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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A person with knowledge of the contract says free agent right-hander Ryan Vogelsong has reached agreement on a $4 million, one-year deal to stay with the San Francisco Giants. Vogelsong's contract with the defending World Series champions is pending a physical, the person said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't announced the deal. The agreement was reached three days after general manager Brian Sabean said Vogelsong was close to joining another team - thought to be the Houston Astros. Vogelsong went 8-13 with a 4.00 ERA in 32 starts last season. The 37-year-old adds depth to a rotation that features ace Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, who is working back from elbow surgery. | 1 | 8,800 | sports |
Kyle Rothenberg reports how a new study shows social media can increase our stress levels and "second-hand stress" is become a reality in the real world | 8 | 8,801 | video |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) North Carolina's injury-depleted backcourt just got thinner. Coach Roy Williams said Friday that freshman guard Theo Pinson has a broken bone in his left foot and will miss Saturday's against Florida State, while sophomore Nate Britt is questionable after needing 15 stitches for a cut lip. Both injures came during Wednesday's win at Wake Forest. The No. 15 Tar Heels (15-4, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) are playing without three other guards due to injuries while preseason all-American Marcus Paige is playing through plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Williams said the team would've been down seven players had it practiced Thursday and that it had invited a junior varsity player to go through Friday's practice. ''You have to get a little more creative and pray a little more,'' Williams said. The 6-foot-6 Pinson was injured during the first half Wednesday when teammate Joel James stepped on Pinson's right foot in the paint on defense and Pinson's left foot twisted awkwardly. He was averaging 3.3 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench, though he was one of the team's better perimeter defenders and had gradually improved in recent weeks. Williams said the team is evaluating Pinson's treatment options and it's unclear exactly how long he will be out. Britt was injured late when a Wake Forest player hit him with his head on a drive to the basket. Williams said he wouldn't practice Friday. UNC was already without freshman point guard Joel Berry II from the regular rotation with a groin injury that has sidelined him for three games and will keep him out at least two more. He will be evaluated next week. Seldom-used reserves Stilman White and Luke Davis are also out with foot injuries. That leaves the Tar Heels with Paige, junior J.P. Tokoto and freshman Justin Jackson to carry the backcourt load. The Tar Heels also mixed in some zone defense Wednesday to deal with foul trouble. ''Yeah, we're going to get tired,'' Tokoto said. ''But it's something we go through in practice every day. Guys have gone down during practice and haven't had subs, so it's not going to be a shock. ... We'll be fine if we can just play smart.'' --- Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap | 1 | 8,802 | sports |
A mountain-size asteroid will zoom past Earth Monday (Jan. 26), marking the closest pass by such a large space rock until 2027. Asteroid 2004 BL86 , which is about 1,800 feet (550 meters) wide, will come within 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) of our planet Monday about three times the distance between Earth and the moon. While this flyby poses no threat to Earth, it does present a rare opportunity to get a good look at a near-Earth asteroid, NASA officials say. Scientists are eager to study 2004 BL86 to pinpoint its orbit, observe its surface and even look for moons. The plan is to track the fast-moving asteroid using the 230-foot (70 m) dish-shaped Goldstone antenna at NASA's Deep Space Network in California, as well as the 1,000-foot (305 m) Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. These radio dishes will beam microwave signals at the asteroid, which will then bounce off the target and return to Earth. [ Photos: Potentially Dangerous Asteroids ] "For objects that get this close, that are this large, the radar observations are really analogous to a spacecraft flyby in terms of the caliber of the data that we can get," said Lance Benner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who is the principal investigator for the Goldstone observations of the asteroid. The resulting black-and-white images can reveal unprecedented details about asteroids , whereas most ground-based telescopes would see only a point of light. But the first item on the team's checklist will be to nail the space rock's location in space and time. This will enable a better understanding of the object's orbit and its future motion, scientists say. Even though 2004 BL86 poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it's still a good idea to keep a close eye on the asteroid, Benner said. "Really, it's an inexpensive form of insurance to monitor these objects on a regular basis," he told Space.com. Benner also postulates that such work will benefit commercial companies that plan to visit and mine asteroids in the future. The researchers expect to obtain resolutions as fine as 13 feet (4 m) per pixel, so the images of 2004 BL86 should reveal details as small as the length of a typical car. This will allow the scientists to assess how rugged or smooth the space rock's surface is. "It's expected to be one of the best radar-imaging targets of this calendar year," Benner said. If Benner and his colleagues get enough images as the object spins, they can start to reconstruct its three-dimensional shape in order to understand how it rotates. They also plan to search for any moons in tow. About 17 percent of asteroids in 2004 BL86's size range tend to have smaller objects trailing along with them. The Goldstone antenna will track the asteroid for 5 to 6 hours most nights from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1. The Arecibo Observatory , however, will only be able to spot 2004 BL86 on the night of Jan. 27. Its radar is not fully steerable, and the space rock will be zipping through the sky at 2 degrees (roughly four times the width of the moon) per hour. "The thing that excites us the most is that we don't know anything about it, but it's likely that we'll learn a great deal and see a lot of detail," Benner said. "Whenever one of these objects comes really close like this, it offers such an outstanding opportunity we almost always see things we haven't seen before. And so we're expecting some kind of surprise." You can watch 2004 BL86's flyby in visible light (as opposed to radar observations) live online Monday via the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy. Editor's note: If you capture a telescope view of asteroid 2004 BL86 during its flyby and want to share it with Space.com, you can send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at: [email protected] . Follow Shannon Hall on Twitter @ShannonWHall . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com . Asteroid Basics: A Space Rock Quiz 5 Reasons to Care About Asteroids Photos: Asteroids in Deep Space Copyright 2015 SPACE.com , a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 5 | 8,803 | news |
Will you be tricked? | 8 | 8,804 | video |
Just days after being taken to hospital with malaria, Asamoah Gyan lit up the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday with a late winning goal as Ghana beat Algeria 1-0. Ghana's win and the 1-1 draw between Senegal and South Africa later in the day in Mongomo leave the two qualifying spots in Group C still up for grabs ahead of the final round of matches next Tuesday, although Bafana Bafana appear very much up against it. Gyan is Ghana's captain and talisman and he was missed in Monday's last-gasp loss to the Senegalese, with coach Avram Grant judging the striker unfit to play having been hospitalised last weekend after contracting a mild bout of malaria. The 29-year-old came straight back into the line-up on Friday and Grant decided to keep him on the pitch despite him visibly tiring towards the end. A scrappy match of few chances on a poor surface was set to end goalless until, in the second minute of injury time, Gyan latched onto a hopeful long ball downfield and outpaced Carl Medjani before firing across goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi and into the net from a tight angle. It was his seventh Cup of Nations goal, allowing him to equal the record mark set by Osei Kofi, a veteran of the Black Stars side that won the continental title in 1965. The goal also means Gyan has now scored at eight consecutive major tournaments, stretching back to the 2006 World Cup, and Grant was full of praise for his superstar forward afterwards. "Asamoah has a fantastic attitude. He wasn't fit and he hadn't been training. He is one of the greatest players I have worked with," said the Israeli after his first competitive win in charge of Ghana. Ghana now know that they will qualify for the quarter-finals as long as they can beat South Africa on Tuesday, while Algeria also know that a win against Senegal in Malabo will definitely take them through. "It is cruel to lose the match in the last minute, but that will not change our fundamental approach to the last game: even with a draw we would still have needed to win," said Algeria's French coach Christian Gourcuff, before blaming the conditions for his side's display. "We never managed to get into any rhythm because of the state of the pitch and the weather conditions. In Malabo against Senegal, I think the surface will allow us to play a much more fluid game." - Senegal in pole position - Senegal are in pole position and are just a point away from the quarter-finals after coming from behind to draw with Bafana Bafana. For the second game running South Africa took the lead but failed to see out a result, with Oupa Manyisa opening the scoring just after half-time. Senegal had a Sadio Mane equaliser disallowed for offside but they were level on the hour mark when Kara Mbodji met a free-kick from the right flank with a towering header into the net. "We take a lot of confidence from the way we have played in these two matches, even if we have not got the results we hoped for," said Dean Furman, the captain of a South Africa side who must now beat Ghana in their last match to stand any chance of progressing to the last eight. "We just have to hope that a win in our last game will be enough for us to go through." Senegal's French coach Alain Giresse said: "Nothing is settled. The final day will be fatal. That shows how difficult a group this is." The action in Equatorial Guinea continues on Saturday with a double-header of games in Group D, as the Ivory Coast, without the suspended Gervinho, take on Mali and Cameroon meet Guinea in Malabo. Elephants coach Herve Renard will be looking to Yaya Toure to produce a captain's performance after laying down the gauntlet to the Manchester City star on Friday. "I expect a better second game from him than the first one. If he is not able to improve his level it will be difficult for the team," said Renard. | 1 | 8,805 | sports |
Pop Princess Britney Spears may just be pursuing a new career in Olympic synchronized swimming. The Pop star who has Las Vegas residency posted a video to her Instagram while taking a dip in the pool. Her killer curves and hot pink bikini looked flawless in the fun video. Although she may not actually be switching to a life of a synchronized swimmer, we think Brit would kill it if she had. Check out this video for more on Britney Spears. | 1 | 8,806 | sports |
When it comes to safeguarding your digital privacy, you have options. You can freak out every time you order pad thai on Seamless. Or you can go off the grid and move to a cabin in Montana. Given the constant news about hacks Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase, Sony neither approach is without its merits. The one thing you can't do is assume you don't need to do anything: More than 13 million Americans had their identities stolen in 2013, according to the 2014 Identity Fraud Report, and even if some syndicate isn't trying to make off with your SkyMiles, there are a lot of Nigerian princes out there. "There's a tendency to say, 'They're not going to go after me,'" says Brian Krebs, a journalist whose expertise is in data breaches. "Cybersecurity is one of those issues people get religion about after they've had a disaster." Avoiding one doesn't require a Ph.D. in comp-sci. It just takes a few minutes and a broad understanding of who might target you and why. Here, how to prevent a healthy, low-grade paranoia from reaching epic proportions. 1. The Perpetrators: Criminals What They Want: Passwords, Social Security and credit-card numbers, and any personal information that could help them pose as you. How they get it: Viruses (and other malware) contracted when you visit websites and activate links in e-mails and texts. What's at stake: Scammers can open new financial accounts, run up charges on existing cards, apply for loans in your name, or file for your tax refund. What you can do Lately, hackers have favored e-mail subject lines like "Password reset notification" to lure you into clicking on bogus links. "It doesn't take a lot to cause yourself big problems," says Jenny Shearer, an FBI cybersecurity expert. Forward suspicious e-mails to a Gmail address and choose "open in Google Drive." Drive is a hurt locker for harmful viruses, making any fallout Google's problem, not yours. The best way to avoid a virus? Don't use Windows, says David Perry of anti-malware firm F-Secure. Windows isn't less safe, but since 90 percent of computers run it, it's where hackers roam "Windows is the low-hanging fruit of cybercrime," Perry says. So move to a Mac or be sure to install the updates Windows pushes out and run anti-malware software like BitDefender or F-Secure . It's just as key to use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your communications when on public Wi-Fi ( proXPN.com offers a free version). "Logging into airport Wi-Fi without using a VPN is the unprotected sex of the Internet," says Eva Galperin, global-policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Finally, secure sensitive online accounts with two-factor authentication: After you type in your password, your phone is sent a unique string of numbers for a second login, so thieves would need physical access to your phone to screw with you. • • • 2. The Perpetrators: Corporations What they want: A consumer profile information about your health, sexual preferences, brand affinities, what sites you go to, what you buy, and your actual physical movements. How they get it: By planting cookies in your browser, which compile a long-term history of your online comings and goings. What's at stake: Your privacy. And, potentially, your insurance premiums (if, say, you're on WebMD a lot researching one disease) and hireability (if an employer wants to see what political party you give to, how outspoken you are about your dislikes, or your family makeup). What you can do Cookies can be used for third-party tracking, which lets sites other than the one you're on see what you're doing. "None of us has a problem going to the deli and the guy behind the counter knowing you like pastrami," says Chris Morran, deputy editor of Consumerist, an advocacy site. "But if you go to a different deli and the guy there says, 'Hey, I hear you like pastrami,' that's where it crosses from convenience to creepiness." Watch the watchers with the Ghostery or Disconnect browser extensions. Then stop them: Privacy Badger analyzes how cookies are being used and neutralizes third-party tracking. Preventing tech and telecom giants from keeping you enrolled in their default tracking programs is easy if you know where to look. Those ads that mimic what you Googled? Exercise your right to anonymity at google.com/settings/ads and keep AT&T and Verizon from eyeing your Tindering at mobileoptout.att.com and verizonwireless.com/myprivacy . And by turning off your iPhone's location services, you disable GPS, which reports your whereabouts to your service provider. To stop iBeacon which lets vendors triangulate your location via devices placed around stores and deliver coupons for green beans when you're in the canned aisle kill Bluetooth. • • • 3. The Perpetrator: Government What it wants: To collect your complete Internet history for future potential use in determining whether any associations you may have had with people of interest to the National Security Agency should also make you a person of interest. How it gets it: By slurping up content traveling to and from your IP address and your cell-phone-service provider and then sharing the information with other countries. What's at stake: Your Fourth Amendment rights protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. • • • False Sense of Security Sometimes, what you think keeps you safe does not. Here, the most useless tools. Passwords Anyone determined to crack your codes as tricky as you think they are can. LastPass creates legitimately complex passwords for all your accounts and remembers them for you. "Do Not Track" Browsers can send messages to sites asking that they not follow you. Turn it on, but know that the big boys (Google, Facebook) ignore the requests. "Incognito Mode" This browser setting prevents someone using your device from knowing how much time you spend on, uh, cnn.com. It doesn't prevent the site you're on, or a third party, from knowing you're there. Snapchat Snapchats self-destruct once read. But not if they're screenshot. And, really, if you're relying on Snapchat for privacy, you should ask yourself why you're sending that dick pic, not what the best way to send it is. • • • More from Details: Men Reveal Their "Girly" Habits on Reddit The 8 Coolest, Most Mind-Bending, Future-but-Now Things We Saw at CES The Best Speakers, Headphones, and Other Audio Equipment | 4 | 8,807 | lifestyle |
Dustin Johnson plans to return from his leave of absence in two weeks at Torrey Pines. The Farmers Insurance Open said Friday that the 30-year-old Johnson has committed to play the tournament Feb. 5-8. It will be his first competition since he announced in early August that he was taking time off to seek professional help from ''personal challenges.'' Johnson never disclosed the nature of those challenges. Golf.com reported that he had tested positive for cocaine for the second time in three years and that the PGA Tour suspended him for six months. The PGA Tour said it did not. Johnson is an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour. He missed the PGA Championship, FedEx Cup playoffs, the Ryder Cup and his title defense in the HSBC Champions last year. | 1 | 8,808 | sports |
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Kaka has lofty goals entering his first Major League Soccer season. Orlando held its first training session as a MLS team on Friday, the latest step in the arrival of the city's second major professional sports franchise. Its biggest offseason addition was the 32-year-old former AC Milan star voted 2007 FIFA Player of the Year. Kaka said he's already started bonding with his new teammates. ''It's respect,'' Kaka said. ''And I can show them even if I won a lot of things in my career, I still have the motivation for victories. Every day I will try to show them that personality when we're training, and show them how I want to win.'' Phil Rawlins purchased the minor league Austin Aztex and moved the team to Orlando in October 2010 with the goal of joining MLS within five years. The Lions have sold 10,000 season tickets, and Rawlins hopes the total will reach a 14,000 cap by the March 8 opener against fellow newcomer New York City. ''You're going to find it very difficult to take a picture of me today without a smile on my face,'' he said. ''This is a day we've waited for for seven years. It's another historical milestone in the history of this great club.'' Kaka, who also starred for Sao Paulo and struggled during four injury filled seasons at Real Madrid, joins a franchise with 10 players 23 or younger. He's comfortable in his role as face of the Lions. ''I played on three big clubs, and on those clubs most of the time I was the face of the team. So I'm used to it,'' he said. ''It's a big responsibility. But it's also a big motivation. So I hope I can be the face of Orlando for many years.'' Orlando also signed American midfielder Brek Shea, who is trying to revive his career after making just three Premier League appearances in two years at Stoke. It also selected Canadian forward Cyle Larin with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLS draft to fortify a roster that retained only eight players from its final USL Pro League team last year. Kaka has said the Lions could win a championship in their first MLS season, which caused Orlando coach Adrian Heath to quip: ''He must have been misquoted. I don't think he speaks English that well.'' Kaka didn't back off his statement completely, though he did acknowledge that achieving smaller goals likely would come first. ''I'm used to thinking about winning, so I still hope that we can win the league,'' he said. ''But I know that our first step this year is to go to the playoffs. But I still have in my mind that we can arrive to the end of the playoffs.'' --- Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower | 1 | 8,809 | sports |
The Bowthorpe Oak is a massively thick, millennium-old tree in Lincolnshire, England that once was rumored to hold three dozen people in its enormous, hollowed-out trunk. Beth Moon photographed the leafy giant some 15 years ago and was struck by its solemn nobility and overwhelming presence. Thus began a pilgrimage that would take her around the world to document the planet's most ancient trees. The series and corresponding photo book, Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time , is a collection of beautiful, stoic images that feel suspended in time. Though our distant ancestors left the shelter and safety of trees some 3.5 million years ago, Moon's work points to our enduring affinity for and exploitation of really, really big trees. Heart of the Dragon. Socotra, Yemen, 2010. Living up to 500 years, these bizarre trees are unique to the island of Socotra. Growing in severe conditions, the tree has raised its branches upward over time in an effort to obtain moisture from the highland mists. Once part of a vast forest, these remaining trees are now classified as endangered. The Sentinels of St. Edwards. Stow-on-the-Wold, England, 2005. Planted sometime in the 18th century, these two yews are probably survivors of a celebrated, formal avenue that led to the door of the church. Bowthorpe Oak Trunk. Manthorpe, England, 2002. The legendary Bowthorpe Oak with its rugged bole, gnarled branches and a great spread of crown stands in a grassy meadow behind a stone farmhouse in Bourne, Lincolnshire. Avenue of the Baobabs. Elegant in shape and form, these strange and magnificent baobabs seem to rise effortlessly to heights of 98 feet, found only on the island of Madagascar. Rilke's Bayon. Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2007. Buddhist temples are straddled by the immense trunks of huge ficus trees whose serpentine roots pry apart the ancient stones in a desperate journey to find soil. The Great Western Red Cedar of Gelli Aur. Llandeilo, Wales, 2006. This grand multi-trunked Great Western Red Cedar is thought to have been planted in 1863. Kapok Tree. Palm Beach, Florida, 2004. Kapoks of this size usually inhabitant the rain forest, but Moon found this one in Florida on a private estate, with roots that rise 12 feet above the ground. The Lovers. Morondava, Madagascar, 2006. Local legend tells of a love story with an unfortunate beginning that finally resolves itself with this embracing pair, bound together for all eternity. The Crowhurst Yew. Crowhurst, England, 2003. Amongst tombstones in a churchyard in Crowhurst, stands a medieval ancient yew, estimated to be over 1,500 years old. Angkor Passage. Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2007. The temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia represent one of man's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. Devil's Pulpit. Chepstow, Wales, 2004. This tree growing on top of a pillar of rock, must have been covered with soil at some point, but hundreds of years of wind and rain have washed away the earth, challenging this resilient yew to find creative ways to survive. The Major's Oak. Edwinstowe, England, 2005. With its distinctive broad crown and imposing stature, this handsome tree has become one of the most famous oak trees in Britain. It has a girth of 33 feet, an estimated weight of 23 tons, and a probable age of 800-1,000 years. According to local folklore, Robin Hood met with his merry men under this tree, while hiding from the Sheriff of Nottingham, and slept under its boughs at night. | 2 | 8,810 | travel |
This Christian Grey-inspired box of chocolates from Kollar "aims to please" with its sleek packaging and thematic splattering of paint, but could the bonbons top our sultry review of E L James's Fifty Shades of Grey wine ? The set ($12 for 6 bonbons) consists of a caramel ganache enrobed in dark chocolate. Though we have yet to find a chocolate maker who really messes that combination up, Kollar impressed us with the satiny chocolate that snaps into a lush caramel center. The half spheres are almost (if not more!) gratifying than the trilogy. The only letdown is that these bonbons are almost impossible to savor - they're too delicious to take it slow. We admit, the chocolates have tied up our hearts, but that may have something to do with the fact that chocolate is a natural aphrodisiac . Plan ahead and order a box so you can stash it and some wine (in a to-go coffee cup) while watching the film in theaters Feb. 13. It's thrilling to break the rules sometimes, isn't it? | 6 | 8,811 | entertainment |
12 Creative Wing Recipes for Super Bowl Sunday Have Fun With Your Menu! Whether these are the appetizer, main course, or just an addition to a finger-food buffet, these creative chicken wing recipes are a must-try. Check out more Super Bowl recipes that will score big points Avocado Chipotle Chicken Wings Recipe These chicken wings are like eating guacamole and hot wings all at once. They are deep-fried until golden and crispy, then tossed in a smooth and smoky sauce made with avocado, cilantro, chipotle sauce, and lime. Click here for the Avocado Chicken Wing Recipe Watch: What is & how to deep fry food Balsamic Strawberry-Glazed Chicken Wings The mix of sweet strawberries and even sweeter cooked-down balsamic vinegar creates a tangy sauce for seasoned chicken wings. Make extra and refrigerate, as this is a great glaze for grilled pork and chicken breast as well. Click here for the Balsamic Strawberry Glazed Chicken Wings recipe Also try: Simple balsamic reduction Coca-Cola Chicken Wings America's favorite soda pop can do more than satisfy your thirst and unclog your sink. The rich syrup makes it an ideal marinade for foods like chicken and pork. Click here for the Coca-Cola Chicken Wings recipe Try: Coca-Cola cake Cranberry Plum Glazed Chicken Wings or Turkey Wings If you're still reminiscing about Thanksgiving dinner and counting down the days until it comes around again, then these wings are for you. Turkey wings are marinated in tangy cranberry and plum sauce overnight and then the sauce is used again to baste the wings while they cook for optimum flavor. Click here for the Cranberry Plum Glazed Chicken Wings or Turkey Wings recipe Browse: More recipes for wings Crispy Garlic Parmesan Wings There is not much that cheese doesn't make better. Consider this dish the marriage of chicken and the most delicious garlic bread you've ever eaten. An extra session in the broiler ensures wings with a crispy and crunchy bite. Click here for the Crispy Parmesan Wings recipe Watch: What happens to food during frying? Ginger-Turmeric Wings Recipe These wings nod to the traditional Indonesian fried chicken, ayam goreng. Instead of deep-frying the wings, though, pan-roast these in the oven so they have a depth of flavor without all the extra fat. Click here for the Ginger-Tumeric Wing recipe Pair these wings with a turmeric margarita Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings If you like spice, you will love these sriracha-sauced chicken wings. First, wings are covered in a hot sauce coating. Next, they are baked and glazed with sriracha a second time for maximum flavor. Heat is tamed by sweet honey and apricot jam. Click here for the Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings recipe Browse: More recipes with Sriracha Kung Pao Chicken Wings Chef Dale Talde coats chicken wings in a thick batter before deep-frying and tossing them with a sweet and spicy kung pao-inspired sauce, topping them with chopped peanuts, cilantro, and scallions, and serving them with a buttermilk ranch sauce. Click here for the Kung Pao Chicken Wings recipe Make your own ranch dip for these wings Pomegranate, Sriracha, and Mint Chicken Wings Aarti Sequeira went from blogger to Food Network star thanks to her inventive and spiced-up recipes for everyday foods like chicken wings. This one for pomegranate-, sriracha-, and mint-coated wings delivers powerful tart, spicy, and fresh flavors all at once. Click here for the Pomegranate, Sriracha, and Mint Chicken Wings recipe Browse: Minty cocktails to pair Thai Peanut Chicken Wings The idea of cooking Thai-inspired food may seem daunting at first, but this five-ingredient recipe and a slow cooker will change all of that. Sure, you could make your own peanut sauce , but how far did extra credit get you in high school? Click here for the Thai Peanut Chicken Wings recipe Browse: Thai favorites Rosemary Smoked Wings Chef Doug Psaltis created a Greek-centric take on classic chicken wings by cooking them with fresh rosemary and lemon. Instead of a slow cooker or frying pan, he recommends smoking them on the grill for an added flavor boost. Dip them in creamy yogurt spiked with lemon and rosemary if you want to keep the flavor train moving. Click here for the Rosemary Smoked Wing recipe Try: Rosemary mayonnaise Spicy Peach Salsa Chicken Wings In the summertime, you would want to use fresh sweet peaches, but since we are in the midst of winter, canned peaches will do you just fine. If you've got a gourmet market nearby, check out the condiment aisle. Peach salsa is the new mango chutney, so your prep might be made even easier. Click here for the Spicy Peach Salsa Chicken Wings recipe Related: 5 quick flavor mixes for chicken | 0 | 8,812 | foodanddrink |
Celebrity Drinks: The Favorite Drinks of 14 Famous New Yorkers Celebrity Drink Pairings to Try New York is home to some of the world's greatest artists, writers, leaders, and dreamers. The drinks they like to imbibe can be classic or as eccentric as their colorful personalities. Check out 14 famous New Yorkers and their drinks of choice below. Humphrey Bogart: Scotch Before he became a star on the silver screen, this New York native got his first big break performing on Broadway. When he wasn't on stage, Bogart was frequenting speakeasies like Tony Soma's and 21 Club. His drink of choice was Scotch although he was known to court cocktails like the Black Velvet and martini. On his deathbed, he supposedly said, "I should never have switched from Scotch to martinis." Ed Koch: Coconut Daiquiri The beloved/reviled New York City mayor claimed his beverage of choice was the coconut daiquiri. Specifically, the ones concocted every Labor Day weekend by his friend and confidant David Margolis. The Margolis recipe called for fresh pineapple and lime, Coco Lopez cream of coconut, and Bacardi light rum. Spike Lee: Absolut Brooklyn The iconic filmmaker designed his own limited-edition bottle of vodka to represent the creativity and diversity of his borough. We're assuming he drinks it as much as he promotes it. John D. Rockefeller: Martini Legend has it that the very first martini was served to Rockefeller at the Knickerbocker hotel in 1912. The oil tycoon was so impressed with the bartender's creative cocktail that he spread the word of its discovery and the drink's popularity exploded across high society. There are, however, more than a few suspicious aspects of the story: The martini is said to of existed before 1912, plus Rockefeller was a lifelong teetotaler; he supposedly never touched a drop of alcohol in his life. Woody Allen: White Wine Although the comedic mastermind behind countless cinema classics most of them set in New York City doesn't often indulge in drink, he does occasionally enjoy a glass of white wine. Scarlett Johansson: Champagne The actress was often seem with Moët & Chandon champagne after she became a spokesperson for the brand. J.D. Salinger: Scotch and Soda Born in Manhattan, this literary luminary had his first short story published in Story magazine at the tender age of 21. Salinger was said to drink whiskey; his favorite drink was almost certainly a Scotch and soda Holden Caulfield's favorite in the American classic Catcher in the Rye. Al Capone: Templeton Rye Although he moved to Chicago in his early 20s, the notorious gangster got his start in New York City. Born and raised in Brooklyn, this bootlegger's favorite drink was said to be Templeton rye. Jay-Z: White Burgundy Wine businessman/rapper Jay-Z drinks Armand de Brignac ("Ace of Spades") champagne when he wants to make a flashy appearance, but the media mogul actually prefers white Burgundy wine when he's not out to impress. Frank Sinatra: Chivas Regal Famed singer and member of "The Rat Pack," Sinatra prefered blended scotch whiskeys, especially Chivas Regal. Beyoncé: Red Wine Originally from Houston, the massively successful singer-songwriter Beyoncé now lives in New York (hometown of her husband, Jay-Z). The star loves dry red wine. She has mentioned the Bordeaux wine Pétrus as a particular favorite. Andy Warhol: Dom Pérignon T he pop artist was a frequent patron of Studio 54, where he could be found drinking Dom Pérignon. He once ran into members of the elusive "2,000 club" a group of men who had purchased 2,000 bottles of the expensive bubbly and sealed it away in preparation for a massive New Year's Eve party on the night before the new millenium. Mel Brooks: Ballantine Ale Legendary writer and director Mel Brooks did a series of radio ads with Dick Cavett for Ballantine in the 1960s. As of late, he's also has been spotted enjoying a bottle of red wine. F. Scott Fitzgerald: Gin Rickey Now considered a giant of American Literature, Fitzgerald spent his early childhood in New York and as a young man worked for an advertising agency in the city. The Jazz Age author's favorite drink was the Gin Rickey. | 0 | 8,813 | foodanddrink |
CNN's Gary Tuchman reports on how the U.S. federal government can take your money and leave you having to prove that your money is innocent. | 5 | 8,814 | news |
New Chicago Bears head coach John Fox has been busily filling out his coaching staff in his first week on the job; new Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers was hired on Monday, Vic Fangio was announced as the new Defensive Coordinator on Tuesday (along with three more assistants from Fox's time with the Denver Broncos ), new Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase and assistant DBs coach Ed Donatell arrived on Wednesday, and yesterday saw a new TEs coach and a strength and conditioning coach. As Lester noted earlier today, " The Bears still have a determination to make in regards to some holdover coaches. They still list Marc Trestman's assistant positional coaches for running backs, linebackers, defensive line, wide receivers and quarterbacks ." Not long ago, two new coaches were been announced by the team's official twitter account: #Bears have added 2 more position coaches, reaching agreements with Dowell Loggains (QBs) & Glenn Pires (LBs). Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 24, 2015 Loggains arrives from the Cleveland Browns , where 2014 first-round pick Johnny Manziel famously texted him during the NFL draft urging the Browns to draft him so he (Manziel) could wreck the league... by which he seems to have meant himself and possibly the short-term future of the franchise, if nearly 20 Browns sources are to be believed. Before that he was with the Tennessee Titans for eight seasons, and was even the subject of a request - ultimately denited by the Titans - from the Bears to interview to be their QBs coach/passing game coordinator in 2012, with Jay Cutler having reportedly wanted him as far back as 2010 when Pep Hamilton was fired; he's said to have a strong relationship with Cutler and, according to Jon Greenberg's article, wouldn't be afraid to challenge him. Pires has spent the last seven seasons coaching the Atlanta Falcons ' linebackers, and before that served in coaching roles on the defenses of the Miami Dolphins , Arizona Cardinals , and Detroit Lions ; among the Pro Bowlers he worked with during his time with the Dolphins was future Bears free agent signing Adewale Ogunleye . He'll be charged with getting the most out of the Bears' young corps of Shea McClellin , Jon Bostic , Christian Jones , and possibly Khaseem Greene . .For more on the most recent hires, see Larry Mayer's article here; share your thoughts below. | 1 | 8,815 | sports |
