa State Fair. KANSAS State natives are partial to the sticky, cinnamon-crusted rolls from Stroud's, a homestyle staple in the Breadbasket of America. KENTUCKY The state is home to dozens of bourbon distilleries, and bourbon balls candies made with bourbon, chocolate, sugar, and nuts are the perfect way to enjoy the liquor in snack form. LOUISIANA There are many beloved snack foods from Louisiana, but Zapp's thick-cut, kettle-cooked potato chips are a true favorite. They come in Cajun-inspired flavors like "Spicy Cajun Crawtator," "Sour Cream and Creole Onion," and "Cajun Dill Gator-tators." MAINE The Whoopie Pie a creamy filling sandwiched by 2 pieces of chocolate cake is the official state treat of Maine and celebrated annually with Whoopie Pie festival. MARYLAND If you have a friend from Baltimore, chances are you have heard of the Berger Cookie. These cake-like cookies are topped with a thick layer of chocolate fudge that derives from a German recipe, and put New York's black and white cookies to shame. MASSACHUSETTS The Hoodsie Cup is a small waxed-paper cup filled with the delicious pairing of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Produced by Massachusetts-based dairy company Hood, Hoodsies are available at Walmart and limited grocery stores in the Northeast. MICHIGAN Since the 1930s, people in Detroit have been touting the superior quality of Better Made Potato Chips. Made with Michigan potatoes and high-quality spices, these chips are tricky to get your hands on outside of the state. MINNESOTA Whether they're baked into a "hotdish" or served on their own, tater tots are the comfort food of choice in Minnesota. These deep-fried potato bites perfectly break apart in your mouth. MISSISSIPPI Not only is there a brand called Mississippi Cheese Straws, but most Southern cooks have their own special recipe for this savory snack. Made with cheddar cheese, flour, and butter and then baked, cheese straws are a delicious hors d'oeuvre. MISSOURI Toasted or fried ravioli was first made popular in St. Louis. Served with marinara sauce and covered in Parmesan cheese, these little fried pieces of heaven can be found at most restaurants across the state. MONTANA Huckleberries often confused with blueberries are sweet and tart round fruits that are abundant in this state. Perfect for filling up pies or making jams, Huckleberries are also a delicious snack all on their own. NEBRASKA The state's favorite brand of ice cream is Goodrich. It may taste heavier and creamier than other brands, but that's because the company uses more cream and packs its ice cream tightly so no air bubbles or ice crystals can form. NEVADA Navajo frybread, traditionally made by Nevada's Navajo tribes, is extremely popular. The fried dough is usually topped with traditional taco fillings like meat, beans, and cheese. NEW HAMPSHIRE Known for its maple syrup, the Granite State also turns out melt-in-your-mouth maple candies. The syrup is simply heated and transformed into bite-sized pieces of pure sugar that are almost fudge-like in consistency. NEW JERSEY Sweet and sticky saltwater taffy is the perfect New Jersey summer snack. It's extremely popular on the Jersey Shore, where many candy shops still make the treat by hand. NEW MEXICO The official state cookie is Bizcochito, a butter- or lard-based cookie that's flavored with anise and cinnamon. It was developed by Spanish colonists, and is usually eaten in the morning with coffee or milk, or during special celebrations. NEW YORK New Yorkers' snack tastes run the gamut, but state legislators are close to making yogurt the official state snack. Sorry, Buffalo wings, soft pretzels, and apples. NORTH CAROLINA Krispy Kreme donuts are huge in North Carolina, which is home to the original shop in Winston-Salem. Stop by the store early to get your glazed donut while it's still hot and chewy. NORTH DAKOTA "Chippers" from Widman's Candy Shop are this state's favorite snack. The thick-ridged Red River Valley Potato Chips come covered in chocolate, peanut butter, or white almond. OHIO Everyone in Ohio loves Buckeye candy, tasty peanut butter confections dipped in chocolate. Most people make their own at home (and consume immediately), but they can also be found in most local candy stores. OKLAHOMA A simple, Southern classic, expect to find fried okra on almost every single Oklahoma menu. Crisped to a golden brown and never slimy, fried okra is an irresistible side dish. OREGON Juanita's Tortilla chips are perfectly salted corn chips that are mega-popular with Oregonians. Fans went crazy for the company's latest flavor, spicy Chilipeño, which debuted last year. PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia is the home of TastyKake-brand snacks. With cookie bars, brownies, and other cream-filled goodies, TastyKake is as tasty as its name claims. RHODE ISLAND Almost exclusively found at Rhode Island Italian bakeries and markets, pizza strips are strips of cheese-less and topping-less pizza. The fresh sauce and crispy crust make this a staple snack. SOUTH CAROLINA Boiled peanuts have been the official state snack of South Carolina since 2006. Raw or green peanuts (with their shells on) are boiled in a large pot of very heavily salted water and boiled. The result is a soft, salty peanut that's easy to open or eat whole. SOUTH DAKOTA Chislic, or bites of grilled meat served with garlic salt and saltine crackers, is a hearty snack. Popular at bars and the state fair, chislic is rarely seen outside the state. TENNESSEE Nashville is home to the GooGoo Cluster, a disk-shaped candy bar filled with marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate. Delicious. TEXAS Tortilla chips and salsa are the official state snack of Texas. A resolution in the Texas House of Representatives was passed making it official, noting: "Like the square dance, the guitar, and the rodeo, tortilla chips and salsa are deeply rooted in Texas tradition." UTAH Jell-O is the official state snack of Utah seriously. In 2001, lawmakers got together and wrote the resolution recognizing the jiggly stuff as the state's official snack, saying, "Jell-O is representative of good family fun, which Utah is known for throughout the world." VERMONT Does it get better than Ben & Jerry's ice cream? The brand started in Burlington, Vermont almost 40 years ago, and remains this state's favorite snack with more than 100 delicious and different varieties. VIRGINIA Rt 11 Potato Chips' Chesapeake Crab flavor wins hearts across Virginia. The chips are small but crunchy, and use the same blend of peppers, salt, and sugar that restaurants use when steaming bushels of crabs. WASHINGTON Seattle is home to Halfpops, which makes half-popped popcorn. The kernels come in both butter and sea salt and white cheddar flavors, and pack more crunch and flavor than regular popcorn. WEST VIRGINIA Pepperoni rolls are this state's unofficial snack. The dough rolls are filled with meat and cheese, and can now be found at convenience stores statewide. WISCONSIN Wisconsinites love their cheese so much that they take cheese byproduct and fry it up to make fried cheese curds. Expect to see these at every restaurant, bar, and bowling alley in Wisconsin. WYOMING Buffalo jerky or "cowboy jerky" is a major draw in the Frontier State. The bold flavor and chewy texture separates this snack from its brethren. | 0 | 8,757 | foodanddrink |
Take off with the latest in travel tech. From suitcases that can charge your devices to headphones that cancel the noise around you, these items are cleared for takeoff. Brett Larson has more. | 2 | 8,758 | travel |
NEW YORK (AP) The New York Jets have hired Kacy Rodgers as their defensive coordinator and Bobby April Jr. as special teams coordinator under new coach Todd Bowles. The team announced the moves Friday. Bowles hired Chan Gailey as his offensive coordinator earlier in the week. Rodgers had been Miami's defensive line coach since 2008. He and Bowles have worked together previously with the Dolphins and under Bill Parcells in Dallas. April, regarded as one of the NFL's top special teams coaches, was with Oakland the past two seasons. He previously was with Philadelphia, where he worked with Bowles in 2012, along with Buffalo, St. Louis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Bowles also hired eight position coaches, including former NFL linebacker Mike Caldwell, who will serve as assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach. --- AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL | 1 | 8,759 | sports |
Tired of smoothies, but want to add more protein to your diet? TC Newman (@PurpleTCNewman) has protein powder recipes for your favorite foods. | 8 | 8,760 | video |
Recently, on a road trip, we were able to stop by Owens Salvage in Wellington, Texas, for a real treat. If you can only imagine turning back the clocks to the early '70s when salvage operations were at their peak, you're just touching the surface because this place is a total time warp. Upon pulling into the parking lot we were immediately greeted by a massive building that houses their showroom, general offices, and cavernous rooms where parts are pulled and categorized. The operation is run by Bob and Linda Owens who are second-generation to the family run business. Set across 65 acres you'll find what seem like endless rows of vintage cars (ranging from 1928-1980) categorized by decades, and manufacturers with complete areas dedicated to pickup trucks as well. The majority of the cars and trucks on site fall within the '40s through the '70s and many of them are still somewhat complete. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though as amassing something this cool didn't just happen overnight; rather it took decades to come together. It was actually Robert Owens Sr. who, while in high school in the late '50s, owned and operated a local Chevron gas and service station who got it all started. While running the busy repair side of the business, occasionally there were cars that were beyond help, which were abandoned at the shop. Being a hot rodder, this meant having extra parts around for his personal projects as well as bits and pieces for future jobs that might come in. Problem was the dead cars seemed to multiply, creating a storage problem on the property. Being a smart businessman he purchased a five-acre land parcel in town to begin storing the salvaged cars. Almost immediately, people began showing up at the service station wanting parts from the cars on his new lot, thus forcing him to split his time between both businesses. By the time 1964 came he decided to focus his concentration exclusively on the salvage operation. Humble beginnings, as he then purchased an old two-room farmhouse and transported it to the site to act as their first building. As the years passed, business increased at a rapid rate where Robert acquired 60 added acres of land, boosting the operation to 65 acres and a growing staff. By the time 1969 came he had added their first big building dedicated to stripping cars and cataloging parts. In fact that very same year they were voted America's Best and Cleanest Salvage Yard, a great honor seeing how particular Robert and his wife, Kitty, were into keeping his facility it tip-top shape. Always the innovator, Robert built and designed his own crusher for when cars needed to get flattened and shipped out for final scrap. He did this by incorporating his design with '50s-era military hydraulic cylinders used to raise and close missile silo doors and being powered by a military surplus Detroit diesel engine. Somewhere in the middle of this a young Bob Owens decided to pass up afternoon cartoons after school for a chance to hang out with his dad at work with his first set of tools to take stuff apart. By the time he was 13 he was driving a wrecker to nearby towns picking up salvage vehicles. No small feat for the young teen. By the mid '70s contracts with insurance companies had the yard processing well over 100 cars per month, in addition to their regular business, with up to 20 employees making it all happen on a daily basis. By the time 1980 hit their current building was added to give them even more indoor space for parts and disassembly. In the last decade Bob and his wife, Linda, have taken over the daily operation of the yard and organized it to its current layout by manufacturer and decade, giving you a real treat as you walk through. They have truly seen a dramatic change in how the business moves thanks to the Internet in today's market. Even with the increased web-based customers driving the business now, Bob still enjoys the sounds of visitors coming into the showroom looking for just the right part and to be able to help them personally. Sales have also gone worldwide, with orders being shipped on a regular basis to countries including New Zealand, Australia, Norway, and the UK to help with their needs. Thanks to having places like Owens Salvage still on our landscape, hot rodders and restorers alike can know that their particular needs for vintage parts can still be met. | 9 | 8,761 | autos |
