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Photo by Martyn Thompson via AD España . There's been a shift of late in the design world. Where a kind of minimalism once reigned supreme a hybrid Japanese - Scandinavian style that seemed, ultimately, aimed at making us throw everything out and live like monks eclectic maximalism has slowly regained its footing. While this editor has long been an avowed moderate on issues of decor, we get the appeal of the extreme. Monastic-style living holds appeal because, let's face it, for most of us, mess is a (too) real part of our daily lives, and gorgeous, uncluttered interiors are the dream. "But!" maximalists will say, maximalism isn't clutter. And they'd be right! Mixing textures, colors, prints, patterns, and materials to beautiful effect is an impressive skill and, for many, an outlet for personal expression. But so to is reigning in the impulse to buy, buy, buy in the modern age and instead collect and display only one's most coveted objects and mementos. Inside a gorgeous concrete Swedish summer house. Photo by Mikael Olsson via Yatzer. Patterns and colors galore in a home featured on Design Sponge. Photo via Design Sponge. Inside a Swedish "dream home" with a serious minimalist bent. Photo via Villa Poppy
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lifestyle
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Traveling here, there, and yon over the holidays need not leave you insolvent. There are workarounds galore that savvy travelers can use to find huge savings on airfare, hotels, and local transportation. These are some of Cheapism.com's best tips for landing a holiday travel deal, whether you're visiting family or taking a vacation. Airline Websites. Check the airline's official website before purchasing a ticket. Sometimes deals from the primary source are the cheapest of all and include additional benefits, such as lower fees. Ticket Holds. U.S. airlines are required to let travelers hold domestic tickets for up to 24 hours at a locked-in price while they decide whether to go for it. Cancel while that window is open and receive a refund. Sign-Up Bonuses. Some credit cards offer large sign-up bonuses to new cardholders who spend a certain amount of money within the first few months. The expenses associated with the holidays make the early fall a good time to take one of these offers. Outlying Hotels. To save on lodging, head for the periphery. Hotels are cheaper farther away from the city center or major attraction. One exception: With business travel at a lull during the holidays, rates may be low in a city's financial district. Advance Reservations. Book hotels in advance, before they begin to approach full occupancy and rates start climbing. Often there's no downside, because reservations can be canceled within a day of the stay without penalty. Meanwhile, keep searching for better deals. No-ATM-Fee Accounts. It can be hard to find an ATM affiliated with your home bank when outside the United States. Work around the extra charge by opening an account with a financial services firm, such as Charles Schwab, or a credit union that refunds ATM fees. Yapta Alerts. Turn to Yapta, a site that tracks the cost of flights, hotels, and cars, and sends alerts when prices fall. Depending on the size of the price drop, you may be eligible for a refund on some major airlines. Bus Rides. Buses aren't the quickest way to travel, but they can be an inexpensive option. Some are fairly comfortable and offer Wi-Fi, power ports, and snacks. Housesitting. Housesitting is a route to nearly free lodging. The websites HouseCarers, Mind My House, and Nomador provide listings in multiple countries by people looking for someone to stay in and care for their homes, with no money changing hands. Permanent occupants can join these services for free, but potential house sitters may pay up to $89 a year. Airline Rewards Programs. Frequent flyers should take advantage of the rewards programs associated with their favorite airlines. Points build over time and can be used to upgrade a seat or cover the cost of a ticket. Group-Buying Discounts. Be aggressive about leveraging discounts available through organizations with group-buying deals. AAA almost always offers special hotel discounts, as does AARP. Active-duty military personnel often qualify for discounts. Car Profits. Turn your idle vehicle into a source of profit by renting it out while you're away. Relay Rides can make this happen. (Liability coverage is provided by the company.) Holiday Airfares. For Thanksgiving travel, make sure to book flights more than 10 days in advance. If past history is any guide, prices should remain relatively stable until then. CheapAir reports that the day before Thanksgiving and the Saturday after are the most costly days to fly. Online Booking. Try to avoid booking flights over the phone, because airlines often charge for the assistance. Instead, speak to a representative (if needed) to figure out travel plans, then book online. Group Travel. If possible, travel in groups. The cost of a hotel room split among four friends is way cheaper than a hotel room for just one or two. Research Tools. Be wary of relying on aggregators, such as Expedia. These sites often put forward inflexible deals and their role as middlemen may mean higher prices. Use them as research tools instead. Deal Alerts. Travelers with little preference for destination can sign up for alerts from websites such as Travelzoo and Airfare Watchdog. Subscribers often see deals for cheap flights or vacation packages. Homey Lodging. Book a room through Airbnb instead of staying at a hotel. With lodging offered by local residents in 190 countries, this is an opportunity to stay someplace homey while saving money (many options are cheaper than hotels). No Foreign Transaction Fee. Paying for goods and services with a credit card while traveling abroad may incur a foreign transaction fee equal to several percent of the purchase price. Avoid the extra expense by signing up for one of the credit cards without this fee well before departure day. Hotel Loyalty Programs. Even infrequent travelers should join a hotel loyalty program . Perks include some combination of vouchers, free stays, free in-room Wi-Fi, and more. Mini Drinks. Ease some of the holiday travel stress by packing mini bottles of liquor to sip in-flight. They're small enough to pass TSA screening and much cheaper than beverages sold on board. Last-Minute Tickets. It's risky, but consider waiting until the day before traveling to buy a plane ticket -- unless it's the day before the holiday itself. Airlines sometimes sell empty seats for extremely low prices to avoid a total loss on those spots. Hotel Booking. Call hotels directly after doing online research. Hotels often try to beat, or at least match, the quoted online price. Some chains, such as Hilton, offer incentives for booking directly on their site (free Wi-Fi in this case). Price-Drop Returns. Look into the price-drop payback offer from the website CheapAir, which refunds up to $100 for any post-purchase change in airfare for an identical itinerary. Extended Stay Discounts. Hotel chains sometimes offer a free night to travelers staying four or five nights in a row. This can come in handy during an extended stay when visiting family during the holidays. Off-Peak Travel. If possible, schedule travel during non-peak times -- such as the day of the holiday -- when airfare is cheaper. Leaving a day before everyone else or staying a day later can make a big difference. Off-Site Parking. Some hotels charge for parking regardless whether valet service is offered. Save by parking on the street or at nearby public lots, which often are cheaper. Hostels. When traveling outside the United States, consider staying in hostels. Sacrifice some privacy in exchange for multi-person bunk rooms with unrivaled rates. Slightly pricier, but still cheap, private rooms often are available. Hostels also are a surefire way to meet fellow travelers. Car Rental Rewards. Just like airlines and hotels, many car rental companies maintain a rewards program. Even brand-new members may receive perks, such as a waived fee for a second driver. Credit Card Points. Take note of travel-related miles or points earned through a credit card. These add up and can help underwrite the cost of a vacation. Name-Your-Price Sites. Before booking a hotel room through a name-your-price website such as Priceline, turn to BetterBidding for a list of tricks that can yield welcome savings. One-Way Flights. Two one-way flights on different airlines may cost less than a round trip on the same airline, or provide the option of traveling at a more convenient time for the same price. Airline Credit Cards. Credit cards associated with airlines typically offer cardholders a free checked bag , priority boarding, and discounted in-flight meal purchases. The checked bag can be particularly useful during the holidays when transporting gifts. Welcoming Hosts. U.S. Servas, a web-based project of the International Peace Association, matches travelers to hosts in more than 100 countries for free. Industry Discounts. Friends or family members who work in the hospitality industry may be able to arrange special deep discounts. Don't be shy -- suggest it as this year's holiday gift. Foreign Booking Sites. After narrowing down flight options for international travel, look at the foreign version of the airline's site (such as britishairways.co.uk instead of britishairways.com). The price may be cheaper when booked in an alternate currency and paid for with a credit card that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee. Car Sharing. Turn to car-share programs if you need a car at your destination. Relay Rides connects car owners with people seeking short-term rentals, often at prices cheaper than traditional car rental companies. Budget Airlines. Check into the budget airlines, a few of which don't show up on aggregator sites. Low-cost carriers forgo some of the amenities that legacy carriers provide, but the tickets are often significantly cheaper. Note any extra fees (e.g., for choosing a seat), though, as they mount quickly. Home Switching. Adventurous travelers might try Home Exchange, a site that lists 55,000 homes in 150 countries. Members list their home for use by another traveler and then search for one in the desired destination. If there's a match (each party wants to visit the other's location at the same time), the swap is free for the length of the stay. Credit Card Insurance. When renting a car, pay with a credit card that provides secondary insurance (i.e., the renter's regular auto insurance is first payer) for any damage to the vehicle. Alternate Airports. Check fares from multiple airports in the region and consider flying via alternate routes. Prices may differ by airport, and airlines that have recently opened up new routes will be eager to attract travelers through lower fares. Travel Deals. Stay abreast of travel deals by following airlines and hotels on travel media. Sometimes newsletter subscribers are offered exclusive discounts. Corporate Booking Sites. For chain hotels, refer to the corporate websites when making reservations. There may be online-only discounts that are unknown to on-site employees and online aggregators. Lodging App. For extreme last-minute travel plans, use the app Hotel Tonight to find lodging at a discounted price. Flexible Travel Dates. When booking a flight, search multiple dates. Tools such as Kayak feature a "flexible" function that compares all prices for an itinerary within three days on both sides of the selected travel dates. Budget Hotel Chains. Looking for cheap lodging but not concerned about amenities? Book at one of the better budget hotel chains . This may be a good option during the holidays when much of the day is spent elsewhere. Work Exchange. If budget hostels are too expensive, offer to work in exchange for a room. Hostels short on staff (perhaps employees went home for the holidays) may readily agree. Home Profits. Earn money while on vacation and offset some travel costs by listing your home on Airbnb or VRBO. Check local ordinances to be sure this is legal in your city. Costco Advantage. A $55 annual membership at Costco can save the fee for a second driver when rental car reservations are made through the warehouse club's travel service. Free Lodging. For the ultimate in cheap lodging, try Couchsurfing and join a community that spans the globe. Couch surfers search the site for an open couch or spare room wherever they might be passing through. The service is completely free, but it can be hard to break in, as hosts rely heavily on references -- no surprise given the security issues involved.
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Grab the tissues because Bindi Irwin's emotional performance on Dancing with the Stars will have you in tears. Dancing to Every Breath You Take in honor of her late father Steve Irwin, Bindi was a vision in her blush embellished dress. Bindi even opened up about her dad, saying, "I wish he could fully understand what he's done for me and that I miss him." From the candles lighting up the dance floor, to Bindi's graceful and flawless moves, it's no wonder the tribute earned the duo a 28 out of 30 from the judges!
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Today, Microsoft unveiled its first-ever laptop: The Microsoft Surface Book, a 13" touchscreen device. "This is the ultimate laptop," says Microsoft's Panos Panay. It has two processors and a dedicated graphics card system. Microsoft says it's twice as fast as a Macbook Pro. It's designed to add more power than the Surface Pro 4, also announced today. It's for gamers and any enterprise worker who needs more graphical horsepower under the hood. In fact, the Xbox team contributed its graphical expertise, Panay says. Plus, it has a super-quiet, backlit keyboard, Microsoft promises, with a great typing experience. It also sports a promised 12 hour battery life.
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NEW YORK Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday in the trial of a professional basketball player charged with resisting arrest and other crimes during a confrontation with police officers outside a trendy Manhattan nightclub in April. The Atlanta Hawks' Thabo Sefolosha, who suffered a season-ending leg fracture in the struggle, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also include misdemeanor obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct. He has rejected a plea offer from prosecutors, and his attorney, Alex Spiro, has said Sefolosha is going to trial to clear his name. A jury was picked Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court. The case stems from an early morning struggle outside the 1Oak Club in Chelsea shortly after the stabbing of Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland, his girlfriend and another woman. It was then that the 30-year-old guard-forward ignored six orders to move away from the crime scene, charged at an officer and then flailed his arms and twisted his legs while being placed under arrest, according to a criminal complaint. During jury selection, Spiro said that while his client, a black Swiss national, may have been "mouthy" and "fresh" in his dealings with officers after the stabbing, no crime had been committed. He also suggested race played a role in his client's arrest by a white officer. "Are you all willing to understand that we're all swayed at some level by implicit racial biases?" he asked potential jurors. Six police officers will be called as witnesses for the prosecution, an assistant district attorney, Francesca Bartolomey, said Monday. Spiro had sought to review the personnel records of five of the officers involved, but the judge, Robert Mandelbaum, denied that motion. Charges against another Hawks player involved in the confrontation, Pero Antic, were dropped. ___ This story has been corrected to show the judge's surname is Mandelbaum, not Mandelbau.
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sports
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Researchers working in Indonesia have discovered a new species of mammal called the hog-nosed rat, named for its features that scientists say have never been seen before.
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David Beckham believes his long-time teammate Ryan Giggs would be a popular future choice as Manchester United manager. "I'd like to see that, I think we'd all like to see that as Manchester United fans," he told Sky Sports News. "To see a person that has been at the club and cares about the club the way he does take over at some point, I think that will naturally happen." Beckham and Giggs both enjoyed highly decorated playing careers at Old Trafford under Alex Ferguson, who has talked up the former Wales international's potential managerial qualities over recent weeks. In a BBC documentary that will be shown on Sunday, Ferguson said that Giggs would have succeeded him as United boss had he retired at 35 instead of extending an incredible playing career until beyond his 40th birthday. Giggs is currently assistant to Louis van Gaal at United and Beckham has backed his friend to step up and take the top job in time. "He's had a great teacher with Sir Alex Ferguson over the last 25 years and now Van Gaal he's an experienced manager that he can only learn from," Beckham said. "The fans would love to see someone like Giggsy take over because he cares so much for the club and he's got that ruthless streak that always ran with him as a player. To have that as a manager is important. "I'd like to see him take over at some point." United concluded the 2013-14 season with Giggs in caretaker charge after Ferguson's successor David Moyes was relieved of his duties in April last year. He won two and lost one of four matches at the helm.
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sports
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The 2015 season has been chock-full of high-profile rookie debuts. From Kris Bryant to Corey Seager to Noah Syndergaard , I've certainly had no shortage of players to write about. But the most impressive rookie campaign at least on a per-game basis might very well belong to Carlos Correa , who's developing into a superstar right before our eyes. Although he's completed just his age-20 season, Correa's been one of the best better hitters in the game since the Astros called him up on June 8th. His 133 wRC+ was the 28th best among hitters with at least 400 plate appearances this year, and second best among rookies, trailing only Kris Bryant. By the barometer of WAR per 150 games, Correa ranked 21st in baseball with mark of 5.2. You probably didn't need me to tell you that Carlos Correa's been really good. This isn't exactly news. So rather than dwelling on how good Correa is now, I want to consider what his impressive rookie campaign means for his short- and long-term future. I'll start off by looking at what he did in his two months in the minor leagues. Correa opened the year at the Double-A level, where he hit an absurd .385/.459/.726 in 29 games before the Astros bumped him up to Triple-A. I wrote about Correa at the time of this promotion, and unsurprisingly, the data had glowing things to say about his long-term outlook. Based on his Double-A performance, the names Mike Trout , Cliff Floyd and Asdrubal Cabrera showed up as statistical comps, putting him in some mighty fine company. His stay at the Triple-A level was short lived, as the Astros called him up to the show after just 24 games. His .276/.345/.449 showing at the level was a few notches down from his Double-A performance, but still very impressive for a 20-year-old shortstop. Based on his Double- and Triple-A numbers, KATOH pegged him for 19 WAR through age 28, which was tops among players with at least 200 plate appearances in the minors. Before he even stepped on to a big league field, Correa had the statistical track record of a star in the making. Now, I'll look at the more important part of Correa's 2015 campaign: his big league performance. The crux of this exercise revolves around Correa's statistical comps, which were calculated by way of some weighted Mahalanobis distance calculations. As a warning, the next couple of paragraphs will be strictly about math. If you're more interested in reading about Carlos Correathan you are in reading about math, feel free to skip ahead to the table of comps. First, I took every rookie season since 1955 in which a hitter aged 19-21 recorded at least 400 plate appearances. Then, I turned every possible offensive outcome into a rate stat, regressed them for sample size and scaled them to league average. In my distance calculations, I applied weights to each of these rates based on the 2015 wOBA coefficients in order to properly weigh the importance of each component. In simpler terms, I compared Correa's rookie season to other young players' seasons by weighing each metric according to its offensive importance. One tweak, though. While wOBA does a good job of quantifying a hitter's past performance, it fails to account for some things that fall largely outside of a hitter's control. Most notably, it does not adjust for BABIP. In other words, it treats all outs equally whether they're strikeouts, line drives or otherwise, which is less than ideal when trying to predict the future. So, I also threw strikeout rate into the mix. I gave it the same coefficient as walk rate, since my KATOH models revealed that a hitter's strikeout rate and walk rate in Triple-A have similar predictive power. Enough technical mumbo-jumbo! Let's have a look at Correa's top comps based on my fancy computer math. Here are the players whose rookie campaigns most resembled Correa's. And let's see how the rest of their careers turned out. On the whole, their careers turned out pretty well. Ripken, Griffey, Murray and Carter are all Hall of Famers, while Olerud was one of the best hitters in baseball for a time. Conigliaro might have been right up there too had he not suffered a career-derailing injury at age 22. In a nutshell, Correa is keeping some pretty good company. Here's a look at these hitters' career trajectories by cumulative WAR. And by marginal WAR. There are lines going in every which direction in that last chart. You probably noticed that a few of those lines approached the 10 WAR mark at various points, but other than that, it's a little hard to grasp what's going on. So let's try a simpler graph that doesn't look so much like spaghetti. The graph below plots the group average and median, along with the group's 25th and 75th percentiles for each year. The outlook here is pretty encouraging. This group's mean bounces between 3 WAR and 5 WAR, with a modest upward trend. A perpetual four-win player pretty darn good. However, it's those top two lines that should really make you giddy. One out of every four hitters topped the 4.0 WAR mark in just about each season, while at least one eclipsed 7.0 WAR. Correa had one heck of a rookie campaign, and was a big part of the Astros' unanticipated run to the playoffs. But most remarkable of all, he did almost all of it as just a 20-year-old. He's still a baby by baseball standards and by many non-baseball standards, for that matter. Still, in spite of his youth, he very well might be the most talented player on the field in tonight's wild card game. He's already that good; and hitters who are that good at 20 are often great in just a few years' time.
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General Mills is recalling 1.8 million boxes of Cheerios due to an error at a production facility that introduced wheat into some products.
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A woman in Brazil was shot and killed after following directions from the Waze app into a bad neighborhood.
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Microsoft is rebooting Windows Phone again. After years in purgatory and a Nokia acquisition that didn't exactly lead to anything major, we now have two Lumia phones that are trying it all again: the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. Both were oft-leaked devices so much so that we came into this event already knowing the big points. They're running a version of Windows 10, which Microsoft is betting will help jump-start their third-party app ecosystems. They have the same basic specs we've seen on a lot of phones lately: Qualcomm Snapdragon processors of varying strength depending on the phone size, plenty of RAM, 32GB of storage, USB Type-C, and your choice of two pretty large screens. Hell, Microsoft even says that they're liquid cooled, which is crazy. But since this is actually an all-new phone platform (that, admittedly, looks really similar to Windows Phone 8 before it), digging into the internal specs is a little beside the point. You never know what those internals mean on a whole new OS until you try it so we tried it. The result: Windows Phone is just as snappy and fluid as it was before. Even though it has something like the full power of Windows behind it (so much so that you can actually hook up a full-sized monitor and use it as a mini computer), it still feels like the stripped-down and fast UI we've seen before. That's mainly a good thing. You don't have to wait around to do anything, you just have to get familiar with the platform and how it works. You also have to accept that you might not have all the apps you can get on the iPhone or Android yet. Microsoft has secured promises from a few companies (notably, Facebook) to get universal apps working on Windows Phone. Snapping a couple photos with the 20-megapixel sensor isn't enough to render full judgement, but I will say this: They didn't choke in very low lighting conditions. I'd say that Microsoft has leaned more towards Samsung's philosophy of trying to get a usable image rather than being precisely true to the scene the way Apple is. Either way, the fact that I was getting usable images at all in the space we're in was actually kind of impressive. So far, so good, but I definitely didn't get very far with it just yet. As for looks, well, they're about as nondescript as we'e seen in recent memory. The 5.2-and 5.7-inch screens (950 and 950 XL, respectively) sit inside bezels that could stand to be a bit smaller but they're still plenty acceptable when compared to an iPhone 6s or 6S Plus. The back is plastic (or polycarbonate, if you must), and comes in black, white, or cyan. Microsoft isn't doing anything whimsical or even especially daring with the basic slab design, but there's some kind of honor in simplicity. In terms of features, the two big stories are Continuum and Windows Hello. I didn't get a chance to try out Hello, but I did play with Continuum for a bit. Against all expectations, I feel like it could actually be the real deal. I was super impressed. You hook up to an external display using a heavy little dock that Microsoft is selling. You can have a different app running on the display than you do on your phone, which means it's slightly more powerful than what you'll get with Apple's AirPlay or Google's Chromecast features. Actually, you can have several apps running at once. Continuum can't do full windowing with those apps, but I had four of them open and could switch between them fast enough to know they weren't getting put to sleep in the background (Outlook, Edge, Groove Music, and Powerpoint, for the record). There's also the Lumia 550, Microsoft's low end phone. For the past couple years, just about the only widespread success Windows Phone has seen has come from the low end. It makes sense: Windows Phone 7 and 8 both were phone operating systems that still felt fast even if the internals weren't great. So even though we now have two new Windows 10-based flagships, Microsoft needed to make sure it didn't give up on the bread-and-butter. It's only $139, and it has low-end specs to match. But even though it's small, thick, and has a measly 5-megapixel camera, at that price it should do well for Microsoft. The big question is whether the Lumia 950 and 950 XL can do equally as well. Prices start at $549 and though Continuum is impressive, I don't know that it's impressive enough to make me want to give up the apps I know are available right now on other platforms. Microsoft made some good phones here now it just has to find a way to sell them.