The teams are set - it's Team Foligno vs. Team Toews. This was a fun evening. Like the Golden Globes are to the Oscars, this event was the more loose, humorous and fun alternative to the normally boring, stuffy performances that the NHL puts on. The players were free to let their hair down, with the solo cups piling up in the green room and at the feet of the already-selected players on stage. The night was not without its highlights. To kick things off, there was a puck flip to determine who would pick first- Nick Foligno or Jonathan Toews. To the delight of the home fans in attendance, Foligno won the flip and wasted no time in selecting teammate Ryan Johansen . The next player taken was a bit of a surprise- after being infamously taken with the last pick in the inaugural All Star Fantasy Draft, Phil Kessel was drafted by Team Toews. I'm still not sure if this was a troll job by Toews or if he was legitimately showing support for Kessel. I'd like to think it was the latter, especially after Toews referred to Kessel as the "most coachable player in the league". That's a big middle finger to former Leafs coach Ron Wilson, and it's well deserved. After the eleventh round, the four rookies were split into two pairs- Jonathan Drouin and Jiri Sekac were one duo, while Johnny Gaudreau and Mike Hoffman were the other. Though the NHL posted that there would be another puck flip to determine who gets to select their preferred rookies, there was an audible on-stage and it was determined that Toews, loser of the opening puck flip, would get his choice of rookies. He select Johnny Hockey and The Hoff, while Foligno added Drouin and Sekac. The teams were allowed one trade, and the captains gathered together to hammer out a deal. History was on their minds, and the two teams consummated the first trade in All Star Fantasy Draft history- Tyler Seguin , drafted by Team Foligno, was traded to Team Toews for Kessel. There is certainly humor in this deal, well played by the captains. Zemgus GIrgensons is a fun story. His entire nation was behind him, making him the leading vote-getter for this event. The poor guy must have dropped some au jus from dinner on his shirt shorty before the event tonight, as he was clearly wearing an emergency shirt. With no access to an iron, poor Zemgus had crease lines aplenty which didn't go unnoticed from the players around him. One of the themes of the evening was the insistence by Alexander Ovechkin that he wanted to be taken last, because he "needed" the free car they always give to Mr. Anonymous. The teams held off in drafting him, but Foligno decided that Ovy's potential for Skills competition heroics and big game ability were worth his potential wrath, and took him with the 33rd of 35 picks. The final two players available - Filip Forsberg and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins , were then brought to the stage. Their selection was up to an NBC fan vote, with Nugent-Hopkins winning the vote as the "best fit for Team Foligno". In a bit of a surprise, both players received a free car, with Ovechkin shaking his head in the background. Here's a full run-down of the picks, lines are arbitrary. TEAM FOLIGNO Foligno - Johansen - Kane Stamkos - Kopitar - Ovechkin Vrbata - Giroux - Kessel Ryan - Girgensons - Nugent-Hopkins Doughty - Keith Byfuglien - Burns Shattenkirk - Ekman-Larsson Price Fleury Elliott Rookies (Skills competition only): Drouin, Sekac TEAM TOEWS Seguin - Getzlaf - Nash Tavares - Toews - Voracek Elias - Bergeron - Tarasenko Forsberg - T. Johnson Weber - Suter (Nice!) Seabrook - Ekblad Giordano - Faulk Crawford Luongo Halak Rookies (Skills competition only): Gaudreau, Hoffman The skills competition is tomorrow at 7:00pm ET, while the All Star Game itself is Sunday at 5:00pm ET. I like Team Foligno's balance, but Team Toews has the more skill on paper. It should make for a fun weekend! | 1 | 8,816 | sports |
Venus Williams says she still has a few tricks left for the tennis court. Now 34 years old and in the twilight of her career, the elder (and lower-ranked) Williams sister pulled off an unlikely come-from-behind win on Saturday at the Australian Open, advancing to the fourth round of a major for the first time in her career since Wimbledon, 2011. Scoreline: [18] Venus Williams (USA) def. Camila Giorgi (ITA) 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1 Williams' legendary power was matched ball-for-ball by Giorgi, a diminutive Italian who has a fearless game. But trailing by a set and 3-5 in the second, the American veteran rallied to force a tiebreak and then ran away with the third set. She'll face No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska in the round of 16. What it means: Williams has been a more consistent force on the women's circuit for the last year, but the success hadn't translated to the majors, where she has lost three-set tussles in her last six Grand Slam outings, dating back to the French Open in 2013. But the win buoys Williams to the second week of a major for the first time in almost four years and gives her renewed confidence as the tournament turns to its business end. Giorgi, the No. 33 player in the world, is always a dangerous floater, having career wins over Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki. How it happened: It seemed as though the Italian would garner another big upset on this day, matching Williams' strength from the backcourt and coming up the more consistent of the two. But ahead 4-2 and love-40 on Williams' serve in the second set, Giorgi couldn't take advantage. She then failed to serve out the match at 5-4, watching as Williams' confidence grew and the American won the second set, forcing a decider. Up 2-0 in the third, Williams engaged in a 28-point, 11-deuce game on Giorgi's serve, the Italian eventually winning it. What could have been a momentum-changing moment instead turned out to be Giorgi's last gasp, with Williams running out the last four games in an impressive display of whizzing serves and forehands. Key stat: Giorgi has a go-for-broke style, but her 16 double faults hampered her effort, especially at key moments in the third set. She hit 62 unforced errors, as well, accounting for over half of Williams' 117 total match points. Williams hit 32 winners in total, but more importantly kept her own unforced error count low, hitting 35. What she said: "This little cat still has a few tricks," a jubilant Williams said on court after the win. "I just kept thinking that I had to keep fighting. This is fantastic." | 1 | 8,817 | sports |
Jay Glazer on what owners are saying privately about deflategate. | 1 | 8,818 | sports |
Troy Aikman contrasts his experiences with getting footballs ready for a game with Tom Brady's assertion. | 1 | 8,819 | sports |
Fresh from a tie for third at last week's Sony Open in Hawaii, American Matt Kuchar maintained his red-hot form to grab a one-shot lead after Friday's second round of the $5.7 million Humana Challenge at La Quinta. The world number 11 took advantage of another gorgeous day in the California desert as he fired a sparkling eight-under-par 64 on the Nicklaus Private course at PGA West, one of three venues hosting the pro-am event. Kuchar, a seven-times winner on the PGA Tour known for his remarkably consistent play, mixed seven birdies with an eagle and a lone bogey to post a 15-under total of 129. Overnight leader Michael Putnam was a further stroke back after carding a 67 on the Palmer Private layout, ending a day of near-perfect scoring conditions level with fellow American Bill Haas, who shot a 63 at La Quinta Country Club. "Today was better even than yesterday," Kuchar, the highest-ranked player in the field who had opened with a 65 at La Quinta, told Golf Channel. "I had a nice round over in La Quinta, and that may be the toughest of the three courses, just how tight and narrow it is. Here you've got a little more space and reachable par-fives. "I am continuing the good golf from last week. It was nice to get in the mix last week ... I'm just trying to keep the form going and have some fun out here." Fellow American Ryan Palmer raised hopes of shooting a rare 59 before tying the course record with a 61 on the Nicklaus layout to finish three strokes off the pace. Palmer's electrifying tilt at a sub-60 score came up short after he narrowly missed an eagle putt from 15 feet on his penultimate hole, the par-five eighth, and a birdie attempt from nine feet at the ninth. "It was almost surreal," said Palmer, who rocketed up the leaderboard with a stunning eight-hole stretch of 10 under from the par-four 12th to the first. "I holed out from 97 yards on 12 ... and then just kept hitting it close, made a few putts. It was one of those stretches you get in and you almost don't realize what's happening. You cherish those moments." Phil Mickelson, playing his first event on the 2014-15 PGA Tour, birdied his last five holes for a 66 to finish at seven under. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry) | 1 | 8,820 | sports |
LOS ANGELES Veteran television actor Stephen Collins and his wife of nearly 30 years have finalized their divorce, an acrimonious breakup that revealed the former "7th Heaven" star had inappropriate contact with underage girls decades ago. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael J. Convey on Friday approved a divorce judgment that ended Collins' marriage to Faye Grant, who first disclosed molestation allegations against her estranged husband in court filings. Collins acknowledged he acted inappropriately with three underage girls in incidents that occurred between 1973 and 1994. The revelation cost Collins several roles after audio of a 2012 therapy session in which he discussed the incidents was posted by celebrity website TMZ last year. Grant recorded the session but denies leaking the audio to the website. The pair's divorce judgment calls for all but two copies of the recording to be destroyed. Both copies will be retained for 10 years by attorney Shawn Holley, who represents many celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan and Justin Bieber. Collins or Grant can only use the recordings if they need to defend themselves from a civil or criminal case, the judgment states. The judgment also states that Collins will not have to pay his wife any future spousal support payments, however Grant will receive some of Collins' pension plan and investment income each month. A divorce trial was scheduled to begin next month. The trial would have focused on the financial fallout from the release of the therapy session audio and would have divided the pair's assets. Grant and Collins and their attorneys reached a settlement on Friday after negotiating for several days at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse. They both said during Friday's hearing that the marriage was irretrievably broken and could not be fixed through further counseling. Collins filed for divorce in May 2012 and the case received little attention until the molestation allegations became public. The actor acknowledged in an interview with Katie Couric that he molested one girl and engaged in sexual misconduct with two other underage girls. He denied he was a pedophile and said he has controlled his urges since 1994. Grant included the molestation accusations in divorce proceedings and authorities in New York and Los Angeles have investigated the claims, but Collins has not been charged. The incidents occurred between 1973 and 1994, according to a statement Collins released to People magazine in December. "Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret," Collins wrote. "I have been working to atone for it ever since." ___ Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP | 6 | 8,821 | entertainment |
Zach Johnson had a nightmare on the 10th hole in the second round of the Humana Challenge. Johnson finished the round -2 and is -5 for the tournament. | 1 | 8,822 | sports |
A dog repeatedly licks a cute baby's face. | 8 | 8,823 | video |
SAN FRANCISCO Jeb Bush previewed the ideas at the heart of his likely presidential campaign, delivering a sweeping address here Friday about the economy, foreign affairs and energy exploration and challenging the country to question "every aspect of how government works." In his first major speech since stepping into the 2016 presidential sweepstakes in December, the Republican former Florida governor spoke confidently and in significant detail about the broad range of issues beginning to shape the campaign for the White House. Bush signaled he would offer the country the "adult conversations" he said are lacking in Washington and focus on people who have been left out of the economic revival. "Sixty percent of Americans believe that we're still in a recession," Bush said. "They're not dumb. It's because they are in a recession. They're frustrated and they see a small portion of the population on the economy's up escalator. Portfolios are strong, but paychecks are weak. Millions of Americans want to move forward in their lives they want to rise but they're losing hope." Bush was sharply critical of Washington not only of President Obama, but also of the Republican-controlled Congress saying there were too many "academic and political hacks" with "hard-core ideology" who are running the country without making progress. "They're basically Maytag repairmen," he said. "Nothing gets done." Bush added, "It is time to challenge every aspect of how government works how it taxes, how it regulates, how it spends to open up economic opportunity for all." Bush delivered Friday's keynote address to the National Automobile Dealers Association's annual convention in San Francisco, one of his final paid speaking appearances before he turns his attention fully to the 2016 campaign. Bush who has been on an ambitious, national tour to raise money for Right to Rise PAC, his leadership political action committee was careful to say he was only exploring a candidacy. He told the crowd of 4,000 auto dealers and industry executives, "Your checkbook, by the way, is very safe here." But Bush used the opportunity to signal the kind of campaign he intends to run. His message contrasted startkly with the rhetoric expected from some other hopefuls who are gathering in Iowa this weekend for a political festival hosted by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an anti-immigration reform firebrand. Bush drew loud and sustained applause when he called for immigration reform that would provide a path to legalized status for undocumented immigrants living in the United States. "We have a history of allowing people to come in legally to embrace our values and pursue their dreams in a way that creates prosperity for all of us," Bush said. "No country can do this like America. Our national identity is not based on race or some kind of exclusionary belief. Historically, the unwritten contract has been, come legally to our country, embrace our values, learn English, work and you can be as American as anyone else." In an subtle swipe at other GOP leaders and potential rivals who rally the conservative base with hot tirades about Obama's overreach, Bush said the Republican Party will only win back the White House if it offers an optimistic message. "Hope and a positive agenda wins out over anger and reaction every day of the week," he said. Bush's called for simplification of the tax code, including lowering rates and "eliminating as many loopholes as we possible." He also called for more energy exploration. Approving construction of the Keystone XL pipeline was "a no-brainer," he said," as is support for horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracking. "It's not cool here in San Francisco to talk about this," he joked. But, "It's cool in places like North Dakota and West Texas and South Texas. It's cool because it creates significant economic activity." In his appearance here, Bush did not shy away from his place in a dynastic political family. The bio video that played before he spoke was heavy on references to his father, former president George H.W. Bush, and brother, former president George W. Bush. Jeb Bush cited both in his remarks, saying his dad was a model for leadership, especially on foreign policy, and noting that his brother had become a rather fine painter. "Who would've thunk it?" he said. Bush is not alone among likely 2016 presidential candidates on the paid speaking circuit. Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has been delivering speeches and making other appearances for pay since stepping down as secretary of state in 2013. Clinton was a keynote speaker at last year's auto dealers convention, in New Orleans, where she disclosed that she had not driven a car in nearly 20 years. "The last time I actually drove a car myself was 1996," she said. Jokingly, she added, "I remember it very well. Unfortunately, so does the Secret Service, which is why I haven't driven since then." Bush made a reference to Clinton's remark. During the question-and-answer session, when the association's chairman asked Bush his favorite kind of car, Bush said he just bought a Ford Fusion. "For the record, I do drive," he said, adding that he plans to return to the dealership for a two-hour tutorial on the Fusion's technology. Bush was asked about his Thursday meeting in Utah with Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee who also is exploring a 2016 run. The two men, each a favorite of the party establishment, are on a collision course , but Bush said they mostly avoided talk about the campaign. "We talked about the Patriots," Bush said. "We talked a little bit about politics, not as much as you might imagine. We talked about the future of the country. We talked about the need for a more engaged foreign policy.. . .The awkward side of this, about running and such, we put aside." Answering questions on stage, Bush opened a window on his personal life. He said he loves Sundays "It's Sunday fun day" because he doesn't work. "I play golf really fast so I can have breakfast really fast so I can go to Mass slower can't ask the priest to accelerate that. I probably would if I could." He called himself "an introvert," saying he would "rather read a book than go out and get in a Conga line." "Introverts actually are grinders," Bush said. "They identify a problem by and large and then they overcome it.. . .But I learned that in order to make your case or in order to serve or in order to advance a cause, you have to connect with people, and you can't connect with people if you're back in the corner reading a book." | 5 | 8,824 | news |
"People dream about flying." That's what Max Rheiner, creator of Birdly , a virtual reality experience that lets you feel what it's like to fly as a bird from a first-person perspective, said about the inspiration for his project. Rheiner, who's head of the interaction design program at the Zurich University of the Arts , is showcasing Birdly at Sundance 2015, as part of the festival's New Frontier exhibit , which brings creators utilizing unusual mediums to express their narratives under one roof , each with a different story to tell. In Birdly's case, that medium would be an Oculus Rift headset paired alongside a plastic surface (think of it as an inverted dentist chair) and a fan for the wind effect, creating an embodiment that's meant to spawn a full-body VR experience. ] As someone who is terrified of heights, the mere thought of trying Birdly was a challenge for me. But, I wasn't about to let one of my greatest fears keep me from having wings and spreading them any way I wanted. "Hey, you know it's not real, right?" you ask. Well, it sure felt like it was during the two minutes that I was airborne, fully immersed in a bird's body and flying freely over beautiful San Francisco. The Bay Area city was mapped out using computer-generated 3D data, so there was no live filming involved. It is San Francisco through and through. With Birdly, you navigate with your arms and hands; flapping the wings slowly (not like a chicken) helps you gain altitude, while the Oculus Rift, namely a DK2 , takes care of giving you a bird's-eye view of your surroundings. Skyscrapers, streets and parks are among some of the things easily visible from above -- and the sky too, of course. Much to my dismay, I made a big mistake early on. Right after starting Birdly, I looked down and immediately felt my stomach turn upside-down. It felt so real I almost wanted to take off the headset, get my body off of the custom surface and call it a day. That's not a knock to the Birdly flight simulator, however, but rather praise. I've never been part of the crowd that gets "sick" from VR, which certainly wasn't the case here. On the contrary, the Birdly experience is beautiful and extremely vivid. It is also the first one in which I felt like my whole body had been transported into the world I was in at that moment. And it all clicked when I turned my head to the side and saw my wings, covered in brown and black feathers. But what I felt will likely be different from anyone else who tries it, and that's the whole point behind Birdly, according to Rheiner . "Everyone dreams [of flying] differently," he says. "You have to get into the illusion. That's what this is about." Rheiner points out that it was important to come up with an idea that immersed the body completely in VR, not just portions of it. "This project captured me because flying is so nurturing and I wanted to engage the whole body in virtual reality," he added. "We needed a frame of reference, and that's where the dreams come in. People have different opinions about how they fly." While Birdly has been in the works since last year, it's come a long way since it was demonstrated in Switzerland back in May of 2014. Rheiner says the Birdly being displayed here at Sundance is version 2.0 -- the white-and-red compartment where your body is placed, for instance, wasn't there before. Next up, he hopes to make an industrial version of his flight simulator, with improved parts rather than those that were built in-house, at the Zurich University of the Arts. | 5 | 8,825 | news |
DALLAS Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested the NBA should do away with fan voting for the All-Star game, saying the leading total of 1.5 million votes for Golden State's Stephen Curry was so low it was "embarrassing." Cuban said Friday the roster should be expanded to 14 players from the current 12. He said coaches or general managers or both should choose the players. The outspoken owner said the low total for Curry was evidence that the "system's broken, absolutely, positively broken." Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista led baseball's All-Star fan voting last year with about 5.9 million ballots. Cuban said the voting totals indicated that "basically .01 percent of NBA fans cared enough to vote." The NBA All-Star game is Feb. 15 in New York. | 1 | 8,826 | sports |
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The winning play was simple: Get the ball to Treveon Graham and step aside. Graham threw the inbounds pass, got it right back and then drove the distance for a tiebreaking layup with 0.9 seconds left, and No. 16 Virginia Commonwealth held off Saint Louis 63-61 on Friday night for its 11th consecutive victory. "I always want the ball in those types of situations," Graham said. "I'm either going to make a shot or find my teammates." Graham didn't worry about beating the clock, just about beating the defense to the rim. He missed most of the practice week with an ankle injury but played 32 minutes. "Tre's a terrific player and he made a big-time play," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "When he got the ball back you could just see the look in his eye." Saint Louis knew what was coming, and couldn't do anything about it. "Obviously not good defense if you give up a layup," coach Jim Crews said. "So that was misplayed by us, but Graham's a really good player." Graham had 21 points and Briante Weber scored 15 for VCU (16-3, 6-0 Atlantic 10). Graham twice missed a pair at the line in the second half, helping the Billikens (9-10, 1-5) stay close. "We could have been in a little better position," Smart said. "The rest of our team shot much better from the foul line, and he obviously made the shot he had to make." The Rams are 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 2006-07, when the school was in the Colonial Athletic Association. Saint Louis has lost six of seven and is 0-2 against ranked foes, but fared much better than early December when it lost by 29 at Wichita State. "I think we moved it down another mile marker, so that's good," Crews said. "We're not real pleased we got beat at all. Not whatsoever. Not happy about that." Milik Yarbrough had 15 points and six rebounds for Saint Louis. Austin McBroom scored 12, the last two on a hanging shot in the lane for a 60-58 lead with 39 seconds to go. Marcus Bartley added eight points and seven rebounds. Ash Yacoubou made the second of two free throws to tie it at 61 with 7 seconds to go after Jordan Burgess' first 3-pointer of the game put the Rams up with 19.6 seconds left. "Coach always says if you're a shooter, just keep shooting," Burgess said. "My teammates had faith in me." Saint Louis got two chances to break the tie, the last with 0.2 seconds to go, but couldn't get off a shot. The Rams won the first 10 games in their streak by an average of nearly 14 points per game. VCU leads an exceptionally tight series 4-3, outscoring Saint Louis by just 349-340, and had lost the last two in St. Louis against teams that won consecutive A-10 titles. Crews is rebuilding with five new starters. ------ TIP-INS VCU: Weber had two steals, passing Temple's Pepe Sanchez (1996-00) for third place on the Division I career list. Weber has 366 steals and needs 20 more to become the career leader. Ahead are two Providence players -- Eric Murdock had 376 from 1997-01 and John Linehan had 385 from 1998-02. Saint Louis: Yarbrough had just two points in the first half. His dunk on a putback over a handful of players was the most impressive play by either side, cutting the deficit to four with 4:05 to go. UP NEXT VCU: The next two games are at home, against George Washington on Tuesday and Richmond on Friday. Saint Louis: At George Mason on Thursday. | 1 | 8,827 | sports |
I don't ever remember my mother taking much time out for herself while I was growing up. She had one best friend, and their time together revolved around uniting our families. When I became a mom, I told myself I would still make time for my friends without the kids. And for a while, I did. Then my son, Norrin, was diagnosed with autism in 2008, and time with my amigas took a backseat to everything else. There was therapy, doctor appointments and never-ending paperwork. Those first few years after Norrin's autism diagnosis, isolation came easily. Without realizing it, I created a barrier that was almost impossible to penetrate. My circle of friends shrunk, and my nights out with girlfriends were non-existent. Norrin recently turned 9, and we've found our groove as a family. Yet my social life (outside of my work day) almost always revolves around my family. I'm not complaining, but there are moments when I miss my life before motherhood. I miss hanging out with friends and talking about books, movies or makeup. Just because I'm a mom, doesn't mean I want to spend every single moment of my day talking about my kid. Sometimes this mami needs a break. Most Saturday nights I'm home, content to watch a movie with my family. But I spent my first Saturday evening of the New Year with girlfriends fellow autism moms and I had a blast! I didn't get any more dressed up than I would have if I had gone out with my family. But I liked the ritual of getting ready on a Saturday night. I met my friends at a local restaurant a place too loud for my kid. We drank, ate and sang karaoke. (At one point, all nine of us were singing the same song!) We laughed like we had known each other all of our lives even though we hadn't. Some of us met for the very first time after communicating via Facebook for months. But as autism moms, we had formed a bond. We understood each other. And we were at ease. Raising a child with autism, life can be lonely. Our kids don't typically get invited to birthday parties or play dates. We avoid places that can be overwhelming and crowded. And it can be hard to connect with other moms who don't know the ups and downs of raising a child with special needs. When my son was first diagnosed, I didn't know a single mom raising a child with autism. And through social media, I was able to find them. In our little social media circle, we found camaraderie and comfort. A Saturday night out is rare for me; it was the same story for most of the moms I was with that night. But by the end of the evening, we promised to make more time for each other. Because our lives can't revolve around the needs of our children. It's OK for us to be a little selfish and take time for ourselves to just be the women we were before we became moms. | 4 | 8,828 | lifestyle |
Why didn't they do diet and exercise in the first place? | 8 | 8,829 | video |
Should the Dolphins cut underachieving wide receiver Mike Wallace, or should the team give him one more chance to prove that he's worth the big money he's getting? #120Talk | 1 | 8,830 | sports |
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is frustrated that his side played so far under its potential as it drew 0-0 with Cambridge United in the FA Cup fourth round. The Red Devils were held at bay in difficult conditions by the League Two side, with the Dutchman concerned that his players allowed themselves to drop to the hosts' level rather than attacking the game as a squad of their stature, though arguing that "every aspect of the match is against us". "We made the same error as against Yeovil and QPR," he fumed to reporters. "We played in the same style as the opponent and that we don't have to do. That was our error. [In the] second half, we played much better. We played on the floor and that's a different style. It was a pity we had to wait again until half-time but, in the second half, I was pleased. "But we didn't score and I have to give credit to this club, of course. Cambridge United played very well, very well organised with heart and they fought 'til the end but we could have scored, I think, and now we have an extra match. "We're still in the cup and that's the most important thing. I've seen before the big clubs lose against small opponents. It's because every aspect of the match is against us," Van Gaal continued in trying to explain the stalemate. "We have to come here. The pitch is not so good, that can influence that you play in another play style. The opponents are always giving a lot more than normal. Defending is always easier than attacking. You have seen the referee, it's always the same. Everywhere I've coached these games, always the same. "I know it's very difficult to beat such an opponent in such circumstances. I said the same before Yeovil Town. We know everything is against us but you have to survive and I know also that attacking is much more difficult than defending. "But in the first half we passed 45 minutes without doing what we have to do. Second half, okay, we could have scored, [Robin] van Persie could score, [Radamel] Falcao could score - but the goalkeeper was good." // | 1 | 8,831 | sports |
The Lakers may have been awful with Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant himself may have been awful, but without him they're even worse than awful, they're just plain boring. Game 45 Vs. Los Angeles: Spurs 99, Lakers 85 Record: 28-17 4th in Southwest, 7th in West Streak: W-1 It's just mind-boggling that it's come to this for the mighty, dynastic, iconic Los Angeles Lakers. The Purple & Gold. Showtime. 16 Larry O' Briens in the trophy case. From Mikan to Baylor to Wilt and West, Magic and Kareem to Shaq and Kobe to.... this . It just makes you shake your head, man. I have no love for the Lakers at all, and lord knows all their troubles are of their own making, but it's still sad. Say what you want about what a miserable season Kobe Bryant was having, how he seemed oblivious to the fact that he was the butt of every NBA Twitter joke, how he was the basketball version of Willie Mays bumbling around in the outfield in his 40's for the Mets, but at least Kobe made the Lakers morbidly interesting, even if we were all rubbernecking the car crash or worse, laughing at the attention-addict reality TV star. Without Kobe though, what are the Lakers? If this was the NFL they'd be the Jets. If this was baseball they'd be the Reds. If this was English soccer they'd be... hell they might be Leeds. A once great franchise now turned into a national joke and a cautionary tale for the Chelseas and Manchester Uniteds. There but for the grace of God... In a way, they're a cautionary tale for the Spurs too, the Goofus to our Gallant, so to speak. Their star alienated his teammates and coach to the point of making them want out at times, our star never has. Their star played too many minutes for too many years, where now they've finally caught up with him, our star has always played fewer minutes to preserve himself for the long term. Their star took all the money, our star took less so that he could surround himself with talented guys he could win with. It may be painting Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan with too broad a brush, but it's certainly not a coincidence or a surprise that Bryant has reached this sad end while Duncan just keeps on, keeping on, at times the best Spur, still, but other times just a role player content to catch a ride on the meteor that is Kawhi Leonard . I'm not sure if it's a Your Three Stars record or not, but Leonard has now been the first star for five straight games, which also happen to be exactly how many the team has played since he's returned from a torn ligament injury in his right (shooting) hand that kept him out for 15 games and 17 of 19. Leonard has hardly missed a beat since returning, scoring at least 12 points in all five games and averaging 16 to go with 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals in that stretch. He led the team with 33:18 of playing time against the Lakers and seemed not at all bothered on the second night of a back-to-back nor burdened by the responsibility of having to be the team's most consistent, most reliable, most indispensable player, from the moment he stepped back on the court after missing a month. "I'm young," Leonard explained, matter-of-factly. "I'm 23-years-old. I love to play the game. Every game I have the same mindset. If Kobe was here, that would be somebody else I would have to stop from scoring." That the jersey or the opponent in front of him or the importance of the game doesn't matter at all to Leonard is either a sign he's mature well beyond his years or blissfully full of hubris, but either way it's served him well so far and it fits the team's ethos. Of course the beauty of the Spurs is that even though it has been the Leonard show lately, it doesn't have to be. It could just as easily be Duncan with a quiet and steady 14 and 7 in 20 minutes or Manu Ginobili with a bounce-back 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, frolicking merrily to the lane with no one in black and gold (don't ask) all that interested in deterring him. It could be Tony Parker rediscovering his mid-range jumper or Patty Mills burying the dagger three after swiping a trademark in-bounds steal. It could be any of these things and more and Friday night it was all of them. Meanwhile, the Lakers, the Kobe-less Lakers, whom their current best player (because by definition someone has to be) Nick Young likened to the title character in Django Unchained for how free they felt playing without the restraints of Bryant's on court tyranny, have to make a go of it with "Swaggy P," yes and also Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill and Wesley Johnson , Ryan Kelly , Robert Sacre , Wayne Ellington and so on. Their hot topics du jour, aside from the announcement of Bryant's season has come to a premature end for the third consecutive season, are that A) Jeremy Lin (DNP-CD vs. the Spurs) is in Byron Scott's dog house for reasons that should interest no one and B) San Antonio native Jordan Clarkson was to make his first career start, and at the Spurs no less. All things considered, he was probably the best Laker on Friday, making 5-of-9 shots and finishing with 11 points and four assists. ("I was excited to be able to play here in front of my friends and family," Clarkson said afterward.) His presence also led to this, which was nice. You wonder how long Lakers fans will have to sing "Since U Been Gone," about Kobe because barring some Duncan-esque lottery luck, they are going to be terrible for a long, long time. And even worse than terrible, just plain irrelevant. Your Three Stars: 3. Tony Parker (40 pts) 2. Manu Ginobili (52 pts) 1. Kawhi Leonard (60 pts) | 1 | 8,832 | sports |
