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Moscow has attempted calm threats made by Turkey that it will abandon a trade deal to buy Russian gas after Kremlin jets infiltrated Turkey's airspace this past weekend. A Kremlin spokesperson said that despite the violation into Turkey's airspace, which Russia claims was an accident, Moscow valued its relationship with Ankara in the region and wished to carry on bilateral relations, according to a report by Russian news site Tass Thursday. "We traditionally highly appreciate our bilateral relations with Turkey, we sincerely hope that these relations will continue to develop further in accordance with the plans outlined by President Putin and President Erdogan," said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov to reporters in Moscow. Presidents of both countries met in Moscow earlier this month where they announced that Russia and Turkey would attempt to create a $100 billion trade relationship by 2023. A $15 billion gas pipeline between the two countries and a $20 billion nuclear power station inside Turkey would be included, according to a report by Russia Today , which also noted that current trade between the two nations was around $32 billion per year. Turkish Imports and Exports over Time | FindTheData However, those deals appear to now be at risk. Russian jets entered Turkish airspace on two occasions last weekend, alleging that both incursions were navigational accidents. In the aftermath, NATO said it seriously doubted Moscow's claims, while Alliance-member Turkey also took issue with Moscow's gradual military buildup inside Syria and the way it has conducted itself militarily, suggesting that continued airspace violations could put into question economic relations between the two. "Our positive relationship with Russia is known. But if Russia loses a friend like Turkey, with whom it has been cooperating on many issues, it will lose a lot, and it should know that," Erdogan told reporters in Brussels Tuesday, Reuters reported. Russian began transporting troops and heavy weaponry into Syria in early September and commenced airstrikes against Syrian rebels and Islamic State group targets last week.
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Novak Djokovic churned towards Rafael Nadal's all-time record for unbeaten starts to a tournament as he demolished Chinese number one Zhang Ze in less than an hour in Beijing on Thursday. The world number one showed no mercy to Zhang, ranked 219, in front of his home fans as he ended local hopes 6-2, 6-1 in 55 minutes to reach his sixth China Open quarter-final. Djokovic, unbeaten in five appearances, now equals Jimmy Connors with 26 wins at a tournament before suffering a single defeat, in sight of Nadal's record of 31 at the French Open. "I guess as I keep coming back each year with that positive record, obviously gives me more confidence knowing that I played so well in the past on this court," he said. "I just keep on going. That's all. There is no particular reason. There's a few things that play in my favour." Zhang, 25, could only applaud after he was outclassed in all facets by the Serbian 10-time Grand Slam-winner, who has only ever dropped three sets at the China Open. "As for his level of play, his game, I think there's no loopholes or shortcomings. Actually, I prepared very well in order to play my game. But he won three major titles (this year)," said Zhang. "His performance is amazing. He is really good." Aces high Earlier Ivo Karlovic bludgeoned his way into the record books for career aces, and Garbine Muguruza had an eventful 22nd birthday as she smashed a racquet, reached the WTA Finals and then celebrated with cake. Muguruza was frustrated by Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni but she gathered herself for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 win which qualified her for the glitzy, eight-player season finale in Singapore. "I'm just really motivated, like I said before, to try to finish good. It's great to be qualified. But tomorrow I have another match," said the Spaniard, who was presented with a cake on court after the win. The day's most historic achievement came from Karlovic, who broke Goran Ivanisevic's record for career aces as he went down to Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas. The 6ft 11ins (2.11m) Karlovic hammered 26 aces in his 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (9/7) defeat, reaching a total of 10,247 and surpassing compatriot Ivanisevic's 10,237 along the way. The record was consolation for Karlovic after his loss to 37th-ranked Cuevas, who is enjoying a dream run in Beijing after he beat world number five Tomas Berdych in the first round. Last month's US Open finalists both also suffered upsets with New York winner Flavia Pennetta going out 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Pennetta's defeat came after fellow Italian Roberta Vinci was beaten 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 by Bethanie Mattek-Sands, in yet another surprise at the unpredictable Beijing tournament. In the late match, Ana Ivanovic outlasted Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 to set up a quarter-final with Pavlyuchenkova despite needing repeated treatment for a back problem.
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Motion Traxx We have the best of intentions when it comes to working out. We pack our gym bag the night before and block off time on the calendar. But 10 minutes into our workout, whether we're going for a run or chugging away on the elliptical , we're already bored. It'd be great to have a personal trainer or fitness instructor to give us that motivating oomph to get over the hump, but we're not about to deplete our bank account. That's where the Motion Traxx comes in. The app available on iOS and Android comes with audio coaching from top fitness experts for all kinds of cardio workouts, including treadmill, indoor cycling, and elliptical. The coaches guide you through the workout, give you a heads up on what's coming next, and pepper in just the right amount of motivation to distract you (in a good way). Plus, Motion Traxx comes with ActionSync, a technology that provides soundtracks that match the intensity of your workout. The music won't be the top 40 you're used to singing along with, but as long as you keep up with the beat, you'll break a sweat in no time. The app is free to download, but you'll want to upgrade to the pro version ($4.99/month) to get access to unlimited workouts. I Want To Download This!
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During an interview with Time Out London, Daniel Craig revealed that he would rather slit his wrists than continue to star in the Bond franchise.
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As promised, I'm going to be offering some James Bond-specific pieces in the run up to Spectre . And, if only to get things off on a positive note, I'm starting off with my five picks for the most underrated films in the 007 filmography. This is pretty self-explanatory, and I was happy that I was able to basically pick one film from each major Bond actor (sorry, Lazenby, On Your Majesty's Secret Service is often considered one of the better entries even if I somewhat disagree with that assessment). And thus, without any further ado, and in order of release date, here we go… Thunderball (1965): If you play the adjusted for inflation game, Thunderball is the biggest grossing James Bond movie of all time. Coming off of the trendsetting Goldfinger , this fourth James Bond film earned $63 million way back in 1965. Today that translates to $627m in America alone. It was an absolute blockbuster phenomenon in terms of pure genre cinema that arguably wouldn't be equaled until The Exorcist if not Jaws in the mid-1970′s. It cemented the James Bond franchise as the preeminent destination for cinematic thrills, chills, and spills on a level that moviegoers just couldn't get anywhere else. And yet today, its reputation has basically been reduced to "the one after Goldfinger ." But all due respect, it's better than Goldfinger . James Bond is far more proactive and the underwater climax, which earned the film a special Oscar, still holds up as a stunning bit of action choreography. Moreover, for better or worse, it was Terence Young's Thunderball and Lewis Gilbert's You Only Live Twice that set the mold for the 007 template more so than the somewhat one-off and stand-alone Goldfinger , and thus is arguably the quintessential Sean Connery 007 movie. It may not be Connery's best 007 outing, that would still be From Russia With Love , but it's the one that pretty much set the mold for everything else that followed, for better or worse. Moonraker (1979): In terms of pure earnings, this Roger Moore entry was the biggest grossing of the franchise until GoldenEye jolted the franchise back to life in 1995. With a $70.3 million domestic total in 1979, Moonraker still sits at the top Roger Moore film by a wide margin. The question I've always had about its exceptional box office success is whether it was a big deal because it was "James Bond does Star Wars " or whether it was always going to be huge because The Spy Who Loved Me was so darn good. But that's for another day. Moonraker may be one of the bigger hits in the franchise, but it's also considered one of the lesser entries, a reputation it does not deserve. Okay fine, the film has a climax where James Bond goes into space and shoots lasers at the bad guys while Jaws (Richard Kiel returning from The Spy Who Loved Me ), but that's around 10-15 minutes of a 126 minute action picture. The preceding 105 minutes is a brutally efficient, well-paced, and surprisingly dark and violent 007 caper. Roger Moore is oddly grim this time around, Michael Lonsdale is one of the most low-key baddies in the series, and Lois Chiles makes another great "no BS" Bond girl. You don't have to like the outer space finale, although I would argue it's relatively well-done and doesn't do any real damage to what came before, but the rest of the film is one of the more genuinely exciting and gripping Roger Moore Bond entries. License to Kill (1989): 25 years of film critics/movie nerds like myself constantly making the case for Timothy Dalton's two film run as 007 has moved the needle to the point where Dalton no longer needs a preemptive defense. They say you prefer the Bond you saw first, and my first exposure to the series was an opening weekend matinee of The Living Daylights in 1987. But nonetheless, the reason I will again defend License to Kill , which was mostly savaged upon release and is the biggest adjusted-for-inflation flop in the entire 007 series ($35m in 1989, $73m today), is that it arguably set the template for the current run of Daniel Craig smashes. This was arguably the first 007 film that is anything resembling a genuine "James Bond has a character arc" movie. Audiences obviously didn't bite in the crowded summer of 1999, and this PG-13 entry found itself as just another would-be summer blockbuster in a field dominated by Batman , Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade , and Lethal Weapon 2 . Its classic 1980′s "This time, it's personal!" revenge story, a clear case of the 007 series trying its hand at hard 80′s action in the wake of Die Hard , Lethal Weapon , and Robocop , was tailor-made for Timothy Dalton. It's jolting to see a genuinely emotional and driven 007 for perhaps the first time save the pre-credits sequence of Diamonds Are Forever . Robert Davi is one of the great 007 baddies, bar none, and his goals as a drug kingpin is refreshingly small-scale compared to the standard threaten the world/take over the world/destroy the world schemes that personified the franchise. The opening and closing action scenes are stunning (Chris Nolan is clearly a fan of the pre-credits sequence), Benicio Del Toro makes a great henchman, and Carey Lowell is more evidence that "Bond Girls" have been "Bond Women" since the 1970′s. Timothy Dalton was doing the Daniel Craig thing before Craig made it cool. The World Is Not Enough (1999): Pretty much all of Pierce Brosnan's 007 films amount to "What if?" stories. What if 007 went up against a former 00 agent? What if one of Bond's many conquests came back into his life? What if Bond was captured and cut loose from MI6? While his two lesser films discard their core story ideas at the halfway mark, GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough take them straight through to the end. With The World Is Not Enough , the question was "What if 007 fell in love with a would-be conquest who turned out to be the villain?" This Michael Apted entry, arguably the first time a celebrated non-action director was given the reins, is funny, violent, and filled with terrific action. In 1999, it was the closest thing we've seen so far to "a character-driven action thriller that happens to be a Bond movie." The two best Brosnan-era supporting characters, Judi Dench's M and Robbie Coltrane's Valentin Zukovsky, get tons of screen time, and its surprising plot turns have been mimicked everywhere from Skyfall to The Dark Knight Rises . Yet we all crap on it because Denise Richards shows up in the third act as a somewhat unconvincing love interest. Yes, the film would have been better sans said character. The filmmakers should have been willing to end a 007 film with Bond having killed the main Bond Girl (Sophie Marceau, another great female lead in a series that has more of them than you think) and defeated the main henchman (Robert Carlyle, who was totally supposed to be revealed as 007′s son if you believed the Internet movie gossip boards in the late 90′s) and ended up triumphant but alone. But convention demanded a secondary "Bond Girl" so Brosnan would have someone to shag in the epilogue, and I will admit her presence is unnecessary. It's not her best performance, but the notion that she's unconvincing as a nuclear scientist because she looks like Denise Richards has always struck me as deeply sexist. But nonetheless, I'm not about to let one flawed element negate what is really one of the best 007 films out there and one of the first entries that's a movie first and 007 adventure second. It continued the Brosnan upswing, opening with a record-high $35m in November of 1999 (against the $30m debut of Sleepy Hollow , the first time two movies had ever debuted with $30m+) and ending up with $126m domestic (just above the $125m total of Tomorrow Never Dies ) and $361m worldwide (just above the $350m total of GoldenEye ). Quantum of Solace (2008): It is no secret that many 007 films amount to "James Bond plays in this particular genre sandbox," usually as a come from behind attempt to emulate the success of a recent hit or new genre. But the "Bond does Bourne/Jason Statham" stylings of Quantum of Solace were so bald-faced obvious that the film was marked from before its release. Yes, the action editing is terribly choppy, but the film works as a politically/socially conscious action thriller that happens to be the 23rd Bond movie. The screenplay was partially written by Paul Haggis, so we get a get more introspection and "we are the enemy" pathos this time around. Those who complained that arch villain Mathieu Amalric's scheme to basically steal water from impoverished locals wasn't evil enough need to have their proverbial privilege checked. The film works not just as a take on the action styling of the Bourne franchise as a take on their liberal guilt politics as well. Here is a mega-budget blockbuster where the American government is explicitly portrayed as one of the bad guys. Olga Kurylenko's main Bond girl is wholly focused on revenge, a revenge that she is allowed to take sans moral scolding, and yet the picture works as a second act of a long play where Casino Royale is the first character development/set-up heavy first act. And even though we can't see the action as clearly as we might like, the car chases, foot chases, and shootouts (especially the first act foot chase and a second act beat at an opera) feature terrific staging and superb stunt work. Unlike Skyfall , which is rooted in nostalgia and reaffirmed a decades-old status quo, Quantum of Solace attempts to take the 007 franchise into uncharted territory. It doesn't entirely work (Bond never takes the chance to defend himself even when M thinks he has gone rogue), but I admired the hell out of the attempt. Financially speaking, the film was a " Bourne Supremacy -style" breakout sequel to the leggy and well-received Casino Royale , going from that film's $40m debut to a whopping $67m opening weekend. But lukewarm word of mouth did its thing and the film bottomed out pretty quickly, earning $168m, or just above the $167m total of Casino Royale , while its $586m worldwide total (on a $200m budget) was a touch under the $599m cume of Casino Royale . Fortunately, the powers-that-be at Eon and Sony didn't panic, and three years later the franchise shot to the top of the A-level blockbuster field with Skyfall . As the follow-up to the beloved Casino Royale , Marc Forster, and Paul Haggis's handwringing grimdark thriller may have been a comedown. But as one of 25 007 films, it's an entertaining and interesting one-off that stands out among its peers. And that's a wrap for this James Bond entry, in under 2,000 words to boot! I may do an "overrated" Bond films as well, but I prefer defending the derided versus condemning the praised. Besides, a careful reading of this piece will reveal which three films I think merit that arbitrary distinction anyway. Spectre comes out October 26th in the UK and November 6th in America in 2D and IMAX 2D. As always, we'll see.
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Janet Jackson's legacy could be immortalized next year in Cleveland: The pop icon has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2016 class, along with Cheap Trick, Chaka Khan, and Chicago. Other first-time nominees now eligible include: the Cars, Steve Miller, Los Lobos, and the J.B.'s. Joining them on the ballot this year are previous nominees N.W.A (now up for a fourth time), Nine Inch Nails, the Smiths, Yes, Deep Purple, the Spinners, and for a record tenth (!) time, Chic. Who'll get snubbed? Find out in December, when next year's inductees will be announced; up until December 9, fans have the chance to vote for a nominee who'll represent the " fan's ballot ," now in its fourth year. Next year's class will be inducted into the Rock Hall in April, with HBO airing the event at a later date. Last year's inductees included Green Day, Ringo Starr, and Joan Jett.
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Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal are back in contention for Chile's World Cup qualifier with Brazil after coming through training unscathed on Wednesday. Both Sanchez (knee) and Vidal (groin) were included in the Argentine coach's squad to face the Selecao in Santiago on Thursday but arrived carrying knocks picked up on club duty. While Sampaoli remains unsure if either of them will be able to feature in the recently crowned Copa America champion's opening clash with Brazil, he still feels the side has the quality to begin the campaign in a successful manner. "They are both in the same condition. I cannot confirm at this stage if either will be fit to face Brazil," the 55-year-old said in a news conference. "Of course, they are very valuable to us but I am confident that if they are not available we have the squad to be competitive against Brazil or Peru." Brazil suffered a quarterfinal elimination from the 2015 Copa America at the hands of Paraguay, but Sampaoli still believes the team poses a significant threat. "Starting the qualifiers against Brazil is the worst possible scenario," Sampaoli said. "They are still the greatest power in the world, despite all the criticism, and they have elite players. "Starting against Brazil or Argentina is much riskier than playing other teams."
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We're just going to make a prediction: Volkswagen of America boss Michael Horn's congressional testimony, slated to begin today, is not going to go well. Based on a written testimony submitted by Horn, the exec is expected to tell Congress he knew his company was violating emissions regulations at least 18 months before it actually came clean. "In the spring of 2014... I was told that there was a possible emissions non-compliance that could be remedied," Horn wrote, in testimony published on the US House of Representatives' website (PDF warning). "I was informed that EPA regulations included various penalties for non-compliance with the emissions standards and that the agencies can conduct engineering tests which could include 'defeat device' testing or analysis. I was also informed that the company engineers would work with the agencies to resolve the issue." Related Story: Guide to the Volkswagen Emissions Recall Horn's written testimony went on to outline how the company will "develop a remedy for our customers." It includes five points, ranging from the "world-wide investigation" being conducted by the company to reassurances that VW's engineers are "working tirelessly" on fixes to the four-cylinder diesel problems. Horn went on to confirm that each generation of the affected diesel there are three will require its own distinct fix. Finally, Horn went on to say that the company will "examine our compliance, processes, and standards" to prevent a repeat of the diesel catastrophe, while promising "open communication with our customers, dealers, employees, and the public as we move forward." We've included Horn's complete, three-page written testimony below. Have a look. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook Testimony of Michael Horn, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. Before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations October 8, 2015 Chairman Upton, Chairman Murphy, Ranking Member Pallone, Ranking Member DeGette, other Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify before the Committee today. My name is Michael Horn, and I am the President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. I have volunteered to come before this Committee at the very outset of these inquiries in an effort to show our commitment to cooperation. We have not had the opportunity to review all aspects of this matter, indeed the investigation is just beginning. Therefore, my testimony and my answers to your questions will, by necessity, have to be considered preliminary and based on my best current recollection and information. On behalf of our company, and my colleagues in Germany, I would like to offer a sincere apology for Volkswagen's use of a software program that served to defeat the regular emissions testing regime. In the spring of 2014 when the West Virginia University study was published, I was told that there was a possible emissions non-compliance that could be remedied. I was informed that EPA regulations included various penalties for non-compliance with the emissions standards and that the agencies can conduct engineering tests which could include "defeat device" testing or analysis. I was also informed that the company engineers would work with the agencies to resolve the issue. Later in 2014, I was informed that the technical teams had a specific plan for remedies to bring the vehicles into compliance and that they were engaged with the agencies about the process. On September 3, 2015, Volkswagen AG disclosed at a meeting with the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") that emissions software in four cylinder diesel vehicles from model years 2009-2015 contained a "defeat device" in the form of hidden software that could recognize whether a vehicle was being operated in a test laboratory or on the road. The software made those emit higher levels of nitrogen oxides when the vehicles were driven in actual road use than during laboratory testing. In Volkswagen's recent ongoing discussions with the regulators, we described to the EPA and CARB that our emissions control strategy also included a software feature that should be disclosed to and approved by them as an auxiliary emissions control device ("AECD") in connection with the certification process. As a result, we have withdrawn the application for certification of our model year 2016 vehicles. We are working with the agencies to continue the certification process. These events are deeply troubling. I did not think that something like this was possible at the Volkswagen Group. We have broken the trust of our customers, dealerships, and employees, as well as the public and regulators. Let me be clear, we at Volkswagen take full responsibility for our actions and we are working with all relevant authorities in a cooperative way. I am here to offer the commitment of Volkswagen AG to work with this Committee to understand what happened, and how we will move forward. EPA, CARB, the U.S. Department of Justice, State Attorneys General, as well as other authorities, are fulfilling their duties to investigate this matter. We are determined to make things right. This includes accepting the consequences of our acts, providing a remedy, and beginning to restore the trust of our customers, dealerships, employees, the regulators, and the American public. We will rebuild the reputation of a company that more than two million people worldwide, including dealers and suppliers, rely upon for their livelihoods. Our immediate goal is to develop a remedy for our customers. While much work is still to be done, I'd like to talk today about how we get from where we are now to that goal. First, we are conducting investigations on a world-wide scale into how these matters happened. Responsible parties will be identified and held accountable. Thorough investigations have already begun, but any information developed at this stage is preliminary. We ask for your understanding as we complete this work. Second, it is important for the public to know that, as the EPA has said, these vehicles do not present a safety hazard and remain safe and legal to drive. Third, technical teams are working tirelessly to develop remedies for each of the affected groups of vehicles. These solutions will be tested and validated, and then shared with the responsible authorities for approval. There are three groups of vehicles involved, each containing one of the three generations of the 2.0L diesel engine. Each will require a different remedy, but these remedies can only be our first step for our customers. Fourth, we will examine our compliance, processes, and standards at Volkswagen and adopt measures to make certain that something like this cannot happen again. Fifth, we commit to regular and open communication with our customers, dealers, employees, and the public as we move forward. As first steps, we have set up a designated service line and website to be a channel for this communication, and I have sent a letter to every affected customer. I can offer today this outline of a path forward toward the goal of making things right. Nevertheless, Volkswagen knows that we will be judged not by words but by our actions over the coming weeks and months. These events are fundamentally contrary to Volkswagen's core principles of providing value to our customers, innovation, and responsibility to our communities and the environment. They do not reflect the company that I know and to which I have dedicated 25 years of my life. It is inconsistent that the company involved in this emissions issue is also a company that has invested in environmental efforts to reduce the carbon footprint in our factories around the world. Volkswagen Group has a deep commitment to preserving our environment. As one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, our commitment to the environment extends throughout every aspect of our business in the more than 150 countries in which we operate. For example, here in the United States, Volkswagen's manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee serves as a model for Volkswagen plants around the world for increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions, water, and materials usage and waste. In recognition of the plant's efficiency, Volkswagen Chattanooga received a platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ("LEED") program. The facility is the first and only automotive manufacturing plant in the world to receive the Platinum Certification. As environmental protection and sustainability are central to Volkswagen's core values, these events have been particularly troubling. Our conduct in the events that bring us here today belittle the efforts of Volkswagen to lead in environmental responsibility. Over the 60 years Volkswagen has been in the United States, it has become part of the American culture. There are more than 6,000 Americans employed directly by Volkswagen Group of America in its 60 facilities across the United States: from a customer relations center in Auburn Hills, Michigan and a testing lab in Golden, Colorado, to a parts distribution center in Haslet, Texas, and our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. That factory, alone, employs more than 2,200 people and is expanding. We are part of communities all across the country. Thousands more hardworking men and women are employed at our parts suppliers and the network of about 1,000 dealerships across the United States. In closing, I again apologize on behalf of everyone at Volkswagen. We will fully cooperate with all responsible authorities. We will find remedies for our customers, and we will work to ensure that this will never happen again. Thank you again for allowing me to testify today, and I look forward to your questions.
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Oct 8, 2015; 9:50 AM ET Summit intern Adam Gill captured this timelapse footage Wednesday, Oct. 7, of clouds rising up over the Northern Presidentials, before descending into the Great Gulf and dissipating.
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video
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CNBC's Mary Thompson reports materials are an area of strength in a down market ahead of the Fed minutes.
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finance
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The billionaire short seller famous for predicting the collapse of Enron sees China on the brink, and calls Xi Jinping akin to Vladimir Putin.
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finance
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BALTIMORE A man who crashed a stolen car into a fence at a Maryland Army installation Wednesday night and hid overnight in a storm drain was arrested almost immediately after he emerged from hiding Thursday morning, authorities said. The incident began about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday when officers with Anne Arundel County Police spotted a car that had been stolen in a carjacking earlier this week in Baltimore. The driver led officers on a 4 ½-mile chase from Hanover, Maryland, to the Fort Meade Army installation, county police Spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure said in a news release. He crashed his car into a fence near an unmanned Fort Meade gate. The man ran onto Fort Meade property and hid overnight in a storm drain obscured by a bush, according to Fort Meade Garrison Commander Col. Brian Foley. While law enforcers searched for the man throughout the night, Fort Meade functioned on reduced operations, residents were warned to stay indoors and six nearby schools were closed. "We ensured that service members were safe," Foley said at a news conference. About 10:15 a.m. Thursday, the driver "probably thought enough time at gone by and it was safe to come out," Foley said. The driver was almost immediately arrested by police. The man was taken into custody by Baltimore police, Foley said. Authorities there had reported an armed carjacking on Sunday and the car that crashed into the fence as stolen in that crime. The incident came six months after National Security Agency police shot two people who ignored orders to turn around a stolen SUV at a security gate, killing one. NSA is located on the Fort Meade campus. When asked if the two incidents meant a security review was need at the installation, Foley said work was started in June on rebuilding and modernizing the gate through which the man entered.
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Property managers in the U.S. are raising rents as demand rises and vacancies fall, a new survey from property rental website Rent.com found.