"Out with the old, in with the new" is a motto often adopted at the start of a new year whether you're contemplating lives, relationships, even spaces. Now think of your own home. Perhaps it's the right time to pare down a collection, finally splurge on a new sofa, or brighten up a room with a fresh coat of paint. What's on your decorating to-do list for 2015? To help you develop the best plan of action, we spoke with seven interior designers who know a thing or two about what's trending in home decor. Read on for their insights on what we'll be seeing more of in the year ahead. A Twist on All-White The appeal of all-white kitchens endures, but we can expect to see an update on this class look by way of a repeating accent color. "To customize an all-white space, try throwing in some beautiful window treatments, a colorful island or stools, or a distinctive light fixture," says Carla Aston of Carla Aston DESIGNED . Brass Accents No longer overlooked for the gleam of stainless steel or chrome finishes, brass is taking over bathrooms and kitchens and living rooms in the form of faucets, fixtures, and accessories. "Brass is back with a vengeance," declares Antonino Buzzetta , New York City interior designer and guest speaker at this January's Metro Curates Show on the topic of "Past to Present: Design Beyond the Boundaries." Natural Rattan Au naturel is in, rattan being the go-to neutral for its subtle pattern. "Its color and texture will be big this year to create personality-packed spaces," says Sara Gilbane Sullivan, principal designer of Sara Gilbane Interiors and Metro Curates Show panelist. "The ease that rattan brings to a room is timeless ." Layered Patterns "The use of pattern throughout a space on all surfaces is coming back," observes interior designer Patrick Mele, who also spoke at the Metro Curates Show. To make it work, unify different patterns with a coordinating color scheme or choose one dominant motif and layer other smaller prints that complement it. Rustic Meets Modern Rustic tables, benches, and chairs with a modern edge to them will be popular this year, reports Sharon Radovich, principal of Panache Interior Design in Austin. "Juxtaposing organic elements like wood or stone with smooth metals or translucent acrylic is a clever way to add both natural and modern touches to any space," she says. Splashy Bold Hues While calming hues like soft gray will continue to be popular in home design, Claire Paquin of Clean Design Partners has noticed more layering of bold colors on those neutral backgrounds. "Clients are getting more comfortable and are even craving unexpected, bright colors like aqua, berry, orange, and chartreuse," she reveals. Open-Plan Kitchens In the realm of kitchen renovation, consider your options very open. Jason Landau, owner of Amazing Spaces LLC , predicts a continued trend of opening up enclosed kitchens to adjacent rooms for a larger living-dining-kitchen area. "Many people will forego a traditional kitchen table and use a formal dining table in the expanded space," he says. | 4 | 8,762 | lifestyle |
When 19-year-old Yaasmeen took a friend's antibiotic, she hoped it would offer relief from her flu-like symptoms. Instead, Yaasmeen developed a life-threatening allergic reaction to the medication, which resulted in burns to 60 percent of her body. | 7 | 8,763 | health |
In the wake of the death of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Friday, discussions and stories about the Saudi leader's life and policies have dominated the news media. One such story is a humorous anecdote about the king's apparently harrowing encounter with Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. How harrowing? The queen is rumored to have "terrorized" then-Crown Prince Abdullah with her driving skills, learned during World War II when she was but a princess and trained as a mechanic and military truck driver for the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service of the British Army. Princess Elizabeth standing by an Auxiliary Territorial Service first aid truck wearing an officer's uniform in 1945. The story was excerpted in The Sunday Times from a memoir by British diplomat Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, who was appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in 2003. It begins with Abdullah -- then the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia -- visiting Balmoral, the Queen's estate in Scotland. "After lunch, the Queen had asked her royal guest whether he would like a tour of the estate," wrote Cowper-Coles, who is said to have heard the tale from both Elizabeth and Abdullah themselves. "Prompted by his foreign minister the urbane Prince Saud, an initially hesitant Abdullah had agreed. The royal Land Rovers were drawn up in front of the castle. As instructed, the Crown Prince climbed into the front seat of the front Land Rover, his interpreter in the seat behind." Little did Abdullah know, however, that his driver for the day would be none other than Elizabeth herself. "To his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off," Cowper-Coles wrote. "Women are not -- yet -- allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, and Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman, let alone a queen." Not to mention a queen who can drive like the wind. According to Cowper-Coles, Elizabeth didn't just drive the SUV, but rapidly whizzed along the estate's roads as she chatted, prompting Abdullah to become increasingly anxious. "Through his interpreter, the Crown Prince implored the Queen to slow down and concentrate on the road ahead," the diplomat said. Read the whole account, from Cowper-Coles' book "Ever the Diplomat," here: Sherard Cowper-Coles' anecdote about #KingAbdullah and the Queen at Balmoral in 1998 (reminded by @Doylech ): pic.twitter.com/SO9GSp2RR9 Shashank Joshi (@shashj) January 23, 2015 The British royal family said Friday that Prince Charles, "representing Her Majesty The Queen," will be traveling to Saudi Arabia to "pay his condolences" following the death of King Abdullah, per The Independent. With his death, Elizabeth, 88, has become the oldest monarch in the world. Abdullah is believed to have been about 90 at the time of his passing. | 5 | 8,764 | news |
Do kids need to take daily multi vitamins? Some do, some don't. Holly Firfer explains. | 7 | 8,765 | health |
Drones are everywhere these days. They're under Christmas trees . They're at the X-Games . They're even in Congress . And if NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has its way, they could be headed to Mars next in the form of the Mars Helicopter . Rover teams still have a tough time with the Martian surface even though they're flush with terrestrial data. The alien surface is uneven, and ridges and valleys make navigating the terrain difficult. The newest solution proposed by JPL is the Mars Helicopter, an autonomous drone that could "triple the distances that Mars rovers can drive in a Martian day," according to NASA. The helicopter would fly ahead of a rover when its view is blocked and send Earth-bound engineers the right data to plan the rover's route. The rover teams could also use images from the helicopter to select features for further study, giving them a much closer option than the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and its HiRISE camera , which is over 150 miles above the surface. Prototype versions of the Mars Helicopter are being tested now. The idea is proposed as an "add-on" to future rover missions, so even if it gets approved it wont be flying any time soon. There's a lot of work to be done between now and then anyway. Compared to Earth, Mars has a much thinner atmosphere and much weaker gravity. What's more, the planet's harsh environment means a drone also must be engineered to be rugged enough to withstand Martian conditions while remaining light enough to fly. | 5 | 8,766 | news |
Miznon is the best-kept secret for lunch in the Marais. It's located steps away from the famous L'As Du Fallafel, with its long tourist queues; to get there, simply turn the corner for the coolest sandwich spot in all of Paris. Inside Miznon, you find a messy chalkboard on the wall offering a variety of sandwiches served in fresh pita along with side dishes. Produce is stored throughout the restaurant; you might see leeks in a crate by the door, lemons and tomatoes atop the kitchen counter, and cilantro by the register. The soundtrack, which includes artists like Gorillaz, Wu-Tang Clan, and Daft Punk, is absolutely essential to the vibe, both for your eating pleasure and for the chefs working in the open kitchen. The one sandwich you must try: the chicken salad, with the steak and egg sandwich a close runner-up. And sampling the vegetable sides is absolutely essential to the experience: the haricots vert served in a paper sack drenched in a cold garlic and lemon sauce, the whole head of cauliflower that is roasted and sprinkled with sea salt, the fried potatoes with fresh mayonnaise. Also notable is the "Sac de Coq," a paper bag stuffed with chicken salad, potatoes, and aioli, with a fried egg on top. There's plenty of seating in front and in a back room, but for the best experience, grab a seat at the counter. You'll have a view of the kitchen crew who, in charmingly disorganized fashion, shout out orders, hand-stuff the sandwiches, delicately sprinkle salt on top, and holler your name at the top of their lungs. See more great dishes to try in Paris on CNTraveler.com . More from Condé Nast Traveler The Best Cities in the World 15 Places You Won't Believe Exist How Not to Look Like a Tourist in Paris | 2 | 8,767 | travel |
If you want to try out the slick new Windows 10 bits unveiled earlier this week, you're in luck: Microsoft just pushed out the January version of its technical preview for desktops, complete with a few of the cool features Microsoft promised. You can grab it by signing up for Windows Insider, a relatively new program for Windows beta testing, here . Windows Insider is free to sign up for, and when Windows 10 is officially launched, the consumer-friendly update will be free for the first year . Beware the technical preview isn't for rookies. You shouldn't install it on any machine you need to do work on. As Microsoft's Windows Insider site puts it : "If, however, you think an ISO is some kind of yoga pose, this program may not be right for you." This build includes new Cortana integration into the start bar, as well as Continuum, a feature that improves the experience of switching from tablet mode to desktop mode on hybrid computers like Microsoft Surface. Not everything that will eventually end up in Windows 10 is included in this beta build. It lacks Microsoft's new Spartan browser , for example. Although the build includes the new Xbox app, it doesn't yet have the ability for an Xbox One to stream games directly to Windows 10 computers. This build is only for desktops, and we still don't know exactly when we'll see the Windows 10 preview for phones. Microsoft promised it in February, so if you're waiting on it you might as well sign up for Windows Insider now and download the Phone Insider app . This article was written by Kif Leswing from GigaOm and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. | 5 | 8,768 | news |
No, your iPhone isn't broken: The same game, Trivia Crack , is the top downloaded title on both the paid and free sections of Apple's App Store in the U.S. That's highly unusual, since apps are usually either free( ish ) to download or paid, but both the gratis version of the trivia game and a paid version have been on a crazy run lately. Since early in December 2014, Trivia Crack has been in or near the top 10 of all U.S. download charts on iOS and Android, according to App Annie; developer Etermax says the game is being downloaded 750,000 times per day in the U.S. The app, originally launched in late 2013, is also making moolah at a pace that has eluded its chief competition, QuizUp . More on that in a minute. For the unfamiliar, Trivia Crack works like this: Players compete to answer random questions in six categories sports, history, science, geography, entertainment and art. Get enough right, and they collect cartoony characters for each category (sort of like Trivial Pursuit's wedges). All the questions are submitted and moderated by other users. There are about one million "active" questions in Trivia Crack's system, Etermax CEO Maximo Cavazzani said in an interview with Re/code . The other 50 million questions submitted to date are "inactive" because they're either awaiting moderation or have been rejected by the game's users for being non-substantive, not fun or just offensive. "Many of those questions are just garbage," Cavazzani said. For example, one user recently tried to submit a question asking how many people the Nazis killed. The user's "correct" answer was "not enough." "That question would never reach the production level," the CEO said. About 2,000 new questions do reach that level and are added to the game every day, according to an Etermax press release. Users can volunteer to translate questions from one language to another, although Cavazzani stressed the importance of localizing question sets for different countries. Players in French Canada and France find different topics fun, and players throughout Latin America want to see their own individual cultures represented, he said. "Argentinians and Mexicans have the same language, but they don't have the same interests," Cavazzani said. "People will have fun for a little while, but if they don't see their movie stars or things that relate to them, they won't feel the game is their own." After it convinces players to come back for more, Trivia Crack makes money in a couple of interesting ways. First up are ads, either the revenue from displaying them in the free game, or from sales of the $3 ad-free version; Cavazzani estimated, however, that only one percent of users had downloaded the paid app. Like many other games, it also has a virtual economy, awarding users coins that can buy power-ups to skip questions or make them easier. Since its U.S. downloads began climbing late last year, Trivia Crack's economy has made it a top-20 grossing app on both iPhones and Android devices, per App Annie; at its peak in late 2013, competitor QuizUp reached No. 228 on iOS and 453 on Android. In fairness, though, QuizUp puts far less emphasis on its store than Trivia Crack, selling only a few non-essential items. Etermax's Argentina-based team of 18 is currently working on ways to beef up its economy even more, looking for inspiration to GungHo's Puzzle and Dragons . Cavazzani said players will be able to use coins to buy collectible characters, like the titular dragons in GungHo's game, that give them special permanent boosts like reloading lives or earning new coins faster. | 5 | 8,769 | news |