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François Duhamel/Universal Aaron Sorkin, the famed screenwriter behind "The Social Network" and "Moneyball," is known best recently for bringing stories about the technology we're immersed in to the big screen. His latest screenplay, "Steve Jobs," which is directed by Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire," "127 Hours") is based loosely on Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Apple's co-founder. In it, Sorkin uses the iconic machines that Apple created as a backdrop for the real drama: Jobs' personal life. François Duhamel/UniversalThe movie is split into three acts based on key product launches for Jobs the first Macintosh, " Lisa, " in 1984, NeXT in 1988, and the iMac in 1998. What evolves is a dialogue-heavy exploration into the relationships Jobs (Michael Fassbender) had with his inner-circle: marketing chief Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), original Mac designer Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), and Jobs' daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs (played by three different actors). Business Insider sat down with Sorkin and Boyle before the film's premiere at the New York Film Festival to discuss why they cast an actor that looks nothing like Jobs, Boyle's reason for studying "The Social Network" before making the film, and the one question Sorkin would ask Jobs if he were still alive. Here's the lightly edited transcript. François Duhamel/Universal BI: Danny, you weren't the first director on this project, at one time David Fincher was attached . You've said that you went back and watched his film, "The Social Network," which Aaron also wrote. What were you searching for in watching that film? Boyle: Just the lineage. Because I believed instinctively when I read the script that it comes straight after "The Social Network." It's before in terms of a timeline, but it felt like it was part of a trilogy. Specifically, I was looking for individuality. Because you don't want to make a copy. I didn't want to copy Fincher's techniques, so I learned a lot from what he did. BI: Aaron, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are both famous tech founders. Was it hard to not think about "The Social Network" when you were writing this? Sorkin: You know, no, it wasn't hard. I felt it was a different animal. As complex a person as Mark Zuckerberg was, there was no lawsuit to write about, I was doing something else with Steve. So I don't remember it that way. Now after spending all this time with Danny, he has convinced me that the two are related and that there needs to be a third. So Elon Musk here I come. [ Sorkin leans towards recorder ] That's a joke, I'm not coming for him. BI: Why did you focus on three key product launches in the film, Aaron? François Duhamel/UniversalSorkin: I picked 1984, that launch, because that Mac was the first one that Steve really felt was his. It wasn't Woz's or anyone else's. And he really thought this was going to be his hit song. And it didn't work out that way. There were other things around that time I liked. Steve was still denying paternity of Lisa, and I wanted to show that. Then in 1988, that's the king in exile, and the third act as was the king's return. BI: You've become the go-to guy when it comes to creating landmarks films that showcase how technology changes everything. Is it because you love technology, or is someone really good at talking you into writing these? Sorkin: There's a bit of the second, because I am not a technophile by any means. I have and use the devices, but I generally have to ask for help with something. I'm not somebody who sleeps on the street for five nights when the iPhone 6 comes out. BI: Do you think these stories grab people because you aren't coming at them with a real geek knowledge? Sorkin: I think so. But if you line up ten writers and asked them to each write a movie about Steve Jobs, you'll get ten different and good movies. We're well on our way to proving that, by the way. And I think some of those movies, if they were written by people who were really are passionate about technology, would have perhaps focused more on the genius that went into, say, developing the iPod, for example. BI: A popular comment that comes up about this movie is that Michael Fassbender looks nothing like Steve Jobs. Danny, was that ever a concern? Boyle: No, we were very clear right from the get-go that this wasn't about a physical impersonation at all. It was about inhabiting, it's almost Shakespearean. He's historically accurate to a degree, but then he is our version of him and there will be other versions. It was kind of taking some facts, dispensing with many others which would have blurred the path to investigating the man, really and letting him move to a self-knowledge which he does gain by the end. François Duhamel/Universal Sorkin: I think in the first 15 minutes of my first meeting with Danny we both talked about this, and I was delighted that Danny felt as I did, that there should be no attempt to make him look like Jobs. But in this movie it just isn't important. The fact that he doesn't, I think, is one of the things that signals to the audience that this is a painting and not a photograph. This isn't probably what you expected to see when you came into the theater. François Duhamel/Universal BI: Because this is not a true biopic, Aaron, what was gained by meeting with people like Steve Wozniak, Lisa Nicole Brennan-Jobs, and John Sculley? Sorkin: At first I didn't know what I was looking for. I would ask them questions that I hoped would get them to tell stories. And if there was something in that story that I wanted to chase after I would. Lisa was by far the most important person I spoke to. Lisa didn't speak to Walter Isaacson when Walter was writing the book because her father was alive at the time. But she was willing to speak to me and I was really grateful for that. And she was able to tell stories about her father that weren't necessarily flattering stories, but she would tell the story and then show me how you could see he really did love her. Hearing her talk like that really made me want to write about this father-daughter relationship. François Duhamel/UniversalSitting with Woz, he presents himself as a very happy guy. Not a care in the world. He's fine not having had Steve's ambition, he's fine not having had Steve's rockstar persona, he likes a work bench, that's where he wanted to be. That's the way Woz is for about 10 minutes. Then without much prodding at all you begin to feel like you're talking to Garfunkel who is talking about Paul Simon. And that's when I knew there was a point of friction that I absolutely wanted to write about. François Duhamel/UniversalMeeting with John Scully, he hadn't talked to anyone really since leaving Apple in '86. But he got remarried a few years ago, to a woman named Diane, who has sort of made it her job to get John back out there in the world and set the record straight about what really happened on that rainy night [when Jobs was, as he tells it, fired from Apple ]. So in John there was a man who suddenly had a story to tell. I thought it was a fantastic point of friction that would certainly be dramatized. François Duhamel/UniversalSo looking at all of these things I thought, "Gee, if I can collect enough of them and if they all go together the right way, this three-act format that I want is so crazy it might just work." BI: After making this movie, how do you two see Steve Jobs the man? Boyle: My heroes are slightly different, I have to say. I mean he's an extraordinary character to work on, but my heroes are other people the Wikipedia guys, Tim Berners-Lee , who partly invented the World Wide Web and then put it in a trust so no other corporation could ever own it. Because there are questions about knowledge and power that obviously Jobs would argue. This was his argument with Woz, to develop it you have to monetize it, you have to make it part of the business world. And then there are others who say it's too powerful, it's too important for everyone. In one of Jobs' past speeches he said, "Imagine if this power was in everyone's hands." It's how you get it in everyone's hands that we all ague about. He's still a mystery to me. And he should stay one, you don't solve it. Sorkin: I agree with everything Danny said, but you ask that question and I think about what I would ask Steve if he were still alive. If he would give me an honest answer I would ask, "Why did you pretend you didn't name the computer after Lisa?" I can't fathom. Any other father, if they hadn't named it after their daughter would lie and say they did. I just can't fathom it. "Steve Jobs" opens in theaters on Friday. NOW WATCH: Someone asked the 'Steve Jobs' cast the one question that cuts to the heart of Jobs' legacy
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Threatens to shut down parts of its nationwide network
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After the Dolphins fired Joe Philbin on Monday, Dan Campbell was named interim coach. The Palm Beach Post's Andrew Abramson tells CineSport's Brian Clark how Campbell can change the Dolphins.
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A German actor who dressed up as Adolf Hitler and travelled through the country for four weeks chatting to smiling voters and stroking their pets for a film that opens this week says he was shocked by the warm welcome he received. The film "Look Who's Back" is an adaptation of a satirical novel by Timur Vermes which has sold over a million copies. In it, Hitler wakes up in modern times, becomes a celebrity and enters politics again. Vermes has said he wrote the book to lambast what he calls Germans' complacency about the Nazis and highlight his belief that Hitler would have a chance to succeed today, even though the modern German state is constructed to ensure that Nazi tyranny can never return. The film's director and lead actor said that the time spent touring Germany, shooting footage that has been incorporated into the movie, had opened their eyes and that they had witnessed a shift to the right in attitudes. "How can it be that so many people react positively to Hitler, accept him?" director David Wnendt told Germany's ARD television. The film shows actor Oliver Masucci, complete with Hitler's trademark moustache, mingling among crowds of smiling people, shaking their hands, posing for photos with firemen and even tickling pet dogs and goats. "People quickly forgot that the cameras were rolling and started talking to the man, to open up to him," said Masucci. Filming took place shortly before the emergence of the grassroots anti-Islam PEGIDA movement, centred in the eastern city of Dresden, which drew tens of thousands of supporters to its rallies earlier this year. "It didn't surprise us that they took to the streets. This middle class that's shifting to the right - we'd got it all on camera," said Masucci. The success of the book and media interest in the film reflect a fascination among Germans with the darkest chapter of their history even 70 years after the end of World War Two and the Holocaust. Documentaries regularly run on television and in the last decade or so some taboos about Hitler have also been broken with films such as "Downfall" which chronicled the dictator's last days. The new film also comes at a time when Germans are being scrutinised for their attitudes towards foreigners, with many Germans worried about the cost and social impact of the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees this year alone. The striking posters for the film, a plain white background with only Hitler's black hair with a side parting and the title of the film ("Er ist wieder da") compressed into a square moustache, are adorning Berlin billboards. (Writing by Madeline Chambers; editing by David Stamp)
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Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Paltrow says it "feels s***ty' to earn less money than Robert Downey Jr. The 'Iron Man' star, who was named the 12th highest paid actress by Forbes this year after raking in $9 million, thinks the wage gap between men and women in Hollywood is "painful," and believes people would be shocked by the "disparity" between her salary and her co-star's for the Marvel films. The Oscar winner said: "Your salary is a way to quantify what you're worth. If men are being paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels s***ty." The blonde beauty, 43, isn't upset that her close pal Robert, 50, is the world's highest paid actor and earned an estimated $80 million this year, but thinks female stars deserve to receive more money. She told Variety magazine: "Look, nobody is worth the money that Robert Downey Jr. is worth. But if I told you the disparity, you would probably be surprised." Earlier this year, Gwyneth, who plays Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's assistant-turned love interest in the 'Iron Man' movies, admitted she was unsure of her future with the franchise. She said: "I'd like to do it [another film]. But they might swap me out for an 18-year-old Pepper Potts or something."
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Skim the surface of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, in this stunning animation made up of images beamed back from NASA's space probe New Horizons.
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras pleaded for debt relief as he set out the country's debt restructuring proposals in an austere 2016 budget. But will he get it? Sonia Legg reports
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Microsoft is staying in the budget phone market with the new Lumia 550, announced today at a press event in New York City. The 5-inch device is meant to replace the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL as Microsoft's budget phone for developing countries, as well as cost-conscious consumers in the US and Europe. The 550 will be familiar to anyone who spotted leaker Evan Blass' tweets from last week showing fresh renderings of the device, or the images leaked on Facebook the week before indicating the device's specs. The device will come with a 1GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera, starting at 8GB of storage for $139 this December. The Windows budget phone is back Microsoft's Windows Phone is in a transition phase after CEO Satya Nadella announced a costly $8.4 billion write down in July on assets related to the company's 2014 Nokia acquisition, leading to Microsoft's biggest quarterly loss in history. The decision to evaluate Nokia's assets as essentially worthless was a strong rebuke to former CEO Steve Ballmer's vision for Windows Phone. It came only after Microsoft's smartphone platform failed to gain more than 3 percent global market share against Google's Android and Apple's iOS. The team behind Windows Phone, now officially called Windows 10 Mobile, is in the challenging position of convincing consumers that Microsoft is still interested in selling phones and helping cultivate software for them. A budget phone may not be the most likely of avenues to do that, but it's a popular way to get people around the globe on the platform for a fraction of the price of devices from Apple or Samsung.
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Amazon Prime is becoming a major headache for college mailrooms. A report on Monday from the University of Connecticut's Daily Campus said the university is planning to make changes to its mailroom procedures in response to a flood of packages that have overwhelmed staff. The basic problem right now is that there's nowhere for the packages to go: the mailrooms, originally designed to deal with letters received by students living in dorms, are simply not big enough to handle the volume of packages being received. A September 18 report from the Daily Campus said the Mansfield, Connecticut post office which is where packages headed to UConn are processed had been getting 3,000 packages per day headed to campus. This volume of deliveries kept staff at Mansfield's post office at work until 3:00 in the morning. Monday's report also noted that UConn is discussing the creation of a central warehouse for packages, something the Daily Campus notes has already been put in place at other universities. At the heart of this problem seems to lie Amazon Prime, which offers free two-day shipping to customers for an annual fee, is available to college students for free for six months and at a discounted rate of $49 a year thereafter (Prime is $99 a year for non-students). And what this report really illuminates, to our minds, is the logistical problem created when we all start using what appears to be seamless technology... at the same time. Recall that two years ago UPS was overwhelmed by the volume of packages being shipped during the holidays. This led to Christmas presents not arriving on time, forcing Amazon to offer $20 gift cards and shipping refunds to affected customers. Most recently, Amazon launched Amazon Flex, which employs part-time drivers to deliver things for Amazon's Prime Now service (which is the company's one-hour delivery service). And then of course there is talk of Amazon looking to build up a fleet of drones to deliver packages. All of this is part of what delivery and logistics companies call the "final mile," or the leg that gets packages from central clearing locations like UPS warehouses or US post offices to your door. NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway, for example, has said that Amazon's desire to solve this problem should prompt the company to just buy the US Postal Service outright. (The USPS, for its part, is already delivering packages for Amazon on Sunday.) And so when you think about a college campus, every student needs the same thing at (roughly) the same time: books. Traditionally, a professor would put in an order to the bookstore over the summer or between semesters and then students would rummage through overcrowded stores and stand in interminable lines just to pay for what felt like needlessly overpriced textbooks. But now, students can simply order books on Amazon and with a Prime membership get them two days later. And some professors will only make books available at Amazon because they know the price difference between Amazon and the campus bookstore will lead to nobody buying the book on campus. So instead of making the acquisition of a semester's textbooks an onerous and needlessly expensive task, Amazon has, in theory, made it something students don't even have to get out of bed to complete. Things, of course, are never that simple, and now getting these cheaper, delivered-to-you books has created a new headache for colleges and students. No free lunches, and so on. NOW WATCH: Maybe working at Amazon is hard for a reason
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Jurgen Klopp has refused to confirm nor deny whether he is close to filling the vacant Liverpool manager's chair. The Reds have made a formal approach to the German and are closing in on their top target, currently unattached after a successful seven-year spell with Borussia Dortmund. But questioned on a possible move to Merseyside on Tuesday, Klopp brushed aside reporters. "There's nothing to say," he told Bild when asked about the possibility of returning to management in the Premier League. "Neither a definite yes nor a definite no. I'm going home now." Reporters were unable to quiz Klopp further, as he laughed and walked off without passing further comment. Liverpool is primed to hold more talks with Klopp and hopes to announce his appointment by the end of the week, with the 48-year-old set to be handed a three-year deal. The club's owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) is keen to confirm the new manager as soon as possible, after Brendan Rodgers's tenure came to an end on Sunday following a 1-1 draw with Everton.
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Still not convinced you need an Apple Watch? While Apple's six new ads for the device don't reveal anything new or groundbreaking, the company is trying its darndest to show there are many, many (OK, six) situations in which the smart wearable makes your life better. Titled "Sing," "Train," "Cycle, "Ride," "Date" and "Sprinkle," each of the 15-second ads focuses on a specific activity. "Cycle" and "Ride" drive the point home, though: Pulling a smartphone out of your pocket to get directions or check your fitness data is far more cumbersome than glancing at your wrist.
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TV and movie reunion photos we're obsessed with It can feel devastating when your favorite TV shows come to an end, or when you realize the actors from a beloved movie aren't planning to team up again for a sequel. Fortunately for us, occasionally the stars align and provide us with off-camera reunions -- and even document these reunions on social media. We're rounding up some of the best reunion pics from our favorite stars, starting with this one from the cast of " Full House ." John Stamos gave us major flashback feels when he posted this photo with Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and Lori Loughlin in July 2015. Seeing Jesse, Becky, Joey and Danny back in action makes us even more excited for the "Fuller House" series reboot premiere in 2016! Keep clicking for more amazing reunion snapshots... So fetch! Lindsay Lohan reunited with her " Mean Girls " co-star Daniel Franzese, who played the lovable and hilarious Damien, in New York City in February 2014, shortly before the film's 10th anniversary. " Saved By the Bell " stars Tiffani Thiessen and Mark-Paul Gosselaar reunited 25 years later for a skit on " Late Night with Jimmy Fallon " in May 2015. The adorable television couple picked right back up where they left off on " Saved By the Bell ," with Tiffani even donning a cheerleading uniform (despite being pregnant in real life)! In March 2015, " Harry Potter " fans rejoiced with Tom Felton posted a photo with a few members of one of the biggest families in the franchise -- the Weasleys. Tom included in the caption, "outnumbered by Weasleys" in March 2015 as he posed with James Phelps, Bonnie Wright and Rupert Grint -- who brought Fred, Ginny and Ron Weasley to life in the film series. "Look who I ran into today! My favorite gardner!!!! #DesperateHousewives #OneOfMyFavPeople," Eva Longoria captioned this cute pic with her former " Desperate Housewives " costar -- and on-screen love interest -- Jesse Metcalfe in August 2015. Reese Witherspoon reunited with her " Cruel Intentions " co-stars Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar for a cute and casual ladies' night out in May 2015. "Best girls night of the year!!! #cruelintentions," read the caption. " Friends " forever! Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox reunited on camera on " Jimmy Kimmel Live " in August 2014. The actresses reprised their roles as Phoebe, Rachel and Monica while Jimmy filled in for David Schwimmer's character, Ross. But seeing each other again wasn't a rare occasion for the actresses, who've remained close since their sitcom ended. Courtney and Lisa even attended Jennifer's August 2015 nuptials to Justin Theroux. Two of the ladies from "A League of Their Own" were reunited on the set of "The View" in February 2015. Rosie O'Donnell and Geena Davis appropriately posed with baseballs for the nostalgic pic. Pacey and Dawson together again! "The most pleasant run-ins can happen in the most unexpected places," James Van Der Beek captioned this snap with his former " Dawson's Creek " co-star Joshua Jackson in November 2014. A Cullen night out! In April 2015, former " Twilight " co-stars Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz caught up courtside at a Lakers game and posted this cute pic of their vampire sibling reunion. "Um, we invented Post-Its. #LBHS10YearReunion @laurenconrad." That's how Lo Bosworth captioned this photo with former bestie Lauren Conrad back in December 2014, appropriately quoting from the cinematic gem " Romy and Michele's High School Reunion ." The two pals and " Laguna Beach " co-stars were attending their 10-year high-school reunion. The director of " The Sandlot ," David Mickey Evans, caught up with stars Chauncey Leopardi, Grant Gelt, Marty York and Victor DiMattia to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the flick at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in September 2013. The gang got back together in honor of the film's 20th anniversary that year. "Reunited and it feels so good." Zach Braff said it best in the caption for this photo he posted in February 2015 with former " Scrubs " co-star Sarah Chalke. The director of " High School Musical ," Kenny Ortega, shared this amazing selfie with a bunch of the franchise's cast in July 2015. The alumni of East High School in attendance included Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel and Olesya Rulin. " Buffy the Vampire Slayer " fans rejoiced when Sarah Michelle Gellar reunited with co-stars Seth Green and Michelle Trachtenberg on the set of " The Crazy Ones " in February 2014. In this epic, jam-packed selfie from May 2014, " The Wonder Years " star Josh Saviano managed to fit in a majority of his old co-stars: Fred Savage, Danica McKellar, Jason Hervey, Alley Mills and Olivia D'Abo. The sisterhood is still going strong! America Ferrera tweeted this pic with her old " Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants " co-stars Blake Lively and Amber Tamblyn back in November 2014. Danny Masterson shared this snap with the internet back in October 2013, captioning the epic " That '70s Show " reunion photo, "Every once in awhile friends gather for a 6 part harmony of a BigStar song..." "Goofballs @emilia_clarke my khalessi. What a women." Jason Momoa clearly still adores his on-screen " Game of Thrones " love interest, played by Emilia Clarke, according to his series of Instagram posts from October 2015. The former co-stars posed for multiple pics and looked delighted to be reunited after Jason's character was killed off in 2012. "Great day@alanthicke !!!thankyou!!!#growingpains" Tracey Gold wrote on Twitter in August 2013 after reuniting with her " Growing Pains " co-stars Joanna Kerns, Jeremy Miller and Alan Thicke. The " Lizzie McGuire " crew reunited in April 2015 and Jake Thomas shared this adorable photo of himself with former co-stars Lalaine and Hilary Duff. Mayim Bialik shared this phenomenal flashback photo with her former " Blossom " castmates Jenna von Oy, Michael Stoyanov and Joey Lawrence on Twitter in June 2014. Attributing their characters with the esteemed distinction of being "creators of the selfie," Susan Sarandon shared a splitscreen pic of herself with Geena Davis in " Thelma and Louise " and then again, present day, in June 2014. Getting the old on-screen college buddies back together, the stars of " Greek " reunited for a photo in March 2015. Paul James posted this pic with former fraternity brothers and sorority sister Scott Michael Foster, Jake McDornan, Jacob Zachar and Amber Stevens West. Sophia Bush reunited with " One Tree Hill " alums Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilary Burton in October 2014. The actress, who has stayed close with many of her former castmates, sweetly captioned the snap: "Basically the best."
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ABC Family ABC Family is distancing itself from its sister network, ABC, with a new rebranding. As of January 2016, the network will be known as Freeform. According to the network's press release, the change is part of an evolution that will strengthen the network's service of a the younger-skewing group of 14-34-year-olds the network is calling "becomers." "Freeform evokes the spirit and adventure of our audience," ABC Family President Tom Ascheim said in a statement. "Freeform will deliver new, exciting original content as well as all the favorite shows our viewers already love on ABC Family." The network sees "becomers" as people in high school, college, and the following decade who are experiencing life's firsts. ABC Family "[They] are navigating the wonderful, fun, exciting, and scary time in life when you experience the most firsts first car, first apartment, first job, first love, first heartbreak all the firsts that exists between who they are and who they want to become," the network explained. There are apparently 2 billion "Becomers" worldwide, according to ABC Family. Freeform will continue to air the early-2016 returns of "Pretty Little Liars," "The Fosters," "Young and Hungry, and "Baby Daddy, as well as new original series "Shadowhunters," and "Recovery Road." New series and renewal announcements will be made later this month. It intends to double the network's original programming over the next four years. Watch a teaser about the rebrand below: Youtube Embed: http://www.youtube.com/embed/LNfFEIZJX0g Width: 560px Height: 315px NOW WATCH: The 10 most incredible things about the 'real' Stephen Colbert
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Sandra opens up to 'Glamour,' admitting that she didn't feel like an adult until 5 years ago. Listen in.