At least 15 Republicans are contemplating US presidential runs, and most of them will be wooing donors and seeking blessings of core conservatives this weekend at two crucial events laying groundwork for 2016. None of the candidates in waiting has officially launched a White House bid, and the first state-wide vote in the process to determine a party's nominee is a full 53 weeks away. But the competition to earn the imprimatur of conservative groups, far-right voters, and the mega-donors that have become indispensable to American political success breaks into the open Saturday and Sunday. Candidates charge out of the gate first in the heartland of Iowa, where anti-immigration congressman Steve King hosts the Iowa Freedom Summit. Of Saturday's speakers, no fewer than eight are believed to have their eyes on the White House. They include Senator Ted Cruz, a thorn in the party establishment's side; former Texas governor Rick Perry, whose 2012 presidential campaign crashed and burned; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, battling sinking poll numbers; and mild-tempered neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a Tea Party favorite. Each will get 20 minutes to wow the 1,000-strong crowd -- a sort of political speed-dating session -- and experts say making a good impression at the start of the political cycle is crucial. "It is the kickoff, (and) will set the tone for many of the contenders," Iowa State University professor Steffen Schmidt told AFP. An equally if not more influential event takes place Sunday in Palm Springs, California, where billionaire industrialists and political powerbrokers Charles and David Koch invited 450 conservative entrepreneurs and donors to their annual winter retreat. Several 2016 hopefuls will attend, including Republican senators Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, who are scheduled to square off in a three-way forum Sunday. The Koch network marshals vast funding to advance free-market policies. For many GOP candidates, being on the right side of that network is essential. "Whether we like it or not, one of the first primaries in either party is the fundraising primary, and having access to that network helps you," Republican strategist Greg Mueller told The New York Times. The retreat is invitation-only. But this year, organizers have taken a new tack, and a webcast will be made available to reporters. "Our goal in 2015 is to help inform the national debate around key domestic economic issues, and this forum is the beginning of that conversation," said Freedom Partners spokesman James Davis. - 'A whiff of Koch' - The brothers' political influence has become profound. One organization in the Koch network, Americans For Prosperity, spent a reported $120 million in 2012 opposing Obama and congressional Democrats. Such is the Democratic antipathy for the Kochs that when Senate Republican leaders limited debate in the chamber Thursday night, opponents accused them of rushing proceedings to give lawmakers time to get to the retreat. "Jet fumes have a whiff of Koch," sneered senior Senate Democratic aide Adam Jentleson. Democrats too have their deep-pocketed donors, which the party's 2016 hopefuls will court. But with all eyes on Hillary Clinton as the prospective frontrunner, the scramble for Democratic donor backing is less frantic than on the Republican side. Two big names will be absent from the Republican weekend conclaves: Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, both of whom have signaled their interest in the nomination. The two men -- Bush, the son and brother of two presidents, and Romney, a two-time candidate himself -- are viewed as establishment Republicans, occupying the political space more to the middle than those headed to Iowa or California. On Thursday, Bush and Romney met privately in Utah, in a possible sign of their future intentions. | 5 | 8,833 | news |
Everyone's talking about Deflategate, even a very well known long running show intended for children. Sesame Street took on Deflate Gate and the Patriots with an episode about inflating balls. Oh yes, even Sesame Street is taking a jab at the Patriots. | 8 | 8,834 | video |
Ernie Banks didn't invent day baseball or help build Wrigley Field. He just made the idea of playing a baseball game under the sun at the corner of Clark and Addison streets sound like a day in paradise, win or lose. That optimistic attitude, from a man who never experienced the limelight of a World Series, or a postseason for that matter, is what made the Hall of Famer "Mr. Cub," and one of the most iconic athletes in Chicago history. His passing on Friday at 83 was a shock to most of us, even though he recently missed the Cubs Convention last weekend, a party he loved attending over the years. Ernie was so full of life it seemed like he would live forever, shouting "Let's play two" and perennially making up a song on the spot informing us that this year is the one we've been waiting for all of our lives. And if it wasn't? There was always next year. He was a player who promoted the game like he was part of the marketing department. Not because he had to, but because he truly loved the Cubs and the game itself. I was fortunate enough to get to know Banks from covering the Cubs, and he was always gracious and fun-loving, whether at the park or in spring training. The last time I got to talk to him was last summer before Greg Maddux's Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, when Banks showed up at the party to fete his fellow Cubs' legend. I was amazed at how energetic and enthusiastic Banks appeared, even though he obviously was getting on in years and moving a bit slower. On the plane trip back to Chicago, a problem with the jetway forced the plane to sit on the tarmac at O'Hare for 30 minutes while we waited for someone to come and fix it. Banks stood near the door the whole time, patiently waiting, smiling and interacting with fans. He had no time for misplaced anger at something he had no control over. Every day was a beautiful day for Mr. Cub, and nothing was going to spoil his mood. It may not have been that way his entire life, but it certainly became his persona as a Cub. Banks told "Sports Illustrated" last summer that he had a hard time at first dealing with Cubs manager Leo Durocher, an ornery type who gave him a hard time because he could. "I went to my mother with that one," he said. "She said, 'Ernie, kill 'em with kindness.' And that's what I did." That kindness was obvious everywhere Banks went. His mentor was former Negro leagues player Buck O'Neil, who had a similar personality and shared his love for the game. Ernie was always in the mood for talking, and treated everyone like he had known them his entire life. He would ask questions of complete strangers, or start using their names in a sing-song manner. You would sometimes wonder how anyone could be so "up" all the time, whether he was just doing it because that's what everyone expected from him. But after a while you realized it was just Ernie being Ernie. Most great players are remembered for their stats or their style of play. Ernie Banks always will be remembered for the showing us how to enjoy life every single day. No one enjoyed it more than Ernie Banks, and Wrigley Field never will be the same without him. [email protected] Twitter @PWSullivan | 1 | 8,835 | sports |
We get you caught up with Friday's top stories, including Klay Thompson's huge night for the Warriors, No. 16 VCU's dramatic win over Saint Louis and the latest action from the Aussie Open. | 1 | 8,836 | sports |
MOBILE, Ala. -- Bryan Bennett already knows what it's like to be a contingency plan for Marcus Mariota. A number of years ago, the four-star recruit out of southern California (Granada Hills) signed with Oregon, in hopes of becoming perhaps the first transcendent quarterback of the Chip Kelly regime. Bennett had good size (6-foot-3, 200-plus pounds), terrific speed, a strong throwing arm and a quick grasp of Kelly's patented up-tempo spread offense, similar traits to the other two prominent quarterbacks on the Ducks' roster for the 2011 campaign -- starter Darron Thomas and Mariota, a precocious freshman from Hawaii back then. In 2011, Bennett might have seemingly had the upper hand on succeeding Thomas as Oregon's starter. A year later, though, the writing was on the proverbial wall, in favor of Mariota, prompting Bennett to transfer to another school -- and in a different part of the country -- as a means of reinventing himself on the fly. In essence, perhaps Bennett (a two-year starter at Southeastern Louisiana; 2013 Southland Conference POY) and Mariota (two-year starter at Oregon, 2014 Heisman Trophy recipient) needed to be apart to realize their pro dreams. With the NFL draft just three months away, both quarterbacks could also be long-term success stories at the next level -- assuming they wind up with the right franchises. Which brings us to this: Potential No. 1 overall picks in the draft typically don't shine at the Senior Bowl, out of fear they can only hinder their stock. And since Mariota still had college eligibility -- prior to turning pro after his team's loss in the College Football Playoff title game -- there weren't many expectations of a weeklong appearance in Mobile. Nevertheless, that didn't stop Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt (who's doubling as the North coach for Saturday's Senior Bowl) from holding a spot open for Mariota (who's Senior Bowl-eligible, due to an early graduation) ... just in case he felt like partaking in college football's most celebrated all-star game. Although tempted, Mariota never accepted the Senior Bowl invite. That allowed Sean Mannion (Oregon State), Shane Carden (East Carolina) and Bryce Petty (Baylor) to maintain their sports on the North squad. But what about Bennett, who accounted for 4,211 total yards (1,046 rushing) and 37 TDs in 2013 and 33 total TDs during an injury-shortened 2014? How would he get the chance to boost his pro stock this week? Enter a simple twist of fate from Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, who switched to cornerback (his full-time focus leading up to the draft) for Senior Bowl Week. That left the door open for Bennett to join Blake Sims (Alabama) and Garrett Grayson (Colorodo State) on the South squad. "I just want to take the opportunity I've been given and make the most of it," said Bennett, who arrived to Mobile on Wednesday in time to answer countless questions about Mariota, Kelly and San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick (virtual sports clone). "It's (all about) putting quality tape out there." * * * The Senior Bowl may be one of the tent-pole events on the NFL calendar, but it doesn't have all the accoutrements of a regular-season game. Take the practice squad, for example. From September to December, all 32 teams have direct access to 10 players on their own developmental depth chart. But for Senior Bowl Week, the rosters are set in stone -- barring injury or an unforeseen event that changes the composition of competition (like Nick Marshall moving to safety ... or Mariota staying away from Mobile). Yes, there are are no practice squads. Just contingency plans written on a scrap piece of paper in event organizer Phil Savage's notebook. Some guys get that call ... while others sit by a phone that never rings. Bennett -- the 15th-ranked quarterback in the 2010 recruiting class (Rivals.com), 29 spots ahead of Blake Bortles (No. 3 overall pick in 2013 draft) -- certainly got the call from Savage, albeit in the middle of the week. And though it wasn't a grand surprise, it certainly frazzled the quarterback -- from an equipment-preparation standpoint. "First of all, thanks to (SE Louisiana head coach Ron Roberts) for getting my stuff out here," said Bennett, who didn't have his shoulder pads with him on the red-eye flight into the Mobile area. "It took a lot to get here, but the excitement of everything kind of trumped (all the bad stuff)." Bennett has contracted former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer (the brother of Carson Palmer) to help clean up all the glitches in his pre-draft profile, like developing a more efficient throwing motion, improving footwork when fielding snaps under center (five- and seven-step drops) or mastering the art of staying humble -- amid all the "like" comparisons to Mariota and/or Kaepernick. "He's doing a great job (in San Francisco)," said Bennett, adroitly sidestepping a question about whether Kaepernick's success after four NFL seasons (8,415 yards passing, 60 total TDs, one NFC championship) will motivate franchises to boost Bennett's draft stock in the coming weeks. Bennett also provided pleasant, but non-specific responses to whether his work at Southeastern Louisiana could translate to NFL success, if the Chip Kelly-coached Philadelphia Eagles snagged him in the draft. "Yeah, we did a lot of no-huddle ... maybe not as fast as Oregon, though." * * * When perusing the list of history's legendary sports alternates (in this scenario, the Miss America runner-up who replaced Denise Williams need not apply), two men stand above the pack: Lou Gehrig and John Daly. In 1925, Gehrig famously replaced first baseman Wally Pipp in the New York Yankees lineup, on a day when Pipp apparently had a headache and was advised to take the day off. Well, 2,130 consecutive games later ... Gehrig (493 HRs, 1,995 RBI, lifetime .340 batting average/.447 on-base percentage) had clinched a spot in the baseball Hall of Fame, leaving Pipp to quip about his headache-based fate, "I took the two most expensive aspirin in history." It could easily be argued that Gehrig -- a vital cog in the famed Murderer's Row lineup of 1927 -- would have found his way into the Yankees batting order, sooner than later. With or without Pipp (batting just .244 with three homers at the time of his benching). But there's no guarantee that Daly would have conquered golfing fame and fortune (for a while, at least) if Nick Price -- multiple major titles -- hadn't missed the 1991 PGA Championship in Carmel, Ind, due to the impending birth of a child. Heading into that tourney, the 25-year-old Daly had never won a professional event in three-plus seasons. He was also the ninth alternate for Crooked Stick, meaning that eight other golfers -- in addition to Price -- had to remove themselves from the year's final major major before Round 1. Accepting the last-minute invite, Daly drove to Indiana and joined the tournament, without a single practice round at Crooked Stick. On Day 1, he carded a respectable 69 (3-under). For the final three days, the hard-swinging/hard-partying Daly brought the course to its proverbial knees, finishing at 12-under and cruising to perhaps the most unlikely majors victory in golf history. The final round on that Sunday was essentially a four-hour coronation/infomercial for Daly, whose unheralded story would titillate a televised nation of golf fans -- many of whom would travel the world to catch a glimpse of the long-driving wizard with the soft putting touch. Thanks to Nick Price, in effect, Daly presides over a world-renowned brand that includes two major championships and millions of dollars in the bank. Back to the Senior Bowl: It's unlikely that Bennett, Mississippi State offensive tackle Blaine Clausell or UCF linebacker Terrance Plummer -- the three mid-week additions to the all-star game -- would become instant household names if either one captures MVP honors on Saturday. (No pure O-lineman has ever claimed the award in Senior Bowl lore.) John Daly got a little fate boost from Nick Price 23-plus years ago. Now, in absentia, Marcus Mariota may have done the same for his former Oregon teammate. | 1 | 8,837 | sports |
WASHINGTON After spending the last few years butting heads with his most conservative members, House Speaker John A. Boehner has a new headache: a revolt by moderates. Tired of staying quiet while tea-party-minded conservatives pull the Republican majority further to the right, more temperate voices are starting to rise in the new GOP-led Congress. Female lawmakers pushed the party to drop Thursday's planned vote on legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, forcing leaders to abruptly switch course and pass a different antiabortion bill. Last week, a surprisingly large group of 26 House Republicans refused to support an amendment that called for ending deportation deferrals of young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Those dissenters came within one vote of tanking the measure aimed at so-called Dreamers. Most of these Republicans bristle at being called moderates, preferring to be seen as pragmatists worried that the party's hard-line policies will backfire with voters, particularly in the 2016 presidential race. Many hail from moderate electoral districts in California, New York and Illinois, where conservative positions on immigration, abortion and gay rights are unpopular. These lawmakers warn that Republican message votes, which may appeal to party stalwarts but have little chance of overcoming Democratic filibusters or presidential vetoes, will only serve to complicate their own re-elections and leave the GOP with little to show for its new majority. The shifting terrain represents an unexpected but not wholly unwelcome new challenge for Boehner as he struggles to control his party. Rather than trying to appease conservatives by pursuing bills that have little hope of becoming law, GOP leaders, who have had their own battles with the party's right flank, suddenly find themselves with a faction of vocal Republican lawmakers who say they are interested in scoring legislative victories rather than political points. "I'm a practical Republican," said Rep. Tom MacArthur, a newly elected lawmaker from New Jersey who voted against the Dreamer-deportation measure and raised concerns about the antiabortion bill, despite his opposition to abortion. (He and his wife opted to proceed with a pregnancy even after learning their daughter would be born with special needs that eventually claimed her life at age 11.) "This to me is about jobs. It's about the economy. That's, I think, what the American people want the most," said the former mayor and businessman. "Not to fight, not just to have symbolic bills, but to do things that improve the lives of people ... doing things that actually get our economy working. That's why I came here. Is that part of a broader trend? I hope so." All the women leading the revolt this week emphasized that they opposed abortion, but they expressed concern over the bill's language. "It's all about saving a baby," said Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., who was involved in the talks. "There just are differing opinions about what should have been in the bill." The female lawmakers and others worried that the bill's exemption for "reportable" rapes evoked the widely condemned comment by former Republican Rep. Todd Akin that pregnancies rarely result from "legitimate rape." Not only did Aiken lose his 2012 Senate bid in Missouri, but his remark drew unwanted national attention to the GOP's approach toward women's issues. The bill made exceptions to the 20-week ban in cases of incest, when the life of the mother was endangered or after "reportable" rapes, effectively requiring women to report the sexual assaults to police before they could obtain an abortion. Thursday's vote was set to coincide with the annual March for Life rally a popular antiabortion event in Washington held on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in the landmark Roe vs. Wade case that made the procedure legal nationwide. But problems emerged during last week's Republican retreat in Hershey, Pa., when a few lawmakers, including Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, raised concerns. Ellmers, who nevertheless said she would have voted for the bill, was among those who opposed last week's immigration amendment targeting Dreamers. Talks among Republicans continued during a 90-minute closed-door meeting Wednesday morning until leadership realized the votes could be lacking. They abruptly pulled the bill late Wednesday night, rather than risk the embarrassment of having a group of Republican women vote against it. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., the bill's sponsor, said it was a "profound disappointment." But lawmakers predicted that the legislation would be tweaked to remove some of the offending language. GOP leaders promised to hold another vote later in the session. In its place Thursday, House Republicans passed another measure, 242 to 179, that restricts already-limited federal funding for abortions, largely through government employee insurance policies or the subsidies provided to some who purchase policies as part of the Affordable Care Act. Three Democrats supported the replacement bill. But Democratic leaders said the change of heart among Republicans was more about improving the optics for voters than moderating their polices. "If for cosmetic reasons they thought that wasn't a good idea, now they're going to a much worse bill," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the minority leader. "I don't know what the progress is and how moderate the influence was there." The White House said it would recommend the president veto the new bill. | 5 | 8,838 | news |
It's not easy to keep up with ice hockey. The game moves so quickly that broadcasters used to highlight the puck on screen like a videogame. GoPro is looking to change this, by placing its tiny cameras on players to broadcast in-game action in real time. GoPro's partnership with the NHL, announced Jan. 23, could be the start of the next big thing in live sports broadcasting. Previous advances in live sports have been about immersing viewers more thoroughly in the event, from cameras mounted on zip wires first used in the 1980s, to 3D broadcasting . But GoPro's announcement promises another level of immersion the player's actual perspective. As New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist puts it in GoPro's promo video: "I think it will be very interesting for a viewer to get a better understanding of what I see and how I track pucks." GoPro also wants to be known as a media company . It publishes videos of extreme sports and stunning vistas on " channels " on its website. The move into professional sports will almost certainly bring a new level of credibility to its media company aspirations. GoPro will be posting NHL videos on its channels, but a spokesperson for the NHL confirmed to Quartz that the league retains the rights to any footage shot in-game on a GoPro. Getting up close with athletes could be a great addition for other sports. In the NFL, body-mounted cameras would make it easier for viewers to tell if players were really in control of supposed fumbled balls, or perhaps just how inflated the ball in the quarterback's hands is. Mounting GoPros would presumably only work, however, for sports where heavy padding is required mounting something that weighs about the same as an iPhone 5 might be a little distracting in other situations. GoPro is also getting into the consumer drone business . While the company hasn't yet released much information on what its drones will look like, one could imagine them taking over the Skycam's job of providing 360-degree arial footage in the future as long as they don't fly too high . Indeed, ESPN will be trying out drones at the upcoming Winter X-Games. The first in-game GoPro footage will be shot during the 2015 NHL All-Star Game weekend, Jan. 23-35. Sadly, there's no word yet on how GoPros will be used for in-game fights . | 5 | 8,839 | news |
Reaction to the death Friday night of Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks: --- ''Did a card show w Ernie Banks. He drove the promoter crazy! Spent time/talked with every person. After an hour had signed maybe 15.'' - Two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy on Twitter. --- ''It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!'' R.I.P to the great (Mr. Cub) Ernie Banks!'' - Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper on Twitter. --- ''RIP Ernie banks/ sad day for Chicago and cubs nation - great human being.'' - Actor and Chicago area native John Cusack on Twitter. --- ''Ernie Banks. `Mr. Cub.' 1931-2015.'' - Sign posted on the marquee at Wrigley Field. --- ''This year, during every Cubs game, you can bet that No. 14 will be watching over his team. And if we're lucky, it'll be a beautiful day for not just one ballgame, but two.'' - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. --- ''Mr. Lets Play 2!! You will be in our Hearts Forever!!'' - Chicago White Sox Hall of Famer Frank Thomas on Twitter. --- ''Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, you will be missed by Chicago baseball fans especially, but baseball fans everywhere will miss this hero.'' - The Rev. Jesse Jackson. --- ''RIP ''Mr Cub'' Ernie Banks...thank you for your great contributions to the game of baseball!'' - Detroit Tigers ace David Price. --- ''Mr Cub. What you have done for the game of baseball the city of Chicago and everyone you have ever touched will never be forgotten. RIP.'' - Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Twitter. --- ''Crushed to learn of passing of MR Cub -ERNIE BANKS - loved his spirit / smile & man could he play.'' - ESPN announcer Dick Vitale on Twitter. | 1 | 8,840 | sports |
For three decades, it's been America's premier independent film festival. But this year more than ever, there is talk at Sundance of the blurring divide between movies, television and online. This year's festival lineup even includes two TV shows, while the Sundance Institute, the body behind the festival, has set up a separate "laboratory" for young filmmakers interested in making television rather than movies. Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford acknowledged that the TV industry is developing faster than filmmaking, while stressing the need to embrace change. "It's part of the fabric of storytelling in terms of film. So you know, television is film," said the 78-year-old movie icon, who named the festival after his character in the 1969 classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." "They're blurring, and there's a reason why: mainstream film is shrinking, obviously. It's harder and harder for an artist to find their way in the major film business, so television offers more opportunities." - Changing business models - The phenomenon is well-recognized: the traditional business model of movies released only in theaters has been creaking for a long time. But the exponential rise of new distribution formats, from DVDs to Video on Demand (VOD), premium cable channels like HBO and now Netflix, Amazon, Vimeo and other streaming outlets has changed the game for good. Netflix and co are, understandably, popular at Sundance for their support for artists, whether TV or film. The appearance of "Netflix" on a film's credits elicited spontaneous applause in at least one screening this week. Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, said it was a no-brainer for young filmmakers. "Thirty years ago, when you came out of film school as a 22-year-old, you probably had to take your first job in television, but you said 'What I really want to do is direct features,'" he told AFP. "If I were a 22-year-old coming out of film school now and a genie comes out of a bottle and says you can either have a feature film or be the showrunner for a series on HBO or Amazon Prime... I wouldn't have to think very long." The Sundance Institute, the non-profit that runs the festival, last year added a television writing "lab" to its selection of workshops for young filmmakers, said Keri Putnam, the Institute's executive director. "We had an incredible outpouring of interest," she told reporters at the festival's opening press conference on Thursday. "This really came about because we were listening to our artist community... and many of them were interested in understanding how to build skills for that form." - TV shows at Sundance - Festival director John Cooper noted that last year they screened the first episode of "Transparent," the dark comedy that won Golden Globe glory this month for online retail giant Amazon, battling to catch up with Netflix. This year, the festival has two "episodic" (as officials here calls TV) offerings: animated series "Animals," about downtrodden creatures in New York, and HBO's "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst." "For me, interesting TV and independent film are running neck and neck. both in the talent they use, they switch back and forth, and in the freshness the quality, the things that we want to see as adults in this world," Cooper said. "I think it's exciting." Thompson said that, while television is undoubtedly on the rise, watching movies together on a big screen in a darkened theater will be around for a long time yet. "I think there is always going to be that appeal of the cinematic experience, and while television is beginning to get closer to that with HD and widescreen, it's still not quite the same," he said. "That experience has been around for 100 years, and it's not going to gently into the night." | 6 | 8,841 | entertainment |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori stayed on track for another extended Grand Slam tournament performance with a 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win over American Steve Johnson at the Australian Open on Saturday. Nishikori advanced to the fourth round here last year and at Wimbledon before the U.S. Open, where he lost the final to Marin Cilic. Saturday's third-round match continued Nishhikori's recent dominance over the 25-year-old Californian - he won in straights sets at the Wimbledon tune-up tournament in Halle and then also beat Johnson in the second round at Brisbane two weeks ago. | 1 | 8,842 | sports |
As promised , the movie Kim Jong Un preferred you didn't see is now available if you have a Netflix subscription (and an account in US or Canada). Whether or not watching The Interview is a good idea is still a matter of taste/importance , but at this point it really couldn't get any easier (at least until it comes to Sony's Crackle service for free ad-supported streaming at some point in the future.) Oh, and if you're looking to get Amazon Prime for $79 ($20 off the regular price, good for new or existing customers who send it to themselves as a " gift " today only) and/or watch Transparent for free , you can do that right now too. Have a great weekend! Netflix , Amazon | 5 | 8,843 | news |
Japan on Saturday vowed to "never give up" its struggle to save two Japanese hostages held captive by Islamic State militants after the deadline to pay their ransom passed in agonising silence. Whether freelance journalist Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa, the self-employed contractor he had gone to rescue, were alive remained unknown a day after the deadline to secure their release expired with no word from their captors. The Islamist militants had threatened to kill the hostages if they did not receive $200 million in 72 hours, which Tokyo interpreted as meaning 2:50 pm (0550 GMT) on Friday. Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama, who was heading Japan's efforts to rescue its two nationals out of Jordan's capital Amman, told reporters: "It is a very difficult path to see their release, despite a variety of routes. "We are focusing on scrutinising information over again. We will never give up. We will bring them home." Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters there was "nothing new to report" after holding a meeting of an emergency taskforce on Saturday morning. Islamic State militants released a video this week in which Goto and Yukawa, apparently kneeling in the desert, are threatened with execution by a man with a British accent. The jihadist group, which rules large swathes of Iraq and Syria under a strict form of Islamic law, has murdered five Western hostages since August last year but this is the first time it has threatened Japanese captives. Junko Ishido, Goto's mother, on Friday launched an emotional appeal begging for mercy for her son. "I say to you people of the Islamic State, Kenji is not your enemy. Please release him," she said. Japanese officials said they are still trying to secure a channel of communication to contact the Islamic State group as they scrutinise various information. Yosuke Isozaki, an advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on Friday reportedly said there had been some "indirect" communication with the militants, but "nothing direct". - US support - Tokyo has little diplomatic leverage in the Middle East, but local media say Abe may try to use his close relationship with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to rescue the hostages. Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported Saturday that Jordan has also tried to contact the Islamic State through influential religious leaders in Amman. Later on Friday, US ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and US military officials visited Japan's defence chief Gen Nakatani at the ministry. "The US government is ready to offer any assistance and support that we can to Japan because we are such strong partners," she said. The Islamists linked their $200 million ransom demand to the amount Abe said he would earmark to help countries dealing with the influx of refugees fleeing fighting between IS and regular forces. Tokyo is under pressure from Britain and the United States to stand firm on the ransom, as both countries have a policy of never paying ransoms. Broadcaster NHK on Friday quoted a "public relations" official from the Islamic State group describing the Japanese as "infidels" for supporting efforts to stop them. "A statement will come out sometime later," he said, without giving further details. The Japanese media has rallied around Goto, a respected and experienced war reporter whose work has appeared on domestic television channels. In video footage he filmed around the time he entered Syria, he holds identification papers and his Japanese passport and explains that he is aware of the risks. "Whatever happens, I am the one who is responsible," he says. "I am asking you, Japanese people, do not place responsibility on the people of Syria. Please. I am sure I will come back alive though." | 5 | 8,844 | news |