What if Deflategate is literally a bunch of hot air? There's at least one scientific theory to suggest the New England Patriots could have used physics to deflate footballs without violating the letter of NFL rule. "What everyone's looking for is somebody to have physically altered the ball by letting air out," Dr. Allen Sanderson, a research scientist at the University of Utah, told USA TODAY Sports on Friday. "We think this is naturally occurring." In simple terms, the theory goes like this. Rather than pumping up a ball in the locker room, an equipment manager could take it into a warmer environment, such as a sauna, and fill it there before the mandatory check by the referee 2 hours, 15 minutes before game time. As temperature drops, so does the pressure of the air confined inside the ball. So, a ball pumped full of hot air could test at the minimum 12½ psi, but be far less pressurized by kickoff experiencing a greater drop than if it were filled with air at room temperature. "The NFL rules are very much ambiguous really because they're not specifying a temperature," Sanderson said. "They're just specifying a pressure, and temperature makes all the difference in the world about how you make that measurement. Us science geeks picked up on it." The ball wouldn't feel warm to the touch because the urethane bladder inside serves as insulation. And it wouldn't continue to deflate to an unplayable degree, because it'd eventually come to equilibrium with its environment. (ESPN reported 11 of the Patriots' 12 game balls Sunday were deflated 2 psi below the minimum when they were rechecked at halftime.) Chang Kee Jung, a football fan and physics professor at The State University of New York at Stony Brook, chuckled when the theory was explained. But he agreed it's possible not only because of the temperature change, but other effects from the steam in the sauna. "If you put it in the moisture with the hot air, then what happens is that some of the air which is moist water it could condense and then it could even more rapidly lose pressure," Jung said. "They may consider it not illegal, but if they actually did it, does that really pass the moral test?" The NFL confirmed in a statement Friday evidence shows the Patriots' balls were underinflated in the first half of Sunday's AFC Championship Game but were properly inflated in the second half and remained that way for the final 30 minutes, when they outscored the Indianapolis Colts 28-0 on the way to a 45-7 rout. That'd make sense if officials pumped up the balls at room temperature during the intermission, since the drop from, say, 68 degrees Fahrenheit in their locker room to an announced game-time temperature of 51 degrees at Gillette Stadium wouldn't be enough for a major pressure drop. In response to a USA TODAY Sports report Thursday about the challenges that would face a team that wants to deflate footballs, primarily given the strict chain of command and time restrictions, numerous readers wrote to suggest various pressure release devices, tire bleeders and even a glove with a needle sticking out of it. However, the question remained: How could the balls be deflated so quickly, accurately and toughest of all without detection in front of 68,756 fans in the stadium, dozens of TV cameras and millions watching at home? "As a scientist, I bet I could come up with different ways of doing these things," Jung said. "You could probably put a different gas in there. You may want to put things like helium, different gases at different expansion rates. I think about all the possibilities." The league is continuing to investigate with help from attorney Ted Wells and the investigatory firm Paul Weiss but no scientists. Sanderson is quick to note the theory isn't all his own. He spoke with other scientists and read a WCSH Portland story that used the Ideal Gas Law to calculate the possibilities. But if the NFL called, Sanderson said, he'd be happy to help. "If I was the NFL," Sanderson said, "I'd be going, 'You know, there's really nothing here we can do about this. Our rule is ambiguous and we now need to go back and revise that rule and look at it and see how we can better define that.' " *** Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero | 1 | 8,770 | sports |
Football coach Jim Harbaugh's seven-year contract with Michigan, obtained by the Detroit Free Press on Friday, could be worth significantly more than the $5.7 million annual average and is almost fully guaranteed. Perhaps of most interest to Michigan fans is Harbaugh's buyout. If Harbaugh were to leave early to, say, go back to the NFL, he would be responsible for the pro-rated amount of his signing bonus ($2 million). So if he were to leave after three years, he would owe four-sevenths of the $2 million ($1.14 million). Another important part to Harbaugh is the $4 million-$5 million for his nine-assistant coaching pool, making Michigan competitive on a pay scale with the nation's top teams. Harbaugh's base salary starts at $500,000 per year but he also receives $4.5 million in additional compensation. Both amounts are scheduled to increase by 10% after Year 3. Those new amounts are scheduled to be increased by another 10% after Year 5. However, the contract also says that after Year 5, there will be an evaluation of Harbaugh's performance and a review of his compensation compared to that of his "peers." If Harbaugh is compensated "less than his fair market value," the parties agree to negotiate an adjust to bring Harbaugh up to fair market value. If such an increase would be greater than the scheduled 10% increase, then the market-value adjustment would take the place of the scheduled one. Harbaugh will make a minimum of $40.1 million over the seven years, however, after next season a deferred compensation package will be determined and figures to add millions more to the contract. If Harbaugh is fired without cause (e.g. legal or NCAA trouble), Michigan would owe him his base salary and additional compensation at the time of termination for the remainder of the contract term. But he would be obligated to make "reasonable efforts" to get another job, and his income from that employment would offset any amount Michigan otherwise would owe him. His incentives range from $500,000 for winning the national title to $125,000 for appearing the Big Ten title game. He has an academic focus as well, with an APR of 960 or higher getting him a bonus up to $150,000 each year, at the athletic director's discretion. Mark Snyder covers the Wolverines for the Detroit Free Press. Contributing: Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY Sports | 1 | 8,771 | sports |
20 Things to Add to Your Home Gym in 2015 Whether you're in a studio apartment or multiple-garage home, these 20 fitness products will help you get in the best shape of your life. Precor TRM 445 Treadmill Precor's latest at-home treadmill offers 23 preset workouts, 27 metrics, 16 customizable workouts, 2% decline, 15% incline, and technology that adjusts the belt speed according to your foot strike to minimize impact. The front half of the deck has shock absorbers to save your knee joint and the back half of the deck is more rigid for a better push off per step. The low-maintence treadmill controls Apple devices, syncs data to the Preva app, and reads heart rate from any Polar heart rate monitor (included). $5,999, precor.com9 Black Mountain Products Strongman Set of Resistance Bands The Black Mountain Products package includes six different 48" rubber resistance bands, with weights ranging from 2-40 pounds, a door anchor, exercise chart, carrying bag and starter guide. Switch up your at-home training or take your workouts on the road with these durable fitness tools. $32.99, blackmountainproducts.com Everlast Folding Exercise Mat A 2'x6' foldable mat with sewn handles, the Everlast mat doesn't absorb sweat and cushions your entire body during any at-home workout. $59.99, everlast.com CrossRope Available in nine different rope weights, CrossRope is a jump roping brand that allows you to customize the rope length in addition to choosing two different handle sizes. Ranging from 1 oz to 3 pounds, CrossRope offers the right rope for any athlete. crossrope.com HumanX 40-Pound Weight Vest Bring your training to a new level of toughness with the HumanX 40-pound weight vest. Add or remove weight in 2-pound increments to customize the resistance you add to your workouts. $150, humanxgear.com. Available February 2015. Iron Mind Left Turn Grippers Iron Mind released a new set of grippers this year that use "right-hand wind springs" which are actually designed to be more ergonomic for the left hand. Adonized aluminum provide a comfortable grip for the Left-Turn grippers, which come in weights ranging 100-280 pounds. If you seem to have a harder time with left hand grip training, get a hold on these. $24.95, ironmind.com DISQ DISQ is a lightweight fitness tool consisting of a belt and ankle straps. These pieces connect via weighted cords that end at handles (think a resistance tube) so you can add resistance to bodyweight exercises. Turn the notch at the side of the belt to increase/decrease the resistance of the cord to add intensity to your moves or the DISQ's training programs available on the DISQ app and website. $199 for consumer version, thedisq.com GoFit Extreme Massage Roller GoFit's latest roller offers a patent-pending design for relieving pain in trigger points (muscle knots) and loosening up stiff muscles. Foam rolling has also been proven to increase hip range of motion and provide recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness. $39.99, gofit.net (training manual included) SPRI Qube Avoid cut and bruised shins from wooden or metal plyo boxes and add the Qube to your training routine. The 20"x 24" x 30" foam box can be turned for a variety of jumping heights, making it an ideal garage gym mainstay for beginner to advanced athletes. $449.98, spri.com Ab Dolly Ab Dolly is a core training tool that allows for a variety of exercises to be performed in any direction. Place your hands, feet, or elbows on the rolling platform and perform exercises such as abdominal roll outs, glute bridges, and elbows rotations to target a wide array of muscles in full range of motion. $119.80, abdolly.com (includes kneel pad, DVD and training program) Rogue Fitness Weight Set Rogue Fitness guarantees their barbells for life, so after investing in this weight set, your garage gym will be set for good. The Warrior set comes with 320 pounds worth of bumper plates, 195 pounds of steel plates, and a 20kg, 28.5mm diameter bar; definitely enough weight to start a home gym with. $1,225, roguefitness.com Rogue Fitness Parallettes Perform bodyweight exercises such as dips, handstand pushups, planches and L-sits with the 23" long, 14" wide and 12" tall parallette bars. The Rogue Fitness bars also come with a lockable option. From $87.45, roguefitness.com SPRI Professional Xercise Ball Available in diameters up to 75mm, the Professional Xercise ball is tested to hold 300 pounds and the Professional Plus Xercise ball is tested up to 500 pounds. Make a stability ball a staple of your home gym to improve balance, coordination, and core strength. $38.98 - $47.98 (depending on Diameter), spri.com Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells Adjustable to 52.5 pounds each with the turn of a knob, the latest dumbbells from Bowflex make switching weights incredibly easy. If you have a garage gym with a barbell, this weight range should suit your dumbbell needs. If 52.5 pounds is too light for one hand, then the 1090s go up to 90 pounds. $349.00, bowflex.com Hatfield Strap The Hatfield Strap is a lower body stretching device that has a bottom fabric is wide and long enough to fit under your entire leg. Place your leg over the fabric vertically then pull back on the connected handles to stretch your foot and calf. Pull all the way back, lying on your back, to get an awesome hamstrings stretch. Or, loop the shoulder strap around your body and just lean back so you don't have to pull at all. $35, hatfieldstrap.com Play Out Obstacle Course Racing Card Game We introduced you to Play Out in 2014, but this year the fun yet challenging fitness card game is releasing a new deck: Obstacle Course Race. Designed for first-time and elite-ranked obstacle racers alike, the deck features 30 exercises to prepare you for the race using only your body and a bar. Available February 2015, playoutthegame.com Promaxima Adjustable Bench Adjustable from 0-90 degrees, the Promaxima bench stands out for it's durable yet comfortable padding. The cushioning comes in 12 colors and the 11 gauge steel frame comes in three colors for a bench that's just right for you. $299, promaxima.com/fw-1505 Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym If you're considering a home gym machine that allows for a full body, muscle-building workout, the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE allows for more than 70 exercises, including lat pulldown, leg extension, chest press and squats. Attach the shoulder harnesses and train your core using the machine's resistance. $1,599, bowflex.com Ironmind One Wicked Wrist Roller Ironmind's One Wicked Wrist Roller trains the forearms, wrists and fingers with the use of a few plates at home. Made of steel with a 2" diameter, the roller can also be attached to a bar to really isolate your forearms. $69.95, ironmind.com MuscleDriver USA Squat Stand Equipped with a pullup bar, this sturdy, 11 gauge steel squat rack weighs 100 pounds and will be a mainstay of your garage gym. Muscle Driver offers color upgrades and additional equipment for a fee. Overall, the rack is worth the buck. $479.99, muscledriverusa.com | 7 | 8,772 | health |