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCHA.MI) stands to lose $40 million of operating profit a week from a strike of its plants by the U.S. labor union United Auto Workers, said an analyst with the Center for Automotive Research. Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based automobile industry consultancy, said the figure is based on the estimated per-vehicle profit of Fiat Chrysler autos sold in the U.S. market. Labor costs have fallen to about 4 percent of the total price of a vehicle at Fiat Chrysler, down from 15 percent at Detroit automakers in the late 1990s, McAlinden said. (Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Bernard Orr)
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Joe Robbins/Getty Images After four weeks of the NFL season only seven teams still have a legit shot to win the Super Bowl, but there are three teams that stand out above the rest. Using Nate Silver's "2015 NFL Predictions, " a model that rates each team and then projects how the regular season and playoffs will play out, we can get a better sense of which teams are the true Super Bowl contenders. Heading into Week 5, the New England Patriots are still the favorite with a 19% chance to win the Super Bowl. However, the Green Bay Packers (17%) and Denver Broncos (14%) have narrowed the gap. The Patriots and Packers are also already nearly a lock for the postseason as both have a 94% chance to make the playoffs. In all, there are now seven teams with at least a 5% chance of winning the Super Bowl after four weeks: New England Patriots, 19% Green Bay Packers, 17% Denver Broncos, 14% Seattle Seahawks, 7% Cincinnati Bengals, 7% Carolina Panthers, 6% Atlanta Falcons, 5% The Arizona Cardinals (4%), Pittsburgh Steelers (3%), and Dallas Cowboys (3%) just missed the cut and were the only other teams given more than a 2% chance of winning it all. At the other end of the spectrum, there are now three teams without a legit shot to make the playoffs. The Chicago Bears (4%), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3%), and Cleveland Browns (2%) all have less than a 5% chance to make the playoffs. The Miami Dolphins (5%) are not far behind. Here are the 8 teams with the best chance to win each division: AFC East New England Patriots, 80% chance to win their division AFC North Cincinnati Bengals, 67% AFC South Indianapolis Colts, 53% AFC West Denver Broncos, 80% NFC East Dallas Cowboys, 39% NFC North Green Bay Packers, 88% NFC South Atlanta Falcons, 56% NFC West Seattle Seahawks, 49% You can see the full projections at Five Thirty Eight . NOW WATCH: Curious things most people don't know about Tom Brady
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An EU ruling has invalidated an agreement that allows U.S.-based companies like Facebook and Apple to transfer the personal data of their European customers to servers in the U.S. But how will it affect tech companies? Amir Mizroch explains. Photo: Getty Images
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Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Tuesday said he would have confronted the shooter at Umpqua Community College had he been present at the time of the attack. "Not only would I probably not cooperate with him, I would not just stand there and let him shoot me. I would say 'Hey, guys, everybody attack him! He may shoot me but he can't get us all,' " the retired neurosurgeon said on "Fox and Friends." A gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., on Thurday, killing nine people and wounding nine others. Authorities said the gunman shot himself. Obama is expected to visit Roseburg on Friday to meet families of the victims. The visit comes amid a previously scheduled four-day swing across the West Coast for political fundraisers and events. Carson slammed the visit and accused Obama of grandstanding. "Imagine, a politician politicizing something," the retired neurosurgeon said on "Fox and Friends." "When do we get to the point where we have people who actually want to solve our problems, rather than just politicize everything?" Carson continued. "I think that's what the American people are so sick and tired of." When asked during the Fox News interview whether he would make the trip to Oregon on Friday like Obama, Carson said as president, he likely would not make the trip if the community didn't want him to. "Probably not. I mean, I would probably have so many things on my agenda that I'd go to the next one," Carson said. Obama argued for action on guns during a press conference hours after the shooting last week, saying that mass shootings are "something we should politicize." "This is a political choice that we make, to allow this to happen every few months in America," Obama said. "We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction." This story was updated at 10:28 a.m.
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MOSCOW, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The Russian defense ministry on Tuesday angrily dismissed reports that its planes had launched air strikes against the Syrian city of Palmyra as false, the TASS news agency reported. "All reports by foreign media that Russian planes allegedly struck the city of Palmyra are an absolute lie," Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the ministry, was quoted as saying. "Our planes in Syria do not strike populated areas and especially ones with architectural monuments." Syrian state television and a monitoring group said earlier on Tuesday that Russian jets had hit Islamic State targets in Palmyra.
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On the streets of Johannesburg hawkers sift through items of waste to sell for recycling.
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The very concept of a Microsoft hardware event still feels weird to me. Software constitutes half of Microsoft's name and most of its DNA, and yet today we were treated to a 110-minute presentation showing off Microsoft's hardware-engineering acumen. And the whole thing was so breathlessly exciting that it felt more like 110 seconds. The most inspiring, intriguing, and frankly irresistible new hardware today is coming from Microsoft. With the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft has taken the concept it pioneered of a tablet with a keyboard cover, a stylus, and a fully-featured OS and has refined it into an elegant, frightfully efficient productivity machine. Apple's iPad Pro and Google's Pixel C are neophyte reactions to Microsoft's aggressive innovation, but they're already behind this latest generation. Microsoft is comparing the Surface Pro 4 against the MacBook Air and rightly so, given its tablet's Intel Skylake processor; larger 12.3-inch display; and abundance of memory, storage, and connectivity options. The brand new Surface Book is, like the original Surface Pro, another effort at complete reinvention. The Surface Book deconstructs the laptop and reconstitutes it in the shape of a hybrid device of the sort we've never seen before. Microsoft didn't just make a new tablet with a detachable keyboard, it designed a whole new hinge and attachment mechanism , and it intelligently split up the internal components to deliver both a light and sleek tablet and a powerful laptop. The discrete Nvidia graphics chip sits among a battery of batteries inside the keyboard dock, liberating the tablet of most of its heft when power is not a priority, but keeping it substantially PC-like when the whole thing is connected and operating as one. I am hugely impressed by the clear-eyed purpose underpinning every one of the decisions that Microsoft has made with its two Surface devices today. The boundlessly charismatic Panos Panay now in charge of both the Lumia and Surface product lines at Microsoft simply didn't allow a moment's questioning or dubiety. Every time he introduced a new feature or change, he asked the rhetorical "why?" question himself, and he answered it convincingly. Here are a thousand levels of pressure sensitivity for the stylus, and here's what you can do with that. Here's a keyboard with 1.6mm of travel and here's why you'd want to mash your fingers against it. Panay created something that every tech company strives for, but few achieve: desire . I want a Surface Book. Microsoft is full of originality and ambition It may seem odd that Microsoft is investing so heavily in creating "the ultimate laptop" with the Surface Book and what looks like a truly no-compromise tablet in the Surface Pro 4. After all, this is the same event at which CEO Satya Nadella said that the experience is more important than the device. "The hub is you," he proclaimed in his closing remarks. But the more important thing that Nadella noted was Microsoft's emphasis on getting people to want its products and services rather than just need them. Microsoft Windows and Office are ubiquitous around the globe, and many people enjoy using them, but they are not loved in the same way that an iPhone or a MacBook might be. Physical devices are just easier to develop an attachment to , and the products announced today look like the perfect vehicles for Microsoft's stated ambition of "a complete magical experience." The lesson that prompted Microsoft to design the first Surface Pro was that software is not enough to generate the best possible user experience. Software and hardware must work harmoniously as shown off today with Cortana integration in the stylus and Windows Hello security facilitated by an Intel RealSense camera. Apple has repeatedly noted that its greatest asset is in precisely this ability to integrate disparate parts into a cohesive experience and that's exactly the strategy Microsoft is pursuing now. And yet, Microsoft is the furthest thing we currently have from an Apple copycat: the Surface Pro 4 manages to be a slick laptop made of metal that looks nothing like a MacBook. And lest it hasn't been said enough, the Surface Pro is leading Apple's iPad instead of chasing it. Microsoft's Surface devices occupy a superficially similar role to Google's Nexus devices: setting a template for others to follow and establishing a high standard for the user experience. But Microsoft's ambition far outstrips Google's. A new flagship New York City Microsoft Store will soon be opening up and these Surface PCs will take pride of place there and everywhere else that Microsoft sells its wares. "We don't just build hardware for hardware's sake," said Nadella, fully conscious that hardware is nonetheless instrumental to delivering the best possible experience to Windows users. Desire is the hardest thing to manufacture, but Microsoft had no shortage of it today Having already shown us the software part of its new strategy with Windows 10 , Microsoft today completed the equation with delightfully attractive new hardware. It has rekindled my excitement for new devices, at the tail end of a year where innovation seemed to be either lacking or all too predictable . Today, Microsoft surprised, wowed, and delighted. It generated passion where there once was pessimism. Kudos!
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Different parts of our brain are responsible for different things. One part is mostly in charge of memory, while another part may be more important on the auditory front. An entirely different area, meanwhile, may be responsible for unconscious actions like our heartbeat. Vision is no different; it's associated with the aptly named visual cortex, which is situated in the back of the brain. But it turns out we may not be giving this area of the brain the credit it deserves, as it may be able to make decisions, just like other traditionally "higher level" brain areas, according to a new study. Cognitive psychology is still a relatively new discipline, and these findings provide another clue to how exactly our brains work. "As a field, we're only at the beginning of trying to figure out how the brain works, and the visual system is a very good place to start," said Jan Brascamp, Michigan State University professor and lead investigator of the study in a press release . "In that light, the current findings, which show that the visual system has a capacity we previously didn't expect, are an important step in the right direction." The experiment placed participants in an MRI scanner, and had them view two adjacent dot patterns on a projection screen. Researchers used a set of prisms to be sure that the participant's eyes were each focused on a different pattern, making it very different from a normal visual situation. Brain activity was monitored throughout. By having each eye focus on a different pattern, the researchers created an optical illusion in which the participants' perceptions would switch between the two patterns. Their eyes were providing contradictory information, so their brains tried their best to make sense of it. In past MRI studies on switching perceptions, the association cortex known for high-functioning decision making was deemed the controller, and the visual cortex was thought to only handle the processing of visual information. The difference between these experiments and Brascamp's was that in past studies, participants could consciously tell when their perception changed because the illusion was obvious. For example, the famous duck-rabbit image causes a noticeable change in perception because a person can explain that they see either a duck or a rabbit when it becomes apparent to them. This often caused surprise, and the areas of the brain involved in decision making are very similar to those involved with surprise. Brascamp and his team took away this surprise by making sure study participants were unaware of their changing perceptions they didn't even know the two patterns of dots were different. They didn't notice their perception going back and forth between two patterns either and, among these participants, brain activity in the association cortex was gone. This led to the conclusion that the visual cortex was making the choice on its own. "That is one sense in which our study is counterintuitive and surprising," Brascamp said. "The part of the brain that is responsible for seeing, for the apparently 'simple' act of generating the picture in our mind's eye, turns out to have the ability to do something akin to choosing, as it actively switches between different interpretations of the visual input without any help from traditional 'higher level' areas of the brain." Source: Brascamp J, Blake R, Knapen T. Negligible fronto-parietal BOLD activity accompanying unreportable switches in bistable perception. Nature Neuroscience . 2015.
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St. Louis Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley found the perfect way to celebrate his first huge game in the NFL.
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BEIJING The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal was welcomed on Tuesday as a win for the United States in its contest with China for clout in Asia, as America's allies expressed optimism about the impact of the 12-nation accord on a region worried about its dependence on the slowing Chinese economy. The pact still must win approval in Congress, and analysts said the economic effects may be less sweeping than Washington predicts. But the mere fact that President Obama delivered on his pledge to close the deal came as a relief to allies in Asia. It was seen as a counterweight to China's efforts to expand its influence not just in trade but in other areas, including its island-building in the disputed South China Sea and the establishment of a new regional development bank to compete with Western-led institutions. "The TPP may not be the game-changer the Americans say it will be, but if the TPP failed, it would certainly have been a blow to U.S. credibility, and its conclusion is to be welcomed," said Bilahari Kausikan, a former permanent secretary of Singapore's Foreign Ministry. Yet, he cautioned: "This is not going to erode what China does." The victory for the United States comes as China's position in Asia has been thrown off balance by questions about the condition of its economy, which is expanding at its slowest pace in a quarter century and has sent tremors across the region. Even with the slowdown, though, the Chinese economy is growing faster than those of most industrial nations, and China enjoys deepening economic ties with almost all countries in the region. The trade agreement is unlikely to change that, but it is an important symbol of America's staying power in Asia, some experts said. "It does at least temporarily halt the seemingly inexorable waning of U.S. influence and the corresponding rise of Chinese influence in the Asian region," said Eswar S. Prasad, a professor of international economics at Cornell University and former head of the China division at the International Monetary Fund. Sign Up For The Your Money Newsletter Since 2011, when President Obama told the Australian Parliament that the United States would play a "larger and long-term role" in shaping the Asian region, its allies have been waiting for results. For a while, the much-extolled "pivot" to Asia seemed to be mostly a verbal one and one intended to antagonize China, by proposing to bolster America's military presence and creating a trade zone that kept China out. Even as Washington talked about a new focus on Asia, China's economic ties with America's friends in the region steadily expanded. Many Asian countries now have trade agreements with China that were completed since the announcement of the "pivot," and count China as their biggest trading partner. Australia, for example, signed a trade agreement with China in June, although it has yet to pass through Parliament. China was seen to be winning in other ways, too. While its strategic capabilities in East Asia did not yet rival those of the United States, the financial picture was changing rapidly, with China becoming the major lender in the region, the Inter-American Dialogue, a policy group in Washington, said in a July report . "The China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China now provide more loans to the region than the World Bank and the Asia Development Bank combined," the report said. Indeed, although the TPP is seen mainly as an enterprise that aims to knit the United States and Asia closer together, four of its 12 members are in Latin America: Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. In terms of trade competition with China in Asia, the deal would advantage American firms over Chinese firms "only very slightly," since there is very little overlap in the range of goods each country exports to Asian members of the accord, said Nicholas Lardy, a China expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. The stakes for the Obama administration to conclude the negotiations became higher in Asia after the United States defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, said in April that the trade pact was "as important to me as another aircraft carrier." His comments were interpreted as an effort to play down the Asia "pivot" as a predominantly military project, an image that some countries worried served to exacerbate an arms race with China. In China, where the government's initial opposition to the trade pact has softened recently, the Ministry of Commerce issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the accord was "one of the important free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region." Early in the negotiations, Beijing criticized the pact as an American effort to contain China, an argument that is still frequently heard from Chinese analysts. "Initial Chinese hostility toward TPP has moderated dramatically," Mr. Lardy said. But if China contemplated becoming a member, as some reform-minded Chinese economists have suggested, the government would need to work harder at economic reform in order to meet the pact's standards, Mr. Lardy said. In a surprising statement in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose relations with China have been poor, suggested China should become a member of the pact. "If China joined TPP in the future," Mr. Abe said, "it would contribute greatly to our country's security and the stability of the Asia-Pacific region, and that would have an extremely large strategic significance." But Peter Drysdale, emeritus professor of economics at the Australian National University in Canberra, said it was almost certain that China would stay outside the TPP, and therefore work even harder at cementing its economic ties in East Asia through other means. "Even with growth two or three percentage points lower than its current rate, there's not a major business anywhere in the region, including in Japan, that doesn't have to factor China in," Mr. Drysdale said. "With China out of TPP for the foreseeable future, the incentive for China and its East Asian partners to ramp up their economic ties will be more powerful." Australia's prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, greeted the deal with enthusiasm, saying it offered "unprecedented new opportunities" for new markets in Asia and Latin America, as Australia faced the end of its mining boom. Mr. Turnbull, a proponent of close ties with Beijing, did not mention China in his comments. Mr. Abe also hailed the accord, saying, "The curtain is finally rising on a new Asian century." Japan was a latecomer to the negotiations, joining only in 2013, and demands by its influential farm lobby that it keep in place tariffs on rice, beef, milk and other agricultural products proved to be one of several major stumbling blocks. Mr. Abe championed the deal against considerable domestic opposition, including from many members of his own conservative party, large numbers of whom represent rural constituencies. But Japan's Parliament was widely expected to approve the accord. Although the conclusion of the negotiations were broadly welcomed among America's friends in Asia, the United States should not view Asian nations as wanting to decide between Washington and Beijing, Mr. Kausikan said. "No one sees the TPP as an alternative to China," he said. "The U.S. is important, and China is important. We're capable of doing things simultaneously. China is a huge economic factor that cannot be wished away."
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It's the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. Last month, comedian and Parks and Recreation co-executive producer Harris Wittels died at the young age of 30 from a reported drug overdose. Days later, a dozen students at Wesleyan College were hospitalized for possible overdoses on Molly, a stimulant also known as MDMA or Ecstasy, cut with other drugs. Tragic headlines like these are frequently in the news, and they barely scratch the surface of the epidemic. Drug overdose was the leading cause of death due to injury in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even more alarming, 80 percent of drug overdose deaths in 2013 were unintentional, or not a suicide attempt. The CDC defines an overdose occurring when "a drug is eaten, inhaled, injected, or absorbed through the skin in excessive amounts and injures the body." When you consume too much of a given drug, your liver your detoxification organ can't metabolize the drug quickly enough to avoid harmful side effects, says Wilson Compton, M.D., deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse within the National Institutes of Health. But what exactly constitutes an excessive amount, and what else influences how much of a drug you could take before going over the edge? Dr. Compton lists age, weight body size, prior experience, personal history, and even an innate tolerance as factors that could affect your threshold. Almost everything can produce an overdose: Tylenol Can Cause Fatal Liver Damage , and certain vitamins can become dangerous if taken in excess, Dr. Compton says. Even drugs like marijuana, with which fatal overdose is almost unheard of, produce toxic consequences such as extreme paranoia, anxiety, and agitation if consumed at a high dosage. Here's what happens during an overdose, and how to treat it before it's too late. STIMULANTS Effects: Stimulants like ADHD medication, cocaine, or methamphetamines, increase the amount of catecholamine into your central nervous system, damaging your nerves or brainstem nuclei, and could cause blood vessels to constrict. Catecholamine is a type of organic compound that prepares your body for a fight-or-flight response, like epinephrine or adrenaline. Symptoms: While stimulant overdose rarely kills you, they can increase your blood pressure, pulse, and body temperature, produce irregular heartbeats, or cause a stroke due to your brain's blood vessels spasming and closing off. You may also have psychotic reactions like talking too quickly, becoming paranoid, or having delusions. Treatment: Doctors can reduce your blood pressure or pulse with medication, or give you sedatives or anti-psychotic medication to calm you down. SEDATIVES Effects: Drugs meant to calm you, such as Valium or Xanax, activate a brain chemical known as gamma aminobutyric acid, which slows excitement in the nervous system. Symptoms: The most dangerous outcome of abusing sedatives can happen if you mix the drug with alcohol, which slows brain function and can very easily suppress your ability to breathe. Treatment: You may need your stomach pumped, or a charcoal agent inserted in your stomach to absorb the harmful material from your body. OPIOIDS (PAINKILLERS) Effects: Painkillers like morphine or methadone reduce the hurt you feel by increasing the activation of opioid receptors, which can result in difficulty breathing. (See why opioids are The Back Pain Pills That Many Doctors Won't Recommend Anymore .) Symptoms: Opiod abuse may also cause seizures, muscle spasms, or blue lips or nails. You may not be able to wake up someone who has overdosed by shaking him. Treatment: Medical professionals can administer naloxone, an opioid blocker that can reverse the effects of opioids, within a few minutes. Naloxone attaches itself to the opioid receptors in the central nervous system and competes with the drug so it cannot attach itself to the receptor as well. There are other ways to spot an overdose before it could become fatal. "If someone is falling asleep in a situation where it doesn't make sense, or shows a lack of coordination or intoxication that's out of proportion for what they were taking or drinking, get medical help," Dr. Compton says. "If they aren't breathing very well or are changing color, those are signs they could be close to death," he says. Of all drug-related deaths in 2013, more than half were linked with pharmaceuticals, or drugs intended to prevent, treat, or cure disease. "Fundamentally, people think when medication comes from a pharmacy or from a prescription, that it's safe," Dr. Compton says. "While that's true when taken at the right doses, that assumption forgets that a prescription is required because we need to understand your history, lifestyle, or drug use. That sense of safety and certainty is a mistake and I think that's one of the key factors in the increased use of these." More from MSN What Not To Say To People In Recovery 11 Surprising Remedies For Your Arthritis Pain
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You can never have too much cheese.
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UCLA LB/RB Myles Jack is reportedly entering the NFL draft. The Football Fix crew reacts to the news and discusses where he might land.