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finance
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NASCAR has issued warnings to multiple Sprint Cup Series teams for irregularities in the inspection line last weekend at Dover International Speedway. The teams of Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart were both handed written warnings for discrepancies with the rear bumper tubing round on their cars in pre-race inspection. Busch is a Chase a driver while Stewart, the co-owner of SHR, is not. NASCAR also issued written warnings to the Sprint Cup Series teams of Martin Truex Jr., Trevor Bayne, Jeb Burton and Michael Annett for failing NASCAR's LASER Inspection Platform too many times in pre-race inspection. The warning against Truex's Chase-contending team came the same day that NASCAR placed the driver's crew chief, Cole Pearn, on probation through Dec. 31 for an infraction that occurred just prior to the race at Dover. Meanwhile, the teams of SHR driver and Dover winner Kevin Harvick and driver Michael McDowell will be held 15 minutes of practice this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for infractions on previous race weekends. Harvick, the reigning Sprint Cup champion, is being held after his team was hit with two warnings for failing to pass NASCAR's LASER Inspection Platform three times in pre-qualifying inspection and twice in pre-race inspection at New Hampshire two weekends ago.
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Eat Your Way to Better Hair and Skin Diet, hormones and stress can affect our health, but it can also affect our hair and skin. Get that glow back and save yourself from split ends with our dietician-approved guide to eating your way to your best-looking hair and healthy skin. Kale WHY IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Kale, which is high in Vitamin K, helps blood clot and soothes the skin to make sure the nick you got shaving heals fast, says nutritionist Becky Long. At least one study also suggests that kale may help tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Massage your kale with olive oil to make it easier to digest before using the leaves as a base for your salad. If you're not a fan of raw kale, add it to homemade soup or smoothies. Salmon WHY IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Protein is a building block for every cell in our body and hair is no different, says Maddy Hasulak, certified nutritional consultant, co-founder of Love Grown Foods. While this fish is rich in vitamin D and protein, the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon can help keep your scalp healthy. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Add salmon as the protein in your salad or use leftover cooked salmon as a cold addition to your wrap. Tomatoes WHY THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants and lycopene, which is best known for protecting and healing the skin from the sun's harmful UV rays, says Josh Axe, DNM, certified nutrition specialist. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Top your avocado toast with tomatoes or slice cherry tomatoes in half and top with low-fat goat cheese for an easy-to-eat snack. Greek Yogurt WHY IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Just like dejunking your diet will help clear your skin and make it look better, eating the right healthy foods might make your scalp and hair less greasy. Keep your scalp clean from film and debris with vitamin B5-rich Greek yogurt, suggests hairstylist Carla Rivas, co-founder of the all-natural hair growth vitamin, Hair La Vie. In addition to keeping follicles from becoming irritated, she says that B5 promotes healthy, strong hair growth. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Eat Greek yogurt with fruits and nuts for an energizing midday snack. EGGS WHY THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Zinc-rich eggs boost your body's ability to repair cells and tissue, rejuvenating your skin. The mineral also maintains oil-secreting glands that keep hair follicles healthy, says Rivas. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Snack on a hardboiled egg or slice one onto your salad. SWEET POTATOES WHY THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamin C, which produces elasticity-maintaining collagen. They are also rich in anti-aging beta-carotene. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Cut up sweet potatoes and roast them with herbs and other root vegetables for a great anytime side dish. ALMONDS WHY THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Vitamin E-rich almonds decrease environmental damage caused by air pollution, cigarette smoke, and UV rays. They also improve skin moisture and elasticity, says Dr. Axe. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Choose granola bars with almonds or add the nuts to trail mix. Almonds also make a great stand-alone snack. AVOCADOS WHY THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Avocados are full of healthy fats that can improve your skin tone. They also help maintain moisture levels in your skin to give it a super soft, yet firm feeling, says Long. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Make one of these guacamole recipes. Otherwise, mash it up, add some spices, and spread it on toast. BLUEBERRIES WHY THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR OR SKIN: Antioxidant-rich blueberries protect your skin from premature aging, says Molly Cornbleet, R.D. HOW TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET: Add blueberries to your breakfast smoothie or as a topping on your Greek yogurt.
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Thursday's Just Ridiculous plays feature Sean Rodriguez beating up a water cooler, Karri Ramo making an insane save, and Kyle Schwarber going yard.
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Popular Thai holiday islands were engulfed with haze from Indonesian forest fires Thursday, forcing several planes packed with beach-bound tourists to turn back, further stoking regional tensions. The travel disruptions came as Indonesia finally agreed to accept international help to douse the massive fires that have been started deliberately to clear agricultural land. Five flights bound for the resort islands of Phuket and Samui turned back to Bangkok Thursday morning due to poor visibility, according to the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, which controls air traffic across the country. A further two airlines flying to Phuket from Singapore were forced to circle the airport for up to an hour before landing, it said, as haze blocked out the sun to the disappointment of visitors. "It is the worst haze (on the island) in many years," Trakul Thotham, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation on Phuket, told AFP, but said it was "getting better" Thursday. Of the seven affected southern Thai provinces Phuket has been worst-hit with unhealthy levels of particulates in the air, according to the department. Some Thais wore protective masks to combat the pollution, Wipa Emem, a reservation clerk at the Holiday Inn Resort on the island told AFP, but tourists were mostly "still on the beach". After weeks of insisting it could tackle the crisis alone, Indonesia Thursday said it was in talks with countries about assistance including Singapore, Russia, Malaysia, Australia and China. "Hopefully, we can speed up our efforts," President Joko Widodo told reporters before flying to Jambi, one of the worst-affected provinces on smog-belching western Sumatra island. But his jet was unable to land at the local airport due to the haze, presidential spokesman Ari Dwipayana told AFP, forced to divert to another airport on Sumatra. - 'Not a handout' - For weeks, fires illegally started to clear land for plantations on Sumatra and the Indonesian part of Borneo have shrouded Singapore and Malaysia in acrid smog, worsening air quality, closing schools and forcing the cancellation of outdoor events. The blazes are an annual occurrence during the dry season, but scientists have warned this year's are on track to be the worst ever due to an El Nino weather system that has created tinder-dry conditions in Indonesia. Jakarta has deployed about 25,000 personnel and aircraft, but the fire-fighters have seemed overwhelmed by the extent of the blazes. Tensions have been rising between Indonesia and its neighbours as the haze spreads, with Singapore's biggest supermarket chain Wednesday withdrawing paper products made by an Indonesia-owned company, Asia Pulp & Paper. Some of the group's suppliers in Indonesia have been accused over the haze. "This remains a challenge for us so we feel it is important to cooperate with countries with resources to assist us," foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told reporters in Jakarta. He insisted it was "not a handout" as Indonesia would pay for the services with some countries as it particularly sought bigger planes for water-bombing. The nation's disaster agency said one large Russian plane should be arriving soon to help with fire-fighting. Singapore has offered aircraft to artificially induce rain and conduct water-bombing, as well as personnel to help fight the blazes. The city-state has been especially infuriated by the failure to tackle the fires and Indonesian officials making light of the crisis. On Thursday there was some respite from the haze for Singaporeans and Malaysians with air quality recording moderate levels. burs-pj/apj/tm
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One of the most inexplicable cultural trends of the last decade is the rise of the selfie. For some reason, humanity is now convinced that other people want to look at our faces all the time, so we snap photographs and post them on social media over and over again, no matter what the occasion. Baseball games, funerals, terrorist attacks - somebody's going to be there taking a selfie. This camera obsession is proving dangerous as well - in 2015, more people died from selfie-related accidents than from shark attacks. Here's our rundown of the ten worst disasters caused by obsessive selfie-taking. Car Crash The absolute worst place to take a selfie - or do anything with your phone, really - is behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Distracted driving accidents are on a steep rise over the last few years, as Jordan Toner learned a few months ago. The Maine resident was driving a few of his friends around when he decided he wanted to capture the moment with his cell phone. He leaned over to snap a selfie and, not paying attention to the road, veered sharply to the left and crashed hard into a tree. Thankfully nobody was killed, but his car was totaled and all of the passengers were injured. Accidental Suicide One of the most popular genres for selfies is taking pics of yourself looking like a badass with a gun. There's nothing more hood than fishing for likes on social media, after all. But for 19-year-old Texan Deleon Alonso Smith, that impulse would end his life. In September 2015, Smith and his cousin found a gun at an undisclosed location and brought it home to their apartment. Smith snapped a bunch of badass selfies with the pistol in a variety of poses, but during one shot he pointed the gun at his head and accidentally pulled the trigger . It went off, putting a bullet in his throat and killing him. Seven Person Drowning Solo selfies are one thing, but it turns out that group selfies can be even more dangerous. In March of 2015, a group of Indian youths went on a picnic in the Nagpur area near Mangrul Lake. Seeing a ramshackle boat out on the water, a group of the kids climbed in and paddled out into the middle of the lake. Once there, the only rational thing to do was take a selfie, so they all stood up in the boat and got their phones out. It's not recommended to stand up in boats, and they quickly found out why when the vessel capsized and all seven of them drowned . Their compatriots on shore called police but their bodies weren't recovered until the next day. Cliff Fall The invention of front-facing cameras has made vacation photos so much worse. We feel the need to stick our faces in front of what were previously beautiful vistas just to prove we were there. That said, what happened to a Polish couple on vacation in Portugal's Cabo da Raca region is a true tragedy. The pair climbed over a safety railing to get a better shot of themselves standing atop a tall cliff, only to lose their footing and drop hundreds of feet into the ocean below. Even worse, the couple's young children watched the whole grisly ordeal and are now orphans. Plane Crash It used to be so difficult to take photographs in olden times. Now you just point and shoot. But even that's enough to cause a deadly distraction, especially if you should be concentrating on something like, say, flying a plane. When the Cessna 150 piloted by Amritpal Singh went down outside of Boulder, Colorado, investigators found a GoPro camera among the wreckage. Video footage from it showed that both Singh and his passenger were taking selfies at night with the flash on in the plane's cabin as they flew, no doubt disorienting the pilot to the point where he crashed the aircraft and killed everybody on board. Volcano Crater The thing about taking a selfie is that it takes your attention away from everything but your phone screen. So when a group of students from Indonesia went on a hike up Mt. Merapi, an active volcano on the Java border, they probably should have been paying more attention. One of the men, Eri Yunanto, decided to pose for a quick selfie on the rim during the hike. Unfortunately, he didn't pay attention to where he was stepping and lost his footing, dropping some 600 feet to the bottom of the volcano's crater. His friends ran for help, but Yunanto was already dead. Train Electrocution Selfies are like real estate: it's about location, location, location. So when a pair of teenage Romanian girls got the idea to snap self-portraits on top of a train, they surely saw thousands of likes dancing in their notifications. Unfortunately for Anna Ursu and her friend, climbing atop a choo-choo would lead to a grisly demise. While on top of the train, Ursu's leg came in contact with a live electrical conduit, sending 27,000 volts through her body with a loud explosive sound. The force was enough to kill her instantly and send her unidentified friend flying off of the train. The Running Of The Bulls Many people take selfies in dangerous situations so they can prove to the world just how badass they truly are. That's all well and good, but when a massive bull is charging at you it might be time to put the iPhone down. During the 2015 Running of the Bulls in the Spanish town of Villaseca de la Sagra, David González Lopez had his camera out and was filming them over his shoulder with his selfie camera instead of running for his life. That proved to be a pretty stupid decision, as one of the beasts noticed him and brutally gored Lopez in the back, flipping him into the air and further mangling him as he lay helpless on the ground. He was taken to the hospital but quickly perished from his wounds. Russian Daredevil The teens of Russia have earned a reputation for taking some of the most ridiculous selfies in the world, often climbing to the top of buildings, bridges and other structures to defy death for Instagram fame. When you defy death too often, though, it starts to defy you. Andrey Retrovsky was a popular Russian Instagrammer who was getting famous for his pics, and in October 2015 he set up a shot where he would hang by a rope from a roof to look like he was falling. Unfortunately for Retrovsky, the rope snapped and he plummeted to his doom on the street below. The Russian government has even produced a selfie-taking guide that expressly warns citizens not to take shots in perilous places, but it doesn't seem to be doing much good. Car Fatality People typically take selfies in good times, but the cruel irony of Courtney Sanford's fatal photograph will set you off. The 32-year-old North Carolina woman was on her way to work when she snapped a pic and uploaded it to Facebook with the caption "The happy song makes me so HAPPY." Less than a minute later, her car crossed over the center border and plowed into a recycling truck , bursting into flames. She was trapped inside and perished, and police didn't find any traces of alcohol in her system, ruling that the cause of the accident was distraction from social media. More on MSN: 7 deadly diseases we are on the cusp of eliminating 5 Painless Ways To Detox Your Home
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Lance Bass opened up about being inappropriately touched and sexually harassed when he was 16, by someone 'N Sync worked with. Bass told viewers on the Meredith Vieria Show, "It happened to me when I was 16 or 17 years old: when we started there was someone that we worked with that was inappropriately touching us." Bass revealed the other guys knew. They joked and were affected by it, but they never told anyone. Lance's point: sexual misconduct can happen to women or men.
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entertainment
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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) Prosecutors will be making their case that a felony conviction should stand against a former student at an elite New Hampshire prep school convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old freshman days before he graduated. A jury in August convicted 19-year-old Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont. His trial was full of lurid details that exposed a practice at St. Paul's School in Concord known as Senior Salute, in which graduating students try to have sex with younger classmates. Labrie's lawyers are asking a judge to throw out the felony conviction for using a computer to arrange their encounter in May 2014. If the conviction stands, Labrie could be ordered to register as a sex offender for life. Prosecutors must file their objections in writing Thursday. Sentencing is set for Oct. 29.
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Antioxidants are often touted for their potential cancer-fighting abilities, but now researchers say the compounds may actually speed up the spread of the potentially deadly skin cancer melanoma, according to a new study done in mice and in cultured human cancer cells. Antioxidants are compounds in foods and supplement pills that may prevent oxidation, which can damage cells. The compounds are widely consumed by both healthy people and people with cancer for their supposed ability to prevent and fight cancer, the researchers said. But research on the anti-cancer benefits of antioxidants has yielded mixed results , with some studies showing that taking antioxidants may actually increase cancer risk, they said. In the new study, the researchers found that mice that had melanoma and were given an antioxidant supplement called N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for about 80 days had double the number of tumors that spread to their lymph nodes, compared with mice that had melanoma but were not given with the antioxidant. In addition, the researchers found that human melanoma cells growing in lab dishes that were exposed to NAC and vitamin E, another antioxidant, showed signs of becoming better able to invade tissues or spread to other parts of the body than cells not exposed to these antioxidants. [ Top 10 Cancer-Fighting Foods ] Based on the new results, "it is not far-fetched to propose that antioxidants could increase [the spread of cancer] in melanoma patients," said study author Martin Bergo, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Moreover, there is no evidence that taking antioxidant supplements would be beneficial for patients with melanoma, he said. "Therefore, we would recommend people who have been diagnosed with malignant melanoma to avoid antioxidant supplements," Bergo told Live Science. The changes in the mice's melanoma tumors that the researchers observed in the study were profound, said Ekaterina Dadachova, a professor of radiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who was not involved in the study. However, Dr. Vadim Gushchin, an oncologist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, noted that the results are preliminary, and said that more research in humans is needed to examine the link between the increased spread of melanoma and the use of antioxidant supplements. Still, Gushchin said, the new study "tells me that the narrative that certain things are undoubtedly good for you, and certain things are good unconditionally, with no side effects that is probably a wrong narrative." The study is one of several published in recent years "that are fueling a controversy about using antioxidants in cancer patients ," Dadachova told Live Science. On the one hand, "antioxidants are often given to cancer patients to boost their immune system ," she said. However, research has also shown that the use of antioxidants during anti-cancer therapies such as chemotherapy may actually make such therapies less effective. This is because the goal of these therapies is to generate molecules called reactive oxygen species, which are the exact compounds that antioxidants are designed to fight, Dadachova said. Moreover, the authors of the new study had previously found that the use of antioxidants seemed to increase the growth of human lung cancer cells in lab dishes, as well as the growth of lung tumors in mice. In addition, other research has shown that taking antioxidant supplements may actually increase the risk of developing certain cancers in otherwise healthy people. For example, in one study of 36,000 healthy, middle-age men, researchers found that taking vitamin E for several years was linked to a 17 percent increase in the men's risk of prostate cancer. However, it is important to note that, in all of these studies, the researchers looked at antioxidants in supplement form. Supplements typically contain much higher levels of antioxidants than natural foods, Dadachova said. "One would have to eat several pounds of vitamin-E-containing food in order to reach the level that would be in one supplement tablet," she said. Consuming antioxidants from natural foods is safe, she added. In fact, Dadachova recommended that patients with cancer should stick with natural foods containing a variety of vitamins, many of which are natural antioxidants, but they should not take antioxidant supplements, at least not in huge amounts, she said. The new study was published today (Oct. 7) in the journal Science.
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Volkswagen America CEO Michael Horn apologized Thursday at a hearing on Capitol Hill and said the automaker is "determined to make things right" after years of deception on an air pollution device. Horn made his comments at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., called Volkswagen's emissions cheating a "fundamental violation of public trust." "We have to streamline our processes, and this company has to bloody learn and use this opportunity in order to get their act together," Horn said. He said that he had no knowledge of the faulty software prior to his meeting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board on Sept. 3, 2015. "To the best of my knowledge today, this was not a corporate decision," he said. "This was a couple of software engineers who put this in for whatever reasons and I would also like to find out." Horn, a German who has worked at VW for 25 years, said he did not think something like that would be possible at his company. "These events are deeply troubling," he said. Representatives were most concerned about the nearly half a million affected cars sold in the U.S. Horn explained that for about 430,000 of those vehicles, a software-only fix would be technically unworkable; a hardware fix would also be needed. Horn apologized for not having specific dates on when technical remedies could be expected as investigations are still ongoing, but he said new software could be available early next year. He added that the full remedy could take years. In mid-September, the EPA alleged that the German automaker had been cheating on American air pollution tests. Volkswagen acknowledged that it installed sophisticated software known as "defeat devices" in the electronic control module of diesel vehicles issued between 2009 and 2015. U.S. dealers, whose business is approximately 25 percent diesel cars, will receive some financial support and incentives from VW, Horn said. Horn outlined a series of actions the company was planning, including conducting global investigations and communicating openly. He said the company's losses will depend of the amount of fines, recall fixes and customer compensation. "This is a whole lot of money, I'm quite sure," he said. He said the company would examine compliance and standards.The company has set up a service line and website for the public to access. Horn also said that he had sent a letter to every affected customer. "We will fully cooperate with all responsible authorities. We will find remedies for our customers, and we will work to ensure that this will never happen again," he said. The company admitted to the faulty software and subsequently issued several apologies. About 11 million cars worldwide are affected. Correction: An earlier version misstated the day of Horn's appearance on Capitol Hill. CNBC's Kalyeena Makortoff and the AP contributed to this report.
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Novak Djokovic matched Jimmy Connors for the second-longest unbeaten record at an ATP Tour event by beating Chinese wild card Zhang Ze 6-2, 6-1 to improve to 26-0 at the China Open. Djokovic has won five titles at the China Open in the past six years, excluding 2011, when he did not play the tournament. Djokovic matched Connors' 26-0 record at the ATP event in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1974-1980, and now only trails Rafael Nadal's 31-0 start at the French Open from 2005-2009. "I feel very pleasant playing on the centre court," he said. "I guess as I keep coming back each year with that positive record, obviously gives me more confidence knowing that I played so well in the past on this court." On the women's side, the US Open finalists from Italy - Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci - both lost in the third round. Pennetta, the US Open champion, lost to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, while Vinci was beaten by American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 Following her triumph in New York, Pennetta announced that she would retire at the end of the season - a decision she reaffirmed on Thursday. She has one more tournament scheduled next week in Tianjin, China, and could still qualify for the WTA Finals in Singapore, though her loss to Pavlyuchenkova dented her chances. "There is nothing going to change if I go to Singapore or not. My career is going to be over anyway," she said. "Of course, is going to be nice to go to Singapore. If I make it, it's OK. If I don't, I go on vacation." Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza of Spain clinched her spot at the WTA finals with a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Men's results: 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Zhang Ze (China) 6-2 6-1 Fabio Fognini (Italy) beat 7-David Goffin (Belgium) 6-2 2-6 6-2 Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) beat Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 7-6(5) 7-6(7) Women's results: 5-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia) 1-6 6-2 6-1 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat 3-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 3-6 6-4 6-3 Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) beat 15-Roberta Vinci (Italy) 6-1 3-6 6-2
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Got a car that's just sitting in your driveway a lot of the time? Maybe you should become your own car rental company.
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When I was 14 I dumped my first boyfriend over AOL email. It was not a good look. However, times have changed. Now there's a whole world of Internet communication options with which to sever ties with your significant other. One guy even divorced his wife over WhatsApp . Of course, the preferred method of dumping someone is still IRL, but who has time for that? If you're going to do it online, here are some tips on how to best cut someone loose on various apps. Twitter "TFW you need to dump @boyfriend but are too lazy to call" Instagram A photo of a sunset tagged with #weneedtotalk #michael #ineedspace #itsnotyouitsme Things are getting awkward A photo posted by We Should Break Up (@weshouldbreakup) on Mar 11, 2015 at 11:13am PDT Vine A video of you ollie-ing over a curb, yelling "What are thoooooooooooose?" and pointing to divorce papers. Snapchat Send a selfie to your soon-to-be ex with the caption "enjoy our last 10 seconds because it's over." Be sure to doodle a smiley face somewhere so they know you want to stay friends. the stages of a breakup:1. denial2. anger3. bargaining4. taking pictures of everything you do to make sure people know you're having fun thomas violence (@thomas_violence) October 5, 2015 Facebook Changing your relationship status to 'It's complicated' is so 2007. Instead, post that you're breaking up with your SO, then proceed to get into a 70 response long reply argument, which will inevitably be posted on Reddit. Venmo Request payment for "However much it takes to mend a broken heart, AMANDA." Include at least three pizza emoji. Skype "We're breaking up?" "Oh, like the connection is bad?" "No." Post-it: Why mess with a classic? Leave it anywhere they'll find! Photo via Flickr/ David Mulder (CC by S.A. 2.0)
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There's a great difference between being built for the long regular season and being able to withstand the postseason. That notion will be proven out over the coming weeks. That's when we get to see who can handle and who'll collapse under the intense October pressure. 8. Houston Astros Living on the edge for about two weeks may be a burden for some teams, but it's a pleasure trip for this franchise one that hasn't seen success in years. Houston relied on a familiar formula to beat the Yankees in Tuesday's AL Wild Card Game: Dallas Keuchel and the home run ball. It's too bad the Astros can only (at most) count of half of that every four or five days. Behind Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and others, the franchise won't have to worry about crawling back into the wilderness. However, as good of a story as this is, Houston isn't ready for prime time just yet. 7. Texas Rangers The AL West was the land of overachievers, with the Rangers foremost among them. Texas played at a .643 clip in August and September. Their late charge wasn't by accident, as a group of veterans led the way. Cole Hamels proved to be a shrewd deadline pick-up (going 7-1). Adrian Beltre (.344 over the last month) and Shin-Soo Choo (.343 since the All-Star break) were locked in down the stretch. Prince Fielder revived his career with 23 homers, 98 RBI and a .305 average. The Rangers, though, were 23rd in team ERA which will make for an early exit when facing Toronto. 6. New York Mets The anticipation that was building over the past few seasons gives way to reality. At last, the Mets are overpowering opponents with an imposing and emerging young rotation. Ranked fourth in team ERA, a one-through-four staff of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz poses a daunting prospect for any lineup. How they bridge the gap between the starters and closer Jeurys Familia remains a major question. So is New York's ability to beat the top NL teams, as the Mets offense got well against the league's bottom feeders. 5. Los Angeles Dodgers Despite a third straight NL West crown, Don Mattingly's job could be on the line. He'll once again rely on the 1-2 punch of Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw to deliver. This Dodger duo put up remarkable numbers together, but their respective years won't be considered successful without success beyond the 162-game slate. With an offense that is hit-or-miss and a back end of the rotation that's tremendously questionable, the burden rests squarely on the two aces both poised for (and capable of) a long-awaited breakthrough. 4. Kansas City Royals On cruise control since early summer, the defending American League champs stalled out in September, but regained form late to capture the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The benefit of playing at Kauffman Stadium is a luxury K.C. embraced during last year's magical postseason run. A boisterous crowd, team speed, and an outstanding defense will again be strong. The only difference this time? They Royals won't sneak up on anybody. After not making playoffs from 1986-2013, #Royals are now only team to make playoffs in AL in each of the last 2 years Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) October 4, 2015 3. Chicago Cubs By shutting down the Pirates on Wednesday, Jake Arrieta can embark a road where few travel. It's one thing to be historically hot in the regular season. It's another to continue that hot streak into the postseason. There's no reason to believe he can't keep it up against the rival Cardinals. But Jake's magic act isn't the only Chicago showstopper. He's supported by several young standouts in the lineup (namely Anthony Rizzo and rookie Kris Bryant) who possess the talent which can offset inexperience along with a manger who's been here before. 2. St. Louis Cardinals Statistics aren't a sufficient judge of St. Louis' success. The only important numbers are wins. And Cardinal victories have been aplenty over the past 11 seasons weather in spring, summer or fall. During that span, the team has won at least 90 games on seven occasions and has made eight playoff appearances (including four consecutive trips to the LCS). In 2015, the Cards used a deep, if not spectacular, pitching staff and a consistent lineup to reach the 100-victory plateau. In other words, it's more of the same. One significant difference this year is the presence by bat and by glove of Jason Heyward. 1. Toronto Blue Jays Their prowess at the plate is a trait that hasn't left them yet this season. The Jays ranked first in homers, RBI, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Until late July, pitching (specifically an ace in the starting rotation) was the only thing holding them back. But once Toronto acquired David Price at the trade deadline, the team became far better at limiting runs all the while maintaining its blistering pace on offense. With that, you have a scary if not World Series-winning combination.