Scientists have figured out how to unboil an egg. It may seem like a mere parlor trick, but it is an achievement that could "dramatically" cut costs for cancer treatments, food production and other research in the $160 billion global biotechnology industry, according to a press release that was posted online Friday. It also means "unboil" is now a word. As anyone who has ever cooked one knows, egg "whites" are clear until they are cooked. Egg whites are high in protein, and when they cook, the proteins start to unfold, and then fold back up in a tighter, more tangled structure. This is why they go from being clear and mucus-like to white and rubbery. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, and Flinders University in Australia have figured out a process that can pull apart the tangled proteins allowing them to refold and return to their original structure. The team used an egg to demonstrate the process, but scientists use all kinds of proteins in laboratory research that tangle and fold in similar ways during experiments. Finding a way to return those proteins to their original state could allow researchers to save a lot of time and money. Other methods for doing for untangling proteins are already available, but they take days to work. The new process takes minutes, speeding the process up by a factor of thousands, according to the report. "I can't predict how much money it will save, but I can this will save a ton of time, and time is money," said Gregory Weiss, UCI professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry in an interview with CNBC. There are two steps to the process: first, the team used a substance that liquefied the cooked egg white, and they they used a machine called a vortex fluidic device , developed by Colin Raston and his colleagues at Flinders University in Australia, which causes the tangled protein molecules to shear and refold normally. Why Google's Schmidt says 'Internet will disappear' The method could have implications for cancer research and other biotechnology studies, and even cheese making. UCI has filed for a patent on the work, and its Office of Technology Alliances is "working with interested commercial partners", according to the report. The results have been accepted by the journal ChemBioChem and will be published next week. | 3 | 8,773 | finance |
Mindy Kaling is the invisible woman -- or so she thinks. | 8 | 8,774 | video |
2014 was a difficult year for Twitter. Disappointing user growth, instability among the executive team and above all else, a sinking stock price, all made its triumphant IPO in late 2013 seem like a distant memory. (Our friends at The Atlantic even wrote a eulogy for the service). But in 2015, could a decisive turning point be upon us? That's the view of Deutsche Bank analyst Ross Sandler, who has had some pretty fascinating views on the company before. In a note put out this morning, he implies Twitter could soon experience a Facebook-style resurgence. Similar to the 2012/13 bear raid on Facebook where the street was over-obsessed with 'declining engagement‛ only to see shares triple in a single quarter, we think the debate around Twitter's MAU [monthly active user] adds should eventually move to the background in favor of new product initiatives the company is working on. Here is how Twitter and Facebook's post IPO performance on the stockmarket compares. Despite taking very different paths, their returns were quite similar at this point of their listed existence. Facebook is so dominant now its easy to forget that it, too, suffered a very difficult first year or so after its IPO (and one that was much shakier than Twitter's). Back then, people were worried about its ability to transition from being primarily desktop focused to a more mobile service. Those worries now seem fairly laughable . Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, (who is under a bit of pressure ) would no doubt love for Twitter to experience the kind of upswing Facebook experienced around about this time in its post-IPO life. But that upswing only came because Facebook executed its objectives brilliantly, and better than almost anyone expected. Unlike Facebook, the challenge for Twitter has never been about mobile. It has been about user growth and how to measure the true size of the service. New product initiatives, particularly in video , could get people excited again. Twitter reports quarterly earnings on February 5. Over to you, Dick. | 5 | 8,775 | news |
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a torn rotator cuff. | 1 | 8,776 | sports |
Morgan Stanley's (MS.N) board of directors awarded Chairman and Chief Executive James Gorman $4.4 million in restricted stock as part of his 2014 bonus, the Wall Street bank said in a regulatory filing on Friday. Morgan Stanley did not disclose other parts of Gorman's compensation package, which in the prior year also included cash and deferred cash, in addition to his base salary. The disclosure, made in a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, comes after news that rivals JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) each awarded their CEOs bigger cash bonuses than they had in the prior year. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon received a $7.4 million cash bonus, his first cash bonus since 2011, and Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein received a $7.3 million cash bonus, which was higher in dollar terms and as a portion of his overall bonus than in the prior year. Gorman's restricted stock award for 2014 was less than the $5.1 million he was awarded as part of his 2013 bonus. But his overall bonus may in fact be higher, since Morgan Stanley began deferring less of its employees' pay this year. The average Morgan Stanley employee now has half of his pay deferred, down from 80 percent previously. Senior executives including Gorman will get a higher percentage of their pay deferred. The full details of Gorman's pay will not be disclosed until the bank files its proxy in the spring. Morgan Stanley's board awarded Gorman $12 million in salary and bonuses in 2013, along with $6 million in long-term incentive awards that he can receive over time if the bank hits certain performance benchmarks. (Additional reporting by Avik Das in Bengaluru; editing by Savio D'Souza and Christian Plumb) | 3 | 8,777 | finance |
Quick Stats: Chase Rice country singer/songwriter Daily Driver: 2013 Chevy Avalanche (Chase's rating: 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10) Other cars: see below Favorite road trip: State Road 40, Ormond Beach, Florida Car he learned to drive in: late 1980s Jeep Grand Cherokee First car bought: 1985 Chevy Silverado Country singer Chase Rice's "Ignite the Night" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's country album chart in August, and now he's about to go on tour with Kenny Chesney. He's checked off these milestones in the music industry, but Rice is the only major star who can say he was a member of Hendrick Motorsports' championship-winning pit crew in NASCAR. "If I wasn't doing music, then I'd still be on the pit crew and winning championships for Jimmie Johnson," he says. "I have a ring from one of the championships. That's like a Super Bowl-type ring." Rice left his coveted job at NASCAR to pursue music. It paid off when he co-wrote the 2012 chart-topping Florida Georgia Line single "Cruise," which became the best-selling country digital song. (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PvebsWcpto ) Like many car lovers, Rice has an emotional connection to his rides. "That's my favorite truck that I own," he says. "I'll never get rid of it. It's the first truck that I purchased, that I bought outright." He still drives the Silverado, which he rates a perfect 10. "People say, 'Oh that's not perfect,' but I don't give a damn," he says. "That's the first truck I've ever owned. It's the same year that I was born. Me and that truck just have so much in common. I love it. There's nothing wrong with it in my eyes. It's perfect." Rice put a 3-inch lift kit on it and added new wheels, tires, and a tool box, but otherwise he kept his love pretty close to original. "I've never had that connection where you get in it and you're like, 'Man, this is mine. This is going to be mine until the day I die,' " he says. "I never really had that connection with a vehicle, and I have that with that one. When I drive it, I just feel right." So much so that he even gave it a name. Inspired by television's "Friday Night Lights," Rice, who played football in high school and college, dubbed his truck Riggs. "Tim Riggins was a football player on that show, and he drove one of those," he says. "It was a joke at first where I started calling it Riggs, and now it stuck." Rice bought the old Silverado when he started to think he might not be able to afford payments on his new Avalanche. "I took out money to buy that so I could have a truck that I fully owned, and right when I bought it was when 'Cruise' happened," he says. "I knew money was going to be coming in, so I decided not to sell the Avalanche, so I've got twins. I've got an '85 black Silverado, and I've got a 2013 black Avalanche, and I didn't have to sell it. I figured why not just keep them both." Although Rice had achieved some measure of fame by that point (including being a contestant on "Survivor: Nicaragua"), he had yet to truly break out. "Now lately I've had some success in writing and touring, and my album has gone No. 1," he says. "So now I can afford to keep them both. Now my problem is I'm wanting more toys." 2013 Chevy Avalanche Rating: 9.5 Although Rice defines the Silverado as the first car he bought, it was trying to make payments on this Avalanche that got him to buy the Silverado. "[The Avalanche is] all jacked up and big tires," he says. "That one is just sweet. Everyone drives Chevy Silverados, and I wanted something different, so I turned the Avalanche into my off-road vehicle. It always has room for improvement. Some people say it's not even a truck; it's an Avalanche. Well, you didn't look at mine." Rice loves it, and he says he likes to be different, which is what the Avalanche is. "The first truck my dad ever bought when I was young and couldn't afford one was an '02 Avalanche, which was the first year they ever made them," he says. "My dad has passed away since, so I figured he got me an '02, the first car I ever really had, I might as well get the last year they ever made them, too. That's why I got the '13, so it's sentimental, too." 1970 Dodge Challenger Rating: 9 Rice and his late dad worked on the Challenger as a project together, so this car will always have emotional value for him. "It's sweet," he says. "It's plum crazy purple. It's in pretty damn good shape, and it's got a 426 Hemi. That's why I wouldn't give it a 10, because the numbers don't match. We put a new crate engine in it, but man, it's sweet, that thing. You can't ask for a much better muscle car than that." Car he learned to drive in Rice grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida. Rice learned to drive at 8 years old on a late 1980s Jeep. "My dad had an old Jeep Grand Cherokee; we had a farm in Florida, and my dad would let us drive that around the farm," he says. "I think that's the right way to do it. I think it's ridiculous that kids turn 16 and they've never driven before. Maybe that's just because of the way I grew up." Rice's dad bought him the 2002 Avalanche when he was in high school. "All the guys around my town drove trucks, and he said, 'Let's get you something different. Let's get this Avalanche,' " he says. It turned out to be the perfect truck for a budding musician. He could put his guitars in the truck, and it was covered. After Rice graduated from the University of North Carolina, he traded in the 2002 Avalanche. Rice landed a job in the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew straight out of college. His UNC football coach Rice played linebacker went to work there. "He started recruiting athletes to come in and work at the pit crew, just to see if it would work, because we were athletes we were faster," he says. "And it turns out it did work. It was a great experiment for them, and they've still got a bunch of athletes coming in every year. But I was part of that first class that ever tried it on." Rice learned a lot being on a top NASCAR pit crew. "You've got to be perfect," he says. "I was a jack man and then a rear tire carrier. If you screw up once, that can cost you, especially at Hendrick Motorsports, not only a race but a championship, so especially seeing how Chad Knaus works if you screw up, don't let it happen again, because the second time you're gone, and honestly one time's too much. So you've got to be perfect, and you've got to rely on your teammates to be perfect, too." Favorite road trip Rice's favorite road trip was taking State Road 40 in Ormond Beach, Florida, as a kid. That was when his dad let him drive behind the wheel. He was 8 years old. "When we finally got away from the city of Daytona, my dad would let us get behind the wheel," he says. "We'd driven at our farm, but he'd let us get behind the wheel because there was a road where there were most likely no cops on, and he'd let us drive on the real road. So my dad and I both probably loved doing things that were illegal. When you're an 8-year-old driving on the road, it was kind of badass. It's also stupid looking back. We survived." "Ignite the Night" album Rice's major label debut album, "Ignite the Night," came out August 19, which was his dad's birthday. It immediately went to No. 1. It includes the top 10 single "Ready Set Roll," as well as the song "Look at My Truck," which is about his beloved 1985 Silverado. "It's basically saying if you want to get to know me, don't look at me, look at my truck, and that'll tell the story," Rice says. "There's a line, 'And when the girls would call, it could haul some ass, you've never seen an '85 hit 100 that fast.'" He put his 1985 Silverado in the music video for "Ready Set Roll," but the video was never released. "I want to have it in every music video I ever do," he says. "Hopefully I'll be able to get away with it." Rice goes on tour with Kenny Chesney in March. For more information visit chaserice.com . More Celebrity Drives: Rock Hall-of-Famer Bob Seger Comedian/Actor Jim Jefferies Actor, Recording Artist, and Equestrian William Shatner CBS Sports Analyst Bart Scott Dale Stewart Loves His Hot-Rod Cadillac and Custom Chopper | 9 | 8,778 | autos |