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We all have our crew of friends that we've been tight with forever. And in that group of friends, there are always a couple of dudes who stand out. For the wrong reasons. You don't love hanging out with them one-on-one. You don't love inviting them out at all, really. And yet you still do. Because they are impossible to shake. Here are 11 friends we all have but hate. The Health Nut When you're out at the bar, he orders the chips and guacamole, hold the chips. You wake up every Sunday morning to a text of a Fitbit screengrab of his morning run. Whenever you're out to eat, he will delight in telling you exactly how many calories every dish and drink you order will dump into your lumpy body. It is impossible to make it more than two minutes into a conversation with this guy without finding out what time he was at the gym that morning. Which is a good thing, I guess, because it gives you incentive to stop talking to him in less than two minutes. The Oversharer Have you ever had a detailed discussion about gout symptoms and treatments? You have if you're friends with this guy. He's also not afraid to group text everyone a photo of his toilet before flushing. If he's married, you have definitely heard graphic stories about his sex life -- sometimes at a party at his house when his wife is in the other room. Being open in a friendship is important. Just not this open. The Friend Who Hits On Waitresses Every Time You Go Out And Thinks They're Into Him For Real and Not Just Trying To Get A Good Tip I don't know what makes me more uncomfortable: the cringe-worthy jokes he keeps telling every time she comes by to check on our order or the grimace on her face as she tries to force a smile through each punchline. If that's not bad enough, he also hijacks the conversation for the entire night by asking if you saw the way she looked at him that last time she walked away. 100 times out of 100 these nights end with your friend asking for her number when she brings back your change from the check and the waitress politely replying that she has a boyfriend. The walk to the cab after is an awkward combination of everyone pretending they didn't see that stone cold rejection and your friend pretending to sort through his matches on Tinder. (He's not even on Tinder.) The Work Friend Who Doesn't Understand You're Really Just Co-workers Stop texting me on the weekends. Stop asking me out for drinks. Stop suggesting double dates with our girlfriends. We occasionally e-mail each other funny GIFs about Tammy from accounting. That's where it ends. We have a 9-to-5 relationship. I am not interested in overtime. The Guy Who Always Drinks A Little Too Much He was the life of the party in college. He could throw back Jager Bombs faster than you could say, "alcohol poisoning." Now, ten years later...well, nothing's changed. When you meet for happy hour, the first hour is great catching up. Then hour two rolls around and you watch as he starts ordering double Jack and Cokes while the rest of the group starts nursing their beers. (It's also when he makes his standard uncomfortable comment to the one girl in your crew.) Hour three: yelling. Lots and lots of yelling. By hour four, you're lucky if he's still wearing pants. And yet, just like in college, you always feel guilty when the gang gets together and you don't invite him. So you do every time. And you regret it every time. The Guy Who Just Has To Tell The Last Joke (And It's Never Funny) You know the scene: you're hanging out with your friends, it's a bunch of dudes just shooting the shit. Someone tells a funny joke, then someone else follows up with a funnier line and so on and so forth until everyone is totally cracking up. Then that one guy pipes up. That one fucking guy. The same guy every time. He jumps in once the laughter dies down, trying to take the joke one step further. Only it's a terrible addition and now it's total silence and the vibe has been crushed. But he doesn't realize he just killed the mood and he will do it again three more times that night. God I hate that guy. (I might be that guy.) The Friend Who Brings His Girlfriend Out Unannounced To Watch The Game Look, I like your girlfriend just fine. And I'm not some caveman that thinks girls don't know how to watch sports. But when I say, "Let's go watch the game," that's an invitation to you, my friend. Not you, the couple. We just had a couples night out last week, and it was a lovely dinner, the wine was great and we had some truly illuminating conversations about what we all binge watch on Netflix. Now I need to drink beers at an accelerated pace and scream profanities at a TV without feeling judged. You think it's totally fine to bring your woman out with the fellas, but every time, the same thing happens: we all stand around watching you guys get more and more snuggly as the drinks keep flowing until eventually you call her "bae" in front of all of us. That's not good for anyone. The Racist Friend We all have one. The Guy Who Will Likes Recapping TV Shows and Movies Scene by Scene This is the only human on earth who can make The Hobbit longer than Peter Jackson. There is no situation where it's enjoyable to get stuck talking to this friend. If you're at a crowded party, he will spend the prime of the party -- when they're playing the best music and the most people are there -- cornering you to recount the first three episodes of Gotham and convince you why it's the most underrated show on TV right now. If you're out to dinner or drinks alone, escape is even more futile. You can try anything -- even something as dramatic as pulling out your phone and straight up calling someone -- it won't work. He will get to the post-credits surprise sequence of The Avengers whether you are awake or not. The Friend Who Keeps Dating Way Under His Age Group And Expecting It To Work Out (It Won't) At first, you're jealous: "Man, here I am locked into a committed relationship with an age appropriate woman and he's out there taming young strange." Then you all get together, and his fresh-out-of-college girlfriend spends the whole night trying to rope you into Vines and asking if you saw that hilarious cat GIF post on Buzzfeed. She's a walking hashtag. Once the sex dies down, the same pattern emerges: your friend and his generationally mismatched partner slowly drift apart until she's out of his life but not your Facebook feed (she insisted on friending during one of your nights out) and she starts sharing break-up coping articles on Facebook. The Friend Who Won't Stop Inviting You To His Shows Stop with the flyers and the Facebook blasts and the e-mail blasts and the texts and the tweets and the calls and the Snapchats and everything. Just stop. Even if you offer me a ride and a free dinner, I will still say "no" before you even finish your invite. I do not want to see four guys I know from high school plus a 51-year old bassist who doubles as the bar-back blast out Doobie Brothers cover songs on a Tuesday night in front of 7 people (6 of which are your relatives). Same goes for your art gallery installment and your one-man show and your poetry slam. You are too old for this shit and so am I. So stop wasting your time with band practice and start focusing on how you can climb that corporate ladder as an accountant. It's not nearly as glamorous but it is way more realistic. Plus, you will never invite me to watch you make spreadsheets, and that will be a huge boon for our friendship.
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Are you ready for sweater weather? 37 Cozy Sweaters You'll Want to Live in This Fall Are you ready for sweater weather? A.P.C. Madelaine Sweater, $325; usonline.apc.fr Tibi Bi-Color Cable Knit Pullover, $525; tibi.com Madeleine Thompson Cashmere Wrap, $510; net-a-porter.com H&M Dip-Dyed Turtleneck Sweater, $70; hm.com Nanushka Taru Top, $357; oaknyc.com Acne Deborah L Ribbed Pullover Sweater, $380; lagarconne.com Uniqlo IDLF Cashmere Crewneck Cardigan, $100; uniqlo.com A.F. Vandervorst 152 Tapas Fringed Sweater, $570; farfetch.com H&M Mohair Blend Cardigan, $80; hm.com Calvin Klein Collection Long Sleeve Sweater, $1,230; thecorner.com Zara Oversized Cardigan, $129; zara.com J.W. Anderson Boiled Twisted Sweater, $810; j-w-anderson.com ModCloth Well, Cello There! Cardigan, $55; modcloth.com The Elder Statesman Line Sweater, $1,070; elder-statesman.com Michael Kors Merino Wool and Cashmere Pullover, $725; stylebop.com Maison Kitsune Jacquard V Sweater, €300; kitsune.fr Cos Brushed Mohair Cardigan, $225; cosstores.com Joseph Wool Stitch Asymmetric Sweater, $545; joseph-fashion.com Stylenanda Striped Turtleneck Sweater, $37; en.stylenanda.com Cos High-Neck Jumper, $125; cosstores.com Joseph Fair Isle Oversized Sweater, $425; joseph-fashion.com Tory Burch Long-Sleeve Crewneck Sweater, $595; toryburch.com Zara Cropped Sweater, $50; zara.com J. Crew Collection Space-Dyed Fringe Sweater, $328; jcrew.com Mango Striped Wool-Blend Sweater, $80; shop.mango.com Topshop Striped Poncho, $60; us.topshop.com Sacai Aran Knit Peplum Cardigan, $1,185; farfetch.com Mango Fringed Cape, $80; mango.com Chloé Oversized Ribbed Wool-Blend Cardigan, $2,750; net-a-porter.com Gucci Melange Wool-Blend Cardigan, $1,400; net-a-porter.com Joe Fresh Wool Fair Isle Sweater, $28; joefresh.com Fendi Fur Sweater, $3,282; mytheresa.com Madewell Colorblock Fringe-Detail Sweater, $118; madewell.com Chloé Striped Silk-Blend Sweater, $1,175; mytheresa.com Gap Wool Open-Front Cardigan, $70; gap.com Pixie Market Slouchy Sweater, $66; pixiemarket.com Isabel Marant Charley Lace-Up Wool Sweater, $765; modaoperandi.com
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More than three thousand refugees and migrants boarded trains Monday heading from Tovarnik, Croatia, towards Botovo, near the Hungarian border.
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Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's presidential polling woes extend to his home state, where he takes only 2 percent support in the race for the Democratic nomination, according to a new poll. A Goucher College poll released on Tuesday shows Hillary Clinton leading the field in Maryland with 43 percent support, followed by Vice President Biden at 23 percent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at 17 percent, and O'Malley, tied with former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, at 2 percent. Those results mirror O'Malley's struggles nationally. According to the RealClearPolitics average, he is stuck in the bottom tier of candidates at only .6 percent support. "Although Martin O'Malley was a popular two-term governor among Democrats in the state, his campaign's difficulties in gaining traction nationwide are reflected in Maryland," said Mileah Kromer, the director of Goucher College's political institute. O'Malley served two terms as mayor of Baltimore, and two terms as governor of Maryland, ending in 2015. He launched his presidential bid from Baltimore in late May. None of the candidates has spent much time campaigning in Maryland, where the primary isn't until near the end of the nominating contest. O'Malley has spent a great deal of time in Iowa, although his support there is small as well. He sits at 3.3 percent in the Hawkeye State, according to the RealClearPolitics average. O'Malley has been the first in the Democratic field to release ambitious liberal policy proposals on everything from the environment to the criminal justice reform, but he has been relegated to the margins amid the rise of Sanders on the left. The Goucher poll of 739 registered Democrats was conducted between Oct. 1 and Oct. 3 and has a 3.6 percentage point margin of error.
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EUGENE, Ore. A woman wanted on identity theft charges has been arrested in Oregon after a construction worker lifted the lid of a portable toilet to find her hiding inside. The Register-Guard reports (http://goo.gl/ZuT2dO ) that 27-year-old Treasure Dawn Shockey, who had two warrants for her arrest, ran when police in Eugene tried to talk to her Saturday morning. Police say a witness told them she saw the woman run through her yard and climb a fence onto the property of the Eugene Swim and Tennis Club. About 20 minutes later, a construction worker told police he had lifted the lid of a port-a-potty and been surprised to see her inside. Police say Shockey left the toilet and they arrested her. ___ Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com
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It wasn't the best man, but the best dog that stood by U.S. Army veteran Justin Lansford's side during his wedding ceremony over the weekend. Lansford was injured in 2012 when his truck hit an IED while he was serving in Afghanistan, ABC News reported. When he returned to the U.S., he was paired with Gabe, a golden retriever who had recently graduated from the Warrior Canine Connection, an organization that pairs wounded veterans with service dogs. On Saturday, Lansford married his long-time girlfriend, Carol Balmes, in Largo, Fla., and Gabe was by his side throughout the ceremony, according to Brad Hall, who photographed the ceremony. Hall said Gabe was one of the easiest bridal party members he has photographed. "[Gabe] was easy, quite frankly, a lot easier than we typically see with groomsmen at most weddings," Hall told USA TODAY Network. And Lansford hasn't let his prosthetic leg slow him down. "He out-danced half of the guests at the reception," Hall said.
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By Tripfilms filmmaker LuciWest. Pikes Peak must be one of the most famous mountains in the USA. It may be because, after a visit to this Colorado mountain, Katharine Lee Bates wrote the song "America The Beautiful" or because of the hair-raising car and motorcycle race (The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb aka The Race to the Clouds) that goes up Pikes Peak Highway or because of the magnificent views from atop this Rocky Mountains fourteener... maybe it's just because it's easily accessible via car and cog rail - and not just by hiking or biking. During week 279, Scott, Judith, Christoph, GJ, Whiskey dog and I drove up the mountain (and I published the video "Driving Up Pikes Peak Highway - In A Colorado Minute (Week 279)". This week I'd like to share with you some impressions from up at the Pikes Peak Summit at 14,115 feet (4,302.31 m). The views include Manitou Springs, the Garden of the Gods and Crystal Reservoir, that hairpin road that takes you up the mountain and the possibly more or less nerve-wrecking Broadmoor's Pikes Peak Cog Railroad. Sooner or later, I'll also publish a video of the drive back down... The song in this week's video is "Heading West" by Jason Shaw. He has made this and many other lovely tunes available via a CC BY 3.0 license on his website Audionautix. Thank you again and again, Jason! For links to more information, please visit MovingPostcard.com Personal blog Facebook Twitter Flickr Google+ Tumblr Instagram PinterestShare your travel videos on Tripfilms.com!
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A woman in London tweeted photos of an outrageously priced apartment rental that looks just like Harry Potter's 'Cupboard Under the Stairs.' Gillian Pensavalle (@GillianWithaG) has more.
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Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden admitted despite his airline's baggage guarantee, Alaska even lost his bag on his way to an airline summit. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.
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travel
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Vatican spokesman Father Thomas Rosica said on Tuesday that the Catholic church must bring "an end to exclusionary language" and place "a strong emphasis on embracing reality" on the issues of marriage and family, particularly with gay people. (Oct. 6)
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Louisville campus police now say they are reviewing allegations that a former men's basketball staffer hired escorts to dance and have sex with recruits and players in a dormitory. Katina Powell has alleged in a book released online over the weekend that former Cardinals director of basketball operation Andre McGee paid her $10,000 for dancers to perform 22 shows from 2010-14 at the players' Billy Minardi Hall dormitory. The school reported those allegations to the NCAA and has launched an investigation. "The University of Louisville Police Department, in consultation with the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, is reviewing allegations regarding the men's basketball program," University police chief Wayne Hall said Tuesday in a statement. It was the first confirmation that police are looking into the allegations. When contacted last week, a campus police operator said they weren't aware of the book allegations, and it was unclear at that time if an investigation had been launched. Cardinals coach Rick Pitino has said that McGee denied Powell's allegations. McGee left in 2014 and is currently an assistant at Missouri-Kansas City, which has put him on paid leave. Pitino said Saturday that he hasn't read Powell's book titled "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen" and doesn't plan to. The 104-page book was published by an affiliate of the Indianapolis Business Journal and is scheduled for hardcover release Oct. 12. The woman said that she and three of her daughters, along with other women, danced and stripped for Louisville recruits and players and performed sex acts with them, according to the book. Powell, 43, also said McGee offered recruits alcohol at those parties. Upon hearing of the allegations, Pitino said he did some investigating on his own before being told by the school's compliance department not to talk to players. But the coach said he talked to other assistants about the allegations and all of them denied knowing of the activities outlined in Powell's book. "I'm going through 15 people who worked here, and not one person even had a premonition of something wrong," Pitino said. "Not one person living in the dorm had even the slightest premonition. It just doesn't make sense to me." Louisville has hired Chuck Smrt of the Compliance Group, which assists schools in NCAA cases, to review the allegations. McGee left Louisville in 2014 to become an assistant at Missouri-Kansas City under Kareem Richardson, who was a Cardinals assistant from 2012-13. He was placed on paid administrative on Friday and has been unavailable for comment. McGee's Louisville attorney, Scott Cox, didn't comment because the investigation is ongoing.
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WENTZVILLE, Mo. A 53-year-old man has been charged with burglary and harassment after he was found asleep in an empty bedroom of someone else's Missouri home. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1WJA20e ) reports Gregory Trent Cole was charged Monday. Authorities say Cole entered a home in the St. Louis suburb of Wentzville and went into a bedroom early Sunday while the people who lived in the home were in another room. They say he removed some of his clothes and went to sleep. Police say the man was discovered around 8 a.m., wearing only underwear and a shirt. Cole was taken to the St. Charles County Jail, where he is jailed on $15,000 bond. ___ This story has been updated to correct that police now say the man was partially clothed, instead of naked. ___ Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
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When Cole Marshall decided to buy an empty lot and build a house, one of his top priorities was getting fast and reliable Internet service. Marshall says he received assurances from Charter , the local cable company, that he could get Internet access to his home in Wisconsin. There was also a promise of relatively fast DSL, with telco Frontier Communications telling him it could provide 24Mbps download speeds, he told Ars. As it turned out, neither company could deliver. Once the house was built, Charter would only offer service if he paid $117,000 to cover the cost of extending its network to his new home. Frontier does provide DSL Internet, but only at slower speeds of up to 3Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream. Marshall, who works at home as a Web developer, subscribed to Frontier and struggles with his Internet connection daily. "Cable was always available everywhere I lived, and I never thought moving just a little bit out of the city would mean I'd get hardly anything," Marshall said. Charter and Frontier both oppose the building of a citywide municipal fiber network that could eventually save Marshall and others from poor connectivity. Broken promises Marshall had been looking for land to buy starting in 2012, and found the nearly 1-acre lot he'd ultimately purchase in 2013. The property is just outside the city limits of Sun Prairie, a city of about 30,000 residents, but has a Sun Prairie address and zip code. "We're surrounded by fields, so technically you'd call it rural," Marshall said. The city is expanding, though, and "eventually there's going to be plenty of houses." Despite not being in a densely populated area, Marshall said the lot was advertised as "cable-ready." Before committing to the purchase, Marshall said, "I looked on Charter's website, and I typed in the address of the lot, and it said, 'yep, we can service you.'" Just to make sure, Marshall said he looked up the addresses of neighboring homes and got the same answer. Just to make extra sure, Marshall said he called Charter "and gave them the address, and they said, 'yup we can service that lot.'" Construction on the house began in November 2014 and finished in June. Marshall started getting worried during construction when he noticed satellite dishes on the roofs of nearby homes. He talked to a neighbor across the street who wasn't using satellite Internet, but was on a 3Mbps DSL connection. "I was kind of shocked, but then he gave me the impression that he was just on a lower plan to save some extra money," Marshall said. Marshall called Frontier, "and they told me that I could get 24Mbps DSL on the lot... After the house was finished I found out all that was wrong and [my neighbor] was on the fastest plan he could possibly get." That would have been ok if cable had been available, since DSL was just a backup option. But the worst news was yet to come. "Once my house was built, I called [Charter] to set up service, and that's when they told me they made a mistake. I was too far away from their network," Marshall said. In June, a Charter construction coordinator told him he'd have to pay $117,000 to cover all labor, materials, and permitting for a network extension to serve the home. Marshall would have to pay the entire $117,000 up front before Charter would begin construction, and the price would not go down even if other homeowners signed up for service. A fiber optics extension is "very expensive," the Charter employee told Marshall in an e-mail, which Marshall shared with Ars. "Typically we only extend fiber to subdivisions of 100 houses or more," Charter told Marshall. Charter hadn't built in the area because "the cost outweighs the return as there are not enough potential customers." These types of estimates can vary wildly. One Nebraska resident we interviewed sought a fiber connection from Windstream Communications and was told it would cost him $383,500. Yet a second network provider called Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company offered to run fiber across a three-mile span to his house for a mere $42,000. Not a "simple line extension" Charter confirmed its $117,000 estimate to Ars. Marshall has been told that his home was about 3,200 feet from Charter's network, or about 6/10 of a mile. But a Charter spokesperson told Ars that an inspection determined it could not build to Marshall's home from the nearest facilities. There weren't enough fibers in the nearest "transport fiber" facility to create a new node, and extending the network from the nearest coaxial cable facility would have caused service degradation, a Charter spokesperson told Ars. (Like other cable providers, Charter operates a network that includes both fiber and coaxial cable, with cable providing the final connection to the home.) To complete the project, Charter would have to build from the nearest "distribution fiber," which was three miles away, the company spokesperson said. Cables would have to be installed underground for the majority of that route, and a new node and power supply would have to be installed. In short, it wasn't a "simple line extension," and that's why the cost is $117,000, Charter says. "I mistakenly trusted them." The other question is why Marshall wasn't told this back in 2013. The Charter spokesperson didn't have any information on Marshall's initial conversations with the company. Marshall did not get any promises in writing from Charter when he called to confirm that the company could service the lot. "I never imagined I would need it in writing because I mistakenly trusted them. It didn't seem wrong to assume that they had the best information about their own network," he said. Charter's website now provides the message, "Sorry, Charter services are not available," when you type in Marshall's address. But Marshall says it was giving out bad information in 2013 and even after he moved in this year, he received a Charter Internet service advertisement in the mail. (You can see it in the picture above this story.) "I did get a mailing right after I moved in, 'welcome to your new home, [Charter] Spectrum broadband Internet,' and it made my blood boil when I saw that," Marshall said. Marshall says he doesn't blame the realtor and previous lot owner for advertising the property as cable-ready, "because they too took Charter's word that service was available." When Marshall complained to Charter, "they simply dismissed my complaint with an excuse to the extent of 'our information isn't always accurate,'" he said. Charter is trying to buy Time Warner Cable in a merger that would make it the nation's second biggest broadband provider after Comcast and ahead of AT&T. Frontier: No plans to improve DSL speeds When Marshall learned Frontier could only provide 3Mbps instead of 24Mbps, he did some research into the company's network layout. "Our connection to the central office in this area actually makes a weird loop around the outside of the city before reaching the homes on our road, adding miles of unnecessary line which would work for phone service but makes their Internet service almost unusable," he said. With DSL, speeds are highly dependent on a home's distance to the nearest central office or cabinet. "The equipment that serves this area does allow for speeds up to 24Mbps," a Frontier spokesperson told Ars. "Unfortunately, those speeds cannot be supported at the distance [Marshall's] home is from the equipment in our Sun Prairie Central Office." Frontier recently accepted $283.4 million from the federal government to extend Internet service of at least 10Mbps down and 1Mbps up to 650,000 rural homes and businesses over the next six years. That includes 76,735 homes and businesses in Wisconsin. But Frontier told Ars that it has "no immediate plans to install additional equipment that would provide the option for faster speeds at this location," referring to Marshall's neighborhood. "We will take a closer look at this situation as we finalize our plans for 2016." Other customers suffer same fate Marshall is not the first customer to say he got inaccurate information from an Internet provider. In earlier articles, we wrote about a man who says he bought a house after Comcast employees mistakenly told him he could get cable Internet, and another customer who says AT&T promised him broadband but could only provide speeds of less than 1Mbps . The US government's broadband map website can provide a rough idea of what providers offer service in a general area, but it isn't perfect. Promises from broadband providers also aren't guarantees, as customer service representatives could be relying on incorrect information. Even verifying with neighbors that service is available and seeing the actual Internet equipment in the house you're buying isn't always foolproof. We've interviewed multiple home buyers who couldn't get AT&T DSL even when their neighbors had service. Even in cases where the previous homeowner had DSL, AT&T sometimes refuses to connect a new occupant in the very same home, claiming it doesn't have enough network capacity. Compared to those people, Marshall is lucky. His 3Mbps/1Mbps connection with Frontier allows him to work, though with difficulty. "I try to multitask as best as I can," he said. "I'm not sure if it's affecting the amount of hours I work, because I work up a problem on one page and wait for that to load and then go back to another problem." Marshall hasn't gone with satellite because it would have data caps and latency that could affect the Voice over Internet Phone system he uses for work. There's also a point-to-point wireless provider in the area, but the price and speeds weren't too different from Frontier's offering, he said. Marshall pays $53.78 a month for two DSL lines , one for his work computer and "the other one set up in the living room so I can have grainy Netflix." Marshall's girlfriend lives with him, and she also works at home occasionally. Though the Frontier download speed is up to 3Mbps, Marshall said it generally slows down to about 2Mbps at night when the network is more congested. The upload speed is supposed to max out at 1Mbps, "but I've never gotten more than 600kbps." The US defines broadband as speeds of at least 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up. City wants to offer fiber service, and private ISPs don't like it Sun Prairie's City Council decided in July to build a municipal fiber network. It's starting as a pilot project in one area but could eventually go citywide. There's no certainty that it will reach Marshall's home, but the initiative provides a glimmer of hope. Wisconsin state law imposes some restriction on municipal broadband, but doesn't ban the projects. Naturally, Charter and Frontier both opposed the Sun Prairie network. The companies "spent more than 90 minutes telling city officials why it's a bad idea, highlighting failures in other municipalities, questioning the utilities' ability to handle operations, and even hinting, if it goes through, they'll cut jobs in the Sun Prairie area," said a Sun Prairie Star account **of a meeting a few weeks before the vote. "We were at a few meetings where Charter and Frontier's general manager in this area sort of tried to lay it out, trying to pretend that it's a really bad idea, that other municipalities have failed and maybe they wouldn't be able to handle it," Marshall said. Marshall has discussed his situation with city officials and contacted representatives in the state legislature. A staffer for State Senator Mark Miller wrote back to Marshall earlier this month, telling him that because of a 2008 change in state law, "local Internet service is no longer regulated by local governments." That change created a state-level franchising proces, eliminating the local franchises cable companies previously had to negotiate with in individual cities and towns. Local franchises can force cable companies to serve all residents , but that isn't an option in this case. "Senator Miller opposed the law change for a number of reasons, including the situation you find yourself in," Marshall was told by the senator's office. "Namely, there is no incentive for Charter to be responsive to prospective customers. The new law was sold as necessary to provide competition. However, the competition never materialized in much of the state, including your neighborhood, while Charter can continue running its business without any oversight by local government." Marshall may be out of luck, but he said he hopes his experience "serves as a warning to other people, because I'd hate to see anybody else in my situation."