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Cesar Yanez admitted to armored truck heist
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Volkswagen's US boss has made a "sincere apology" for installing "defeat devices" to cheat emissions tests on its diesel cars. Michael Horn, chief executive of VW's US operation, said the events were "deeply troubling". However, he said the decision to use the devices was not one made by the company's board, but by individuals. Mr Horn said: "My understanding is that it was a couple of software engineers who put these in." He said that three people had been suspended following the scandal, but they could not be named for legal reasons. He was giving evidence before the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce committee. Sceptical Many of the committee members were sceptical. New York Congressman Chris Collins said: "VW is trying to get us to believe this is the work of a couple of rogue engineers. I don't believe it." At one point, Mr Horn himself said he found it hard to believe. Texas Congressman Joe Barton asked him: "Do you really believe, as good, as well-run as Volkswagen has always been reputed to be, that senior level corporate managers, administrators, had no knowledge for years and years?" Mr Horn replied: "I agree it's very hard to believe. And personally I struggle [to believe it] as well." Several of the committee members admitted they had owned VW cars and held a deep affection for them, which prompted some angry questioning. Vermont Congressman Peter Welch asked Mr Horn: "How do you call yourself a member of the human race when you poison the human race?" 'Full responsibility' Mr Horn added: "I did not think that something like this was possible at the Volkswagen group. "We have broken the trust of our customers, dealerships, employees as well as the public and the regulators." He said: "Let me be very clear: we at Volkswagen take full responsibility for our actions and we are working with all the relevant authorities in a co-operative way." Mr Horn told the panel he was informed about a "possible emissions non-compliance" in the spring of 2014. But he said he first learned about so-called defeat devices being installed on VW diesel cars at the beginning of September, just before the scandal was made public. The software allowed a vehicle to recognise whether it was being driven on the road or running in a test laboratory, and turn engine emissions controls on or off. VW will offer a financial package to American dealers to help them through the crisis, but expects it will take "one to two years minimum" to fix the US cars. Prosecutors Meanwhile, German public prosecutors have searched Volkswagen's Wolfsburg headquarters as part of their investigation into the emissions scandal. The prosecutor's office said they were looking for data linked to the defeat devices. German prosecutors launched their investigation into the scandal last week after receiving about a dozen criminal complaints from citizens and one from VW itself. They say they are trying to find out who was responsible for the alleged manipulation and how it was carried out. Mr Horn said he was told about problems with VW's diesel cars meeting US emissions tests after the publication of a study by West Virginia University. "I was informed that EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] regulations included various penalties for non-compliance with the emissions standards and that the agencies can conduct engineering tests which could include 'defeat device' testing or analysis," he said. But he told the members of the committee: "I had no idea what a defeat device was or that Volkswagen used them." Volkswagen told US authorities on 3 September this year about the "defeat device" in emissions software in diesel vehicles for the model years 2009 to 2015.
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The UN human rights chief calls on Mexico to set a timetable for the withdrawal of military forces from controversial police work as the nation tackles drug-related violence.
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AVIC's current Swift Gazelle weighs 100 kilograms. That may not seem like much, but its an unmanned tech demonstrator that will lead to bigger, manned vehicles. The PLA is already reportedly interested in being one of the launch customers for the full scale vehicle. AVIC, the leading Chinese aviation conglomerate, unveiled a flying robot car during the September 2015 Third China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin. The Swift Gazelle (Sai Ling in Mandarin Chinese) currently weighs 100 kg, and uses its six side-mounted, digitally controlled rotors to vertically take off and land, hover and fly, just like a helicopter. On land, the Swift Gazelle can speed off in pursuit of enemies. At its current small size, the Swift Gazelle is unmanned, which means that it can drive autonomously on the ground (and is much cheaper for scouting missions), at least until a bigger Gazelle comes along for human use. The Swift Gazelle uses light tires and an aerodynamic body (including covering the upper wheelbase) to make it easier to fly. Presumably, military manned versions will be more robust against damage. Flying cars, such as this Black Knight, which use side mounted rotors, might fly slower than helicopters, but they're more resistant to damage, and generally easier to drive around. Engineer Huang Shuilin hopes that the Swift Gazelle will become a widespread feature in Chinese daily life. It'll probably also be a bit part of the PLA arsenal. The PLA, if it chooses to take a leaf from George Jetson's book, would likely use flying cars for mountainous operations, air cavalry, Special Operations, and search and rescue. If the Swift Gazelle proves successful, China could take off in an area where America's flying military car projects have been unable to advance past the testing stage. The DARPA military research agency has funded various similar projects, such as the Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) in 2009 and Advanced Tactic's Black Knight, a flying small truck that also has side mounted rotors, which flew in 2014.
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If you want to stay on trend with your selfies, then you need to learn all about the 'fish-gape'. Keri Lumm (@thekerilumm) explains.
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6 Things You Didn't Know Were Causing Your Weird Dreams We've all experienced vivid, sometimes frightening dreams that cause our heart rates to spike, limbs to twitch, and leave us feeling unrested in the morning. Maybe you were being chased by a giant crab in a top hat, or perhaps your ex shared that embarrassing photo of you with your entire office. Whatever it is, strange dreams leave a solid impression that will often last beyond the following day. For the most part, all of our dreaming happens for about two hours a night during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. According to Psychology Today, during REM sleep, signals are sent from the pons, an area near the base of the brain, to the thalamus, and then the cerebral-cortex, an area responsible for learning, thinking and organizing information. What then happens is a dream, or what some scientists believe is our mind's attempt to organize all of the random impulses being sent out during REM sleep. As a result, the random disarray of information makes for some strange nighttime experiences, inducing nightmares and other frightening occurrences. But can certain things, like food or medications impact REM sleep, and thus affect the content of our dreams? Prescription Drugs Believe it or not, a lot of medications your doctor prescribes for a variety of different conditions can cause nightmares and other vivid dreams. Although it may not be listed as a side effect, bad or realistic dreams occurring while taking a prescription are fairly common. How these drugs impact the sleep cycle varies based on the medication's effect on the brain. For example, antidepressants are known to change brain chemistry by balancing the neurotransmitters responsible for mood and emotion which could definitely have consequences for shut-eye time.People's Pharmacy notes that amphetamines used to treat ADD or narcolepsy, beta blockers prescribed for high blood pressure, Levodopa used for Parkinson's disease, antidepressants, and certain antibiotics like clindamycin and quinolone antibiotics cause nightmares (just to name a few). Fever If you've ever had the flu and spiked a temperature, you probably know that you're in for some weird dreams come nighttime. Focus Science and Technology says this typically happens because temperature changes in your body will cause the brain to experience hallucinations and vivid imagery. Our temperature changes throughout the course of the day but gets particularly low as we begin to fall asleep. When we enter REM sleep, our body is unable to control our temperature as it usually does. If we are running a fever while experiencing REM sleep, the heightened temperature leads to an over-activity of the impulses traveling throughout the brain, and thus, some pretty messed up dreams. Spicy Food Similar to a fever, that spicy bowl of Pad Thai you had just before bed could impact your body's temperature in a way that disrupts REM sleep. Lisa Medalie, a clinical associate of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Hospitals told NBC News that because heavy or spicy foods are more difficult to digest, they interfere with the function of the sleep cycle.Building on this, Tore Nielsen, professor at the Université de Montreal and director of the dream and nightmare laboratory at Sacré-Coeur Hospital, said, "It is...possible that spicy foods or other foods such as dairy or greasy foods at least occasionally induce nightmares or bizarre dreams. It might be that some people are sensitive to the chemical composition of certain foods."More generally, foods that contain chemical components like tryptophan or melatonin can extend the length of REM sleep, allowing you to remain longer in your dreams, and have them seem more vivid. Alcohol If you've ever drank a glass of wine (or a few) you know that alcohol can lull you off to sleep. But having a few drinks, especially before bed, not only leads to a more shallow sleep with frequent instances of waking up, the duration of REM sleep also decreases. For the most part, a night of drinking will cause REM sleep to be suppressed early in the night, but then rebound during the second half of the night.Because of this, a rapid transitioning between sleep stages will occur, leading to more vivid dreams. Alcohol also similarly affects the body's temperature; causing your body's temperature to dip slightly, then rise, alcohol-spurned irregularities can contribute to nightmares the same way fevers do. Diabetes/Low Blood Sugar Diabetes in any form affects your body's natural ability to produce insulin, which in turn affects how you process sugar. Sometimes, if a person with diabetes takes too much insulin, their blood pressure could drop, leading to hypoglycemia. If hypoglycemia remains untreated for long enough, severe symptoms that often result include nightmares.Also, hypoglycemia has the ability to occur while you sleep and are no longer taking in food, which may cause your blood sugar to drop. This instance of low blood sugar could also contribute to having nightmares, and other vivid dreams. Pregnancy Pregnant women have some pretty frightening, realistic dreams, but the reason behind this seems to be a little more Freudian. According to Baby Center, it is common for women to experience vivid dreams while pregnant, especially if they're in their third trimester. Usually, these dreams are just a way for their subconscious to deal with the fears and anxieties of becoming a new mother.And don't be too hasty to write these dreams off; many believe pregnancy dreams are significant to uncovering the psychology of the mother. In the 1970s, psychologist Alan Siegel even went so far as to have workshops with pregnant women where they could discuss their dreams, and understand their own anxieties and emotional progression over the course of the nine months.Tore Nielsen told the Huffington Post that strange dreams while pregnant is a type of "mental remodeling process" that helps the mother come to terms with being a parent, and ready herself for the change.
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Boone Pickens, BP Capital founder, shares his outlook on oil prices, restarting rigs and a cute joke about oil men.
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CNBC's Steve Liesman, and Diana Farrell, JPMorgan Chase Institute, discuss findings of a new study that shows Americans are spending 80 cents of every dollar saved from gasoline.
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If you have an Instagram account, you've probably seen your fair share of Eiffel Tower photos. But did you know there are cities all over the world albeit less-famous ones that are just as 'gram-able? With everything from beaches to national parks to awe-inspiring architecture, these cities are full of landmarks that will please your free spirit and your camera lens. And, hey, if you want to take that Eiffel Tower photo, go for it anyway. The top 3 include; Cambridge, United Kingdom, Darwin, Australia and Aix-en-Provence, France.
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When ISIS occupied the UNESCO-designated World Heritage site city of Palmyra in Syria May 2015, the international community wondered what fate awaited these majestic ruins. Would they be pillaged for profit, fall victim to another cultural atrocity, or both? The world did not have to wait long for its answer: In just 10 days, between the last week of August and the first week of September, the smaller temple of Baal Shamin, the grand temple of Bel and three funerary towers from the necropolis were blown up in what has become the hallmark signature of ISIS's destruction of cultural heritage sites. Now, ISIS has destroyed yet another iconic landmark of Palmyra: the monumental arch know as the Arch of Triumph that stands at the entrance to the Grand Colonnade. Reports indicate that preparations are underway to destroy the amphitheater and the nearby Agora. The main arch with its two smaller arches flanking it was originally built in the second century by the Roman emperor Septimius Severus to commemorate his victory against the Parthians. Images from a local activist show the top left side of the arch and the smaller arch associated with it have been completely destroyed, and all that remains standing is the right half of the main arch and the smaller arch to its right. The colonnade fortunately appears to be undamaged. Why is ISIS destroying Palmyra's major cultural heritage landmarks? The answer lies beyond the simplistic narrative of an extremist Islamist group with an iconoclastic approach to cultural heritage generally portrayed in the media. ISIS commits cultural heritage atrocities to shock the world, allowing ISIS to demonstrate its ability to act with impunity and illustrating the impotence of the international community to prevent them. These atrocities along with others, such as the public executions of Westerners in orange jumpsuits, are part of a carefully crafted propaganda campaign by ISIS. The propaganda resonates well with ISIS's narrow base of supporters and help bolster morale by reinforcing the ability to act with impunity while shocking the world and drawing attention to ISIS's actions. ISIS's destruction of the site of Palmyra should be seen through the wider lens of events taking place in Syria today and the need for ISIS to respond to them. Russia recently launched its air campaign in Syria, and while most of its firepower has not been directed against ISIS targets, publicly the objective of Russian intervention is to destroy ISIS. Perhaps that is why ISIS felt compelled to respond to this and other challenges by destroying cultural heritage at sites like Palmyra. Why should we care about the destruction of cultural heritage monuments in Syria? Once the current violence ends, the people of Syria will need to find ways to reconnect with symbols that once united them across religious and political lines. The country's ancient past, represented in its rich cultural heritage, is key to this. Protecting and preserving Syria's history and heritage is thus also about safeguarding its future.
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18 Pantry Staples That Can Help You Lose Weight What if the secret to shedding pounds was already in your kitchen? While fresh produce and lean protein are a huge part of a sustainable weight-loss diet, all of these healthy pantry staples can boost your metabolism and help your body burn more fat. Check out this list, and make sure to stock up the next time you're at the market. Apple Cider Vinegar Studies have shown that apple cider vinegar may help keep you from feeling hungry by slowing stomach emptying ; it also lowers the glycemic index of high-carb foods, meaning it can help you feel fuller longer by slowing the release of glucose into your bloodstream. Tuna Rich in protein and high in omega-3 fatty acids, tuna should be your go-to on busy nights when you need something quick. Add it to a simple salad for a more balanced meal, or try out our light and bright tuna salad recipe that kicks the fatty mayo out of the equation. Cayenne Pungent, spicy cayenne powder is a staple of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine that's known to kick up your body's temperature and boost your metabolism . An added bonus is that the capsaicin content in cayenne helps your brain release endorphins! If you're worried about cayenne being too spicy, try this Fall detox salad that calls for just a little but offers big benefits to your health. Green Tea Few beverages offer more aid to a weight-loss plan than green tea. It's been proven to boost metabolism and suppress appetite. In short, it's time to start sipping. Cinnamon Cinnamon boosts your metabolism, aids in digestion, and can even help regulate blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes. Sprinkle some in your morning coffee, smoothie, or even your tomato sauce for a little boost. Quinoa Quinoa is a protein-packed pseudograin that's rich in digestion-relieving fiber; it can help you feel satiated for long after you eat. Get creative with one of these quinoa recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or throw together one of these quick quinoa combinations when you're pressed for time. Try cooking up a big batch of quinoa on Sunday night, so it's ready to toss into a salad or serve alongside lean protein all week long. Soup Broth-based soups are a healthy eater's best friend; they fill you up, are relatively convenient, and are low in calories. Look for a low-sodium, BPA-free can or boxed soup for the healthiest option with the fewest preservatives. Whole-Wheat Pasta Lower in carbs and high in fiber, it's time to make the switch to whole-wheat pasta. It's the more nutritious option when compared with white-flour pasta, and these noodles keep you satisfied for longer due to their fiber content -- a must when you're trying to shed pounds. Nuts A 2011 study found that people who ate an ounce of nuts a day had higher levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, which can act as an appetite suppressant . Higher serotonin levels may also help diminish stress levels - a big help when it comes to the fight against belly fat. Unsweetened Coconut Milk When you're craving something rich, let unsweetened coconut milk come to the rescue! Both vegan- and Paleo-friendly, this ingredient can thicken up many recipes leaving you with the perfect (seemingly rich) texture that's full of good, healthy fats that can support weight-loss goals. Try this pumpkin bisque for yourself to taste the results. Oatmeal Swap your breakfast cereal for a bowl of oatmeal, and you just may see the pounds disappear. A recent study found that those who ate oatmeal instead of cereal consumed the same amount of calories but felt fuller longer and more satisfied , thanks to oatmeal's high fiber content. Low-Sodium Broth Back off the oil and butter, and keep low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth in your pantry. It can help you throw together a light soup, but you can save calories and cut back on fat when you use the wet sauté cooking technique. Simply use twice as much vegetable broth as you would oil. If a recipe calls for two tablespoons of olive oil, try four tablespoons of broth. Honey Skip refined sugar, and be sure to keep honey on hand. A little goes a long way with this sweet stuff, and it's much better than stripped-down white sugar that can cause your blood sugar to spike. Lentils Besides being high in protein and fiber, lentils are also a great source of resistant starch, a type of carb that just might make you burn more fat and lose weight faster. Try adding these lentil recipes to your rotation. Canned Beans Quick, easy, and inexpensive, keep this budget-friendly protein source in your pantry at all times. When you're stocked up on beans, you can always throw together a hearty, low-calorie meal that won't take too long to make. Check out these healthy bean recipes and try one out in your kitchen. Chia Seeds Fiber, protein, omega-3s - chia seeds have them all. Not only that, but they plump when added to liquid, which can make you feel more satisfied with smaller portions. Sprinkle chia seeds into your smoothies or on top of your oatmeal, or make an overnight chia pudding to enjoy for breakfast. Turmeric Turmeric is a spice that contains curcumin, an active component with anti-inflammatory benefits that's rich in antioxidants. In an animal study performed at Tufts University, researchers found that the curcumin found in turmeric appears to "reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue ." While adequate studies haven't been performed on humans, even Dr. Weil believes that the results are promising! Polenta Polenta is a low-fat complex carbohydrate that can make dinner a breeze while supporting your weight-loss goals; high in insoluble fiber, polenta can keep hunger at bay long after you eat. Look for it in firm tubes at the supermarket, or keep a box ready to go in your pantry. This polenta and bean dish is a perfect pantry dish for weight loss.
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Bill Clinton's backstage role in his wife's presidential campaign may be coming to an end. As a critical month for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign unfolds, the former president is becoming a more visible presence on television and on the fundraising circuit. In the past two weeks, the 42nd president has headlined at least five fundraisers, and he delivered the keynote address at a Jefferson-Jackson party dinner in West Virginia. On Tuesday, he appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert , part of a series of recent interviews that his office says are related to his foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative. Last year, Bill Clinton told The Denver Post about his wife's potential political plans that he was "a bit player and whatever she wants to do is fine by me." Yet he now appears positioned to play a greater role, especially when it comes to fundraising. Hillary Clinton raised just $2 million more than Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, currently her chief rival, in the last quarter. "When this is behind us, I'll be able to do some more'' fundraising, the former president told CNN last week, referring to the global initiative. "I'm kind of like an old horse that they keep in the stable,'' the former president told attendees at the West Virginia annual fundraising dinner. Hillary Clinton is facing a pivotal few weeks as she seeks to beat back a serious challenge from Sanders, who is leading her by double digits in New Hampshire and is polling close in Iowa. She also hopes to clear the cloud of controversy over her use of a private email server as secretary of State. In recent weeks, she's staked out a series of positions aimed at appealing more to her party's left, including her announcement Wednesday that she was opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership a trade pact she supported while in the Obama administration. Over the course of the month, she'll take part in the party's first official debate on Oct. 13, hold a series of town hall forums, and face down Republicans during an Oct. 22 hearing before the special Benghazi committee. She's also awaiting a decision by Vice President Biden that could come at any time on whether he'll seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Bill Clinton's re-emergence comes as Republican Jeb Bush's campaign is also weighing whether to give the candidate's brother, former president George W. Bush, a greater role. "It's a little bit like Rocky and Apollo Creed coming back,'' said Steve McMahon, an unaligned Democratic strategist. Polls show Bill Clinton remains among the most popular political figures in the U.S., particularly among Democrats. "There's debate about how publicly to use him,'' said Julian Epstein, a Democratic strategist and unpaid supporter of the Clinton campaign. "The point of view that's winning, and that I agree with, is that you don't want to make the Al Gore mistake and keep your most gifted surrogate and campaign mind on the sidelines during the most formative months,'' he said. Gore, then vice president, declined to use Clinton in the homestretch of the tight 2000 campaign to fire up Democratic voters in critical states like Arkansas and New Hampshire. As the former president wades deeper into the public sphere, the big question is whether his contribution will be akin to 2008, when his rhetoric about then-senator Barack Obama may have hurt Hillary Clinton in South Carolina, or 2012, when he delivered a rousing speech at the Democratic convention making the case for Obama's re-election. In Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign, he regularly introduced his wife at events and even headlined some rallies. That strategy led to criticism that he was overshadowing her. He also angered black voters by seemingly diminishing Obama's victory in South Carolina by comparing it to Jesse Jackson's 1984 and 1988 wins there. He also sparked criticism when he described Obama's Iraq war opposition as a "fairy tale.'' Clinton is also famously defensive when his wife is under attack, an impulse he will be challenged to keep in check. In a separate interview last month with CNN, he likened the email controversy to the Whitewater scandal that hung over the early years of his presidency and never led to any prosecutions. "The other party doesn't want to run against her. And if they do, they'd like her as mangled up as possible,'' Clinton said. Democratic strategists say a sequel to 2008 is unlikely, though, because his role won't be as pronounced this time around. Howard Dean, a former presidential candidate and Democratic National Committee chairman, said he doubts Clinton will be as high profile as he was eight years ago. "The best way he can help is to raise a bit of money and let Hillary Clinton speak for herself,'' said Dean. "That's what they've done so far, and I think that's a good strategy,'' he said. Follow @HeidiPrzybyla on Twitter.
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Pyongyang was a city of orchestrated mass motion Thursday, as the North Korean capital was primped and primed for the mother of all birthday parties. In squares across the city, brass bands rehearsed, flag-waving children marched and women dressed in traditional, brightly coloured hanbok dresses went through their dance routines ahead of Saturday's grand celebration of ruling Workers' Party 70th anniversary. The numerals "10-10", representing the party's October 10 "birth" date, were everywhere -- painted on giant posters that lined the streets or etched out in lavish flower arrangements adorning major crossroads. The centrepiece spectacle will be a massive military parade on Saturday through the capital's Kim Il-Sung square, with wave after wave of goose-stepping troops opening a muscular display of military hardware, including tanks, artillery pieces and mobile missile launchers. The event was announced way back in February, and is expected to be the most elaborate of its kind since current leader Kim Jong-Un took over power following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, in 2011. As with the last large-scale parade in 2013 -- celebrating the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War -- Kim is expected to take the salute from a viewing balcony overlooking the square named after his grandfather. He will be joined on the platform by a top official from traditional ally China, but few other foreign dignitaries will be present in a stark reflection of North Korea's diplomatic isolation. The North excels at such choreographed displays of military muscle, which aim to boost pride and patriotism at home while sending a defiant message to an international community that has sought, with little success, to curb Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions with economic sanctions. - City makeover - Huge efforts have gone into the preparations for Saturday's spectacle, with workers, students, ordinary residents and the army mobilised en masse to get the capital ready. Major anniversary celebrations are one of the few occasions that the North extends multiple invitations to the international media, particularly foreign broadcasters, to enter the country. And the scale of the preparatory effort was visible from the start of the drive from Pyongyang's new international airport into the city proper. Teams of workers could be seen clearing brush from the sides of the road, while others applied fresh white paint to bollards lining the hard shoulder. Clusters of red flags sprouted from the grass verges of city intersections, and bunting with the national flag was strung across buildings lining the streets. In the weeks leading up to Saturday's parade there has been growing speculation that North Korea would mark the party anniversary with a satellite rocket launch and, in the following weeks, a fourth nuclear test. UN resolutions ban Pyongyang from using ballistic missile technology and its space programme is widely seen as a front for developing an inter-continental ballistic missile. But despite numerous hints from Pyongyang to the contrary, satellite images and South Korean intelligence have uncovered no tangible signs that a rocket launch is imminent. Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticised the anniversary celebrations as it urged North Korea to end forced labour, accusing the reclusive regime of "predatory exploitation". "If Pyongyang wants to really celebrate its founding party, it should stop its predatory exploitation of its people's labour," HRW's Asia deputy director Phil Robertson said.
