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SALT LAKE CITY Prosecutors say a Utah man posed as a federal agent in an attempt to get VIP tickets to a Comic Con event in Salt Lake City. Jonathon M. Wall was indicted Wednesday on federal charges after the 29-year-old Layton man allegedly claimed he needed passes to catch a fugitive at the event where many attendees wear elaborate costumes. Authorities say a security official got suspicious of Wall, who was posing as a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The official contacted the Air Force, whose agents confirmed Wall didn't work for them. Wall faces charges of impersonating a federal officer and making a false statement. The September comic book convention attracted about 120,000 people and featured "Captain America" actor Chris Evans. No lawyer or phone number was publicly listed for Wall on Thursday.
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Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins thinks that he will win the MVP award this season. Confidence is everything, right? Cousins told Bleacher Report that winning the MVP wasn't just something that's a possibility, but claimed "it's mine to grab." Let's look at the facts: Cousins is undeniably a top-three center in the league. At 25-years-old, the 6-11, 270 pound big man is known for bruising opposing defenders with his power and tenacity in the paint. Statistically among the NBA's centers, he ranked first in scoring (24.1 points per game), third in rebounding (12.7 rpg), and tied for second in overall games with a double double last season (47). Impressive? Without a doubt. But does he have what it takes to be crowned NBA MVP? DeMarcus Cousins Points, Rebounds, and Assists | PointAfter History says no. To win an MVP, your team must be at least a top-three seed heading into the playoffs. In fact, the last time that a player was awarded MVP on a team lower than a third seed was the late, great Moses Malone in 1982 (sixth seeded Houston Rockets) -- the same year that Michael Jackson released Thriller, just to give you an idea of how long ago that was. Malone also averaged 31.1 points and 14.7 rebounds that year. Since then, there hasn't been an MVP award winner from a team with fewer than 50 wins (excluding lockouts). The Kings haven't had a 30-win season since 2008 and, although they had an impressive offseason, won't be anywhere near the top of the Western Conference come playoff time. So to put it simply -- the MVP award isn't for Cousins to grab. Instead, guys like Steph Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant and LeBron James will be looking to lead their teams to a top-spot in their conferences, likely earning MVP honors in the process.
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Joe Jonas and Gigi Hadid Joe Jonas is proud of girlfriend Gigi Hadid for speaking out against body shaming. The model posted a message on Instagram in which she hit back at the haters who have blasted her curvaceous figure and Joe praised Gigi for her brave move. He told E! News: "I'm really proud of her. I think it's something that needs to be spoken about especially in that community. The industry seems to be changing for models, and it's great that she can have a voice." The blonde beauty felt the need to defend her hourglass frame after people attacked her for being out of shape during recent catwalk shows in Milan, Italy and New York. And Gigi previously admitted that negative comments started to affect her confidence and she began to believe the critics. She explained: "There are people who feel like they're able to hide behind their usernames and their private accounts, who feel like they can say whatever they want and it won't affect anyone. I try not to pay attention to it that much, but it got to a point where I started to feel self-conscious about certain things - in the way that I felt that my walk, for example, is unique and I also felt like I needed to improve it." Gigi took to her social networking site to state she was "proud" of her sexy body and wouldn't let some nasty comments affect her blossoming career within the industry.
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(Bloomberg) -- Soon, Starbucks lattes and KFC fried chicken will just be a tap away with Apple Pay. Apple Inc. is rolling out its mobile-payments service for select Starbucks Corp. stores by the end of the year, and will reach 7,500 company-owned stores in 2016, the coffee chain said in a statement. KFC stores and Chili's Grill & Bar will make Apple Pay available in next year as well, Jennifer Bailey, the Apple vice president in charge of the service, said at the Code/Mobile conference Thursday. Wider adoption should give Apple Pay a much-needed boost. Lack of acceptance at various retail stores has been partly to blame for the slow rollout of the payment service. A year since its debut, it only accounts for 1 percent of all retail transactions in the U.S., according to research firm Aite Group. Starbucks' own mobile-payment application has been a success, accounting for 20 percent of transactions at the coffee chain's U.S. stores. Starbucks has said it intends to make all popular payment methods available to customers. Haley Drage, a spokeswoman for the Seattle-based company, said its U.K. stores have been accepting Apple Pay for several months. "It was received well by consumers," she said. Brinker International Inc., which runs Chili's, said it plans to bring the payment system to 930 of the Tex-Mex restaurants nationwide, starting in the spring. Yum! Brands Inc., the owner of KFC, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. To contact the reporters on this story: Olga Kharif in Portland at [email protected]; Leslie Patton in Chicago at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at [email protected]; Cecile Daurat at [email protected] Kevin Orland
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CLICK To Watch Rudabeh Shahbazi's Report
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Learn how to rock two-toned color eyeliner and create a statement look.
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lifestyle
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"I'm Hispanic, and I vote for Mr. Trump!" Ok, sure.
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Why did I eat that breakfast burrito?
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On this week of the once-great Florida State-Miami rivalry, I have but one question: What happened to the Miami Hurricanes? This is the same simple question I asked Jimmy Johnson during a visit to his home in the Florida Keys over the summer. I figured who better to answer the question about the once-feared Hurricanes being downgraded to a tropical depression than the man who turned UM into the "U." Howard Schnellenberger resurrected Miami's program and won the school's first national title, but Johnson created the image, aura and swashbuckling swagger that transformed the Hurricanes into the most dominant, dynastic, intensely intimidating college football program of the 1980s and '90s. As Johnson sat at the computer in his home office, he answered my question by Googling the schedules of the UM teams he coached when the Hurricanes were an independent in the mid-1980s. He then, one by one, recited the names of some of his opponents. "Florida ... Florida State ... Oklahoma ... Notre Dame ... Michigan," Johnson said. "We had a half-a-dozen games every year against marquee-type teams and you only played 11 games back then. So half of our games were on primetime national TV every year, and that's when it meant something to be on TV. Hell, these days, everybody's on TV every week." In other words, Miami has nothing special it can sell big-time recruits anymore. Let's face it, the two decades of UM dominance were one of the biggest aberrations in college football history. Unlike other great dynasties -- Alabama, Nebraska, Notre Dame, USC, etc. -- the 'Canes weren't built on fan support, booster contributions, plush facilities and highly paid coaches. Miami was built on one thing and one thing only: PLAYERS. "If a player wanted to go to the NFL, he'd come to Miami because we played a great schedule and because we played on television," Johnson said. The problem is Miami, since joining the ACC, no longer plays a great schedule and therefore no longer has the market cornered on recruits who want to play on primetime TV. But UM's fans and administration are still living in the 1980s and believe they can become great again by just hiring and firing coaches. Sadly, it has become all the rage at UM games for delusional fans to spend their money hiring airplanes dragging banners that say "Fire Al Golden." Golden, it seems, is simply the latest coach being victimized by UM's unrealistic fan base. If you want to blame somebody for the dilapidated state of UM's program, blame the administration, former school president Donna Shalala and the Board of Trustees. Here's all you need to know: UCF has better facilities than Miami does. The Knights have an on-campus stadium and an indoor practice facility; the Canes have neither. If it rains this week in Tallahassee, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher will move his Seminoles into a state-of-the-art indoor practice facility to get them ready for the Hurricanes. If it rains this week in Coral Gables, Golden will move his team into the school's indoor volleyball courts and perhaps try to work around the volleyball team's practice schedule. Until Miami realizes it needs to start spending money and lots of it to upgrade its football infrastructure, the Canes will continue to wallow in the abyss of insignificance. Memo to Miami: If you want to play big-boy football, stop spending like a small-time program. Do you really think you can compete with the affluent programs that surround you Florida State, Florida, Alabama and Georgia by pinching pennies? Do you really think you can compete in the Daytona 500 by showing up in a 1997 Buick Skylark? Although ACC Commissioner John Swofford would never admit this publicly, he absolutely has to be second-guessing the league's decision to add Miami 11 years ago. Swofford's grand plan was to put Miami and FSU in separate divisions, play the ACC Championship Game in the State of Florida and have the two powerhouses annually face off in front of sellout crowds and a gigantic national TV audience. Since Jimbo took over, FSU has certainly lived up to its end of the bargain, but Miami has now been through three head coaches and still has never even been to an ACC Championship Game. After visiting J.J. over the summer, I think I finally realize what happened to Miami. Johnson, the old UM coach, now lives in the Keys and spends much of his time on his boat in pursuit of dolphin, grouper, sailfish and marlin. Sadly, it seems, his once-dominant program has also hung a "Gone Fishin" sign on the door to college football relevance.
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Image Source: ShopStyle Photography I've always had the intention to make Sundays about my health and well-being, but until recently, I loaded up the rest of the weekend with plans, leaving me wiped me out. I spent Sunday recuperating. I'll admit it: sometimes I still have a little too much fun on Saturday night, and I'll only make my way down half of this checklist, but when I accomplish all of these tasks, I feel happy, healthy, and in control all week long. Go to the farmers market : I'm very spoiled to live within (very close) walking distance of an awesome farmers market. I kick off my Sunday morning checking out the stands and getting inspired by whatever's looking fresh and available. This is where the majority of my healthy meal planning takes place, since I tend to keep lunch and dinner very simple at home during the week. Supplement at the grocer : I head to the farmers market first since it's local, fresh, and surprisingly cheaper. From there, I make a quick pit stop at the grocery store to supplement whatever else I'll need for the week. Typically, this is just meat and whatever pantry staples I've run out of the week prior. This is a place I head to with a list, so I don't cave to all the tempting junk on the checkout line. Prep produce and one grain : Once I'm home with all my goods, I head to the kitchen to start prepping for the week. My roommate and I make a big batch of one grain (typically quinoa) that's ready to toss into quick salads and serve alongside veggies and protein all week long. This was a game-changing step for me to make healthy eating easy and help me steer clear of quick takeout every night. Pack my lunch : When I layer my ingredients and prep a homemade lunch , I always know exactly what I'm getting, so I can make sure it supports my needs at work. This helps me maintain my weight through portion control and saves me a ton of money come Friday afternoon. I also find that when I bring a homemade lunch to work on Monday, I'm much more likely to follow suit all week. Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Maria Del Rio Schedule my workouts : Even with the best intentions of working out, life gets in the way all week long. It's only when I've planned morning workouts in advance that I'm able to balance my workload and social calendar. I sit down, look at class schedules, and hit up friends to figure out where I'll be working out when. I sign up and pay for class in advance whenever possible to make sure I actually go. Nest and chill : Chilling out is not heading to a biergarten with friends or making a huge dinner at a friend's house where I know the wine will be flowing. Sunday afternoon and early evening are all about turning on some records, lighting a candle or four, cleaning up my house, taking time to read outside, or tossing in a load of laundry. My week is crazy and I like it that way, but practicing major self-care on Sunday night ensures I feel balanced all week long. This is a nonnegotiable for me. Get to bed early : During the week, I don't always get to bed as early as I'd like, but Sunday is one night I can make sure it happens. I turn off electronics , get my phone and computer out of grabbing range, and unwind with whatever book has been staring me down on my bedside table. I make a point to get to bed before midnight, so I can tackle the week with as much energy and enthusiasm as possible. RELATED LINKS: 3 Drinks to Skip and 3 to Drink Before Bedtime How to Get Energy Fast These Scents Will Help Wake You Up Instantly
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Strong demand and tight supply has one of the nation's hardest hit housing markets of the recession getting back on its feet again. Las Vegas home sales surged 14 percent in September from a year ago, according to the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors (GLVAR). "At this point, we're well ahead of last year's sales pace, which is good news for local homeowners and the housing market," said 2015 GLVAR President Keith Lynam, a Las Vegas real estate agent. "It remains a fairly balanced real estate market, which is solid news for both buyers and sellers." The median price of a home sold in September was $220,000, up 8.6 percent from one year ago, according to GLVAR. Condominium prices were up about 5 percent. As with much of the nation, the inventory of homes for sale is down from a year ago, and the same is true in Las Vegas with September supply 3 percent lower than a year ago. Homebuilders are starting to ramp up again in the area, and with solid demand returning and distressed homes leaving the market, supply should increase in the coming months. "Demand is still outpacing inventory in housing that's listed for sale under $300,000, but when you get above that mark that's where we're seeing the softening in demand," said Cynthia Silver, a real estate agent with Century 21 Martinez and Associates. Pending sales were lower in August, but Silver says that is normal for the season. She is concerned some sellers are being unrealistic in their pricing. The Las Vegas housing market is improving, but it is still has a ways to go. "As long as the seller lists for current market value, the days on market are still very reasonable," added Silver.
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Five people in Oslo, all appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and all sworn to secrecy, already know who is winning the Nobel Peace Prize, to be announced on Friday. For everyone else, the winner's identity is unknown. To many, it is an irresistible topic of speculation and gambling. International bookmaking sites, which take bets on just about any unknown, including the winner of the Republican presidential nomination in the United States and who will play the next James Bond, are accepting bets on the Peace Prize. Betting on events in which the outcome is known like the Academy Awards or the Nobel Peace Prize is illegal in the United States, but internationally, and in Britain in particular, bookmakers are free to accept such bets. Get Today's Headlines by E-Mail Each Morning From The New York Times Across Britain's largest gambling sites, bettors have in recent days spent tens of thousands of dollars placing bets on the Nobel prizes for Peace and Literature, a pittance compared with the hundreds of millions gambled on large sporting events like the World Cup. Nevertheless, betting on the Nobel prizes is "an annual fixture in the betting calendar," said Rory Scott, a spokesman for Paddy Power , a gambling site that operates in Britain and Ireland. Paddy Power has tallied around 10,000 pounds, about $15,300, on Peace Prize bets alone, since it opened betting several days ago. "The big mover is Angela Merkel," Mr. Scott said of the German chancellor, who is the site's odds-on favorite to win. "Before she made the announcement on housing 800,000 refugees, she was at 66 to 1; after the announcement she was at 25 to 1. She is now down to 2 to 1." Mr. Scott said bettors, or "punters" as they are called in Britain, have placed the most bets for Ms. Merkel at Paddy Power. But at another British site, Ladbrokes , most gamblers are putting their money behind Dr. Denis Mukwege , a Congolese gynecological surgeon who has campaigned to end the use of mass rape as a weapon of war. Dr. Mukwege, who founded a hospital in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is currently running 5 to 1 on Ladbrokes. Pope Francis is also a contender, bookmakers said. "A good bit of money has been bet post his meeting with Obama and banging heads of the Americans and Cubans," said Mr. Scott, referring to the pope's role in a diplomatic breakthrough between the two nations. Bookies were surprised in 2013 when Pope Francis was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. Matthew Shaddick, a spokesman for Ladbrokes, said: "We got stung when he won and lost a bit of money on that. He was an outsider who became the favorite." While many people were surprised on Thursday to learn that Svetlana Alexievich, an author from Belarus, had won the Nobel Prize for Literature , oddsmakers had her as the favorite all along. Ms. Alexievich had 3 to 1 odds at Ladbrokes, and several thousand dollars' worth of bets had been placed on her to win. Despite the uniqueness of the Peace Prize, Mr. Shaddick said, the Literature Prize typically attracts the most bets. The gambling sites do not typically take bets for the science prizes, he said. Like the work involved in winning the prizes for Medicine or Physiology, Physics and Chemistry, creating a list of possible contenders would "take a lot of research," Mr. Shaddick said. Anyone can be suggested for a Nobel Peace Prize, but only a select group is allowed to formally submit nominations. That group includes members of national legislatures and international courts, professors, previous prize winners and current or former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The deadline for submissions was in February, and the nominees' names are kept secret. Other contenders for the Peace Prize, according to bookmakers, include Secretary of State John Kerry and the Iranian officials who brokered a nuclear deal, and Mussie Zerai , an Eritrean priest who helps refugees fleeing war zones. But for bettors really looking to win big, the odds that the pop singer Taylor Swift will take home the Peace Prize are 500 to 1.