A lot of parents are worried about their children spending too much in front of the phone or tablet. Parents in Taiwan now have to do something about it. Lawmakers have expanded existing legislation to say that children under 18 on the island "may not constantly use electronic products for a period of time that is not reasonable." The law now equates spending excess time on electronic devices with other more commonly-accepted vices, such as smoking, drinking, drugs, watching sexual or violent imagery, and chewing betel nuts . Parents who expose their kids to electronic products to the point where become "physically or mentally" ill are liable for a $1,600 fine. Of course, the law doesn't say exactly how much time is unreasonable, which will no doubt complicate enforcement. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends a maximum of two hours a day of screen time for kids, found in a recent study that US eight-year-olds spend an average of eight hours with some form of media and many child-development psychologists urge more unstructured play time . In addition, there is another factor not covered in this law, which is the damage done to children from the fact that their parents are themselves always connected . Taiwan is not the only country to take steps to regulate the use of electronic media, and particularly gaming among teenagers. China has been trying to deter people from playing online games for more than three hours at a stretch since 2005 and adopted further regulation in 2010, while South Korea last year regulating online games and e-sports as if they were addictive substances . If the Taiwanese law is successful and copied by others, it may help to prevent nomophobia "no mobile phobia" the fear of being without one's electronic device , which a study recently suggested can actually impair mental performance. In the experiment , not being able to answer a ringing iPhone made the participants worse at puzzle-solving, and led to anxiety and even higher blood pressure. Perhaps Taiwan is on to something, and we should follow the advice of Pope Francis, who this week urged everyone to put down their iPhones and talk to each other . | 5 | 8,845 | news |
Tom Brady is no stranger to controversy, and the Patriots quarterback found himself in the middle of yet another scandal on Thursday. He took the podium to address the media about his prior knowledge, or lack thereof, about the deflated footballs that were used in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Colts. But not everyone questioned the sincerity of Brady's remarks. His wide receiver, Julian Edelman, loyally supported his teammate and friend. MORE: NFL, Pats owner release statements | Brady 'clears the smoke' with teammates | Did Pats get away with more in AFC Championship? Edelman believed Brady had nothing to do with the deflation of the game balls. He went on to discuss how much he respected Brady before he even became his teammate. "I loved him," Edelman told Comcast SportsNet . "Especially because he was from the area that I was from. His fiery attitude and his competitive ways, and he was always the underdog, always not good enough. All of those things always attracted me towards being a fan of him, and it's been a privilege to get to play with a player of his caliber." Growing up in Woodside, Calif., Edelman was in the close vicinity of Brady's hometown of San Mateo. Edelman even spent a year at the College of San Mateo where Brady attended football camps as a child. "We were both Bay Area kids," Edelman said, "represented by the same people, by Don Yee and those guys, Yee and Dubin Sports. He was always pretty familiar. You'd be able to talk about Woodside High School, [Brady's alma mater Junipero] Serra High School, sandwich spots. All these kind of things. I guess we kicked it off from the start. He had me at hello." Edelman transferred to Kent State University where he was a three-year starter at quarterback. Although he wasn't invited to the 2009 NFL Combine, Edelman was drafted by the Patriots as the 27th pick of the seventh round. "I ran into him and he goes, 'Hi, I'm Tom Brady,' " Edelman said. "I go, 'Yeah, you are.' So it was a cool moment, and something I probably won't forget." In the six years since their first meeting, the dynamic duo have become close both on and off the field. "I was a fan," Edelman said. "Still am." With their teammates, Edelman and Brady will prepare to take on the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET. | 1 | 8,846 | sports |
This year's Super Bowl will be a battle between two cultures that go against the integrity of sportsmanship and the game of football. Super Bowl XLIX will feature two teams that are hard for any outside fan base to cheer for. Some say Broncos fans don't particularly want to watch this Super Bowl because we are salty about our losses to these teams during the regular season, but it goes much deeper than that. After all, Broncos fans would have gladly cheered for the Colts after they knocked us out of the playoffs in a somewhat embarrassing fashion (horse bros for life). Heck, we were even rooting for the Ravens after they shattered our hearts in 2012. Sure, we're upset we lost to the two Super Bowl bound teams, but that's not where our deep disdain comes from. It's not about jealousy. It's about having to choose between a team known for bending the rules to the point of breaking them for the past decade, and a team whose players have consistently disrespected other teams' players and fans for the past two years. The attitudes of the two teams represented in the Super Bowl are not aligned with the tradition of football. Year after year the Patriots have been caught breaking the rules to gain a competitive advantage. Slaps on the wrist with fines and lost draft picks have apparently done nothing to deter them from this behavior, to the point that hearing the Patriots were involved in a "deflategate" scandal didn't make me flinch. It took me a full day to process exactly what deflated footballs actually mean in terms of competitive advantage when playing in cold, wet, weather against a dome team. It also raises questions about how long this has been happening and how much it has changed close games throughout the years. Cheating and lying about it are a part of the Patriots' culture. This type of conduct sends the message to fans that cheating is the only way to win this game. It encourages kids to cheat their way to a Candy Land® victory. It encourages them to blame the dog for eating their homework and avoid directly answering questions about where that last cookie went. If you can't get an A in math by studying, sit behind the smart guy and copy his answers on the test; that's what Bill Belichik would do! This type of conduct is so much more than the outcome of a single game. And the continued non-punishment by the NFL and repeated offenses by the Patriots sends the message that this behavior isn't a big deal. I get that teams think some of these rules are stupid, but that's what the NFLPA is for. Instead of using provided resources, the Patriots have adopted the mantra of "don't like the rules? To hell with them." And don't even get me started on the "but everyone was doing it" excuse, is that what you tell kids when they say they want to experiment with drugs? "It's okay as long as all your friends are doing it too!" Doubtful. So cheer for the non-cheaters you say? Well the Seahawks and Pete Carroll aren't exactly innocent when it comes to breaking the rules and questionable play strategy, but they sour the spirit of the game with their mouths more than anything. Somewhere the culture of respect was lost with the Seahawks. People think Broncos fans' distaste for the Seahawks is a result of them beating crushing us in the Super Bowl last season. Although that was not an easy loss to swallow, it was the actions leading up to, and after the loss that left a bad taste in our mouths. For example, if the Packers were the team the Broncos played in the Super Bowl last year, I doubt Jarrett Bush would have said Manning throws ducks before the game. I can't even imagine a Packers fan stating that he hopes our Hall of Fame quarterback gets his neck broken by Clay Matthews. When they beat us 43-8 I don't think their players would have continued to mock the Broncos months afterwards, I think the Packers would have celebrated their win with dignity and focused on the victory of a successful season. No-name Packers players wouldn't criticize the Broncos' lack of preparation or accuse them of "looking scared." That type of criticism should be left to the Broncos' coaches and fans. Not so for the Seahawks organization. Seahawks players' constant need for media attention has turned ESPN into TMZ. It reminds me of celebrity Twitter wars. I just logged in and saw that Jeremy Lane (who knows, I had to look him up too) said the Rob Gronkowski isn't very good. Richard Sherman has set the norm of trash talk and disrespect towards other NFL players and fans. Newsflash Richard, your fans leave games early too, did you wave goodbye to them? Russell Wilson's humble attitude doesn't define Seahawks culture; Richard Sherman's egotism does. Once again, this type of attitude sets a bad example. You think it's bad to cheat to win Candy Land®? Well how about after beating the neighbor kid at a game tell him that he came in unprepared and sucks at counting. And at every birthday party tell all his friends how bad he is at the game to try to embarrass him. Sure, there are players and personnel in each of these organizations with great moral fibers and off the field service. Unfortunately those people are not in the media spotlight. Russell Wilson's humble attitude doesn't define Seahawks culture; Richard Sherman's egotism does. When people think about the Patriots, Devin McCourty's foundation to fight sickle cell isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Tom Brady and Bill Belichik's "I could care less" attitudes do. So no, I do not want to watch the Super Bowl this year. I can't bring myself to enjoy the success of either of these teams. I don't want to encourage people to act like cheating to get ahead is not a big deal. I don't want to encourage people to disrespect others based on their abilities and preferences. This is about a lot more than being upset that the Broncos aren't in there playing the game. It's about the integrity of the game of football, which I have learned to love throughout my life, being spoiled by two bad examples of what the NFL stands for. The 2014 NFL season started with a scandal and will end with the message that cheating and poor sportsmanship wins championships. If this season didn't cause the NFL to lose a sizable chunk of its fan base, nothing will. | 1 | 8,847 | sports |
MIAMI (AP) -- For making an obscene gesture toward heckling fans, Dwyane Wade was fined $15,000 by the NBA and even had his phone and television privileges revoked at home by his family. He knows it was wrong. He also hopes it can spur some change. Wade has asked the NBA to further improve the ways it protects players from the most unruly of fans, making that request during the league's brief investigation of his incident with the crowd in Charlotte on Wednesday night. "The NBA is an unbelievable league, and I'm one of the first ones to be doing NBA Cares and all these things in the community, but they need to protect us a little more," Wade told The Associated Press. "They need to do a better job of protecting players in the arena. It's open game on us. We're big boys, we can take it, but everyone has their breaking point." The fine was the first time Wade, in his 12th season, has been punished by the league for gesturing at or interacting negatively with fans. The incident occurred after the third quarter of Miami's loss to the Hornets. Wade said a number of fans were saying things about his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, and that the comments got progressively worse as the night went along. He lost his cool, approaching the group with the middle finger raised on one of his hands. The next day, Wade said his children took away his phones and his TV rights. "House rules," Wade said, "for disrespecting the family name." Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said players and coaches hear plenty of negativity from the crowd, though he's learned to laugh at some of it -- like the time in New York when a fan told the youthful-looking Spoelstra that he needed to go to bed because it was a school night. "Players are humans and some of the things that fans say does cross the line," Spoelstra said. "It doesn't give you the right to snap back at them with some kind of response but it's usually at an emotional time. ... A handful of times a year you hear it and you see it where they've crossed the line and what it requires is you being the better person and not responding." Wade said he's reacted in the past with words, just not gestures. He also said that he's told the league about other concerns regarding fans, particularly when situations where ticketholders have seats immediately next to a team's bench, a scenario that Wade said he finds uncomfortable. He also knows that regardless of what the NBA and arena security personnel do, the issue of fans potentially going too far will never be nonexistent. "You can talk about me all day," Wade said. "I really don't care what you say about me because I know at the end of the day when I walk off that court most of those guys would see me in the back hallway and want to shake my hand. When it gets too personal about your family, that's too far. But it's not going to stop." | 1 | 8,848 | sports |
TAMPA, Fla. -- So far, so good, but there's so much more to do. The Tampa Bay Lightning have reached the All-Star break with an eye toward the future after a strong recent past. They're atop the Eastern Conference with 64 points through 48 games. They've enjoyed solid contributions from Tyler Johnson and Steven Stamkos, as well as breakout production from Nikita Kucherov. They'll be tested soon, especially with a five-game West Coast swing from Feb. 15-22, but they're in favorable shape to keep ambitions high for April and beyond. What are the most promising developments so far? What are the largest questions that remain? Recently, Sun Sports analyst Bobby Taylor spoke about where the Lightning stand at the All-Star break. FOX SPORTS FLORIDA: The Lightning have enjoyed a successful pre-All-Star break run. What are your overall thoughts on their position? TAYLOR: I think they've been very good. I mean, obviously, there are some down spots we had in December, when we weren't winning too often. But the thing that is very impressive, when you really look at it, is that we never went two games without a win. That certainly helps when you don't go on those three- and four- and five-game losing streaks. Rarely did we lose three in a row. To me, that's what you really have to take a look at a lot of times, because I think that's where you can really fall behind, and it's really hard to catch up, to have those long losing streaks. And they did a good job of that. Last year, we had the Johnson and (Ondrej) Palat surprise. This year, it's (Nikita) Kucherov. I mean, they've done a tremendous job. You've really got to look at the scouting, in my mind. They're such a resilient team. Everybody keeps thinking that they're going to run them out of the rink, and they keep finding a way to come back and win and be very competitive. That's what I really like about the team. FSF: What has been the biggest surprise or best development of the pre-All-Star break portion of Tampa Bay's schedule? TAYLOR: Young defense. It's strange when you take a look at where all our injuries are occurring, basically. This is the odd part about sport, in my mind. Injuries resulted in one of the best things to ever happen to our team. And how can you say that? I say that, because (Brett) Connolly and (J.T.) Brown went out in Winnipeg. So they put Kucherov with Palat and Johnson. But for me, the defense, that's a very hard position to play, because of the fact that it's almost like a linebacker in football. You've got to know when to drop back in pass protection. You've got to know whether to charge or rush the quarterback. It's the same at defense (in hockey). You've got to know when you can go, and when you can't go. Everything is fast. Everything is really split second. It's not like you can get four or five seconds to make a decision. You've got to make it right away, pretty much. (Nikita) Nesterov has been an unbelievable surprise to me. I know it's only seven or eight games. But still then, in seven or eight games, you see a great deal of potential there that he could become a regular in the National Hockey League. I also think when you take a look at injuries, (Victor) Hedman goes out for 18 games, look at what (Anton) Stralman did for us. Oh my God. I knew he was a good player, but I didn't realize how good of a player he was until I got to see him every single day. And (Brian) Boyle, he's so much better than I ever expected, because he's such a dedicated guy to win the game. FSF: Injuries to defensemen Radko Gudas and Matt Carle are notable recent developments. How much of an impact will the absence of both players make, and what's the best way to overcome those injuries? TAYLOR: It's the minute eaters. Matty averages 20 minutes a game. Plus, he's the first guy on the penalty kill. Gudas, with that edge to his game. Guys really play differently when he's on the ice. Believe me. Way differently. And we don't have that. That kind of a little bit of an edge that we have back there isn't there anymore. Those are very key components, in my mind. Now you've got to find guys that are playing 14 (minutes), can they play 16? That's the difference when a guy like Matty Carle is out there. ... It's a major-league adjustment for those extra three to four minutes a game. Matt has been used to it all his career. That's the biggest thing when Carle is out -- finding guys and making sure you don't overplay them. FSF: What's the biggest question for you as the Lightning continue play in the coming months? TAYLOR: We're going to be playing some heavy teams -- heavy teams meaning that they like to lean on you, use the body a lot. That's what tires you out. We're going to go to the West Coast. That February month is going to be huge. We're playing all Western teams. We'll play big teams in St. Louis. You've got big teams in Anaheim and LA. San Jose, we've seen already. They play a fast game, and they're a heavy team too. They hit a lot. That will really show what we have, in my mind. Can we play through that? That's what's going to happen in playoff hockey. You know darn well that they put the whistles away. So your power play isn't going to be a big deterrent for a lot of guys, because you're not going to get called for it that often. So to me, it's how you're going to play these heavy games. So far, they've done pretty well with it. But we haven't had a steady diet of it. When you get into the playoffs, you're playing one team seven games, that's a steady diet. It's harder to play teams that are constantly pushing on, pushing on. That tires you out more. FSF: On Sunday, Johnson will make his first All-Star Game appearance and Stamkos his third. What do you think of their play so far? TAYLOR: Johnny has got to be one of those guys who you're looking at as our MVP. It's hard to really see Johnson, Kucherov and Palat (separated) -- all three of them, really, are kind of clumped together. But Johnny is the straw that stirs the drink. He's the centerman, the guy who basically runs the seam. I think it's well-deserved. I think, finally, they're starting to look and see that we've got talent here. Stammer, by self-admission, hasn't played up to where he really wants to be. He's not at that level of where he thinks he should be. But he's still, what, third in the league for goals? That's another trait of this club that I really like. It's not satisfied. Most teams would be easily satisfied, "Oh well, we're in first place." These guys, every time you talk to them, every time, they say, "We can be better. We can be better." That's a great trait to have, it really is, because you don't sit on your butt and say, "OK, I've arrived." You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at [email protected] . | 1 | 8,849 | sports |
Eastern Ukraine's main rebel leader says he has launched an offensive against the port city of Mariupol. Alexander Zakharchenko also claimed responsibility for a series of rocket attacks which are said to have left 30 people dead and many more injured in the government-held city. However another rebel leader, Denis Pushilin, denied this, saying Ukrainian forces were to blame. International organisations, including the EU, have condemned the attack. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) called the incident "reckless, indiscriminate and disgraceful" and demanded a full investigation into the assault. The EU has previously said that an escalation in fighting will lead to worsening relations with Russia. No truce talks Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has called for a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss what he says is Russia's role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. "Russia is not only breaching the Minsk agreements - Russia is violating the fundamental principles of international law and humanity," Mr Yatseniuk told a meeting in Kiev. "They are stopping at nothing. The rockets even hit a children's shop," he added. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced he is returning early from a trip to Saudi Arabia to plan a response to the attack. The incident comes a day after Mr Zakharchenko said he did not want truce talks with Kiev. On Saturday he claimed the Mariupol offensive would be "the best possible monument to all our dead". The rebel leader made his comments at a memorial ceremony for those killed in an artillery attack on a bus stop in the rebel-held city of Donetsk on Friday. Strategic city Mariupol has a population of 500,000 and is in a highly strategic position, sitting between rebel-held eastern areas and Crimea, which was annexed by Russia last March. The city saw heavy fighting in August. Unverified video footage on Saturday indicated that a number of cars, houses and apartment buildings had been struck and were in flames. The BBC's David Stern says the attack appeared to come from a multiple-rocket launcher, which fires a large number of missiles over a spread-out area. Mayor killed Also on Friday, rebel military spokesman Eduard Basurin said 24 rebels had been killed and 30 wounded in recent fighting. He called it "the heaviest losses in our ranks" in a 24-hour period. In another development, the rebel mayor of Pervomaysk, west of Luhansk, has been killed, reports say. The body of Yevhen Ischchenko was found in a car. Three other men were apparently killed along with him. The local rebel leadership blamed Ukrainian agents, but other sources said it was the result of infighting. Since April, more than 5,000 people have died in fighting in the east. The rebels currently control a large swathe of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. More than a million people have been displaced. A ceasefire was agreed in Minsk in September but never fully took hold. Many hoped that the lower level of hostilities it introduced would last, but our correspondent says that the fighting is beginning to approach what was seen last summer. Ukraine: the human cost Some 5.2 million people live in conflict-affected areas and 1.4 million are considered "highly vulnerable and in need of assistance" More than a million people have fled their homes with 633,523 living as displaced persons within Ukraine and 593,622 living outside Ukraine, mostly in Russia More than 5,000 people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10,300 injured Source: UN report of 9 January for refugee figures; news reports for casualty estimates | 5 | 8,850 | news |
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is calling for Republicans to rollback President Obama's executive order allowing millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. Speaking at the conservative Iowa Freedom Summit, the newly elected senator complained of "too much overreach" from President Obama. "He is taking on the job that I was sent to Washington, D.C., to do, what Chuck Grassley does, what Congressman King does," Ernst said. "We are legislators, the president is not. We need to stop that executive overreach, and that includes executive amnesty." Fresh off giving the GOP rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union address this past week, Ernst said Republicans have to keep the momentum going coming off their success in last November's elections. "I think we are all aware that we must take back the White House," Ernst said. "If we expect to get through this gridlock and pass and have signed into law this wonderful legislation, we must have a Republican president." Ernst also spoke about on-going Republican efforts to curb abortion. On Thursday, a bill stalled in the House that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks, halted after several GOP women had exceptions to its rape exception language. Ernst said the priority should be "defending life, defending innocent life." "We as a society will be judged by how we take care of the most vulnerable in our population," she said. "That goes from the beginning of life to our natural death. So we need to make sure that everyone understands that we are compassionate and that we will defend this innocent life. | 5 | 8,851 | news |
You might not be happy that Google isn't fixing a web security flaw in your older Android phone, but the search giant now says that it has some good reasons for holding off. As the company's Adrian Ludwig explains , it's no longer viable to "safely" patch vulnerable, pre-Android 4.4 versions of WebView (a framework that lets apps show websites without a separate browser) to prevent remote attacks. The sheer amount of necessary code changes would create legions of problems, he claims, especially since developers are introducing "thousands" of tweaks to the open source software every month. Ludwig suggests a few things you can do to avoid or mitigate problems, though. For a start, he recommends surfing with browsers that don't use WebView but still get updates, like Chrome (which works on devices using Android 4.0) and Firefox (which runs on ancient Android 2.3 hardware). Hackers can't abuse the vulnerable software if you're not using it, after all. The Googler also tells app creators to either use their own web rendering tech or limit WebView to pages they can trust, like encrypted sites. The advice should help if you're either a tech-savvy user or write apps. However, it still hints that quite a few people will remain at risk until those older releases of Android ride into the sunset. Many Android device owners aren't aware of alternatives to the stock Android browser, or can't easily get them (you have to jump through hoops to install Chrome if you can't use the Google Play Store, for instance). Also, there's no simple way to tell whether or not an app is using WebView. The chances of an attack are low if you're careful, but it could take a long, long while before the majority of Android gadgets are truly safe from WebView-related web exploits. Adrian Ludwig (Google+) | 3 | 8,852 | finance |
For the first time in more than two decades, Major League Baseball will break in a new commissioner, as Bud Selig's reign ends and Rob Manfred's begins on Sunday. Manfred takes the reins of a $9 billion industry, one that looks far different than when Selig was installed at the behest of fellow owners in 1992. As the transition takes place, USA TODAY Sports' Paul White and Jorge L. Ortiz examine the game's evolution under Selig - and some of the challenges Manfred will face: The Selig Years Covering every base When Major League Baseball Advanced Media was launched in 2000, its CEO Bob Bowman was asked if team owners such as George Steinbrenner understood the impact of all 30 teams sharing revenue the new venture would generate. "They do now," Bowman said. All of baseball certainly comprehends the value of the widening range of platforms on which the game is presented and consumed -- and the revenue that just keeps multiplying. MLBAM came into being as the game's official website. Since then, the MLB Network has launched its 24/7 programming and virtually every game is available on TV and other devices through the Extra Innings package. Teams are doing just fine on their own, too. One-third of the teams now have local television deals worth at least $1 billion in rights fees. That's turned the Los Angeles Dodgers into a spending monster but has the likes of the Seattle Mariners diving in with their bigger-market brethren. Media deals traditional and advanced -- have changed the face of the game. Quite simply, it's everywhere. Mind games Members of the commissioner's support staff used to surreptitiously run pools when Selig made a public appearance: How often would he flip stray strands of hair off his face? For all the adroitness with which Selig has kept himself firmly in charge of the industry, he often came across publicly with a "nutty professor" image, slightly unkempt with contorted expressions. He was the old-school baseball lifer who just happened to end up overseeing a business growing its worth into the billions. Don't be fooled into thinking that's the game's image, any more than a dumpy manager in flannels or an executive puffing on a cigar has anything to do with where baseball has evolved. At the top, baseball is run like a Fortune 500 company. Closer to the field is a world that's been invaded by brainiacs, bright minds who dissect every aspect from the biomechanics of the pitching motion to metrics to assess and predict performance. Statistics, technology and acronyms that didn't exist two decades ago now are requirements merely to keep up with the innovative franchises looking for the next market inefficiency to leverage. What sounds like stuff for Wall Street now fits on base paths. For every RBI, there's a FIP; for every coach's stopwatch, there's a PITCHf/x. It's still a game played between the white lines, but lines on a spreadsheet and concepts unheard of two decades ago are shaping that game. Peace in our time Like so much in Selig's tenure, there's an overriding dark moment challenging the rest of the resume nowhere moreso than on the labor front. Living down a tied All-Star Game is one thing; presiding over the only blank on the list of champions is quite another. The game has unprecedented labor peace with no work stoppages since 1995. But that eighth stoppage and the fourth in-season strike or lockout in 22 years included canceling the 1994 World Series. That makes it somewhat ironic that new commissioner Manfred has graduated from being MLB's designated pit bull in negotiations with the players' union to being in charge of an era when a walkout would be an upset. Like every other aspect of the game/business, money talks. Nothing has done more to convince both sides that it's more sensible to get along than the World Baseball Classic. What has become baseball's premier international event hasn't completely won over fans, but because MLB and the Players Association are the partners that run the tournament, they've discovered how lucrative a partnership can be. Perhaps nothing in today's game would shock a fan who suddenly woke up from a 20-year nap. The stalking horse is extinct Since the Montreal Expos made a soft landing in Washington, D.C., in 2005, no franchise has moved. More significantly, none has made even a serious threat to relocate. Nobody talks of contraction and, despite some significant stadium issues in Oakland and Tampa Bay, there's no next city lurking in the background as at least the type of threat that helped more than a few franchises get new stadiums over the past several decades. That once was a routine part of the baseball business. Now, stability is. There's a certain irony to that all falling into place during Selig's time in office. You could argue that former Braves owner Bill Bartholomay provided the seminal moment in baseball in our lifetime when he moved his team from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. Without that move, Selig wouldn't have been energized to eventually spearhead the effort to bring the major leagues back to his city with the relocation of the Seattle Pilots in 1970. The rest is history Selig's history. Centralized power On the day in 1992 when Selig was selected as interim commissioner, the other big baseball news was NL President Bill White discussing the chances of the San Francisco Giants moving to Tampa Bay. So much has changed since then, so much more than "interim" eventually being removed from a title that had begun to resemble pope or Supreme Court justice until Selig's decision to step down. The Selig asset most widely lauded by his peers has been his unification of the team owners, the often disjointed and combative group from which he came. Major League Baseball today is more unified or is it more a matter of it streamlining, or maybe consolidation of power? -- than ever. Owners agree publicly, at least. The leagues agree, the calculated designated hitter difference notwithstanding, in part because the leagues exist in name only. Their umpiring staffs merged long ago, the league presidencies were abolished. And, of course, once you have interleague play it's really just one big league. And that's how MLB operates, with everyone and everything funneling into the commissioner's office. It's part efficiency and just as much control. That's a significant part of the Selig legacy. He went to great lengths to keep the game's internal workings out of the public eye. Votes by owners are almost always unanimous. The real work is done by phone most notably Selig's phone behind the scenes. He'd cajole, pressure, even threaten even the most powerful owners to keep issues around their teams out of the legal system, in part to protect the game's image and just as importantly to keep matters like financial data under wraps. How good has Selig been at this? As soon as we knew that this time he really was giving up his lucrative gig, two teams landed in court, the Orioles and Nationals all but defying how the game has operated during Selig's tenure. That could be the most significant measure of how baseball transitions into the Manfred Era. The Manfred Challenges Pace of play Selig railed time and again against baseball's increasingly glacial pace, which saw the average time of games grow from 2:33 in 1981 to 3:08 last season. That's 35 minutes of dead time added to a game some people already found too slow. No major progress was made in that respect before Selig's farewell, although baseball did experiment with pitch clocks in the Arizona Fall League, and they will be employed in Class AA and AAA ballparks this season so MLB can further study their impact and effectiveness. This is not a topic Manfred can address singlehandedly, because any changes to working conditions must be approved by the players association. But it's clearly an item at the top of the new commissioner's agenda, as he and the rest of the industry try to make the game appealing to younger audiences. Baseball's demographics skew toward the middle-aged and older sets. Some of the proposals under consideration include mandating that hitters keep a foot in the batter's box throughout an at-bat, reducing the amount of time during pitching changes and requiring that pitchers and hitters be ready for action before the end of a commercial break. The trick is to retain the timeless element that separates baseball from sports ruled by the clock while eliminating some of the wasted time that has crept into the game. Manfred has a history of negotiating deals with the union, but he may need to sharpen his juggling skills to strike the perfect balance. The Oakland/Tampa Bay problem The 22 ballparks built under Selig's watch an average of one a year in his tenure might be his most enduring legacy. But as opposed to San Diego, folks in Oakland and Tampa Bay are in no mood to build a plaza in his name. It has been nearly six years since Selig appointed a committee to look into the Oakland Athletics' stadium situation, and not only has the panel failed to issue any public recommendations, but the matter seems no closer to a resolution. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court sided with a lower court's dismissal of the City of San Jose's lawsuit against MLB for alleged violations of antitrust laws stemming from baseball's refusal to grant the A's permission to move to the south bay city. San Jose officials, though, have vowed to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, further delaying any action on the issue. Given the San Francisco Giants' claim of the San Jose area as part of their territorial rights, the A's best bet for a new ballpark may be on the site of their current one, the much-maligned O.co Coliseum, but that prospect is muddled by the City of Oakland's attempts to retain the NFL's Raiders in that same location. Both teams want their own facility. The Rays, meanwhile, are stuck with a lease that runs through 2027 in a domed stadium Tropicana Field that is ill-suited for baseball and is located on the wrong side of the bay, in St. Petersburg. An agreement reached last month with Mayor Rick Kriseman would have allowed the Rays to buy their way out of the lease and explore moving to another locale in Tampa or St. Pete, but a week later the City Council voted it down. Perhaps Manfred will prove more persuasive than Selig in dealing with the St. Petersburg pols. Increasing the peace Manfred played a key role in improved labor relations the past two decades and that relationship led to the strengthening of baseball's drug-testing program, and allowed for advances such as the expansion of instant replay. The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2016 season, and the union has a relatively new leader in former player Tony Clark, who replaced the late Michael Weiner. Since the last collective bargaining agreement, baseball revenues have further skyrocketed. Meanwhile, owner-friendly pieces of the last CBA - the qualifying offer for free agents, and a limited bonus pool for draft picks, among others - have limited earning power for both young and veteran players. The negotiations for the next CBA will pit Manfred and Clark, each perhaps confronting the biggest test of his leadership. They could make for interesting drama. International intrigue Baseball has taken measures to curb spending on international amateur free agents, establishing a system of signing bonus pools and slot values, in addition to penalties for clubs that exceed their assigned amounts. The ultimate goal, though, is to put in place an international draft that may render extravagant contracts in the tens of millions of dollars a thing of the past, while also curtailing problems like identity fraud, steroid use among youngsters and bonus skimming by scouts. Future attempts at standardizing acquisition of international players which must be negotiated with the union also may include provisions for how to deal with Cuban players. The normalization of relations with Cuba announced in December by President Obama may eventually open the door to that bountiful market, but not before MLB and Cuban leaders work out a system for players from the island to sign with stateside clubs. Manfred's negotiating skills may come into play again. The DH: All day, every day? For more than four decades, purists have been lamenting the imposition of the designated hitter into a sport that's supposed to have nine players a side, not 10. Many of those same purists point out the folly of having two leagues playing by different rules. It may be time to rectify that situation, and the logical step would be for the National League to join the rest of the pro baseball leagues worldwide and move into the 21st century by adopting the DH. The union would love to see the DH expand to the NL, because those are usually highly paid positions and often preserve the careers of veterans. Plus, the game desperately needs an influx of offense now that the pendulum has swung the pitchers' way. Rather than lower mound and upset the entire pitching population, it might be wiser to take the bat out of their hands and give it to someone who knows what to do with it. | 1 | 8,853 | sports |