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Volkswagen's top U.S. executive knew the carmaker might be breaking U.S. emissions rules as long as 18 months before it admitted cheating diesel tests to regulators, he will tell a panel of U.S. lawmakers on Thursday. The admission by Michael Horn, in a written testimony to a congressional oversight panel a day ahead of Thursday's hearing, is likely to raise questions about why the German company did not act more quickly to tackle its wrongdoing. Almost three weeks after it confessed publicly to rigging U.S. emissions tests, Europe's largest carmaker is under huge pressure to identify those responsible, fix affected vehicles and clarify exactly how and where the cheating happened. The biggest business crisis in Volkswagen's 78-year history has wiped more than a third off its share price, forced out its long-time chief executive and sent shockwaves through both the global car industry and the German establishment. "In the spring of 2014 ... I was told that there was a possible emissions non-compliance that could be remedied," Horn, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in his statement published on a U.S. House of Representatives website. "I was also informed that the company engineers would work with the agencies to resolve the issue," he said, without identifying the people providing him with the information. It was not until Sept. 3, 2015, that Volkswagen told U.S. regulators it had installed so-called "defeat devices" in some diesel engines to mask their true level of toxic emissions. U.S. regulators made public the wrongdoing on Sept. 18. Volkswagen has come under fire on both sides of the Atlantic for its handling of the crisis, with lawmakers, investors and customers saying it has been too slow to release information. Analysts are still unsure how widespread the cheating was. Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Thursday that Volkswagen's manipulation software was switched on in Europe. The company has previously said that, while the software was installed in around 11 million diesel vehicles, mostly in Europe, it was not active in the majority of them. Volkswagen did not respond to requests for comment. IN-HOUSE Volkswagen has suspended more than 10 senior managers, including three top engineers, as part of an internal investigation. It has also hired U.S. law firm Jones Day to conduct an external inquiry. But some analysts have questioned whether new Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch and new CEO Matthias Mueller, both company veterans, will introduce the sweeping changes in business practices they think are necessary to restore Volkswagen's reputation. Poetsch said on Wednesday it would take "some time" to get to the bottom of the matter. The company, controlled by the Piech-Porsche clan, is not drawing on outside public relations and restructuring experts to help with damage-limitation efforts or its plans for a new company structure, one source close to the board said. "There's a strong tradition to handle such matters in-house," the source said, adding the company was also unlikely to draw on outside experts as it reviews investment plans and steps up cost savings to help meet the cost of the scandal. UBS analysts have estimated Volkswagen could face a bill of around 35 billion euros ($40 billion) to refit cars, pay regulatory fines and settle lawsuits, though they also say this is more than factored into the stock price after its plunge. The crisis has been a major embarrassment for Germany, which has for years held up Volkswagen as a model of the country's engineering prowess and looks to the car industry as a source of export income and an employer of more than 750,000 people. Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Thursday urged Volkswagen to be pro-active in addressing its problems, but also said critics should not overstep the mark. "There should not be a debate about the automotive industry or about diesel technology," Gabriel said after attending a meeting of Volkswagen's world workers council. European carmakers rely heavily on diesel vehicles, which account for about a half of new sales in Europe compared with only a small fraction in the United States. Horn, reaffirmed in his position by Volkswagen on Sept. 25, also said in his testimony Volkswagen had withdrawn its U.S. certification application for some model year 2016 vehicles over a software feature that should have been disclosed to regulators as an auxiliary emissions control device. (Additional reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Mark Potter; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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SEATTLE For years, business leaders here have closely studied the San Francisco region, seeking to emulate the way it churns out so many leading technology companies. In large measure, those efforts worked. But now, leaders in Seattle are looking to the Bay Area as a different sort of model: a cautionary tale. The giant sums of money spinning around San Francisco in recent years, fueled by a booming tech sector, have generated hordes of 20-something millionaires and thousands more with six-figure salaries. While that wealth has created a widely envied economy, housing costs have skyrocketed, and the region's economic divisions have deepened. The rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is more than $3,500 a month, the highest in the country . People in San Francisco worry the city is losing artists, teachers and its once-vibrant counterculture. The San Francisco Chronicle recently ran a photo essay titled "San Francisco's Strange Detour From Paradise to Parody." Across the bay in Oakland, many residents grumbled last month when Uber said it would open a giant new office there. The reaction has reverberated to Seattle and other tech hubs nationwide, prompting leaders to address how to maintain economic diversity and the souls of their cities as their tech economies reshape them. Last year, Seattle became the first major city to approve a $15 minimum-wage law. In addition, the mayor has pushed an ambitious affordable housing plan , and he has committed to expanding the city's manufacturing and maritime industries. "Seattle has wanted to be San Francisco for so long," said Knute Berger , a longtime chronicler of life in Seattle. "Now it's figuring out maybe that it isn't what we want to be." Sign Up To Receive Your Money Newsletter From The New York Times While many cities would do almost anything for a deluge of high-tech jobs, others are grappling with the side effects that often accompany surging economies. A plan by Google to expand its presence in Boulder, Colo., with a new campus last year ignited a debate over home prices and traffic. Residents of Portland, Ore., are pointing fingers at people moving from the Bay Area, blaming them for soaring home prices. And in Austin, Tex., whose official motto is "live music capital of the world," a charity called Black Fret is awarding grants to musicians struggling with the rising cost of living in the city. Matt Ott, a marketing executive at a tech start-up in Austin, who co-founded Black Fret, left the Bay Area about a decade ago because it got so expensive. "It got really tiring to have wealth and consumption be the topic of the day," he said. "I think that is a real danger here." Nowhere, though, has there been a more concerted effort to create a San Francisco-like tech scene with fewer downsides than in Seattle, the country's second-biggest tech hub by some measures. Beyond Amazon and Microsoft, Seattle's tech scene in the last 10 years has come to include dozens of smaller tech companies as well as engineering offices for Facebook, Google and other Bay Area tech giants. The number of technology-related jobs in King County, which includes Seattle and neighboring cities, jumped to almost 138,000 this year, from about 88,000 in 2005, according to Community Attributes, a research firm, and the Washington Technology Industry Association. By far, the most significant changes in Seattle's landscape have been created by Amazon. The company, known for its intense work culture , has transformed a once-industrial neighborhood near Lake Union into a hive of tech workers wearing blue company security badges. While the city's mayor, Ed Murray, praises Amazon, he has also said he wants to keep the working-class roots of Seattle, a city with a major port, fishing fleet and even a steel mill. After taking office last year, he made the minimum-wage increase a priority and reassured representatives of the city's manufacturing and maritime industries that Seattle needed them. "It's not true that a strong technology sector in Seattle means the demise of manufacturing," Mr. Murray said in a speech last year. A rising economy often leads to rising living costs, and to help slow the increase, Mr. Murray has pushed housing construction. He has set a goal of creating 50,000 homes 40 percent of them affordable for low-income residents over the next decade. "We can hopefully create enough affordable housing so we don't find ourselves as skewed by who lives in the city as San Francisco is," Mr. Murray said. The plan is something of a repudiation of the policies in San Francisco, which has a notoriously complex building approval process, and where efforts to construct high-density housing often encounter ferocious resistance from neighbors. The debate over affordable housing in San Francisco has intensified in the last few years as the tech frenzy migrated to the city, once a backwater for start-ups, from Silicon Valley. Corporate buses that shuttle San Francisco-dwelling employees down the peninsula have been the targets of activists protesting gentrification. San Francisco is not ignoring its problems. The city's mayor, Edwin M. Lee, is pushing a plan to let developers construct taller buildings if they designate at least 30 percent of them affordable for low- and moderate-income households, with the goal of creating 10,000 such units over the next five years. And the San Francisco area remains a strong magnet for the tech-inclined. "At an individual level, I wish Seattle were more like S.F., simply because it's way easier to find interesting work in S.F." for tech engineers, said John Rauser, who had worked in San Francisco for Pinterest, a digital scrapbooking site. He recently moved to Seattle, thinking it would be easier to raise a family. Yet Alan Durning, a member of the committee that put together Seattle's housing plan, said that the Bay Area's affordable housing crisis was a central part of the group's discussions, and that the area embodied the kind of situation most members desperately wanted to avoid. "It's not that we don't want to be a thriving tech center we do," Mr. Durning said. "It's that the San Francisco and Silicon Valley communities have gotten themselves into a trap where preservationists and local politics have basically guaranteed buying a house will cost at least $1 million. Already in Seattle, it costs half-a-million, so we're well on our way." Last year, Seattle had a net addition of more than 7,500 homes, a record for the city, compared with just over 3,500 in San Francisco , according to planning departments in both cities. Seattle partly benefits from having a larger area and about 185,000 fewer residents than San Francisco. Much of the building boom here so far has been for apartments with high rents, geared toward tech workers. The city's vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood has been a point of contention, with some residents being priced out of the area. The streets and freeways are increasingly choked with traffic, and locals often denounce the public transportation options. John Criscitello, an artist, has pasted posters throughout Capitol Hill protesting the changes brought by the newcomers. "Welcome! Rich Kids," one poster reads, while another declares, "Wish you weren't here." Those feelings have been expressed in places like Portland as well, where a two-bedroom house is half the price of a studio apartment in San Francisco. Redfin, the online real estate brokerage firm, said the percentage of Bay Area residents who used the site to buy homes in Portland more than tripled to 12.6 percent during the first seven months of this year compared with last year. Last month in Portland, someone slapped stickers showing the state of California with a slash through it on for-sale signs outside homes. Seattle is aiming for something more like a middle ground. The mayor's housing proposals are being considered in pieces by the City Council. Already he has had to backtrack on an element that would have allowed high-density housing in nearly all areas zoned for single-family homes. Roger Valdez, director of Smart Growth Seattle, a group that advocates high-density housing, has been disappointed at the resistance to more development in the city. "We're at a crossroads," he said. "One path leads to San Francisco, where you have an incredibly regulated and stagnant housing economy that can't keep up with demand. The other path is something different, the Seattle way."
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finance
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Team USA has taken the Day 1 lead at the Presidents Cup, leading the Internationals 4-1. It's the 22nd consecutive round the U.S. has lead at the event.
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sports
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The major streaming services all tout massive libraries with tens of millions of songs available for playing, but people often don't realize just how much music that really is. Looking at a figure is one thing, but does anybody really believe it's possible to listen to 30 million different songs in a lifetime? So much new music appears on these websites every day, it's impossible to keep track of it all, but now Spotify has taken a step to help listeners at least see what their options are. The Swedish company has it's own dedicated page (off of Spotify.com) that simply lists the new releases on any given week. Named the Sorting Hat after the character from Harry Potter, this new feature is a great way to realize just how much music you're missing out on. It may sound like the New Releases tab located on the actual player, but this new product is a lot less visually appealing and much more in depth. The New Releases section of Spotify.com is limited by not wanting to overload the average consumer, and thus only a few dozen (at most) albums and singles are promoted every week, but there's so much more than that! For example, this week (beginning October 2nd), the Sorting Hat has a list of 3,165 new releases, and that number is about the same every week. One side of the page breaks these thousands of singles, albums, and EPs down by genre, while the other half simply ranks them by popularity. A quick look at this week's Sorting Hat list and comparing it to the New Releases tab on Spotify shows plenty of well-known acts and cool new projects that simply didn't make the cut. There is no way I'll list all of these, but I was personally happy to see the following items, which I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for this new listing: Tove Lo re-released her album Queen of the Clouds with tons of new songs; EDM powerhouse Steve Aoki combined his last two records and added new tracks and remixes to make one long collection; Paul McCartney remastered two classics ( Tug of War and Pipes of Peace ); Electric Six has a new album; and Christmas records from some favorites (Sarah McLachlan and Earth, Wind, and Fire) are starting to pop up! Now, there is no way that anybody would be able to stream all of the music listed on the Sorting Hat, but it's not about hearing everything, but about seeing what's out there. Spotify has so much content, it can be daunting trying to find discover something new or find that one thing you were looking for, and in the past year or so, the company has worked diligently to make listening much easier and more enjoyable. The Sorting Hat is just the latest product to come from the company, and in just a few weeks it has helped me grasp the sheer number of tunes I've not yet heard. Paul McCartney
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entertainment
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Michigan football will be part of a new all-access series also featuring the men's basketball team and softball team during the 150th year of Wolverine athletics. It will be produced by The Players' Tribune, a digital media platform founded by former New York Yankees great and Michigan native Derek Jeter. "I first fell in love with the University of Michigan on my recruiting trip and then again while I was attending classes there. My heart has been there ever since," Jeter said in a news release from Michigan. "Alongside other sports fans, I'm looking forward to getting to know these teams and these athletes." Per the announcement, fans will receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the football, men's basketball and softball teams that will include stories written by athletes and alumni, photo diaries and video documentaries. The Players' Tribune will have behind-the-scenes access to practices and on game days while also following the teams when they go on the road. Interim Michigan director of athletics Jim Hackett called TPT "an ideal platform" for the programs to use to share the experience of being a student-athlete. Jeter never suited up for the Maize and Blue baseball team, but he signed a letter-of-intent before opting to join the Yankees organization. The series is set to begin later this month and continue throughout each team's season.
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sports
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General Motors Co said it would recall 31,685 SUVs in North America to repair a manufacturing defect in the windshield wiper motor that may overheat. GM told the U.S. vehicle safety regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it will recall certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave SUVs manufactured between Aug. 18, 2015 to Sept. 24, 2015. The front windshield wiper motor cover may melt, smoke or catch fire due to overheating in some cases. GM said about 6,400 of the SUVs with faulty wiper motors were sold to customers while the rest are being held at dealerships. (Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
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finance
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Facebook has plans to test emoji-like "reactions" in Spain and Ireland.
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video
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The Duchess of Cambridge is known for her perfectly crafted sense of style, and that extends to her glittering accessories. Premarriage Kate Middleton wasn't really one for major sparkle, but having access to Queen Elizabeth II's jewelry vault can easily turn any woman into a bling-lover. Kate has been lucky to wear heritage pieces either as loans or as gifts, including her brand new, diamond-encrusted The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth ll badge. We've tracked down the history of all the borrowed pieces that Kate has added to her working wardrobe, from diamond-encrusted brooches with deep meanings to tricky tiaras. The Halo Tiara Kate's most famous piece of borrowed jewelry would have to be the Cartier "Halo" tiara that she wore for her wedding day in 2011. The tiara was purchased from Cartier in 1936 by King George VI (the Duke of York) as an anniversary present for his wife, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. She in turn gave it to Queen Elizabeth II on her 18th birthday, and it has remained part of her personal collection. It features 16 graduated scrolls set with 739 brilliants and 149 baton diamonds. The tiara has previously been worn by high-profile women of the royal family, including Princess Margaret and Princess Anne. However, the last time it was seen out publicly was with Princess Anne in the 1970s. New Zealand Fern Brooch The duchess was photographed wearing Queen Elizabeth II's fern brooch many times during her first official visit to New Zealand in April. The piece was originally given to the queen during her coronation world tour in 1953 and 1954. As what often happens with gifted items from subjects, the brooch was commissioned by a local Kiwi women's group that wanted to show appreciation for their queen. (The fern is an important New Zealand emblem.) The queen has worn it to many New Zealand-related functions, but Kate gets the very special distinction of being the first person to whom the Queen has loaned it out. Source: Princess Diana's Engagement Ring One of Kate's most used pieces of jewelry also has a very sentimental meaning to Prince William. Kate's engagement ring famously belonged to Princess Diana before William used it to propose to his longtime love. After they got privately engaged, Diana and Prince Charles selected the engagement ring from the official royal jeweler, Garrard, in February 1981. It consists of 14 solitaire diamonds and a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire set in 18-karat gold. It was notable at the time since it wasn't custom-made (which royal engagement rings traditionally are) and was actually part of Garrard's regular retail collection. The ring was given to Prince Harry after Diana passed, and he eventually gave it to William. The Maple-Leaf Brooch Kate was loaned this maple-leaf brooch by the queen before Kate and Prince William embarked on their 2011 tour of North America. The brooch was originally given to the Queen Mother by King George VI in 1939, before they took off on their first Canadian tour, so there is a nice romantic connection to the brooch. Since then, the queen and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have both worn the brooch during Canadian visits. The Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace The duchess doesn't normally wear that much jewelry, but earlier this year, the queen reportedly asked that Kate be given more access to the royal jewels to give her a "princess-y" makeover. Enter the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace, which Kate wore during a visit to the National Portrait Gallery (where she serves as a patron) in February. The necklace was given to the queen by (who else?) the Nizam of Hyderabad, as a wedding present. He told the queen to pick out anything that she wanted from Cartier, and she selected this glittering number, which features a chain of 38 diamonds plus a center piece of 13 emerald-cut diamonds.
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lifestyle
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NEW YORK ( MainStreet ) A whole lot of U.S. homeowners are seeing their home equity recover from the housing crisis, but does that mean a home equity loan is in order? Even with a stable housing market, it depends on your circumstances. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median existing home price of $228,700 in August was 4.7% higher than it was in August 2014. That marked nearly four consecutive years of price increases, even as the interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage actually lowered from 3.94% on October 6, 2011 to 3.85% on October 1 of this year, according to Freddie Mac. According to National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun, even a Fed rate hike won't change that . "When the Federal Reserve decides to lift short term rates likely later this year the impact on mortgage rates and overall housing demand will likely not be pronounced," Yun said at the release of August's existing-home data. "With job growth holding steady, prospective buyers can handle any gradual rise in mortgage rates especially if today's stronger labor market finally leads to a boost in wages and homebuilding accelerates to alleviate supply shortages and slow price growth in some markets." At the height of the U.S. housing crisis in 2012, according to RealtyTrac, more than 12.8 million U.S. homeowners (29%) were seriously underwater owing far more on their mortgages than their properties were worth. That number has dropped to roughly 7 million (13% of all homeowners) while the number of equity-rich homes (with at least 50% positive equity) has climbed to more than 11 million, or 20% of all properties. "Median home prices nationwide bottomed out in March 2012 and since then have increased 35%, lifting 5.8 million homeowners out of seriously underwater territory," says Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. "While the remaining seriously underwater properties continue to be a millstone around the neck of some local markets, the growing number of equity rich homeowners should help counteract the downward pull of negative equity in many markets, empowering those housing markets and by extension their local economies to walk on water in 2015." As RealtyTrac notes, though, not all markets are so lucky. Sure, San Jose (2% underwater), Denver (4%), Portland, Ore. (5%), Minneapolis (5%), Boston (5%), San Francisco (5%), Pittsburgh (6%), Houston (8%), Dallas (8%) and Seattle (9%) have recovered. Even properties in some stage of foreclosure have positive equity, especially in Pittsburgh (81%), Oklahoma City (76%), Austin, Texas (73%), Nashville (70%), San Antonio (63%) and San Francisco (62%). That said, there are still markets with lots of underwater property. Las Vegas (30%), Orlando (26%), Tampa (25%), Jacksonville, Fla., (24%), Cleveland (24%), Miami (24%), Detroit (2%) and Chicago (22%) are among the worst, with more than half of foreclosed homes in Jacksonville, Tampa and Las Vegas underwater. As a result, home equity lines of credit dropped $19 billion in 2014 to $510 billion of all U.S. debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That's less than U.S. credit card debt ($700 billion), auto loan debt ($9.55 billion), student loan debt ($1.16 trillion) and mortgage debt ($8.17 trillion). It was also the only large segment of U.S. debt to decrease in 2014. Both borrowers and lenders seemed to take a lesson from the housing crisis and ensuing economic collapse. "Consumers are borrowing against their home in a more responsible way than they perhaps did in the past, and while conditions are favorable for potential [home equity line of credit] HELOC borrowers , homeowners should know that there are some tougher standards in place and that they are securing their home with the HELOC," says Brendan Coughlin, president of consumer lending at Citizens Bank. "For qualified borrowers, it is a great time to consider tapping into their equity to make home improvements, consolidate high interest debt or to help pay for unexpected expenses." Though the qualification hurdle is much higher than it was before the housing crisis, a home equity loan may be preferable to other options including home refinancing -- which has tightened rules of its own. However, if your financial institution can give you a better rate on a home equity loan than you're currently receiving on your other debt, it may make sense to use the former to pay off the latter. "For instance, auto loans and credit cards often have high interest rates, and you may be able to use a HELOC to consolidate your debt into one payment with a much better interest rate," says Coughlin. "The cost of college is something that continues to rise and while there are several loan options available to students, using a HELOC is another option to help pay for college." Chris Abts, president and founder of Cornerstone Retirement Group in Reno, Nev., earlier this year showed clients who were sending a child to college the tax repercussions of early withdrawal from their retirement fund -- which they were considering as a means of paying tuition. He multiplied it over four years, showed them how much federal grant and student loan money it would disqualify them for and then suggested they consider a home equity line of credit. He noted that they could use it as a tax writeoff rather than a penalty, they'd pay at a lower rate than their retirement withdrawal would earn over the same period and they could pay on a flexible schedule based according to their means. Abts notes that if you need to take $35,000 out of your retirement account, you would actually need to need to take out $50,000 to cover the tax hit and 10% penalty for withdrawing before age 59 and a half. That $50,000, at a 7% rate of return, would double in just ten years if you left it alone. "Another great benefit to a HELOC is that in certain cases the interest you pay can be tax deductible but customers should be sure to consult with a tax specialist to assess their individual circumstances," Citizens' Coughlin says. "Having a HELOC can be helpful for those unexpected expenses that often seem to arise." Even if homeowners are reluctant to spend their home equity, having a line of credit open can be more helpful than they'd imagine. Kevin Murphy, senior financial services consultant at McGraw-Hill Federal Credit Union in East Windsor, N.J., says homeowners can open a home equity line of credit and refrain from using it unless absolutely necessary. In the event of an emergency, it can serve as a last-resort loan for unexpected financial disasters. This is especially useful for retirees, whose finances and options tend to be more limited. Murphy notes that there's no cost to open a line of credit and you won't incur any cost for keeping it open rather than waiting until the last minute. Anthony D. Criscuolo, certified financial planner with Palisades Hudson Financial Group in Fort Lauderdale, notes that a home equity line of credit can serve as a last-ditch emergency fund in a worst-case scenario where there aren't a whole lot of options available. "It may be too late to apply for a credit card with no income and no assets, so having one or two backup lines of credit in place before an emergency is a good idea," Criscuolo says. "The best options are usually a credit card with no annual fee or a home equity line of credit."
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U.S. stocks closed higher Thursday, with the Dow and S&P above key psychological levels, as investors digested the Fed's September meeting minutes. "I think the combination of oil (gains) and the Fed minutes have lifted the indices here," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital, noting the minutes diminished the likelihood of a rate hike this year. The Dow closed about 140 points higher to close above 17,000 for the first time since Aug. 19. Earlier, the index gained more than 150 points to hold above 17,000 in intraday trade for the first time since Aug. 20. IBM and Nike contributed the most to gains and Apple was the greatest negative weight. The Nasdaq recovered losses to close higher. Apple closed down about 1.2 percent and the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) closed down 0.2 percent after falling more than 3 percent. The S&P closed up 0.9 percent, closing above the psychologically key level of 2,000 for the first time since Aug. 20. The index briefly dipped into negative territory in choppy trade following the minutes. The last time the S&P 500 topped 2,000 in intraday trade was on Sept. 17, when the Federal Reserve released its statement. Energy held higher, as crude oil futures hit $50 a barrel for the first time since July. Crude settled up 3.4 percent at $49.43 a barrel. Treasury yields came off session highs before turning higher, with the 10-year at 2.11 percent and the 2-year higher at 0.64 percent. Earlier, the Treasury Department auctioned $13 billion of 30-year bonds at a high yield of 2.914 percent. The U.S. dollar traded lower against major world currencies, with the euro briefly topping $1.13 and the yen at 119.99 yen against the greenback. The September meeting minutes indicated that policymakers were concerned about inflation and slower global growth. "I think you got a little more clarity on what the Fed was thinking. The decision to not raise rates was more collaborative than people thought. The call really wasn't that close," said Peter Coleman, head trader at Convergex. He added the minutes showed the Fed was still concerned about not reaching its inflation target. Since the Fed meeting was held on Sept. 16 and 17, the minutes didn't reflect the central bank's view on last Friday's weaker-than-expected nonfarm payrolls report. Many market analysts expected the U.S. central bank to raise short-term interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade at its September meeting. The Fed's decision to hold off on a hike caused great uncertainty in markets about policymakers' views on domestic and global economic conditions. "The (minutes) didn't give the market any clarity on when liftoff would occur and markets were hoping for more guidance," said Myles Clouston, senior director at Nasdaq. Netflix recovered from a decline to surge more than 5 percent on news that the streaming giant will hike prices on the standard plan by $1 a month to $9.99. Investors also eyed the surprising news that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has withdrawn from the race for House Speaker, adding to concerns on Congress' ability to smoothly resolve crucial budget negotiations. "Obviously we need someone to be Speaker of the House and no one's raising their hand," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities. "If it's hard to elect a speaker of the House it's going to be that hard to get something passed." Other analysts remained confident Congress would reach a deal on the debt ceiling. In a light day of economic reports, weekly jobless claims declined to 263,000, a near 42-year low. In Europe, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed mildly higher. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei finished 0.99 percent lower. Mainland Chinese markets reopened after a week-long holiday, with the Shanghai Composite closing 3.0 percent higher. U.S. stocks closed higher Wednesday, helped by a recovery in health care stocks and gains in energy, as investors awaited the beginning of earnings season. "We saw the market rally sharply last week off a very significant level of support at the August low," said Adam Sarhan, CEO of Sarhan Capital. He noted resistance around the 50-day moving averages. "The bears are still in control because we're still under levels of support and below the (key) moving averages," he said. On tap this week: Thursday Earnings: Alcoa, Ruby Tuesday 4:30 p.m.: Fed Balance Sheet/Money Supply Friday 8:30 a.m.: Import prices 10 a.m.: Wholesale trade 11 a.m.: New York Fed President's William Dudley speaks 1 p.m.: Baker-Hughes Rig Count 1:30 p.m.: Chicago Fed President's Charles Evans speaks
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ZURICH (AP) -- Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini, the former France great who had been favored to take over as FIFA leader, were both suspended for 90 days Thursday, plunging soccer's governing body deeper into crisis. Blatter and Platini were suspended by the FIFA ethics committee in the wake of a Swiss criminal investigation. The decision seemingly ends Platini's bid to succeed Blatter as FIFA president in the emergency election in February. Another presidential hopeful, Chung Mong-joon, was suspended for six years in a separate case and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke was banned for 90 days. The suspensions can be extended by up to 45 days. The International Olympic Committee called on FIFA to consider a "credible external presidential candidate of high integrity" as Blatter's replacement. "Enough is enough," IOC President Thomas Bach said. "We hope that now, finally, everyone at FIFA has at last understood that they cannot continue to remain passive. "They must act swiftly to regain credibility because you cannot forever dissociate the credibility of FIFA from the credibility of football." Issa Hayatou, the longtime head of the African soccer confederation who was reprimanded in 2011 by the IOC in a FIFA kickbacks scandal, will take over as acting president. The 69-year-old Cameroonian, who has a serious kidney illness that requires regular dialysis sessions, is currently in Yaounde and is expected to travel to Zurich immediately. Hayatou said he would not stand for president in February but remained committed to the reform process. "We will also continue to cooperate fully with authorities and follow the internal investigation wherever it leads," Hayatou said in a statement. The interim leader of UEFA will be Spanish federation head Angel Maria Villar, who remains at risk of being sanctioned from the FIFA ethics committee in its investigation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests. UEFA's 54 member nations are due to meet in Nyon, Switzerland, next Thursday, while FIFA vice president David Gill and fellow executive committee member Wolfgang Niersbach have called for an emergency meeting of FIFA's ruling body. Blatter's suspension brings a sudden halt to a 40-year career that had survived waves of scandals until he was placed under criminal investigation. Last month, Swiss authorities turned up at Blatter's office at FIFA headquarters and interrogated him. The criminal case centers on Blatter allegedly misusing FIFA money by making a $2 million payment to Platini, who was questioned as a witness. Blatter was also questioned by Swiss investigators about broadcasting contracts sold to former FIFA vice president Jack Warner in 2005 that were supposedly undervalued. Blatter's lawyer, Richard Cullen, said the ethics committee failed to follow procedure and based its decision on a "misunderstanding." "The attorney general in Switzerland ... opened an investigation but brought no charge against the president," Cullen said in a statement. "In fact, the prosecutors will be obliged by law to dismiss the case if their investigation, barely two weeks old, does not establish sufficient evidence. "President Blatter looks forward to the opportunity to present evidence that will demonstrate that he did not engage in any misconduct, criminal or otherwise." There was no immediate comment from Platini. The suspension of the former France great could have the most far-reaching implications. Platini submitted his formal candidacy to stand in the Feb. 26 election to replace Blatter on Thursday morning. That means it will have to be considered by the audit and compliance committee after the Oct. 26 deadline for candidacies. Chung, a former FIFA vice president, was found guilty of breaches relating to the investigation into bidding for the 2022 World Cup, of which South Korea was a contender. Valcke had already been put on leave last month after being the subject of allegations over a deal for black market sales of tickets to 2014 World Cup matches. Valcke's lawyer, Barry Berke, said the Frenchman was the subject of "false allegations."