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Chicago-based United Airlines will offer free booze on a few flights Thursday evening. The airline is trying to up its drink game, announcing Thursday that it would expand its selections to include Chicago-based Crafthouse Cocktails' Moscow Mule, a vodka and ginger beer premixed cocktail, on United-operated flights in North and Central America. It will also add Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey on flights worldwide. Passengers can buy a 200-milliliter bottle, enough for two servings, United says, of Crafthouse's Moscow Mule for $12.99. A 50-milliliter miniature bottle of Buffalo Trace will be complimentary in premium cabins and $8.99 in economy class. However, the Moscow Mule is free Thursday for customers on four flights from O'Hare Airport - to Denver, Washington, D.C. (Dulles), Newark and Houston. All flights depart about 6 p.m. Thursday. Crafthouse co-founder and mixologist Charles Joly will join customers on United Flight 1127 from Chicago to Denver to bartend in first class, the airline said. The drinks will also be available in many United Club airport lounges, it said. Besides serving wine, United also offers Tito's Handmade Vodka and Goose Island Beer Company's Goose IPA on flights worldwide, as well as prosecco sparkling wine in premium cabins on United-operated flights in North America. [email protected]
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The new Diet Pepsi is having a rough debut since PepsiCo Inc. replaced the artificial sweetener aspartame with less-controversial sucralose in a bid to reverse plunging industrywide diet-soda sales. Sales have kept sinking since the reformulated cola began surfacing on store shelves more than a month ago, and Diet Pepsi loyalists are using words like "yuck" and "unpalatable" to broadcast their distaste on Twitter and Facebook. "It has a nasty aftertaste, and it's sickly sweet. You have to wash it out with water," said David Zimdars, an Ann Arbor, Mich., resident who has been guzzling Diet Pepsi for more than 30 years. The 48-year-old research scientist swears he is switching to Diet Coke when his "horde" of old Diet Pepsi runs dry in about two months. The change also has put a spotlight on the artificial sweetener sucralose, commonly known as Splenda, which has had a lower profile and thus less pushback among consumers than aspartame. Only 3% of sucralose mentions have been positive and 17% have been negative on Twitter over the past three months, according to social media tracker Sysomos. For aspartame, 1% were positive and 7% were negative. PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi says it is too early to tell how consumers are responding to the new formula. "Our belief is that you've got to wait a few cycles to see what the purchase repeat adoption cycle is," Ms. Nooyi told analysts on an earnings call Tuesday. The company says initial consumer sentiment often skews negative when established brands change and that it received just over 3,000 complaints over the summer, fewer than the roughly 9,000 expected but more than nearly 370 positive responses. "We're not at all concerned," said Seth Kaufman, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo North America Beverages. The company tested the new Diet Pepsi with thousands of consumers for about two years before the launch and says three-quarters liked the taste. Prior to the introduction, its surveys indicated the No. 1 reason consumers were dropping diet cola was aspartame a zero-calorie sweetener blamed for everything from autism to diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration approves all artificial sweeteners as safe before allowing them in food and drinks. Some studies, though, have suggested links to cancer or other health risks. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a U.S. consumer health group, recommends avoiding aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, another sweetener in Diet Pepsi and other sodas. All of PepsiCo's diet soda sales fell 6.6% in the U.S. in the four weeks ended Sept. 19, worse than the 5.7% decline over the previous 52 weeks, according to Morgan Stanley, citing Nielsen store-scanner data. That also was steeper than the 3.4% drop in diet soda sales at Coca-Cola Co., which hasn't removed aspartame from Diet Coke. Consumers are notorious complainers online. Social-media tracker Networked Insights estimates negative statements about new products typically outnumber positive statements four to one. But it estimates the ratio for Diet Pepsi to be 6 to 1. "The early verdict on Diet Pepsi does not look promising," said Rick Miller, a vice president at Networked Insights. Diet Pepsi has won converts like the Hinds family of Charleston, W.Va., which had sworn off aspartame. It has switched to Diet Pepsi, preferring the taste to Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.'s Diet Rite, a cola also sweetened with sucralose instead of aspartame. "I never said it's 100% safe or chemical free, but [sucralose] may be the lesser of two evils," said Fred Hinds, a 50-year-old health care consultant. Taste matters, however, and tweaking recipes of big brands is risky business. Coke learned the hard way in 1985, when it introduced New Coke before quickly switching back after consumers rebelled. Diet soda drinkers also typically drink a lot, making their taste buds particularly sensitive to change, said Virginia Lee, a beverage analyst at Euromonitor International. At the same time, health-conscious consumers increasingly are trying to steer clear of all artificial sweeteners. In an International Food Information Council survey this March, 37% of Americans said they tried to avoid aspartame but 25% also tried to avoid sucralose. PepsiCo says it is rolling out thousands of National Football League-themed advertising displays in stores featuring Diet Pepsi and is ramping up free "sip samples" across the country after shipping the new version to celebrity athletes and musicians. Sysomos estimates Diet Pepsi generated more than 5 million Twitter impressions when the wives of NF L quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Ryan Tannehill tweeted their samples tasted "great" and "better than ever" to thousands of followers, who then retweeted the messages. The players' wives weren't directly paid by Pepsi for their endorsements, however, a portion of Pepsi's contract with the NFL is allocated for local player deals. Write to Mike Esterl at [email protected]
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General Ali Abdullah Ayoub, the Syrian army's chief of staff, said Thursday in a rare televised appearance that the military gained ground in opposition-held areas in its latest offensive with the support of Russian airstrikes. "Today, the Syrian Arab armed forces began a wide-ranging attack with the aim of eliminating the terrorist groups and liberating the areas and towns that suffered from their scourge and crimes," Ayoub said. "After the Russian airstrikes, which reduced the fighting ability of Daesh and other terrorist groups, the Syrian Armed Forces kept the military initiative," Ayoub noted, referring the "Islamic State" militant group by its Arabic acronym. Moscow has expanded its military operations against foes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with heavy bombing by warplanes and cruise missile strikes from the Caspian Sea. 'No difference' Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told state television that the government did not recognize a distinction between the "Islamic State" and moderate Syrian rebels. "There is no difference between Nusra Front, Daesh and the Free Syrian Army - if it still exists," Mekdad said, according to the AP news agency. "They started [the armed opposition] and taught Daesh and Nusra all these crimes committed against Syria now." Russian airstrikes continue Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its air force hit 27 "terrorist" targets in Syria overnight. "Russian warplanes conducted 22 flights overnight. The crew of Sukhoi Su-34, Sukhoi Su-24M and Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft struck 27 terrorist targets on Syrian territory," the Ministry said in a statement. The announcement follows Russia's move yesterday to launch 26 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea, which hit 11 targets in Syria, reportedly including "Islamic State" hideouts. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Moscow's air campaign a "troubling escalation" of the more than four-year-old war in Syria. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday that Russia did not provide prior warning that it would launch the cruise missiles, describing the action as "unprofessional behavior." The United States has also criticized Russia for attacking rebel groups opposed to Assad rather than IS targets in Syria. "Greater than 90 percent of the strikes that we've seen them take to date have not been against ISIL or al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists," said US State Department spokesman John Kirby. "They've been largely against opposition groups that want a better future for Syria and don't want to see the Assad regime stay in power." ls/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)
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Government forces advanced in western Syria in a "vast offensive" against armed opposition groups, as NATO voiced alarm at escalating Russian military activity in the war-torn country. Government forces appeared to have regained ground on Thursday, after its chief of staff General Ali Abdullah Ayoub announced "a vast offensive to defeat the terrorist groups" and restore control over opposition-held areas. Although Ayoub did not specify where the operation would take place, Syrian state TV reported that the army had targeted "terrorist positions" in the central province of Hama, killing 32 fighters and destroying four armoured vehicles. At least 13 government fighters and 11 opposition fighters were killed in the clashes, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Opposition fighters shot down a low-flying military helicopter, but it was unclear if the aircraft was Syrian or Russian, Rami Abdelrahman, the director of the observatory, said. He could not confirm what had happened to those inside. Elsewhere in Syria, backed by Russian air strikes, goverment forces fought heavy battles with armed opposition groups for control of a hilltop in an mountainous range close to President Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland. The fighting was centered around Jeb al-Ahmar, a highland area in Latakia province which if captured would allow the army to more effectively pound rebel positions in the nearby Ghab Plain, said Abdelrahman. A Syrian military source told AFP news agency on Thursday that the army, backed by Russian raids and allied groups including the Lebanese group Hezbollah, had advanced into the key mountain range. "They have seized most of the hilly region of Jeb al-Ahmar" which overlooks the strategic Sahl al-Ghab plain to the east and Assad's coastal stronghold of Latakia to the west, the source said. The plain has been the focus of a months-long offensive by a rebel alliance including al-Nusra Front. Russia has dramatically stepped up its nine-day-old air war against foes of Assad, with heavy bombing by warplanes and cruise missile strikes from the Caspian Sea. Russia says it is striking the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and "other terrorists". The US has accused Russia of targeting groups other than ISIL or al-Nusra in more than 90 percent of its raids. 'Consequences for Russia' US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said on Thursday Russia would soon begin to suffer casualties. "This will have consequences for Russia itself which is rightly fearful of attacks ... in coming days, the Russians will begin to suffer from casualties," Carter said at a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there had been a "troubling escalation" in Moscow's air campaign. "We will assess the latest developments and their implications for the security of the alliance," he added. "This is particularly relevant in view of the recent violations of NATO's airspace by Russian aircraft," Stoltenberg said. Tensions between Russia and NATO member Turkey shot up this week after Russian aircraft infringed on Turkish airspace at least twice. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday warned Russia risked losing a deal to build his country's first nuclear power plant and its status as its main gas supplier, as the diplomatic row intensified.
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CHICAGO Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett plans to plead guilty to charges she steered no-bid contracts worth more than $23 million to an education consulting firm where she once worked in return for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks, other perks and a promise of a job, federal prosecutors revealed Thursday. U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon made the disclosure at an afternoon news conference at which he said Byrd-Bennett has been cooperating with investigators. The 23-count indictment alleges that almost immediately after Mayor Rahm Emanuel installed her as public schools chief in 2012, Byrd-Bennett began scheming with Gary Solomon and Thomas Vranas, co-owners of SUPES Academy, to secure the contracts to train principals and school administrators. In return, Byrd-Bennett was paid a "signing bonus" of more than $250,000 and promised a job at SUPES once she stepped down as the public schools CEO, the indictment charges. She also was given meals and tickets to sporting events and expected to be reimbursed for a holiday party she hosted for CPS personnel, according to the charges. The indictment also alleges that Solomon offered to arrange employment for friends of Byrd-Bennett's. Solomon and Vranas also were criminally charged, as was their business itself and a subsidiary, Synesi Associates. The long-awaited indictment comes six months after CPS revealed in mid-April that it had been served federal grand jury subpoenas seeking an array of documents related to the SUPES contract. Soon after Byrd-Bennett took a paid leave of absence, and she resigned in May. Each of the five defendants was charged with 15 counts of mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud, except for Vranas, who was indicted on one fewer wire fraud count. Solomon, 47, of Wilmette, and Vranas, 34, of Glenview, were also charged with two counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. "Graft and corruption in our city's public school system tears at the fabric of a vital resource for the children of Chicago," Fardon said in a statement. "School officials and city vendors who abuse the public trust will be held accountable." Byrd-Bennett's attorney, Michael Scudder, could not immediately be reached for comment, but Solomon's attorneys issued a statement saying he has "extensively cooperated" with the investigation. "While acknowledging certain errors in judgment that he (as well as others) made in the contract letting process, and while he regrets his own errors, Mr. Solomon is disappointed in the government's charges," the statement read. According to the charges, Solomon wrote an email to Byrd-Bennett in April 2012 that promised her a lucrative job with SUPES once she stepped down as Emanuel's public schools chief. "When this stint at CPS is done and you are ready to ... retire, we have your spot waiting for you," Solomon wrote, according to the indictment. "Hopefully with even more work and more (opportunity)." The indictment also alleged that Solomon and Vranas deposited a combined $254,000 in the financial accounts of two undisclosed relatives of Byrd-Bennett's for her help on obtaining the contracts. The money was to be disguised as a "signing bonus," authorities alleged. "They need a college fund," the charges quoted Solomon as writing in one email. In an email to Solomon in December 2012, Byrd-Bennett asked that the amount of money deposited in each account be equal. "I would like the flexibility to use funds for whatever reason as needed for them," the indictment quoted her as writing. Solomon and Vranas then deposited $127,000 in each account, which was 10 percent of the gross proceeds of the original contract, the indictment alleged. To cover up the scheme, they created a letter, addressed to Byrd-Bennett that falsely claimed to terminate her consulting agreement with SUPES effective April 30, 2012, according to the charges. In pushing for the contracts for SUPES, Byrd-Bennett lied to other CPS administrators, telling them she had no financial connection with the company, the indictment alleged. Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, who had a cordial relationship with Byrd-Bennett, said in a statement that she wished the former chief "well in her legal battles." "The circumstances surrounding the indictment of the former CEO are unfortunate and mark a sad day for the leadership of our district," Lewis said. In May the Tribune reported that Solomon's ties to the Emanuel administration's education initiatives go back to the beginning of Emanuel's administration in 2011, predating the arrival of Byrd-Bennett. Solomon confirmed at that time that he helped recruit Emanuel's first schools CEO, Jean-Claude Brizard, at the request of the mayor-elect's transition team in February 2011. Solomon went on to recommend Byrd-Bennett, who was the firm's lead trainer when CPS hired her as chief education officer; Emanuel appointed her to succeed Brizard. In June, the Tribune reported on emails obtained from City Hall that showed how the consulting firm played up its clout with the Emanuel administration and CPS as it was pitching the principal training program. "Working with both the Mayor's Office and the (CPS) Department of Talent and Human Resources, we have been heavily involved in recruiting the current Chief Executive Officer, both the former and current Chief Education Officer, and the current Chief of Staff," SUPES officials declared in their pitch. "We have been heavily involved in either assisting in shaping the current CPS blueprint, or the implantation of the plan, and making sure Chief Area Officers, and more importantly building principals, were aligned with the greater vision for the Chicago Public Schools," SUPES officials said in a section of the document titled a "Unique Relationship to the Chicago Public Schools." The 13-page document, prepared on SUPES letterhead, was titled, "Sole Source Rationale," using a technical term for no-bid contracts. The paper was emailed to Emanuel's top education adviser, then deputy chief of staff Beth Swanson, in September 2012. About a month later the mayor's hand-picked school board approved unanimously and with no public discussion the initial phase of what later grew to a $20.5 million contract with SUPES to train principals and other school officials. Swanson, who has been questioned by federal agents in the contract probe, disputed the SUPES claims of assembling much of the public schools leadership, her attorney said. "That claim overstates Mr. Solomon's role considerably. He apparently was trying to burnish his credentials for the sake of a business pitch," attorney Nancy DePodesta said in May. The lawyer has also said that Swanson has been advised she is not a subject of the investigation and is only a witness. The CPS contract with SUPES was an outgrowth of a $380,000 pilot project bankrolled not by the district but by the Chicago Public Education Fund, a nonprofit organization funded and run by some of the city's most influential and affluent residents. Before joining CPS, Byrd-Bennett served as lead trainer for SUPES under the pilot project begun in late 2011 that was confined to providing training for midlevel school managers. But by late summer 2012, SUPES was looking to expand to training principals, the city documents show. Byrd-Bennett, who by then was serving as the No. 2 official at CPS, emailed a letter to the head of the fund on Sept. 19, 2012, the first day classes resumed after a seven-day teacher's strike. In it, Byrd-Bennett sought to persuade the nonprofit to increase its investment in SUPES training. The email included two other attachments, including a cost breakdown for the training program as well as the 13-page SUPES pitch for a no-bid contract. In Byrd-Bennett's letter to fund executive director Heather Anichini, she asked the group to chip in $1 million for SUPES while also promising that CPS would pay the company an additional $1.5 million. "We, within Chicago Public Schools, want The Fund to play a continued instrumental role in supporting the development of the leaders within our system," Byrd-Bennett wrote. Anichini, however, sent Byrd-Bennett a reply listing several reasons why the proposal would be a tough sell to the fund's board of directors that at the time included now-Gov. Bruce Rauner, now-U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin. "I have to be able to tell my board what we're going to get for the investment," Anichini wrote, noting SUPES hadn't made a strong enough case for an expansion. A week later, Anichini forwarded that string along with the three attachments to Swanson, who served on the fund's board due to her role in the Emanuel administration. The emails reinforce what Anichini told the Tribune in an interview that she told Byrd-Bennett the fund didn't support a second investment with SUPES. Within a month, the school board opted to go it alone with funding SUPES, including the part of the tab that Byrd-Bennett had asked the fund to pick up. That vote took place the same day the board also approved the appointment of Byrd-Bennett to succeed Brizard as CEO.