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is blaming conservative groups in Washington for turning him into a human pinata to raise money. In an interview to air on Sunday's "60 Minutes" on CBS, Boehner said he doesn't disagree that much with conservatives on policy, but that the groups beat "the dickens out of me" in order to line their own pockets. "The issue with the Tea Party isn't one of strategy. It's not one of different vision," Boehner said, according to excerpts released by CBS. "It's a disagreement over tactics, from time to time. Frankly, a lot is being driven by national groups here in Washington who have raised money and just beating the dickens out of me," Boehner said in the joint interview with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). "It works. They raise money, put it in their pocket, and pay themselves big salaries," Boehner added. Boehner has faced his share of rebellions from conservative members. This year, he had to contend with a brief attempt to oust him as Speaker. Members in the right wing of the party frequently say he is too lenient on the Obama administration. In the CBS interview, Boehner said his "voting record is as conservative as anybody here." In recent days, conservative lawmakers have criticized House leadership because they believe Boehner and others have backed down from confronting the administration over the president's executive order on immigration. Boehner has hit at conservative groups before, criticizing the Heritage Foundation and Club for Growth in 2013 after they opposed a bipartisan budget deal from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). "Frankly, I just think they've lost all credibility," he said at the time. "I don't care what they do." This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. | 5 | 8,779 | news |
To some people sports are religion. According to the Public Religion Research Institute and Religion News Service , one in four people believe God will decide who will win the Super Bowl. Fifty-three percent of Americans and 56 percent of sports fans say God rewards faithful athletes with success and good health. Protestants are more likely than other religious groups to believe God plays a role in the outcome of a game. MORE: Best players to never win Super Bowl | Super Bowl XLIX cheerleaders Two weeks before the 2014 Super Bowl, half of American sports fans said they believed God or some supernatural force plays a big part in games. An interesting note from the survey is that 25 percent of people think their team has been cursed. Sorry Raiders fans, but maybe your luck will turn around next season. No matter what, you'll still hear people scream, "Thank God" or something of that effect after their team kicks a winning field goal or scores on a fourth quarter drive. After the Packers-Seahawks game, who are we to doubt a higher power? All the cards aligned for the Seahawks to create an amazing comeback from 16 down at halftime. From the Brandon Bostick-botched onside kick recovery to the long bomb in overtime , Russell Wilson and company believed they were meant to win that game. Not sure what that says about Aaron Rodgers, but clearly Wilson's belief is real. It'll be up to the football fan upstairs to determine if the Seahawks or the Patriots deserve to win it all on Super Bowl Sunday. | 1 | 8,780 | sports |
Sidney Crosby has taken an injection for a lower-body injury that will keep him out of this weekend's National Hockey League All-Star Game, the team said on Friday. The Penguins said Crosby, the NHL's reigning most valuable player and face of the league, is expected to resume skating on Tuesday in hopes of returning either Wednesday at Washington or Friday at New Jersey. According to the Penguins, Crosby was hurt during a game against the Montreal Canadiens and has attempted to play through the injury the past two weeks. Crosby's absence from Sunday's All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio, will mark the fourth time that he has been selected to the exhibition but has not appeared. (Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes) | 1 | 8,781 | sports |
The euro dropped lower on Friday in the wake of the European Central Bank announcing fresh stimulus measures, hitting 11-year lows against the dollar. Forces including a strengthening United States economy will push the euro to parity with the dollar by the end of next year as euro zone countries look to break through a period of sluggish growth, an economist said on Friday. "The problems in Europe are not going away, just in the near-term. You have the U.S. doing better, and Europe continuously being behind. That will continue to put downward pressure on the euro for quite some time," Torsten Slok, chief international economist at Deutsche Bank, told CNBC's " Closing Bell ." The euro (EUR=) lingered around $1.12 against the dollar on Friday afternoon. The currency will slip even more, possibly below the dollar, providing a short-term boost to the U.S. economy, said Jack McIntyre, portfolio manager at Brandywine Global, told "Closing Bell." McIntyre argued that the ECB's move will push capital from Europe to the United States. Among other effects, it will make U.S. Treasury yields more appealing than those on comparable German bonds, which sit remarkably low in one of the euro zone's most stable areas. 'Ultimately, that's going to be a net positive for the U.S. economy because I think it's going to flow through and have a positive impact on housing at some point in 2015," McIntyre said. McIntyre added that a weaker dollar has helped the U.S. recover in recent years in the Federal Reserve's low-interest rate environment. But in the long term, as the dollar continues to strengthen, low interest rates and strong currencies "don't work," he said. | 3 | 8,782 | finance |
With the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots engulfed in a scandal over the use of under-inflated balls, some of the team's players were trying on Friday to get the focus back on the NFL's showcase game. The team has faced intense media attention since clinching a Super Bowl berth with Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts and the NFL said on Friday the team used balls that were under inflated during the game. "We went out there and won a game in the AFC championship and got the right to play in the Super Bowl," said Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty. "That should be the focus and the topic so that's what I want to talk about today, the Super Bowl and the opportunity to go out there and win a big game." New England dominated Indianapolis 45-7 during a rainy AFC championship game where a firm grip on a slippery ball could have helped. The NFL's ongoing probe has ruled that illegal balls were used by New England in the first half, where they established a 17-7 lead, but were properly inflated for the second half, during which the Patriots outscored the Colts 28-0. The team leaves for Arizona on Monday ahead of the Feb. 1 Super Bowl versus the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, who have been flying under the radar all week while their upcoming opponent deals with fallout from the 'deflate-gate' controversy. "(We've) got to be able to eliminate all distractions right now," Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork told reporters. "We can't let anything take our excitement away. We worked hard to get here and everybody in that locker room is excited to play this game, and we need to be, we should be. You're not going to take that away from us." Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who threw three touchdown passes during Sunday's game, and head coach Bill Belichick have professed innocence regarding the deflated ball issue. Appearances by Brady, who calmly spent his entire 30-minute news conference on Thursday answering questions about the ball scandal, and Belichick, who did the same during his 11-minute stint with media, were applauded by the team. "They did a good job of handling it and I think everything that needs to be talked about on that subject has been discussed," said offensive lineman Dan Connolly. "I'd like to focus on the game we have next week against Seattle." (Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Gene Cherry) | 1 | 8,783 | sports |
Travel to the filming locations and inspiration behind this year's crop of Oscar Best Picture nominees, including Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Selma. Birdman The destination: New York, NY In Birdman, former action star Riggan Thomas (Michael Keaton) tries to revive both his acting career and his artistic integrity by staging a Broadway adaptation of the Raymond Carver short story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." It makes sense to follow him to the Great White Way, where the film is set, and also where it was shot. You won't be able to find a Carver story at the TKTS booth, but you can find a splashy page-to-stage adaptation: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Haddon. If you're looking to visit the theater spotted in Birdman , you'll have to head to the St. James Theatre, where Keaton, Ed Norton, and Emma Stone all tread the boards for the film. The theater is gearing up to show the Something Rotten , about a pair of brothers who set out to write the first musical in the era of Shakespeare. The Grand Budapest Hotel The destination: Brazil Oh, what we wouldn't give to take a rickety funicular up a mountain to visit the Grand Budapest Hotel, but, sadly, it and its surrounding country, the Republic of Zubrowka are both fictional. Instead, we have to make do with tracking down its inspiration. Grand Budapest Hotel director Wes Anderson admits that the movie was inspired by the work of Stefan Zweig, a writer who lived in Austria (which bears a passing resemblance to Zubrowka). But Zweig left the country as Hitler came to power and traveled to the United Kingdom, New York, and, eventually Brazil. His Brazilian house is now a museum, Casa Stefan Zweig . There, you can see some of his writings, books, photos, and documents, in addition to artifacts from other writers and artists in exile during that time. Unfortunately, no funicular is required to get there. Boyhood The destination: Austin, TX It's clear that Boyhood is a project close to director Richard Linklater's heart it was filmed over a span of 12 years, using the same actors and showing the progression of time. So it makes sense that at least part of the movie would take place in a city that's also close to Linklater's heart: Austin, Texas. It's a city that loves film: Linklater is the artistic director and co-founder of the Austin Film Society, which hosts screenings and special events with writers, directors, and filmmakers (see their website for a complete schedule ). The city is also home to several branches of the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain, where you can order a queso to be served at your seat while you watch a film (and, at a certain point in Boyhood, you're going to want two helpings of queso). Selma The destination: Selma, AL Selma doesn't try to capture every detail of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo). Instead, the movie focuses on Dr. King's time in Selma, Alabama, and his fight for voting rights in 1965. There's no better place to delve deeper into the Civil Rights struggle at that time period than the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute , which chronicles the history of voting rights starting with the country's founding. There are galleries devoted to women's suffrage, Reconstruction, and the Selma-Montgomery March, among others. The museum is located right near the Edmund Pettus Bridge , where Civil Rights marchers were attacked by law enforcement on "Bloody Sunday," a pivotal moment in Selma . Both sites are along the 54-mile Civil Rights National Historic Trail that commemorates the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama. Whiplash The destination: New York, NY Whiplash tells the story of Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), a young drummer with aspirations of musical greatness. Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), his instructor at a prestigious New York City music school, often tells Neiman the story of how drummer Jo Jones once threw a cymbal at Charlie Parker's head, inspiring Parker to practice feverishly until he re-emerged as one of the legendary jazz musicians. It's safe to say that, without Charlie Parker, there would be no Whiplash. You can visit one of the clubs where Parker helped invent Bebop and lay the foundations for modern jazz. Minton's Harlem hosted all of the jazz greats on its stage, including Parker, along with Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Christian, and Kenny Clarke. Today, musicians still play the music from that era almost every night and until 3 a.m. on weekends. The club also has a jazz brunch and Sunday supper on Sundays. American Sniper The destination: Texas As a Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) whose memoir, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, inspired Clint Eastwood's film traveled to many places where you wouldn't want to follow; according to his obit in The Washington Post, for example, he did four tours of duty in Iraq . Perhaps its better, then, to check out Kyle's pre-military roots as a ranch-hand and a rodeo rider. Kyle's hometown of Odessa, Texas just saw the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo , but you can mark a calendar for next year. While you're in the area, you can learn a little about military history at not-too-far Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museum , where you can see a collection of old artillery, including tanks and missiles. The Imitation Game Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) kept lots of secrets during his time at the United Kingdom's Bletchley Park , where he and other MI6 agents and mathematicians worked to break German codes during World War II. If he were alive today, he might be shocked to find out that now the whole complex is open to the public. The site may look more like a Victorian weekend retreat than an army base but that was exactly the point. Today, the area has been restored with exhibits dedicated to the secret codebreaking operations that went on at the site. There, you can find examples of the "unbreakable" German Enigma machines, as well as a fully operational reproduction of the machine Turing help build to break the Enigma codes. Hut 8, where Turing worked, features a re-creation of his own office, and the park also hosts an exhibition dedicated to The Imitation Game , with props and costumes from the movie. The Theory of Everything The destination: Cambridge, England When you think of Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne), one location comes to mind: The University of Cambridge. Hawking studied there, taught there, and met his first wife, Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), there. So there was no better place to shoot The Theory of Everything than on the college campus. Multiple guided tours of the university take place every day; you won't be able to tour a wormhole, but you will depending on which tour you choose see antiquities from ancient Greece and Egypt, visit the 14th-century Pembroke College, and view Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. There's even a ghost tour, though no doubt Hawking would disapprove of something so unscientific. | 2 | 8,784 | travel |