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Money mistakes to avoid in your 40s With age comes wisdom, so they say -- but it also comes with more complicated lifestyles. By the time we reach our 40s, we expect to be savvy, certainly capable of making good financial decisions, and generally well on our way to reaching our goals. But from what I can see, it's often not the case. We are still in our 30s, but our friends and cousins are stepping into their 40s. I notice the decisions they make and the new struggles that come their way, and it's making me think about the money mistakes I would like to avoid in my 40s. Lifestyle spiraling out of control Speaking of complicated lifestyles, most people reach their peak earning potential in their 40s or early 50s -- and those bigger paychecks make the possibility of lifestyle inflation more likely. Bigger cars, fancier vacations, after-school sports, music, dance classes and eating out more often. Life gets busier, and it's just easier to let these expenses grow until they're out of control. Supersizing your house (or doing fancy remodeling) By 40, you've probably been living in your house for a few years and the itch to move to a bigger place (using kids as a reason) or to upgrade to a fancy kitchen or Pinterest-worthy bathroom starts to kick in. You might figure that, because you're earning more now than when you first bought the house and because remodeling is suppose to increase the house value, why not remodel? Well, for one thing, most remodels don't move the value of the house up as much as you'd think. Secondly, most of us don't need a bigger house. Census data shows that the median and average house sizes have been increasing consistently since 1973 whereas the average household size is actually shrinking. Keeping your emergency fund balance static Do you have an emergency fund? Great! If you created the fund and haven't revisited it, then you might find that it is woefully inadequate for your current needs. With a bigger paycheck to replace, inflated expenses and more kids to support -- and a hefty mortgage payment to boot -- an emergency fund balance determined on income 10 years ago won't cover three months anymore. It might be the equivalent of just one to two months' pay for expenses today. Not t aking care of your health This is true for any age, but people in their 40s tend to get super busy with their kids and life just takes over. But not taking care of your health now could translate to a lot of medical expenses in your retirement. Deciding you're too old to start saving for retirement Hopefully by now you are on auto pilot when it comes to retirement savings. If not, it isn't too late to start . It's never too late to start. Do not dismiss putting money away for retirement, even if you're starting late with just a little bit of money in a high-interest savings account . Thinking you're too old t o switch careers By this point, you might have close to a couple of decades of experience in your career. Don't allow longevity to make you think that you're stuck in this career forever. With the number of online platforms like Etsy, E-lance or Amazon Handmade growing, it has never been easier to dip your toes in and start the entrepreneurial dream you have without giving up the security of a paycheck. It's not too late to start a business or change careers (even while you work full time), if you have that opportunity. Being complacent in your current job/not trying to advance In our 20s and 30s, we can be quite aggressive about going after promotions, pay raises and better job prospects. But in our 40s, complacency can set in, giving rise to a feeling that the years of competing are behind us. Why should we think that? There are plenty of ways to structure work hours to have a good work/life balance and still go for that corner office. If you are happy with your current life, that's terrific! If that's not the case, and the only reason for not doing more is because you're just too comfortable and don't want to get out of your comfort zone, then it might be time for a change. Putting your kids' college savings ahead of your retirement savings If your neighbors and friends are sending their kids to college, you may start to feel panic and channel whatever you can toward that 529 account that was neglected until now. Nice gesture, but can you afford to do that? If you are not saving enough for your own retirement (now is a good time to revisit your retirement goals to make sure you are), then that should be your first priority. There is a flip side to this coin, which is… Not starting to save for kids' educ ation if you can afford it If you can afford to save more, it is time to start putting as much as you can toward your kid's education if you are planning to pay for college (and now is a good time to have that discussion with your partner!) Treating your mortgage -- or your 401(k ) -- like a piggy bank In the last few months, too many people in our circle have taken a second mortgage on their house to pay for their kid's college education. Do you want to be paying your mortgage well into your retirement? I don't think so. Treating your mortgage like a piggy bank for college or any other needs is a bad idea. So is taking money out of a 401(k) to pay for college. Don't put your retirement in jeopardy by raiding your 401(k). As the saying goes, you can take a loan for college, but there is no loan for retirement. Neglecting insurance Have you re-evaluated your insurance needs recently? Is your life insurance keeping up with your pay and lifestyle? Do you have disability insurance? Have you started thinking about long-term care insurance? If not, now is a good time. Not planning for a multi-generational household (if it is applicable to you) Once you reach your 40s, your parents are usually nearing or already in retirement. But these days, more people are finding themselves the primary care giver for their parents while also having kids at home . If you are planning to provide financial or any form of support for them, have you included that in your financial plan? Not taking care of self I understand how, after having kids, life pretty much revolves around them. That's not a bad thing, but neglecting your needs is bad. Set aside some money for personal hobbies or date night. It is essential to have a life apart from your children. It's healthy for you and your kids. It takes meticulous planning, especially in your 40s, to stay strong in the path toward financial independence. The good news is that 40-year-olds have probably learned to be disciplined with their finances -- but they can still get off track. And just as it is with any age group, getting back on track requires that you educate yourself on what you need to do and then start doing it! As I mentioned, we are not in our 40s yet, so this is a list of mistakes that I hope to avoid based on what I see. I might make some completely new mistakes! Only time will tell.
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25 Premium Truck Trims Available Today Trucks for Pampering Yourself on the Job You no longer have to get a premium-badged vehicle to have all sorts of luxury in your ride. In fact, you can now get trucks with interiors that rival those of cars and crossovers/SUVs from Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Lexus. A truck isn't just something you buy because you need its utility, especially with the higher trims on trucks today, and you have the Lincoln Blackwood to thank for that. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook Ford F-150 Among full-size trucks, the Ford F-150 is one of the most opulent in upper trim levels, which come with features that are usually found on luxury cars. The standard 5.0-liter V-8 with 385 hp and 387 lb-ft of torque or the optional twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 rated at 365 hp and 420 lb-ft mean you can still tow up to 12,200 pounds or haul up to 3,300 pounds. Pricing for the Ford F-150 F-150 King Ranch The second most expensive trim level of the F-150 is plush and well-appointed. The King Ranch features heated seats all around, ventilated front seats, the Sync infotainment system with navigation, a heated steering wheel, Java leather upholstery with the King Ranch logo embossed on the front seats, and full LED headlights. Should you opt for the available multi-contour front seats, be sure to enjoy the two-level massage function. The F-150 is the only full-size truck that has them as an option. Pricing for the Ford F-150 King Ranch Ford F-150 Platinum If the King Ranch isn't luxurious enough for you, then consider the F-150 Platinum, which provides an even more upscale experience. It features genuine wood trim, LED spotlights and box lighting, a large dual-pane moonroof, and Brunello leather upholstery. The multi-contour front seats are also standard and offer a two-level massage function, so you can relax and work at the same time. Pricing for the Ford F-150 Platinum Ford Super Duty Just because you need a truck with high levels of work capability and 860 lb-ft of torque from your turbodiesel engine doesn't mean you can't be pampered when driving it. Like the smaller F-150, the Ford Super Duty trucks are available in two premium trims. Pricing for the 2016 Ford F-250 Super Duty Ford Super Duty King Ranch The first of two upscale trim levels, the King Ranch comes with exclusive Mesa Brown leather upholstery with the King Ranch logo embossed in the front seats, a Sony premium audio system, and Ford's Sync infotainment system with navigation. Available options include heated front seats, monochromatic exterior pain, chrome-cladded wheels, and a telematics system that allows you to track all of your work trucks. Pricing for the 2016 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch Ford Super Duty Platinum Should the King Ranch not be plush enough, consider the Platinum trim level, which takes the King Ranch trim and makes it even more upscale by adding perforated leather upholstery, genuine walnut wood accents, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a wood accent. Pricing for the 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty Platinum Chevrolet Silverado One of the most popular trucks on sale today, the Chevrolet Silverado is capable and opulent when you opt for the higher trim levels. Regardless of whether you have a 1500, 2500 HD, or 3500 HD, you can get one of the two higher trim levels and be pampered while you work. Because virtually every GM vehicle is available with 4G LTE connectivity, you can also turn your Silverado into a mobile office, all while towing between 6,000 to 23,200 lbs depending on the truck's size and configuration. Pricing for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Second-highest in the Silverado 1500 and 3500 and the range-topping trim in the Silverado 2500, the LTZ grade offers plenty of features, including Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen, remote start, a rearview camera, leather upholstery, and chrome door handles and mirror caps. The 2500 and 3500 LTZ add heated front seats, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Pricing for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Chevrolet Silverado High Country Available only in the Silverado 1500 and 3500, the High Country comes packed to the brim with goodies such as chrome or forged-aluminum wheels, a Saddle interior upholstery color, Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment system with navigation and an 8-inch touchscreen, a Bose premium audio system, and perforated leather upholstery. Pricing for the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 High Country GMC Sierra Is the Chevrolet Silverado not luxurious enough even in the High Country trim? Then take a look at the GMC Sierra, which is available in the upscale Denali trim in all of its variants and features similar capabilities to its Chevrolet sibling. Cladded in chrome and packed with plenty of leather, the Sierra Denali is a luxury truck in the truest sense, offering a quiet interior and a smooth ride. Should you need to turn your luxurious truck into a mobile office, all GMC trucks can be had with 4G LTE connectivity to keep you online. Pricing for the GMC Sierra 1500 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali The smallest variant of the Sierra, the 1500, comes with 20-inch alloy wheels, Magnetic Ride Control, perforated leather upholstery, a Bose audio system, a heated steering wheel, and GMC's IntelliLink infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen and navigation. In case that you'll be using your truck for both work and hauling family, there's also an available rear-seat entertainment system to keep the kids happy on those long drives. Pricing for the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali GMC Sierra 2500 Denali and 3500 Denali If you need more capability than what the Sierra 1500 can offer, the Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD Denali will fulfill your work duties and keep you comfortable. Extensive use of soft-touch materials and layer upon layer of sound deadening mean it's extra quiet inside Denali-badged GMC trucks. There's also no need to worry when it comes tech features because GMC has you covered with 4G LTE connectivity, the IntelliLink infotainment system with navigation and an 8-inch touchscreen with gesture control, and an available rear-seat entertainment system. Pricing for the 2015 GMC Sierra 3500 Denali HD Ram 1500 Available with an extensive selection of engines, including a 3.0-liter, turbodiesel V-6, the Ram 1500 offers plenty of capability and surprising fuel economy for a full-size truck of up to 29 MPG on the highway. Should you also want a nice dose of opulence, the three trim levels available should satisfy your need for a truck that can pamper you. Pricing for the Ram 1500 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn The Laramie Longhorn is the first of three upscale Ram 1500s and comes equipped luxuriously with premium leather upholstery, heated front and outboard rear seats, ventilated front seats, FCA's Uconnect infotainment system with navigation and an 8.4-inch touchscreen, unique interior accents, a 10-way driver's seat with memory, power-folding side mirrors, parking sensors, remote start, and a rearview camera. Should you want more equipment, the Convenience group adds automatic headlights, keyless entry/start, and rain-sensing wipers. Pricing for the Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn Ram 1500 Limited The Ram 1500 Laramie Limited and Ram 1500 Limited offer more capability and come standard with a four-corner air suspension, the RamBox cargo management system, and all the standard features found in the Laramie Longhorn. Pricing for the Ram 1500 Laramie Limited Ram 2500 When capability is of the utmost importance and you need a truck that can haul everything yet stay cushy, the Ram 2500 is the truck for you. Available with a Cummins 6.7-liter, turbodiesel I-6, the Ram 2500 becomes one of the most powerful trucks available today thanks to the engine's 800 lb-ft of torque, which also allows it to tow up to 18,000 pounds. Pricing for the 2016 Ram 2500 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn Should you need a luxurious heavy-duty work truck, the Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn offers a heated steering wheel, FCA's Uconnect infotainment system with navigation and an 8.4-inch touchscreen, premium leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, and power front seats with memory function. Pricing for the 2016 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn Mega Cab Ram 2500 Limited If you'd like more practicality and additional features, the Laramie Limited trim comes with the RamBox cargo management system, keyless entry/start, and automatic high-beams plus all the features found on the Laramie Longhorn. Pricing for the 2016 Ram 2500 Laramie Limited Ram 2500 Power Wagon Laramie Need some serious off-roading chops to go with that posh interior but want a truck? Consider the Ram 2500 Power Wagon Laramie, a highly capable truck off the beaten path. It also comes with niceties such as heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a rear camera. You can also add navigation, heated rear seats, premium leather upholstery, the RamBox cargo management system, and FCA's Uconnect infotainment system with an 8.4-inch touchscreen. Pricing for the Ram 2500 Power Wagon Laramie 4x4 Ram 3500 Ram's largest truck is capable, powerful, and surprisingly luxurious in its higher trim levels. Like the smaller Ram 2500, the Ram 3500 is also available with the Cummins 6.7-liter, turbodiesel I-6 with 865 lb-ft of torque, so you can haul over 30,000 lbs. stuff as you please at work while indulging in the comforts of an interior swathed in leather. Pricing for the Ram 3500 Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn Like the Laramie Longhorn trims in the Ram 1500 and Ram 2500, the Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn also has quality materials and plenty of gizmos. Standard equipment includes Premium Filigree leather, power front seats with a memory function, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, and a rearview camera. Pricing for the Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn 4x4 Mega Cab Ram 3500 Laramie Limited Should you want more convenience features, the Laramie Limited trim adds keyless entry/start, the RamBox cargo management system, and bucket front seats trimmed in premium black leather. Pricing for the Ram 3500 Laramie Limited Toyota Tundra Yes, a Toyota truck is luxurious. In its highest trim levels, the Tundra comes with plenty of exclusive extras that make it a great choice as a work truck than can double as a family hauler. Add to that Toyota's reputation for reliability plus a towing capacity of up to 10,500 pounds and you have a truck that will last you forever provided you take good care of it. Pricing for the Toyota Tundra Toyota Tundra Limited The first of three premium trims available in the Tundra, the Limited comes with niceties such as leather upholstery, a wood-style steering wheel, 20-inch alloy wheels, a rearview camera, dual-zone climate control, the Entune infotainment system with navigation and a mobile phone app suite, and a premium audio system. Pricing for the Toyota Tundra Limited Double Cab Toyota Tundra Platinum Step up to the Platinum grade and you get an upgraded Entune infotainment system, a JBL premium audio system, LED daytime running lights, blind-spot warning, perforated leather upholstery, and parking sensors. Pricing for the Toyota Tundra Platinum Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition Take the Platinum trim and add some unique features such as brown and black two-tone leather upholstery and a chrome grille with gray accents, and what you get is the Tundra 1794 Edition. Should you want to take your Tundra off-roading, the 1794 Edition can also be had with the TRD Off-Road package, which adds trail-tuned Bilstein shock absorbers, engine and fuel tank skidplates, and 18-inch TRD Off-Road alloy wheels with black accents. Pricing for the Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition
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The Buffalo Bills hosted Trent Richardson, Dan "Boom" Herron, and several other running backs for workouts on Tuesday in light of Karlos Williams' recent concussion. After the workout, the Bills announced that they have signed Herron. ROSTER MOVES Signed: RB Dan HerronIR: TE MarQueis GrayP-squad: WR Walter PowellDetails: http://t.co/e8EnAys3a7 pic.twitter.com/PF9yWPccJw Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) October 6, 2015 Herron last played for the Indianapolis Colts in 2014 when he started three games and rushed for 351 yards on 78 carries. He was waived by the Colts in September due to a shoulder injury. With Williams' status uncertain for Week 5, Herron is a candidate to play on Sunday. To make room for Herron, the Bills placed tight end MarQueis Gray on injured reserve after suffering a fractured forearm in Week 4. MORE NEWS: Want stories delivered to you? Sign up for our NFL newsletters.
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sports
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Kanye West wants his future son to "feel purpose" and despite the priveledge he'll be born into, Kanye hopes his son will learn it.
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video
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Although you may shudder to enter a holiday season overflowing with sweets, Halloween candy might just be a tiny blessing in disguise. The small "fun size" bars and packets offer up controlled serving sizes, giving you a tiny taste of the sweet you crave without going overboard. Since portion control and moderation are both key when enjoying Halloween candy, here's a little visual to help you see exactly what 100 calories of your favorites looks like. Baby Ruth One fun size bar = 85 calories One and a quarter fun size bars = 106 calories Butterfinger One fun size bar = 85 calories One and a quarter fun size bars = 106 calories Candy Corn One piece of candy corn = 7.5 calories 13 candy corns = 97.5 calories Charleston Chew One fun size bar = 30 calories Three and a half fun size bars = 105 calories Heath Bar One fun size bar = 77 calories One and one-third fun size bars = 104 calories Hershey's Bar One fun size bar = 67 calories One and a half fun size bars = 101 calories Kit Kat One fun size bar = 70 calories One and a half fun size bars (three sticks) = 105 calories M&M's One packet (18 pieces) = 73 calories One and a half packets (27 pieces) = 110 calories Peanut M&M's One packet (eight pieces) = 90 calories One and a quarter packets (10 pieces) = 113 calories Peanut Butter M&M's One packet (10 pieces) = 95 calories Milky Way One fun size bar = 80 calories One and a quarter fun size bars = 100 calories Mounds One fun size bar = 80 calories One and a quarter fun size bars = 100 calories If Almond Joy is your fave, note that one bar is slightly higher in calories at 91 calories a bar . Mr. Goodbar One fun size bar = 90 calories One and a quarter fun size bars = 113 calories Nestle's Crunch One fun size bar = 60 calories One and three-quarters fun size bars = 105 calories Reese's Peanut Butter Cup One cup = 110 calories Snickers One fun size bar = 80 calories One and a quarter fun size bars = 100 calories Snickers Peanut Butter One fun size bar = 130 calories Three-quarters of a fun size bar = 99 calories Take 5 One fun size bar = 100 calories 3 Musketeers One fun size bar = 63 calories One and a half fun size bars = 95 calories Twix One fun size bar = 80 calories One and a quarter fun size bars = 100 calories York Peppermint Patty One fun size patty = 60 calories One and three quarters fun size patties = 105 calories
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health
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Microsoft announced that its experimental HoloLens headset will be available in the first quarter of 2016 for $3,000, and only for software developers, at first. At the beginning of 2015, Microsoft showed off the HoloLens , an ambitious headset that displays digital images over the world around you, using a technology commonly referred to as augmented reality. Today at a big press event in New York City, the company announced that HoloLens will be available in the first quarter of 2016 starting at a price of $3,000 but only for software developers. The company also showed off a "mixed reality" gaming demo on the HoloLens at the event, in which a player equipped with a virtual blaster cannon displayed on his hand fought off a horde of attacking aliens that popped through a hole in his wall. Microsoft's approach with the HoloLens, which allows you to see digital information displayed over your view of the world around you, is a marked difference from Facebook and Google, both of which are working on virtual reality headsets that block the world around you, while immersing you in a completely virtual one. However, Microsoft and Facebook are working together to support Facebook subsidiary Oculus's VR headset, which is also expected to ship in 2016 with a Microsoft Xbox and Xbox controller. Developing, check back for more updates…
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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis is expected to miss four-to-five weeks with a lower-body injury that is unrelated to the blood clots of last season, the team announced on Tuesday. Dupuis did not skate with the Penguins on Monday, but coach Mike Johnston told the team's website that the 36-year-old was nursing a slight ailment and would miss Thursday's season-opening contest with the Dallas Stars as a precaution. #Pens forward Pascal Dupuis will miss 4-5 weeks with a lower-body injury unrelated to prior health issues. Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 6, 2015 The undisclosed injury was suffered during a 3-on-3 drill on Sunday, according to Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Dupuis scored six goals and set up five others in 16 games last season. The Quebec native has recorded 188 tallies and 217 assists in 853 career contests with the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets and Penguins.