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NASA researchers declared Thursday that Pluto's skies are blue. This signals yet another surprising find from NASA's groundbreaking New Horizons mission, which culminated in the closest-ever look at the distant dwarf planet last summer. New Horizons science team researcher Carly Howett, said in a statement, "That striking blue tint tells us about the size and composition of the haze particles. On Pluto they appear to be larger but still relatively small soot-like particles we call tholins.
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As the standoff between San Francisco police and a suspected car thief threatening to jump from a South of Market building crept into its third hour Wednesday evening, officers turned to an unlikely source to help them talk the man down: his cat. The man, barefoot and wearing only black shorts, was distraught and hanging out of a third-floor window of a building at 10th and Harrison streets, threatening to leap. Officers set up foam pads below him as the department's trained hostage negotiators perched precariously on a fire escape, urging the suicidal man figuratively and literally off the ledge. But after three unsuccessful hours, reinforcements arrived in the form of the man's orange-and-white feline. Using his pet, hostage negotiators were able to convince him to go back inside the building, come down the stairs and surrender without incident. Within 45 minutes of the cat's arrival, the 3½-hour standoff was over. "Using the cat was ingenious," said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman. "Never underestimate the power of the love between people and their pets. I think it was great to think outside the box like the officers did. It made enough of an impact on this person to bring him down and come to his senses." The man had run into the building about 2:30 p.m., after he had been stopped while driving a white Toyota Highlander that had no license plates. While California Highway Patrol officers questioned him, he sat on a sidewalk. When a computer check showed that the car was stolen, the man jumped to his feet and ducked into the building, CHP officials said. San Francisco police responded to the scene once the situation devolved from a traffic stop to a possible suicide attempt. Officers from the hostage negotiation team, the tactical unit, the motorcycle unit, the traffic division as well as Southern station arrived to aid in the standoff, Esparza said. A common strategy in these situations is to call the family of the person in crisis, in hopes a loved one can talk them down, Esparza said. The man's family was on its way from the East Bay as negotiators gently spoke to him from the fire escape. When police learned the man's relatives brought his cat to the scene, officers took it up to the negotiators. Shortly after 6 p.m., the man went back inside the building and the standoff was resolved. "I don't remember ever using a cat before, but it worked," Esparza said. "The guy voluntarily came out of the window and opened the door and was taken into custody without incident." Esparza said he never got the cat's name, but he applauded the officers for their quick thinking, as well as their sensitivity. Even as the man was handcuffed and taken to a police car, officers brought the cat to him so he could see his beloved feline before going to jail. "The hostage negotiators establish a trust with the person, regardless if they are suicidal or a suspect, and you want to maintain that trust as much as you can," Esparza said. "The guy wasn't resisting. There was no need not to help him out. Obviously, he had a very emotional attachment to the cat and it was nice to comfort him as much as possible." Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @VivianHo
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Just like your engagement ring, your wedding ring is a beautiful reflection of who you are: your personality, style, and relationship. So what does yours say about you then? Well, let's find out! A Perfect Match (to Your Engagement Ring) You may not be a huge risk taker, but you do know what you want and you typically get it. You admire symmetry and like things to look "just right". Some may even call you a perfectionist or Type A . You value family, and your house is pretty much impeccable. Your nails are always well manicured, your hair done and very rarely will anyone see you out and about in sweatpants and a T-shirt. You're the type of friend every bride wishes was her maid of honor because you're a natural born planner. A Plain Band Simplicity is your middle name. When it comes to your closet, you've got all the basics covered and understand the importance of investing in timeless items like a nice black leather tote bag or a plain white t-shirt. You're the opposite of flashy. While you don't love being the center of attention, you do like to goof off with your close friends and prefer to hang out in small groups. To you, intimate conversations are so much better than small talk. An Eternity Band Bring on the bling, baby. Be it big or small, the bride with the eternity band is definitely a girly-girl at heart. You'd much rather watch Project Runway than Sunday Football, and you're always down for a good brunch at one of your favorite spots with good friends, of course. People naturally flock to you...perhaps it's all that confidence? Stackable Rings Oh hello, Miss Fashionista! You're the kind of bride that both follows trends and sets them . You have a great eye for style and it shows not only in your clothes, but your house as well. You're creative, cool and think outside of the box. "Where'd you get that from?" is a question you hear a lot. Fortunately, you don't mind. A Braided Band You're a little bit traditional, a little bit hipster, with a soft spot for all things vintage. Hitting up flea markets and thrift stores on the weekend is a huge hobby of yours, and there's nothing you like better than finding a diamond in the rough. You want your wedding band to be unique just like you are. Follow us on Twitter.
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Ben Carson is talking about gun violence again. Carson, who has faced a strong backlash for saying after the mass shooting at an Oregon community college that he would stand up to a gunman, recounted a time when a man did point a gun at him. "I have had a gun held on me when I was in a Popeyes," he said in an interview Wednesday on Sirius XM radio. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said he was frank with the assailant. "Guy comes in, put the gun in my ribs. And I just said, 'I believe that you want the guy behind the counter,'" Carson said. Carson's startling statement of his willingness to put someone else's life in danger came days after he said he would not "just stand there" and let a gunman shoot him, while speaking about the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. "Not only would I probably not cooperate with him, I would not just stand there and let him shoot me. I would say, 'Hey, guys, everybody attack him! He may shoot me but he can't get us all,'" he said in a recent Fox News interview. The issue of gun control often comes to the forefront after mass shootings, with Democrats calling for stricter laws and Republicans, including Carson, maintaining that tougher reforms would not necessarily prevent massacres. Carson, who also recently has said he would not like to see a Muslim as president, has remained steadily near the top of national polls as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination. In an average of surveys in early nominating states, Carson, who has never run for elected office, trails only business magnate Donald Trump. Carson has gained backing from voters in those states, including Iowa and South Carolina, that have large blocs of evangelical voters, in part because of his Christian faith. In recent weeks, he's sought to shore up support from evangelicals, talking more on the stump about his religion and even changing his Twitter profile picture to say IamAChristian.
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The unmade bed. The kitchen counter never wiped. Yogurt, cilantro, light bulbs, tampons and soap all forgotton at the grocery store. Stubble in the sink. Toilet seat up. Living up close and personal with a boy can be difficult and, at times, even disgusting. The list of your fiancé's housekeeping transgressions may be long (and growing), but how you interpret his missteps can have a big impact on your relationship. Don't read into the socks left on the floor for a week. His dirty socks do not mean he doesn't love you, or that he's punishing you, or is trying to make you mad. His socks are not an aggressive act; but instead may very well be how he lived as a bachelor, in his pad, without you. He probably doesn't even notice they're there. Do have an awareness that he lived many years on his own, without you. In his own style, his own way. Granted, it's not your way, but have respect anyway for the way he does things. Don't get bitter. Don't do all the cleaning yourself furiously, or sighing, hoping he'll get the message and pick up the broom and then hold it resentfully over his head. Do strategize together which are "his" departments and which are "yours." Who's better at and prefers cleaning the bathroom? The kitchen? Vacuuming? Folding laundry? Determine which household tasks are easy for you and for him, then divvy them up that way. Don't assassinate his character. He's not a slob. He's not a mess. He's just different from you. That doesn't make him a lesser person. He may just be the Oscar to your Felix. Do focus on small behavior changes , for both of you. "I'll agree to stop nagging about your socks when you pick them up off the floor at the end of the night." Don't elevate roommate problems into relationship problems. These problems are not about how you love each other or care for each other, but how you live together, in the same space, day to day. You'd have roommate problems with anybody you live in close quarters with. Do accommodate your differences . Even if they are different definitions of what "clean" is. Allison Moir-Smith, MA, is the author of Emotionally Engaged: A Bride's Guide to Surviving the '"Happiest" Time of Her Life and has been helping brides feel happier, calmer and better prepared for marriage since 2002. She is a bridal counselor, an expert in engagement anxiety and cold feet, and the founder of Emotionally Engaged Counseling for Brides .
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Police in Ohio responded to a 911 call that a man had smoked "too much weed," only to find him groaning, alongside a mound of Doritos, Goldfish and Chips Ahoy cookies. Sean Dowling (@seandowlingtv) has more on the wacky story.
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We've all heard a friend-of-a-friend's horror story: She was, um, busy with her husband on the kitchen floor when her key-toting parents walked into her home uninvited. That's an extreme example, sure but it's as good as any other reason to set boundaries with your parents post-wedding . Once you wed or even in the weeks before it's time to set new boundaries, says John Duffy , Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist and author of The Available Parent . Without them, he warns, "parents may unwittingly feel they have carte blanche to interfere in any number of ways, from showing up unannounced, to frequent texting and calling, to commentary on anything from future grandchildren to home décor ." So how do you ask the man and woman who raised you to take a step back? "Like any change in almost any relationship, I suggest offering the good news first: All that is not going to change," says Duffy. "Let your parents know you love them, and you want them to play a role in your life and in your marriage." Then, it's time to protect your space and time with your new spouse . "Be abundantly clear in what you expect and need," advises Duffy. You can set boundaries to protect yourself from everything from surprise visits to commentary on your relationship. For example, if you need more protected alone time , "say, 'we can talk during the week, but the weekends belong to the two of us,'" Duffy says. "Or, 'let's talk twice a week instead of every day.'" Finally, don't stress that your new boundaries will be set in stone if they don't feel right two months down the road. "Like any change in boundaries, the conversation may have to be revisited and clarified a number of times over the course of the first year or two of marriage," says Duffy.
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Just because the weather is cooling doesn't mean your date nights have to be any less hot. Here are six ways you can celebrate the season on your next night out with your spouse . 1. Pick and cook fall's harvest. Apples come into season in the earliest months of fall , as do pears and pumpkins the makings for a perfect pie . So call your area farms to find out who will let you take a basket into their fields and pick your own fruits and vegetables, then head home to bake up your bounty. 2. Go on a hay ride. It doesn't need to be haunted, though that certainly ups the fun factor! Any ol' hayride is the perfect excuse for a snuggle-fest with your spouse beneath a checkered fleece blanket. 3. Visit local festivals and fairs. Tis the season for festivals of every kind. Chili cook-offs, cool-weather craft fairs, and Oktoberfest's abound, and what's more romantic than a stroll through one or all! with your spouse? 4. Watch a scary movie outdoors! Bring your laptop to your deck, back lawn, or apartment's rooftop , then see if you can stand the scares when you're really in the dark and exposed to who knows what! Of course you'll be fine, but "protecting" one another is a great excuse to get close. 5. Enjoy a picnic. When we think of picnics, we usually envision summer. But the truth is, fall picnics can be just as awesome, if not better, when done right. Park yourselves somewhere with a view of the changing leaves, and unpack a warming menu of thermos-contained drinks think: hot apple cider or cocoa with marshmallows belly-warming soup, and crusty bread. 6. Go horseback riding. Slip on your cowgirl boots and slide into the saddle alongside your spouse, where you can take a leisurely stroll along paths showing the changing leaves. And if you have to leave the city to find a country path, that's a great excuse to extend date night into a weekend getaway!
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Offhanded comments by an actor in "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials," about "Indian burial grounds" draw scrutiny and criticism from Native American advocacy groups. Rollo Ross reports.
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By Tripfilms filmmaker CatchCarri. An upscale hostel has opened in the heart of Denver, ColoradoShare your travel videos on Tripfilms.com!
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Airlines already know how to pack 'em in, but in future they may be able to pile 'em high thanks to a blueprint for split-level seating invented by planemaker Airbus. The company that introduced the double-decker A380 jetliner says in a patent filed on Oct. 1 that having two storeys of seating inside the same cabin would help airlines make best use of space at a "high level of comfort". A mezzanine level would be reached by steps and placed above the heads of other travelers. To avoid claustrophobia, the space between the two levels would increase when the seats are turned into flat beds. That could be done either by lowering the floor on the lower level or raising the floor above as soon as beds are deployed. It is one of many unusual cabin-industry concepts from stand-up seats to 3D-moulded shells, some of which have captured attention but most of which never see the light of day. "They are covering themselves for what the future may or may not hold, but ... there is no intention to bring this to a real design for any near-term scenario," said cabin interiors expert Mary Kirby, founder and editor of Runway Girl Network. Airlines and planemakers have for years been squeezing more seats into the same row in order to be more efficient, prompting research into how to avoid complaints from passengers. The patent, filed in the United States (http://1.usa.gov/1GyDGkb), seeks to make better use of the wasted ceiling space of large modern jets, but would be complicated to put into practice. "The flying bunk bed has a raft of health and safety concerns. The obvious number one is the regulatory requirement for safe evacuation of passengers in 90 seconds," Kirby said. "It doesn't take into account the elderly or passengers with reduced mobility or children or pregnant women." Airlines would also need to know more about passengers when selling those tickets, straining reservation systems. "Airbus files hundreds of patents each year," it said in an emailed statement. "However, it does not mean that the idea described in the patent is being developed for any particular production application." Latvia's airBaltic said it welcomed such innovations. "airBaltic is one of the innovative airlines that is happy to test new things. New seats may get a lot of hype, but the customers are the final decision makers," a spokesman said. (Reporting by Tim Hepher, Victoria Bryan; editing by David Clarke)
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Pyongyang was a city of orchestrated mass motion, as the North Korean capital was primped and primed for the mother of all birthday parties.