Molly Henneberg reports from Washington | 8 | 8,854 | video |
DES MOINES, Iowa Potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination tested their messages and their appeal before a raucous gathering of Iowa conservatives Saturday, making it clear that cracking down on illegal immigration will be at the top of the 2016 agenda. Two of the party's powerful center-right figures, Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, did not attend the daylong Iowa Freedom Summit at a Des Moines theater. That was probably a good idea, because when Donald Trump blasted them, the crowd cheered and whistled. "It can't be Mitt because Mitt ran and failed," Trump said of the Republicans' 2012 presidential nominee, who also said Romney "choked." Trump also said: "The last thing we need is another Bush." Trump said he was "seriously thinking" of a presidential bid something he's said the last few election cycles and urged a more secure fence to protect the border with Mexico. "If I run and win I would certainly start by building a very powerful fence," he said. Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon whose backers have chairmen in all 99 Iowa counties, was more measured. He stayed away from criticizing potential rivals, and got loud applause as he discussed his background, his plea for more self-reliance and his faith. "That's the wonderful thing about God. You don't have to have a Ph.D. to talk to him. You just have to have faith," Carson said. He said the key to overhauling the immigration system is getting rid of "all the things that are drawing them in here, including employment. If you employ a person who is illegal ... you should get criminal activity on your record." Carson offered a two-step plan. Don't offer jobs to undocumented immigrants unless Americans won't take the jobs, Carson said. And to get a guest worker permit, a prospective employee would have to apply for it from outside of this country. "You shouldn't get an advantage for breaking the law," he said. "Until we can learn how to think that way we're not gonna win this argument. When we do it by the law, we integrate compassion but we use our common sense." Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker spent most of his talk touting his state's achievements, including hiring teachers on merit and tax cuts. Walker has won statewide elections in three of the past four years, including a recall. Bush, the former Florida governor, signaled this week that he would compete in Iowa if he runs. He spoke for about 20 minutes by phone with Iowa Republican Chairman Jeff Kaufmann. Kaufmann said they discussed mechanics, not issues, as Bush asked specifics about different cities and venues. Bush talked broadly about his views Friday at a National Automobile Dealers Association meeting in San Francisco. "Hope and a positive agenda wins out over anger and reaction every day of the week," he said. He also positioned himself away from many of the Iowa activists who gathered Saturday on one of the campaign's most incendiary issues, immigration. Bush urged first securing the borders, then offering a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants, saying they should pay a fine, lean to speak English and then "get in the back of the line" in order to get legal status. That's a different approach than that of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a chief organizer of the Iowa forum. King has been criticized by leaders of his party for his anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric. He said in 2013 that young people who entered the United States illegally as children were often drug mules with "calves the size of cantaloupes" from hauling marijuana. This week, he said a young woman who sat with First Lady Michelle Obama at the State of the Union address was a "deportable." Republican Party officials have sharply criticized King. Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said potential presidential candidates should not appear at King's forum. "It is time for Republicans to stop standing with extremists like Steve King and start standing up to him," the Florida congresswoman said at a news conference. | 5 | 8,855 | news |
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Devin Booker scored 18 points, Aaron Harrison added 13 and No. 1 Kentucky matched its best start under coach John Calipari with a 58-43 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. The Wildcats (19-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) pulled away with 14 straight points after the Gamecocks (10-8, 1-5) took their last lead at 24-23 with 4:31 in the opening half. Kentucky's lead never fell below double digits after that. The Wildcats were 19-0 in 2010, Calipari's first season in Kentucky when he had NBA standouts John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. That run ended in this building with South Carolina's 68-62 stunner. The sold out crowd was just as loud after Sindarius Thornwell's 3-pointer put the Gamecocks out front. Tyler Ulis started the comeback for Kentucky with a steal and basket before Booker made two fouls shots and a jam and the Wildcats were on their way. Thornwell had 11 points for the Gamecocks, who shot 4 for 27 in the final 24 minutes. Duane Notice, South Carolina's leading scorer this season, was held to two points, nine fewer than his average, and missed all five field goal tries. Booker, a freshman, finished one shy of his career high set twice, the previous time in the win over UCLA last month. Kentucky was looking not to stumble at Colonial Life Arena as it has in the past. This one seemed as big a mismatch with the Harrison twins and bevy of big bodies to control the struggling Gamecocks. Still, it took until late in the opening half before the Wildcats' talent and athleticism took control to score the final 11 points of the half. Two steals led to Ulis' basket and two foul shots by Booker. After Thornwell missed a shot, Andrew Harrison put a perfect pass right on the hands of a streaking Booker for another easy jam and a 29-24 lead. Lyles added a dunk and Ulis closed the half with two foul shots for a 34-24 lead. South Carolina went 0 for 4 with three turnovers in its scoreless stretch in the half. TIP-INS Kentucky: The Wildcats have found their range from the 3-point line, hitting 68 of 153 (39 percent) over their past eight games. Kentucky has hit a higher rate in SEC games (43 of 98, 44 percent) South Carolina: The Gamecocks fell to 1-11 against teams ranked No. 1 by The Associated Press. UP NEXT Kentucky travels to Missouri on Thursday night. South Carolina plays at LSU on Wednesday night. | 1 | 8,856 | sports |
As the mind-boggling reality and stupefying stupidity of the $210 million Max Scherzer contract with the Washington Nationals sinks in, there is only one conclusion to be made: Scott Boras belongs in the Hall of Fame. And when baseball's super agent does gain baseball immortality in Cooperstown, here is how his plaque will read: Scott Dean Boras "Houdini" "The Avenging Agent" Unaccomplished minor league player who gained his revenge by coming back as an agent and extracting untold millions out of the major league clubs...Achieved record-breaking contracts for his players year after year with unparalleled success record of bamboozling owners...Had unique ability to always find the One Dumb Owner willing to bid alone for his clients but still give them everything and more than they asked for...Turned over-reaching in baseball into an art form. It was Chicago White Sox Board Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf who so famously said that baseball owners "are unfortunately judged by the worst decisions of our dumbest competitors." Never did those words ring more true than last week when Ted Lerner, the 89-year-old Nats owner, bidding against himself, came through for Boras by giving Scherzer the $200 million contract the Avenging Agent had been asking for and more. The seven-year, $210 million contract, in which $105 million is deferred, to be paid out through 2028, contains a $50 million signing bonus and awards bonuses of $250,000 for winning the Cy Young, MVP or World Series MVP awards. All this for a starting pitcher who has all of one complete game to his credit. But more than that, there is this: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, among the 86 pitchers since 2010 with at least 100 starts, the 30-year-old Scherzer ranked 31st in innings per start with just under 6 1 / 3 . Mind you, Scherzer was also pitching for a Tigers team whose bullpen consistently ranked in the bottom third of baseball. Be assured that was one stat that did not appear in the typical 100-page achievement manifesto Boras presented to the Nationals high command on his client. As Pete Rose noted on NBC Sports Radio's Under Center show with McNabb and Malone last week: "You know when Max pitches, you better have a couple of guys in the bullpen rested, because he has a tendency to go six innings a game. Usually when you sign a guy for that much money 20, 25 million a year you've got to get a complete game out of him once in a while. Your ace has got to give your bullpen rest and Max Scherzer's not going to give the bullpen much rest. That's a lot of money to give a guy for six-seven innings and that's a lot of money to give a guy for two good years." So, yes, the Nationals better be prepared to have a deep bullpen behind Scherzer if they hope to get maximum wins-per-start from him. And yet, a week before they signed him, they traded Tyler Clippard, one of the best eighth-inning set-up relievers in baseball, to the Oakland A's for perpetually disgruntled infielder Yunel Escobar, who they plan to play out of position at second base and who Oakland GM Billy Beane couldn't wait to get rid of. Why did the Nats deal Clippard? Because he will be a free agent after 2015 and they didn't think they could afford to keep him. What sense did that make? As one baseball person told me: "I think it's a fair assumption that if Scherzer makes 34 starts next year, Clippard probably would have been in almost every one of them. Talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul." And with A's closer Sean Doolittle's status now uncertain for next season because of a slight tear in his rotator cuff, Beane's acquisition of Clippard looms even more significant as it gives him a very viable closer option. Rose went on to say, "I couldn't give no pitcher seven years with $20-some million a year. He could throw one pitch (get hurt) and you're paying all that money off and he'll never pitch for you again." Indeed, there were a number of clubs who considered getting in on Scherzer but opted not to not so much because of the price but fears about his durability. "With his delivery," one club exec told me, "he's a blown-out arm waiting to happen. We liked him, obviously, but we were afraid of him and would've never gone more than five years at the most." Given the way the game has changed so much over the past 15 years, it is rather amazing the owners are so willing to pay starting pitchers more and more to do less. In 2008, the average starting pitcher's annual salary was about $4.4 million, which ranked fifth behind designated hitters, first basemen, shortstops and outfielders. By 2013, starting pitchers were averaging $6.5 million per year, third behind designated hitters ($10.5M) and first basemen ($6.5M). Meanwhile, starting pitchers are pitching less and less with the growing emphasis on bullpens, especially in the postseason. Last year, David Price had the most innings pitched in the majors with 248 1 / 3 , and the description of a "workhorse" starter today is a pitcher who logs at least 200 innings. At the same time, 34 starts is about the max for pitchers who make it through the whole season without injuries. By contrast, back in the '70s, the "workhorse" starters were the ones who logged 300 innings the last time that happened was 1980 when Steve Carlton had 304 and in 1974 there were eight pitchers with 300 or more innings. And before the full blooming of the five-man rotation, starters were routinely maxing out at 40 starts. You would think, with all this, and the example of last year's postseason, when all four finalists, the Giants, Royals, Orioles and Cardinals, got there more on the strengths of their bullpens, owners would realize the diminishing value of starting pitchers. (Tell it to Boras.) But thanks now to Lerner and the ridiculous Scherzer contract, the price of starters figures to keep going up. In that respect, Reinsdorf especially is thankful to be immune to the One Dumb Owner regarding his ace, Chris Sale, whom he wisely locked up for $32.5 million through 2017 with very reasonable options for '18 and '19. Meanwhile, even more irking to the owners about Lerner is the fact that MLB was subsidizing him during his MASN network dispute with the Orioles, giving him an advance on the rights fees due the Nats once the dispute is settled. DAN SHAME Whither Dan Duquette? Amid numerous reports having the Orioles GM heading to Toronto to replace Paul Beeston as president of the Blue Jays, this figures to still get very messy before it happens. If it happens. Even though Duquette clearly wants to go it is after all a big promotion he has a contract through 2018, and Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who is big on loyalty, is not about to let him out of it without significant compensation from the Jays. There is also the matter of clear tampering on Toronto's part. But as for Duquette's divided interests possibly being behind the Orioles' inaction this winter as free agents Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, Andrew Miller all walked out the door, O's manager Buck Showalter insists that's simply not the case. "We loved all those guys," Showalter said Friday, "but we couldn't give Markakis four years, or Miller four years or Cruz that contract. We know who we are and who we're not. When we sign a free agent and it doesn't work out, it doesn't kill us. And hard as it might be, I love the challenge of putting a team together the way we do it because when you succeed, as we did last year, it's that much more rewarding." | 1 | 8,857 | sports |
Fitness trackers that only count steps are so last year. The newest fitness trackers are going beyond just a simple accelerometer to carry a host of new sensors, from devices that measure the electrical properties of your skin to optical sensors that can measure your heartbeat. But do these sensors really provide a better picture of health? The new devices do provide an incremental improvement over the earlier ones, but the real breakthroughs are still a few years off, said Jason Heikenfeld, an electrical engineer and the director of the Novel Devices Laboratory at the University of Cincinnati. [ The Best Fitness Tracker Bands ] Most of the new devices still don't go beyond providing raw data for users to interpret, and are still far from making health predictions and prescriptions, said Dan Ledger, who researches wearables and health technologies at Endeavour Partners, a digital technology consulting company in Massachusetts. New devices The first generations of fitness trackers relied mainly on accelerometers, which measure movement. That provided an estimate of a person's step count, activity levels and a very rough picture of sleep, but not much else. The new devices, however, are increasingly packed with much more sophisticated sensors. Products such as the Jawbone UP3, Basis Peak and the Microsoft Band have sensors that measure a person's galvanic skin response, which is a measure of how easily an electrical current can travel over the skin, and changes when someone sweats. These sweat levels can in theory be tied to stress levels, Ledger said. The Microsoft Band and the Basis Peak, along with several other new trackers, such as the Mio Fuse, also measure a person's heart rate by using light-based sensors, which shine light through the skin and measure how those light waves are reflected back. Earlier generations of fitness trackers could be paired with a chest-strap heart rate monitor, which wirelessly communicated with the tracker. The new devices can not only tell people their heart rate, but also may reveal their heart rate variability, which is also a measure of stress . Optical sensors can also reveal how much oxygen the blood is carrying. And several devices are using other sensors, such as temperature trackers to measure body and ambient air temperatures, UV light detectors to measure sunlight exposures and even microphones to sense when someone coughs. Limited insight In theory, these sensors could reveal many new insights about people's health, from their stress levels to their baseline metabolic rate . Elite athletes are already using such devices and finding that the gadgets do a good job of providing workout stats such as post-workout recovery times, Ledger said. But for the average Joe, "They just want to understand something about their baseline fitness level things like stress, sleep, nutrition, hydration, emotion," Ledger told Live Science. "We're not close to being able to do that." Each person's physiology is so different that it's just difficult to devise ways to reliably interpret the data. "Being able to look at data from 100 people and reliably detect when all 100 people are experiencing stress we're really far away from that," Ledger said. And if the companies claim their devices can make predictions and it turns out that those predictions are unreliable, they risk alienating their customers or even running afoul of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates health products, Ledger said. As a result, the newer fitness trackers are a lot more fashionable , but under the hood, aren't all that different from the old ones, and it's still hard to find meaning in the numbers. "Most of the devices out there are reading a metric from our body and providing it to you as is," Ledger said. There are signs that fitness trackers are trying to do better at data analysis. Companies like LifeQ and Firstbeat are working on algorithms to analyze biometric data, Ledger said. But getting to truly useful information is still a ways off, he said. Future tech Sensors will likely become more sophisticated in the coming years. The current batch of sensors don't differ much from those worn by astronauts on the Apollo space missions, Heikenfeld told Live Science. But newer sensors could get at information that is simply too difficult to infer with older sensors. For instance, researchers are developing sensors that detect chemical markers of health or disease in sweat . These patches either use tiny needles to draw fluid from the upper layers of the skin, or use a small electrical charge to trigger the skin to generate sweat and then test the biological chemicals in that sweat for signs of disease, Heikenfeld said. "You can start to think of all the sophisticated tests you do in a doctor's office or hospital, going around with you all day, out of sight, out of mind, in a small patch," Heikenfeld said. Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+ . Follow Live Science @livescience , Facebook & Google+ . Originally published on Live Science . Choosing a Fitness Tracker: A Flow Chart Buying Guide Fitness Trackers: How to Get the Most from Wearable Devices | Video Best Fitness Apps for 2015 | 5 | 8,858 | news |
Bill Maher criticized the movie "American Sniper" and deceased Navy Seal Chris Kyle calling him a "psychopath patriot." | 5 | 8,859 | news |
DES MOINES An energetic Scott Walker put the 2016 GOP field on notice Saturday that he not only wants to compete for the hearts of Iowa's conservative grassroots but that he can connect with them. The contents of Walker's speech urging Republicans to "go big and go bold" were familiar ground for him but he delivered the lines with fresh vigor. He paced the stage here without notes and without a jacket, in blue shirtsleeves and a red tie, joking that the mass of squatting photographers would struggle to keep up as he moved about. "It's the best I've heard him," gushed GOP wordsmith Frank Luntz immediately after watching the speech. "He knows what Iowa voters want to hear and he spoke their language." As Walker spoke before the conservative crowd the event was co-organized by Citizens United and Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King he emphasized the need for "new" and "fresh" leadership veiled shots at potential primary opponents, namely Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, but also Hillary Clinton. He spoke of his roots in Iowa (where he lived until 3rd grade). He repeatedly thanked the crowd for their prayers during his battles with Democrats and unions in Wisconsin. And he said his experience and approach of pushing through an uncompromising GOP agenda in a blue state needed to be taken nationwide. "If you're not afraid to go big and go bold you can actually get results," Walker said. "You can clap for that, that's alright." Walker ticked off a Republican agenda that he hadn't just proposed but had been enacted in Wisconsin, from defunding Planned Parenthood to concealed carry, from a voter ID law to rejecting the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare. "Record is a monstrously powerful asset," GOP strategist Rick Wilson wrote on Twitter. "I told a different campaign the other day: everyone who underestimates Walker's toughness learns not to." As he bled past the allotted 20 minutes, Walker almost didn't seem to want to leave the stage, as he tacked on applause line after applause line to the end of his speech. "In America, we value our independence from the government and not our dependence on it," he said. "We need leaders who will stand with our allies against radical Islamic terrorists," he said to some of the day's biggest applause. And he closed with a promise: "I'm going to come back many more times in the future." | 5 | 8,860 | news |
CNN Meteorologist Karen Maginnis says millions of Americans impacted by this winter storm could see snow, sleet, and wind gusts up to 50mph. | 8 | 8,861 | video |
Nothing looks quite as ridiculous as huge, ripped biceps attached to a back with the width of a spider monkey. Building an enormous, wide back is crucial to your overall aesthetic. Not only is a wide back imposing in and of itself, but it also makes your waist look smaller, increasing the ever important V look all bodybuilders covet. On your next back day, add in these 4 exercises and watch your back width explode. Straight-Arm Pushdowns These were a favorite of Iron Legend Doug Young. The straight-arm pushdown is one back exercise where the lats are almost exclusively isolated, there is very little bicep activation like most back exercises. I have found that Lat development really explodes when these are incorporated. Use the straight bar attachment on the weight stack, keep the arms straight and lower the bar to the thighs while leaning forward at the top (emphasizing stretch). Do 5 sets of 15 reps One-Arm Lat Pulldowns These effectively isolate the lats, resulting in a serious increase in back width. Put the handle attachment on the lat pulldown stack. Grasp it with one hand and fell a big stretch on the top. Pull it down so the handle is at shoulder level. One-arm lat pulldowns should also be done with the strictest of form, and muscle intention is key here. Feel the lats doing the work. Do 5 sets of 10-15 repetitions. Wide-Grip Pullups Wide grip pullups are absolutely essential to developing an impressively wide back. They are more lat intensive than their normal grip counterpart. To perform wide grip pullups grasp the pullup bar wider than shoulder width, and make sure to come all the way down on each rep. Use muscle intention to really feel your lats doing the work. Pull yourself all the way up so that the pullup bar is at around chest level. Do these strict (no swinging, go all the way down and all the way up.) Once you can do 10 strict wide grip pullups, start adding weight. Do 5 sets to failure in this exercise. V-Grip Pullups These are not as popular as they once were, they used to be a staple in back training. Let's bring back this oldie but goodie. Put the V-Grip attachment over the top of the pullup bar, pull yourself up and touch your chest to the v-bar attachment. Concentrate on using your lats and upper back to pull yourself up. Keep these strict, no swinging. Do 5 sets to failure. As you can see, when trying to develop a wide back strict form and muscle intention are key. Add these exercises in on your back day and watch your spread grow. | 7 | 8,862 | health |
Add a little activated charcoal to your beauty routine, and the results may amaze you. Why? This buzzy ingredient draws impurities, chemicals, dirt, and other such micro-particles to the surface of the skin in a more effective manner than your traditional face cleanser ever could. So, why stop there, right? The beauty world's version of black magic can be found in everything from shampoo to bath salts, too. And, just in case you need more proof that this stuff kicks ass, AC powder can absorb thousands of times its own mass in icky dirt and grime, which is why it's becoming a super-popular ingredient in facial masks. "There has been a trend in the beauty industry geared toward a metaphysical element of treatment," says Jim Wetzel, co-owner of space519 in Chicago. "With the rise in popularity of yoga, chakra and energy healing, meditation and holistic remedies, a spa-orientated moment in skin care has risen." But, activated charcoal isn't exactly a newfound discovery. Long before its incorporation into beauty products, the substance was widely used in the medical world. Geraldine Macenski R.N., aesthetician, and licensed massage therapist at NoMI Spa at the Park Hyatt Chicago says she used to use AC for medication and poison overdoses when she worked as a registered nurse in the emergency room. "Charcoal is the purest form of carbon readily available to us," says Macenski. "It excels in absorbing properties, particularly organic compounds, odors, toxins, and gases." So, whether you live in a polluted city, perpetually fall asleep with your makeup on, or you simply want to try something new, we've rounded up 26 activated charcoal products that are guaranteed to take clean to an entirely new level. Because, you've got nothing to lose but some extra gunk and grime. Like this post? There's more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and news on the Refinery29 Beauty Facebook page! Add a little activated charcoal to your beauty routine, and the results may amaze you. Why? This buzzy ingredient draws impurities, chemicals, dirt, and other such micro-particles to the surface of the skin in a more effective manner than your traditional face cleanser ever could. So, why stop there, right? The beauty world's version of black magic can be found in everything from shampoo to bath salts, too. And, just in case you need more proof that this stuff kicks ass, AC powder can absorb thousands of times its own mass in icky dirt and grime, which is why it's becoming a super-popular ingredient in facial masks. "There has been a trend in the beauty industry geared toward a metaphysical element of treatment," says Jim Wetzel, co-owner of space519 in Chicago. "With the rise in popularity of yoga, chakra and energy healing,meditation and holistic remedies, a spa-orientated moment in skin care has risen. "But, activated charcoal isn't exactly a newfound discovery. Long before its incorporation into beauty products, the substance was widely used in the medical world. Geraldine Macenski R.N., aesthetician, and licensed massage therapist at NoMI Spa at the Park Hyatt Chicago says she used to use AC for medication and poison overdoses when she worked as a registered nurse in the emergency room. "Charcoal is the purest form of carbon readily available to us," says Macenski. "It excels in absorbing properties, particularly organic compounds, odors, toxins, and gases." So, whether you live in a polluted city, perpetually fall asleep with your makeup on, or you simply want to try something new, we've rounded up 26 activated charcoal products that are guaranteed to take clean to an entirely new level. Because, you've got nothing to lose but some extra gunk and grime. Like this post? There's more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and news on the Refinery29 Beauty Facebook page ! While you may have tried oil blotting papers before, nothing beats charcoal when it comes to banishing that midday shine. Not to mention, the bamboo version in these thin sheets boasts antibacterial and antifungal properties, so it's perfect for gals battling or wanting to prevent breakouts. Sephora Collection Bamboo Charcoal Blotting Papers, $8, available at Sephora. We're huge fans of sheet masks and we're huge fans of Korean beauty products this baby satisfies both. Black in color, this specialized treatment contains spearmint extract, activated Korean charcoal, and arginine to detoxify, improve elasticity, and minimize the appearance of large pores. Dr. Jart+ Pore Minimalist Mask, $35, available at Birchbox. You know that feeling when you get off a plane from traveling and your face feels, well, disgusting? Us, too, which is why we were thrilled to see that Origins made their Activated Charcoal mask in these super-cute to-go pods. Take that, airplane skin. Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores, $8, available at Beauty.com. GlamGlow has a cult following among beauty junkies in the know, thanks to its downright amazing masks and cleansers. This clearing treatment is a prime example of why it has such a devoted following. It features activated charcoal and a blackhead-busting six-acid AHA and BHA blend that will leave your skin looking flawless. It's also great for whiteheads, razor bumps, and pimples, meaning everyone should own a jar of this stuff. GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment, $69, available at Sephora. Thanks to activated charcoal, antioxidants, and minerals, this konjac version will help prevent and fight a blemished complexion. Dew Puff Bamboo Charcoal Konjac Sponge, $7, available at Dew Puff. We love Gloss48 for its rad indie finds, and this mask is no exception. The potent combination of Dead Sea mud and rice bran works to suck out impurities, tighten pores, and provide a gentle exfoliation. The formula is concentrated, so a dab will do, even if you want to use it as a spot treatment for a pesky pimple. Aenon's Dead Sea Mud & Charcoal Exfoliating Mask, $24, available at Gloss48. If you've never tried a charcoal face soap before, we suggest you start with this baby as it is truly the real deal. The Kishu Binchotan charcoal is considered the highest quality charcoal, so you can rest assured that it will leave your skin as clean as a whistle. Morihata Binchotan Facial Soap, $29, available at Space519. We love this cleanser because it's basically like Biore's blackhead strips minus the ripping part. It claims to clean two times better than your average cleanser, but without leaving your face feeling like a dry piece of toast. Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser, $7.99, available at CVS. There's nothing more thrilling than seeking out an awesome drugstore find especially one that's fewer than five bucks. This two-in-one product works as both and exfoliant and a mask, thanks to black sugar and purifying charcoal. It's designed for all skin types, so everyone can double down. Freeman Beauty Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask, $3.99, available at Freeman Beauty. This natural and organic mask is chock-full of activated charcoal and other great-for-your-skin extracts. Results-driven ingredients like pomegranate, green tea, ester C, DMAE, and hyaluronic acid will have you looking like, well, an angel-face in no time. Angel Face Botanicals Organic Clarifying Cream Mask, $18, available at Amazon. Aside from the unique packaging, we love the cypress scent of this face and body bar almost as much as the squeaky clean results. The medicated charcoal and bamboo vinegar remove impurities while exfoliating and moisturizing the skin. It's perfect for those dealing with acne, inflammation, psoriasis, and dermatitis, so lather up! Sumi Haigou Settuken Charcoal Bar Soap, $10.18, available at Amazon. While you may know Lush for their fizzy bath balls and salty soaks, this killer cleanser is where it's at in our book. Black sugar, charcoal, and rhassoul mud exfoliate and get rid of all the icky stuff, while organic avocado oil provides nourishment to your face, body, hands, or wherever you choose to slather on this goodness. Lush Dark Angels Cleanser, $31.95, available at Lush. While many charcoal products are suitable for all skin types, this mask is actually designed for those with acne- and oil-prone skin. Activated charcoal, black clay, and palmarosa essence are the key ingredients to dissolve dead skin cells and remove dirt and toxins without further irritating the skin. Fig+Yarrow Clay Mask in Black, $18, available at Fig+Yarrow. Whether it's your sweaty melon under a hat, or you just got back from a day at the beach, you definitely need to deep clean those tresses. And, we love this chemical-free white charcoal shampoo to do just that. We'd bet our weekly Starbucks budget that you'll never look at shampoo the same way again. Sort of Coal Kuro Shampoo, $35, available at Sort of Coal. Behind the adorable name and packaging lies a ridiculously effective soap. Sure, the benefits from the charcoal are amazing, but there are also tea tree and eucalyptus oils to treat and prevent blemishes, and ground oats and cocoa butter to help impart a healthy glow. Meow-velous. Meow Meow Tweet Tea Tree Charcoal Bar Soap, $10, available at Meow Meow Tweet. There's a lot going on in this mask, so it definitely lives up to its name. We're talking finely-ground walnut shells, raw cacao, manuka honey, olive leaf powder, and three (you read that right) types of purifying clays. Oh, and activated bamboo charcoal, of course. The result is a smooth, soft, toned, and ridiculously clean complexion. Trust us, you'll become obsessed with this miracle-worker after just one use. Osmia Organics Detox Exfoliating Mask, $50, available at Osmia Organics. While you can use these salts as a soak, there's no need to stop yourself from filling up the tub and settling in for a full-body detox especially after a long weekend. Elaeis Foot Soak Detoxifying Activated Charcoal Bath Salt Spa Treatment, $14, available at Etsy. We say "yes" to anything this brand throws our way, so we're super-psyched about Yes To's new detoxifying Activated Charcoal Bar Soap. Bonus points for working just as well on your body as it does your face. Yes To Tomatoes Activated Charcoal Bar Soap, $4.99, available at Yes To. Who needs an activated charcoal shower gel? Your body after hot yoga class. Don't be turned off by the liquid-y black substance. It smells divine, purges toxins like a boss, and rinses clean. DHC Purifying Charcoal Shower Gel Trio, $27, available at Amazon. If you've never been to the Pacific Northwest, this soap will help take you there, thanks to delicious notes of Oregon peppermint, Portland rose, Washington geranium, and PN cedarwood. Made with nourishing oils and shea butter, the addition of activated charcoal is merely the cherry on top. Blackbird Black Square Soap, $12, available at Blackbird. This body cleanser takes it a step further by being an exfoliant, too. Activated charcoal and volcanic ash sweep away dirt and grime while uplifting fig and green tea essential oils clean out all the cobwebs in your mind. Fun fact: The antioxidant-packed acai and goji berries in this formula are hand-harvested at their peak, so rest assured that this is one potent potion. Giovanni D:tox Step 2 Body Scrub, $9.95, available at Drugstore.com. Think you've tried every tooth-whitening product on the market? Allow us to introduce you to this powdery miracle blend of charcoal, coconut shell, mint and orange extracts (read: flavor) that gently (and safely!) work to polish your teeth to a gleaming perfection. And, don't worry. It's completely safe to swallow, just in case some of it goes down the wrong pipe. Oh, and don't balk at the price: an entire jar will last you three months. My Magic Mud Whitening Tooth Powder, $24.47, available at Amazon. We love a good body scrub especially one that can be used on our face, hands, and feet, too. But, don't worry. The exfoliant aspect (walnut shell powder and sea salts) is an ultra-fine grain consistency, so you don't have to worry about it being too rough on your delicate features. Add activated charcoal, Dead Sea mud, bentonite clay, and nourishing butters and you've got yourself one serious head-to-toe deep cleansing beauty product. BareEndsSoaps Mega Detox Botanical Sea Salt Body Scrub, $14, available at Etsy. The charcoal aspect of this product lies within the first step, an exfoliating charcoal mask that absorbs toxins and preps the skin for the absorption of the other products to follow. This cool resurfacing system is perfect for a DIY facial at home, so if you haven't tried this amazing results-driven brand before, this is the perfect opportunity. Consider us obsessed. Osmotics Cosmeceuticals Micro Peel Resurfacing System, $86, available at Nordstrom. This sulfate-free body wash has been around long before the activated charcoal trend became en vogue, and yet it's still one of our favorites. Aside from the benefits of the activated charcoal, sage, juniper berry, and lemongrass aid the cleaning process and help to reduce any inflammation or irritation. It doesn't hurt that it smells amazing, too. Collective Wellbeing Charcoal Body Wash, $10.10, available at eVitamins.com. Sure, it looks a bit manly but believe us, ladies, you're going to want to lather-up with this big bar, too. Pumice and sandalwood exfoliating powder work as effective exfoliants for those rough heels and feet, courtesy of your Friday night stilettos. Activated charcoal lifts dirt and toxins while natural moisturizing oils will leave your skin feeling supple, not scratchy. Hunting Camp Deep Exfoliating Soap, $13, available at Portland General Store. Like this post? There's more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and news on the Refinery29 Beauty Facebook page . Like us on Facebook we'll see you there! | 4 | 8,863 | lifestyle |