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The Russian Ministry of Defence releases footage it says shows a Russian aircraft making pinpoint strikes against ISIS facilities in Syria.
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Army veteran, Justin Lansford chose his therapy dog, Gabe, to be his best man at his recent wedding. As Mara Montalbano (@maramontalbano) tells us, they came together through the Warrior Canine Connection.
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Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders gave an interview to Ebony Magazine in an effort to court African-American voters. CNN's Ana Cabrera talks to Kyra Kyles, Vice President of Digital Editorial at Ebony Magazine.
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LANSING, Mich. A 50-year-old supervisor at a Michigan fiberglass factory is the winner of a $310.5 million Powerball jackpot. Julie Leach of Three Rivers says she was having a "bad night" at her third-shift job when she took a lunch break. She checked the numbers while waiting in a McDonald's drive-thru. Leach says she is in "disbelief." She quickly quit her "nasty, dirty" job and plans to build houses in Michigan for her and her partner of 36 years, their three children and 11 grandchildren. Leach chose a lump sum of $197.4 million, or $140 million after taxes. It's Michigan's second-largest lottery prize.
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WASHINGTON President Obama told business leaders Tuesday he is confident that Congress will approve a massive Pacific Rim trade agreement because it is a good deal for U.S. producers and consumers. "I'm also confident that the case to be made for why this is good for America is sufficiently strong, that ultimately we're going to get this done," Obama said after a meeting with the business leaders at the U.S. Agriculture Department. The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership will eliminate or reduce foreign tariffs on some 18,000 products, notably agriculture exports, Obama said. For example, he said, Japan slaps a 38% tax on American beef, and Malaysia has a 30% tax on U.S. auto parts. As Congress takes up the landmark trade bill, Obama is in many ways fighting with fellow Democrats who have opposed free trade for years. Labor unions, major backers of Obama's presidential campaigns, have also come out against TPP, saying their members will lose jobs as a result. These critics say free trade deals in general make it easier for U.S. employers to move jobs to nations that have lower wages and fewer environmental regulations. "Rushing through a bad deal will not bring economic stability to working families, nor will it bring confidence that our priorities count as much as those of global corporations," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Obama said the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership which ranges from Canada to Chile to Australia to Japan includes labor and environmental requirements from all countries, making it harder to move jobs around. If countries don't abide by the labor and environmental standards, he said, "then they don't get the benefits of selling to the United States under the terms of this agreement." Preparing to sell the deal in the months ahead, Obama said he and his aides "are going to be talking not just to members of Congress, but the American public and various constituencies, and governors, and mayors who are represented here about why this is good for their communities." While Obama said, "I suspect that there will be some misinformation that is propagated around this, as there usually is in these debates," he predicted the agreement will ultimately be ratified. "It will be an enormous achievement for us to be able to make sure that 40% of the world's economy is operating under rules that don't hurt us," Obama said.
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If virtual reality wants to take off, it will need all the content it can get, and this hardware could make that possible.
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Christopher Harper Mercer, who killed nine people and injured nine others last week at Umpqua Community College owned a total of 14 guns. Adam Lanza, who killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary, had four firearms with him on the day of the massacre and three additional guns at home. The survey of 3,000 people found that 25% of gun owners reported having five or more firearms, and 8% of gun owners had 10 or more firearms.
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Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he would be comfortable with kindergarten teachers and other school administrators having access to guns as a form of protection. "If I had a little kid in kindergarten somewhere, I would feel much more comfortable if I knew on that campus there was a police officer or somebody who was trained with a weapon," Carson said in an interview for USA Today's Capital Download released Tuesday. "If the teacher was trained in the use of that weapon and had access to it, I would be much more comfortable if they had one than if they didn't," Carson added. That is similar to what the National Rifle Association advocated following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., that left 20 children and six educators dead. After that shooting, the gun group called for trained and armed security guards at schools. Gun violence returned to the national conversation last week when a man shot and killed nine people at a community college in Oregon. Earlier Tuesday, during a Fox News interview , Carson suggested that if he were in the situation at the community college, he would have confronted the gunman. He also spoke in the USA Today interview of reversing his support for a ban on assault weapons after "getting more into the history of this country and the history of other countries."
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There's no need to deny yourself a late-night snack if you're feeling hungry, but you still have to think smart when it comes to eating late. Eating the wrong foods will disrupt your sleep while also adding a lot of unneeded calories to your day. Instead of just diving into the nearest, tastiest-looking item in your fridge, here are five types of foods to avoid at night and why. Greasy or fat-filled foods: Greasy, heavy, fatty foods not only make you feel sluggish the next morning, but they also make your stomach work overdrive to digest all that food. Stay away from things like fast food, nuts, ice cream, or super cheesy foods right before bed. High-carb or sugary foods: A little bit of something sweet before bed may be just what you need to rest happy, but if you gobble a huge slice of chocolate cake, the spike in your blood-sugar levels could cause your energy levels to spike and plummet, disrupting your sleep in the process. Avoid cake, cookies, or other desserts as well as carby snacks like crackers or white bread and munch on an apple instead. Red meat and other proteins: Like fatty foods, eating red meats late at night will sit in your stomach and make it hard for you to fall asleep while you're digesting (red meat may affect you the worst, but eating a large portion of chicken or pork would have the same effect as well). You don't have to avoid protein altogether, just make sure you go for lean and small portions, like deli-sliced turkey breast or a cup of yogurt. Spicy foods: Spices may be a natural cure-all for a range of ailments , but when you're craving something to eat late at night, step away from the hot sauce. Spicy, peppery foods may upset your stomach, and the chemicals in spicy food can also stimulate your senses, making it hard to fall asleep. Big portions: Late-night snacking shouldn't turn into a late-night meal. Keep the total amount of calories under 200 so you won't have any problems going and staying asleep. You'll also feel good knowing that you didn't undo all your healthy eating habits of the day right before bedtime. So what should you eat instead? Small, light portions that will also calm cravings and help you sleep. Try incorporating these sleep-inducing foods or these low-calorie late-night snacks that hit all your sweet or salty cravings. And remember to limit how much alcohol you drink as well, since too many drinks can keep you up at night.
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Rosie O'Donnell's 18-year-old daughter Chelsea is putting her on blast saying the former View host lied to the media about her running away. Not only does she say she was kicked out, she says she's not mentally ill despite Rosie claiming she is. And after making the shocking decision to live with her birth mom, she's now calling Rosie a phony! But that's not it, find out what else Chelsea is blasting her about.
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Love it or hate it, Ikea has become an essential resource for apartment dwellers everywhere. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Swedish company is making itself even more indispensable to those living in tiny urban spaces thanks to a thoroughly innovative development: Movable walls. For the past two years, Ikea has put their concept to the test in a couple of apartments in Malmö, Sweden. The brand installed floating walls which hover less than an inch off the ground and are attached to runners on the apartments' permanent walls and asked residents to report back. A single father of three said that , "The apartment felt much bigger than mine, which is actually 20 square meters (215 square feet) bigger." Mikael Ydholm, Ikea's head of research, has big plans for the moving walls, though he admits that they're not quite consumer ready. The company is still working through safety regulations and installation logistics; ideally, Ydholm says that they hope to get movable walls in Ikea catalogs in about three years. Until then, you can check out pictures from the 5-in-1 apartment designed and built by MKCA, which features a similar concept. The architecture firm used a 1920's co-op in Manhattan's Gramercy Park neighborhood to experiment with micro housing. Among the custom solutions employed in the 390 square foot space is a wall that slides back to reveal a tiny sleeping area.
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Louisville coach Rick Pitino wasn't sure about a lot of what was swirling around his basketball program early Friday evening, after news broke regarding a book that alleged one of his staff members had hired prostitutes to help entice recruits to join the Cardinals. He did seem fairly certain of one item, though: "I venture to say not one person came here because of these women." MORE: Six things we learned from the book | Escort says she went to NCAA first Try to steer clear of the double entendre Pitino dropped there, and stick to the message he intended to deliver: Pitino believes that the alleged use of prostitutes to entertain prospects at the residence hall where most basketball players reside did not impact Louisville's recruiting. What he no doubt fears most, however, is that it will now. There have been a number of public discussions in recent days regarding whether Pitino can survive "another sex scandal," all of which seem to miss the reality that a coach of his stature failing to survive a circumstance such as this is virtually without precedent. That includes his own circumstance from 2009, when an extortion case against a woman named Karen Cunagin Sypher led to the revelation Pitino had an affair with her and provided her with $3,000, either to have an abortion (her version) or obtain medical insurance (his version). Although it is dreadfully embarrassing to the university and its supporters to have a prostitute claim Andre McGee, a respected former player who was working on the basketball staff, paid her to arrange sex for some parents of prospects and some prospects, Pitino certainly is not going to be fired. It would cost Louisville a fortune to rid itself of a coach who only two years ago delivered an NCAA championship. And he's not going to quit because the next coach to willingly walk away from such a conflagration that's a fancy word for dumpster fire will be the first. That would require someone whose entire career is built on a foundation of competitive drive to admit defeat and allow this episode to stand as the final statement of his four-decade career. Which is not to say these next few years are going to be all fairways and greens. MORE: Indiana booster sparked investigation, UofL AD says Ask Roy Williams what it's like to recruit against some of the nation's marvelous basketball programs and an enduring investigation into NCAA-type issues. Recruits at this level are worried about three items: 1) Can I get to the NBA from here? 2) How fast can I get to the NBA from here? 3) While, I'm here, will I get to play in the NCAAs? If a program is facing the prospect of postseason sanctions, it is bound to lose someone it wants, probably even someone it needs. In a more competitive conference than ever, with the specter of Kentucky's machine 75 miles down the road and with a roster already temporarily patched with graduate transfers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, Louisville is going to need more players. The Cardinals have a four-man freshman class that was ranked No. 7 nationally, including top-20 guard Donovan Mitchell, but the players expected to lead the program in 2015-16 will be gone after spending one season in Louisville. Pitino and his staff had been recruiting rather furiously, bringing in such high-end talents as Markelle Fultz and Tyus Battle on visits before they committed elsewhere. And then, with future McDonald's All-American T.J. Leaf on campus this past weekend, there came the avalanche of horrific publicity announcing the release of "Breaking Cardinal Rules". Leaf traveled all the way from the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, and was joined on the visit by his parents and grandparents, according to Scout.com website Cardinal Authority. The family met with athletic director Tom Jurich to discuss the burgeoning scandal, which no doubt was thrilling for all involved. MORE: Kentucky lands five-star Wenyen Gabriel Louisville has done well enough with the scouting ability of such staff members as Ralph Willard (who caught on to Russ Smith's potential) and the relationships forged by the likes of former assistant Kevin Keatts (who helped land Montrezl Harrell), as well as Pitino's prodigious teaching and strategic talent, to compile a 15-5 NCAA Tournament record in the seasons since the Sypher trial. But the move to the ACC as of last season increased Louisville's high-end competition in league play. And the need to spice the current roster with two senior transfers for the current season sounded an alarm. For this situation to develop so soon afterward compounds the challenge of maintaining a title-contending program. "To say I'm disheartened and disappointed would probably be the biggest understatement I've made since I've been a coach," Pitino said at his press conference. Those emotions may last a while.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign is grappling with a pressing and difficult question: How can she contrast herself to Bernie Sanders in next week's Democratic presidential debate and beyond, without employing the sort of attacks that could boomerang to harm her? For months, Mrs. Clinton has gingerly approached Mr. Sanders, the Vermont senator who has routinely drawn tens of thousands of Democrats to his rallies and who is rivaling her in polls of Iowa and New Hampshire voters. She has seldom mentioned his name, let alone criticized him. But while Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. may be a looming threat , Mr. Sanders poses more immediate concerns to Mrs. Clinton and her aides. Sign Up For NYT Now's Morning Briefing Newsletter Many Democrats believe that Mr. Sanders, an independent who calls himself a democratic socialist, will prove too far left-leaning to capture the nomination, despite his popularity at this stage of the contest. But the growing chance that he could win either Iowa or New Hampshire, or both, has raised the stakes for the Oct. 13 debate in Las Vegas. Over the next week, Mrs. Clinton and her aides will look for the best way to explain to viewers why she is a better choice than her nearest rival without sounding condescending to Mr. Sanders, or dismissive of his views, so she does not risk alienating his growing army of fervent supporters. "I've seen every attack people have thrown at him, and none of them have worked," cautioned Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, who supports Mrs. Clinton. Not all of them have exactly been subtle. In 2004, the Republican challenging him for his House seat sought to deride him as a political oddball. "Crazy Bernie," an advertisement called him, "a holder from the Woodstock days of reefer and flowers." But Vermont voters did not seem to mind the description. Attacking Mr. Sanders's character or lampooning his self-description as a "democratic socialist," Mr. Dean suggested, will only "make him stronger, especially with his base and we need his base." Mrs. Clinton is unlikely to belittle Mr. Sanders. But her debate preparations have touched on, among other things, how Mr. Sanders would accomplish some of his ambitious proposals if he were elected president, according to three people briefed on the private discussions. (Mr. Sanders's spending plans free public college tuition, a $1 trillion infrastructure program and a single-payer health care system would be financed with a variety of tax increases; both would be nonstarters under a Republican-controlled Congress.) The practice sessions are also covering a number of issues in which Mrs. Clinton's positions or her record are at odds with Mr. Sanders, including on gun control , said the three people who were briefed. Led by Ron Klain, a former Biden aide, and Karen Dunn, a litigator, the debate preparations have featured Mrs. Clinton's longtime lawyer, Robert Barnett, in the role of Mr. Sanders and her policy adviser Jake Sullivan playing Martin O'Malley, the former Maryland governor. Mr. Barnett and aides to Mrs. Clinton declined to comment, and Mr. Sullivan could not be reached. For Mrs. Clinton, debating Mr. Sanders poses a challenge reminiscent of the more troublesome one she faced in 2008, when Senator Barack Obama's criticisms of her were widely characterized as fair, but Mrs. Clinton's efforts to counter them and defend herself often were not. Already, a "super PAC" aligned with Mrs. Clinton's campaign showed the risks that can come if an unsuccessful attack on Mr. Sanders blows back. As The Huffington Post reported , the super PAC, Correct the Record , in a document that was intended to be off the record, drew a connection between Mr. Sanders and Hugo Chávez, the socialist president of Venezuela who died in 2013, because Mr. Sanders supported a deal to bring low-cost Venezuelan oil to New England. Mr. Sanders, calling it "the same-old, same-old negative politics," seized on the report and raised more than $1 million in two days. Beyond the debate, neither Mrs. Clinton nor Mr. Sanders has ruled out resorting to negative advertisements in the months ahead, though both have insisted they would prefer to avoid it. "I know Bernie," Mrs. Clinton said on "Face the Nation" on CBS recently. "I respect his enthusiastic and intense advocacy of his ideas. That's what I want this campaign to be about." Mr. Sanders, meanwhile, has been drawing his own implicit contrasts with Mrs. Clinton for months which, without naming her, leave little to the imagination. "If you think establishment politics and establishment economics is the answer to our problems, fine, there are good candidates out there," he told David Axelrod, the former adviser to President Obama, in a podcast recently, repeating a familiar formulation pregnant with faint praise. Whether next week's debate veers off from faint praise into out-and-out hostility will, in many ways, set the tone for the Democratic battle until February's Iowa caucuses. For Mrs. Clinton, the challenge may be to outdo Mr. Sanders at his own game, rather than to embarrass him, Mr. Axelrod suggested in an interview. "Looking forward, it seems far better to co-opt the spirit of Bernie's message than to attack him," he said. "Better to be a champion for fairness and opportunity, and tackle the issue of how to raise wages in a country where they have effectively flatlined for decades, than to kneecap a guy who is relatively popular and is running a positive campaign." Find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via Facebook , Twitter and the First Draft newsletter .
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NBC always feared that cutting Jay Leno loose would drive him into the arms of a competitor. So the network must be breathing a small sigh of relief to see his next show simply indulge his impulses as a hobbyist, taking "Jay Leno's Garage" to its sister network, CNBC. Leno's passion for cars (and his airplane hangar full of them) is well known, and he uses that as an excuse to kibitz with like-minded pals, and drive way-cool vehicles. Still, in terms of anything that would draw attention away from his old gig, it's a decidedly low-emission ride.
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Brazilian forward Neymar will remain at Barcelona "for life," according to the club's technical director Roberto Fernandez. The 23-year-old underlined his status as one of the best players in his team last season when he scored 43 goals in all competitions as Barcelona won a Primera Division, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble. Neymar is tied to the European champions until June 2018 and Barca recently expressed their intention to reward the Brazil international with a new and improved deal that would reportedly make the player the second highest paid at the club after Lionel Messi. "We are currently working on Neymar's contract extension and I don't think there will be any type of problem," Fernandez said, as reported in Marca. "I have no doubt in my mind that Neymar will spend the rest of his life at Barcelona." Neymar was linked with Manchester United this summer, with reports in England claiming the Red Devils were prepared to spend £240 million ($365m) - £130m ($198m) on the player's buyout clause and the remainder on tying him to a long-term contract at Old Trafford. The Brazil captain had been a target of United's city rivals Manchester City and Chelsea two years earlier but the player opted to join Barca instead in the summer of 2013 when he moved from Santos. Neymar has been even more importance this season with Messi having hit the sidelines for a couple of months because of a knee injury. Neymar has four goals in six La Liga appearances in the current campaign. Barcelona know they must be patient and not bring Messi back before he has fully recovered. "We cannot rush with Messi," Fernandez said. "I'm certain that the predicted eight weeks of recovery will be met. "I don't believe one should ever force the recovery of a player." Barca have been marred by injuries, with Brazilian midfielder Rafinha ruled out for six months with knee ligament damage and captain Andres Iniesta sidelined with a hamstring problem. "Injuries appear and we need to face them," Fernandez said. "It's part of the game. "We could have had a better pre-season and unlike this summer, I don't think next year we will go on a tour." To complicate matters for Barca, they cannot field their two summer signings - former Sevilla right back Aleix Vidal and ex-Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan - until January, when a transfer ban imposed on the club by FIFA expires. The punishment was handed down after the club breached rules regarding the signings of underage players. Fernandez has not ruled out making further reinforcements in the winter transfer market. "We have time to think what we want and if we need someone, which his the most important thing," he said. "We are looking because it's our duty to do so. "The winter transfer market is never easy." Spanish forward Nolito is one possibility. The Celta Vigo forward has been linked to Barcelona since the summer. He has scored five goals and set up three more in seven league starts for the Galician club. "Nolito is a good player and he is proving that every Sunday," Fernandez said.