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports to New York Jets' host Eric Allen on the QB prospects in the 2015 Senior Bowl. To see more Jets videos download the Jets DeskSite. | 1 | 8,785 | sports |
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing a small helicopter that will be able to triple the distance covered by current Mars rovers. | 8 | 8,786 | video |
Emma Watson has gone from speaking on wizardry to speaking to world leaders. The Harry Potter star once again gave a speech on gender equality that could be the most inspiring thing you see all day. | 8 | 8,787 | video |
Leaders of the Muslim world and thousands of Saudi subjects paid their final respects to King Abdullah at a simple ceremony at a Riyadh mosque Friday before the late ruler was buried in an unmarked grave in a public cemetery. In accordance with royal custom, the body of the 90-year-old king, who died at 1 a.m., was swathed in white and laid out for visitation at the Imam Turki ibn Abdullah Grand Mosque in the capital, Riyadh. The afternoon funeral was attended by Middle East monarchs and a few presidents from countries near enough to Saudi Arabia to travel to the ceremonies that by Islamic practice must be conducted before the next sundown following a believer's death. World leaders who plan to attend memorials scheduled this weekend sent condolences and praise for Abdullah's role as a mediator between the West and Islam. "The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah's legacy," President Obama said in a statement from Washington. Vice President Joe Biden, currently in Southern California, planned to lead the U.S. delegation to commemorations this weekend. In London, Prime Minister David Cameron said Abdullah would be remembered for "his commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths." Prince Charles announced he would travel to Riyadh to represent the British monarchy at the weekend memorials. Jordan's King Abdullah II left the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to attend the funeral and declared 40 days of mourning in his own kingdom. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared "much sadness" at the news of Abdullah's passing and announced three days of mourning in the Palestinian territories. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised Abdullah for "strengthening cooperation and solidarity in the Muslim world, especially concerning the Palestinian question and the situation in Syria." Iran, Saudi Arabia's chief rival in the Muslim world, sent condolences to the Saudi people and said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif would travel to Riyadh to pay respects. Saudi Arabia's more austere form of Islam eschews public displays of grief and elaborate ritual, even for its monarchs, who are among the world's richest men. Abdullah was reported to have a net worth of $20 billion. The funeral was open to the public, including women in their separate section of the mosque, and shops and businesses will remain open during a three-day mourning period. Among the heads of state and government in attendance, according to the Saudi Press Agency and state television, were Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Qatari Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kuwaiti Emir Sheik Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah. Follow @cjwilliamslat for the latest international news 24/7 | 5 | 8,788 | news |
DES MOINES, IA Gov. Chris Christie is tapping Phil Valenziano, a former top campaign official for Mitt Romney and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, as his top Iowa operative as he builds out a team for a potential presidential run, National Journal has learned. Valenziano, a native of New Jersey, has already begun helping Christie lay the groundwork in the state that will start the 2016 sweepstakes, arranging meetings with Iowa activists and power brokers. Christie will be in Iowa for the second time in as many weeks this weekend. Valenziano served as Romney's Iowa field director ahead of the 2012 caucuses, quietly keeping tabs on potential Romney supporters during much of 2011 until Romney decided to compete aggressively in the state's kickoff caucuses late in the year. During the general election, he moved to New Hampshire, where Valenziano served as Romney's state director. It is not clear what Valenziano's formal title will be with Christie. Neither Valenziano nor Christie strategist Mike DuHaime responded to requests for comment. Iowa Republican Jeff Boeynik, who has publicly backed Christie for months and is a former chief of staff to Branstad, cheered Valenziano's hiring. "I simply believe that right now there isn't a better person to lead a team in the Iowa caucuses than Phil Valenziano," he said. Valenziano has crucial experience organizing in the Iowa caucuses, not just for Romney but for Branstad. In 2014, he served as political director for Branstad's reelection and was one of the masterminds behind the governor's effort to take back control of the Iowa Republican Party. That process involved recruiting caucus-going allies in precincts statewide giving him an influential list of superactivists that are presumably supportive of more establishment-style Republicans. "Phil was instrumental in organizing the Branstad effort," Boeynik said. Christie has not formally announced whether he will seek the White House but his recent moves suggest he is moving toward a run. The addition of Valenziano to his team comes after news that Christie has tapped Ray Washburne, a former Republican National Committee finance chairman, as his own finance chairman and that the governor plans to soon open a federal leadership PAC. Also, Matt Mowers, a former Christie aide who became executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party, announced he would resign that post at the end of the month, raising the possibility he would lead Christie's efforts there. Valenziano and Boeynik organized meetings with influential Iowans for Christie last week when he was in town to attend Branstad's inauguration. Christie returns to Iowa this weekend to appear at the Iowa Freedom Summit, which controversial Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King has helped organize. Again, he has a series of private meetings with state power players on the calendar. Christie's hiring of ex-Romney staffer Valenziano comes after Romney announced hiring a former Christie aide, Colin Reed, in New Hampshire. | 5 | 8,789 | news |
D.C. United striker Eddie Johnson will miss the first three weeks of preseason because of medical issues, dealing another blow to the club's forward corps. United, which did not disclose Johnson's ailment, announced Friday that the 30-year-old will stay off the field while undergoing medical tests. DCU opens its 2015 campaign with a trip to face Costa Rican side Alajuelense on Feb. 26 in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. The club is already without forward Fabian Espindola for the first six games of the MLS season while he serves a suspension for pushing an assistant referee during last year's playoffs. Jamaica international Michael Seaton will also be sidelined six to eight weeks following knee surgery. Johnson scored nine goals in 30 matches in all competitions for United last season, his first with the club. Luis Silva, Conor Doyle and newcomer Jairo Arrieta are the remaining forwards on United's roster, with wingers Chris Rolfe and Chris Pontius also capable of playing up top. | 1 | 8,790 | sports |
Thomas Muller says Bayern Munich would love to propel toward another treble in 2014-15, replicating its clean sweep two years ago. In Jupp Heynckes' final season in charge at the Allianz Arena, the Bavarians triumphed historically in the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. Last season, Bayern won four trophies out of a possible six (the BuLi, DFB-Pokal, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup) but missed out on defending the European title. "I play with great players," the 25-year-old forward told TZ. "We've got a lot of points thanks to a lot of good work. Inevitably, you end up getting linked with things like the treble when you compete at the top, no matter what competition. If the chance to win the treble comes again this year and we have the chance to grab, then we are also very happy to pack up. "Of course our goals are to win games. That is why we are already well on track towards winning [the Bundesliga] at the end of the year, with the gap being a safety net in case anything unexpected happens. The 11-point lead is very comfortable but you have to make sure you maintain it. We just need wins, as always are expected from Bayern." The Germany international also commented on the shock of demise of Borussia Dortmund, which finished as the runner-up last season but is in the relegation zone with half of 2014-15 played. "The first half of the season for BVB went the way no expert could have predicted," Muller said. "Dortmund certainly have the quality to go on a winning streak of several games, however. The Dortmund who we are accustomed to in the league have not necessarily disappeared." | 1 | 8,791 | sports |
It's amazing how many foods can be made to look like a football. It's amazing how many foods can be made to look like a football. These cracker-based Football Bites by Ali at Gimme Some Oven come together in minutes! It's assembly more than cooking, so even little kids can help. Browse: Super Bowl recipes Pizza + football = pizza pockets no fan can resist. And only five ingredients! (Four, if you don't like pepperoni.) Thank Noreen at Picture the Recipe for this bit of genius. Sure, you could top deviled eggs with strips of scallion to look like football stitching. Or you could go one step further and actually make your eggs look like footballs. Kim at Sand & Sisal has the ingenious details. Bonus: These are stuffed with bacon and cheese. Browse: Great recipes for deviled eggs If there's a hot dog involved, my kid goes nuts. Put it on a stick and it's a home run errr, touchdown. Trish from Mom on Timeout made these adorable party-sized corn dogs. Hot dog option #2: Turn a chili dog into a football! You don't even need a recipe for this one. Hat tip to Jeanne Benedict for the idea. Browse: Hot dog recipes When I asked my friends what their kids go nuts for at parties, the most frequent response was Seven-Layer Dip. I can see that. I can also see my kid having a blast filling little individual cups, like Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything . Seems like the "snackadium" is a thing come Super Bowl time. I've seen some that are bigger than my kitchen, and more elaborate than any Sandra Lee tablescape. This one, by Meagan at Sun and Sippy Cups , seems downright doable. Browse: Popular recipes to cook with kids When it comes to quick and sorta healthy desserts, you can't beat a chocolate covered strawberry. Add some white chocolate lines, and BOOM: football. Jackie at Domestic Fits shows you how it's done. Even easier than those strawberries: Ready-made ice cream sandwiches, turned into frozen footballs. On. A. Stick. Kim at The Celebration Shoppe scores major points with this one. Browse: Fun ice cream recipes Peanut butter dip? With chocolate chips mixed in, shaped into a football, and covered in chocolate sprinkles? Oh yes she did. Dorothy at Crazy for Crust did, I mean. These super-cute Super Bowl Brownie Bites from What's Gaby Cooking are made from scratch, but you could decorate store-bought brownie bites, too. Browse: Brownie recipes The smart folks at the Watermelon Board know that even the most indulgent Super Bowl party needs some lighter alternatives. Watch their video to learn how to carve a football helmet out of a watermelon. And finally, researching this post inspired me to jump on the football-themed bandwagon: Cookie Dough Truffle Footballs, at Parents Need to Eat Too . Photograph by Debbie Koenig Related: Make basic cookie dough | 0 | 8,792 | foodanddrink |