Quick and nutritious lunch options Don't spend another lunch hour mindlessly eating fast food and drinking soda to give you a caffeine jolt. There are better ways to get a midday energy boost. Whether you pack your lunch or buy lunch, Dr. Martica Heaner , a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist, has 15 tips for making healthier choices. Lentil soup All bean soups provide high fiber and protein, which are extra filling. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of lentil soup Sandwich Use avocado instead of mayo and lean meat or nut cheese for less fat. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of Sandwich Black-bean burrito Add jalapenos for vitamin C and an extra kick of flavor. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of black-bean burrito Veggie wrap Coat with high-protein and high-fiber bean dip. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of veggie wrap Sushi Avocado and fish keep you satiated. Try adding edamame for fiber. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of sushi Bean salad Make lettuce fill you up by adding protein-rich beans and nuts. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of bean salad Whole grain cereal Add nuts for extra protein and fruit for antioxidants. Top with dairy or plant-milk. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of whole grain cereal Pita bread Toast the pita bread and add veggies with dairy or nut cheese for a complete protein. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of pita bread Quinoa Add veggies and/or meat for extra protein. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of quinoa Whole wheat pasta Add protein meat or beans and high-fiber veggies. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of whole wheat pasta Brown rice Add any type of beans for a high fiber, high protein meal. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of brown rice Veggie burger Often made of different kinds of beans, find a high-protein fatty that's low in fat. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of veggie burger Arugula Make a salad more filling by adding protein: beans, nuts, seeds, tuna or chicken. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of arugula Baked potatoes Skip the sour cream, and add beans, corn and salsa for more nutrients and less fat. Click here to know the nutritional benefits of baked potatoes | 7 | 8,864 | health |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina coach Roy Williams has spent much of this season trying to drag more intensity and toughness out of Brice Johnson. When Johnson plays the way he did Saturday, it's easy to see why the Hall of Fame coach won't stop pushing, either. Johnson had 18 points and 14 rebounds to help the 15th-ranked Tar Heels survive a 35-point performance from Florida State freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes and beat the Seminoles 78-74. The slender 6-foot-9 junior played through back tightness that had him standing at the end of the bench when he subbed out instead of sitting with teammates. He also aggravated his back on a hard fall in the first half, but finished through contact and rebounded in traffic on a day when the Tar Heels (16-4, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) needed help for an injury-depleted backcourt. ''It's a work in progress,'' Williams said of Johnson. ''Brice is getting better. His toughness today was maybe one of the best games he's had because he's hurting. ... But he's nowhere close to what I think he can be.'' Johnson earned his fourth double-double despite playing just 23 minutes due to first-half foul trouble. He has hit 15 of 20 shots in the past two games, though Williams was critical of Johnson's inconsistent effort after Wednesday's win at Wake Forest. Not Saturday. ''It's really helping me, just hearing it over and over,'' Johnson said of Williams' demands. ''Then once you get in a game you hear that little voice in the back of your mind, and it's usually Coach saying, `Go up strong, go through the contact.''' Paige scored 19 points to help the Tar Heels win their fifth straight league game. They led nearly all day, though Rathan-Mayes hit three 3-pointers in the final 36 seconds to keep FSU (10-10, 2-5) in it to the horn. Rathan-Mayes' 35 points were a school freshman record and were the most by a UNC opponent in the Smith Center in nearly nine years. His last 3 cut the deficit to 75-72 with about 17 seconds left, but FSU got no closer. ''It gives me confidence,'' he said. ''But like I said, we didn't pull out the W. ... I'm not worried about myself individually. I'm worried about our basketball team and winning games.'' TIP-INS FSU: The Seminoles haven't won here since February 2010. ... Devon Bookert (11 points) was the only other FSU player to reach double figures. ... Rathan-Mayes' 35 points were the most by a UNC opponent here since Duke's J.J. Redick had 35 in 2006. It also tied the fifth-best single-game total by a freshman in ACC history. UNC: Freshman Justin Jackson scored 14 points for his third straight double-figure performance. ... UNC shot 48 percent and has won 10 of 11 since losing at top-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 13. ... Former football coach Mack Brown, who spent 10 seasons here before going to Texas, attended and was recognized during a stoppage with the `90s song ''Return of the Mack'' by Mark Morrison. UNC'S INJURIES The Tar Heels knew they'd be without guard Theo Pinson after the freshman broke his left foot at Wake Forest. They weren't sure if sophomore Nate Britt would play after taking 15 stitches for a cut lip suffered in that game, but he scored four points in 14 minutes. UNC was also again without guards Joel Berry II (groin), Stilman White (foot) and Luke Davis (foot), while junior center Joel James played 3 second-half minutes due to a knee injury. ROOKIE RELIANT Rathan-Mayes scored 22 second-half points and finished 14-for-26 from the field. The rest of the Seminoles shot 13-for-35. ''I think it all came together for him,'' FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. ''And we really needed every one of his points to stay close.'' UP NEXT FSU hosts Wake Forest on Wednesday. UNC hosts Syracuse on Monday. --- Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap | 1 | 8,865 | sports |
Gareth Bale was the hero for Real Madrid as his penalty snatched a 2-1 win over Cordoba on Saturday after Cristiano Ronaldo had been sent off. Ronaldo was given a straight red card for striking a Cordoba defender with the score deadlocked at 1-1 eight minutes from time at the Estadio Nuevo Arcangel on Saturday. But Bale bailed out his teammate when he converted from the penalty spot in the 89th minute after his own free kick had been handled with Cordoba's Federico Cartabia receiving a second booking for that violation. Real moved four points clear of Barcelona ahead of the Catalans' trip to Elche later Saturday, but Carlo Ancelotti will be concerned by his side's performance and the fact Ronaldo who cut a frustrated figure throughout the clash could now face a three-game ban for violent conduct. Real endured a dreadful start as Nabil Ghilas confidently converted from the penalty spot after Sergio Ramos handled Bebe's shot just three minutes in. Cordoba's confidence continued to grow after it had taken the lead, with Bebe, Ghilas and Cartabia looking particularly threatening on the counter. Manchester United flop Bebe almost put the hosts two goals to the good in the 18th minute, firing just wide of the post following a driving run into the penalty area. Despite appearing somewhat rattled by Cordoba's bold approach, Real eventually restored parity through Benzema just before the half-hour mark. The France striker stabbed home from close range after James Rodriguez's corner was flicked on by Bale. Real struggled to build upon its equalizer, however, with its star-studded frontline having little luck carving out clear-cut chances against a well-organized Cordoba defense. Ancelotti failed to inspire an improvement with his halftime words, as Cordoba remained just as threatening going forward. In fact, the hosts appeared the more composed of the two sides in attack and came close twice in quick succession in the 56th minute. Cartabia first smashed a fierce effort just wide of the top-left corner from 25 yards, before Bebe fired straight at Iker Casillas after a strong solo run. The best chance came 12 minutes later, though. Florin Andone pounced on Raphael Varane's weak header and looped an effort over the approaching Casillas, but the ball bounced up and hit the bar. Cordoba appeared set to earn a well-deserved point when Ronaldo was dismissed shortly after the Ballon d'Or winner reacting angrily to close attention from his markers during a free kick but Bale was on hand to nick all three points with his late, late penalty. | 1 | 8,866 | sports |
For Republicans, the long road to the 2016 presidential election began in earnest on Saturday in Iowa when a group of potential candidates jockeyed for support among conservatives in the state that will hold the country's first nominating contest. One message that emerged at the Iowa Freedom Summit, a day of back-to-back speeches by about eight potential Republican candidates, is that establishment names Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney have some work to do to gain support of grassroots activists should they decide to run. That view surfaced when New York developer and celebrity Donald Trump declared to the audience that Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, cannot be allowed to run a third time and that former Florida Governor Bush is weighed down by concerns about his education and immigration policies. "You just can't have those two," Trump said. His statement was predictable, coming from a showboat billionaire who says he is considering his own White House run, and that this time he is serious. But the reaction from the crowd was noteworthy. Many in the room applauded and cheered at the idea that Romney and Bush should not run. Neither man attended the forum. Perhaps the warmest reception was given to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who survived a recall attempt over his conservative policies in 2012 and won re-election in November. He drew a standing ovation when he made clear he is seriously considering a White House run in 2016 by vowing to come back "many more times in the future" to Iowa. He was withering in his criticism of President Barack Obama for not attending a march of world leaders in Paris two weeks ago to show solidarity for the French after attacks there. "We need leaders who will stand with our allies against radical Islamic terrorists," Walker said. Of the possible candidates attending, another big name to watch was New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Christie is viewed skeptically by many conservatives, and how he crafts his message here could be critical. A variety of other people appearing at the forum could emerge as major 2016 players, such as former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who sought the nomination and lost in 2012, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who won Iowa in 2008 but lost the nomination. Texas Senator Ted Cruz will also speak along with former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Besides Bush and Romney, steering clear of the event were Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Iowa holds the first nominating contest of 2016 when Republicans and Democrats gather early next year for caucuses. Republicans here have not picked the eventual nominee since they went for George W. Bush in 2004. But the caucuses serve a valuable role in winnowing the field. (Additional reporting by Amanda Becker in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Rosalind Russell and Leslie Adler) | 5 | 8,867 | news |
ORLANDO A manhunt is underway after a shoot out between two motorists caused a car to crash into a CVS sign this morning, officials said. Lt. Susan Wallis said the shooting unfolded around 10:20 a.m. when someone in a black Cadillac started shooting at a silver Ford Focus driving next to it. The driver of the Ford shot back at the Cadillac as both cars were still moving, Wallis said. An Orange County deputy, who was driving behind the Cadillac with his sirens blaring on his way to help Orlando Police at a separate car crash, started following the cars when he noticed they were driving erratically, Wallis said. The Ford then crashed into the sign in front of the CVS, 7330 Curry Ford Road. The driver jumped out of the vehicle and fled. The Cadillac escaped, heading east on Curry Ford Road. The driver of the Ford, whose name has not been released, was caught by deputies and a K-9 unit dog named Dezel about 10 minutes later in a wooded area behind a nearby Winn Dixie. There were no injuries to officers or bystanders. Wallis said the driver of the Ford was not shot and only suffered minor injuries from the crash. The man, who had a handgun in his car, will be charged with leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and aggravated assault with firearm, Wallis said. Wallis said they don't know whether the Cadillac driver was shot. Deputies continue to search for the driver of the Cadillac. Deputies saw a gray or silver pickup truck that may have been following it, but did not know whether the pickup driver was involved. Wallis said they did not have a tag number for the Cadillac or the pickup truck. Anyone with information can call Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477. [email protected] or 407-420-5774, [email protected] or 407-420-5268 | 5 | 8,868 | news |
The most buzzworthy feature of 2015's Sundance Film Festival isn't a film at all, but pair of virtual reality goggles you strap to your head. Three years after VR made its debut at Sundance, the technology has fully established itself. An entire section of the festival is now devoted to VR experiences, many of them more interactive than what we've seen to date. Talk to filmmakers and they'll tell you they can't remember being so excited: some say it's like they're present at the dawn of a new medium. Take Birdly , a full-body VR experiment that turns you into a bird flying above the streets of San Francisco, soaring higher with every flap of your arms. Or Project Syria , which throws the viewer in the middle of a harrowing rocket attack. Or, perhaps most darkly, Perspective; Chapter I: The Party , which lets you see the world through the eyes of a man, and then a woman, as an encounter at a college party turns into sexual assault. All are on display at New Frontier, Sundance's annual showcase for works at the intersection of art and technology. And they've quickly become the talk of the festival. Filmmakers say they can't remember being so excited Virtual reality debuted at Sundance in 2012 with Nonny de la Peña's Hunger in Los Angeles , which used an early head-mounted display to place viewers in the middle of a food line outside a church. That project was developed by then-19-year-old Palmer Luckey, and the success of Hunger spurred him on to build a consumer version of his VR headset. He called it Oculus Rift, and launched it successfully on Kickstarter; last year, Facebook bought his company for $2 billion. In the wake of Oculus' success, and under the direction of curator Shari Frilot, VR dominates New Frontier this year. "I think what's behind the explosion is the marketplace embracing it," Frilot says. Of the 14 projects in the showcase, 11 are enhanced by virtual reality. Most are independent art projects, but not all: Fox Searchlight is also here with Wild The Experience, putting users in between actresses Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern in a scene inspired by the recent movie of the same name. Unfortunately, several of the experiences at New Frontier replicate the problematic types of VR we've seen for years : static scenes, devoid of interaction. And others demonstrate how many of the tricks and techniques that have worked in movies for decades need to be thrown out entirely; Kaiju Fury! , which jumps between a monster fight and a heroine trying to intervene, is an object lesson in how conventional editing can cause VR experiences to collapse almost instantly. But exhibits like Birdly demonstrate how powerful VR can be when it actually lets you do something: in this case, take to the skies with thrilling ease. There's not a narrative, exactly, but its creators at the Zurich University of the Arts have considered adding one. "You can do so much more than gaming stuff. You can also tell stories." Hollywood's recent investment in VR is apparent outside Sundance as well. This week Annapurna Pictures, producer of films like Her and Zero Dark Thirty , announced it is creating a VR division in partnership with artist Chris Milk . Meanwhile, VICE said Friday that it is making forays into VR news documentaries , and 20th Century Fox plans to release several more experiences this year as part of its Fox Innovation Lab. "It really starts this year," says Fabian Troxler, a co-founder of Birdly . "People realize you can do so much more than gaming stuff. You can also tell stories." Which isn't to say that VR has fully arrived: "It's still new and there are still a lot of troubles we have to solve," he says. Birdly is highly immersive even for VR: fans blow air on you as you fly, and headphones simulate whooshing noises dependent on your movements. Troxler's team is currently working to insert smells into the simulation anything, he says, to further the suspension of disbelief. Fox's Wild The Experience was created by the duo of Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël, better known as Felix and Paul. In addition to Wild , the directors brought two other pieces to New Frontier this year designed for the Samsung Gear VR: one in which Montreal musician Patrick Watson gives an intimate performance in his loft, and the other depositing you in a series of scenes featuring Mongolian yak herders. ( Of course Samsung would sponsor a VR yak herding experience.) Raphaël offers a variety of reasons for the proliferation of VR at Sundance this year. "People are just finally getting comfortable with it," he says. "The hardware is starting to get more accessible; people are feeling a looming commercial release. There's more incentive: a lot more studios and companies are investing in the technology. And with more people seeing it, there's more word of mouth. And it's an amazing medium." "The medium itself is just so sexy, and so alluring." Just before Sundance opened this year, investor Chris Dixon wrote a blog post predicting that after many false starts, VR-enabled cinema was about to become a reality. "What's happening now because of Moore's Law, and also the rapid improvement of processors, screens, and accelerometers, driven by the smartphone boom is that VR is finally ready to go mainstream," Dixon writes . He predicted a period of great experimentation. "The next few decades of VR will be similar to the first few decades of film," he writes. "Filmmakers had no idea what worked and what didn't: how to write, how to shoot, how to edit, etc. After decades of experiments they established the grammar of film. We're about to enter a similar period of exploration with VR." Raphaël agrees with that sentiment: "There's no road map," he says." At Sundance, visitors to New Frontier can take home Google Cardboard : the company is giving away up to 8,000 of the do-it-yourself VR kits, while a new app from artist Chris Milk lets both Android and iOS users experience his latest work. And everyone else can watch as VR, slowly but surely, encroaches on territory that was once exclusive to film and TV. "The medium itself is just so sexy, and so alluring it captures a general audience's imagination," Frilot says. "And I think that's really fueled this hyperspeed at which the industry is developing." There may even come a day where VR graduates from the experimental New Frontier showcase to a permanent category at Sundance. "We've been talking in our programing meetings about the possibility of potentially building a platform, like we build a platform for documentaries, for feature films, for premieres," Frilot says. "We may need to do that with VR." | 5 | 8,869 | news |
By Dan Lyons It took a little while to really catch on, but a bunch of schools are hopping on the colored field bandwagon that is famously driven by Boise State. Last year, Eastern Michigan put in a gray field that has received mixed reviews. Now, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are jumping in on the trend with a teal field. The program released a rendering of the field on Twitter. It's not quite as jarring as Eastern Michigan's field or the red field at Eastern Washington, but it is still a pretty interesting look. | 1 | 8,870 | sports |
Chelsea was dumped out of the FA Cup by Bradford City in sensational style at Stamford Bridge, with the League One side coming back from 2-0 down to stun the Premier League leader 4-2. First-half goals from Gary Cahill and Ramires looked to have put the Premier League leader on course for a comfortable victory on Saturday, but the visitors had other ideas. Jonathan Stead pulled a goal back before the break and midfielder Filipe Morais, who left Chelsea during Jose Mourinho's first reign at the London club due to a lack of first-team football, equalized 15 minutes from time. But there was yet more drama when Andy Halliday put Phil Parkinson's side in front in the 82nd minute, and Mark Yeates added a fourth in stoppage time to consign Chelsea to its first home defeat of the season, ending its hopes of winning the quadruple. Mourinho named a much-changed side with a League Cup semifinal second leg against Liverpool and a crunch league clash with Manchester City to consider over the coming week and, despite bringing on Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard, he was unable to avoid an embarrassing defeat. Teenage defender Andreas Christensen made only his second competitive start for Chelsea as Mourinho made nine changes to the side which drew at Liverpool in midweek, with Cahill and John Obi Mikel the only men to retain their places. Bradford was clearly not overawed by the occasion and Petr Cech produced an outstanding one-handed save to keep out Davies' header from a Morais corner after 14 minutes. It was a corner at the other end which led to the opening goal seven minutes later, when Oscar swung the ball in and Cahill was on hand to flick in his second goal of the season from close range. Didier Drogba almost doubled Chelsea's lead a couple of minutes later with a measured effort after a sharp turn, but Ben Williams denied the veteran striker with a fine save. The hosts doubled their lead seven minutes before halftime, though, as Bradford lost possession on the halfway line and was made to pay by Ramires, who played a one-two with Mohamed Salah before seeing his shot go in off the post. There appeared to be no way back for the League One side, but Stead pulled a goal back from out of the blue when he let fly with a venomous left-footed drive which Cech got a hand to, but was unable to keep out just three minutes after Ramires' strike. That was by no means a false dawn for Bradford, which started the second half on the front foot and Morais had a shot tipped over the crossbar by the alert Cech. Chelsea was stunned when it failed to deal with a long throw from James Meredith, and Morais was on hand to side-foot home after Knott's shot was saved by Cech to send a huge away contingent into raptures. Better was to come for the visitors, though, as Halliday found the top corner after Stead had laid the ball off and Stead then laid on a fourth goal for Yeates, who kept his composure to finish four minutes into time added to seal one of the most astonishing FA Cup upsets of all time. | 1 | 8,871 | sports |
The NFL can wait! Lane Kiffin is staying in Tuscaloosa for another season according to the University of Alabama. Our Shae Peppler and Doug Chapman discuss whether it's a good move for Kiffin and the Tide. | 1 | 8,872 | sports |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz If Tom Brady can suddenly become widely suspected of having a role in deflating the football for some type of competitive advantage, it makes me wonder about any given quarterback. After all, with some of the inconsistent quarterbacking out there, some guys could use a break. And you know what they say: Quarterbacks are the first to get credit ... and first to be blamed. How do you like your footballs? "To be honest with you, I don't ever pick 'em out before games," Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford told USA TODAY Sports following a Pro Bowl practice session. "I don't ever talk about 'em. I just go out there, and honestly, they pump 'em up and I go play. Maybe Stafford has never given a second thought about the actual football. But he was about as convincing as Brady was Thursday, when the New England Patriots star tried to disassociate himself from the Deflategate scandal that has fueled controversy for Super Bowl XLIX. These are professional throwers, typically the most meticulous players on the team, playing the most demanding position in sports. They are expected to be the smart guys, not playing dumb. "Every team does their own thing," New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees told USA TODAY Sports. And you? "Definitely broken in at practice," Brees said. "That's my main preference. Having a ball that you've practiced with." There used to be a time when teams couldn't even do that, and years ago the home team provided all 24 footballs. As we've learned over the past week with the mess that revealed the Patriots rolled with 11 of 12 footballs weighing at least two pounds per square inch lighter (10.5 pounds) than the 12.5 psi required, each team brings a dozen. It's just that the Patriots, accused of cooking the footballs to their specifications, provided a new meaning to the term "baker's dozen." This deflation issue seems like a football version of baseball pitchers using spitballs or grease balls. "I never knew about deflating the football," Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, chuckling, told USA TODAY Sports during a phone interview. "I could have used that information." Fouts, whose heyday was in the late 1970s and 1980s with the San Diego Chargers astriggerman for the "Air Coryell" offense no, silly, the nickname wasn't linked to the air pressure of the footballs -- provides some context on how this has evolved. In his day, the Chargers kept a box of infield dirt in the locker room, and Fouts says they dumped footballs in the box and rubbed them up to reduce the slippery gloss on new footballs they used in practice. The big change in NFL policy came in 1999 when the league was lobbied to allow the visiting teams to have their own balls. In 2006 the competition committee re-affirmed the practice, lobbied by such marquee names as Brady and Peyton Manning. "Nobody wants to throw them out of the box," Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan told USA TODAY Sports, referring to new footballs. "Until they scrub 'em down, you're not going to throw them. That's the only thing I care about. Everybody does that." Ryan said the footballs that the Falcons use fall under the domain of Jimmy Hay, the assistant equipment manager. The process begins with Hay, and presumably others, using a hand brush to scrub off the sheen. Ryan said that he used to see the footballs before games but doesn't anymore because he's had so many years working with the equipment staff. He said that going to his first season in 2008, Hay got a sense during OTAs and training camp about the type of footballs that felt right for him. "He'd know how to break 'em in, and he's been doing it since," Ryan said. "Me, personally, I don't pick 'em out during the week. Jimmy does it, and they're good to go." By contrast, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who just finished his 11th NFL season, indicated that he still has a hands-on role in the process before the referee inspects the footballs about two hours before kickoff. "We give 'em up two hours before the game, and then you don't see 'em until five minutes before," Romo told USA TODAY Sports. "And that's you and the ball boy." Ryan figures the Falcons practice with game balls for two to three weeks before Hay puts them away and saves them for game day use, then cycles in a new batch. Ryan said he notices that in September they will practice with footballs that have special pink emblems stamped on for use in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In November, the league uses special footballs to salute military service. "By the time you get to October, you're practicing with the military balls for November," he said. Quarterbacks suddenly have another layer of scrutiny by association. Fouts, though, believes wide receivers should be put under just as much of a microscope, because a softer football is easier to catch. Still, I wonder: Can you tell a difference between a football at 12.5 pounds psi vs. 10.5 pounds? "I have no idea," Stafford said. "It's whatever the league allows. I don't know. I'm not picky about balls." Brees said: "I don't know if one pound is going to make a difference, but I'm sure two pounds would, when you're feeling it. But you'd have to put two in front of me right now." Regardless, with another NFL investigation underway, Brees says it's about the integrity of the game. "Bottom line, there are rules in place, right?" Brees said. "If there are rules broken, there are consequences." Or so there may be ... if funny business is admitted or proven. | 1 | 8,873 | sports |