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NEW YORK You don't need to be a wizard to see the "Harry Potter" books come to life. The seven books are getting a makeover with more than 200 new illustrations in enhanced e-books made for Apple devices. More than half of the illustrations are animated or interactive, with such touches as a golden snitch from Quidditch matches flying away as you tap it on the screen. Series creator J.K. Rowling also goes deeper into some of the characters and story lines with a handful of pop-up annotations. The editions, released Thursday, are exclusive to Apple's iBooks Store and require an Apple Inc. mobile device or a Mac computer to read. For other devices, including Amazon's Kindle, standard electronic editions are available through Rowling's Pottermore site. The makeover offers readers young and old a new way to engage with the story. It also gives Rowling and her publishers an opportunity to resell these best-selling books, the last of which came out eight years ago. It's akin to Hollywood releasing the same movies in new formats and with bonus materials. While the illustrations are new and exclusive to the enhanced editions, Rowling's annotations aren't necessarily so. Rowling has been regularly posting new essays on Pottermore. She has traced Harry's roots to a 12th-century wizard and has written about the origins of an invisibility cloak that appears throughout the series. Rowling has also penned supplemental books, including "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," a children's book that was referenced in the last "Harry Potter" book. Until recently, the Pottermore site also had a game that took readers through the books chapter by chapter, with riddles and other discoveries along the way. That game incorporated clips from the "Harry Potter" movies. The new e-books do not. Instead, the new editions offer full-color illustrations and animation from Pottermore artists. In one animation, you see multiple letters fly in through the fireplace with news of Harry's acceptance to Hogwarts wizardry school. In another, an owl, a cat and the fog come to life on Platform 9 3/4, where a Hogwarts-bound train awaits. On the train, you see landscape moving by through a window. In one scene of a feast, you can slide left and right to see the rest of a long table covered with food. It's not obvious which illustrations are interactive. The idea is to get readers to explore. There's no sound, though. When Harry's friend, Ron, gets an angry audio letter from his mother, you see steam coming out, but you don't hear her screaming, as you do in the movie. You can access Rowling's supplemental materials by tapping a quill icon embedded in the text. For instance, you learn how students arrived at Hogwarts before train service began: Some rode on broomsticks, but that was tough with trunks and pets to bring along. There aren't many annotations, though. You get more backstory at the Pottermore site, but you need the e-books for the full text. The books also get new digital covers to reflect each book's theme serpents for the second book, for instance. Artists also designed a new font with each letter incorporating a lightning bolt the shape of a scar on Harry's forehead. This font named Fluffy, for a three-headed dog in the first book is used for the opening letter of each chapter. The books cost $10 each, or $70 for the series. There's no discount if you already own standard electronic editions. English editions are available in the U.S. and 31 other markets right away. Editions in French, German and Spanish are coming Nov. 9.
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news
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The battle in Syria's skies explained in 60 seconds.
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video
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The top of London's property market has been the golden realm of international investors and speculators for some time, but some had worried what effects China's economic slowdown might have on the market. As Joel Flynn reports, it could yet be good news for those trying to flog five million pound flats.
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finance
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A growing number of older Americans are traveling. While an increasing number of travel brands are targeting millennial travelers with tech-savvy digital tools, according to 2014 AARP survey of more than 800 participants ages 50 and up, baby boomers are making travel a priority. The study, which evaluated travel trends for 2015 among the 50-plus demographic, found that baby boomers are planning to hit the road and take to the skies with the hope of creating lasting memories with family and friends. So, for those 50-plus travelers planning a trip, here's what research reveals will likely drive your next vacation. You'll Want to Relax According to the survey, the top motivators for baby boomers to plan personal getaways include getting away from normal, everyday life, spending time with family and friends and relaxing. The survey also found that that older travelers are likely to bring practical items, like sturdy shoes, sunglasses and prescription medication to maximize comfort and relaxation during their vacation. Beyond escaping the daily grind to catch up on rest and relaxation, AARP Travel Ambassador Samantha Brown encourages older adults to book that next vacation, in part, for the health and emotional benefits. "It is proven psychologically that we make stronger family bonds when we travel than any other time of the year when we are home. It really is an investment in your life," she says. You'll Prefer Summer Vacations and Weekend Getaways The AARP survey found that those 50 and older prefer domestic travel during the summer months and enjoy weekend getaways. And according to a 2014 survey conducted by AAA Travel, an increasing number of travelers are choosing to book a trip with extended family members. The survey shows multigenerational family vacations were up 4 percent from the previous year, and 36 percent of families were planning to take a multigenerational family trip in the following year. A 2014 Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts survey also revealed that one in five grandparents reported going on a Disney vacation with their grandchildren. You'll Plan a Trip to Europe, a Tropical Location or a Cruise Internationally, Europe and tropical locations are the most sought-after destinations abroad for older adults, according to the AARP survey. In addition, cruises continue to attract an older clientele, with 18 percent of baby boomers reporting to plan a cruise in 2015. Another popular trend among those over 70 is bucket-list trips. And according to the survey findings, those planning bucket-list vacations are likely to define their vacation as educational, while those organizing a domestic trip are likely to classify their trip as adventurous. You May Consider Travel Medical Insurance This is especially true for travelers who are enrolled in Medicare and do not have coverage extended outside the United States. Travel medical insurance is a popular option for adults, especially seniors, who want coverage for emergency medical insurance and emergency medical evacuation coverage. You'll Seek Out Travel Perks Older adults will likely take advantage of perks, especially those 60 and up who fall under the senior category. How to find these discounts? Check AARP for members-only travel deals for senior travelers. AARP members can also take advantage of discounts on select hotels and up to 25 percent savings on cruise credits and car rentals. Also look for reduced rates on state and city websites. Hotel brands also offer substantial discounts. For example, Marriott slashes rates by 15 percent or more for seniors 62 and older staying at any of their 4,000-plus properties across the globe. And Norwegian Cruise Line offers a 5 percent discount to AARP members who book their trip at least nine months ahead of their sail date. Conduct plenty of research, and don't forget to inquire about special senior rates. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report
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travel
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Banks are ramping up their ATM and overdraft fees to generate more income, bringing them to new highs, according to a recent survey conducted by Bankrate.com. Consumers who opt out of using an ATM within their network are faced with hefty fees, placing an increasing burden on people living on strict budgets. The out-of-network ATM fee is now $4.52 on average, and the fee has risen rapidly by 21% over the past five years. The average overdraft fee has reached $33.07. The survey comprised of 10 banks and thrifts in each of 25 large U.S. markets examining one interest and one non-interest account at 243 institutions that offer checking accounts. In total, Bankrate.com, the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based financial content company, researched 237 interest and 233 non-interest accounts between July 9 and August 5, 2015. Free checking accounts are becoming more difficult to find the survey found only 37% of non-interest checking accounts that are completely free, down from 76% in 2009. "Since people are getting smarter about how they use ATMs, fewer people are making out-of-network transactions, so they are now low hanging fruit for banks to increase their fee income," said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com's chief financial analyst. Atlanta is the most expensive city to make an out-of-network transaction with a fee of $5.15 while and San Francisco is the cheapest with a fee of $3.85. Both fees combine the ones charged by the ATM operator and those charged by the consumer's own financial institution. Consumers should plan ahead on where they are making withdrawals by using their bank's website or app. "If you are really in a pinch for cash, use your debit card at the point of sale and get cash back," he said. Overdraft fees are increasing also to a new high of $33.07, having risen 9% since 2010. The highest overdraft fee is an average of $34.79 in Milwaukee while the lowest fee of $30.35 is in San Francisco. Banks continue to give consumers the option to have a free non-interest checking account if they utilize direct deposit or meet other requirements of daily balances with 58% that offer this choice. The average service fee rose to $5.86, an 11% increase from 2014, for people who do not able to obtain a waiver. "Both of these fees are completely avoidable," said McBride. Many banks also have a tiered structure for their fees, so the ensuing second or third overdraft in 12 months will increase, he said. "Consumers should also link their savings and checking accounts, so that their money covers any shortfall," McBride said. Banking executives have learned that customers care less about the monthly maintenance or upfront fee than they do compared to ATM or overdraft fees and are less "sensitive" to them, said Malcolm Wardlaw, an assistant professor of finance and managerial economics in the University of Texas Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management. "Banks often refer to these as non-shopped fees, because customers don't pay attention to them when they shop for bank services," he said. "The increase in ATM fees and overdraft fees are simply an effort by banks to squeeze as much revenue out of customers as possible in areas which they are not price sensitive to." Planning ahead by using the smartphone app from your bank or credit union or setting up email and text alerts when the balance falls to a certain level can help consumers save money. "Limiting the number of visits to out-of-network ATMs and keeping a close eye on checking and savings activity can help people save hundreds of dollars throughout the year," said Bruce McClary, spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization. "Even if your checking and savings accounts come with maintenance fees, see if there are options to have the fees reduced or waived based on how you maintain the accounts."
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finance
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There's not much that beats that feeling you get after a long, hard run. It's the promise of that "runner's high," after all, that probably spurs you to get out the door and run in the first place. In fact, scientists say that exercise activates the reward centers in your brain similarly to drugs. Yes, drugs. So "high" isn't such an hyperbole after all! But now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that it may one day be possible to activate those pleasure centers without exercise or drugs. For the study , just published in the journal Neuropharmacology , two groups of rats were bred. One group was bred to be extremely lazy and the other group to be extremely active. Then, the scientists messed with their mu-opioid receptors (Translation: pleasure chemicals in rat (and human!) brains.) When they activated those receptors in the fit group of rats, they actually didn't want to exercise as much. "These highly active rats would run on their wheels constantly," lead study author Greg Ruegsegger said in a press release . "However, when we chemically activated their mu-opioid receptors, those rats drastically reduced their amounts of activity. Since exercise and addiction to substances follow this same chemical process in the brain, it stands to reason that activating these receptors in people with dangerous addictions could provide the same rewards they are craving without the use of dangerous drugs or alcohol." Another interesting finding was that, in rats at least, it appears fitter rats may be driven to be so fit because they have more of those pleausre receptors 400 percent more than their lazy counterparts. Basically, when they exercise, they get more of a reward than the rats who sadly don't have as many receptors. Add that to your file on the role of genetics when it comes to whether you're inclined to exercise or have to use infinite will power just to get to the gym.
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health
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FAIRFAX, Va. A Virginia man accused of killing three Alexandria residents over the span of a decade wanted revenge against what he perceived as the city's elite after losing a child custody case, prosecutors said Thursday. Opening statements and testimony began in the trial of Charles Severance, 55, of Ashburn. He is accused of shooting three prominent Alexandria residents in their homes: Nancy Dunning, wife of then-Sheriff James Dunning, in 2003; transportation planner Ron Kirby in 2013; and music teacher Ruthanne Lodato last year. Severance, a former Alexandria resident with a history of erratic behavior, has pleaded not guilty. The defense says the government case lacks direct evidence and that Severance merely looks suspicious because he is mentally ill. "The Commonwealth has jumped to conclusions," defense attorney Joseph King told jurors. "The evidence is there's a dearth of evidence. No DNA evidence. No fingerprint evidence." Prosecutor David Lord outlined striking circumstantial evidence, noting that all three victims lived within a mile of each other in the same neighborhood, not far from where Severance himself once lived. Lord said all three victims were felled with .22-caliber, long rifle, plain lead, Remington brand ammunition. Severance's writings glorify this ammunition, and he convinced a one-time girlfriend to buy boxes of it. He had also convinced that girlfriend to buy two .22-caliber mini-revolvers that later went missing, along with the ammunition. Severance himself could not buy guns because of a previous felony conviction. Severance's own writings provide some of the strongest evidence, Lord said. He wrote a poem he called "Parable of the Knocker" that Lord called a description of Severance's mode of operation: "Knock and the door will open. Knock. Talk. Enter. Kill. Exit. Murder. Wisdom." In another passage, he wrote "Received no satisfaction after revenge killing." The writings, Lord said, show that Severance harbored "a hatred against those he considered to be the elite of Alexandria." Witnesses saw Severance in Lodato's neighborhood days before the killing and on the morning of the killing, even though Severance had no reason to be there, Lord said. Dorcas Franko, a caregiver in the Lodato home, was shot that day but survived, and she was one of the first witnesses to testify Thursday. In court she looked directly at Severance and said he "looks like the guy" who shot her. Her identification came after the judge ordered Severance, who generally stares straight ahead, to turn and face Franko so she could get a good look at him. During cross-examination, she was even more definitive, telling defense attorney Megan Thomas she had no doubt that Severance was her attacker. "His eyes tell me something," she said. A previous witness also focused on Severance's eyes in making her identification, saying he had a "vacant stare" that unnerved her and caused her to remember him when she saw him in Lodato's neighborhood in the days before her shooting. Franko told jurors she had been tending to Lodato's mother when she heard the doorbell ring, and Lodato went to answer the door. "I heard a noise and a scream," Franko said, fighting back tears. She said she ran to the door to see what had happened and collided with the attacker. "I bumped into him. I fell down," she said. "I hear 'boom.' I feel pain, so I start screaming very hard." Franko cried as she described the effect the shooting has had on her. "It is so scary, what I went through, I don't want to be reminded of what's going on," she said. "It's so sad what happened to people I care for. I just want to be away." The trial is expected to last six weeks. It was moved from Alexandria to Fairfax because of pretrial publicity and because of widespread fear the killings generated in that community.
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news
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Labour has said that Jeremy Corbyn will be sworn in as a privy council member soon, after he was accused of snubbing the Queen by declining to attend his first meeting. Corbyn is believed to be taking a few days off for private engagements, but some Tory MPs and Labour MP Simon Danczuk criticised him for not turning up to Thursday's gathering where he would have been inducted. The Labour leader had previously indicated he would have to think about whether to attend the Buckingham Palace ceremony, at which new members have to kneel, kiss the monarch's hand and swear to defend her against "all foreign princes, persons, prelates, states or potentates". However, a source close to the leader said Corbyn is expected to be sworn in at some point soon, rather than avoiding the ceremony by being appointed through an order in council. The source also highlighted the fact that Cameron missed two privy council meetings after becoming Conservative leader in 2005. Cameron missed the first meeting because it was a special one not intended for inductions, and the second because his son Elwen was born on that day. Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow minister without portfolio, later confirmed to the BBC's Daily Politics that Corbyn would attend a ceremony to be sworn in by the Queen. "I believe he had a private appointment today that he could not get out of. But he is going to go and see the Queen and become a privy counsellor," he said. "According to the papers, David Cameron took three months [to get sworn in]. So, look, he is going to do it. And I'm sure he will do it in an appropriate and respectful way. And he will get on with it soon." LabourList reported that Corbyn was taking a short holiday after the long summer of the leadership election and Labour party conference, but a spokesman for the leader would not confirm that. The spokesman said: "Although Jeremy was unavailable for today's meeting, he has confirmed he will be joining the privy council. As the prime minister and others did, it is far from unusual to miss the first meeting due to other commitments." It is understood Angus Robertson, the leader of the SNP at Westminster and a member of the intelligence and security committee, will be sworn in at the meeting, while Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, has not yet been invited to join. The issue of Corbyn's membership of the privy council has been much discussed because he is a lifelong republican, who would ultimately like to see the monarchy abolished. During the leadership campaign, Corbyn said replacing the monarchy was not a priority and he later confirmed he would become a member of the privy council in order to receive security briefings as the leader of the opposition. The privy council is a largely ceremonial body made up of 600 senior figures including politicians, which tends not to transact any serious business. Not many of its members turn up to meetings which happen roughly each month. Other leftwing Labour leaders including Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock became privy counsellors which entitled them to higher-class security information and briefings. Since becoming Labour leader, Corbyn has been accused by Tory MPs of lacking patriotism for failing to sing the national anthem at the Battle of Britain memorial service. Corbyn has since confirmed he will sing it in future, saying he was merely standing in respectful silence. Cameron used his Conservative party conference speech to launch a strong attack on Corbyn, claiming the Labour leader was a terrorist sympathiser, an attack prompted by conversations Cameron held in the US at the United Nations last week, where he said he was struck by foreign leaders' disbelief at Corbyn's reported view.
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news
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"The Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus talked to Jimmy Fallon Wednesday about how he got started in acting.
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video
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Chances are, if you're reading this article, you're bummed that your dream kitchen could cost you a lot more than you're willing or able to spend. Sure, you'd like to splurge on some of those awesome creative kitchen remodel ideas you've seen online, in magazines, and at the kitchen showrooms, but then reality sets in. What if you want to spruce things up for a quick sale -- change out those antiquated appliances that still don't quite pass as "vintage" or replace the chipped countertops with butcher block or a nice slab of stone? You don't want to spend an arm and a leg when you probably won't recoup 100 percent of your kitchen remodel investment. On the other hand, a freshly upgraded, move-in ready kitchen sometimes motivates a finicky buyer to make an offer. According to Remodeling 2015 Cost vs. Value Report, nationwide, a minor mid-range kitchen remodel of $19,226 returns 79.3 percent of your investment. That's 11.5 percent more than a major mid-range kitchen remodel of $56,768. and 20.3 percent more than a major upscale kitchen remodel costing $113,097. Spending the big bucks, especially if you're planning to sell in the near future, doesn't necessarily make good financial sense. What if you plan to enjoy this home for another decade? Is there a way for you to indulge your creative kitchen remodel ideas without robbing the piggy bank? Like any large purchase, it pays to be a good shopper. Either way, here are some of the best resources for keeping kitchen remodeling on or under budget. 1. Appliances Sears Outlet stores: You can find clearance appliances at 15 to 50 percent below retail. All appliances come with a Sears guarantee. Floor models and scratch-and-dent: Your favorite major appliance store may have floor models discounted. If the cabinetry hides the tiny blemish on the side of your appliance and you can save a couple of hundred dollars, then overlook minor imperfections that don't affect performance. Manufacturers' and retailers coupons: Do you have a particular brand of appliance or favorite retailer in mind? Check the manufacturer's website or search for store coupons and promo codes online. Offers may be good for a few weeks or even months, so you have time to research exactly which model you want. Blow-out holiday sales: Retailers famously discount appliances during major holiday weekends. 2. Countertops The Home Depot and Lowe's: If laminate strikes you as passé, maybe you haven't seen Formica's large-scale, stone-patterned countertops paired with seamless ogee or bullnose edges. Easy to install, durable and -- best of all -- far less expensive than real stone, Formica could make you change your mind about laminate when you find out how much it can save you compared to other materials. Big box stores like The Home Depot and Lowe's sometimes have special order materials on clearance that were never picked up. Clearance items at The Home Depot can sell for up to 70 percent off. Local stone and tile suppliers: You don't have to be a contractor to shop local suppliers for discounts on slabs. Do an online search for "stone fabricators." Lumber Liquidators: If you're hunting for wood counters this is the place for reasonably priced butcher block. They sell a large variety of 25 inch-by-8 foot counters online with free shipping to their store nearest you. IKEA: For either solid wood or laminate, shop IKEA's selection of affordably priced counter top options. 3. Cabinetry Salvage shops: Both online and offline, salvage shops can be a great place to find everything from vintage to contemporary treasures. Habitat for Humanity ReStores: You can purchase new and gently used building supplies including cabinetry donated by contractors and DIY remodelers. Proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity, a volunteer organization that builds homes for community members in need. IKEA: Buying ready-to-assemble cabinets saves money, and IKEA's cabinetry gets the thumbs up from budget- and style-conscious remodelers. The Home Depot and Lowe's: You can find unfinished real wood cabinets at the big box stores to stain or paint yourself at a substantial savings over finished wood or laminated cabinetry. 4. Plumbing and lighting fixtures HomeClick.com: Find bargain prices on well-known brands of new kitchen sinks, faucets, and lighting. They also notify you of "exclusive" sales in exchange for divulging your email address. Yard sales and flea markets: You can pick up second hand sinks in good condition at garage sales and swap meets for a fraction of what they cost new. Faucets, however, can be dicey, and you want to plug in lighting fixtures to make sure they work before you take them home. Habitat for Humanity ReStores and salvage shops: Do some scouting for plumbing and lighting fixtures at your local ReStore or salvage store. You may find truly incredible bargains on new, nearly new and used fixtures.
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finance
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Spencer Stone, hailed as hero after French train terror attack, stabbed in California, US media reports say This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
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news
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Volkswagen's top U.S. executive will tell a panel of U.S. lawmakers on Thursday that he knew as long ago as the spring of 2014 that the German carmaker might be breaking rules on U.S. diesel emissions tests. In written testimony submitted to a congressional oversight panel a day ahead of Thursday's hearing, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn said: "In the spring of 2014 ... I was told that there was a possible emissions non-compliance that could be remedied."
| 3 | 91,761 |
finance
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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' bid to topple Hillary Clinton's front-runner status is hitting the marks of a serious contender: He's closed the fundraising gap. He's competitive and in some cases leading in early state polls.
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video
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Sony's Playstation 4 might not need a price cut to compete with other consoles, but it's getting one anyway.