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Standard Chartered's new Chief Executive Bill Winters plans to cut up to a quarter of the bank's most senior staff to reduce costs, according to a memo sent to staff, which is likely to see about 1,000 top jobs go. Winters said he planned to reduce the number of staff who are graded in bands 1-4 by a quarter, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. Those bands cover bankers at director level and higher, and include about 4,000 staff. "Our situation requires decisive and immediate action. Each member of the management team has a mission to drive through improvements in our returns and part of this will be further streamlining of our organization, eliminating management layers and duplication of roles," Winters told staff. Winters, a former JP Morgan investment bank boss who took over in June, said the bank would also make disposals and cut clients as part of his strategic review. Disposals would be in areas where the bank was "not differentiated" or an activity or location "was not critical to a core strength." Standard Chartered shares were up 3.6 percent at 775.6 pence by 1030 GMT, the top performing European bank stock. Standard Chartered has had a troubled three years, hurt by weakness in many of its key emerging markets, rising losses from bad loans in India, China and on commodities, as well as fines from U.S. regulators and strained relations with shareholders. Its shares have fallen 43 percent since the start of 2014. "We lost some discipline during that time, leading to our recent problems with loan impairments and relatively high expenses," Winters said in the memo. He is expected to outline his plans to investors and staff in November or December. "We have a clear sense of our direction of travel and the key areas of focus superior execution, targeted investments, divestment where we are not advantaged and innovation in our product and process design," he said in the memo. The bank would tighten its belt through targeted reductions and not across-the-board cuts, he said. Winters halved Standard Chartered's dividend in August and said the bank would raise capital from investors if needed. It said at that time it had cut 4,000 staff since the start of the year, to about 88,000. Winters said his plans were not all about cuts, however, and he had identified areas for investment. He said to make room for investment the bank would cut the number of its clients. "We will focus on those clients who value our capabilities and compensate us accordingly. For others, we will be there when they need us but will withdraw resources in the meantime." Standard Chartered has also been fined more than $1 billion for breaching U.S. sanctions, including with Iran, and authorities there are still investigating some issues. Winters said the bank was making progress in improving its processes and systems, its behaviors and remediating past issues, and told staff any violations would not be tolerated. A spokesman for Standard Chartered said a note sent to staff by Winters this week said kick-starting performance was a priority. It said the bank had indicated in July there could be personnel changes to come. (Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Sinead Cruise and Elaine Hardcastle)
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Texas Longhorns coach Charlie Strong is never going to acknowledge the depths to which the program had sunk when he was hired following the 2013 season. As recently as Monday during his weekly press conference, Strong reiterated that he will never blame Brown for the state of the team today. The Longhorns are 1-4 and 0-2 in the Big 12 as they head into Saturday's Red River Rivalry game against No. 10 Oklahoma. Strong admitted Monday that the situation does "look gloomy," but maintained his belief things will turn around. While Strong has no interest in belaboring a past that can't be undone, opposing coaches, provided anonymity by Sports Illustrated reporters Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans, vehemently defended Strong. The coaches crush Brown for not signing quality players in his latter years, and they blame the current upperclassmen for causing the rift with the younger players. "Mack knew the s--- going on, he just didn't want to own up to it," a coach told SI. "He knows what he left." Another coach said: "(University of Texas) kids have always been entitled. They've been given everything. They're usually four- and five-star recruits that don't feel like they have to work. They just thought they could show up." Strong came to Texas with his five core values and suspended or dismissed up to a dozen players last season. Texas finished 6-7. This season started with a 38-3 blowout at Notre Dame, an embarrassment that forced Strong to strip co-offensive coordinator Shawn Watson of his play-calling duties and bench starting quarterback Tyrone Swoopes in favor of redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard. A spark seemed to be lit as Texas then lost consecutive heartbreakers on special-teams errors against Cal and Oklahoma State. A 50-7 whipping at TCU last week sent the good vibes crashing. Player infighting dominated Monday's weekly press conference, a rift seemingly between the younger players and the older ones. Already off to the worst start for a Texas team since 1956, Strong is starting at a 1-5 start. The SI report says opposing coaches could sense the rift, and blame the upperclassmen for a lack of leadership and, in general, no longer caring. "None of the older guys are going to the NFL, so you can tell most of them really don't care," one of the coaches told SI. Another said: "The upperclassmen are killing everything. The freshmen just want to play. They're balling their a---- off." MORE NEWS: Want stories delivered to you? Sign up for our College Football newsletters.
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By Julia Love Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) coffee shops will begin accepting Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) mobile payment system in a pilot program starting this year, Apple Vice President Jennifer Bailey said on Thursday. KFC and Chili's restaurants also will begin accepting Apple Pay in 2016, she said at the Re/code technology conference in Half Moon Bay, California. The service gives Apple a chance to tie customers more tightly to its phones and its smart watch, as well as to take a tiny bite from every retail transaction. Apple launched the payment service a year ago and has claimed 2015 would be the "year of Apple Pay" as it aggressively courts retailers. But interviews by Reuters with analysts, merchants and others have suggested that Apple's forecast may have been too optimistic and that many retailers remain skeptical about the payment system. Customer demand for mobile wallets has been slow, and analysts agree that they remain a tiny percentage of U.S. retail transactions. Brinker International (EAT.N) owns the Chili's restaurant brand, while KFC is operated by Yum! Brands (YUM.N). (Reporting by Julia Love, writing by Noel Randewich; Editing by Christian Plumb, Alan Crosby and Dan Grebler)
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CHAMPAIGN During Illinois' overseas tour this summer, Leron Black posted three double-doubles and finished the exhibition schedule with a 21-point, 15-rebound performance that indicated big things to come this season. That will have to wait. The sophomore forward will miss four to six weeks with a torn meniscus in his right knee, coach John Groce revealed Thursday at the team's media day. Black will undergo surgery Friday. "I'm just trying to rehab and get back as soon as possible," Black said. "I know everything happens for a reason." He's the latest Illinois player sidelined by an injury. Point guard Tracy Abrams is out for a second straight season with a torn Achilles. Freshman guard Jalen Coleman-Lands hopes to return by Nov. 1 from a stress fracture in his lower left leg, Groce said. Junior guard Jaylon Tate will miss some preseason practice time because of a concussion. Groce said Black likely has been dealing with the knee injury "for a while." "He is one tough cookie," Groce said. "A lot of guys may not have that pain threshold. Fortunately for us it will be a pretty quick deal. We're looking forward to his comeback." Black averaged five points and 4.3 rebounds as a freshman in less than 15 minutes per game. He showed progress during the season and notched 15 points and 13 rebounds against Purdue in his first start in late January. With center Nnanna Egwu having graduated, Black was expected to be a major contributor in the frontcourt. For now junior Maverick Morgan, redshirt freshman Michael Finke and graduate transfer Mike Thorne Jr. will try to fill the frontcourt void. Illinois, which opens its season Nov. 13 against North Florida, is determined not to let the injury-prone offseason cast a negative shadow on the final month of preparation. "The only thing we can do is wish for their speedy recovery and work with what we've got," junior Malcolm Hill said. "The key is not to hang our heads and stay positive." The Illini are eager to bounce back from a disappointing end to last season, when they lost five of their last seven to miss out on an NCAA tournament bid. Injuries or not, players are looking for different results. "The guys returning and the transfers as well, they know the position we were in," junior guard Kendrick Nunn said. "We were in the NIT the previous (two) years and we're motivated by that to get to the (NCAA) tournament." Bollant moving forward: After seven former players filed a lawsuit alleging mistreatment and racial discrimination by coaches, Illinois women's coach Matt Bollant said he has taken steps to provide a more positive environment. The university and former assistant coach Mike Divilbiss parted ways after the allegations surfaced in the spring. "I said this (team) needs to be a reflection of me," Bollant said Thursday. "It's going to be my voice. I'm really optimistic. We're going to lead as I would lead. Great teams hold each other accountable. The way you do that is to be upbeat and positive."
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Check out Thursday's coolest videos, which include Rob Gronkowski's dance moves and Kyle Schwarber's swagger-fueled golf club flip.
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A new study reveals more than a third of vegetarians admit to eating meat when they're drunk. Oops.
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Jason Garrison ended a wild extra session that included a penalty shot with a nifty goal. The Tampa Bay defenseman scored his second goal of the game in overtime, and the Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Thursday night. BOX SCORE: LIGHTNING 3, FLYERS 2 Garrison's game-winner came on a breakaway at 2:17 of the extra period, which featured end-to-end action in the NHL's first 3-on-3 OT of the regular season. "How to describe it?" Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Lunacy. It's just constant (action)." "The issue I have with this is, as a coach, players are going up and down on the bench and you miss half the scoring chances." The NHL moved overtime from 4-on-4 to the new setup this season. Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop faced his second penalty shot 1:27 into overtime and made a pad save on Scott Laughton. "That's another new one for me," Cooper said of the pair of penalty shots. Tampa Bay outshot the Flyers 5-3 during overtime, and 32-25 for the game. "There's definitely a lot of chances out there, and that's what the league was trying to get out of it," Flyers goalie Steve Mason said. "I think we're going to see a lot of games ended in overtime just because of how wide open it is." It was the first NHL game for Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol, who spent the past 11 seasons coaching at the University of North Dakota. Seven of his teams at North Dakota reached the NCAA Frozen Four. "I guess I haven't really thought a whole lot about it," Hakstol said. "I like the way our team played. That's, I guess, what my focus is. I'm excited to see everybody go out and work hard to play their role and do their job and do it with confidence." Matt Read and Brayden Schenn scored for the Flyers. R.J. Umberger had two assists. The Lightning also got a goal from Ryan Callahan. Tampa Bay unveiled its 2015 Eastern Conference championship banner before the game. Jonathan Drouin picked up two assists as the Lightning improved to 9-0-1 in their last 10 home games against Philadelphia. After Read beat Bishop from the low slot at 10:14 of the second, Schenn put the Flyers up 2-1 with a rebound power-play goal 1:49 later. Callahan got Tampa Bay even at 2 on the rebound during a power play with 1:38 left in the second. Garrison opened the scoring from the blue line when his shot through traffic eluded Mason 1:25 into the second. Mason kept it a one-goal game less than a minute later by stopping a breakaway shot by Ondrej Palat. Flyers captain Claude Giroux had a penalty shot with 6:13 left in the first, but sent a soft shot wide of the net after several stick-handling moves. NOTES: Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, in the final season of a five-year, $37 million contract, had three shots but was held without a point. Without a new deal, he could become a free agent after the season. ... Former Tampa Bay captain Vincent Lecavalier and C Sam Gagner were healthy scratches for the Flyers. ... Tampa Bay C Cedric Paquette (foot) is practicing but didn't play.
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You have a million things to do before you leave for a trip, so it's very easy to let some important to-dos slip through the cracks. Read through our list of things people often forget to do before bidding adieu to their homes to make sure you're ready for your next travel adventure! Pay off your bills before you leave or schedule automatic payments for your bills. You definitely don't want to be responsible for any late fees. Sort through your wallet and remove items you don't need for your trip. Think foreign currency from your last trip, extra credit cards, or reward cards that only apply in your country of residence. Make copies of important items. Be sure to have copies of your passport and credit cards with you in case you lose them on your trip. You can always have paper copies or scanned copies in your email - whatever you feel comfortable with. Update your calendar. Be sure to check your work calendar to see what commitments you have made while you are gone. Reschedule them before you leave. Check what other nonwork appointments you have in store for you, and cancel or postpone them. Put mail on hold. You don't want strangers knowing that you're away with the pile of newspapers at your door, so be sure to go to the USPS website to request to hold your mail. You also don't want a mailbox that overstuffed when you're back from your vacation. Call your bank. Let your bank or credit card provider know that you're going to be out of town so they should expect to see some international charges. Unplug and switch off. Remember to turn everything off, or better yet, unplug them, to conserve energy and money. Create an automated email response. Remember to create an automated email response or even a personalized voicemail to let people who are trying to get in touch with you know that you're out of town. Make a checklist of things to bring and double check it. Include things like money, prescriptions, itinerary, confirmation numbers, emergency contact numbers, chargers, passport, tickets, and more. Pick up reading material and snacks. Don't blow your budget at the airport by forgetting to buy these items beforehand. Clean out your fridge and trash. Clean out perishables from the fridge so you're not in for a nasty surprise when you get back. Take out your trash as well so your apartment will smell fresh and clean. Wash your sheets and laundry. We often don't think about washing our sheets before we leave, but there's nothing more inviting than a fresh bed after we get back from our weary travels. Pack your chargers, and fully charge your electronics. We often forget our chargers when we're on a trip, which causes us to buy some from the area we're visiting. Remember to pack your chargers before you leave and to also fully charge your electronics, so you won't run out of batteries before you arrive at your hotel. Put liquid items in plastic baggies. Be sure to put your liquid items, such as cosmetics, into plastic baggies so they won't get confiscated by customs.
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TORONTO Blue Jays ace David Price has a good chance to win his second American League Cy Young, and his new club won nine of his 11 outings after they traded three promising pitching prospects to the Detroit Tigers for him at the trade deadline. RELATED: Rangers stray from script to top Blue Jays in Game 1 After Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, however, he has lost all six career postseason starts, this one after allowing five runs in seven innings. "I want that monkey off my back," Price said. "I expect to have better results out there." Heavily favored Toronto, which was an AL-best 43-18 (.705) since beginning a midseason trading binge, now finds itself down a game in the series with the prospect of facing Rangers ace and former World Series MVP Cole Hamels in Friday's Game 2 matinee. While losing the first postseason game in Canada for 22 years disappointed the 49,384 rambunctious fans who filled the Rogers Centre, the confidence burnished by a two-month hot streak spree was not diminished. "I'm ready for tomorrow already," catcher Russell Martin said. "This game's over with." Added right fielder Jose Bautista, "It doesn't change anything about our approach." The Jays also must worry a little about their two best players, Bautista and third baseman Josh Donaldson, who each exited the game early with injuries. Bautista left in the ninth due to hamstring cramping that he said wouldn't keep him out of today's lineup. Donaldson may represent a more significant concern - the club announced that the AL MVP candidate, who took an inadvertent knee to the head while breaking up a double play at second base, passed concussion tests and will be reevaluated Friday morning. Texas had its own injury concern, with third baseman Adrian Beltre departing the game after barely being able to reach first on a run-scoring single. The early diagnosis was lower back stiffness, but manager Jeff Banister said he will undergo an MRI. "He's the heart and soul of this ballclub," Banister said. Rougned Odor scored three of Texas' five runs, even if he only reached base once fully of his own volition. The young lefty second baseman was hit by two Price pitches and sharply lined a home run off Price in the seventh for an insurance run. Twice did Texas hit ground balls with a runner on first base in the third inning and, while neither was sharply hit, the fact that Odor and Delino DeShields were stealing on those pitches ruined Toronto's double-play chances. Subsequent singles later scored those runners from second base. Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos added a two-run homer in the fifth, and DeShields went 2-for-4 with a double. Those two and Odor all made their postseason debut a memorable one. "They have experience playing the game of baseball, and they're doing things that they've done all year long," Gibbons said. Toronto by far the majors' highest-scoring offense only mustered three one-run innings thanks to an RBI single from Edwin Encarnacion, a run-scoring double from Kevin Pillar and a solo homer from Bautista. "We take a lot of pride in being able to overcome our starter not having his best, but that's a good team over there," Pillar said. Texas starter Yovani Gallardo, who shut out the Jays for 13 2/3 regular-season innings, received the win after allowing two runs in five innings. "He was making quality pitches on the corners," Bautista said. Martin said Price's command was "not as pinpoint as he can be, but he still managed." Price didn't allow five earned runs in any start for the Blue Jays this season. He attributed two first-inning walks to early nerves, not the 11-day layoff he had between starts, and said simply, "I didn't throw the ball the way I'm capable of tonight." There's no single reason why he's struggled in October, a month whose results may be more random than fans and players would like to believe Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, a former MVP and three-time Cy Young winner, has even worse career playoff numbers, after all. The answer to Price's playoff woes and underachieving postseason reputation lies in the series of handwritten notes that have adorned his locker for the past few months, each reading, "If you don't like it, pitch better," with triple underlines under the last two words. Asked about the scrawled sign earlier this season, Price cryptically replied, "It is it. It is everything." Postseason baseball certainly is, when legacies are minted and the season's last few months fade from memory.