Volkswagen and BMW are teaming up with ChargePoint to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations along major corridors along the East and West Coasts, the companies announced. ChargePoint is the largest electric vehicle charging network in the country. The companies say the initiative will support the growing demand for convenient public EV charging stations in the U.S. Nearly 100 DC fast chargers are planned for both coasts during the initial phase, with more stations planned across the country later. DC fast charging stations are planned along I-95 from Boston to Washington D.C. on the East Coast and from Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego on the West Coast. Additional charging stations will be located within major metro areas. The chargers will be installed no more than 50 miles apart. Currently, there are more than 20,000 ChargePoint charging stations in North America. "A robust network of conveniently located DC Fast charging stations will go a long way toward increasing electric vehicle adoption and making electric vehicle ownership even more enjoyable," said Robert Healey, Head of EV Infrastructure at BMW of North America, in a release. "The express charging corridors are another important step in the development of the U.S. e-mobility infrastructure that makes longer distance travel a real option for consumers." "Volkswagen believes in a holistic approach to e-mobility in order to create a seamless experience for the consumer," said Jörg Sommer, vice president, product marketing and strategy, Volkswagen of America, in a release. More convenient charging stations will make the BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf as well as other EVs more appealing to consumers for both commuting and long-distance travel, according to the automakers. The new charging stations will feature up to two 50-kW DC fast chargers or 24-kW DC Combo Fast Chargers with the SAE Combo connector. The 50-kW stations are said to be able to charge the i3 and e-Golf to 80 percent in 20 minutes, while the 24-kW stations can charge the EVs to 80 percent in 30 minutes. Each station will also feature the more common Level 2 chargers that can fully charge the i3 and e-Golf in 3.5-4 hours. "Our goal at ChargePoint is to get everyone behind the wheel of an EV and provide EV charging everywhere they go," said Pasquale Romano, ChargePoint CEO. "With strategically-placed stations where drivers need them, these express charging corridors will give EV drivers the freedom to go farther and have an EV as their only car without limitation." EV drivers can pay with ChargePoint or ChargeNow cards or with the ChargePoint mobile app at the new DC Fast charging stations. The DC Fast chargers will be installed near restaurants, shopping centers, rest stops, and other convenient locations. Nearly 100 new DC Fast chargers are planned to be installed by the end of 2015 with the first location in San Diego County already built. Source: Volkswagen,BMW | 9 | 8,874 | autos |
The New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says that his team always followed the rules of the game. | 8 | 8,875 | video |
To save on your next vacation, consider dividing your trip. Travelers often book nonstop, round-trip fares by default, but that's not always the best bargain. It increasingly pays to consider above board alternatives, such as doubling up on one-way fares, and booking open-jaw flights that incorporate different cities. "There aren't many hard and fast rules anymore except: Check out the alternatives," said Ed Perkins, a contributing editor for SmarterTravel.com . All it takes is a few extra minutes on a favorite fare search site. "Compared with 10 years ago, a lot more routes, particularly domestically, the one-way ticket price is really half the round trip," said Perkins. Fare sales can offer breaks, especially on competitive routes and ones where there's a directional difference (meaning flying from point A to B is cheaper than B to A). For example, a Kayak.com search turned up a $594 Delta (DAL) round-trip flight between Portland, Ore., and Honolulu in February. The cheapest one-way flights were a $288 American (AAL) flight to Hawaii and a $207 US Airways flight back to the mainland, netting savings of $99. Internationally, the deals can be even better, if you're willing to uncouple your trans-Atlantic flights with those throughout Europe. "It's a whole different ballgame," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com . "There are lots of low-cost carriers with weird and wonderful pricing." Use a meta-search site such as SkyScanner.com or Momondo.com, which incorporate many inexpensive carriers into their results. For travel between New York and Cologne, Germany, in February the cheapest option is a $1,058 Air Berlin (AB1-DE) flight making one stop. But travelers who book a round-trip to London could pay just $785, and another $80 on a round-trip Ryanair (RY4B-IE) fare between London and Cologne. Total saved: $193. Open-jaw routes (think point A to B to C, and back to A) can offer similar savings. "The big mistake that a lot of people make is to not even think about that kind of booking," said Ari Steinberg, chief executive and founder of Vamo.com , a planning engine specializing in multicity trips. "They book the round trip, and say, 'I'll figure everything else out later.' " That can lead to more time spent on the road for, say, a traveler making the popular trip among Rome, Florence and Venice, to get back to the airport they flew in from. "You're doubling back, spending time out of your vacation, which is kind of a waste," he said. Of course, there are some logistical concerns to consider. Having multiple legs each way that aren't linked can mean you have to exit security to claim your bags and then check in again and be rescreened to continue the trip, said Perkins. (Never mind, pay another checked-bag fee.) Separate reservations can also create a domino effect of problems if, say, your first flight in the chain is delayed. You won't be entitled to any recourse for missing those subsequent flights, said Perkins, who recently scheduled in a daylong stopover in London to ensure no such schedule hiccups hurt his chances of getting home. "I would never book a three- or four-hour connection," he said. A different way to divide your trip is by splitting reservations for larger parties on the same flights. Start your search for a single seat , even if you're traveling as a group of two or more, said Seaney. "That's the No. 1 booking trick," he said. A quirk of airline booking systems is that they search for the best fare for the entire party, meaning you could miss out on cheaper seats. With that trick, a consumer could snag one $383 round-trip US Airways fare from Boston to Houston, instead of paying $440 apiece for two or more adults to make the same trip. Savings: $57. Call the airline after booking to link the reservations, especially if you're traveling with kids, he said. That reduces the chances you'll be accidentally seated separately. | 3 | 8,876 | finance |
MELBOURNE, Australia The zany antics of John McEnroe. The calm of Lindsay Davenport. The entertainment of Novak Djokovic. In a sport as individual as tennis, there is no formula for what kind of personality rises to the top. The game requires mental and physical fortitude but prescribes no specific archetype for who can achieve at the highest levels of the game. "It's a good question," 17-time major winner Roger Federer says. "I guess it really depends what kind of game you have." Tennis players have no coaches or teammates they can rely on at the Grand Slams, suggesting a confident extrovert might be the one to succeed. Not so fast, says Federer, who was upset in the third round by AndreasSeppi. "You would think an introvert is not ready to take huge risks, but then again he might be very thoughtful and play very well-constructed points," says Federer, a self-described extrovert. "But I like the idea when you're young and you're fearless, you give it a shot and just go big and take it away from your opponent. That's kind of how I felt." Do introverts have to work harder to go for it in big moments? Do extroverts have to rein in their emotions to find what works? "I think I play my best tennis when I'm finding that fine line between staying really positive and staying calm," says Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios, known for his eccentricities and candor. "You don't want to get too over-hyped. I think the older I get, the more mature I'll get. I'll find out what helps me most on the court." Rafael Nadal, a 14-time major champion, is known in interviews to be soft-spoken, polite and humble. That doesn't hurt his hunger for winning tennis matches, however. "I was really shy when I was a kid (but) I was not shy playing on court," Nadal says. "That's the most important thing, no? You can (be) shy in life, but obviously when you are going on court, when you are competing, you compete. You cannot be shy. At the end (it's) obvious if you are shy playing, probably you will be in trouble." On the way to his lone Grand Slam victory in 2003, American Andy Roddick said he was wasting emotional energy on court by being too expressive. He toned it down and found success. "I've just been a lot more relaxed on court," Roddick said on CNN leading up to that tournament. "I haven't been playing every point like just so emotional. I've been a little bit more laid back and I'm having a lot more fun." Fun is something Kyrgios, who stunned Nadal at Wimbledon last season, feels must be a part of his game. "I'm obviously not going to be a person that is going to be a robot out there, not show any emotion, that sort of stuff. I think that definitely helps," Kyrgios says. Ruth Anderson, a registered sports psychologist who works part-time with Tennis Australia, says the best tool any player can give himself or herself on court is an understanding of their personality tendencies off it. "There is no right or wrong personality," Anderson tells USA TODAY Sports. "Athletes just need to adopt strategies to put themselves in a winning position on the court." She continues: "Self-regulation is a key skill for an elite athlete under pressure. Tennis is a challenging sport. Unlike other sports, you have to continually back up what you're doing, and in a Grand Slam that takes two weeks." Sam Stosur, the Australian who won the U.S. Open in 2012, has long been known as one of the nicer, low-key players on the women's tour. She also has struggled to win on home soil in Australia, compiling a 18-13 record here. She lost in the second round this week. "Maybe it is a little bit harder if you're (introverted) off the court to then turn into this aggressive and fierce person on the court," she says. "I think everybody has got their ways of being the competitor that they are. Some, you see it really easily and some you don't." Davenport, once described as the "girl next door" in American tennis, says there is a learning curve no matter your personality. "I never liked to lose, like most top players would attest to," she says. "But I remember beating Mary Joe Fernandez when I was 19 and I started crying on court. I didn't know how to handle it, I felt so badly. But I learned the way it should be was try your hardest, fight to win and then it's done." But the personality of a winner? It seems there isn't such a thing. | 1 | 8,877 | sports |
Lionel Messi and Neymar scored twice each as Barcelona recorded an emphatic 6-0 win over Elche on Saturday. Barca had already beaten Elche three times this season and scored 12 goals in the process ahead of the La Liga clash at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero and the Catalan giants heaped more misery on Fran Escriba's struggling side. Gerard Pique marked his 200th La Liga appearance with the opening goal in the first half and Barca ran riot in the second, with Messi scoring from the penalty spot before Elche had Faycal Fajr sent off for a second bookable offense. The majestic Messi then laid on two goals for Neymar, who struck twice in as many minutes to take his goal tally for the season to 19, and Messi added a fifth with his 31st of another outstanding campaign before Pedro got in on the act in stoppage time. Luis Enrique's side is just a point behind first-place Real Madrid, which won 2-1 at Cordoba earlier in the day, while defeat for Elche came after back-to-back La Liga wins. Elche remains mired in trouble just above the relegation zone. Luis Suarez was dropped to the bench on his 28th birthday despite this week being backed to put a disappointing start to his Barca career behind him by Luis Enrique. Xavi was restored to the starting lineup and the fit-again midfielder almost created the opening goal when he picked out Jordi Alba with a clever free kick 13 minutes in, but the left back's well-struck volley flashed over the crossbar. Elche was working hard off the ball to frustrate Barca, but Messi came close with a free kick that flew narrowly wide. The home side posed an attacking threat of its own and Fajr called Claudio Bravo into action following a swift counterattack and then worked the Barca goalkeeper again with a long-range free kick after 27 minutes. Neymar then wasted a glorious chance to open the scoring, when he miskicked with only Przemyslaw Tyton to beat after Messi breached the Elche defense with a lovely ball over the top. Barca was in front 10 minutes before the break, though, when Pique showed great composure to bring down Xavi's free kick with his chest before beating Tyton with a deflected right-footed finish. Another sublime pass from Messi opened up the Elche defense once again seven minutes after the interval, but Tyton was alert to the danger as he came out to thwart Pedro. Barca strengthened its grip on the game a minute later, though, when Elche were caught on the break and Sergio Pelegrin was ruled to have upended Neymar when the Brazil forward jinked past him. Messi casually slotted home the resulting spot kick to take his La Liga tally for the season to 20 and there was worse to come for the home side as Fajr was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Rafinha only 12 minutes into the second half. Neymar added to Elche's misery by adding a third goal with a clinical right-footed finish after being set up by a perfectly weighted pass from the outstanding Messi after 69 minutes. And the pair combined once again two minutes later, with Neymar again applying the finish after playing a one-two with the imperious Argentina forward. Messi then doubled his tally, as he created space for himself in the area and fired into the far corner with his left foot two minutes from time. Neymar laid on a sixth goal for Pedro, who rounded off the scoring when he tapped home following a rapid counterattack in stoppage time. | 1 | 8,878 | sports |
ISIS is demanding the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, accused of attempting to detonate a suicide bomb, in exchange for a Japanese hostage. | 8 | 8,879 | video |
With the game tied Clemson forward Josh Smith grabs an offensive rebound and scores with under a second to go against Wake Forest. Check out how it all went down in this ACC Must See Moment! | 1 | 8,880 | sports |
Head coach Urban Meyer was feeling sentimental during the national champion's trophy presentation in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. He recounted a toast players and coaches made before the 2012 season, which quoted the Buckeyes battle cry. "Our honor we defend, we will fight till the end for the great state of Ohio, for our families and most importantly each other," Meyer said, as the Buckeyes raised not only an invisible glass, but some hardware in the Horseshoe. Ohio State was presented with three trophies during the celebration: the Amway Coaches Poll Trophy, the first College Football Playoff national championship trophy and the AP national championship trophy. Mayor Michael B. Coleman of Columbus renamed the intersection of Lane and High St. 'The Undisputed Way' in honor of the national championship team. The Buckeyes handily beat Oregon in the national championship game 42-20 on Jan. 12. Quarterback Cardale Jones had 242 yards and a touchdown and running back Ezekiel Elliott had four touchdowns with 246 rushing yards. "I'm honored to be able to bring back to the great state of Ohio: the Big Ten trophy, Sugar Bowl trophy, and the first ever College Football Playoff national championship trophy," Meyer said. "This is the most selfless group of people and players I've ever been around." Braxton Miller, who sustained a shoulder injury before the season started, told the crowd, "We've got another year to do it, so go Bucks." Meyer also introduced next season's captain Evan Spencer, who had a key block and threw a touchdown pass in the Sugar Bowl, to the crowd of more than 20,000 fans. "There are teams around the country that have had this many people show up to a game, so thank you," tight end Jeff Heuerman said. "You are the best damn fans in the land," athletic director Gene Smith said. And until August, they're the best team in the land. | 1 | 8,881 | sports |
No one said being a guy is pretty. | 4 | 8,882 | lifestyle |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Rapheal Davis had just enough going his way to be a nuisance for No. 25 Iowa, but he isn't looking for the credit. Davis scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half to lead the Purdue Boilermakers to a 67-63 victory over the Hawkeyes on Saturday. ''I made some baskets,'' Davis said. ''But without Basil (Smotherman) playing the game he did, I don't think we win.'' Smotherman and A.J. Hammons each scored 13 points for the Boilermakers (12-8, 4-3 Big Ten), who have won two of three. Smotherman made a couple of free throws with under a minute to play to help keep the Boilers ahead. And after Wednesday's 66-57 loss at Illinois, he wanted to find ways to be effective. ''The practices we had after the Illinois game, we were hustling,'' Smotherman said. ''At Illinois, we really didn't hustle. We made the hustle plays today.'' He finished with six rebounds and had no problem throwing himself after loose balls, including one that sent him into the Purdue bench and another where he landed on the scorer's table. Mike Gesell scored 18 points and Gabriel Olaseni finished with nine points and 16 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (13-7, 4-3). Davis made the go-ahead 3-pointer to give Purdue a 65-63 lead with less than a minute remaining and the Boilermakers held on the rest of the way. Gesell scored to give the Hawkeyes a 63-62 lead at the 1:18 mark before Purdue took the lead for good. The Hawkeyes played much of the game without Aaron White, who left the game with a right shoulder injury in the first half. White said it felt like he broke his collar bone when he collided with Smotherman while going after a loose ball at the 15:48 mark. He returned to the bench when he was knocked in the shoulder again a few minutes after returning to the game. ''I was in a lot of pain,'' he said. ''I tried to go back in after it happened, thinking that if I got back loose it would loosen up and I could help the time. But I reached for the ball and had a popping feeling and pain down my neck, but I'll be alright.'' Gesell scored 10 points in a row for Iowa late in the second half, including a shot to make it 62-61 late in the game before he scored to take the lead. ''In the second half, I was just looking to be aggressive,'' Gesell said. ''I think we did a great job down the stretch. Davis just hit a big-time shot.'' Not much has been going Iowa's way lately, starting with Tuesday's 82-50 loss at Wisconsin. And on Saturday, Purdue took advantage. The Boilermakers went on an 8-1 run to jump to a 30-20 lead when Smotherman scored on a breakaway dunk with 3:19 remaining in the opening half. They led by as many as 12 in the first half and had a 34-24 halftime lead. TIP-INS Iowa: The Hawkeyes entered the game as the Big Ten's top offensive rebounding team with 12.7 per game. Iowa surpassed its average and totaled 15 offensive boards at the break and finished with 24 - the most since the Hawkeyes grabbed 18 against Hampton in the season opener. Purdue: Kendall Stephens, who started 16 games this season, came off the bench after suffering a left pinkie injury in a 66-57 loss at Illinois on Wednesday. Stephens leads the Boilermakers in scoring and was a game-time decision. With the injury, Purdue used its sixth starting lineup of the season. UP NEXT Iowa will host Wisconsin next Saturday. Purdue will host rival Indiana on Wednesday. BLOCKING LEADER Purdue is No. 2 in the Big Ten with 5.3 blocks a game and A.J. Hammons leads the league with 2.6. He finished with one block against Iowa and it couldn't have come at a better time. Hammons sent the ball flying when Gesell drove to the basket late in the game with a chance to give the Hawkeyes the lead. | 1 | 8,883 | sports |
The EU and NATO called on Russia to end its support for rebels in Ukraine, with Brussels mulling an emergency meeting after at least 30 people were killed in the port of Mariupol in a major escalation of the fighting. Latvia, which holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency until July, called for an emergency meeting of the EU foreign affairs council next week. The Latvian foreign ministry said it was increasingly evident that Russia "is not interested in a peaceful resolution of the conflict" in Ukraine in light of events in the strategic city of Mariupol. "Those responsible for the aggression should be aware that the international community will undoubtedly and sharply react to further escalation," the ministry said in a statement. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia to "stop destabilising Ukraine and respect its international commitments". "Fighting in eastern Ukraine has sharply escalated, with indications of a large-scale offensive by Russian-backed separatists," he said in a statement. "This is in utter disregard of the ceasefire." The NATO chief added that "for several months we have seen the presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine" -- a charge Moscow has repeatedly denied. The condemnation of the Mariupol attacks came after Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the self-declared Donetsk republic, on Saturday announced an offensive on the Kiev-controlled port, which links separatist territory with Russian-occupied Crimea. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini denounced Saturday's rocket attacks on Mariupol saying in a statement that the escalation would cause a further deterioration in relations between the EU and Russia. Mogherini called directly on Russia to intercede. "I call... openly upon Russia to use its considerable influence over separatist leaders and to stop any form of military, political or financial support," her statement said. "This would prevent disastrous consequences for all. Those responsible for the escalation must stop their hostile actions and live up to their commitments." The European Union, along with the United States, has imposed sanctions on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis. | 5 | 8,884 | news |
The New England Patriots held a press conference on Saturday, addressing the scandal regarding the deflating of footballs in the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts . Head coach Bill Belichick reiterated that the Patriots have followed the NFL's rules, saying that he "personally, and we as an organization, have followed every rule to the letter." He said that he spent an extensive amount of time learning about ball inflation and preparation over the past week, and that it became clear to him he didn't have a strong idea of how the process of determining the pressure of a football actually works. "I've handled dozens of balls over the past week," Belichick said, "The texture of the ball is easy to identify, the pressure of the ball is a whole different story." Belichick said that the pressure of a football is "much more difficult to feel or identify," by touch. Again, he reiterated that the Patriots set the balls to the proper PSI, and that they were delivered to the officiating crew properly. "Once the balls were on the field for an extended period of time ... they were down approximately one and half pounds per square inch." Essentially, he's saying that normal use caused the balls to be deflated, despite the fact that the Colts balls were not affected in the same way. He said that the footballs were never prepared in any area other than our locker room, specifically noting that there was no specific heated room in which the footballs were handled. "We had no way of knowing, until we went through this exercise, that this has taken place," Belichick said, "When we hand the balls to the officials ... the air pressure at that point, from then on until the end of the game, we have no knowledge of that." In other words, when the balls were given to the officials, there was no way to test them accurately. At the end of his conference, Belichick said that he is embarrassed to reveal how much time he'd spent on this as opposed to the upcoming Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks , before reiterating that the Patriots did everything by the book. In the court of public opinion, many are quick to bash the Patriots for this whole situation, though some have pointed out that it's not exactly a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. | 1 | 8,885 | sports |
The Jets signed Michael Vick in 2014 to serve as their backup to Geno Smith. Although Vick is one of the most recognizable names in the sport, his play had fallen off to the point where he could not land a starting job. Vick played significant parts of five games for the Jets mainly due to Smith's ineffectiveness. I think there are two ways to view Vick's performance. A. Vick played two spectacular quarters where the team put up 17 points both times. The other sixteen quarters were anywhere between uninspiring and just plain brutal. B. Vick got three games in which he got a full week of preparation to start. In two of them he played steady football. I think the truth probably lies closer to point A. What we saw in 2014 was a quarterback with many of the same flaws Vick showed in his prime. He didn't protect the football. Even in games where he didn't turn it over, he was loose with the ball and showed tendencies that would result in turnovers. He didn't show a ton of pocket presence either. We did see flashes of vintage Vick making plays with his legs, but at 34 and soon to be 35 years old, his athleticism is diminishing. Those flashes are not going to be coming more frequently. You might think this makes letting Vick go an open and shut case. In a perfect world, it would. We don't live in a perfect world, though. Somebody is going to have to be the backup quarterback for the Jets in 2015. If you take a look at the options, there aren't any obvious that would be an obvious appreciable upgrade. As bad as Vick was at points, there were those two great quarters and decent play in two of his three starts might be more than a lot of the other options. It might have been better for the Jets to not pull the plug on Vick so soon and reinsert Geno Smith into the starting lineup. There really was not much to be accomplished by going back to Smith. The book had been written. No matter what happened, there was nothing he could do to make himself the undisputed starter in 2014. That time could have been used to get a better sample size and a better idea on how frequently Vick could look adequate and how frequently he could have looked like he did in those 17 point quarters. It could have provided more information for the decision. I know people won't want to hear it, but Vick is still one of the top options on the veteran market. If certain other options fall through, he probably has to be a Plan B for the Jets on another one year deal. | 1 | 8,886 | sports |
MELBOURNE, Australia Serena Williams loves having Venus back to keep her company in the second week of a Grand Slam, and credits her older sister with giving her the motivation to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. The Williams siblings, with 25 Grand Slam titles between them, will have a couple of Madisons joining them, too. Madison Keys had a 6-4, 7-5 upset win over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday night, and Madison Brengle beat Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2 in an all-U.S. third-round match. The two Madisons will meet in the round of 16, meaning one of them will become a first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist. The last time four or more American women reached the second week in Australia was in 2003, when Keys' coach Lindsay Davenport was playing and Serena beat Venus in one of their Williams-sister finals. That can't happen this time, because they're in the same half of the draw. Serena Williams, who is aiming for her sixth Australian and 19th Grand Slam title, has long been the standard bearer and has been asked all too often what has happened to the depth of U.S. women's tennis. "I think American women's tennis has come so far. We have so many options now, which is so great because for years I had to answer the question: 'I don't know, I don't know,'" the No. 1-ranked Williams said after her 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over No. 26-ranked Elina Svitolina. "Just so many American players that are playing really, really well. So much to look forward to." None more, in her mind, than Venus' return to the fourth round at a major for the first time since Wimbledon in 2011. When Serena walked onto Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, Venus was down a set and a break on nearby Margaret Court Arena. Venus, who was diagnosed with an auto-immune condition called Sjogren's syndrome in 2011 and has struggled at the highest level ever since, rallied for a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1 win over Camila Giorgi. And that was powerful inspiration. "I thought, 'Wow, she's been through so much with her illness, with everything that she's had to do. Gosh, if she can do it, I'm perfectly healthy, I'm fine. I should be able to do it, too,'" Serena Williams said. On the men's side, top-ranked Novak Djokovic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka advanced with straight-set wins, while U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori and Wimbledon semifinalist Milos Raonic continued their quests for a first major title. Four-time Australian Open winner Djokovic beat Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (8), 6-3, 6-4 in the first night match on Rod Laver, then asked the crowd of 15,000 to help him sing Happy Birthday to his mother, Dijana. "It's my mom's birthday, can you sing happy birthday?" he asked the crowd. He sang the whole song live on camera and then left the court to start preparing for a match against Gilles Muller, who beat No. 19 John Isner 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-4. Wawrinka had a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Jarkko Nieminen and will have a score to settle in the next round against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who beat him in the first round of the French Open last year. No. 5 Nishikori beat Steve Johnson 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 and will next meet former French Open finalist David Ferrer, who struggled to finish off No. 18 Gilles Simon in four sets. No. 8 Raonic fired 22 aces in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over Benjamin Becker and will next play No. 12 Feliciano Lopez. Serena Williams will have to be top of her game when she meets No. 24 Garbine Muguruza, who beat her in the second round at the French Open last year. In the other fourth-round match in that quarter, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka will meet 2014 finalist Dominika Cibulkova. Azarenka, who is unseeded because of an injury-interrupted 2014, had a 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 25 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, while Cibulkova beat No. 19 Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-2. Venus Williams was delighted after her win, beaming a smile as she turned to wave to all sides of the stadium and doing some dance moves to the loud music. She said Serena had helped her, too. "We've had the fortunate relationship to be able to motivate each other and grow from each other," she said. The 34-year-old, seven-time major winner is determined to make sure her run doesn't end in the next round against sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. "I like to win titles ... that's what I play for," she said. | 1 | 8,887 | sports |
Mike Krzyzewski will accumulate 1,000 career victories in a matter of days, perhaps as early as Sunday. It's an astounding accomplishment one that comes along with 40 years as a Division I head coach and it's impressive even to peers that have piled up hundreds and hundreds of wins themselves. So, what's the secret to longevity in this profession? How can coaches stick around long enough (and win enough) to get to this point ? USA TODAY Sports posed these questions to some of the sport's most successful coaches. "You can be flippant and half in jest, and say, 'Great bosses and great players.' And there are great bosses and very good players," said North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who has 739 career victories. "There is some truth to that, but that belittles the accomplishment to me, and I don't want to do that. What it is, is a tremendous ability to get people to focus on a common goal, and every three, four, five or 10 years, that group of people changes drastically because the culture changes. Your job is to again get 18-, 19-, 20-, 21-year-olds to focus and make sacrifices toward a common goal that is a team-oriented goal. "When you do it over such a long period of time, you have to change quite a bit. You don't have to change your core beliefs, but you have to change with the times. … To me, longevity means that person, like Mike Krzyzewski for example, has been able to withstand so many changes in his entire world." Williams described the current culture surrounding the game as one of entitlement and high expectations. He said when he first began coaching, kids were "thrilled to get a scholarship offer; now, kids just treat it as the old Western guys, another notch on their gun." Williams said he's had recruits appear grateful for a scholarship offer, only to turn around the next day and commit somewhere else. Managing that environment, along with egos of players who all seem to think they're one-and-done, is what's required for coaches to survive and thrive in the game's current climate. To Williams, the key to longevity is adaptability. Along with that comes flexibility. "Old guys like us, we never change," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who's at 962 career wins. "The thing that's never changed is (Krzyzewski) is very flexible." Boeheim's prime example is an obvious one. A week ago, after two poor defensive outings (and Duke's first two losses of the season), Krzyzewski abandoned his iconic man-to-man defense to play zone. The result? A dominant 63-52 win at Louisville. "He'll do what is necessary," said Boeheim, who's worked with Krzyzewski a great deal over the years with USA Basketball. "(Zone) hasn't been what is necessary for him, yet this year it's been very helpful for him. I think it shows one of the characteristics he has, that is underrated and people don't talk about. He's very flexible, and he'll listen to other people and other ideas. He's very open to that." Reading between the lines, what Boeheim is describing is a coach that's constantly trying to improve, a coach that's not content to simply do what he's done in the past. "Excellence is not by accident; it's by design," said former Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, who retired after accumulating 866 career victories. "That's showing up every day as a coach." What stood out most to Calhoun was that more than 900 of Krzyzewki's wins came at Duke. Though Krzyzewski began his career at Army Calhoun began at Northeastern before UConn the majority of his victories came all at one place. "(Longevity and being at the same school) go hand-in-hand to some degree," Calhoun said. "What it allows you to do is become so integrated with the culture. The university becomes part of you. When I think of Mike, I think of Duke. I think a lot of people thought of me being here 26 years, me being UConn. They associate the two, and you do, too. It allows you to keep building. I never through I'd leave here, to put it simply. I never thought I would. I think Mike feels the same way. "No one ever asked, or at least they haven't for many years, how much longer Mike Krzyzewski was going to be at Duke." Nowadays, there aren't questions about Krzyzewski receiving other coaching offers. It's about an inevitable march toward retirement, which might be after another 100 or 200 wins. No one knows just yet. But one thing is clear: Whatever and however Krzyzewski has done this, it's worked. "With Mike, he's found a place that's right for him; I found a place that's good for me," Boeheim said. "If you can find that, then you can stay. A lot of coaches have had to make a move or two to get where it's a good place for them. A few of us, the older guys at least, we're more traditional. You kind of settle in and stay. Now, there's either a pull to the NBA or a pull to one more job. It's more difficult to get 'em all in one place. I think that's unusual. It's still, I think, hard to do that year after year, and be consistent year after year. He's been able to do that with very, very few glitches." Follow Nicole Auerbach on Twitter @NicoleAuerbach . | 1 | 8,888 | sports |