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finance
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(Bloomberg) -- Filings for unemployment benefits in the U.S. declined last week to the lowest level since mid-July, extending a run of applications near decade lows that shows dismissals remain in check. Jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 263,000 in the week ended Oct. 3, the fewest since July 18, a Labor Department report showed Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for 274,000 applications. Managers are reluctant to trim staffing levels because domestic demand is holding up in the face of diminished global growth expectations. A report last week showed employers are instead reining in the pace of new hires as they assess sales prospects. "Payrolls have been slower for a couple months, but there's been no real sign of claims showing any change in trend," David Sloan, a senior economist at 4Cast Inc. in New York, said before the report. "Claims should remain quite low." There was nothing unusual in the figures, the Labor Department said in a statement. Estimates in the Bloomberg survey for jobless claims ranged from 260,000 to 280,000. The Labor Department revised the prior week's reading to 276,000 from an initially reported 277,000. The Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration estimated last week's claims for South Carolina, which was paralyzed by heavy rains and flooding. Estimates were also provided by Nevada, where officials are updating reporting systems, a U.S. Labor Department spokesman said as the report was released to the press. The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, dropped to 267,500, the lowest since first week of August, from 270,500. Continuing Claims The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits rose by 9,000 to 2.2 million in the week ended Sept. 26. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag. Claims, since the beginning of March, have held below the 300,000 level that economists say is consistent with strength in the job market. While applications for jobless benefits point to limited dismissals, weakness in the global economy is starting to give some companies reason to pause their hiring efforts. Payrolls rose by 142,000 in September and revisions to prior reports cut a total of 59,000 jobs from the previous two months, Labor Department data showed last week. Wages stagnated and the jobless rate held at a seven-year-low 5.1 percent as Americans left the labor force. Federal Reserve officials held off on raising the benchmark interest rate in September, citing a murkier global growth picture and lack of confidence in the trajectory for inflation. The policy makers next meet Oct. 27-28 in Washington. --With assistance from Jordan Yadoo in Washington To contact the reporter on this story: Michelle Jamrisko in Washington at [email protected] To contact the editor responsible for this story: Carlos Torres at [email protected] Vince Golle
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finance
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OKLAHOMA CITY Gov. Mary Fallin agreed Thursday that all executions in Oklahoma should be delayed after a newspaper revealed that the wrong drug was used to stop an inmate's heart in January. Authorities didn't acknowledge the mistake until The Oklahoman obtained the autopsy report. Fallin said in a statement Thursday that "it became apparent" during discussions with prison officials last week that the Department of Corrections used potassium acetate not potassium chloride, as required under the state's protocol to execute Charles Frederick Warner in January. "Until we have complete confidence in the system, we will delay any further executions," Fallin said. Citing Warner's autopsy report, The Oklahoman reported Thursday that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner received two syringes labeled "potassium chloride," but that the 12 vials used to fill the syringes were labeled "single dose Potassium Acetate Injection." That contradicts the official log of Warner's Jan. 15 execution, initialed by a prison staffer, which indicated that the state properly used potassium chloride to stop his heart, according to a copy of the log obtained by The Associated Press. "We cannot trust Oklahoma to get it right or tell the truth," said Dale Baich, an attorney representing Oklahoma death row inmates who are challenging the state's lethal injection protocols. "We will explore this in detail through the discovery process in the federal litigation." Fallin declined to say Thursday if she still has confidence in prisons director Robert Patton. She said she would wait until Attorney General Scott Pruitt completes an investigation into both Warner's execution and last week's mix-up. "I want to let the attorney general do his job first, tell us what's factual and what's not, give us the information, and then we'll make a judgment then," Fallin said. Patton oversaw both Warner's execution and the April 2014 lethal injection of Clayton Lockett, who writhed on the gurney, moaned and pulled up from his restraints in April 2014. Execution team members considered trying to save his life and even taking Lockett to an emergency room before he finally died, 43 minutes after his initial injection. Warner had been scheduled to be put to death the same night, until Lockett's execution went awry. The next inmate scheduled to die, Richard Glossip, came within hours of his lethal injections last week before prison officials informed the governor that they had received potassium acetate instead of potassium chloride from a pharmacist, whose identity is shielded by state law. Potassium chloride, which stops the heart, is the final drug in the state's three-drug protocol, following the application of a sedative, midazolam; and a paralytic, rocuronium bromide, which prevents normal breathing. Patton said last week that prison authorities discovered the error and immediately contacted the supplier, "whose professional opinion was that potassium acetate is medically interchangeable with potassium chloride at the same quantity." But Dr. Alice Chen, an internal medicine specialist and executive director of Doctors for America, told the AP that the two drugs are not interchangeable. "We're not certain what the dose should be, how different people would react to it in the cocktail," she said. After the first drug was administered during Warner's execution, he said, "My body is on fire." But he showed no other obvious signs of distress. Fallin said she was not told that the wrong drug may have been used to execute Warner until last week. "I was not aware, nor was anyone in my office aware, of that possibility until the day of Richard Glossip's scheduled execution," she said. "It is imperative that the attorney general obtain the information he needs to make sure justice is served competently and fairly." Last week, the Death Penalty Information Center said potassium acetate had never been used in a U.S. execution.
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news
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Ashley Graham is "disrupting the [fashion] industry," and believes the boundaries she's breaking by being a successful plus-size model have "been a long time coming." "I've been considered a plus-size model for the last 15 years," Graham, 27, said Tuesday at the Forbes "Under 30 Summit" in Philadelphia, a conference for young entrepreneurs and game-changers. "I've really been trying to chop down this tree for so long, and now finally people are hearing me." The model hopes her accomplishments show women that even if they do not wear a size 0, there is nothing wrong with how they look. "I'm using my body to let other women know that imperfections are okay, that cellulite, rolls, curves, all of it, things that jiggle that 'shouldn't be jiggling' are okay," she said. Graham actually credits her detractors for her success. "I think what really helped me was a lot of people telling me no, because I've always kind of been a little bit of a rebel," she said on the panel, which also included activist Barbara Bush and Arcade Fire's Marika Shaw. "My parents have told me no, I've had agents tell me no, and I've taken all those nos and I've turned them into yeses, and I've done exactly what I wanted to do." In fact, early in her career she heard from just about everyone that modeling for mainstream publications was an unlikely prospect for her. "I was told I was never going to be on the cover of any magazine, let alone on the inside, and I did five covers alone last year, and I was in the pages of Sports Illustrated as one of the first curvy models," she said. "I didn't let anybody just take [me] down. I think that's something that's important about being a disrupter in any industry."
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lifestyle
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A fraternity at Indiana University has been suspended due to a hazing incident apparently caught on video where new male chapter members were encouraged to perform sex acts on women in front of other fraternity members, the school said on Thursday. The Alpha Tau Omega fraternity has been ordered to cease and desist all activities as the university investigates the case, the school said. There appears to be credible video evidence of the incident, it said. "Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) is alleged to have violated the student code of conduct - specifically for hazing activities which perpetuate sexual misconduct," the school said in a letter to the fraternity. The fraternity's national headquarters said it had no immediate comment on the incident but would release a statement soon. It has 250 active and inactive chapters with more than 200,000 members, including more than 6,500 undergraduate members, it said on its website. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Susan Heavey)
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news
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The United States has warned its citizens travelling to Myanmar of potential security problems during the landmark November elections pitting Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition against the country's military elites. Myanmar is one month away from polls that many hope will be the country's freest for decades, with Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy likely to wrest significant gains from the quasi-civilian ruling party that has governed since the end of outright junta rule in 2011. But political and religious tensions are mounting as the November 8 vote nears. The US State Department issued a statement on Wednesday urging citizens to "exercise caution" during the election period and to avoid polling stations, political rallies and demonstrations. "Instances of unrest can occur without warning, endangering bystanders," it said in a notice that expires on December 20, adding that there was no evidence that US citizens would be specifically targeted. Myanmar suffered multiple bouts of political unrest and bloody government crackdowns during decades of iron-fisted military rule, while civil wars have raged in the country's ethnic minority borderlands for almost 70 years. The nation has also seen sporadic outbursts of often deadly unrest in recent years, largely targeting minority Muslims who now face increasing political exclusion as the influence of nationalist Buddhist monks grows. The US was among nine countries that last month raised fears that rising religious tensions in Myanmar could spark "division and conflict". Thousands of monks from the hardline Ma Ba Tha group gathered in a Yangon sports hall on Sunday, in a major show of strength before the polls. They have appeared to use their influence against Suu Kyi's NLD, citing the party's opposition to controversial "religious protection" bills backed by the monks that rights activists say discriminate against women and religious minorities. Suu Kyi said she saw "worrying signs of religious intolerance" in an interview with India Today on Wednesday. She defended herself from accusations that she has failed to speak out on the plight of the displaced Rohingya Muslim minority in western Rakhine state, saying it was the wrong way to achieve reconciliation. Acknowledging trepidation among a people with long and bitter experience of repression, she urged voters to be "vigilant, cautious, careful and very, very brave". Authorities in Myanmar are deputising some 40,000 ordinary citizens as "special election police", a move that has sparked concerns over their role in a nation where plain clothes volunteers were used to crack down on demonstrators as recently as March.
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We're so far past New Year's Day that it's almost time to start thinking about your 2016 resolutions. All those good intentions and big plans you had in January are but a memory, and as the year comes to an end, we all still have goals left unfinished. Chief among them: Saving money. With the holiday season fast approaching, now is the time to get serious. Let's say you want to put away $1,000 before the end of the year. It's definitely doable and you don't have to sit at home every night eating canned beans and suffering from FOMO. You just have to cut back where it counts. Ahead, 10 cost-cutting ideas to try to put you on the path to having a cool grand in the bank before it's time to count down to 2016. (And if $1,000 is too lofty a goal, we still recommend trying these tips to trim your budget when it comes to your savings account, every little bit really does help.) Cut The Cord If you're spending $60 to $80 a month on cable (at least), it might be time to cut the cord. With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Now, you can watch almost everything on your computer without the expensive cable bill. (Most internet services don't cost more than $50 per month.)And really, doesn't "sharing economy" encourage the sharing of HBO GO passwords (or, um, stealing them from your parents?). Yes, this is the Golden Age of TV, but it's also the Golden Age of the spoiler alert. Who watches anything in real-time these days?Savings: $60+ per month . Curb Coffee Spending Cutting back on coffee spending won't make you a billionaire (well, depending on how much coffee you drink), but if you're spending $5 per day on soy lattes, that's $140 per month and about $400 between now and New Year's. If you swap it for a regular coffee instead, it'll save you about $200 between now and the end of the year. Drinking regular coffee isn't the worst thing in the world especially when your bank account is $200 fatter. (Need the soy milk? Stash a carton in the office fridge!)Savings: $200+ . Score Free Samples It's hard not to lust after miracle serums, magical moisturizers, and otherworldly eye creams that promise to give you the skin of an airbrushed Kardashian. The problem is, those mystical beauty products are usually expensivel. But that's where free samples come in. Instead of spending $40 to $80 on a vitamin C algae sea kelp serum, score free samples from Sephora, Bloomingdale's, or Nordstrom. All you have to do is ask. Nicely. Case in point: I got two free samples of an $800 moisturizer at Bloomingdale's recently. Granted, the samples are the size of a postage stamp, but if you collect enough, you'll be set until the end of the year. Savings: $100+ . Clip (Virtual) Coupons Maybe when you hear the term "clipping coupons," you imagine yourself old and gray, wearing a robe and slippers, sitting at a sticky kitchen table with oversized scissors and the weekly circular. Coupon clipping is not lame! And more and more, you can "clip" them digitally. You can save up to $15 to $20 per grocery store trip if you're diligent about it. Use apps like Grocery Pal, Grocery IQ, and sites like Coupons.com. Shopping online? Add the Honey browser extension and you'll be guaranteed to have the most up-to-date coupon codes wherever you shop. And curb that Whole Foods habit for a while all that $6 asparagus water adds up.Savings: $120+ . Work Out At Home Are you regularly paying $30 (and up) for SoulCycle? What about those $20 yoga classes and $17 Cardio Barre sessions? If your monthly budget includes $90 per week for workout classes, it might be time to reprioritize in favor of your savings account at least until the end of the year. Cutting out the classes altogether can save you $900 between now and New Year's!Of course, we don't want to suggest you stop working out you can just try out some cheaper options. Maybe there's a mom-and-pop spin place nearby with a monthly $40 unlimited class deal. Before it gets too cold, you can take your workouts outside running and biking are basically free. You can also do workouts at home there are countless videos available on YouTube, including some pretty classic Jane Fonda clips. Exercise should definitely be a priority, but cutting back on the fancy classes can save you big bucks in the short term. And come January, there will be so many workout deals you can hop back on the wagon.Savings: $30+ per week . Haggle With The Phone Company The only thing worse than haggling might be haggling with the phone company, but this can be a big money saver especially if you have been a loyal customer. Call your provider and ask for the retention department (Most providers have one. If they play dumb, just say, "Then please connect me to the equivalent of the retention department.") to negotiate a lower package. If you're nice and calm, and if you politely, but firmly, ask them how they can help you cut down you bill, they will usually find a way. (Doesn't hurt to mention that you're shopping for another carrier.) The savings can be as little as $10, but it can also be as much as $50 (per month) and really, every penny counts. Savings: $20+ . Eat Dinner In Instead of eating out seven nights a week (including ordering takeout sorry), stay home and cook dinner. It doesn't have to be elaborate (in fact, it really shouldn't be, or you'll end up overspending on ingredients), and you'll save a ton of money. You're paying at least three times more for food at restaurants (it's near impossible to dine out for less than $25 per person), and it's easy to spend $15 or more on your Seamless dinner orders. Seven nights a week is $105! You can save $1k by January simply by changing your dining habits. If you think you're hopeless in the kitchen, just remember: Ina Garten is not a superhero. She's just a woman who taught herself how to cook stuff. (Same goes for Julia Child!) Test your skills with this recipe for roasted chicken with tahini. Or, you can spend 15 minutes throwing together portabella-avocado tacos. Delicious and cheap.Savings: $200+ . Embrace The Pre-Game If you think spending money on food when you go out is pricey, just remember that they're seriously jacking up the price of alcohol at bars and restaurants. Have you ever bought a bottle of wine at the store for $15 and then ordered a glass of that same wine at a restaurant for...$15? On those nights you're looking to have a few drinks, consider keeping the party local as in at your apartment. Have your friends bring a bottle or two, or pick up some cheap vintages from Trader Joe's (you can go as low as the Three-buck Chuck, but you don't need to be that cheap). Swapping one or two nights out, where you easily drop $40 to $50 on drinks, for a fun night in can save you $30 or more.Savings $100+ . Ditch The Movie Popcorn Movies are pricey enough (we recommend hitting up a matinee), so instead of paying $6 for a jumbo-sized Sprite (Seriously, who needs that much liquid?) or $8 for some stale popcorn, stuff your bag with snacks from Trader Joe's or Walgreens, instead. Hell, sneak in a bottle of wine if you want. Just make sure it doesn't topple over and roll down every step in the theater. A word to the wise: Regal Cinemas has started searching bags because of safety concerns, which can make the sneaking of snack foods a little more difficult.Savings: $20+ .
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LONDON Juergen Klopp arrived in Liverpool on Thursday to take over as manager of the Premier League club, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Klopp has not yet signed a contract. Liverpool has called a news conference for Friday morning. Brendan Rodgers was fired on Sunday following an 18-month slump since nearly winning the Premier League title in 2014. Klopp, one of the most respected and charismatic coaches in Europe, left Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season after guiding the club to two German league titles and a Champions League final. His first match in charge of Liverpool will be against Tottenham on Oct. 17. In preparation for Klopp's arrival, the club instigated a clear-out of many of Rodgers' backroom staff. Assistant manager Sean O'Driscoll and first-team coach Gary McAllister have left their posts. Head of performance Glen Driscoll and head of opposition analysis Chris Davies have also lost their jobs. Liverpool is 10th in the league and in a rebuilding phase after the departures of striker Luis Suarez, iconic midfielder Steven Gerrard and young star Raheem Sterling over the last two seasons. It will be the 48-year-old Klopp's first job outside Germany, where he made his name as an extrovert, a maverick and an innovative coach particularly in a seven-year stint at Dortmund. His philosophy is a high-octane, hard-running style that suffocates opponents, similar to the approach Rodgers desired and had success with in the 2013-14 season when Liverpool almost ended its wait for a first championship since 1990. Bespectacled, never short of a quip and exuding passion on the touchline, Klopp is one of European soccer's big personalities and was a fan favorite at Mainz where he started his coaching career in 2001 and then Dortmund. Klopp took over at Dortmund in 2008, with the team having finished 13th in the Bundesliga the previous season. He won the league in 2011 and 2012 and reached the Champions League final in 2013, but his energy-sapping approach had taken its toll on the squad by the time he quit in May. As, in part, had the loss of star players including Robert Lewandowski and Mario Goetze over consecutive offseasons. Klopp is taking charge of a similar club to Dortmund with its working-class roots, strong heritage and passionate fan base and many believe the German is a perfect fit at Liverpool. His task is to close the gap on the big four of Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, and get the team back in the Champions League. Liverpool is one of the most successful teams in England with 18 league titles and five European Cups. ___ AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Newcastle contributed to this report.
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Bill Gross, the prominent bond investor, has sued his former employer Pacific Investment Management Co and its parent Allianz SE for $200 million, claiming that he was wrongfully ousted by a "cabal" of executives who wanted his share of the bonus pool. In a complaint filed on Thursday in the California Superior Court in Orange County, Gross said Pimco managing directors were "driven by a lust for power, greed, and a desire to improve their own financial position and reputation" in an ultimately successful plot to drive him out in September 2014. The lawsuit accuses Pimco of constructive termination, breach of contract, and exercising bad faith. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York)
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Khloe Kardashian recently gave the world a peek inside her own hyper-organized space , and her food-storing system is on point. Lucky for us, we know the experts who made it happen. Mary Astadourian and Jennifer Dynof, the duo behind Details Organizing and Khloe K's impressive pantry, gave us some insightful and inspiring tips for whipping any kitchen into shape. 1. Designate a space. No matter how small your kitchen may be, find a space to create a pantry whether it's an entire room or just a corner of your kitchen. If you have your dried goods and canned food spread out it will be much more difficult to keep track of what you have, and you will end up buying more than you need. 2. Make zones. The key to an organized pantry is to group things the way you and your family use them. All breakfast items together, pastas together, grains together, all snack foods together you get the picture. 3. Seeing is essential. In a well-organized pantry it's important that things are visible. We advise putting dry goods (sugar, flour, etc.) into clear containers to give you a quick visual of how much of any one item is left. Plus, keep the items you use most at the forefront and a stool on hand for accessing overhead shelves. 4. Bins and baskets are your friends. Using matching containers is a great way to give your pantry space a uniform look. If space permits, we like to give everyone their own bin filled with their favorite treats. Kids will love them, too! 5. Clean regularly. Don't be afraid to clean out your panty just as you would your clothes closet. Do a thorough edit at least twice a year, tossing any foods that may have expired and pulling out anything your family no longer eats. You can donate extra canned goods to a food bank or shelter in your area. 6. Label, label, label. The best way to stay organized is to label the items in your pantry. This also helps everyone in the household find what they are looking for and know where things go when they put them away. 7. Know what you have. One of our favorite tips we give clients is to create a list of staples in their pantry and tack it to the door. As things get low, check them off the list so you have a visual tab of what you have left on hand. 8. Keep it stocked. The concept of a pantry is a space to store food, so stock up! Having a hardy reserve means you are always prepared to cook-up a last minute meal. 9. Make it your own. The pantry is part of your daily ritual, and it should be organized in a way that is most efficient for your needs. It should also fit with the rest of your home's aesthetic. Don't be afraid to paint it a fun color or get creative with your basket selection!
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Classic Vlad. 30 Photos of Vladimir Putin Living His Extravagant Life Dancing in Kazan, Tatarstan (2000) Fishing (topless, naturally) on the Khemchik River (2007) Posing as a tourist (at left) in Red Square (1988) Staring down a baby chicken (2008) Testing guns at a shooting gallery in Moscow (2008) Feeding a horse (topless, again) while on vacation in Southern Siberia (2009) Feeding an elk outside Moscow (2010) Goggle testing at the Technology Park of Novosibirsk (2012) Playing badminton at the presidential residence in Sochi (2009) Judo training session (2009) Having a cup of tea in Kyrgyzstan, dressed accordingly (2010) Prepping to drive a Formula 1 race car outside St. Petersburg (2010) Casual dinner at Zavidovo with then Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi (2003) Playing piano during a charity concert in St. Petersburg (2010) Doing a little dentistry in the village of Golovchino (2011) Demonstrating his swimming skills during vacation in Russia's Tuva Region (2012) Pouring tea for 8-year-old cancer patient, Sonya, during a meet at the Kremlin (2012) Tagging a polar bear on Alexandra Land Island (2010) Post-flying with cranes in Salekhard (2012) Demonstrating his fighting moves at a judo center in Kemerovo (2012) Out for a submarine ride in the Baltic Sea (2013) Walrus high-five! on Russky Island (2013) Playing captain while on a fishing trip in Russia's Tuva Region (2013) Playing with his dogs 'Buffy' and 'Yume' at his residence Novo-Ogariovo (2013) Splashing around with dolphins, location unknown (2014) Cuddling with a Persian leopard in Sochi (2014) Hitting the gym in Sochi (2015) Considering leaving President Obama hanging at the U.N. (2015) Celebrating his 63rd birthday by playing hockey in Sochi (2015)
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Who said rich guys have all the fun? From the moment the Mustang Boss 302 debuted four years ago, the reviewers sang the praises, the dealers added a huge markup and the resale values stayed steady in a manner more commonly associated with cars that bear the prancing horse instead of a galloping pony. Even today, prices for a mint-condition Boss 302 often look suspiciously like the original window sticker. In the near future, however, quite a few of those 444-horsepower ponycars are going to be appearing on your local Craiglist. The reason: there's a new Boss in town. Only this time, it's called the Shelby GT350. Given the strong performance of the standard five-liter Mustang GT in last year's PCOTY , we expected great things from our Race Yellow GT350R tester this year. At the same time, we knew that for many Shelby intenders, the only comparison that really matters is with the Boss 302 they already have in their garages. Enter R&T 's occasional contributor, Bark M., and his School Bus Yellow 2013 Boss 302. Bark's Boss has a lot of "patina," which is another way of saying that he's driven it around the country and used it for everything from trackdays to dropping his kids off at school. It doesn't get washed very often and it still had the remnants of the original brake pads when it arrived at NCM Motorsports Park. After a quick flush and pad swap, we took it and the new GT350R out for some back-to-back driving. First impressions: these are both Mustangs, and they both have bespoke high-performance overhead-cam V8s, but they have very different hearts. The "Roadrunner" in the Boss growls like a classic muscle car, all syncopated beat and deep-chested malice. It's the soundtrack you remember from a thousand drive-ins and Sixties movies. On track, it's strong from idle all the way to the 7500-rpm redline, breathing free but clearly spinning a heavy flywheel. From experience, I know that the Boss often performs best on track when you short-shift it a bit. Related Link: Research Ford's Latest Models The Shelby, on the other hand... Most of the increase in displacement to 5.2 liters comes from the bore, not the stroke. The flat crank, a signature of the modern Ferrari getting its ponycar debut in the GT350, allows the engine to break the 100hp/liter mark on its way to 526 horsepower at 7500 rpm. It also gives it an extra 750 revs above that to play with. Trust me, you want every one of them. At full throttle, the Shelby emits a banshee wail that has nothing to do with the Boss 302's conventional V-8 noise. The flywheel feels insubstantial, made of aluminum or perhaps papier-mache. It hammers on the ears, reaches through your skull and twists your amygdala until your mind erupts in a sort of sympathetic inflammation. The Boss is a world-class V-8. This is something else entirely; exotic, emotional. The brakes on the Boss are strong but they're only just adequate to the task of slowing this big, heavy sedan from speed. The GT350R, on the other hand, has proper fixed calipers front and rear, and they are as tireless on the track as they are on a fast two-lane. Pedal feel is brilliant. The ABS engagement is minute, subtle, and utterly effective. The same is true for the chassis. The live-axle Boss, even in Laguna Seca form, is always competent on track but you never forget that you're driving a Mustang, with all that implies in terms of inertia and footprint on the road. The Shelby is in another league. It has an astounding amount of camber and it has grip to match a Corvette or a supercar. It's as if half a ton has been shed from the curb weight; this Mustang attacks transitions like a two-seater, not a sedan with a seat height about what you'd get in a Camry. I've been a fan of the Boss 302 since driving the Laguna Seca at the track of the same name in March of 2011, but this GT350R effortlessly replaces it in my affections. This is more than simply the best Mustang possible; it's more like the best M6 BMW never built, a high-revving love letter to purity of purpose and execution. I'm a bit worried by oil temperatures that hover in the 280-300 degree range during our testing, but I've also seen a Boss 302 spike its oil gauge on a racetrack. You just have to trust that the engine is as stout as it is stout-hearted. If you can live with that, the rest is gravy. After a quick spin around NCM, I ask Bark what he thinks of the GT350. "It's utterly brilliant, but I like my seating position more, and I like the way mine looks better. That doesn't mean," he hastens to clarify, "that I'm not going to buy one." If he decides to put his money where his mouth is, he might have a problem doing it. Most of the "R" models in this year's production run are already pre-sold and even the standard cars are likely to have serious dealer markup. Just like the Ferrari in our test, the fiery and thrilling 488GTB. See? Who said rich guys have all the fun? Follow MSN Autos on Facebook
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autos
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No. 1: Nick Saban, Alabama: $7,087,481. Saban's total pay is slightly lower than it was in 2014 primarily because he reported about $55,000 less in athletically related outside income this year than he did last year. No. 2: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan: $7,004,000. The former San Francisco 49ers coach's total includes a $2 million signing bonus. But his overall pay package does yet include the terms of a deferred-pay arrangement the parties are to discuss after the season. No. 3: Urban Meyer, Ohio State: $5,860,000. Following the Buckeyes' national title last season, Meyer's contract was extended by three years and his pay from the school for this season increased by nearly $1.4 million over what it was for last season. His bonus maximum also increased to $775,000 from $550,000. No. 4: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma: $5,400,000. As scheduled under a contract he signed in 2014, Stoops' pay for this season rose by about $350,000 more than what it was last season. It is set to increase by $150,000 a year in the future. No. 5: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State: $5,150,000. Fisher received a new eight-year contract in 2015. His pay has nearly tripled since 2010, including $2.4 million in increases over the past two years. No. 6: Charlie Strong, Texas: $5,100,270. Strong's pay increased from last season by a previously scheduled $100,000. No. 7: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: $5,000,000. Although Sumlin's contract was restructured to include a licensing agreement related to Texas A&M's use of his name, image and likeness on merchandise, his pay remains unchanged and is scheduled to remain unchanged through the 2019 season. No. 8: James Franklin, Penn State: $4,400,00. Franklin's pay increased from last season by a previously scheduled $100,000. No. 9: Les Miles, LSU: $4,388,721. Miles is making $4.3 million in basic compensation from the school for a third consecutive year. No. 10: Hugh Freeze, Mississippi: Last season, Freeze led his team to its highest national ranking since 1964. He was rewarded with a $1.3 million raise that means his pay from the school has nearly tripled since 2012, when he made $1.5 million. He made $2 million in 2013 and $3 million last season. No. 11: Art Briles, Baylor: $4,236,073. Because Baylor is a private school, Briles' total is the one reported on the university's most recently available federal income tax returns, which cover compensation for the 2013 calendar year, including benefits and bonuses paid. No. 12: Mark Richt, Georgia: $4,124,000. Richt received a two-year contract extension after last season that runs through 2019 and included an $800,000 increase in his basic pay from the school for this season and an $800,000 increase in the maximum amount of bonus money he can receive. No. 13: Gus Malzahn, Auburn: $4,104,500. Malzahn's move into the $4 million club was built into a contract extension he received in 2014. His pay from the school is set to keep increasing by $250,000 a year. No. 14: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: $4,075,000. Now in the second half of a 10-year deal that runs through Jan. 31, 2020, Ferentz's pay remained unchanged from 2014, but his potential bonus maximum increased by $625,000 under a contract amendment he signed in December 2014. No. 15: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina: $4,028,600. Spurrier's compensation from the school for this season is unchanged from last season. No. 16: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State: $4,000,000: In the middle of last season, the Bulldogs went from unranked to No. 1. After the season, Mullen went from making $3 million with $710,000 in possible bonuses to making $4 million with $900,000 in possible bonuses. No. 17: Jim McElwain, Florida: $3,983,359. McElwain's pay for his first season at Florida is inflated above its annualized rate because it covers an elongated initial contract year that began Dec. 5, 2014 and runs through Jan. 31, 2016. His pay from Colorado State last year was set at $1.5 million. No. 18: Bret Bielema, Arkansas: $3,960,666: On an annualized basis, Bielema's pay rate following a contract extension is $4 million. But that rate became effective after the start of his current contract year. He is scheduled to make $4.1 million in 2016. He made $3.2 million from the school in 2014. No. 19: Gary Patterson, TCU: $3,940,026. Because TCU is a private school, Patterson's total is the one reported on the university's most recently available federal income tax returns, which covers compensation for the 2013 calendar year, including benefits and bonuses paid. No. 20: Gary Pinkel, Missouri: $3,768,889. On an annualized basis, Pinkel's pay rate following a contract extension is $4.02 million. But that rate became effective after the start of his current contract year. He is set to make $4.12 million in 2016. Excluding performance bonuses, he made $3.4 million from the school in 2014. No. 21: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State: $3,671,520. Dantonio received a $2 million, one-time longevity payment during his previous contract year. This year, his recurring annual pay from the school rose by about $50,000. No. 22: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: $3,650,000. Gundy's pay increased by a previously scheduled $150,000 over what he received last season. It is set to increase by $125,000 next season. No. 23: Butch Jones, Tennessee: $3,633,000. Jones was another SEC coach to get a contract extension and sizable pay increase after last season, when he helped the Vols have their first winning season since 2009. He's making $650,000 more from the school this season than he did last season. No. 24: Chris Petersen, Washington: $3,402,940. Petersen's pay for his first season with the Huskies was inflated above its annualized rate because it covered an elongated initial contract year that ran nearly 14 months. Regardless, he remains the highest-paid coach at a Pacific-12 Conference public school. No. 25: Jim Mora, UCLA: $3,350,000. Mora's pay increased by a previously scheduled $100,000 over what he received last season. It is set to keep rising by $100,000 per season. No. 26: Dabo Swinney, Clemson: $3,305,200. Swinney's pay increased from last season's by a previously scheduled $150,000. It is set to go up by another $150,000 in 2016, but that raise is contractually required to be $200,000 if the Tigers win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. No. 27: Rich Rodriguez, Arizona: $3,238,844. Rodriguez picked up a one-year contract extension through May 31, 2020, after the Wildcats went 10-4 last season, including appearances in the Pacific-12 Conference championship game and the Fiesta Bowl. No. 28: Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $3,263,600. Stoops passed the $3 million mark under an increase built into the contract extension he received in the middle of last season. The new deal lets him get as much as $2.775 million in bonuses in a year, including $250,000 for each win beginning with the seventh win of a season. No. 29: Mike London, Virginia: $3,198,400. In January 2015, London triggered a one-time payment of $750,000 for completing three-plus years of a five-year contract that runs through Dec. 7, 2016. No. 30: Mark Helfrich, Oregon: $3,150,000. About four weeks after the Ducks played in the College Football Playoff national title game, Helfrich signed a new, five-year contract that included a $1.15 million raise over what he made last season. His bonus maximum was increased by $500,000 to $1.635 million. No. 31: Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech: $3,147,500.Kingsbury signed a new contract just before the start of the 2014 season. Between an initial raise that occurred when the deal took effect and another $500,000 jump for this season, he is now making over $1.25 million more than he was in 2013. No. 32: Bobby Petrino. Louisville: $3,003,500. Petrino's basic guaranteed pay is unchanged from last season. But each year, he can get an additional $500,000 if the team's NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) figure is 935 or above which was the case in 2014. No. 33: Todd Graham, Arizona State: $3,002,960. Graham became the $3 million club's newest in mid-September, when the Arizona Board of Regents approved a one-year extension and a raise from $2.8 million, which was $100,000 more than he made last season. Graham also can get more than $3.7 million in bonuses. No. 34: Bill Snyder, Kansas State: $3,000,000. A previously scheduled $100,000 raise moved Snyder up to $3 million, and he is set for future $100,000 annual increases. No. 35: Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia: $2,880,000: Holgorsen went above $3 million last season, when he received a one-time retention payment of $300,000.