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Get toasty, and add a little cinnamon to your life. Krystin Goodwin (@Krystingoodwin) has a few useful ways to use cinnamon in your home this fall.
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Twenty countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change announced the formation of a "V20" group Thursday to pool resources and press for tougher action on global warming. The group includes some of the poorest and least developed nations across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific that are home to approximately 700 million people. "We unite for what we believe is the fundamental human rights issue threatening our very own existence today," Cesar Purisima, finance minister of the Philippines -- which leads the group -- said, in a statement . "In the absence of an effective global response, annual economic losses due to climate change are projected to exceed $400 billion by 2030 for the V20, with impacts far surpassing our local or regional capabilities." The V20's members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Costa Rica, East Timor, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, the Maldives, Nepal, the Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam. A palm tree is damaged on a beach near Port Vila, the capital city of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu March 14, 2015. Reuters/Kris Paras The group, which aims to both raise and manage climate funds, agreed to set up a public-private "climate risk pooling mechanism" -- an insurance fund for climate change-induced extreme weather events and disasters. Additionally, the countries also pledged to improve their financial accounting models of climate change costs and risks. Since record keeping began in 1880, the global average temperature has risen 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and, over the past 100 years, the global average sea level has risen nearly 7 inches. In addition to putting critical ocean and land ecosystems at risk, sea level rise and increase in frequency of extreme weather events have strained the vulnerable nations' ability to cope with climate change. For low-lying Pacific island nations, a rise in temperature of more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the pre-industrial levels -- the internationally accepted red line -- poses an existential threat. Many islands in the region are already being battered by frequent storm surges and flooding . "We have decided to work together to ensure we are not made victims, but do everything we can to contribute to a resolution to this crisis," Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Finance Jose Francisco Pacheco, said in the statement. Even as the clock ticks down on December's crucial climate conference in Paris, the availability of climate funds for poor and vulnerable nations remains a key sticking point. Wealthy nations have pledged to mobilize $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020, and, as of last year, they had reached nearly $62 billion. Mobilized climate finance in 2013 and 2014, by funding source (USD billions). OECD analysis However, according to an estimate by Oxfam, only $2 billion was made available to these nations in order to adapt to climate change in 2014 -- pointing toward a persistent gap between the rising costs of adaptation and international monetary support. "Financial constraints put up serious barriers for climate action and expose millions to disaster and hardship," Helen Clark, the United Nations Development Programme administrator, said in the statement. "We believe the V20's vision to deploy innovation in finance, based on shared experiences, has great potential to knock down such barriers."
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When your song comes on, you gotta dance, even if you are in the middle of a football game. The Milford Might Mites out of Massachusetts did exactly that when Silento's "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) came on. Check it out.
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NBC News correspondent Kate Snow says that bringing 29 women who have accused Bill Cosby of assault together for a "Dateline NBC" special Friday took on an importance beyond the individual cases. Snow said that many of the women who participated sensed an opportunity to educate others about the need to talk forthrightly about sexual assault. "That was important, not just in the context of Bill Cosby but for every woman, every American," she said. The NBC broadcast was timed to coincide with Cosby's scheduled deposition Friday in the case of a woman who accused Cosby of molesting her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, when she was 15.
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It didn't take long for Jack Eichel to make his mark on the NHL. In a little over nine minutes into the third period, Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres found themselves on the power play. After a brief scrum behind Ottawa's net, the puck was coughed out to Sabres forward Marcus Foligno. BOX SCORE: SENATORS 3, SABRES 1 Foligno flung the puck across the goal mouth to the waiting Eichel, who settled the puck and snapped it into the top left corner above Senators goalie Craig Anderson. The goal made the 18-year-old Eichel the youngest Sabre to ever score in a season opener. First Niagra Center erupted. It was the only goal of the night for the Sabres in the 3-1 loss. Eichel finished the night with one goal on three shots. He co-led Sabres forwards with 21:58 minutes of ice time. He was also named the game's second star.
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Get in the swing of the season, and get crafting! Krystin Goodwin (@krystingoodwin) highlights a few creative DIY ideas you and the family can make at home.
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The number of migrants arriving on the Greek islands near Turkey has surged to about 7,000 a day in the past week, migration experts working there say. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the average in late September was 4,500 a day. Fears of worsening weather may account for the surge, the IOM says. The EU's migrant relocation scheme got under way on Friday when 20 Eritreans left Italy on a flight to Sweden. Some EU member states object to the scheme. Meanwhile, Turkey has voiced concern about the potential for even more Syrian migrants arriving at its border because of Russian air strikes in Syria. The warning was issued by Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic. Turkey already hosts about two million Syrian refugees, many of whom are desperate to leave the emergency camps and start a new life in Europe. Syrians head north The IOM says that, despite the new surge, the congestion on the Greek island of Lesbos has eased significantly. The improvement is partly due to the fact that 70% of migrants and refugees who arrived in Greece last week crossed into Macedonia without delay, according to the IOM. "Syrians are now travelling faster from the islands to the border because they can afford it. They buy tickets for boats to Athens, buses straight to the border and sometimes even pay for taxis that can cost up to €700 (£518; $795) a family from Athens to the border. "Afghans, on the other hand, often have to work to get enough money to buy tickets," the IOM statement said. Syrians in Turkey: 'We just want a normal life' Who does the EU send back? Europe migrant crisis - in depth Migrant crisis in graphics The refugees flown out of Italy on Friday are only a tiny fraction of the number to be relocated. On one day alone this week, almost 2,000 migrants arrived on Italy's shores from across the Mediterranean. Under the EU's plan, 120,000 refugees will be redistributed from Italy and Greece to other European countries. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia object, urging the EU instead to reinforce the bloc's external borders. The group of 19 young Eritreans left Rome's Ciampino airport on board a financial police plane, AFP reports. They were waved off by the EU's Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano. Mr Avramopoulos said earlier that the refugees had been "registered, fingerprinted, identified and screened for relocation". EU countries generally grant asylum to Syrians, Iraqis and Eritreans, but not to the many economic migrants from Africa and Asia. Plan to deport more More than 550,000 migrants have reached the EU this year, many fleeing conflict. Germany is hosting the most. Last year more than half a million non-EU migrants were found to be "illegally present" in the 28-nation bloc. Most were ordered to leave, but EU countries deported only about 40% of those listed for removal. EU interior ministers agreed on Thursday to beef up Europe's border force Frontex in order to speed up deportations of failed asylum seekers. They also called for more effective re-admission deals with countries of origin outside the EU. The conclusions from their talks said EU states should detain migrants who may abscond before they are deported. The EU is however bound by the "non-refoulement" rule, meaning that under international law it cannot send migrants back to life-threatening situations. The EU is setting up so-called "hotspots" in Italy and Greece - migrant registration centres for new arrivals to be filtered and priority given to refugees in need of international protection.
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A BRAVE cancer survivor has told how she overcame the illness - with the help of her fully-grown pet CHEETAH. Big cat lover Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2013 and underwent a double mastectomy as part of the treatment. The 53-year-old, who bought her first cheetah Fiela back in 2006, also had to have chemotherapy as she walked the road to recovery. Riana's unique bond with the animal means she can cuddle up with it in bed, and even allow it to lick her face and eat from the same dinner table. The big-hearted survivor now runs the Cheetah Experience in Bloemfontein, South Africa, with her home based on the site. Videographer / Director: Evert Kleynhans Producer: Tom Gillespie, Chloe Browne Editor: Sonia Estal
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Cate Blanchet was one of the celebrities to put her best foot forward when on the red carpet this week. Arriving at a screening of her film Truth she showed some shoulder in a cut out dress. The white ensemble huge her figure and featured a flattering high neck. She let the dress do the talking with a fresh-faced look and complemented her blue eye with a glossy pink lip. Rooney Mara also opted for monotone at the New York premiere of Pan. The brunette beauty showed some leg in a min dress that featured an interesting peplum skirt. Lady Gaga has had a busy week, which means lots of wardrobe changes. But none come close to her display of pure Hollywood glamour as she made her acting debut in America Horror story hotel. The blond beauty's hair was in swoon worthy waves as she worked the carpet.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch has a "soft rule" when it comes to a rain delay during a game: If it lasts about an hour, he'll usually remove his starting pitcher. Good thing it's not a hard rule. Hinch opted to keep Collin McHugh on the mound after a 49-minute stoppage Thursday night, and the soft-spoken righty responded with a resounding performance. He shut down the Kansas City Royals over six innings for a 5-2 victory in the opener of their AL Division Series. BOX SCORE: ASTROS 5, ROYALS 2 "We checked in with him a couple times, but he was never really coming out of that game," Hinch said of McHugh, a surprise 19-game winner this season. "That wasn't even his best tonight, and he got through a pretty good lineup and battled." Three relievers took over and got the game to Luke Gregerson, part of Oakland's wild-card collapse in Kansas City last year. He handled the ninth for a save. George Springer and Colby Rasmus went deep for the homer-happy Astros, but they also scored via the same sort of small ball the Royals used in reaching the World Series last season. "Winning the first game was key," Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez said. "We did that." Yordano Ventura (0-1) yielded three runs on four hits and a walk in two innings for Kansas City, but did not come back following the delay. Chris Young served up Springer's home run with one out in the fifth, but tossed four otherwise solid innings of relief. Game 2 is Friday, when lefty Scott Kazmir takes the mound for Houston against right-hander Johnny Cueto in a matchup of pitchers traded days apart this past summer. "It's a five-game series," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "It's not a death sentence to lose Game 1." The Astros, who struggled so mightily on the road this season, have apparently solved their woes just in time. They beat the Yankees 3-0 in New York in Tuesday night's wild-card game, then took care of a Royals club built specifically for spacious Kauffman Stadium. Houston also made it the first time since 1970 that visiting teams won baseball's first four postseason games, STATS said. The other two times it happened were 1906 and 1923. "Everyone knows we haven't been playing the best on the road," reliever Tony Sipp said. "To take one in New York and come here, it shows we're a different kind of team." The Astros wasted no time getting Ventura in trouble, loading the bases with nobody out in the first inning. The hard-throwing ace settled down to retire the next three batters, but Rasmus and Evan Gattis provided RBI groundouts to give Houston a 2-0 lead. Jose Altuve tacked on another run in the second with a single to right. The Royals answered in the bottom half when Morales ripped McHugh's 89 mph fastball down the right-field line. But a steady rain soon became a downpour as the inning progressed, and lightning sent fans scurrying for the concourse as the tarp was pulled onto the field. When the game resumed, the Royals sent Young to the mound rather than Ventura. "It was pushing 60 minutes there," said Yost, who hopes to bring back Ventura in Game 4. Hinch stuck with McHugh, even though he hadn't thrown a pitch for nearly an hour. Morales got the better of him again in the fourth, driving a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right to become the first Royals player with two homers in a postseason game since George Brett against Toronto in the 1985 AL Championship Series. Unfortunately for the Royals, Morales was the only hitter who could solve McHugh. That left the darlings of last year's postseason facing a crucial Game 2 on Friday. "We're happy. It's obviously good," Springer said, "but it's on to tomorrow. I mean, it's over with, and now we understand that they're going to be prepared to play." RASMUS RAKING Rasmus also homered in the wild-card game at Yankee Stadium. He has six homers and 11 RBIs in his last nine games, and tied a major league record by getting an extra-base hit in his first five postseason games. MAN DOWN Even the Royals' grounds crew had a rough night. One of the workers responsible for rolling out the tarp during the delay tripped and fell. The tarp kept rolling right over his legs and he screamed in pain. There was no word on the extent of his injury. UP NEXT Two pitchers procured with October in mind square off in Game 2. The Astros send out Kazmir, obtained in a July trade with Oakland, to face a team he has dominated in the past. The Royals counter with Cueto, acquired from Cincinnati a few days later. Cueto has struggled in his previous postseason appearances.
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A witness in the trial of an eccentric former Virginia political candidate charged with murdering three people over an 11-year span identified him on Thursday as the gunman who shot the last of the victims. On the opening day of testimony, witness Janet Franko named the suspect, Charles Severance, 55, as the man who shot music teacher Ruthanne Lodato last year. The three seemingly random killings in the Washington suburb of Alexandria fed fears that a serial killer was loose in the U.S. capital area.
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"I hate needles."