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Donald Trump says that "the state of Florida had sanctuary cities while Jeb Bush was governor," and "nobody said anything." But we could find no evidence that any Florida city or county fit the bill of a sanctuary city at that time, at least not officially. Making his regular pitch for tougher immigration policy, Republican presidential candidate Trump told a crowd in New Hampshire on Sept. 30, "We have to get rid of these sanctuary cities, it's disgraceful." Trump then went on to talk about the case of Kathryn Steinle, who prosecutors allege was shot and killed in San Francisco by a Mexican national with a felony criminal record who had been deported several times. The case sparked a national debate about so-called "sanctuary cities" due to San Francisco's policy of refusing to honor federal requests to detain people found to be in the country illegally. Specifically, San Francisco passed a " Sanctuary Ordinance" in 1989 that prohibits city and county employees from "assist[ing] in the enforcement of federal immigration law or … gather[ing] or disseminat[ing] information regarding the immigration status of individuals in the City and County of San Francisco unless such assistance is required by federal or State statute, regulation or court decision." Trump then went on to accuse Jeb Bush, an opponent in the Republican primary, of being part of the problem. "The state of Florida had sanctuary cities while Jeb Bush was governor," Trump said. "Nobody said anything" (at the 15:20 mark). We reached out to Trump's campaign for information to back up his claim, but we did not receive a response. We could find no clear or convincing evidence to corroborate Trump's claim. While the definition of "sanctuary cities" varies, here's how the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service put it. Congressional Research Service, 2009 : The term "sanctuary city" is not defined by federal law, but it is often used to refer to those localities which, as a result of a state or local act, ordinance, policy, or fiscal constraints, place limits on their assistance to federal immigration authorities seeking to apprehend and remove unauthorized aliens. Supporters of such policies argue that many cities have higher priorities, and that local efforts to deter the presence of unauthorized aliens would undermine community relations, disrupt municipal services, interfere with local law enforcement, or violate humanitarian principles. Opponents argue that sanctuary policies encourage illegal immigration and undermine federal enforcement efforts. So do any cities or counties in Florida fit that bill during the time Jeb Bush served as governor , from Jan. 5, 1999, to Jan. 2, 2007? According to a report from the Congressional Research Service issued in August 2006, when Bush was governor, there were 32 cities and counties nationwide that had "sanctuary policies." None of those on the list is in Florida. (See footnote 85.) Nor was Florida on a list compiled in December 2008 by the National Immigration Law Center of nearly 70 cities, counties and states that had laws, resolutions or policies limiting enforcement of federal immigration laws. However, the organization's communications manager warned that the list has since been taken off its website, and "I can't imagine it's anywhere near accurate." Again, Trump's campaign won't say where he got his information. But one possibility is a report from the Ohio Jobs and Justice PAC, which claims its report is "the most complete and widely used list of sanctuary cities in the United States." OJJPAC's list, originally compiled in 2006 and periodically updated, includes five Florida jurisdictions: DeLeon Springs, Deltona, Jupiter, Lake Worth and Miami. Two of them, Jupiter and Lake Worth, were added in April 2009, more than two years after Bush left office. When PolitiFact Florida scrutinized the others on the list in July, local officials told PolitiFact they had never had so-called "sanctuary" laws. We note that the OJJPAC list includes jurisdictions it says have "informal" or "unwritten" sanctuary policies. We reached out to OJJPAC's founder, Steve Salvi, via email to find out why the jurisdictions in Florida ended up on the organization's list and when, but we did not hear back. In 2006, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, a staunch proponent of stricter enforcement of immigration laws, got into a mini-war of words with then-Gov. Bush, after Tancredo referred to Miami as "a Third World Country." Bush responded with a letter describing Miami as "a wonderful city filled with diversity and heritage that we choose to celebrate, not insult." Tancredo dismissed Bush's response as "politically correct happy talk" and asked in a follow-up letter, "Do you not worry that Miami's 'sanctuary city' rules serve as a magnet for illegal aliens and undercut the state's otherwise sound law enforcement policies?" We couldn't find any direct response from Bush about Miami's status as a so-called sanctuary city though in an email to a reporter later that month Bush called Tancredo "an ignorant man on the subject of Miami." On Oct. 19, 2006, the Miami Herald wrote about an immigrant advocacy group, American Fraternity, that was lobbying to have the Miami-Dade County Commission declare the county a sanctuary. The paper quoted the group's president, Alfonso Oviedo, as saying, "For all practical purposes, I believe Dade County already is a sanctuary, but we want them to make it official so … that there will not be abuses." In July, PolitiFact Florida quoted Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado denying that Miami has ever been a sanctuary city. Regalado , who has been mayor since 2009, served on the city council during Bush's time as governor. "Do police enforce immigration? No, we never have. … Officially, we don't protect immigrants or deliver immigrants (to federal officials)," Regalado told PolitiFact. Based on those two comments, it is possible there could have been unofficial policies among some law enforcement agencies in Florida to not assist federal immigration authorities seeking to apprehend some people in the country illegally. But we agree with the Congressional Research Service that landing on a list of so-called sanctuary cities ought to be tied to "state or local act, ordinance, policy, or fiscal constraints" to limit cooperation with federal immigration officials. We found one other list of "sanctuary cities" floating around the Internet. In July, the Center for Immigration Studies produced a map of " Sanctuary Cities, Counties and States ." It includes seven cities or counties in Florida, but all of them were due to policies adopted either in 2013 or 2014. That's more than six years after Bush left office. As the CIS website makes clear, its map was based on a 2014 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which in early 2014 began to track when law enforcement agencies declined requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain suspects who had violated immigration laws. ICE identified 276 jurisdictions that were "limiting cooperation with ICE." The whole issue of declined detainers didn't even arise until 2011 or 2012, said Jessica Vaughan , director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that describes itself as an advocate for "low immigration." "I do not know if there were any sanctuary cities in Florida when Jeb Bush was governor," Vaughan said. We also reached out to former Florida State Rep. Don Brown, a Republican, who in 2007 introduced a bill to prohibit so-called sanctuary cities from taking root in the state. Brown told us in a phone interview that he proposed the legislation in reaction to an unsuccessful effort the previous year by then-state Rep. Anitere Flores, who is now a state senator, to offer in-state tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants. Brown said he modeled his legislation after an Oklahoma law that had been passed in 2006. "My motivation was prospective, not reactive," Brown told us. "I was not aware of any sanctuary cities in Florida. That was not my motivation for the bill. I was trying to prevent something like that from happening." Brown served in the state Legislature for eight years, ending in late 2008. So his tenure overlapped the majority of Bush's time in office. He said he served as a county co-chair of Bush's 2002 gubernatorial reelection campaign. Brown said he is not working on Bush's presidential campaign, and has not formally endorsed any presidential candidate, though he said he is "a Jeb Bush supporter." "Anyone saying there were sanctuary cities in Florida at that time is stretching it," Brown said. "If some cities had publicly declared that they were not going to enforce the laws, I'd remember. And I have no recollection of that." Brown's bill never saw the light of day . At the time, Charlie Crist was the Republican governor, and Florida House Speaker (and now presidential candidate) Marco Rubio did not schedule the bill for a hearing. One last point: The 2006 Congressional Research Service report on the state and local role of immigration enforcement noted that in 2002, Florida was one of three states to enter into a pilot program to train and empower state law enforcement officials to help the federal government enforce immigration laws, particularly related to domestic security and counterterrorism efforts. So, while Trump said "nobody said anything" about Florida's sanctuary cities, Bush did take action to enforce immigration laws in his state. Moreover, Trump has provided no evidence that any city in Florida had a so-called sanctuary law on its books while Bush was governor. We'll update this post if we receive new information. Robert Farley
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A photo with Ronald Reagan, a framed "Playboy" cover and a view overlooking Central Park: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives The Washington Post a tour of his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York.
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Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) is warning that a move to a "totally secular society" would rob the United States of its morals and complicate the fight against Islamic terrorists. "If we become secularists when we face a radical Islam that is the farthest thing from secularist, when we can't unite with our friends in the Jewish, Muslim and Christian community to espouse a set of values that is the true way for human beings to conduct their lives and live their lives, we will be in a very severe crisis point," Kasich, a presidential contender, said Tuesday before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington. Kasich made the comment as he pivoted from a question on gay marriage. He said that the "aggressive search for a secular society isn't working," leaving the country without a shared set of morals. "The sense of right and wrong that comes from the great religions is something the West should begin to pay attention to and not continue to drive towards a totally secular society," he said. Kasich has long discussed faith in his speeches and as a justification for many policies, including his expansion of Medicaid as governor. His latest emphasis on the issue accompanies a push to rally support in Iowa , an early-voting state where religious conservatives hold clout. Kasich focused his campaign initially on New Hampshire, and on Tuesday lauded his Granite State team, saying it was built to last. New polling from NBC News/Marist shows him falling to seventh place in the state, which he has called the lynchpin of his bid. "It's no surprise that we consider New Hampshire to be important, but not the exclusion of all other places," he said Tuesday. "We have the best organization there, and organizations win." The Ohio governor was participating in a wide-ranging interview with the Hispanic Chamber's president, Javier Palomarez. More centrist on immigration than many other GOP 2016 rivals, Kasich reiterated his support for a guest worker program and legal status for those in America illegally, as well as a wall on the southern border. "For those that are here that have been law-abiding, God bless them, they are a critical part of our society ... they should have a path to legalization," he said. "It's my sense that the public would accept this as a reasonable proposal, and I think it would pass the Congress." Kasich took flak last month for commenting on the importance of tipping a Hispanic hotel maid when asked about Hispanic voters, with some critics accusing him of playing to stereotypes. When Palomarez confronted Kasich on those comments, he brushed aside the criticism and instead focused on the importance of slowing down and noticing the work of those around you. "What do I think about the role of Hispanics? I think they can do everything and anything in this society. People want to take things and drive divisions, but I don't understand that," he said. Kasich also touted his outsider credentials in a race where the top three GOP candidates in recent national polls real estate mogul Donald Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and businesswoman Carly Fiorina have never been elected to public office. "When did I ever become establishment?" he asked Palomarez. "From the time I got into politics all the way through where I'm today, there is no one I can think of that has more consistently shaken up the status quo more than I have."
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WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to limit debate on a $612 billion defense authorization bill, clearing the way for a vote on passage, although the measure's future is clouded by a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over government spending policy. The White House has said President Barack Obama would veto the bill if it is passed in Congress because of the "irresponsible" way it boosts military spending. The annual National Defense Authorization Act measure sets spending policy for the Department of Defense but does not appropriate the funds. The Senate is expected to vote on final passage on Wednesday. The Senate vote on the procedural motion was 73-26, well over the 60 needed for the bill to advance. The House of Representatives passed the NDAA last week. The NDAA uses some $90 billion in discretionary funds meant for war spending to allow the Pentagon to sidestep mandatory "sequestration" budget cuts. Obama and his fellow Democrats want Republicans to work out a longer-term budget deal to ease the automatic spending constraints not just on military spending but also on many domestic programs. Republicans say Democrats want to preserve irresponsible spending on pet programs and are holding national security hostage. Republican Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it would be "disgraceful" for Obama to veto the bill over a budgetary issue. "This shows the disdain they have for the military and national security," McCain told reporters at the Capitol. Democrats counter that the Department of Defense would be better served by a multi-year budget deal than relying on a one-year budget "gimmick." (Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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The New York Mets held their first workout ahead of the National League Division Series, minus one very important player. Starting pitcher Matt Harvey did not attend Tuesday's workout and general manager Sandy Alderson initially not know why. Shortly thereafter, manager Terry Collins told the media Harvey called him and said he was stuck in traffic on the way to Citi Field. Harvey eventually made it to the stadium and addressed the media without getting into specifics. "Obviously today was not the greatest. The last thing I ever want to do is not be with my team. Basically, there's no excuse. I screwed up," Harvey said during the brief press conference. Collins elaborated further after Harvey spoke: "He said 'I'm stuck in a tunnel,' which happens. So, he said 'hey, I'm not going anywhere, I'm dead stopped.' I said '(expletive) it, we'll take care of it tomorrow.'" Scheduled to start Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Harvey was in the headlines for much of September, with talk surrounding whether or not he would play in the postseason. He and agent Scott Boras initially raised doubts on the matter but after much consternation, Harvey stated he would be pitching in October. The 26-year-old missed all of 2014 following Tommy John surgery. Harvey posted a 13-8 record with a 2.71 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 189 1/3 innings this season. PHOTOS: Players to watch in the postseason
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"It can help you in a fire when no other option is available."
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Russian jets are only a few days into their bombing missions in Syria, and they are already causing wider trouble in the region: On two separate incidents, the jets have crossed into Turkey's airspace. The incursions were brief but appear to have been deliberate. "The information, intelligence that we have received provides me with reasons to say that this doesn't look like an accident," Jens Stoltenberg , the secretary-general of NATO, said. Russia has called it a mistake. This is dangerous. Turkey scrambled jets in response, and while it surely doesn't want a war with Russia, this is precisely the kind of incident that can spiral out of control. "Had Turkey responded," Secretary of State John Kerry warned, "it could have resulted in a shootdown, and it is precisely the kind of thing we warned against." Turkey is a member of NATO, meaning that the other members of NATO the US and much of Europe are obligated to come to Turkey's defense if it's attacked. In other words, if Turkey and Russia end up shooting at one another over some misunderstanding at their border, it could escalate into a full-blown war between the world's top nuclear powers. To be clear, the odds of this happening are very, very low. But the potential stakes are high enough to make it worrying all the same especially because there's every reason to expect these Russian flights will continue bumping into Turkish airspace. Why are Russian jets buzzing Turkish airspace? This is something that Russia has been doing for some time in another part of the world: along the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are on Russia's border and are also NATO members. The Russian flights starting crossing near or into their borders shortly after Russia covertly invaded eastern Ukraine, which prompted European and American sanctions on Russia. Based on that precedent, there are a few plausible reasons for why Russia would now be buzzing Turkish airspace as well, despite or, more likely, because of the risks that carries. The first and most important reason and a reason that Americans, who often overhype Russia's threat, tend to forget is that Russia knows its military is much weaker than America's and NATO's. This is something you hear Russian defense officials say constantly ; this knowledge of their relative weakness is world-shaping for them. So one way Russia has dealt with its relative weakness is by being more provocative, by demonstrating its willingness to raise the stakes and toe ever closer up to the line of outright conflict. The message the Russians want to send isn't that they'll deliberately start a war with the West they won't but rather that they're more willing to take on risk, and so if the West doesn't want the headache it should just back down. In terms of Syria, then, this is about Russia finding a way to assert its military presence, and preempt any Western effort to chase it off, by taking pushy and provocative steps like buzzing Turkish airspace. Could this be about deterring an American no-fly zone? There's another plausible, related reason: Russia wants to raise the cost of any Western efforts to bomb Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's forces or impose a no-fly zone over Assad-controlled areas of Syria. Those areas are about where the Russian flights into Turkish airspace occurred. The more that Russia can be provocative and unpredictable over Assad-controlled territory, the less willing Western powers will be to send their own jets into those areas or to establish anti-Assad airstrikes or a no-fly zone. The Americans, Russia is perhaps hoping, will see that Russia has made it riskier to fly over Assad-controlled territory, and thus will be less likely to bother. That's not because they fear Russia will deliberately fire on them, but rather out of a fear that Russia's provocations will increase the risk of an accident. So for Russia, the risk of an unwanted escalation isn't a bug it's the whole point. And then there's another possible factor here: On some level, this is perhaps just how the Russian military operates. Even if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not personally order the Russian jets to fly into Turkish airspace, he has helped cultivate a military culture that encourages this sort of conduct, so it's plausible that this was ordered rather by a high- or even midlevel commander who thought it was in line with Russia's grander strategy. Still, whatever the strategy, it promotes the already worrisome risk of an accident or unintended escalation that could push Russia and NATO, including the US, closer to direct conflict. That risk is probably still higher in Eastern Europe than it is in the Middle East, where Russia has a much smaller military presence, but with US and Russian jets bombing over the same country for the first time since World War II it is a serious enough risk to consider. Meanwhile, this is having the more immediate effect of enraging Turkey normally one of NATO's friendliest countries toward Russia and growing the ever-widening global backlash against Russian actions. That all makes Putin's already doomed Syria intervention even more self-defeating, but it does not remove the risk of an accident or unintended escalation that could spiral out of control.
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10 Need-to-Know Survival Skills from a Former Navy SEAL For most, the word survival tends to conjure up thoughts of sparking kindling for fire, learning to build shelter from scratch or figuring out how to source clean water. No doubt, these types of skills are certainly good to have, but Clint Emerson a retired Navy SEAL and author of 100 DEADLY SKILLS: The SEAL Operative's Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation , feels they're are others that are far more necessary. "Those are great skills, but they do not match the skills necessary to survive current threats," he said. Exactly what skills do you need then? Emerson feels our concerns should be focused more on threats like hackers and lone wolf terrorists. "Hacking issues leading to identity theft are concerning and will certainly cause a headache or two, but lone wolf attacks are deadly and everyone, at a minimum, should mentally prepare themselves for such evil when out on the town, sitting in restaurants, transiting via public transportation and so on," he said. To find out how to stay protected, we talked with Emerson about everything from worst case scenarios and self-defense techniques to evasion skills and what people should really know about surviving emergency situations. Here are the skills he said you absolutely need to know. Run, Hide, Fight "This is one of the skills in 100 Deadly Skills," Emerson explained. "A response check-off list of actions to take if caught in the cross fire. If you can run run away from the threat in a zig-zag pattern. If you can't run, then hide. Hide behind objects that stop bullets (see Identifying Emergency Ballistic Shields ). If you find yourself in a place where running or hiding isn't possible like a train in France fight and fight as a team if others are around." Signature Reduction Emerson said self-defense should go far beyond the ability to fight an attacker. "Self-defense has expanded beyond gouging out bad guy's eyes with your thumbs. It should be more holistic to include signature reduction blending into environments and not standing out," he explained. "This also applies to your social media and online presence as well. The more you 'tell' without talking makes it easier to target you." He also recommended that a self-defense strategy includes the ability to escape. "A razor blade and handcuff key are easily concealed and can free you of most restraints," Emerson said. In his book, he suggests carrying both items in your waistband at all times. Evasion "Escape and evasion skills are more important now than ever," Emerson said. "Surviving a crisis is paramount. Simply put, do whatever it takes to live, not die. If you are out-gunned or taking severe blows to the head, then a temporary surrender might be necessary. The last thing you want is to get knocked out and have zero control over the outcome." If for some reason you are captured and restrained, Emerson said, it's important to "get big," which will create a slack in rope, chains, tape and zip ties. "As mentioned, stashing razor blades and handcuff keys in your waistline, belts and shoes will free you of most restraints," he added. "And always escape sooner rather than later the longer detained the more security precautions the bad guys will put in place." Reconsider What 'Survival' Means As mentioned earlier, Emerson said it's important to think about the skills you'll need to survive current, more likely threats, rather than skills like building a fire or fishing with a shoelace. "Our natural born instincts are not good enough, we have to arm ourselves with a higher level of education beyond setting snares with fishing line," he explained. "Survival skills for today include cyber threat awareness, active shooter response, civil unrest and violent action against terrorists." Adopt an Offensive Mindset When asked about what people should really know about survival in modern times, Emerson said transitioning from a defensive to a more offensive mindset is absolutely essential. "If you are caught off guard or your life is threatened, a violent offensive response is the only answer these days," he said. "Consider active shooter/terrorist scenarios, more times than not, the shooter kills himself. The shooter is willing to die and when this is the case, you have to be prepared to kill the shooter before he kills you or others around you." Train How You Fight, Fight How You Train This is one of two of the most important skills Emerson said he learned during his time serving as a Navy SEAL. "You have to do more than just read this article," he explained. "You have to implement thoughts and skills of survival into your daily routine, make it a habit so that when crisis strikes you act out what you have already put in place. Ultimately decreasing exposure to the threat and increasing survivability." Train: The Violent Nomad Workout One step you can take to implement such training into your daily routine is with the "Violent Nomad Workout." As outlined in 100 Deadly Skills , the training regimen includes: one minute of hanging heavy bag strikes, a half-mile sprint, one minute of grounded heavy bag strikes, a second half-mile sprint, a one-minute heavy bag bear hug carry, and a third and final half-mile sprint. This workout, Emerson notes, simulates fighting conditions and helps to reinforce a "run, fight, run" philosophy by building endurance for hand-to-hand combat. Get Really Good at Simple Skills The second of the two most important skills he learned during his time as a Navy Seal, Emerson said simplicity is essential for survival. "Being 'advanced' is all about doing the simple really ... good," he explained. "Keep it simple, be good at simple. If you overcomplicate your preparedness or response then odds are it won't work. Be good at simple and you'll end up far more advanced than your adversary." Identify Emergency Ballistic Shields Another essential survival skill, Emerson said it's important to be able to identify objects that can stop or slow bullets, and thus keep you safe. In 100 Deadly Skills he identifies dense wood, concrete, steel and granite as materials that can slow or stop bullets. Additionally, he points out that a granite-top table, the engine side of a car or a concrete planter would make for good bullet protection, but a trash can, a sofa, dry wall or the trunk side of a car would not. "Know the difference between cover and concealment," Emerson wrote. "Cover stops bullets, concealment doesn't." The Violent Nomad Mindset Finally, Emerson concludes his book by noting that adapting a "Violent Nomad" mindset, which includes the ability to recognize and protect against a wide array of threats, is one of the number one things you can do to ensure survival in an emergency situation. "Beyond any one particular skill, it is the Violent Nomad Mindset, defined by a spirit of improvisation and alertness to threats of all kinds, that distinguishes victims from survivors," Emerson noted.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Kansas City Royals were just happy to be invited to the party last year, ending a 29-year postseason drought before squeaking through a dramatic wild-card game against the Athletics. Then they crashed the rest of it by sweeping their way to the World Series. The Royals ultimately lost in seven games to the San Francisco Giants, but that run changed the landscape of baseball in Kansas City. The sad-sack franchise so accustomed to 100-loss seasons had become the game's latest darling, a team that suddenly had belief in itself. One that knew what it took to play winning baseball. "We've been looking forward to this since the end of spring training," Royals manager Ned Yost said before Tuesday's first postseason workout. "That's the big change from last year. Last year, we hoped we would be in position to make the playoffs. This year, we knew we were going." Just who they will play is still to be determined. The Yankees and Astros play the AL wild-card game Tuesday night for the right to play a best-of-five series beginning Thursday in Kansas City. "Either or, it's going to be a tough series," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "That's the postseason, you know it's going to be tough no matter who you play. It's something that we've been waiting for, for a long time, obviously, and it's finally here." Perhaps the best proof of just how much things have changed in Kansas City is in the way Dayton Moore, the general manager responsible for the turnaround, approached the trade deadline. A year ago, with the Royals clinging to the fringes of postseason contention, Moore decided to stand his ground. He didn't want to mortgage too much of the future by shipping prized prospects off for the kind of frontline starter or big-time bat that can be so helpful this time of year. That approach changed dramatically this past season. With the Royals dominating the AL Central in July, they shipped a trio of talented young left-handers to the Cincinnati Reds for Johnny Cueto, one of the game's dynamic pitchers. While his own postseason history is checkered at best, the lightning rod with the funky delivery nonetheless gave Kansas City the kind of veteran leadership it had in James Shields last year. Moore wasn't done, either. He sent two more pitchers to Oakland two days later for Ben Zobrist, a versatile player who could spell Omar Infante at second base or platoon in the outfield. And when the waiver deadline approached, Moore sent an infielder to Atlanta for Jonny Gomes, filling the need for a hitter who can handle left-handed pitchers. Each of those three acquisitions is headed for free agency after the season, which means Moore made a calculated gamble that the Royals were ready to compete for a championship. "There is very little room for error if you're going to win a World Series or advance in the playoffs," Moore said Tuesday, before greeting thousands of fans who showed up for a pep rally. That is not to say the Royals have not gone through adversity this season. Take the starting rotation, which lost veteran left-hander Jason Vargas to elbow surgery. Or the bullpen, where two-time All-Star closer Greg Holland also underwent Tommy John surgery. Or even the everyday lineup, where All-Star left-fielder Alex Gordon missed a good chunk of the summer with a severe groin strain, one that kept him out until there was a month left in the season. Those are the kind of injuries that often derail teams. But with expectations of success from last season, the Royals kept plugging along, never slumping until early September. They climbed out of that, too, winning five straight to cap the regular season. Now they head into the playoffs for the second straight year, certain the right pieces are in place for another memorable October. They aren't alone in that confidence, either the Royals were given 5-to-1 odds to win the World Series, third-best behind the Blue Jays and Dodgers. "We're glad that the regular season's over and we got through it with everyone being healthy," Hosmer said. "Now we know it's a different game and something we obviously got a lot of experience from last year, and something we've all been looking forward to for a long, long time."