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BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- Each member of the California basketball team has his own definition of what it is to be a man, a recent topic of conversation for the Golden Bears during one of their weekly chat sessions focused more on life than athletics. This is just one focal point for second-year Cal coach Cuonzo Martin as he tries to best prepare his players for anything that might come up during college or later on - from a difficult family or personal matter to an unforeseen crisis or world event. ''It's good to hear each other's opinions on certain issues,'' guard Sam Singer said Wednesday. ''There are going to be arguments on certain things, we're not going to see eye to eye but for us to be able to communicate through those disagreements and come to a solid conclusion is something that will help on the court as well. They've been very productive.'' Martin started this at his first coaching stop, Missouri State. ''It's just really about life, not necessarily about basketball,'' he said. The meetings they call ''Real Talk'' happen on a weekend day in the locker room after breakfast, led by director of basketball operations Marco Harris. Martin turns up from time to time if he happens to be around, but if he joins in it is clear he is a peer and not an authority figure so that everyone feels comfortable speaking his mind openly and honestly. ''We just talk about different subjects of life, different things going on around the world,'' said guard Tyrone Wallace, who returned for his senior season rather than entering the NBA draft. ''It is a team-builder. We get to learn from each other as well as the coaches and the staff who attend. It's just a chance for us to be together and bond.'' That process began during the team's August tour of Australia. Martin is all about providing examples from his own path. Perspective is one of those teaching points. He used to be so devastated by a loss it would ruin his entire day. ''It took me years to learn it's just a ballgame,'' he said. ''When I was able to embrace it I was probably 23 years old.'' One thing Cal doesn't need to discuss is the high expectations for this team, with the national spotlight already on the Bears and their star-studded freshmen. The group features what's considered a top-five recruiting class in the nation led by local forward Ivan Rabb out of Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd High and Jaylen Brown from Marietta, Georgia. Both will make an immediate impact for the Bears, who finished 18-15 and eighth in the Pac-12 at 7-11. Now, the belief around Berkeley is that the Bears can contend for a conference title again not to mention an overdue NCAA Tournament run. The Bears last made the tournament in 2013 and took a six-point loss to eventual Final Four participant Syracuse. In 2009-10, Cal captured its first conference regular-season crown in 50 years. ''I don't think we read too much into stuff on the outside,'' Singer said. ''We're all very motivated, so we set high expectations for ourselves. We know what we want to accomplish and know how good we can be, so it's up to us to determine how we do it with all the potential we have.'' Junior Stephen Domingo, a transfer from Georgetown who gets his first chance for the Bears after coming back home to the Bay Area, has been impressed with how the young players have participated in the chat sessions. Their on-court play is generating serious interest, too, considering the gathering of NBA scouts in the stands at Haas Pavilion on Wednesday as Cal went to work. ''These are some of the most mature freshmen I've ever met,'' Domingo said. ''They know how to carry conversations past basketball. It's a great group of guys Coach Martin brought in. Jaylen, Ivan, Roman (Davis), they're wise beyond their years, so they can talk about any controversial issue. It's nice to know they're well-rounded young men.''
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Jake Arrieta struck out 11 on Wednesday to win his first MLB playoff game. Then he celebrated by having his little kid pour champaign DIRECTLY INTO HIS FACE. (USA TODAY Sports) Look at this is a badass sports kid! (USA TODAY Sports) D'awwwwwwwwww :) (USA TODAY Sports)
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Cardale Jones is 8-0 as Ohio State's starting quarterback. To some Buckeye fans, that's not good enough. The Ohio State junior has faced some serious criticism from fans on social media this season. He's struggled at times as has most of OSU's offense and part of the fan base is calling for J.T. Barrett to take over as the starter. Urban Meyer has talked to his quarterback about the scrutiny coming his way. Here's what he's told him. Urban Meyer says he's talked to team about fan criticism & keeping solid team foundation. Tells Cardale that's "life in the big city." 1/2 Clay Hall (@claywsyx6) October 7, 2015 Adding on Cardale, "move on & get better." @TheFeverABC6 Clay Hall (@claywsyx6) October 7, 2015 Jones is still listed as the No. 1 quarterback on Ohio State's depth chart and is in line to start again Saturday against Maryland. The Buckeyes and the Terps are set to kick off at 12 p.m. E.T. The game will be televised on BTN.
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Tsipras passed the confidence vote in the 300-seat parliament early on Thursday with the backing of all 155 members of his SYRIZA party after three days of debate on his policies. Tsipras was elected in a snap election on September 20 after reversing his opposition to austerity. He has pledged to raise taxes, implement economic reforms and pension cuts as part of an 86 billion euro ($96 billion) bailout package agreed to in August with the IMF and EU. Around 25 billion euros of the bailout have been set aside to strengthen the capital of banks that have suffered from deposit flight over the past six years. The government now has until October 15 to pass the first set of 48 reforms ahead of a creditor review, which Tsipras hopes will then open up the possibility to discuss debt restructuring and bank recapitalization. "We will quickly pass the hurdle of the first review, we will conclude the big issues of the bank recapitalisation and the debt and we will proceed at a measured pace to change Greece," Tsipras said in a speech before the vote. Tsipras said the government's reform package and the bailout will allow Greece's economy to grow by July 2016, and to access international bond markets by 2017. "This will allow us to gradually restore the long-term stability of the Greek economy ... (regain) investor confidence and, at the beginning of 2017, regain access to international markets," he said. Greece has been blocked out of international credit markets, apart from a brief exemption last year, since the crisis began in 2010. The country has instead had to rely on repeated bailouts pegged to the implementation of austerity measures to avoid bankruptcy and an exit from the eurozone. cw/jr (AP, dpa, Reuters)
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Chris Burns had nine missed calls last week from a number in Durham, N.C. "Who the hell could this be?" wondered the assistant men's basketball coach at Bryant University. Then he listened to a voicemail attached to one of the calls and the caller was Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, asking Burns to call him back. Annoyance turned into astonishment. Burns eventually connected with Coach K, the five-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medal-winning coach, and almost immediately Burns heard four words that will stick with him forever. I'm proud of you. Krzyzewski's call came after the coach was interviewed by USA TODAY Sports for the exclusive story in which Burns came out as the first openly gay coach in Division I men's basketball. Bryant faces defending national champion Duke in next month's season opener. "It takes a lot of courage to do what he's doing and I surely applaud him for it," Krzyzewski told USA TODAY Sports. "My message to him is, first off, congratulations, I'm very proud of you. Next, please know you'll be accepted by your brothers in the sport of men's basketball. You're included now in a very strong way. I think this will be something coaches in our sport will love." One of Burns' biggest worries about coming out has been how it could affect his chances of becoming a Division I head coach. Krzyzewski was quick to quell that concern. "I don't think it will hinder him from advancing in this sport," Krzyzewski said. "In fact, I think (coming out) will help. Because I think to advance, you need to be yourself and be who you are. That's just being honest. People players and coaches they embrace honesty. He's an amazing example for others to be honest with themselves. He'll be much more successful because he'll be himself and not trying to impersonate anyone else." Krzyzewski said he'd support a gay player on his team or a gay coach on his staff. "This is a part of life that should be celebrated," he said. "I'm glad this is happening. This is part of the solution. "Sports have been helpful in so many ways in our society. In basketball, one of the best things our sport does is bring different races together. We play in shorts, people see their faces and they can see the intimacy and love for one another. With this, the sport of basketball forges another opportunity for a part of life to be embraced by everyone. It's been difficult to show that with this issue. It hasn't been as comfortable for people to be who they truly are." Krzyzewski said he expects a ripple effect in which closeted coaches will feel they can go public as well. "For him to be the first one to make that step, it's pretty amazing," Krzyzewski said. "In some respects, you wonder why this is the first." Krzyzewski drew criticism in April when he remained silent on Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act at the Final Four in Indianapolis. Krzyzewski said then that he wanted to focus on his team's quest for a title rather than on social issues. He is loud and clear on Burns. "This is about being a good human being," Krzyzewski said. "We should embrace this. It's a positive part of our society." And he offered this benediction to closeted coaches around the nation, in all sports. "We don't just accept you," he said. "We embrace you and we love you." *** Follow college basketball reporter/digital editor Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson . Email: [email protected]
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The 2015 Stanley Cup championship banner was raised slowly toward the rafters of the United Center on Wednesday night and the eyes of the Blackhawks followed along. The question begs, will many of those players be looking up in a similar fashion a year from now? Repeating as Stanley Cup champions has proven to be an impossible task in the salary-cap era as no team has won back-to-back titles since the 1998 Scotty Bowman-led Red Wings. Not helping matters for the Hawks is the offseason salary cap dump that precipitated the departures of Patrick Sharp, Brandon Saad, Brad Richards and Johnny Oduya, among others, and the training camp distraction of the sexual assault investigation involving franchise cornerstone Patrick Kane. Retooling, reeling legally and facing a league determined to derail them, the roadblocks are many for the Hawks. It would appear to be a downright impossible task. And yet ... the Hawks can do it again. Stay with me here. Expect some slow going in the initial stages as evidenced by the Hawks' early struggles during the 3-2 loss in the opener against the Rangers in the aftermath of the pomp and circumstance of the banner-raising ceremony. Systems will have to be learned and chemistry will have to be formed with the likes of newcomers Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin, Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt. That should come with time. Meanwhile, the Hawks have the NHL's best group of core players in Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford, Brent Seabrook and Kane (assuming charges will not be filed against him and he isn't suspended). As long as they are around, a fourth championship in seven years is possible. The main thing going for the Hawks is simply that they know what they're doing. "We have that understanding that, I don't know if the right term is road map, but the know-how to conserve our energy and use it the right way to ride the momentum when we're playing well and limit mistakes when things aren't going our way," Toews said a few hours before puck drop on the 2015-16 season. "It's a long season and when we get to the playoffs ... we have a knack to make ourselves a really tough team to beat. When you have that quality, there's always going to be that confidence that you can find ways to win against good teams. "We're not thinking that far ahead yet but throughout the year we're going to rely on that experience, the energy and the hunger the young guys are going to bring in here." The Hawks will go as far as their leaders take them, starting from behind the bench with coach Joel Quenneville to the six three-time Cup champions on the roster. "I know we have something special in our top guys and our leaders," Quenneville said. "They not only are great players, but they make players around them better. ... It seems like the more important the stage or the situation or the moment, they just welcome the challenge and keep meeting it head on." For the Hawks to get into the playoffs, just a few of the newcomers - Anisimov and Panarin on offense and Daley along the blue line would be a start - need to become key contributors. It might not add up to the first-place finish in the Central Division, but just being one of the eight teams in the Western Conference to reach the postseason would put the Hawks on a familiar track that very well could result in another banner-raising ceremony a year from now. [email protected]
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LONG BEACH, Calif. SeaWorld wants to greatly expand the tanks its uses to hold killer whales in San Diego, but animal rights activists fear the plan would pave the way for breeding the animals in captivity something they say is cruel no matter the size of the tanks. The California Coastal Commission is expected Thursday to consider the $100 million proposal for the marine theme park. The panel has been flooded by tens of thousands of emails against the project that opponents also say represents a marketing ploy to boost plummeting park attendance. The staff of the commission that regulates land and water use along the California coast has recommended approving the expansion under nine conditions that include forbidding SeaWorld from housing recently captured orcas in San Diego. SeaWorld says it has not collected any orcas in the wild in more than three decades, its animals are well treated and park shows help generate support for conservation. Under the proposal, SeaWorld would demolish portions of a 1995 facility that included a 1.7-million gallon pool and replace it with a 5.2-million gallon tank and 450,000-gallon pool. The Orlando, Florida-based company has said the orca population at the San Diego facility which currently numbers 11 would not significantly increase due to the "Blue World" project it wants to open in 2018, even though the capacity of the tanks would jump. Attendance at the California park has declined since the release of the population documentary "Blackfish" in 2013, which suggests SeaWorld's treatment of captive orcas provokes violent behavior. The company's stock price also has dropped over the past two years. SeaWorld says negative media attention is partly to blame and there is also increased competition among Florida theme parks and other factors. Animal rights activists fear SeaWorld will use the expanded tanks to breed orcas in San Diego and send them to other marine theme parks. They say captivity has cut the life spans of the highly intelligent animals that should be transferred to ocean sanctuaries on the coast. SeaWorld says its animals have normal breeding interactions in the healthy environment provided by the park, and not allowing its killer whales to breed would be inhumane. SeaWorld helps the plight of orcas, which were hated and feared before SeaWorld began opening its parks, spokesman David Koontz said in an email to The Associated Press. "Nearly a half-billion guests to all our SeaWorld parks, and other marine parks around the world, have gotten the chance to experience killer whales firsthand, learn about them and come to appreciate them for the wonderful animals they truly are," Koontz said.
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A Chinese immigrant who butchered five relatives, including four small children, with a meat cleaver in a fit of jealousy pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murder and manslaughter charges and must serve at least 125 years in prison. Mingdong Chen admitted that he killed his cousin's wife, 37-year-old Qiao Zhen Li, and her children, 9-year-old Linda, 7-year-old Amy, 5-year-old Kevin and 1-year-old William Zhou in October 2013. The 27-year-old Chen showed no reaction as he entered his plea. Under a deal with prosecutors, he must spend at least 125 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Prosecutors said Li called her mother-in-law in China on the evening of Oct. 27, 2013, saying Chen was in the house with a knife and threatening the family. When the mother-in-law heard children crying in the background, she called other relatives in New York, and they rushed to the home in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood. By the time they arrived, the five relatives were dead and Chen was dripping in blood. Police said the family had been slaughtered, each of the five repeatedly stabbed and slashed in the throat and neck. Their bodies were found strewn about the house, where Chen had been staying for about a week. When detectives questioned Chen, he told them he was jealous of the success of his fellow Chinese immigrants, police said. Relatives said he had been fired from different restaurant jobs. But what set off Chen's rampage remained a mystery to family members, prosecutors and the judge. "The question is why he'd do these things," state Supreme Court Judge Vincent Del Giudice said. "It really doesn't much matter." Assistant District Attorney Mark Hale said prosecutors offered Chen the deal because it would spare Li's husband and other relatives from having "to relive the worst day of their lives." Hale said they also wanted to ensure that Chen would publicly admit the killings. Li's husband was in court on Wednesday but declined to comment. In 2014, a judge ruled that Chen was not competent to stand trial because he had exhibited signs of mental illness that made him incapable of being able to assist in his defense. Del Giudice said Wednesday that Chen appeared to "be clear, lucid and competent." He said he accepted the plea deal under the condition that Chen would "be incarcerated until the day he dies." Chen's attorney, Danielle Eaddy, declined to comment.
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In the Canadiens 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, Mike Babcock won the first ever NHL coach's challenge, Carey Price made 36 saves and Max Pacioretty scored a goal.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin proves victorious on ice, winning a hockey match against old friends as part of celebrations to mark his 63rd birthday.
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From post offices underwater to post offices in space, here is a look at some of the most unusual locations for post offices. The internet may have overshadowed the concept of snail mail, yet post offices still hold a special place in our lives and memories. As World Post Day is observed on October 9, we take a look at unusual post offices, many located in some of the most remote and unlikeliest of places. Vanuatu Post's Underwater Post Office, Republic of Vanuatu A scuba diver staffs the world's first underwater post office as a snorkeler uses the aquatic post box off the Coast of Hideaway Island in Vanuatu. The facility was established on June 30, 2003, to celebrate the 83-island archipelago's status as a marine paradise. Customers buy special waterproof postcards available on land before diving 9 feet (three meters) down to have their mail embossed with a waterproof stamp while surrounded by coral and multicolored fish. China Post Office, Everest Base Camp, Nepal The world's highest post office stands near the base camp of Mount Everest, also known as Qomolangma, in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The post office services around 30 customers a day, and is only open for seven months, from April and October. Susami, Japan Susami is a fishing town that holds the Guinness World Records for having the deepest underwater postbox 33 feet(10 meters) below sea level. The mailbox was installed in 1999 as a part of a marine sports festival event and can be used to send mail. Divers can post a 150 yen ($1.20) waterproof plastic postcard into the box and a local diving shop staff member picks up cards once a day as part of regular mail service. (Pictured) A diver drops a postcard into an undersea mailbox off the coast of Susami, in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama, on April 28, 1999. U.S. Post Office, Christmas, Florida, United States of America Situated in a sleepy town outside of Orlando, this post office is famed for its postmark "Christmas, Fl." People from across the country flock to the post office to get their postcards stamped at this office. The Republic of Molossia Post Office, Molossia micronation This tiny post office connects the world's smallest sovereign republic of Molossia, near Dayton, Nevada, to the world via its postal service. Molossia is a micronation with 12 members; Kevin Baugh is its founder and president. China Post Space Office On Nov. 3, 2011, to celebrate the docking of Shenzhou-8 unmanned spacecraft with space lab module Tiangong-1, China opened a virtual post office 213 miles (343 km) above the Earth's surface. The post office will be able to deliver mail from the general public to astronauts on board space station Tiangong-1. British Base and Post Office, Port Lockroy, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica This remote post office is located at British Base A at Port Lockroy, in Antarctic Peninsula. The office receives around 70,000 cards from over 100 countries every year. The mail usually takes 2 to 6 weeks to arrive at the camp. Post Office Bay, Island of Floreana, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador This most informal of post offices originated in the time of whalers and pirates. Post Office Bay serves as mail delivery point where ships heading home picks up mail and deliver it to their destinations, in Europe and the United States. The post office is located on Floreana Island, one of the islands of Galapagos Islands, and has been providing its services to travelers for the past 200 years. Ochopee Post Office, Ochopee, FL Located in Ochopee, an unincorporated community in Collier County with a population of fewer than 15 people, the post office has the distinction of being the smallest post office in the U.S. Measuring seven by eight feet, one person manages at the desk and makes deliveries in two to three counties daily. Post office in Hell, Grand Cayman Islands Here's a post office you can visit to prove you've been to Hell and back. Located at Hell, in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, visitors can send postcards stamped with "postcards from hell."
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Hungary has sealed its border with Serbia and a fence across its border with Croatia is almost complete But until now, a 3-metres wide gap remains. About 4,000 refugees a day pass through it, into the European Union. Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports from the Croatia-Hungary border.
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During his time in Oakland, Josh Donaldson went from unknown to underrated to invaluable in just a couple of seasons. This quick transformation took Donaldson by surprise as he didn't realize he was "the guy" until he reflected on his time there. This transformation has helped him tremendously with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he was evolved into an MVP front runner and superstar. "I think, just over the course of being in Oakland, not really being the guy there to start being the guy and not really noticing that I was the guy. Then coming here, with a lot of guys that are really good and then just at the beginning trying to fit in," Donaldson told the Toronto Star . "And the next part, trying to go out there and play the game the right way. Be an example for some of the guys that are in this clubhouse. "Just the willingness to go out there and try to take some pressure off those guys. And if they need advice, that's where I'm at. I really believe we're on the right track, and we've been kind of slowly pushing the ball forward all season long. And this is where we are today." By setting an example for his teammates, he was molded into a leader in a clubhouse that already had veterans in Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Buehrle. In his first season with Toronto, Donaldson hit .297 with 41 home runs and 124 RBI, leading the Blue Jays to their first playoff berth since 1993.