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We live in a world of disposable heroes. Admit it: Our attention span is limited. We move on from Pat Tillman to Pat Summitt to Stuart Scott in the flash of a 140-character tweet. Brent and Lisa Hill don't quite see it that way. They lost their daughter, Lauren, to an insidious and inoperable brain-stem tumor in April. She created a heartwarming national buzz by fulfilling her dream to play in a college basketball game, scoring the first and last basket for Mount St. Joseph's in a game on Nov. 2, 2014. Swoosh. Dream accomplished. Then fade to black. Lauren Hill drew her last breath on April 10 at age 19. But her death has not brought closure. Her story remains an evolving one, of strength and hope for others. "It's a matter of keeping the nation remembering," Brent Hill said. "It does get a little personal." As well it should. Lauren's parents received the Courageous Student-Athlete in their daughter's honor from the National Consortium for Academic and Sports in Orlando on Thursday night. It's a cherished occasion, much like the ESPY that Lauren received in July, when they accepted the "Best Moment" award from ESPN in her honor. That created a contentious buzz, with a good number of folks upset that Caitlyn Jenner received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award instead of Lauren. Let me raise my hand as well questioning at the manipulative chicanery. After all, the ESPYs involve ESPN's own made-up award that's awarded on its own made-up criteria for its own made-up TV show. But nobody is here to quibble, argue rant or pick on Caitlyn Jenner. Just a simple reminder that Lauren Hill still matters. She matters to every child who is battling cancer. She matters to every parent seeing a son or daughter dying a slow, inevitable death. She matters because kids don't matter in the world of cancer. Only 4 percent of federal government cancer research funding goes to children - even though it is the No. 1 cause of death among children. "She would want me to get my butt up and get out there and work on completing our mission to build awareness and get funds," Lisa Hill said. " Hopefully we can kick cancer's butt and nobody has to deal with this anymore without having some light of hope, some drug." Brent and Lisa don't look back at the ESPYs cyber ruckus with any animosity. Caitlyn has gone on to be on the cover of Vanity Fair and star in her own reality show. Brent and Lisa carry on in a different way by continuing to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research. Between two different charities, including the Cure Starts Now Foundation, the haul is approaching $3 million. That is Lauren's legacy. But her parents will keep tabs on Caitlyn, asking her politely, "Whatcha got?" "The way I look at it, Lauren had courage," Lisa Hill said. "She didn't need to be reminded that she had courage. When they decided to give her the best moment, that was just right. She did give us the best moment, and she had courage. In a way Caitlyn needs to be reminded to have that courage so she can continue to go on and be true to herself and inspire others in the same situation." "In my heart it's, 'OK, you've got it, now prove it,'" Brent Hill said. "If she goes out and speaks to these kids, great. You have a platform, use it." Lauren Hill still has a platform and a voice thanks to her parents. They will be glad to share the stage with Caitlyn Jenner. There is plenty of room. Different causes, different ways to show one's courage. Now that would create a cyber ruckus. In a very good way. [email protected] Read George Diaz's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego
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Paranoid or savvy? With the New England Patriots in town this weekend, the Dallas Cowboys banned reporters or anyone from filming any offensive sessions during Thursday's open practice, according to The Dallas Morning News. Cowboys usually don't care what cameras film during the open portion of practice. But this week, no filming the offense Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 8, 2015 As Machota notes, the Cowboys typically seem to have an "anything goes" policy during open practice sessions for the media but are taking a bit more precaution this week with New England on the docket. And while it could be just another ploy by the Cowboys to get under the Patriots' skin , if Dallas whips out a trick play for a touchdown on Sunday, they'll look pretty smart.
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You know it when you see it. And what you see at Southern California nearing the halfway point of the 2015 season is the failed regime of Steve Sarkisian and a program desperately in need of Chip Kelly. No. 17 USC lost to unranked Washington on Thursday night, 17-12. It stands as the most inexplicable loss of the Sarkisian era, though there are many to choose from in his 18 games as the Trojans' head coach. It's over. At least it should be. Picked to win the Pac-12 Conference and stocked with talent that should go 10-2 by accident, Sarkisian has proven himself to be incapable of this job, on and off the field. Whether USC has the stomach to make a coaching change right now in Sarkisian's second season is unclear. He was the choice all along of athletics director Pat Haden, and to concede defeat now would essentially equal an admission that Haden, the USC legend, has failed in his primary responsibility as steward of the Trojans' great football tradition. But you know it when you see it. And there are no excuses for the Trojans to be this inconsistent, this poorly coached and this intent on squandering a roster loaded with individual stars. At least Lane Kiffin had a 10-win season at USC before things went bad. What does Sarkisian have? Washington, a team that lost its best defensive players from last season and wasn't supposed to even go 5-7 according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, punked the Trojans in LA. The Huskies' defense won the line of scrimmage, and despite significant offensive limitations, made enough plays on both sides of the ball to grind out a close fourth quarter. USC started slow and played soft up front in a must-win game. That's on Sark. It was as thoroughly a coaching win by Washington's Chris Petersen as you'll ever see. And at 3-2 with a pair of home losses, USC's season is essentially over relative to the expectations placed on this team when it was selected as the preseason Pac 12 favorite. This is what USC signed up for. Though Sarkisian gets credit for pulling Washington from 0-12 to relevance, his teams were notorious for playing well one week, then no-showing the next. Yet USC hired him anyway, banking that his ability to recruit would be so overwhelming that it would mask any shortcomings. Nothing has changed, and Sarkisian didn't help himself before this season when Haden had to pull him off the stage at the "Salute To Troy" preseason event due to drunken behavior in front of boosters. It was up to Sarkisian this year to prove that he was a good enough coach to overcome mistakes. He isn't. The answer for USC is easy. Though Chip Kelly is reportedly committed to seeing it through with the Philadelphia Eagles, there would not be a more perfect marriage between team and coach than jumping to the Trojans. If Kelly could dominate the Pac-12 at Oregon, there is no ceiling on what he could do at USC. The NCAA penalties that would have made it difficult for a college to hire him are over. When Kelly inevitably returns to the college game, he will instantly have the credibility and cachet to recruit at an even higher level than he ever achieved at Oregon. With the amount of skill in Southern California, USC would instantly return to its rightful place as the most feared program west of Texas. And given a roster loaded with talented players starving for coaching competence, it wouldn't take long for USC to get back in national title contention. Thursday showed that this USC season is all but over. The Trojans' administration needs to dedicate the rest of it to convincing Kelly that he'd be better off at a true college blueblood than floundering in the NFL. Kelly is a misfit with the Eagles. He'd be a perfect fit at USC.
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Israel has imposed fresh restrictions on Palestinian entry to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem following a spate of attacks against Israelis. In addition to extending a ban for men under the age of 45 who want to pray at the mosque on Friday, Israeli police have installed metal detectors at several entrances to Jerusalem's Old City. Thousands of police officers were also deployed across the city. "Police have made security assessments for Friday prayers and have added many metal detectors and extra checkpoints throughout the Old City, and will continue to closely monitor Arab neighbourhoods," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told local media. The restrictions come a day after at least eight Israelis were injured in four separate stabbing attacks. Early on Thursday, a 25-year-old Israeli yeshiva student was severely injured as a result of being stabbed in upper body. RELATED: Netanyahu: No magic solution to 'wave of terror' Hours later a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv injured four people, including an Israeli soldier. A Palestinian suspect was shot and killed at the scene. He was identified as 25-year-old Thaer Abu Ghazaleh. Another pair of attacks - one in the northern Israeli city of Afula and the other in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba - left two Israelis injured. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians since October 1. Uptick in violence The uptick in violence comes after months of tensions over the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. An increase in Israeli visits to the compound have fed fears among Palestinians that Israel is moving to divide the compound into two separate areas of worship for Jews and Muslims. Israeli settlers have also launched a wave of attacks targeting Palestinians in areas across the West Bank. At least 31 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year, according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' figures. Of that total, six Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces since Saturday. Among them were three protesters, including a 13-year-old boy, and three suspects in stabbing attacks who were fatally shot at the scene. Israeli forces have responded harshly to protests, using live ammunition in some cases. "The death of a child after security forces used live ammunition against demonstrators should be a wake-up call for Israeli officials," said Joe Stork , Human Rights Watch's deputy Middle East director, in a statement. "Israel needs to ensure that its police and army comply with international standards for the use of force." At least 1,600 Palestinians have been injured during confrontations with Israeli security forces or Jewish settlers since October 3, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Netanyahu criticised "We are in the midst of a wave of terror," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on Thursday night. "There is no magic solution and the actions [we are taking] will not yield instant results, but with methodical determination we will prove that terror does not pay and we will defeat it." Netanyahu called for a unity government that includes the opposition, led by the centrist Zionist Union electoral coalition. "I have said from the beginning that I think at this time, in light of what is happening in the Middle East, there is a reason for a wide government, and wide united front," he said. But the prime minister has come under fire from politicians across the political spectrum. Zionist Union parliamentarian Shelly Yacimovich rebuffed his offer in a Twitter post: "Unity government? Why? To create a false impression that the opposition has a part in his failure to provide security?" RELATED: Hebron in turmoil as unrest engulfs West Bank Isaac Herzog, leader of the opposition, called for Netanyahu to resign. "Had we been in government, we would have known to calm the situation in Jerusalem a lot better," he wrote in a Facebook post Thursday night. Call to arms Israeli leaders have also called on Israeli citizens to carry arms. On Thursday, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was photographed carrying an assault rifle during a visit to Beit Hanina, a Palestinian neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. "I have a licensed gun," Barkat said. "Every time there is tension, I instruct people who are allowed to carry weapons and are experienced in using them to carry their guns with them." "If you check, you'll see that in many cases, those who neutralised terrorists were citizens who aren't necessarily police officers, like former soldiers." RELATED: Analysis: Netanyuahu 'better not disturb the status quo' Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan echoed Barkat's comments, urging Israelis with gun licenses to "be alert and prevent another terrorist attack". "Demolishing terrorists' houses and deporting their families is the best deterrent and most efficient way to deal with terrorism by individuals," Ben-Dahan said. Other politicians, among them Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Knesset member Yinon Magal, praised Israelis who used firearms in recent stabbing attacks. "I'm not saying we should take the law into our hands and lynch people," Magal said. "Whoever is trying to kill us should be taken out." In the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Islamic Jihad will both hold protests after Friday prayers.
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Reporter Stephen Evans journeys through North Korea as a BBC team gets rare access inside the reclusive state of North Korea.
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All of Bravo's "Real Housewives" are fabulous, but see which ones have supersized bank accounts that put them in a league of their own. Bravo's " Real Housewives " franchise has been a smash hit, as viewers can't resist the chance to get an inside look at the glamorous lives of beautiful, successful and super wealthy women and watch them engage in some pretty epic catfights. The franchise made its debut in 2006 with "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and has been going strong since, expanding to include a number of glitzy cast members in cities such as Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Atlanta and New York City. Every Bravo Housewife is presumably well-heeled, but some have significantly larger bank accounts than others. Keep reading to see which 15 of the richest real housewives. Related: Scott Disick, Mama June and Other Dumb People Who Got Rich 1. Lisa Vanderpump Net Worth: $65 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Lisa Vanderpump's net worth is $65 million, and the beloved Brit earns $500,000 per season as part of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast, reports CelebrityNetWorth. Best known for her refined elegance and affinity towards diamonds and rose, Vanderpump and husband Ken Todd built their fortune by opening more than two dozen restaurants, bars and clubs. One of the couple's West Hollywood, Calif. restaurants, SUR, even has its own reality show, aptly titled "Vanderpump Rules." Vanderpump was also part of the " Dancing with the Stars " Season 16 cast. The philanthropist supports multiple charities, has a skincare line called Epione, writes for Beverly Hills Lifestyle magazine and recently started two new companies, Vanderpump Pets and LVP Sangria. 2. Carole Radziwill Net Worth: $50 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of New York City" Carole Radziwill's net worth is $50 million. The best-selling author and award-winning journalist is best known on "The Real Housewives of New York City" for her laid-back personality and penchant for dating younger men. Radziwill was the envy of her co-stars when she revealed a romantic history that includes both George Clooney and Ralph Fiennes. The author of "What Remains" and "The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating" lost her husband Anthony Radziwill cousin of John F. Kennedy, Jr. to cancer in 1999. 3. Yolanda Foster Net Worth: $45 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Boasting a net worth $45 million, of Yolanda Foster is the mother of supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid and earns $100,000 an episode for "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," reports CelebrityNetWorth. She famously shared her battle with Lyme disease with viewers, allowing the camera to chronicle her ups and downs and her continuous quest to find a cure. The former model is married to Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter David Foster. She's also the founder of Hopelessly Romantic, a company dedicated to helping couples keep their romance alive. Read: 6 Reality TV Shows That Will Make You Smarter With Your Money 4. Kandi Burruss Net Worth: $35 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Kandi Burruss' net worth is $35 million, and the R&B singer and Grammy-Award winning songwriter earns $450,000 per season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," according to CelebrityNetWorth. But, Burruss made a name for herself in the music industry way before the "Real Housewives." She penned chart-topping hits, such as TLC's "No Scrubs" and Destiny Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills." On the show, she's most famous for marrying Todd Tucker, who was part of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" production crew a move that was highly contested on-camera by her mother, Mama Joyce. The currently pregnant star has been featured on a number of other Bravo shows, including "The Kandi Factory" and "Kandi's Wedding." She also founded the intimate luxury line Bedroom Kandi and T.A.G.S. boutique. 5. Kyle Richards Net Worth: $30 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Kyle Richards' net worth is $30 million. According to CelebrityNetWorth, Nicky and Paris Hilton's aunt earns $270,000 per season as a cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." But before she jumped into reality TV, Richards was acting on the big screen. The former child actress played Lindsey Wallace in the slasher flick "Halloween" and had several other acting gigs, including roles on "Little House on the Prairie" and "ER." And it looks like the actress is looking to get back into non-reality TV. Richards is currently working on a development deal with TV Land for a television series based on her life in the 1970s, reports E! Online. Richards also owns the Beverly Hills, Calif., boutique Kyle by Alene Too. And her husband, Mauricio Umansky, opened his own real estate business called The Agency. 6. Heather Dubrow Net Worth: $30 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Like Richards, Heather Dubrow has a reported net worth of $30 million. She joined "The Real Housewives of Orange County" during the show's seventh season and quickly earned the nickname "Fancy Pants Dubrow" thanks to her indisputable class and elegance. The champagne connoisseur recently created her very own sparkling wine named Collette Champagne, and she shares skincare line Consult Beaute with her plastic surgeon husband Terry Dubrow, who stars on E!'s "Botched." Dubrow is also an established actress, recently appearing on the shows "Sequestered," "Hawaii Five-0" "Hot in Cleveland" and "Malibu Country." 7. Bethenny Frankel Net Worth: $25 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of New York City" Real Housewife and self-made businesswoman Bethenny Frankel has a net worth of $25 million. The brassy, somewhat snarky, fast-talking Skinnygirl Cocktails founder reportedly earns $40,000 per episode as a cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City," reports CelebrityNetWorth. Frankel made her reality TV debut in 2005 on "Celebrity Apprentice: Martha Stewart," starred on "The Real Housewives of New York City" for three seasons, scored two spinoffs "Bethenny Getting Married?" and "Bethenny Ever After" and had her own daytime talk show, "Bethenny," before returning for Season 7 of "The Real Housewives of New York." 8. Shannon Beador Net Worth: $20 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Orange County" "The Real Housewives of Orange County" cast member Shannon Beador has net worth is $20 million. The Southern California native has spent a great deal of Season 10 trying to cope with her husband, David's, affair. She also spends much of her downtime working with her energy specialist and Feng Shui advisor to clear built-up anger and resentment. But, that hasn't stopped Beador from getting in some housewife-style battles with co-stars Tamra Judge and Meghan King Edmonds. Beador and her husband who reportedly owns a Corona, Calif. construction company, according to Radar Online are raising three daughters. 9. Ramona Singer Net Worth: $18 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of New York City" Ramona Singer's net worth is $18 million, and the Ramona Pinot Grigio founder reportedly earns $500,000 per season as a cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City," reports CelebrityNetWorth. On the show, she's most known for her love of Pinot Grigio, "Turtle Time" and her close friendship with co-star Sonja Morgan, which has earned them the nickname "Ramonja." Singer's divorce with her ex, Mario, was highly publicized, but the Real Housewife seems to be doing fine these days. She recently became a partner in the restaurant AOA Bar and Grill in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. Her other business ventures include Tru Renewal skin care and True Faith jewelry. 10. NeNe Leakes Net Worth: $12 Million p> Show: "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" NeNe Leakes' net worth is $12 million. The star quit "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" in 2015 but was reportedly earning $1 million per season prior to her departure, reports CelebrityNetWorth. Since then, she's guest-starred on the "Real Husbands of Hollywood" and E!'s "Fashion Police." Leakes was a member of the Season 18 cast of "Dancing with the Stars," she appeared on "The Apprentice," she starred in the now-cancelled 2013 NBC sitcom "The New Normal," and she also had a role on Fox's "Glee." Leakes has her own clothing line called NENE by NeNe Leakes on HSN. Keep reading: 40 Richest and Poorest "Celebrity Apprentice" Cast Members 11. Heather Thomson Net Worth: $10 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of New York City" Yummie founder Heather Thomson has a net worth of $10 million. She recently announced she won't be returning to "The Real Housewives of New York City" for Season 8, but prior to her departure, she was earning $175,000 per episode, reports CelebrityNetWorth. Thomson is best known for her signature catchphrase, "holla," and outspoken nature, which caused some clashes with fellow housewife Frankel during Season 7. Thomson was the founding director of design for Sean "Diddy" Combs' Sean John label. As a designer and stylist, she worked with a slew of A-listers, including Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez. 12. Lisa Rinna Net Worth: $8 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" With an $8 million net worth, actress Lisa Rinna has been able the life of a celebrity with her actor husband Harry Hamlin ("L.A. Law," "Mad Men" and "Shameless"). On "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Rinna is known for her friendly, outgoing personality, but even that couldn't stop her from throwing a glass at cast mate Kim Richards during a heated argument in Amsterdam. Prior to the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Rinna has starred in a number of television shows, including "Days of Our Lives," "Melrose Place" and "Dancing with the Stars." The actress is now diving into the fashion world with her latest venture, the Lisa Rinna Collection for QVC. Rinna has noted that she doesn't do many endorsements, but she famously appeared in an adult diaper brand commercial for Depend back in 2012. But while others laughed at her, she was laughing all the way to the bank; Radar Online reports Rinna received $2 million from Depend. 13. Vicki Gunvalson Net Worth: $7 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Known as the "OG" of the O.C., Vicki Gunvalson has a net worth of $7 million and reportedly gets paid $500,000 per season, according to CelebrityNetWorth. Gunvalson has been with "The Real Housewives of Orange County" since its inception and nabbed the reputation of a no-nonsense businesswoman and mother of two who still likes to have a good time and "Whoop it up!" every now and then. The "Real Housewives" veteran climbed the ladder of success with her insurance company, Coto Insurance and Financial Services, Inc. She's also the owner of Whoo Hoo Productions, LLC and Diamonds by Vicki. 14. Tamra Judge Net Worth: $800,000 Show: "The Real Housewives of Orange County" She might have a net worth significantly lower than that of the other housewives, but there are few people who can go head-to-head against Tamra Judge in a cat fight. The outspoken, unfiltered cast member on "The Real Housewives of Orange County" makes $325,000 per season, according to CelebrityNetWorth, and is known for her heated confrontations with multiple past and current castmates, including Gretchen Rossi, Alexis Bellino, Beador and even her good buddy, Gunvalson. Besides earnings paychecks from the Bravo show, Judge is making a living with her gym in California with her husband, Eddie, called CUT Fitness. 15. Teresa Giudice Net Worth: $11 Million Show: "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" Teresa Giudice 's net worth is -$11 million, which isn't surprising given her current legal situation. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star is currently in jail, serving a 15-month sentence for fraud. But, the fiery Jersey girl will no doubt start to rebuild her empire after her expected December 2015 release. Until then, viewers can see how Giudice is doing during Bravo's "Real Housewives of New Jersey Teresa Checks In" on Sunday, Oct. 11. Giudice is expected to be a part of the Season 7 of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," and according to Radar Online, she might get paid $750,000 and $850,000 but she really wants $1 million. The future of her businesses, Skinny Italian, Milania Hair Care and Fabulicious, are currently unknown, but they might help to rebuild her fortune. All net worths are according to CelebrityNetWorth.com unless otherwise noted.