Written by Charlotte Campbell Hutchison How often have you wondered what relationship secrets would be spilled if the walls of celebrity homes could talk? Wait no further, because no one can spill a hot celebrity secret better than a scorned ex. Check out what some of these stars had to say about their former significant others. BEN AFFLECK THE EX: JENNIFER LOPEZ It's hard to forget the media frenzy that surrounded the " Gone Girl " actor and the "Booty" singer ( hear her music ) during their 2002-2004 courtship. Since then, both have moved on to other partners with whom they had children. Five years after their broken engagement, Affleck finally opened up about how he really felt about being one half of Bennifer. BING: WHAT DID AFFLECK SAY ? Russell Brand THE EX: KATY PERRY Perhaps it was the "Roar" singer's ( watch her perform ) revelation that transcendental meditation was the best thing she got from her former marriage to the English comedian and actor ( watch clips ) that caused him to seek revenge in the form of spiteful words regarding their sex life. BING: WHAT DID BRAND SAY ? Jai Brooks THE EX: ARIANA GRANDE The Australian comedy group member ( watch clips ) came out swinging in a lengthy Twitter post addressing his break-up with the "Right There" singer ( watch her perform ) and sending a warning to the man she replaced him with. For what it's worth, Grande has moved on yet again and is now reportedly dating rapper Big Sean . BING: WHAT DID BROOKS SAY ? Chris Brown THE EX: KARRUECHE TRAN When he's not making headlines for violating his probation or for some sort of altercation at one of his shows, the "New Flame" singer ( watch him perform ) is stirring up drama with his on-again off-again model girlfriend ( see photos ). Never one to back down from the heat of any moment, the bad boy crooner almost always gets around to offering up a public apology and, like a well-scripted soap opera, Tran seems to fall for it every time. BING: WHAT DID BROWN SAY ? Brandon Davis THE EX: MISCHA BARTON The oil heir denied tweeting crude remarks about his " The O.C. " actress ex, claiming the account was a fake. Some find it hard to believe his denial given the fact that the hacked and fake account excuse has been worn out time and time again by remorseful celebs in the past. BING: WHAT DID DAVIS SAY ? Torrei Hart THE EX: KEVIN HART It appears as if tension between the " Wedding Ringer " actor, his ex-wife and his current fiancée has eased over the past few months, but for a while his reality TV star ex ( watch clips ) went out of her way to ensure everyone knew about the alleged role the comedian's new love played in the demise of their marriage. BING: WHAT DID TORREI SAY ? Jesse James THE EX: SANDRA BULLOCK Who can forget the scandal and media frenzy spawned by the marriage and subsequent messy departure of the "Miss Congeniality" actress and the bad boy custom car reality TV star ( watch clips ). When the dust finally settled on his cheating ways, he began making the rounds to media outlets to tell his side of the story. Leave it to shock jock Howard Stern to get the star to reveal bedroom secrets. Unfortunately for the " Gravity " actress, the odds were not in her favor. BING: WHAT DID JAMES SAY ? Nicole Kidman THE EX: TOM CRUISE The " Before I Go to Sleep " actress has stayed mum over the years about her 11-year marriage to the blockbuster film star, but while appearing on the " The Late Show with David Letterman ," she did offer a bit of a dis gift-wrapped in humor regarding one of the former couple's distinct differences. BING: WHAT DID SHE SAY ? Jennifer Lopez THE EX: MARC ANTHONY If you take what the singer ( watch her perform ) and "American Idol" judge had to say about her ex-husband at face value, you may begin to wonder what goes on behind the gates and multi-million dollar walls of the stars. It seems as if the Latin lover ( watch him perform ) wasn't treating his superstar wife very well. BING: WHAT DID LOPEZ SAY ? Nicki Minaj THE EX: SAFAREE SAMUELS Little was known about the "Anaconda" rapper's ( watch her perform ) 12-year relationship with her hype man Samuels, but as soon as their love light began to dim, the two turned to social media to set the record straight. Unfortunately, Samuels' take on things was no match for the lyrical genius. BING: WHAT DID MINAJ SAY ? Elisabeth Moss THE EX: FRED ARMISEN The " Mad Men " actress met her ex-husband on the set of " Saturday Night Live " and married him a year later. Their one-year dating span lasted longer than the marriage. Judging from the short stint as man and wife, he must have done something pretty unforgivable for the actress to walk away so quickly. Not that it came as a surprise to actor and comedian Armisen, who admitted to being a terrible husband. BING: WHAT DID MOSS SAY ? Rita Ora THE EX: ROB KARDASHIAN Not long after the embattled Kardashian son took to Twitter and outed the "Grateful" singer ( watch her perform ) for cheating on him with more than twenty men, she quickly fired back with an explanation for the alleged acts that would make any man want to shun society and go into indefinite hiding. BING: WHAT DID ORA SAY ? Sean Penn THE EX: ROBIN WRIGHT The " Secret Life of Walter Mitty " actor seems to be head over heels in love with his new partner ( who ?). He also feels that he is on friendly terms with his famous first wife ( who ?), but when it comes to his second famous ex, things seem to be a bit shaky between the once-married pair. BING: WHAT DID PENN SAY ? Brad Pitt THE EX: JENNIFER ANISTON In a 2011 interview with Parade magazine, the " Fury " actor made what some consider to be an insult to his former marriage with Jennifer Aniston , though he later backpedaled, claiming the comments were taken out of context. BING: WHAT DID PITT SAY ? Amber Rose THE EX: WIZ KHALIFA The "We Dem Boyz" rapper ( watch him perform ) surprised everyone when he settled down with the voluptuous model, but before the world could get used to the idea, it was over. Cheating allegations ran rampant on both sides, but when the name of a famous TV host who himself is divorcing a singing diva ( who ?) got thrown in the mix as a potential friend with benefits, Rose took it upon herself to clear her name, dirtying the name of her soon-to-be ex-hubby in the process. BING: WHAT DID ROSE SAY ? Charlie Sheen THE EX: DENISE RICHARDS When things between the " Anger Management " actor and his various lady loves are good, they're really good, but when things are on the rocks, Sheen does not play nice. His tweet about ex-wife Richards came as a surprise, particularly given the fact that she was one of the few people in his corner during the " Two and a Half Men " firing debacle. BING: WHAT DID SHEEN SAY ? Ed Sheeran THE EX: ELLIE GOULDING The "Don't" singer ( watch him perform ) must have studied his bestie and fellow singer Taylor Swift very well to learn the art of airing out relationship dirty laundry in song. Admitting the song was his Goulding breakup anthem, the star said, "I sent [it] to Taylor and said 'What do you think, is this too harsh?'" Sheeran recalled. "She said 'Well, I never want to p--- you off!' BING: WHAT DID SHEERAN SAY ? Jordin Sparks THE EX: JASON DERULO Since calling it quits, the " Marry Me " singer and his " Sparkle " actress ex have been heating up the airwaves the past few months with "he said, she said" relationship drama. Initially playing it coy, the Sparks came out tongue blazing after Derulo gave an interview stating the constant pressure to get married was too much for him to bear. BING: WHAT DID SPARKS SAY ? Taylor Swift THE EX: ALL Pick an ex, any ex. Known for venting about her past loves through music, the " Shake it Off " singer threw major shade at her ex-beaus while presenting a 2014 Teen Choice Award. Not sure which of her famous exes she was specifically referring to, but the list of nominees include Harry Styles, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal and a host of others. BING: WHAT DID SWIFT SAY ? Carrie Underwood THE EX: TONY ROMO Both have moved on and are happily married to someone else Tony to a different blonde ( who ?) and Carrie to a different athlete ( who ?). In interview with Esquire magazine, the "Cowboy Casanova" singer was asked if her new single was an ode to her Dallas Cowboy ex-boyfriend. Judging from her response, it's safe to conclude that she's not a fan. BING: WHAT DID UNDERWOOD SAY ? Olivia Wilde THE EX: TAO RUSPOLI The " Rush " actress got candid about her eight-year marriage to the Italian prince. While addressing an audience that included other Hollywood starlets, Wilde made a very personal confession about the death of a certain body part at Glamour magazine's "These Girls" monologue reading. BING: WHAT DID WILDE SAY ? Porsha Williams THE EX: KORDELL STEWART Lately, the " Real Housewives of Atlanta " guest star has been defending speculation about a rumored affair with a married African prince, but before her new relationship made headlines, her shocking allegations regarding her divorce from the former NFL quarterback was all anyone could talk about. BING: WHAT DID WILLIAMS SAY ? | 6 | 8,793 | entertainment |
If the Seattle Seahawks come out like a powerhouse this Sunday, credit the pre-game sugar rush. Running back Marshawn Terrell Lynch, a.k.a "Beast Mode," has not kept his love of Skittles a secret, and it was announced today that the running back has just signed a sponsorship deal with his favorite candy. It's the first time Skittles has formally paid an athlete, though not the first time the company has doled out swag to its famous fans. Beast Mode already has his own Skittles vending machine and some hand-painted Skittles cleats. And now 12th Men everywhere can get Skittles' special "Seattle Mix," which includes only blue and green candies. On the other side this Sunday will be Peyton Manning, the Denver Bronco who eats a very reasonable diet of grilled chicken and vegetables before every game. We get it this is his job, his body's a temple, yada yada yada but since that sort of restraint is no fun at all, here's a look at other pro athlete's food obsessions, which fall somewhere along the spectrum between little kid in a candy store (when the candy store's your house) and, well, they may want to talk to someone about that inclination. Kids in a candy store Sure they're big and brawny, but as Beast Mode shows, some of these players are no more than little kids at heart little kids with six-figure salaries (at least) and an imperative to gain weight. Before Skittles agreed to pay Lynch for his obsession, it was giving out Skittles machines to pro athletes left and right: Houston Rocket Dwight Howard's doubles as a pinball machine, and every time Chicago Bulls player Derrick Rose walks by his Skittles machine, it triggers a recording of Rose's own voice that we can only imagine goes something like, "Hey Derrick, it's me, Derrick. Want some Skittles? I know you do because, well, I'm you. Time to taste the rainbow." Doin' it for the swag LeBron James sees Beast Mode's Skittlized cleats, and he raises his own Fruity Pebble sneaks. Seahawk teammate Richard Sherman loves Gushers so much that General Mills sent over a jersey crafted from Gushers, which Sherman now keeps framed in his house. Taco Bell, take note: As much as he loves Doritos Locos, all the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez got was a lame company hat. Obsessive compulsives Then there are the superstitious: The Nationals' Bryce Harper eats Eggo waffles before every game. They must be Eggo, and he must follow them up by taking no fewer than seven showers. Former Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher would kick off his own games with two chocolate chip cookies no more, no less. As for Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams, well, he'll eat anything so long as they come in threes three pieces of pineapple or cantaloupe in the morning, and if he goes to a restaurant, he makes sure to keep the server in the loop: "Listen," he told his friend one night at their usual spot, "you have got to tell our waitress that she has to bring three peppermints over here and bring me a to-go iced tea. That's the routine." Athletes are the new models For every guy who can pound back red meat all day long, there's another whose diet would warrant a media freakout if the dude was a model and the fashion industry got wind. San Diego Chargers linebacker Dwight Freeney only drinks grape juice and frequent has his blood sampled to determine optimal eating habits he cut out bananas when blood tests revealed they were cramping up his tongue. A little over the top, sure, but then you have something truly, well, nuts: In preparation for a race, now retired jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. was known to eat a single peanut. | 0 | 8,794 | foodanddrink |
Have it Your Way: Top 10 Priciest Sports Car Add-Ons Have it Your Way: Top 10 Priciest Sports Car Add-Ons Imagine this scenario: The time has come to place an order for that fancy new sports car you've always wanted. You've amassed a nice chunk of change specifically for this purchase, so you're looking at all your options -- think Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Chevrolet, Nissan, Jaguar, Maserati, or Dodge. You've got the color nailed down, but what about options? In this realm, options are aplenty. And as you can imagine, they're also not all that cheap. A lot are cool. Some are just silly. We've compiled a list of options and accessories you can expect to see on your imaginary sports car's build sheet. From a $63,000 paint job to a $550 illuminated badge, you'll be shocked and awed by some of the priciest accouterments on the market today. Porsche 918 Spyder Magnesium Wheels: $32,500 These exclusive shoes are derived from those used by racing machines, which means they're extremely rigid, extraordinarily lightweight, and, yes, prohibitively expensive. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Z07 Performance Package: $7,995 Tauter suspension, gargantuan Brembo brakes, and highly functional race-car-esque aerodynamics. Menacing? You'd better believe it. Nissan GT-R Premium Sport Floor Mats with Carbon Fiber inserts: $1,075 When you're cruising in one of Japan's most capable performance cars, your feet should rest upon mats of an equal caliber. These optional mud catchers include carbon-fiber inserts. Jaguar F-Type R Carbon-Ceramic Brake Pack: $12,000 To stop one very powerful Brit, one needs very powerful brakes. The six-piston front, four-piston rear calipers bite into 15.7-inch carbon-ceramic-matrix rotors (15-inch rear), so stopping from insane speeds confidently won't be an issue. Audi R8 Carbon-Fiber Engine Overlays: $3,600 Need that extra somethin' somethin'? Throw a few carbon-fiber coverings atop your 4.2-liter V-8 (the V10 Plus model is shown above). Have a towel ready. People will be drooling. Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Illuminated Star: $550 Day or night, let it be known that you're driving a 550-horsepower autobahn-stormer made by Mercedes-Benz. Porsche 911 GT3 Lightweight Bucket Seats: $4,730 With a fixed backrest, large bolsters, and elevated thigh support, these thrones are capable of holding passengers' bodies erect during the gravitational trauma of spirited driving. Also, they look awesome. Maserati Gran Turismo MC Exterior Carbon Package: $8,300 The trendy obsession with carbon fiber doesn't end in the cabin. Check this option box to have the pricey composite dress up that Pininfarina exterior, as well. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Satin Black Aluminum Hood: $995 Add a pinch more spice to the already-tasty Hellcat dish. The vents are fully functional, so cooling all that Hemi hotness won't be a problem. Porsche 918 Spyder Liquid Metal Paint: $63,000 Now, this is crazy. Ten layers of paint (not the usual four) are applied to its carbon-fiber body panels. A light sanding is done between each layer to ensure bonding is up to snuff. Then a thicker-than-usual clearcoat is applied for the ultimate shimmer. | 9 | 8,795 | autos |