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Thursday night, the Houston Texans take the field at NRG Stadium to take on their biggest division rival, the Indianapolis Colts. Normally, a divisional NFL game of this caliber would have the entire city's focus towards the football field... instead it's all about baseball in Houston this October. The Houston Astros are in the playoffs for the first time since 2005. It has been 10 long years of baseball turmoil in the city since Craig Biggio and company stepped off the field after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series. To put that length of time in some perspective, the last time the Astros were playing this far into October, Facebook had just started allowing non-college users, George W. Bush was just one year into his second presidental term, no one Tweeted about it as Twitter did not exist and iPhones were still two years from debuting. While the Astros are only Wild Card game champions for now after defeating the New York Yankees in the one-game playoff series, fans are buzzing about their hometown team just being relevant again as Houston gets set to take on the Kansas City Royals in a best of five series in the ALDS. Understandably so. From 2008, their last winning season, through 2014, the Astros have lost a total of 590 games, compared to just 382 wins during the timespan, including three-straight seasons of 106 or more losses. In the offseason, fans mocked an innocent Tweet sent out by the Astros' official Twitter page notifying followers an October Taylor Swift concert schedule at Minute Maid Park would be "subject to change" if it conflicted with a Houston postseason home game. Little did they know, the Astros were on the verge of something special. Playoffs. That's cute. RT @astros : The Taylor Swift show at #MMP is subject to change if it conflicts with an #Astros postseason home game. Matt Sebek (@MattSebek) December 11, 2014 After bottles of champagne were sprayed around the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium Monday in celebration, sporting goods stores across the Houston area have been quickly running out Astros "Take October" playoff gear stock, sports bars have been packed with Astros' orange and blue baseball jerseys and local radio stations can't stop talking about the surprising "young team" that is well ahead of it's rebuilding schedule. This is the best I've had yet pic.twitter.com/iiavCyo7Y7 Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 7, 2015 It was a slow road in 2015 with Astros fans building trust in their home team. Used to being the laughing stock of Major League Baseball for the past six years, fans were slow to fill up Minute Maid Park on a daily basis, perhaps expecting the inevitable collapse they were "sure" would happen. The fall never happened, the Astros held up, as fan attendance and excitement starting building in late season games. Now Houston is being rewarded with a home playoff game on Oct. 11 -- which sold out mere hours after tickets went on sale Wednesday. While no one expected the Astros to be in this position in the postseason, Houston is already being dubbed this season's "Kansas City" by many who now are setting new goals for the team: a World Series title. Fans would have been glad to just see a winning record from this Astros team, but with a team jumping into the thick of the MLB playoffs, Houston has turned into a baseball town once again.
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How your car can help you discover value in the places you go
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ST. LOUIS - To St. Louis Blues fans who have endured three straight first-round playoff exits, the 2015-16 season is all about what happens once the regular season ends. While the Blues cannot fast-forward through an 82-game schedule and accelerate their playoff beards, they can and do understand the huge expectations they are under. Many of this core group of veterans have experienced the early playoff flameouts that have marked the regime of coach Ken Hitchcock, whose teams are rock-solid in the regular season and then seem to fade quickly in the playoffs. They are tired of following a frustrating pattern of regular-season success followed by watching the majority of the playoffs on television instead of being active participants. This is a team with 52 and 51 wins the past two seasons, a Central Division champ last season that racked up 109 points. Don't think the fans' frustrations - or the expectations - are any higher than those shared by the players. "They get raised every year we don't win," Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "To be honest that comes from us. It's one thing if we were getting to the Western Conference finals or the Stanley Cup ,but with us going out in the first round the past few years they're expecting us to do some more, to show something more." With this great organization, this great talent, our great fans ... I feel like they deserve to be brought to the promised land. We're doing everything we can and I'm hopefully driving that bus to where we need to go. Blues captain David Backes Blues fans' patience has been tested repeatedly by a team that has made one foray beyond the first round of the playoff since 2002 and hasn't reached the conference finals since 2001. "In here, we just don't want to seem like we're a broken record and keep going out the same way although that's happened the past few years," Shattenkirk said. "We want to turn the tide here and start to breed success. "The best way to do that is to win. That's the pressure that comes from the outside and it's kind of the kick in the butt we might need." David Backes is in his fifth year as the Blues captain. He has seen things turn around during his tenure, but also been part of underachieving playoff teams. The Blues didn't clean house in the offseason, but did trade fan favorite T.J. Oshie to Washington for veteran winger Troy Brouwer and allowed veteran defenseman Barret Jackman to leave for Nashville via free agency. They also flirted with a coaching change before deciding to bring back Ken Hitchcock on a one-year deal. "You saw two of the longest tenured Blues no longer in this room," Backes said. "To me, that's significant change. With this great organization, this great talent, our great fans ... I feel like they deserve to be brought to the promised land. We're doing everything we can and I'm hopefully driving that bus to where we need to go." What is motivating the Blues to discover a successful playoff formula? A eight-year, $60 million contract extension for potential superstar Vladimir Tarasenko, the team's leading scorer with 37 goals and 73 points last season, should help. So should continued development of high-scroing forward Jaden Schwartz. It's one thing if we were getting to the Western Conference finals or the Stanley Cup ,but with us going out in the first round the past few years they're expecting us to do some more, to show something more. Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk There also has been am emphasis on faster, more aggressive play starting with a reconfigured defense that now includes rugged Robert Bortuzzo and impressive rookies Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson. But more than anything else, it's the motivation cause by losing. The Blues have had more than enough of that feeling. "It's three years of losing in the first round," Backes said. "Some of the guys have been here for that time, some of the guys are new to that and haven't been part of those losses. A lot of (people) say that the first round's the toughest round. You get past that and you get that killer instinct and that blood in the water, you just thirst for more to eliminate the next group even quicker. "From those conversations in the summer and all the work we've done, we feel we've got some of the things solved that we need to in order to have success deep into the playoffs. Before we get there we've got a lot of work to do, an 82-game schedules against a really tough Central Division where seemingly everyone's gotten better." The 30-year-old Brouwer accumulated 46 goals the past two seasons in Washington. Veteran Kyle Brodziak, acquired from Minnesota, should be an upgrade as a fourth-line center, while big winger Dmitrj Jaskin had 13 goals in only 54 games last season and could just be scratching the surface. After the season, Hitchcock spoke about a new "reckless" style that he and the coaching staff tried to implement during the offseason and preseason. A group of mobile defensemen, including a healthy Jay Bouwmeester, should help ease the transition. "More than anything it was just a matter of keeping the offensive mindset the entire game," Shattenkirk said. "I think we had a tendency to play defensively, especially in Hitch's system (where) he likes to focus on defense first. "He's just pushing us now to really get into that mindset of when we get that puck let's go - and let's go score a goal." Norm Sanders: 618-239-2454, @NormSanders 2015-16 St. Louis Blues Season opener: 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Edmonton at Scottrade Center 2014-15 record: 51-24-7, 109 points; won Central Division Playoffs: lost to Minnesota in first round, 4-2; Blues have lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons Coach: Ken Hitchcock (fourth full season; 175-79-27) Top scorers: Vladimir Tarasenko (37 goals, 73 points), Alexander Steen (24 goals, 64 points), Jaden Schwartz (28 goals, 63 points) Goaltenders: Jake Allen (22-7-4, shutouts, 2.28 goals-against average, .913 save percentage; Brian Elliott (26-14-3, 5 shutouts, 2.26 goals-against average, .917 save percentage) Say hello to: forwards Troy Brouwer, Robby Fabbri, Scottie Upshall, Scott Gomez and Kyle Brodziak; defensemen Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson Say goodbye to: T.J. Oshie, Barret Jackman, Zbynek Michalek, Marcel Goc, Chris Porter, Colin Fraser. All-star potential: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jaden Schwartz Pivotal players: Paul Stastny, David Backes, Troy Brouwer, Jake Allen Rookies to watch: Robby Fabbri, Colton Parayko
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Scientists Thursday warned the world faced mass global coral bleaching next year driven by the warming effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, and it could be the worst on record. A study by the University of Queensland and the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said it would be only the third recorded global bleaching event in history, with areas such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef set to be hard hit. "If conditions continue to worsen, the Great Barrier Reef is set to suffer from widespread coral bleaching and subsequent mortality, the most common effect of rising sea temperatures," said the university's Global Change Institute director Ove Hoegh-Guldberg. "In the first major global event in 1998, more than half the Great Barrier Reef experienced bleaching with about five to 10 percent of the corals dying. "Thankfully the Great Barrier Reef was spared during this second global event (in 2010) due to storm activity which alleviated the heat stress. The reef may not be so lucky in 2016." The Barrier Reef -- the world's biggest coral reef ecosystem -- is already struggling from the threat of climate change, as well as farming run-off, development and the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish. It narrowly avoided being put on the UN World Heritage in danger list this year with Canberra now working on a plan to improve the reef's health over successive decades. Bleaching is a phenomenon that turns corals white or fades their colours, threatening a valuable source of biodiversity, tourism and fishing. It occurs when reef symbiosis -- the mutually beneficial relationship between two organisms that inhabit corals -- is disrupted by a rise in ocean warming, although there can also be other causes. - Predictions unfolding - One of the worst episodes on record, which affected reefs in 60 tropical countries, took place in 1998, when the El Nino weather pattern was exceptionally strong. The phenomenon occurs when trade winds that circulate over waters in the tropical Pacific start to weaken and sea surface temperatures rise. US government scientists in August said the El Nino currently under way -- the first in five years -- could be among the strongest in 65 years, while authorities in Australia have predicted it would be "strong" and "substantial". Corals depend on single-cell algae called dinoflagellates that live in vast colonies on their surface. The dinoflagellates feed on nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients provided by the coral and use light to transform this food into energy. The photosynthesis also releases energy into the tissues of the coral, enabling it to build the calcium skeleton which houses the dinoflagellates. When corals come under stress, such as from significantly warmer seas, they expel the dinoflagellates. They then turn visibly pale, as the algae have the pigments which give the skeletons their distinctive colour. The reefs are not dead at this point. But they become more susceptible to disease and will die if they fail to regain their plankton friends. Hoegh-Guldberg said research he conducted in 1999 predicted mass coral bleaching events would become successively worse over time if the world failed to deal with rising atmospheric gases. "Unfortunately, 16 years later, these predictions are beginning to unfold," he said. The warning comes just months ahead of a UN-led conference in Paris which aims to seal a wide-ranging agreement to limit the worst effects of climate change. It hopes to crown a six-year effort by 195 nations with a post-2020 pact on curbing greenhouse gases.
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François Duhamel/Universal Often when you see a biopic on an iconic figure, the movie attempts to make the lead actor look like who is being depicting. Take, for example, Ashton Kutcher when he played Steve Jobs in another movie version a few years ago: François Duhamel/Universal But Aaron Sorkin's new movie "Steve Jobs" is not your typical biopic. Sorkin, the film's screenwriter who also wrote "The Social Network," has openly said his film is only loosely based on Walter Isaacson 's authorized biography of Apple's co-founder. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the actor who plays Jobs, Michael Fassbender , didn't spend much time in the make-up chair. "Steve Jobs" examines Jobs and his relationship with his inner-circle over three landmark launches in his career the Machintosh in 1984, NeXT in 1988, and the iMac in 1998. Though at times Fassbender's voice seems to mimic Jobs, physically there are very few similarities between the two. Perhaps the closest Fassbender comes to resembling Jobs is during the third act (the iMac launch) when Fassbender's hair is gray and he's wearing Jobs' memorable all-black attire. Here's Jobs: François Duhamel/Universal And here's Fassbender: François Duhamel/UniversalAccording to the film's director, Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting"), the decision to not have Fassbender look like Jobs was made very early on. "We were very clear right from the get-go that this wasn't about a physical impersonation at all," Boyle told Business Insider. "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." Sorkin, who also spoke with Business Insider before the film premiered at the New York Film Festival over the weekend, said he instantly agreed with Boyle's instinct. "In this movie [the way Fassbender looks] just isn't important," he said. "The fact that he doesn't look like Jobs, 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." That said, Fassbender was not the first choice to play Jobs. Over the years the project was in development, such A-list stars as Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale flirted with the role. We'll never know, but it would have been fascinating to see if either actor would have wanted to be more "physical" with the role. "Steve Jobs" opens in theaters on Friday. NOW WATCH: The awesome origin story of Drake's biggest hit in years, "Hotline Bling"
| 6 | 91,793 |
entertainment
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By Tripfilms filmmaker CatchCarri. We show you some of the best ways to find adventure in Winter Park, Colorado. Whether dog sledding, fat biking, snow tubing or snowmobiling, this is the perfect winter destinationShare your travel videos on Tripfilms.com!
| 8 | 91,794 |
video
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As the presence of cybercrime advances, so does its cost to global companies, particularly those in the United States. The cost of cybercrime to the average company has risen to $15 million a year. As cybercriminals become more expert, those costs are bound to rise. According to a new study sponsored by Hewlett Packard Enterprise: As shown, there is significant variation in total cyber crime costs among participating companies in the benchmark samples. The US sample reports the highest total average cost at $15 million and the Russian sample reports the lowest total average cost at $2.4 million. It is also interesting to note that Germany, Japan, Australia and Russia experienced a slight decrease in the cost of cyber crime cost over the past. The numbers are particularly troubling because the U.S. cost has risen from $11.5 million two years ago to $15.4 million in the fiscal year just ended. At the current growth rate of 19% a year, the figure in the United States could double by around the end of the decade. Among the most notable conclusions of the study are ones most experts already know. Cybercriminals target the financial industry most, followed by utilities and technology. At the bottom of the list of targets are agriculture and the automotive industry. ALSO READ: Warren Buffett Gets Into Cybersecurity Insurance The methods of the attack are very broad, which presumably makes it harder to defend against all of them: Virtually all organizations had attacks relating to viruses, worms and/or trojans and malware over the four-week benchmark period. Malware attacks and malicious code attacks are inextricably linked. We classified malware attacks that successfully infiltrated the organizations' networks or enterprise systems as a malicious code attack. For the time being, there is no reason to think these attacks will not rise and become more sophisticated. One of the most regular refrains among experts of cyber-attacks are that attackers have a large lead on defenders. The costs of defense will continue to rise. Methodology: For consistency purposes, the benchmark sample consisted of only larger-sized organizations (i.e., a minimum of approximately 1,000 enterprise seats). The study examines the total costs organizations incur when responding to cybercrime incidents. These include the costs to detect, recover, investigate and manage the incident response. Also covered are the costs that result in after-the-fact activities and efforts to contain additional costs from business disruption and the loss of customers. These costs do not include the plethora of expenditures and investments made to sustain an organization's security posture or compliance with standards, policies and regulations. ALSO READ: Deutsche Bank Has 4 Huge Internet Stocks to Buy for Q4
| 3 | 91,795 |
finance
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LONDON -- Samsung has said that all customer data are safe and its Samsung Pay system has not been affected after it was revealed that Chinese hackers breached the network of its U.S. subsidiary LoopPay in March. The attack, which was only uncovered in late August, targeted the company's office network, but Samsung claimed no customer data were at risk and the incident was dealt with "immediately and comprehensively" by LoopPay. Despite the attack taking place over six months ago, it only came to light Wednesday when the New York Times published a report which laid the blame for the attack on a hacking group known as the Codoso Group or Sunshock Group, which is said to be affiliated with the Chinese government. The report suggests that the hackers were after the technology developed by the company rather than details of customers' payment transactions. The attack breached the security of three internal servers at LoopPay's offices in Woburn, Massachusetts. LoopPay is a subsidiary of the South Korean electronics giant and handled mobile payments before the company introduced its proprietary Samsung Pay system earlier this year as a direct challenger to Apple Pay. LoopPay was acquired by Samsung in February for $250 million and the company has used its technology -- known as magnetic secure transmission or MST -- in its implementation of Samsung Pay. A statement by the South Korean company said: "Samsung Pay was not impacted and at no point was any personal payment information at risk. This was an isolated incident that targeted the LoopPay office network, which is a physically separate network from Samsung Pay. The LoopPay incident was resolved and had nothing to do with Samsung Pay." Chinese Tension Samsung Pay launched in the U.S. just last week after a successful debut in South Korea where it racked up $30 million worth of purchases in just one month and is seen as a competitor for Apple Pay and Google's own Android Pay systems. Unlike its competitors, however, Samsung's use of MST technology gives it an advantage of allowing it to be used on older cash registers that support magnetic stripe cards. The theft of intellectual property belonging to U.S. companies by Chinese hackers is a hot topic at the moment, after Washington called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to help prevent this during his recent state visit to the White House. The result of the summit was a range of agreements to help prevent these incidents, including the provision of a new high-level contact group and assurances to investigate complaints from each other -- and resolve them where possible. The breach of LoopPay's internal network took place in March, but the company was only made aware of it in late August when the security company investigating the operations of the Codoso Group found information relating to LoopPay. The same group was also responsible for a sophisticated attack on the Forbes website earlier this year, which infected visitors to the website. "They Will Come Back" While Samsung says its new payment system has not been compromised, some security experts disagree, saying that once such an attack takes place, it is very difficult to remove the threat from your network. "Once Codoso compromises their targets -- which range from dissidents to C-level executives in the U.S. -- they tend to stay there for quite a long time, building out their access points so they can easily get back in," John Hultquist, head of intelligence on cyber-espionage at iSight Partners, told the New York Times. "They'll come back to a previous organization of interest again and again." Samsung, however, is confident its new system is safe and secure: "Each transaction uses a digital token to replace a card number. The encrypted token combined with certificate information can only be used once to make a payment. Merchants and retailers can't see or store the actual card data," it said. Speaking to International Business Times, Mark Bower, global director, enterprise data security for HP Data Security, said that this type of attack is all too common. "Any company today has to assume a breach will happen and take more advanced threat mitigation measures. The payments business has learned the lesson hard over the years, and embraced far more powerful approaches to data security than traditional perimeter and storage encryption provides."
| 3 | 91,796 |
finance
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A survey of British vegetarians shows that a lot of them admit to eating meat after a night out drinking. Mara Montalbano (@maramontalbano) explains.
| 8 | 91,797 |
video
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Your bed is always made, toilet bowl polished, and coffee table styled just so, but is your house really clean? Filth can quietly build up in unexpected places, from the decor to the appliances. Read on to discover the most overlooked spots to clean - and to learn how you can get them back in tip-top shape. Your bed is always made, toilet bowl polished, and coffee table styled just so, but is your house really clean? Filth can quietly build up in unexpected places, from the decor to the appliances. Read on to discover the most overlooked spots to clean - and to learn how you can get them back in tip-top shape. Coffeemaker If your morning java is starting to taste funky, it's probably because your coffeemaker is in need of a cleaning. Hard-water deposits and brewing residue can take over your machine if you don't wash it every month or so by running a 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water through the brew cycle. Turn off the machine halfway through brewing, and let it sit for an hour before turning it back on to complete the cycle. Then run fresh water through it a few times until the vinegar smell is gone. The carafe and filter can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Throw Pillows You know it's important to clean your bedroom pillows, but what about those stylish throw pillows on your sofa? Whether you're using them to prop up your feet after a long day or rest your head during a Netflix binge, they're collecting the same (if not more) dead skin, dust mites, and filth. Be sure to run the vacuum's upholstery attachment over pillows when cleaning the living room, and remove pillow covers for periodic laundering according to the care instructions. Kitchen Trash Can Is that foul odor lingering even after you take the trash out? It could be leftover food debris and bacteria that have made their way into the trash can. Get it clean by hosing out any gunk before spraying with a disinfectant and an odor-eliminating product and giving it a thorough scrub down. Curtains and Upholstery They might look clean to the naked eye, but curtains and upholstery trap everything from pollen and dust mites to bacteria and mold. Take the vacuum to them regularly, and for especially dirty fabrics, check the label to see if washing or professional cleaning is an option. Dishwasher This one might seem counterintuitive, but even dish-cleaning machines require cleaning. Dishwashers get clogged with food debris, soap scum, hard-water deposits, and even mold. Start by cleaning out the filter of the dishwasher - yes, your dishwasher has a filter, and if this is the first time you're learning of it, odds are yours is clogged with old food particles - and then run a heavy-duty cleaning agent through the wash cycle. We're partial to baking soda bombs. Bathroom Decor From the cup you hold your toothbrush in to the glass jars atop the toilet, you would be surprised how bacteria spreads around the bathroom. Give all your bathroom accessories a good antiseptic rubdown when you're cleaning the bathroom. Washing Machine If you've ever noticed that your clothes smell less than fresh after being washed, then it's probably time to clean your washing machine. With all the water and damp clothes that go through them, these machines are especially susceptible to mold and mildew. You can clean your washing machine by running a mix of white vinegar and baking soda through the hottest cycle available. Knobs, Handles, and Switches Based on the number of dirty hands grabbing at them, knobs, handles, and light switches seem like an obvious place to disinfect, but they're frequently overlooked. Don't forget to address these bacteria hot spots when wiping down places like the kitchen and bathroom. 1. Coffeemaker If your morning java is starting to taste funky, it's probably because your coffeemaker is in need of a cleaning. Hard-water deposits and brewing residue can take over your machine if you don't wash it every month or so by running a 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water through the brew cycle. Turn off the machine halfway through brewing, and let it sit for an hour before turning it back on to complete the cycle. Then run fresh water through it a few times until the vinegar smell is gone. The carafe and filter can be cleaned in the dishwasher. 2. Throw Pillows You know it's important to clean your bedroom pillows, but what about those stylish throw pillows on your sofa? Whether you're using them to prop up your feet after a long day or rest your head during a Netflix binge, they're collecting the same (if not more) dead skin, dust mites, and filth. Be sure to run the vacuum's upholstery attachment over pillows when cleaning the living room, and remove pillow covers for periodic laundering according to the care instructions. 3. Kitchen Trash Can Is that foul odor lingering even after you take the trash out? It could be leftover food debris and bacteria that have made their way into the trash can. Get it clean by hosing out any gunk before spraying with a disinfectant and an odor-eliminating product and giving it a thorough scrub down. 4. Curtains and Upholstery They might look clean to the naked eye, but curtains and upholstery trap everything from pollen and dust mites to bacteria and mold. Take the vacuum to them regularly, and for especially dirty fabrics, check the label to see if washing or professional cleaning is an option. 5. Dishwasher This one might seem counterintuitive, but even dish-cleaning machines require cleaning. Dishwashers get clogged with food debris, soap scum, hard-water deposits, and even mold. Start by cleaning out the filter of the dishwasher - yes, your dishwasher has a filter, and if this is the first time you're learning of it, odds are yours is clogged with old food particles - and then run a heavy-duty cleaning agent through the wash cycle. We're partial to baking soda bombs . 6. Bathroom Decor From the cup you hold your toothbrush in to the glass jars atop the toilet, you would be surprised how bacteria spreads around the bathroom. Give all your bathroom accessories a good antiseptic rubdown when you're cleaning the bathroom. 7. Washing Machine If you've ever noticed that your clothes smell less than fresh after being washed, then it's probably time to clean your washing machine. With all the water and damp clothes that go through them, these machines are especially susceptible to mold and mildew. You can clean your washing machine by running a mix of white vinegar and baking soda through the hottest cycle available. 8. Knobs, Handles, and Switches Based on the number of dirty hands grabbing at them, knobs, handles, and light switches seem like an obvious place to disinfect, but they're frequently overlooked. Don't forget to address these bacteria hot spots when wiping down places like the kitchen and bathroom.
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lifestyle
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It's no secret travelers have some annoying habits ; after all, they almost single-handedly support the selfie-stick business. But from bad behavior on the airplane to hosting naked photoshoots at popular landmarks, pesky tourists are the last things you want to deal with when you get to your hotel. So what are those quirky, (and sometimes downright rude) behaviors that make your fellow travelers cringe? According to a recent study by Expedia , the top hotel etiquette faux pas is letting your kids run wild (inattentive parents take note) followed by, in close second, that rowdy crowd that parties, and consequently stumbles, through the hallways at 3 a.m. Other offenders include guests that berate hotel staff over minor problems, noisy neighbors and couples who may go a little too far with their PDA. See the full list of violations, below: 1. Inattentive Parents 67% 2. The Hallway Hellraisers 64% 3. The Complainers 54% 4. The In-Room Revelers (noisemakers nearby) 52% 5. The Bickerers 26% 6. The Poolside Partiers 22% 7. The Loudly Amorous (indiscreet lovemakers) 21% 8. The Hot Tub Canoodlers (amorous couples in a public hot tub) 20% 9. The Business Bar Boozer (sloshed business travelers) 12% 10. The Elevator Chatterbox 6% 10 Incredibly Annoying Things Travelers Do at Hotels
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travel
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