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10 Players with something to prove in 2015-16 NHL CampaignGetty Images In the National Hockey League, there is always pressure on players to produce at their highest level. If they don't produce, they might be playing elsewhere or have a diminished role with a franchise. Last season, there were various reasons why the following ten players did not have a productive year or summer. They need to prove their detractors wrong by showing they still have a huge upside. These men need to play to their abilities in 2015-16. 10. Steve Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning It might seem strange to see Stamkos on this list. The first overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft is one of the game's greatest players, but he is having contract disputes with the Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and their management group. Whether he remains in the Sunshine State is up for debate, but it would be in Stamkos' best interest to play sensationally in order to get his next big contract with an NHL franchise. 9. Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are not projected to be successful this fall under GM Lou Lamoriello and head coach Mike Babcock. However, this doesn't diminish the pressure both Bernier and Reimer will face from the fans in Toronto. Babcock will still demand results from his goalies. Both need to have successful seasons in order to continue to be part of the beloved hockey team in Canada. 8. Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes are in a rebuilding phase, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils. The team has recently signed up backup goaltender Eddie Lack to a two year contract. There has also been constant trade rumors involving goalie Cam Ward. The team probably won't be in contention for the playoffs. Still, whether Staal stays with the team or is traded, his production needs to be better than his 54 points last year. 7. Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens The new Montreal Canadiens' captain will have pressure on him this fall. The left winger is coming off of a 67 point, 80 game season. Plus he had a successful playoff run, scoring seven points in 11 games. There is always added pressure on captains of the Canadiens and Pacioretty will be no different. 6. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks There will be a lot of heat on captain Toews to produce. He finished last season with 66 points. The Stanley Cup winning team has traded Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad off the roster. Additionally, they have the Patrick Kane saga to work through. Chicago will probably slide from being a favorite for the Stanley Cup. Still, Toews has to step up and improve from his 66 point season a year ago. 5. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins Everyone across the NHL is fully aware of the troubles that plagued the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. They were able to deal the sniper to the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer. Kessel now gets a chance to prove his value playing alongside Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Kessel's points will have to improve, as well as getting to the positive side of the plus/minus statistic, after finishing last year with a pitiful minus -34. 4. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins Whenever fans are picking their players for their NHL fantasy hockey team, the Boston Bruins' Chara always comes to mind as the league's best defenseman. At the age of 38, Chara missed 19 games last year and struggled for most of last season scoring only 20 points total. The team did lose Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames and Chara needs to step up during the Bruins' transition to a youth movement. 3. Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks Jones played last season as a backup goaltender to Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings. He was traded twice this summer to the Boston Bruins and then the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks lost Antti Niemi and Jones was acquired with aspirations of sliding him in as a starting goaltender. There is always a lot of heat on the Sharks' franchise to win a Stanley Cup. There will be a lot of pressure on Jones to guide this team to victory. 2. Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid and Buffalo Sabres' Jack Eichel Last summer's NHL Entry Draft top two picks are entering their rookie seasons with a lot of expectations on their personal game. Although, fans are not expecting much from the team they represent. Not since Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin's rookie seasons has the NHL had superstars of this caliber. Head coaches Todd McLellan (Edmonton) and Dan Bylsma (Buffalo) shouldn't put undue pressure on these teenagers. 1. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks It is difficult to predict what will happen from Kane's activities away from the rink but, assuming he is cleared to play, there will be lots of pressure on him. He will probably get Major League Baseball's treatment of New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez this fall in the other 29 NHL arenas outside of Chicago. He is a quality player but can he produce in spite of his distraction away from the rink? That is the bigger question.
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A weekend of excessive drinking led to CC Sabathia to announce he would not be joining his teammates in the postseason and instead will seek in-patient treatment for alcohol abuse, reports the New York Post. Sources say that the New York Yankees pitcher realized he needed help during the team's final regular season road trip in Baltimore last weekend, during which he spent a majority of time overindulging on booze in the team hotel. "His drinking got really bad this weekend, and it put him in a really bad place," a source close to the team told The Post . "He was afraid. He felt that if I don't do this now and go into rehab, I don't know what is going to happen." The purported bout with binge drinking began Friday, one day after the Yankees clinched a wild card spot with a win over the Boston Red Sox late Thursday evening. The source indicated Sabathia looked "out of it" at Camden Yards Friday as the teams milled around the ballpark in a game that ultimately was rained out. "He drank every day last week apart from the day he pitched," reported the source. "The tipping point was Friday when he was at the stadium. He carried on drinking Saturday." Sabathia announced Monday he would immediately seek treatment at a 30-day rehab facility in Connecticut. The pitcher received the support of the organization for his decision, as both manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman praised him for admitting he needed help. Sabathia on Monday also issued a post to Instagram in which he declared he is "trying to get my s- -t together." It's unclear how long Sabatahia, a father of four, has been dealing with issues with alcohol. He pledged in a statement issued Monday that he wants and needs to get better. "I want to take control of my disease, I want to be a better man, father and player," the statement read.
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McDonald's is kicking off serving breakfast all day starting Tuesday, October 6th. NBC's Ron Mott reports it was social media fans that pressured the company.
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Axalta Coatings Systems will continue its longstanding partnership with Hendrick Motorsports by becoming a primary sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet SS team for 13 Sprint Cup Series races annually, beginning in 2016. Axalta, which is picking up three extra races as a primary sponsor, will also be featured as a major associate sponsor during all non-primary events. The agreement extends a multi-faceted partnership -- now in its 23 rd full season -- that began in November 1992 with Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon. For most of Gordon's career, DuPont Performance Coatings was one of the many DuPont divisions that supported the No. 24 Chevrolet. Axalta acquired that DuPont subsidiary in February 2013, after which Axalta replaced DuPont as one of Gordon's primary sponsors. Gordon, who is in his final full-time Sprint Cup campaign, will continue to work with Axalta as a spokesperson and global business advisor. The multi-year relationship with the four-time champion was announced earlier this year. "We began a journey 23 years ago with Hendrick Motorsports and a young driver named Jeff Gordon. Eighty poles, 92 wins and four championships later, we are proud of the run we've had with Jeff," said Nigel Budden, Axalta vice president and head of its North America business. "Now, we are delighted to continue our relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and to adorn the hood of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevy SS with the Axalta logo in 2016. As our slogan says, 'We Paint Winners,' and by joining Dale we will continue to do so for years to come." Axalta has hosted thousands of customers at events and fashioned some of the most iconic paint schemes in NASCAR history. Earlier this month, Hendrick Motorsports and Axalta broke ground on Axalta's 45,000-square-foot Customer Experience Center that will be located on the Hendrick campus in Concord, North Carolina. "Axalta has built a model sponsorship program," said team owner Rick Hendrick. "For 23 years, they've recognized the opportunities NASCAR provides and understood how it drives value for their business. It's a unique relationship that's evolved with the times and has been consistently effective. We're very proud of what we've accomplished as partners and look forward to more successes together with Dale and the No. 88 team." Earnhardt, 40, has 25 career Sprint Cup victories, including two this season. The Kannapolis, North Carolina native recently clinched a fifth consecutive appearance in the championship-deciding Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. "Axalta and Hendrick Motorsports have an incredible story," Earnhardt said. "For me, it's meaningful to work with a sponsor that's been so committed to our sport and has such a rich history in NASCAR. Continuing the partnership is special for all of us, and I'm already excited about what the car will look like. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity."
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WASHINGTON The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday proposed a record $1.9 million fine against an aerial photography company for flying drones in crowded New York and Chicago airspace without permission. SkyPan International Inc. of Chicago operated 65 unauthorized flights between March 2012 and December 2014 in some of the nation's most congested airspace, the FAA said in a statement. Forty-three flights were in the heavily restricted Class B New York airspace without air traffic control clearance, the agency said. Class B airspace is generally from the ground up to 10,000 feet in altitude and in an approximate 40 mile radius around an airport. The drones also lacked the two-way radio, transponder and altitude-reporting equipment required of manned aircraft. Flying drones in violation of federal regulations "is illegal and can be dangerous," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "We have the safest airspace in the world, and everyone who uses it must understand and observe our comprehensive set of rules and regulations." Karl Brewick, a SkyPan production coordinator, said the company had not had a chance to review the fine proposal and had no immediate comment. SkyPan has 30 days to respond to the FAA. The company's website includes photos of the New York and Chicago skylines, and proclaims its drones are "ushering in a whole new world of aerial and panoramic photography." The FAA proposed regulations this year to allow greater use of commercial drones. But SkyPan's operations probably still would be prohibited under the regulations because the flights took place at higher altitudes than would be permitted and over densely developed areas. The previous largest fine for drone operations was $18,700, proposed in September against Xizmo Media, a New York video production company, the FAA said. Tuesday's announcement comes one day before an FAA official is expected to face tough questioning at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on what the agency is doing to address safety hazards created by drones flying too close to manned aircraft. FAA officials have said they are receiving multiple reports daily of drones flying in the vicinity of airports and manned aircraft. Between November 2014 and August 2015, the FAA received over 700 reports by pilots of drone sightings, although questions have been raised about whether some reports involved birds mistaken for drones. Most of the flights appear to be unauthorized. Hobbyists are allowed to fly drones as long as they stay 5 miles away from an airport and fly no higher than 400 feet. The FAA has granted about 1,700 permits to commercial operators with similar restrictions. Also, the U.S. Forest Service has reported 18 unauthorized drone flights above or near wildfires, and that 10 of the incidents hampered aerial fire-fighting operations. ___ Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy
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New high-end smartphones and an update to the Surface Pro tablet were expected at Microsoft's New York City press event on Tuesday. The surprise? Surface Book, the company's very first laptop. Photo: Getty Images
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The UK has the best end-of-life care across the globe, according to a study across 80 nations. Emily Eden (@edenandtheapple) has the details.
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When someone logs into my Facebook, I usually end up finding a juvenile status update or two, along with a playful warning to not forget to log out. But the actual act of logging into the social network has never resulted in a date. But that's not the case for Schuler Benson and Celeste Zendler, a pair of lovebirds who got married after meeting due to a random Facebook glitch in 2009. Benson was living in Arkansas at the time, and tried to log in to the Facebook mobile site on his flip phone, he wrote in a Reddit post. But when he typed in the URL to the site, it somehow logged him into the Facebook account of Celeste Zendler, who lived far away in Colorado. The pair tried to troubleshoot the issue using status updates from each other's accounts, and eventually Benson sent Zendler a friend request, which logged him out of her account. Zendler accepted his request, and the two just kept chatting. They figured out they had a lot in common, and decided to met in person in June of 2013. When they met up, the sparks flew, and Zendler ended up moving from Boulder, Colorado to Arkansas to be with Benson which was quite a change. They got engaged a year later, in June of 2014, and then moved to South Carolina, where they married this June. "I found my partner, my best friend, my great love via a simple glitch in social media," Benson writes. One Reddit commenter suggests this as the title of their rom-com: " Glitch , the story of two account-crossed lovers." Not bad. Benson shared the screenshots with Business Insider of the initial, confusing Facebook interactions between the two, which you can see below. Here's how it all started. Their wedding this June in South Carolina. A bit of attitude.
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NEW YORK Former United Nations General Assembly President John Ashe accepted more than $500,000 in bribes from a Chinese real estate mogul and other businesspeople in exchange for help obtaining lucrative investments and government contracts, according to federal court documents unsealed Tuesday. In exchange for the money, federal prosecutors say, Ashe used his position as Permanent Resident to the United Nations for Antigua and Barbuda and General Assembly head to introduce a U.N. document in support of a real estate project being developed by Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng. The scheme unfolded over the course of nearly three years, from 2011 through 2014, and included his tenure as General Assembly head, prosecutors said. Ng and his assistant, also named in the indictment, were already being held by federal authorities, accused of lying about plans for $4.5 million in cash brought into the U.S. over several years aboard private jets. It wasn't immediately clear if prosecutors believe any of the money was used in the Antigua bribery scheme. According to court documents, Ashe used his position to push the U.N. to promote a conference center in Macau being developed by Ng. The UN Macau Conference Center was to be Ng's legacy and would function as a sort of satellite operation for the world body, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors say some of the bribe money was used to pay for Ashe's family vacation and to construct a basketball court at his home in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He opened two bank accounts to receive the funds and then underreported his income by more than $1.2 million, officials said. The businesspeople flew Ashe, his wife and their two children first-class to New Orleans and put the family up in an $850-a-night hotel room. Ashe was arrested Tuesday and is being held, and his legal representation wasn't clear. No one answered a phone call to the mission for Antigua; he is no longer listed in the U.N. directory. A message left with a representative for the General Assembly wasn't immediately returned. In all, six people, including another diplomat, Francis Lorenzo from the Dominican Republic, were ensnared in the probe. A message was left at Lorenzo's mission. The other two were involved with Ng, prosecutors said. They were identified as Sheri Yan and Heidi Park, both naturalized U.S. citizens who reside in China and helped facilitate the scheme, prosecutors said. It wasn't clear who was representing them.
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The Fantasy Lunch Hour crew highlights the best RBs that you can snag on the waiver wire going into Week 5.
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Pat Fitzgerald examines what the Wolverines are doing on defense.
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The fortified border between India and Pakistan is one of the few international boundaries that can be seen from space.
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NEW YORK (AP) NFL owners will look west (Los Angeles), east (Europe) and south (Mexico) at their fall meetings Wednesday. The owners will further consider the desire of three franchises the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers to move to Los Angeles. Nothing will be decided at these meetings. There will be updates from the three teams, and representatives of those three cities will brief the 32 owners on any progress or lack thereof on stadiums in their regions. Potential relocation fees if the league approves a move at some point also could be discussed Wednesday. So might temporary sites for those clubs in Los Angeles, where the Rams hope to build a state-of-the-art stadium in Inglewood. The Chargers and Raiders are combining on a planned project for Carson, California. No decisions on an actual move to Los Angeles can come before early 2016. However, at the owners' December meetings in Dallas, it's highly possible the NFL will open the window for relocation applications, letting any of the three teams formally apply. The NFL has not had teams in Los Angeles since the Rams and Raiders both moved in 1995. Also on the agenda will be the schedule of games abroad. The agreement to hold games outside the United States expires next year, and an extension will be presented to the owners that would carry through 2025. The league wants to add more such games to its international series three are being played in London this year. The NFL is looking at more games in England and already has an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League for a minimum of two games a year over 10 years once Spurs open their new stadium in London. That is due for 2018. The NFL already has played one regular-season game in Mexico City in 2005 and is trying to land another one there, likely next year. "Mexico no doubt is a strong market for us. Obviously, we have a huge fan base, probably the biggest outside of the U.S.," said Mark Waller, the league's executive vice president/international. "Definitely, we are looking broadly at Mexico, and if we are going to start looking at an international series game, we would definitely look at Mexico City." Germany also is a possibility, with several of its cities making preliminary bids for a regular-season game. Waller has said Brazil is a potential candidate; the Pro Bowl has been mentioned as one possibility for the South American country. Regardless of whether the league chooses to play in any of those nations, it certainly will head back to England each year. The grand plan apparently is to hold as many as eight international games a season. There's even talk that every franchise will be required to give up a home game over the next decade or so and play that game abroad. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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For a brief period in 1810, there was a tiny independent country that existed between Louisiana and Florida. Not many people remember the Republic of West Florida, but you can still find its faded outline on old maps: The republic arose out of a dispute between Spain and the US over who, exactly, owned this small patch of North America. Eventually, the inhabitants rebelled and formed their own independent republic that lasted about 78 days (give or take) before being reclaimed by the United States. It may not have lasted very long, but the story of the Republic of West Florida reveals a lot about the messy ways in which the United States actually expanded in its early years. I talked to historian William C. Davis, who wrote The Rogue Republic: How Would-Be Patriots Waged the Shortest Revolution in American History , about this odd, short-lived country. In the 1800s, no one could agree on who owned West Florida In the 1800s, West Florida was a confusing mess. France maintained that part of the territory had always belonged to it and was part of the Louisiana Purchase sale to the United States in 1803. Spain disagreed, arguing that it had never lost the land after taking it from the British during the 1780s. The result? Two imperial nations Spain and the United States both laid claim to a single humid patch of land between two rivers. And there were two other countries on the sidelines England and France that had previously laid claim to the region. There was no well-defined boundary and no real sense of who owned what. In practice, many West Florida residents still thought of themselves as belonging to Spain. When they had problems, they'd turn to the Spanish government, which was represented in the New World by the captain general in Havana, Cuba. The Spanish responded in turn, by actually encouraging American settlement of the region, using land grants to form a buffer between the nascent United States and their own more valuable territory. Over time, the people who actually lived in West Florida got sick of taking orders from Spain. So they did something about it. A trio of rabble-rousing brothers pushed to make West Florida independent The big push to make West Florida independent came from a trio of brothers, the Kempers, who are the stars of Davis's book. The Kempers were entrepreneurs and traders who were constantly getting into disputes with the Spanish over their land claims. In 1804, they tried and failed to take over Baton Rouge, but their mission failed, and their fellow West Floridians were largely satisfied with how the Spanish did things. The Kempers evaded prison because as they were being shipped down the Mississippi, the United States Army rescued them. That led to a more successful strike in 1810, when they fomented a rebellion against Spanish forces. The battle at Baton Rouge was brief and had few casualties the Spanish weren't willing and didn't have the capacity to fight long for their unusual territory. Soon thereafter, the republic was born. But the Kempers weren't just idiosyncratic rebel heroes they were, in a way, symbolic of many Americans at the time. "[The Kemper brothers] were emblematic of the working-class entrepreneurs who had a lot to do with pushing the United States westward," Davis says. "The goal is cheap or free land in an opportunity to exploit land. ... They were much less concerned about national and administrative divisions than they were about running a tavern or a barn and improving their own personal lot. The issues of loyalty and allegiance to any flag are totally fluid." That fluidity helped the Kempers build a tiny country where they could make their own rules. It didn't last long. West Florida had the first single-star flag The Republic of West Florida was the first to have a single-star flag. It was, like all flags, just a symbol (and the republic's was particularly hastily composed). But the single star became an enduring emblem of the freedom rogue Americans sought, whether in Texas or in the Confederacy, where it was used as a basis for the Bonnie Blue flag. That flag wasn't the only ritual of nationhood the short-lived republic practiced. Davis excerpts a marching song composed by the volunteer militia: We can drink and not get drunk. We can fight and not be slain. We can go to Pensacola And be welcomed back again. From the beginning, this country was a weird one. West Florida had an eclectic mix of residents, including some from Spain, some from France (from before the Louisiana Purchase), British holdovers, and these new people called "Americans." They all spoke different languages and, crucially, came from different cultures. "That was typical of that region," Davis says. "You'd have found the same thing in New Orleans, you'd have found the same thing in Mobile, and even Pensacola." The American Babel was short-lived, however. Some suspected that West Florida always sought to be annexed by the United States; others believed it was a misguided flight of fancy from the beginning. Either way, in December 1810, the republic lowered its flag and became part of the United States (with America claiming it had always been part of the Louisiana Purchase). There was no great battle in store for the small country in the face of the United States Army. The full slice of panhandle territory was acquired in chunks over the course of the following decade. After that 1810 surrender, Spanish power on the East Coast continued to wane, and the rest of Florida fell soon after. A forgotten conflict in a muggy place reveals a lot about American expansion So is the Republic of West Florida just a historical punchline? For years, it was an anomalous territory that Spain halfheartedly defended, and then it became its own parody of a country before folding into the United States. Does it have any significance beyond that? Davis explained what drew him to the story in the first place. For one, the mythology of the old American Southwest which West Florida was in the early 1800s is particularly fertile. Even if their names aren't remembered, people like the Kemper brothers are part of the American psyche pioneers who hustled for their future, even when it required an unusual revolution. Moreover, for Davis, West Florida presents a theory about how American expansion really happened. It wasn't "some grand patriotic, ethnically American drive, the sense of Manifest Destiny," he says. "That's nonsense. It's driven by personal motives of profit and entrepreneurialism, and that's not a criticism at all. It's people moving West, where they're less constrained by law and order." And in the case of West Florida, that meant making a country in order to make a living.
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To this day, some claim the Apollo missions never sent men to the moon. But there's a lot of science that says yes, they did.
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A woman has filed a lawsuit against Bill Cosby alleging sexual assault, saying the veteran comedian drugged and molested her at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in 2008, when she was a minor. Nathan Frandino reports.
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A friend of Ryan Tannehill's pushed back on a National Football Post report that the Dolphins quarterback told a teammate to "enjoy your practice-squad paycheck," telling the Miami Herald that Tannehill never commented on a teammate's income. Furthermore, the associate said it would be "shockingly uncharacteristic" if Tannehill commented on anyone's salary - including his own - at any point in his career. The Miami Herald accurately reported Monday that Tannehill grew angry when linebacker Chris McCain did something more aggressive than typical for a Saturday practice, with the quarterback saying something to the effect that he would prepare a scout-team trophy for him. The friend did acknowledge that Tannehill grew irritated with the scout team, finding the antics disruptive, and expressed that directly to his teammates, but not with the language reported elsewhere, the friend said. Tannehill signed a six-year, $96 million contract extension in the spring; practice-squad players usually earn around $7,000 per week. The disputed report has gone viral in recent days, putting Tannehill in a unflattering light. Tannehill will likely speak with reporters Wednesday when the Dolphins return to practice. Adam H. Beasley: 305-376-3565, @AdamHBeasley
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Volkswagen Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said in an interview with a German newspaper that the company would launch a recall for cars affected by its diesel emissions rigging in January and complete the fix by the end of next year. "If all goes according to plan, we can start the recall in January," Mueller told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). "All the cars should be fixed by the end of 2016." Mueller also told the newspaper that he believe only a few employees were involved in the diesel emissions rigging that has hammered the company's stock and done severe damage to its reputation, refuting the notion that his predecessor Martin Winterkorn may have known about it. He said the VW would have to become slimmer and more decentralized, saying every model and brand would be closely examined for its contribution to the company. But he said an "evolution" rather than a "revolution" was needed to get VW back on track. Mueller also rejected the suggestion that VW had informed financial markets too late about the diesel problems despite having told officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) weeks before it went public. (Writing by Noah Barkin)
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