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Before Uber, Ola and other app-based cab services arrived in Indian cities, Virender Vats never imagined he would deliberately quit his job as a retail manager at a Delhi electronics store to become a driver. But with taxi aggregator services, the money is undeniably tempting: while passengers get comfortable, air-conditioned cab services for rates as low as Rs7 or Rs8 per kilometre, drivers with Uber and Ola often end up with hefty monthly incomes of Rs50,000 or even Rs1 lakh. "I saw young kids making three times more money than I do by working fewer hours as Uber drivers," said Vats during the course of a ride from Connaught Place to Gurgaon. "I decided to try it for a while and did it after work for a few hours with my own car. I ended up making at least Rs10,000 every week." Two months later, he knew it was time to let go of his retail job. "I love having weekends off to myself and since I can't sleep at night, I work late hours," he said. He had only one regret: "I just miss wearing ties to work every day, though." Despite customer fears sparked by a few cases of sexual assault by Uber drivers since December 2014, taxi aggregator services have exploded in popularity among urban, smart phone-wielding commuters. In the past six months, they have been eating into the customer base of regular city cab drivers, whose backlash, in some cases, has been violent. In August and September, when taxi unions in Mumbai went on short strikes to protest against Uber and Ola's cheaper services, there were reports of Uber taxis being attacked. If the central and state governments have their way, aggregator cab services could be in more trouble soon. The union transport ministry wants app-based taxis to stop calling themselves as "aggregators" and get legal registration under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. This would mean that Uber and Ola would have to follow the same legal norms as regular cabs. In December, the Delhi government had already banned Ola, Uber and TaxiForSure from plying on the streets, but they continue to ply anyway at the risk of getting fined. In Maharashtra, the state is keen to regulate their fares under a "Uniform Taxi Scheme", which could bring their fares at par with black-and-yellow cabs. Despite the uncertain future, however, hundreds of people like Vats have chosen to put their conventional careers in marketing or call centres on a hold while they chase the money being offered to Uber or Ola drivers. For now, despite the government's regulations requiring police verification of drivers, becoming an Uber driver is not tedious. All one needs is a car, vehicle registration, police verification, a commercial driver's license, insurance and a few blank cheques to sign up with Uber and start training, which only takes about two or three days . The driver for the next app-based cab you hail could be a university student, a former restaurant manager or just another auto rickshaw-driver who graduated to driving a taxi by learning English and buying a smart phone. In some cases, drivers are making as much as Rs1.2 lakh a month, in part due to the incentives such as peak-time bonus that these companies provide their drivers just to keep them on the road. Surge pricing, which kicks in during periods of high demand or in the late night, often inflates the price of the rides by a multiple of two or three times the regular fare. It is 11 pm on a Saturday night in Delhi. A family of five waits with luggage outside a taxi stand in the residential Rohini area where their ride to Jaipur was supposed to arrive an hour ago. The owner of the taxi stand is missing and his employees are frantically trying to locate both of them. When he finally arrives in a sparkling white sedan, the family doesn't ask too many questions and sets off on their journey. Meanwhile, Satbir Singh, the owner of the taxi stand, emerges from a nearby shop and reveals the real reason why the driver was so late: "He was doing a last-minute airport drop request he got from Uber and he informed us that he will be late, but we couldn't say that to the family." Singh's taxi stand gets around 10-15 requests for outstation trips every week but the work is mostly concentrated on weekends. During the week, Singh and his drivers have all taken to driving for Ola and Uber within the city, earning Rs5,000 a day on good days. "I have stopped paying my drivers salaries now, and they are free to take the stand's cars as long as they bear the cost of their own petrol and maintenance." While Ola and Uber drivers seem to be enjoying honeymoon bliss, traditional taxi drivers are growing disgruntled. "In the 30 years that I have been driving a taxi in Mumbai, I have never experienced a downturn like this," said Bhulan, the driver of a black-and-yellow cab in Mumbai, who was on strike with most other cab drivers in the city last month. "I used to make between Rs10,000 and Rs15,000 a month, but in the past two months, with that Ola grabbing all our customers, I barely make Rs8,000." But Zahir Shaikh, an Uber driver in Mumbai, believes that traditional cab drivers are losing customers because of their own folly. "These drivers need to understand that they cannot be so fussy about refusing fares," said Shaikh. "If they don't improve, they won't survive." But Bhulan and other drivers are irked by the fact that app-based services openly operate without proper licenses. They are also baffled by the fact that Uber and Ola cabs are air-conditioned: "How on earth do they make profits if they provide an AC and charge less?" Interestingly, many Uber and Ola drivers Scroll.in spoke to were well aware that the current boom has been subsidised by venture capital, and a few were trying to figure out just how much time they have before the wave starts to weaken. Jeetendra Ram is among the sceptics. "I don't believe these high wages will last forever," he said. "I have kept two cars and only one of those is attached to Ola and Uber. The other one is still doing weekly trips to hill stations. Once the money is over, these firms will come back to regular taxi rates and those without options will not have anywhere to go." To shield himself from such a possibility, 40-year-old Dashrath Sharma has been tracking app-based cab services with a business plan in mind. A property dealer in Delhi, Sharma has money to spare and 10 available cars that were left over after a cab-service he tried to start failed. "I want to provide cabs at realistic rates," he said. "Rs7 per kilometer is not feasible for either the company or the drivers. They are paying out of their pockets to drivers for now but it's not helping anyone." Sharma wants to build a hyper-local Uber for his locality and use his 10 cars to service customers at a flat rate of Rs14 per kilometer but with a few caveats. "A passenger must take minimum five rides a week to avail these rates," he said. "But consumers will sign up because they know there would be no surge pricing, no hassle of linking credit cards all the time and no fear of government stopping the service. We will also allow pre-booking of cabs which Uber doesn't." As taxi apps continue to zoom past each other with thousands of rides every day, business owners will jostle to adapt their companies to the new challenges. But until something goes horribly wrong, it's the riders who are set to win this race, without even driving. With inputs by Aarefa Johari. Some names have been changed to protect identities of the drivers. This post first appeared on Scroll.in. We welcome your comments at [email protected] .
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Opposition MPs in Kosovo released clouds of tear gas inside the parliament causing two people to faint, in a protest over a government deal with Serbia.
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The Colts beat the Texans 27-20 on Thursday without Andrew Luck. Andre Johnson had six catches for 77 yards and two TDs against his former team.
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This aerial footage captured by a drone shows a 50-lane traffic jam on a Beijing highway as people returned from the Golden Week holiday. Photo/Video: Newsflare/Associated Press
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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs in 'Steve Jobs.' (Photo: Universal Pictures) The biopic Steve Jobs opens Friday, telling the story of the iconic, charismatic Apple maestro by focusing on three crucial moments in his career: the product launch of the Macintosh in 1984, the failed unveiling of his startup Apple rival NeXT in 1988, and the triumphant comeback of Apple in 1998 with the debut of the iMac. The movie takes inspiration from Walter Isaacson's acclaimed, authorized 2011 biography, also titled Steve Jobs , but screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has made it clear that he wasn't interested in making a straightforward portrait of Jobs. "I knew what I didn't want to write, and that was a biopic with the traditional cradle-to-grave structure where you land on all the greatest hits," Sorkin said earlier this month. "I wondered if I could take all of the work that Walter had done and dramatize the points of friction in Steve's life with just three real-time scenes." With that caveat in mind, what are the most important elements of Jobs' life and work that the movie wants to drive home? And how accurate are they to the real Steve Jobs ? 1. The brilliant 1984 Super Bowl ad for Macintosh wasn't beloved inside Apple. It's one of the most iconic commercials of all time: the Ridley Scott-directed "1984" ad in which a lone rebel shatters the conformity of an Orwellian future society, while heralding the launch of Apple's Macintosh computer. Airing during Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984, the spot was visually arresting and dramatically gripping, just what Jobs wanted. But as the movie shows, not everyone at the company agreed with his rosy assessment, trying to cancel it before the game. Then-Apple CEO John Sculley would later recount the 1983 meeting in which the company's board of directors first saw the ad. "[They had] dazed expressions on their faces," Sculley remembered, adding, "Most of them felt it was the worst commercial they had ever seen." But others had faith in the commercial. Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak told Jobs' biographer Walter Isaacson, "I was astounded. I thought it was the most incredible thing." And as Steve Jobs notes, many of the shaved-head drones in "1984" were actual skinheads hired in London to play extras, although it's unclear whether Sculley was as upset about this fact as he's portrayed to be in the movie. ( Jeff Daniels plays Sculley in the film.) The estimated cost to produce the spot was between $500,000 and $750,000, with an additional $1 million to buy the Super Bowl airtime. But in recent years, Sculley (who had always like the ad) stated, "We figured we got about $45 million of free public relations from that commercial." 2. The unveiling of the Macintosh was almost jeopardized because no one could get the computer to talk. As Steve Jobs tells it, the January 24, 1984 debut of Macintosh very nearly could have been a disaster all because programmer Andy Hertzfeld (played by Michael Stuhlbarg ) couldn't get the computer to "speak" during rehearsals. Steve Jobs: CIRCA 1983: Apple computer Chrmn. Steve Jobs w. new LISA computer during press preview. The movie paints this scenario as a beat-the-clock dilemma, with Jobs threatening to publicly humiliate Hertzfeld if the Macintosh fails to say "Hello" at the live presentation. The filmmakers appear to be taking a little creative license, although there were anxieties in the buildup to the unveiling. As Hertzfeld recalled in his book Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made , "It took a monumental effort, fueled by inordinate amounts of chocolate-covered espresso beans, to finally finish the first release of the Macintosh software in time for the introduction." And even when that was all finished, Jobs decided at the last minute that they needed a live demo for the presentation, which required Hertzfeld and his team to develop a music player and an animation quickly. Although the rehearsals had been riddled with technical errors and Jobs' nitpicking, the presentation went off without a hitch, those in attendance applauding for five minutes after it was over. 3. Bob Dylan was a major influence. The pioneering singer-songwriter is referenced several times during Steve Jobs , whether it's his lyrics being quoted in Jobs' 1984 introduction of the Macintosh or his face being featured in Apple's 1998 "Think Different" campaign. (Plus, it's Dylan 's "Shelter From the Storm" that plays over the film's end credits.) Steve Jobs: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs posing with an Apple II computer. According to Isaacson, it was Wozniak who turned Jobs onto the musician when they first started becoming friends in the late 1960s, both of them becoming obsessive Dylan bootleg collectors. "We'd buy brochures of Dylan lyrics and stay up late interpreting them," Wozniak once said. "Dylan's words struck chords of creative thinking." Jobs would finally meet the legend in October 2004 when Dylan played a show in Northern California. "We sat on the patio outside his room and talked for two hours," Jobs told Isaacson. "I was really nervous, because he was one of my heroes. And I was also afraid that he wouldn't be really smart anymore, that he'd be a caricature of himself, like happens to a lot of people. But I was delighted. He was as sharp as a tack. He was everything I'd hoped." 4. He wrestled all his life with his relationship to his daughter Lisa. A major plot point in each of the film's three segments is Jobs' uneasiness around Lisa, whom he refuses to admit is his daughter much to the consternation of her mother Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston). Steve Jobs: Jobs holds up a new version of the iPod Nano during an Apple Special event September 5, 2007 in San Francisco, California. Brennan gave birth to Lisa in May of 1978. "Steve and I were in and out of a relationship for five years before I got pregnant," she told Isaacson. "We didn't know how to be together and we didn't know how to be apart." Steve Jobs references an interview he gave to Time around the Macintosh launch in which he speculated that, because of the impreciseness of paternity tests, "Twenty-eight percent of the male population in the United States could be the father." The callous comments hurt Brennan in the movie, and it hurt her in real life as well: "He was trying to paint me as a slut or a whore," she told Isaacson. The film concludes on an ambiguous (but hopeful) note that perhaps reconciliation can happen between Jobs and his daughter, but in real life such a clear-cut happy ending was harder to obtain. As Isaacson wrote, "After a falling-out, they could go for months not speaking to each other. Neither one was good at reaching out, apologizing, or making the effort to heal, even when he was wrestling with repeated health problems." In the fall of 2010, about 12 months before he died, Jobs admitted to his biographer that he hadn't spoken to Lisa that year. 5. Joanna Hoffman was his indispensible right-hand woman. Kate Winslet plays Jobs' marketing guru, and the sole woman on the original Mac team. In the film, she's constantly by his side, essentially serving as a chief of staff and sounding board, never concerned about standing up to him or calling him out on his combative behavior. Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman in 'Steve Jobs.' (Photo: Universal Pictures) The real Hoffman is no less strong-willed, with a background in anthropology and physics before joining up with Jobs in 1980. (And, according to Hertzfeld, she was also a great game player, helping to test out Apple's early game Alice, based on Alice in Wonderland .) Speaking to Isaacson about Jobs, Hoffman assessed her former boss this way: "He had the uncanny capacity to know exactly what your weak point is, know what will make you feel small, to make you cringe. It's a common trait in people who are charismatic and know how to manipulate people." Consequently, as Steve Jobs mentions, the company started giving out a tongue-in-cheek award each year to the employee who most stood his or her ground around Jobs. For the first two years, Hoffman won. "I remember being envious of Joanna, because she would stand up to Steve and I didn't have the nerve yet," fellow Apple employee Debi Coleman later said. (The following year, Coleman won.) 6. He never got over the fact that he was adopted. Because this piece of Jobs' backstory is so well-known, most going to the movie probably won't be surprised to learn that the Apple leader was adopted. In Steve Jobs , though, this fact haunts him, which fascinates Sculley, who wonders why Jobs would look at being adopted as being rejected, as opposed to being chosen. In truth, Jobs was adopted twice the original family his biological mother Joanne Schieble had selected decided to adopt a girl instead and those around him said the revelation had a profound effect on him. "Many adopted kids believe that they deserve only to have their basic needs met," Chrisann Brennan wrote in her memoir The Bite in the Apple . "I often felt that this was true of Steve and that, ironically, it had flipped in him and morphed into his enlarged sense of entitlement." Fassbender as Jobs and Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak in 'Steve Jobs.' (Photo: Universal Pictures) The movie suggests that Jobs met his biological father, Abdulfattah Jandali, by accident one day when he went into a restaurant that just so happened to be run by Jandali. That's accurate and in real life, Jobs declined to reconnect with the man once he learned the truth. "I was a wealthy man by then," Jobs told his biographer, "and I didn't trust him not to try to blackmail me or go to the press about it." For Jandali, who was raised in Syria, he too was hesitant to reach out to his son, even when Jobs' failing health prompted him to step down as Apple CEO. "This might sound strange, though, but I am not prepared, even if either of us was on our deathbeds, to pick up the phone to call him," Jandali once said. "Steve will have to do that, as the Syrian pride in me does not want him ever to think I am after his fortune." 