Dirt sheet: Notable scandals that have hit the NFL over the years Notable NFL controversies "Deflategate" is the latest in a long list of NFL scandals that have shaken the league through years. FOX Senior NFL writer Alex Marvez takes a look back at 18 incidents that led to repercussions on the field. Spygate The Patriots were found guilty of illegally videotaping the New York Jets' defensive signals during a 2007 game. Head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, the franchise itself another $250,000 and a 2008 first-round draft pick was stripped. Bullygate Jonathan Martin left the Miami Dolphins midway through the 2013 season after locker-room bullying from fellow offensive lineman led by Richie Incognito, who was subsequently suspended and has yet to play in another NFL game. Martin now plays for San Francisco. Bountygate New Orleans coaches and players were accused of offering bounties to knock opposing players out of games between 2009 and 2011. Among the punishments, Saints head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams were both suspended for the entire 2012 season. The Ray Rice scandal The NFL botched its investigation of Baltimore running back Ray Rice's domestic-violence incident so badly that commissioner Roger Goodell was shamed into a public apology and forced to overhaul how the league handles future player arrests on related charges. Ben Roethlisberger suspension He was never charged with a crime, but Pittsburgh's star quarterback was suspended for six games (reduced to four) in 2009 for violated the league's personal-conduct policy. Roethlisberger was investigated after being accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old female. Ray Lewis arrest The Baltimore Ravens linebacker pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with the still-unsolved murder of two men following a 2000 incident between Lewis and his friends in Atlanta following Super Bowl 34. Lewis was fined $250,000 by the NFL but never suspended. Michael Vick dog-fighting ring The star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons pleaded guilty to a felony charge in 2007 and served 21 months in prison. Vick returned to the NFL in 2009 and is now a pending free agent with the New York Jets. Eddie DeBartolo Jr. banishment A five-time Super Bowl winner as San Francisco 49ers owner, DeBartolo was suspended for the 1999 season after pleading guilty to a criminal charge connected to the corruption case against a former Louisiana governor. He relinquished control of the 49ers a year later. Stanley Wilson at Super Bowl XXIII Cincinnati had a major role planned for Wilson against San Francisco but was forced to scrap those plans when the running back suffered a drug relapse the night before the game. The Bengals lost, 20-16. Barrett Robbins at Super Bowl XXXVII Robbins went AWOL the day before Super Bowl 37, forcing the Raiders to replace their Pro Bowl center against Tampa Bay. Oakland lost, 48-21. Robbins, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, played one more season before being cut for failing a PED test. Eugene Robinson at Super Bowl XXXIII Just hours after receiving a national leadership award, Robinson was arrested for solicitation on the eve of the Super Bowl. Robinson started the game at safety but had a lousy performance in Atlanta's 33-19 loss to Denver. Bye, bye Baltimore Without fanfare in March 1984, Colts owner Robert Irsay moved his franchise to Indianapolis in the middle of the night after being unable to secure a stadium agreement. Baltimore didn't land another NFL team for 12 seasons. The Dallas Cowboys "White House" Several Cowboys players used a rented house for illicit acts during the team's 1990s Super Bowl heyday. The excesses caught up with wide receiver Michael Irvin. He served a five-game suspension in 1996 following a no-contest plea to a drug charge. Aaron Hernandez murder/homicide charges While still playing tight end for New England in 2013, Hernandez was charged in connection with the deaths of three men in two separate cases. Hernandez remains in jail awaiting trial. Paul Hornung/Alex Karras gambling suspensions Two of the NFL's top players were suspended for the 1963 season after betting on NFL games and associating with gamblers. Hornung was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986. Karras played seven more seasons. He died in 2012. The "Love Boat" A host of Minnesota players, including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, were onboard for what was essentially a sex cruise on Lake Minnetonka. The 2005 scandal was a major embarrassment for new Vikings owner Zigi Wilf, who fired head coach Mike Tice at season's end. Plaxico Burress gun scandal The New York Giants wide receiver accidentally shot himself inside a New York City nightclub, which led to a 20-month stint in prison. The 2008 Giants unraveled after the incident and lost in the second round of the playoffs without their star wide receiver. | 1 | 8,796 | sports |
Abortion rights activists are trying to awaken a debate on rape that they believe will put the GOP in dangerous waters ahead of 2016, after a top Republican said Thursday that his party had a "definitional problem of rape." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) spoke at the March for Life, a national anti-abortion rally, just hours after the issue of rape unexpectedly forced House Republicans to cancel a vote on an abortion bill. "I'm going to need your help to find a way out of this definitional problem with rape," Graham (R-S.C.) said. Groups like Planned Parenthood and EMILY's List, which advocate for female health issues, are now seizing on Graham's comments as a way to paint the GOP as out of touch with women. "He basically said we need to deal with this 'rape optics problem.' He basically said, 'Let's figure out how to dance around this together,' " said Marcy Stech, a spokeswoman for EMILY's List. "That signaled to me that the leaders of this party have no idea that this isn't just an optics problem." In his Thursday remarks, Graham drew attention to legislation backed by Democrats that would bar state and federal lawmakers from imposing a variety of restrictions on abortion rights, including forced ultrasounds, waiting periods, admitting privileges requirements and limits on medication abortion. "I'm gonna call up the Women's Health Protection Act, the centerpiece of the pro-choice movement. Are you familiar with it? I'm gonna make you familiar with it." But the women's activists groups want to keep the focus on Republicans. They are hoping for a flashback to comments by former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) in 2012, when he raised questions on "legitimate rape," which they hope will highlight the GOP's controversial record on discussing rape. Fears of an "Akin moment" could keep some Republicans quiet on the issue altogether, one lobbyist who works on abortion issues said. "They will say, 'Hey, I saw what happened to those other guys who talked about rape. Get that away from me,' " the lobbyist said. Activists were quick to highlight Graham's comments when asked about the political ramifications of this week's abortion debates. "The more they get in there and talk about this, the clearer the reality and totality is of their worldview and their desire to take away women's rights and access is," said Dawn Laguens, the executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "I don't see how that's not at the center of some important conversations of the next few years," she added. In his remarks to the 10,000-person crowd at March for Life, however, Graham was careful to distance himself from the former representative's comments. "We're not talking about 'legitimate rape' here. We're talking about saving babies at 20 weeks," Graham told the crowd, according to a report from Bloomberg Politics. The issue of abortion and rape grabbed headlines nationally this week, after a female-driven revolt within the Republican Party forced leadership to abandon a vote on a late-term abortion bill. The party had expected to easily pass the legislation, but instead faced a barrage of criticism from Democratic lawmakers accusing GOP leaders of ditching the vote to save face among women. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), a strong defender of the 20-week abortion ban bill, said she supported the leaders' decisions to move more cautiously, calling the debate healthy. "A subject matter such as this is a very emotional one, and we just have to respect everybody's opinion and work through it," she said in an interview. "I'm really not that concerned that this is going to hurt any of the pro-life movement because we are going to be bringing this bill back," she added. | 5 | 8,797 | news |
Why let your social life suffer when you're watching what you eat? TC Newman (@PurpleTCNewman) has some tips for eating healthier when out at restaurants | 8 | 8,798 | video |
MELBOURNE, Australia Inside the hallways of Rod Laver Arena here, a nonchalant hello from Roger Federer means something: It means you've arrived. "Heyyy," coos Federer as he walks past. "Stevie J!" It's as clear of a sign as any that American Steve Johnson, 25, has made his mark on the upper echelon of the tennis world, where he has risen more than 100 places in the last year to become the No. 2 American, ranked No. 38 in the world. Saturday at the Australian Open he plays in the third round of a major for the second time in his career, facing No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori. "There have been a lot of growing pains, but everything is starting to click," Johnson says of his rise. Twelve months ago at this same event, he lost in the first round. "It's all about belief, especially for a guy like Steve," says John Isner, the top-ranked American at No. 21. "He's on his way up, certainly. He's going in the right trajectory to get inside the top 30 in the world." Educational process In late 2013, a top-30 ranking (which comes with a guaranteed seeding at tennis' four majors) seemed highly unlikely for the Redondo Beach, Calif., native, who took an unusual route to professional tennis. Johnson turned pro after winning back-to-back NCAA championships at Southern California (2011-12). He vaulted into the top 100 by Wimbledon in 2013, but a second-year slump saw him fall as low as 159 in the months that followed. Johnson wasn't used to the weekly defeats at the highest level, having closed his collegiate career with 72 consecutive victories. At one point as a pro, he lost six consecutive matches in late 2013. "I didn't lose much in college, so to lose every week, it sucked, it really did," says Johnson. "I took it really hard. I thought, 'Maybe I'm not ready. Maybe this isn't for me. Maybe I peaked in college.' All of these thoughts crept up in my head." But following his early exit here 12 months ago, Johnson found himself at a low-level Challenger event in Dallas in February, facing a foe that he had easily beaten in college. He was clearly struggling. "I can remember clear as day thinking 'I just beat this guy six months ago. What's happening?'" Johnson recalls. "I was really ready to hit the panic button. But I was fortunate enough to get through that one and I sort of settled down and had a great tournament. I won the title… and everything started to click. I look back at that match and can laugh now, but it wasn't funny at the time." Getting comfortable Johnson has grown with more experience and is beginning to feel more comfortable on tour, according to his dad, who is also named Steve Johnson. "Stevie now feels that he belongs on tour and can compete with the best," the elder Steve Johnson wrote in an email. "He understands that he won't win them all, but he's going to be a tough one." During the off-season, Johnson began working with former USC teammate and volunteer coach Peter Lucassen, training at the USTA's facility in nearby Carson, Calif., and building a new team. "USC coach Peter Smith has become a part of his team again as well, keeping his voice in Stevie's head, and just being there for support," writes Steve Johnson Sr. "I think Steve is an incredible competitor," says Jay Berger, the USTA's head coach for men's tennis. "He's a winner. He really has committed himself to getting into phenomenal shape." What he has learned the most, Johnson says, is that he has had to go through those early-tour growing pains. He now feels more settled on court and off of it, where girlfriend Kendall Bateman is often at his side. "It's all come together at the right time, so I'm happy about that," Johnson says. The road less traveled Isner, like Johnson, came through the college ranks. Just seven men's singles players in this year's main draw played in the collegiate system, South Africa's Kevin Anderson the highest ranked, at No. 14. "We both started out very hot right out of college, but the next year [we] really struggled," said Isner, the University of Georgia alumnus who broke through in 2007 before stalling the next season. "I think Steve's learned how to take the losses a little bit better and learned how to grow from them. He's getting a lot more mature." "I feel his USC years will always be the best thing he could have done to prepare for the tour," adds his father. "He wasn't ready to play pro tennis as an 18-year-old, and really became a whole player in college physically, mentally and emotionally." With success will come attention, however, as Johnson ventures to the top of the American tennis crop. "I don't need to be the guy on the front page," he says, smiling. "I like to fly under the radar. But I just want to go out there and take care of business and let the tennis do the talking." And a "hello" from Federer? That speaks volumes, as well. "Yeah that's really cool," Johnson says. "He's an awesome, awesome guy. I've practiced with him a ton. There couldn't be a better guy to be the face of tennis." PHOTOS: Day 5 at the Australian Open | 1 | 8,799 | sports |
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