A wrap up of the day in sports National Champion Ashley Wagner reacts after her performance during the women's free skate program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, N.C. on Saturday. Giant killers Bradford City's Filipe Morais, left, celebrates with teammate Andy Halliday after scoring against Chelsea during their FA Cup fourth-round soccer match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in London. Bradford City shocked the Premier League leaders with a 4-2 victory. Winning combination Christopher Knierim throws Alexa Scimeca as they perform during the pair's free skate program at the U.S. figure skating championships on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. The pair won the event. Still No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis (3) drives around South Carolina Gamecocks guard Marcus Stroman (1) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday in Columbia, S.C. Kentucky won 58-43 to improve to 19-0. IMAGES: 2014-15 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON Still making one-handed catches New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, left, makes a catch in front of San Diego Chargers defensive back Darrell Stuckey during practice for the NFL Football Pro Bowl on Saturday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Ronaldo sees red Referee Hernandez Hernandez shows the red card to Cristiano Ronaldo, left, of Real Madrid CF during the La Liga match between Cordoba CF and Real Madrid CF at El Arcangel stadium on Saturday in Cordoba, Spain. Real Madrid won 2-1. On course Norway's Kjetil Jansrud speeds down the course on his way to win the alpine ski men's World Cup downhill race on Saturday in Kitzbuehel, Austria. Jansrud won a shortened version of the men's World Cup downhill on the Streif course. Fog on the upper part of the course forced organizers to delay the race by two hours, and then significantly lower the start gate. Fired up North Carolina head coach Roy Williams reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida State on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC won 78-74. IMAGES: 2014-15 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON Saturday night fight Ryan Bader of the United States (right) throws a punch at Phil Davis of the United States during the UFC Fight Night event at Tele2 Arena on Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden. Buck wild Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (front) leads the cheers at the national championship celebration at Ohio Stadium on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Night flying Kyle Mack from the U.S. competes to place third at the snowboard big air event at the Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships on Saturday in Kreischberg, Austria. Keeping up the enthusiasm The Charlotte Hornets dance team performs during the game against the New York Knicks on Saturday at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. IMAGES: NBA DANCERS Day of the underdog Middlesbrough's Patrick Bamford celebrates his goal against Manchester City during their English FA Cup fourth-round soccer match at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in Manchester, England. Middlesbrough upset Manchester City 2-0. Long reach for Longhorn Kendal Yancy #0 of the Texas Longhorns tries to keep the ball from going out of bounds against the Kansas Jayhawks at the Frank Erwin Center on Saturday in Austin, Texas. Kansas won 75-62. IMAGES: 2014-15 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON Mountain man John Daly of the United States tees off on the fourth hole during round three of the Humana Challenge in Partnership with The Clinton Foundationon on the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West on Saturday in La Quinta, Calif. He shoots, he scores Neymar JR of Barcelona shoots to score his team's third goal during the La Liga match between Elche FC and FC Barcelona at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on Saturday in Elche, Spain. Neymar scored two goals in Barcelona's 6-0 win. Time to reflect The ski jump hill is reflected in the ski googles of Sofya Tikhonova of Russia prior to her first jump during day one of the Women Ski Jumping World Cup event at Schattenberg-Schanze Erdinger Arena on Saturday in Oberstdorf, Germany. Breaking through Memphis Grizzlies guard Beno Udrih (19) drives between Philadelphia 76ers forwards Furkan Aldemir (19) and Malcolm Thomas (11) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Saturday in Memphis, Tenn. IMAGES: 2014-15 NBA SEASON Warming up the home crowd West Virginia Mountaineers cheerleaders preform during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at WVU Coliseum on Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va. IMAGES: COLLEGE CHEERLEADERS Caught from behind Matt Jess of Exeter Chiefs is tackled by Jean-Jo Marmouyet of Bayonne during the European Rugby Challenge Cup match between Exeter Chiefs and Bayonne at Sandy Park on Saturday in Exeter, England. Parallel lines Chris Kandu of Great Britain on his way to winning the men's high jump during the Sainsbury's Glasgow International Match at Emirates Arena on Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland. Crowded at the top Bill Haas watches his tee shot on the third hole during the third round of the Humana Challenge golf tournament on the Nicklaus Private course at PGA West on Saturday in La Quinta, Calif. Haas is in a four-way tie atop the leaderboard at 17-under. The Razorbacks attempting to stop the Tigers Montaque Gill-Caesar #13 of the Missouri Tigers shoots while Rashad Madden #00 and Alandise Harris #2 of the Arkansas Razorbacks defend during the game at Mizzou Arena on Saturday in Columbia, Missouri. IMAGES: 2014-15 COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON Mexes loses his cool AC Milan's Philippe Mexes (R) reacts with Lazio's Stefano Mauri (2nd R) during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Olympic stadium on Saturday in Rome. Zipping away The #02 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Target/Ford EcoBoost Riley driven by Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray races during The Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday in Daytona Beach, Florida. Secret of my speed A swimmer competes during the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido in south London on Saturday. Come back, it's the ball that's supposed to go Craig Simmons of the Strikers breaks his bat as he plays a shot during the Big Bash League Semi Final match between the Adelaide Strikers and the Sydney Sixers at Adelaide Oval on Saturday in Adelaide, Australia. IMAGES: PREVIOUS DAY'S PHOTOS | 1 | 8,889 | sports |
SALT LAKE CITY The discovery of Mirza Teletovic's blood clots, the result of a series of late-night tests at an Los Angeles hospital, potentially saved the Brooklyn forward's life. "He could have gotten on the plane and he could have actually died," coach Lionel Hollins said. As relayed by his teammates before Saturday night's tipoff against the Jazz, Teletovic had been experiencing shortness of breath for the last few games. The assumption was Teletovic was merely out of shape, struggling through a stretch of misfiring on the court. Preliminary tests Thursday night showed nothing to the contrary. Unfortunately, reality was more frightening: a CT scan, recommended by Nets trainer Timmy Walsh, uncovered blood clots in the 29-year-old's lungs, ending his season, at the least. For the Nets, the diagnosis became a lesson in perspective, amidst a stretch where they'd lost nine of 11 games while falling to eighth in the Eastern Conference. "It was very shocking because I've never heard of athletes especially if you're working out every day catch a blood clot. It's just rare," said Joe Johnson, whose mother was diagnosed with a blood cancer in 2008. "Just to hear that, and then hear some of the things he was saying over the past week or so about how he can't breathe, it's kind of scary." Off the court, rookie guard Bojan Bogdanovic will certainly be most impacted by Teletovic's absence, having developed a kinship with his teammate rooted in their shared backgrounds from former Yugoslavia. Bogdanovic said he spoke recently with Teletovic, who will remain hospitalized in L.A. where the Nets were blown out by the Clippers on Thursday and administered blood thinners until cleared to travel. Teletovic's wife, who gave birth to twins less than a year ago, flew to California. "I'm going to miss a lot because he's from my country, he speaks my language. We're close friends," Bogdanovic said. "It's too early to talk about (whether he'll play basketball again). But I hope he's ready for next season." Hollins made clear Saturday that Teletovic's minutes will be given to rookie Cory Jefferson, a vastly different type of player. Teletovic spreads the floor with his jumper. Jefferson, who had played just 20 career games prior to Saturday, does most of his business around the rim. The Nets have been hit with all types of injuries and ailments, leaving them shorthanded without reinforcements while fighting for a playoff spot. They created a roster spot by waiving Brandon Davies but have yet to sign a free agent to a 10-day contract. A source told the Daily News that a deal could be made this week. With Deron Williams missing his ninth straight game Saturday because of a fractured rib, Darius Morris has been moved to backup point guard behind Jarrett Jack. The Nets were outscored by a combined 51 points in the 177 minutes Morris played this season before Saturday. "We just have to play with what we have," Hollins said. | 1 | 8,890 | sports |
GALVESTON, Texas A dog who vanished from his Texas yard last year has been returned home after turning up in a central Indiana city some 1,100 miles away. Sixty-nine-year-old JoeAnn Navarro of Galveston says her two pit bulls apparently were stolen from her backyard in May. Navarro thought she'd never see either dog again, but the Kokomo Humane Society called her a week ago to say a stranger had dropped her year-old pit bull Blue off at its shelter about 40 miles north of Indianapolis. A microchip implanted in Blue led to Navarro. Three men, including two retired Galveston County sheriff's deputies, drove to Indiana. On Saturday, the Galveston County Daily News ( http://bit.ly/1JBby0E ) reported the three arrived at the Navarro house and, for the first time in eight months, Blue was home. ___ Information from: The Galveston County Daily News, http://www.galvnews.com | 5 | 8,891 | news |
Team USA's biggest roster change from the 2014 Olympic Games to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey will come from one of its smaller players. Since the USA's disappointing fourth-place finish in Sochi, the American player who has emerged as a possible difference-maker is Tampa Bay Lightning diminutive center Tyler Johnson. If the World Cup roster was named today, Johnson might be the USA's No. 1 center. "I think the real testament to his game has been the consistency he has shown over his time in the NHL," said USA Hockey national team guru Jim Johannson. Only in his second NHL season, Johnson is eighth in the NHL's scoring race with 48 points in 46 games. He ranks second in the NHL in plus-minus (+26). When the 2014 Olympic team was named, Johnson was a rookie with roughly a half a season NHL experience. Now he is out-producing his more heralded teammate Steven Stamkos "He could score 80 to 90 points every year," said Hall of Fame center Phil Esposito, a member of the Lightning radio broadcast team. Johnson's rise is remarkable, considering he wasn't drafted. The Lightning signed him as a free agent after he scored 53 goals for Spokane in the Western Hockey in 2010-11. He was a standout in the American Hockey League for two seasons before earning his shot in Tampa Bay. "The offense and creativity were always there, but it's the skating that has really taken another step ahead," said former NHL team executive Craig Button, now a draft expert for TSN. Johnson is listed at 5-9, and unquestionably that was an issue when he was scouted by the NHL. But Button recalls that speed was also a concern. "He couldn't back up defenders," Button recalled. "He was good on the power play. He could turn at the half wall and buy himself some time. He had good hands and he could create. Now speed and quickness have become part of his game and he has become more dangerous. He looks lighter to me." Esposito referred to Johnson as "The General" because he is in command on the ice. "He's a smart, intelligent player," Esposito said. "He is very quick and when you are small you had better be quick. The reason why Martin St. Louis has lasted is because of his quickness. I think Tyler might be smaller than Marty." Johnson was impressive for the USA at last spring's World Championships, generating seven points in seven games. "He was an impact player every game," Johannson said. "The noticeable part for me was his pure speed and especially on international ice and five players going backwards to defend, his speed made guys turn and try to catch him in most cases they were already beat and could not stop him through the neutral zone and the attack zone. "He is an all-situation player that especially on penalty kill, if a point man fumbles the puck or he gets a slight push of the puck it is a breakaway or a penalty that puts a lot of pressure on a power play USA TODAY Sports' projected U.S. roster: Defensemen: Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild), Ryan McDonagh (New York Rangers), John Carlson (Washington Capitals). Justin Faulk (Carolina Hurricanes), Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks), Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis Blues), Erik Johnson (Colorado Avalanche) and Keith Yandle (Arizona Coyotes) Debate: Defense is a crowded field, and there will be many candidates pushing for a spot. Maybe it's time to give Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg Jets) and his big shot a chance at international competition. Erik Johnson (Colorado Avalanche) is having a strong season, and Brooks Orpik (Washington Capitals) is still playing at a high level. Isn't it time we take a hard look at Alec Martinez (Los Angeles Kings)? Danny DeKeyser (Detroit Red Wings) should be a candidate. Left wings: Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens), Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild), James van Riemsdyk (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Nick Foligno (Columbus Blue Jackets) Debate: Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings) is a dark horse. He is a gritty, physical player with some offensive abilities. With the game played on a NHL-sized rink, you need physical players. Centers: Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay Lightning), Derek Stepan (New York Rangers), Ryan Kesler (Anaheim Ducks) and David Backes (St. Louis Blues) Debate: Don't count out Paul Stastny (Blues) because he is an experienced international player who will fit any role you need him to play. Nick Bjugstad (Florida Panthers) is a young player to keep an eye on. Right wings: Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Phil Kessel (Toronto Maple Leafs), Kyle Okposo (New York Islanders) and Ryan Callahan (Tampa Bay Lightning) Debate: This position would be appear to be settled unless the selectors decide to move Joe Pavelski or Backes to the wing. Other forwards: Pavelski (San Jose Sharks) and Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets) Debate: Pavelski wouldn't truly be a 13th forward. He will end up playing on a regular line, but he is versatile enough to play all three forward positions. T.J. Oshie (St. Louis Blues), a shootout expert, and Dustin Brown (Los Angeles Kings) also could get nods. Goalies: Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings), Ryan Miller (Vancouver Canucks) and Jimmy Howard (Detroit Red Wings) Debate: The goaltending outlook is simply too close to call. If you feel that Ben Bishop (Tampa Bay Lightning) will end up with one of the spots, you are probably right. After a non-medal performance at the Olympics, the best guess would be that the USA would be looking for new blood in net at the World Cup. Quick and Bishop seem plausible, but Howard is playing the best hockey of his career, and Miller has proven he is far from being over the hill. | 1 | 8,892 | sports |
Even 12 hours of refrigeration will dehydrate rice, leaving it tough, dry, and sticky. There are a few quick methods of reviving it, so it tastes almost as fluffy and light as the day it was made. No matter what your method of preparation, oil and a little liquid are the keys to helping rice retain its moisture and clump-free texture. Reheat it in the microwave: For every cup of rice, add a few tablespoons of broth or water. Cover the bowl of rice with plastic wrap or another bowl to create a steaming effect as it reheats. Stir-fry it: In a large wok or sauté pan, heat canola or peanut oil on high. Make a fried rice , breaking up the lumps of rice with a wooden spoon so the oil coats the granules evenly. Stove-top steam it: In a sauce pan, add the rice with a few tablespoons of butter and a splash of broth or water. Cover the pan and steam the rice on a low flame. Stir occasionally until the rice is heated thoroughly. | 0 | 8,893 | foodanddrink |
Saturday's joint NHL-NHL Players Association announcement of plans for a 2016 World Cup of Hockey comes with the promise that this is a first step, not a misstep, in their international hockey plans. Not everyone is going to love the 2016 format because it will temporarily move away from the traditional country vs. country format. Canada, USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Finland will compete as they always have, but the seventh team will be a special All-Star team from non-competing European countries and the eighth team will be under-23 North American All-Star team. "What we wanted to have is the best hockey tournament we could possibly have, which we thinks means having as many NHL players as possible," said NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins. The 2016 World Cup will be played Sept. 17 through Oct. 1 in Toronto. The teams will be broken up into four-team pools and the top two teams from each pool will play each other in crossover semifinals. The semifinals will be a one-game, loser-goes-home format. The final will be a best-of-three series. This tournament would be a beginning of a long-term plan that would include regularly scheduled World Cups, and a regularly scheduled Ryder Cup style tournament. It would be the best 25 North American players against best 25 World players in a best-of-five or best-of-seven series. If plans come together smoothly, the first Ryder Cup-style tournament will be played in 2018, followed by another World Cup in 2020. In 2019, there would be a play-in tournament for European teams to compete to be the seventh and eighth teams in the 2020 World Cup. The hope would be that other countries would be strong enough to ensure a fully competitive tournament by then. The new format was born out the concern that other countries didn't now have enough NHL talent to be competitive with the big six. Slovakia currently has 12 NHL players, and Switzerland has about seven players who have played substantial time in the NHL this season. "We can debate the merits of the Olympics," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "But at the end of the day, with 12 teams, most of those preliminary games weren't competitive. They weren't good hockey. I think with these eight games, every game is going to be competitive, and is going to be good hockey. It's going to be the best players in the world." The NHL did survey hockey fans, who did favor these format over some of the others considered. "If you put Slovakia and Switzerland and Slovenia and Denmark and all those countries together, you have a potential player pool that rivals Finland," Collins said. "So that could be very competitive. If you take Slovakia out, you've diluted the Team Europe concept and it kind of falls apart. So then you have a seven team that isn't very competitive and an eight team that isn't competitive at all." The European All-Star team could include Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa (Slovakia), Christian Ehrhoff (Germany), Roman Josi (Switzerland), Frans Nielsen (Denmark) and Anze Kopitar (Slovenia). The under-23 U.S-Canada team is more of a wild card, but it could include the likes of Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers), Brandon Saad (Chicago Blackhawks), Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers), plus goalie John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks). Gibson is considered a difference-making prospect, and he clearly has the potential to steal a game. The interesting aspect of the announcement is that the NHL and NHL Players Association have come together in a plan for their common good. This World Cup tournament could generate more than $100 million in revenue. The players and NHL will split this 50-50. The television rights deals for this tournament isn't included in the rights deals the NHL has already sold to NBC or its Canadian licensee. By comparison, the 2004 World Cup generated less than $34 million in revenue and the 1996 World Cup produced less than $20 million. While the NHL and NHLPA are of the same mind on these international events, they are not in agreement on the future of NHL participation in the Olympics. "Olympics I think it's important. I think you talk about the Olympic Games and really what that means to sport across the world and how it connects any game to many different parts of the world and what it means to the people," New York Islanders center John Tavares said. "It's obviously developed a tremendous reputation and certainly it's produced some of the best hockey we've ever seen and it's done great things for our game." Players have always wanted to play in the Olympics, and NHL officials have become increasingly less enthusiastic about the Olympics because the difficulty of shutting down the league for 17 days to play there. Some teams, particularly teams down in the standings, have trouble reacquiring their fans after the shutdown. Plus, the NHL has never liked how it is treated in the Olympic process, and the league has not witnessed an appreciable bump in its visibility because of Olympic participation. If players didn't insist on going there, the NHL would clearly pull out. What we don't know is whether this new enthusiasm over these international events will dampen the players' enthusiasm about the Olympics. Will the World Cup become big enough that the players will say we don't need to go to the Olympics? Or, would the players support the idea of only going to the Olympics in years when the venue is conducive to a better fit? We probably will have to wait a few years to know the answer to that. | 1 | 8,894 | sports |
Liberia said on Saturday it had just five remaining cases of Ebola, confirming it was close to eradicating an epidemic which has left thousands dead. The worst outbreak of the virus in history has seen the west African nation and its neighbours Guinea and Sierra Leone register almost 9,000 deaths in a year, although experts believe the real toll could be far higher. "We have five confirmed Ebola cases in Liberia as of today," assistant health minister Tolbert Nyensuwah told AFP. He said three of the cases were in the capital Monrovia, while the others were in the northwestern counties of Bomi and Grand Cape Mount. "It means that we are going down to zero if everything goes well, if other people don't get sick in other places." The announcement has not been verified by World Health Organization (WHO) officials, whose statistics often differ from the tallies of individual countries. At the height of the epidemic in August and September, Liberia was reporting more than 300 new cases a week and overwhelmed aid workers were having to turn people away from swamped clinics, often to die in the streets. But a huge international response has seen hundreds of US healthcare workers and troops flood into the country to train nurses and set up Ebola units, and the country reported just eight new cases last week. - 'Extremely alarming' - Liberia counts patients who have tested positive for Ebola and those who have died but whose contacts are still being monitored for possible infection as live confirmed cases. Nyensuwah said the five remaining cases included a woman who died last week and may have been in contact with 25 people in the Paynesville area of Monrovia, all of whom have been placed in quarantine. The WHO said in its latest update on the epidemic that 8,688 people had died, among a cumulative total of 21,759 cases, since the epidemic broke out in Guinea a year ago. The agency has recognised significant progress in beating back Ebola but warned on Friday that the crisis was still "extremely alarming". There were 20 confirmed new cases in Guinea last week against 45 the week before, while the figure for Sierra Leone was 117 last week against 184 the week before. The government in Freetown lifted quarantine measures imposed at the height of the epidemic Friday. The nation of six million had restricted travel for around half its population, sealing off six of its 14 districts and numerous tribal chiefdoms. President Ernest Bai Koroma pointed to a "steady downward trend" in new cases in recent weeks, adding that "victory is in sight". - 'Very dangerous situation' - But the move came as the WHO warned that progress made so far could rapidly be undone unless $250 million was made available to continue the fight over the coming months. "We are still in a very, very dangerous situation with this virus," WHO number two Bruce Aylward told reporters in Geneva. "Especially now... that we are heading into the rainy season very, very soon. That's going to hit us in April, May, and that will make the response that much more complicated." The relaxation -- and the progress seen in Liberia -- nevertheless marks huge progress against an epidemic which has seen commerce all but grind to a halt, with restrictions on movement halting crop harvests and sparking warnings of a looming food crisis. British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said on Friday its candidate Ebola vaccine was expected to arrive in Liberia later in the day. The batch of 300 vials will be the first to arrive in one of the main Ebola-hit countries and will be used in trials led by the US National Institutes of Health in the coming weeks involving up to 30,000 people. Around 200 volunteers are already testing the candidate vaccine in smaller-scale trials Britain, the United States, Switzerland and Mali, with initial results showing it to be safe. | 5 | 8,895 | news |
Crews have decided to try to lift the entire fuselage of the AirAsia plane out of the water using large balloon-like devices. | 5 | 8,896 | news |
Liberia said on Saturday it had just five remaining cases of Ebola, confirming it was close to eradicating an epidemic which has left thousands dead. The worst outbreak of the virus in history has seen the west African nation and its neighbours Guinea and Sierra Leone register almost 9,000 deaths in a year, although experts believe the real toll could be far higher. "We have five confirmed Ebola cases in Liberia as of today," assistant health minister Tolbert Nyensuwah told AFP. He said three of the cases were in the capital Monrovia, while the others were in the northwestern counties of Bomi and Grand Cape Mount. "It means that we are going down to zero if everything goes well, if other people don't get sick in other places." The announcement has not been verified by World Health Organization (WHO) officials, whose statistics often differ from the tallies of individual countries. At the height of the epidemic in August and September, Liberia was reporting more than 300 new cases a week and overwhelmed aid workers were having to turn people away from swamped clinics, often to die in the streets. But a huge international response has seen hundreds of US healthcare workers and troops flood into the country to train nurses and set up Ebola units, and the country reported just eight new cases last week. 'Extremely alarming' Liberia counts patients who have tested positive for Ebola and those who have died but whose contacts are still being monitored for possible infection as live confirmed cases. Nyensuwah said the five remaining cases included a woman who died last week and may have been in contact with 25 people in the Paynesville area of Monrovia, all of whom have been placed in quarantine. The WHO said in its latest update on the epidemic that 8,688 people had died, among a cumulative total of 21,759 cases, since the epidemic broke out in Guinea a year ago. The agency has recognised significant progress in beating back Ebola but warned on Friday that the crisis was still "extremely alarming". There were 20 confirmed new cases in Guinea last week against 45 the week before, while the figure for Sierra Leone was 117 last week against 184 the week before. The government in Freetown lifted quarantine measures imposed at the height of the epidemic Friday. The nation of six million had restricted travel for around half its population, sealing off six of its 14 districts and numerous tribal chiefdoms. President Ernest Bai Koroma pointed to a "steady downward trend" in new cases in recent weeks, adding that "victory is in sight". 'Very dangerous situation' But the move came as the WHO warned that progress made so far could rapidly be undone unless $250 million was made available to continue the fight over the coming months. "We are still in a very, very dangerous situation with this virus," WHO number two Bruce Aylward told reporters in Geneva. "Especially now... that we are heading into the rainy season very, very soon. That's going to hit us in April, May, and that will make the response that much more complicated." The relaxation -- and the progress seen in Liberia -- nevertheless marks huge progress against an epidemic which has seen commerce all but grind to a halt, with restrictions on movement halting crop harvests and sparking warnings of a looming food crisis. British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said on Friday its candidate Ebola vaccine was expected to arrive in Liberia later in the day. The batch of 300 vials will be the first to arrive in one of the main Ebola-hit countries and will be used in trials led by the US National Institutes of Health in the coming weeks involving up to 30,000 people. Around 200 volunteers are already testing the candidate vaccine in smaller-scale trials Britain, the United States, Switzerland and Mali, with initial results showing it to be safe. | 5 | 8,897 | news |
European champions Real Madrid have completed the signing of Brazilian under-21 international midfielder Lucas Silva from Cruzeiro. The deal cost Los Blancos a reported 14 million euros ($15.8 million, £10.5 million) with Silva agreeing a five-and-a-half year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu. "Real Madrid and Cruzeiro have reached an agreement for the transfer of Lucas Silva, who will be tied to the club until June 30, 2020," said a statement on Madrid's website. Silva becomes Madrid's second signing of the January transfer window after 16-year-old Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard sealed his switch from Stromsgodset on Friday. Silva shot to prominence as Cruzeiro claimed a second consecutive Brazilian title in 2014. His arrival is likely to precipitate the departure of Asier Illarramendi, who has been linked with a 25 million euro switch to Athletic Bilbao. Illarramendi was signed for a staggering fee of 37 million euros after helping Spain to a second consecutive under-21 European championship in 2013. However, he has failed to become a first-team regular under Carlo Ancelotti, making just three league starts this season. | 1 | 8,898 | sports |
LA QUINTA, Calif. Ryan Palmer shot the lowest round in his PGA Tour career. He matched the tour record for the longest eagle-birdie streak. He moved into contention in the Humana Challenge. The 38-year-old Texan did his best to look at the many positives. It wasn't easy after letting a chance to shoot 59 or lower slip away Friday at PGA West. "The most important thing now was getting back within striking distance," Palmer said. After playing an eight-hole stretch in 10 under, Palmer needed to go 3 under on the final eight with two reachable par 5s left to shoot 59. Instead, he bogeyed the next two holes. He made three more birdies, but couldn't get a couple of late putts to fall and settled for an 11-under 61. "Walking off 10, after I got to 10 under, I was staying calm, trying not to think about anything, just trying to keep my momentum going, my pace with my walk," Palmer said. "It's hard not to think about it." After opening with two pars, Palmer had two eagles and six birdies on the next eight holes to match the longest eagle-birdie streak in tour history. The streak ended with a bogey on the par-4 second and he dropped another stroke on the par-3 third. "Couple loose swings there," Palmer said. "I guess the bogeys did kind of calm me down a little bit more and I didn't worry about, obviously, the number." Palmer birdied the fourth and sixth holes and made another on the par-5 eighth after missing an 8-foot eagle try. A 59 no longer possible, he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the ninth in a closing par. Palmer holed out from 97 yards for eagle on the par-4 12th to start the streak on the Jack Nicklaus Private Course. He birdied the next three holes, made a 20-foot eagle putt from the fringe on the par-5 16th and added three more birdies. "I didn't make anything long, except for the eagle on 16," Palmer said. He tied the birdie-eagle streak record set by Billy Mayfair in the 2001 Buick Open and matched by Briny Baird in the 2003 FUNAI Classic. Mayfair and Baird were 9 under during their runs, making seven birdies and an eagle. At 9-under 27, Palmer matched the tour record for relation to par for nine holes and was a stroke off the record of 26 set by Corey Pavin on a par-34 nine in Milwaukee in 2006. Six players have shot 59 on the PGA Tour. Al Geiberger did it in the 1977 Memphis Classic, Chip Beck in the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational, David Duval on PGA West's Arnold Palmer Private Course in the final round of his 1999 Bob Hope victory, Paul Goydos in the 2010 John Deere Classic, Stuart Appleby in the 2010 Greenbrier Classic and Jim Furyk in the 2013 BMW Championship. Ryo Ishikawa shot the lowest round on a major tour, a 58 to win the 2010 Crowns on the Japan Tour. Palmer had a 12-under 132 total after opening with a 71 on Thursday at La Quinta Country Club. He was three strokes behind leader Matt Kuchar. Kuchar, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 11, had a 64 on the Nicklaus course. He tied for third last week in Hawaii in the Sony Open. "Game feels solid," Kuchar said. "I feel like I know where it's going, feel like I'm hitting it in the center of the clubface." Bill Haas and first-round leader Michael Putnam were a stroke back. Haas had a 63 at La Quinta. He had nine birdies in a 10-hole stretch, making seven in a row on Nos. 2-8. "The putter was what's got me in the hunt," Haas said. "We don't play better greens on tour than these greens here." Putnam shot a 67 on the Palmer course. Justin Thomas, Nick Watney and Scott Pinckney were 13 under. Thomas had a 63, Watney shot 64, and Pinckney 67 all on the Nicklaus course. Phil Mickelson was 7 under in his first start since the Ryder Cup in September. He birdied his final five holes for a 66 on the Nicklaus course. "It took me 31 holes to get my game to click," Mickelson said. The 44-year-old Mickelson won the event in 2002 and 2004. He's winless in 27 PGA Tour starts since the 2013 British Open. DIVOTS: Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton had a 66 at La Quinta to get to 12 under. ... Defending champion Patrick Reed, paired with Kuchar, was 9 under after a 70. He's coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago in Hawaii in the Tournament of Champions. ... Blake Adams followed his opening 64 on the Nicklaus course with a 79 at La Quinta. He had hip replacement surgery in July and is making his first tour start since March. | 1 | 8,899 | sports |
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