7. The iPod was already on his mind in the late 1990s. Steve Jobs ends in 1998 as Jobs is about to unveil iMac, but he tells Lisa, almost in passing, that his next idea will be to create a device to store music in your pocket that will replace the Walkman. The first iPods saw the light of day in 2001, and it appears that the idea for the device didn't really get rolling until around 2000 when Jobs launched iTunes. The iTunes Store would open three years later, giving record labels an opportunity to distribute their music online and get paid, which had been an industry concern ever since the upstart file-sharing system Napster arrived in the late 1990s. Although the iPod is cheekily referenced in Steve Jobs , the product did prove to be one of the man's most crucial technological innovations of the 21st century, inspiring imitators (like Microsoft's Zune) that quickly faded into oblivion. "The older I get, the more I see how much motivations matter," Jobs would later comment. "The Zune was crappy because the people at Microsoft don't really love music or art the way we do. We won because we personally love music." 8. Colleagues really did refer to his "reality distortion field." The movie paints Jobs as a master of spin, but only near the end of Steve Jobs does anyone, Joanna Hoffman, reference the "reality distortion field," which was the infamous phrase his coworkers used to describe his willful ability to create his own narratives to win people over to his side. The phrase was originated by Mac team member Bud Tribble, who based it off a Star Trek episode, "The Menagerie," which featured an alien civilization that constructed their own reality. "It was dangerous to get caught in Steve's distortion field," Tribble later told Isaacson, "but it was what led him to actually be able to change reality." Apple Icons: The original Apple Computers logo was a picture of Isaac Newton, sitting under an apple tree. The image represented 'the acquisition of knowledge,' and evolved over time into the simple apple that is known throughout the world today. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images) "The reality distortion field was a confounding mélange of a charismatic rhetorical style, an indomitable will, and an eagerness to bend any fact to fit the purpose at hand," Hertzfeld wrote in Revolution in the Valley . "If one line of argument failed to persuade, he would deftly switch to another. Sometimes, he would throw you off balance by suddenly adapting your position as his own, without acknowledging that he ever thought differently." But Jobs' methods worked, helping him to execute a vision that others didn't always see. As Isaacson pointed out, when Jobs was asked by a reporter what market research he did before launching the Mac, Jobs responded, "Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?"
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Apple (AAPL) is the "Tesla graveyard" where failed employees go to work, the electric carmaker's boss has said in fiery comments hitting out at the iPhone maker's ambitions in the auto space. Elon Musk shrugged off fears about Apple being a new competitor and said that any Tesla (TSLA) employees it had hired were not important. "They have hired people we've fired. We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard'. If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding," Musk told German newspaper Handelsblatt, while touring Berlin. When pushed on whether he took Apple's ambitions in the auto sector seriously, the billionaire's response was even more scathing, mocking the Cupertino, CA-based company's latest products. "Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch?," Musk said. "No, seriously: It's good that Apple is moving and investing in this direction. But cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches. You can't just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car." Apple was not immediately available for comment. Speculation has been building all year that Apple is looking to develop its own electric car and jump into the auto sector. In July, Apple hired industry veteran Doug Betts, who led global quality at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. And in August, "Project Titan" the name for Apple's car project got more credibility after reports that the firm was looking for an area to test the car in Silicon Valley. As recently as last month, Apple executives met with officials from California's automotive sector to discuss self-driving vehicles. An Apple car whether it be electric or driverless will compete directly with the likes of Tesla and the traditional carmakers from BMW to Mercedes. Silicon Valley's biggest technology firms are also looking at the auto space. Google is currently testing its own vehicle while taxi app Uber poached researchers from Carnegie Mellon University to work on autonomous driving technology. At the same time, traditional carmakers are looking to fend off the threat. Earlier this year, a conglomerate of German carmakers bought Nokia's HERE mapping system which is seen as a key component of autonomous driving. Musk however admitted that a car would make sense for Apple. "But for Apple, the car is the next logical thing to finally offer a significant innovation. A new pencil or a bigger iPad alone were not relevant enough," Musk said.
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The US city in South Carolina announced the settlement of $6.5 million (5.76 million euros) on Thursday, after the council voted unaminously to approve the deal. Members of the victim's family were present at the time of the announcement. "This is a very difficult period for the Scott family," said Mayor Keith Summey in a written statement. "I know they are glad to have this part behind them so their healing process can continue." Scott, 50, was shot in the back five times by police officer Michael Slager on April 4 after fleeing a traffic stop. A person who happened to be present at the scene managed to capture the incident with a cell phone, and the footage, which showed Slager firing eight times as Scott fled, appeared to contradict the police officer's claim that Scott had accosted him. Slager, who was fired from the police force following his arrest, was charged with murder in June. He faces a possible life sentence. The death of Scott followed several other cases involving unarmed black men killed by police officers. On August 9, 2014, a white police officer named Darren Wilson shot and killed a black teenager named Michael Brown, setting off massive protests in the city of Ferguson, Missouri. Earlier that summer, another black man, Eric Garner, was killed when a New York police officer put him in a chokehold. The decision not to indict the the police officer in December set off similar protests. blc/msh (AFP, AP)
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ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Joe Maddon stepped to the podium spouting names of obscure Cardinals from the past. The Cubs manager is also a big fan of the game, and in particular an admirer of St. Louis' stature as one of major league baseball's jewel franchises with 11 World Series titles. Every time he comes to town, he finds a way to work Branch Rickey into the conversation, and the eve of the NL Division Series was no exception. Maddon spotted a photo of 1964 Cardinals World Series stalwarts and said he could name ''almost'' everybody. He wanted to meet Ed Spiezio, Phil Gagliano and Jerry Buchek, all long-ago St. Louis grinders, and he's pals with Tim McCarver and Mike Shannon. ''The whole group reeks of tremendous,'' the manager said. ''But right now I'm a Cub and hopefully will be a Cub for a long time.'' He's leading an intense, century-long rivalry to a whole new level, too. This will be the first postseason meeting between teams a convenient five-hour interstate drive apart, ensuring a vociferous presence for both sides no matter the stakes. Here's a sampling of some memorable moments, one of them quite recent: EYE FOR AN EYE: On Sept. 18, Maddon dispensed with the Cardinal Way admiration, instead labeling St. Louis a ''vigilante group'' after Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch thrown nearly behind him by Matt Belisle. Maddon viewed it as retaliation for Chicago's Dan Haren hitting Matt Holliday in the head with a pitch earlier in the game. Both teams downplayed the incident during the workout day Thursday. ''This time of year, you play teams as much as we play teams in our division, you're going to have times when, you know, whether it's just the competitive nature or whether it's tempers, whatever it is, it goes in a direction like that,'' Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. ''But for us, you know, that's in the past.'' SUMMER OF LOVE: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa slugged it out for the home run record in 1998, McGwire finishing with 70 and Sosa belting 66. In early September, McGwire broke Roger Maris' 38-year-old record with his 62nd of the season. The liner off Steve Trachsel, the shortest of McGwire's mostly mammoth clouts that season, curled over the left-field wall at old Busch Stadium. McGwire finished with 583 career homers, Sosa with 609, but tainted by steroids use, neither has gotten a sniff from the Hall of Fame. SANDBERG VS. SUTTER: In 1984, when the Game of the Week ruled on Saturday afternoon, Ryan Sandberg twice got the best of fellow future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter with a pair of late-inning tying homers at Wrigley. Sandberg's blasts helped boost a franchise that ended a 39-year postseason drought. Overshadowed by the Sandberg heroics, the Cardinals' Willie McGee hit for the cycle. WALKING MAN: In late September 2011, the Cardinals stayed alive in the NL wild-card race by keeping their bat on their shoulders. Carlos Marmol forced home the tying run with a bases-loaded walk to Ryan Theriot with two outs in the ninth and followed with a game-ending wild pitch, giving St. Louis a 2-1 victory over the Cubs. ''I know they're taking a lot of pitches,'' Marmol said. ''I have to throw strikes.'' St. Louis ended up winning the World Series in manager Tony La Russa's final season. R.I.P. DARRYL KILE: In 2002, a Cardinals-Cubs game was tearfully postponed after St. Louis ace Darryl Kile was found dead in a Chicago hotel room. The Cardinals advanced to the NL championship series, parading Kile's No. 57 jersey on the field after their successes. DUSTY VS. TONY: In 2003, La Russa and Cubs manager Dusty Baker engaged in a shouting match at Wrigley Field after an exchange of hit batsmen. After Haren, then pitching for St. Louis, plunked Cubs pitcher Matt Clement, Baker rushed the field and pointed angrily at the St. Louis dugout. SIMMONS VS. MADLOCK: There's a wild YouTube video detailing a brawl between Cardinals star catcher Ted Simmons and Cubs three-time batting champion Bill Madlock back in 1974. ''A lot of wacky moments at Wrigley,'' Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said. ''It's been fun playing against them, and it's my favorite place to play.'' Play, maybe. The amenities, even at the refurbished park, leave something to be desired. ''The facilities are absolutely terrible,'' Wainwright said. ''But it's hard to beat the Wrigley day-game atmosphere for a road game.''
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Talent at the inaugural Latin American Music Awards shared opinions about Republican president candidate Donald Trump, who described Mexican immigrants as "bringing drugs" and "rapists," while conceding "some, I assume, are good people."
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President Obama blasted Republican presidential candidates for "turning the clock back" on issues like immigration reform, as he gave the keynote speech at an awards dinner for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Declaring that America is better off than it was when he took office "by most measures," Obama questioned why "some folks are so down on America." "They have invented this new reality where everything was terrific back in 2008, when the unemployment and uninsured rates were rising and DREAMers lived in fear of deportation and [Osama] bin Laden was still at large," Obama said. "That was the golden era apparently, the good ole days. Then I came and messed it all up." He accused the GOP of wanting to turn the clock back furthest on immigration, noting that his predecessor, President George W. Bush, made immigration reform a top priority. And he implicitly chided Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a Republican presidential candidate, for abandoning immigration reform despite sponsoring the 2013 comprehensive reform bill in the Senate. "Some of the very same Republican politicians who championed immigration reform in the past, some of whom sponsored these efforts, suddenly they want nothing to do with it," he said. "That's not leadership, turning against what's right the moment the politics of your base gets tough." Obama's comments came at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's award's gala in Washington, about an hour after Hillary Clinton presented an award. A slew of Democratic politicians also addressed the CHCI during its public policy conference. The president took aim at Donald Trump for his controversial rhetoric and immigration platform, noting that "America's greatness does not come from building walls," and accused Republicans of sewing the seeds of "intolerance." "Leadership is not fanning the flames of intolerance and acting all surprised when a fire breaks out. Saying clearly inflammatory things and then saying 'that's not what I meant' until you do it again and again and again," he said. "The anti-immigrant sentiment that has infected our politics is not new but it is wrong. … Unless you are Navajo or Cherokee, somebody somewhere came from someplace else. "
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The resolution would provide UN approval, and possibly greater legitimacy, to the European naval mission launched this week to board, search and seize vessels in international waters suspected of trafficking migrants from Libya to Europe. The British-drafted resolution is not mandatory for Operation Sophia, launched on Wednesday, which involves warships from several European states. The EU hopes to dismantle the refugee trafficking networks, save lives and dissuade potential asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey on rickety boats. It is uncertain how veto-wielding Russia will vote. The country's UN ambassador earlier expressed concern over the resolution being drafted under chapter 7 of the UN charter, which authorizes the use of force. Moscow is wary of granting the naval mission too much authority and has demanded specific language in the resolution. Russia has accused the West of using a 2011 UN Security Council vote to protect civilians in Libya to back rebels and oustMoammar Gadhafi. That intervention destabilized Libya and helped foster the current refugee crisis and proliferation of human traffickers. Several African nations and Venezuela on the 15 member security council also opposed the European plan due to initial objections from Libya. However, that opposition appears to have to have dissipated after Britain submitted a letter on Tuesday showing Libya's internationally recognized government giving its support. The resolution covers the second phase of a three phase plan that could eventually see European warships intercepting and seizing boats in Libyan territorial waters. That would require the permission of Libya's government. Europe is also pinning its hopes on Libya's warring factions implementing an agreement reached on Thursday to form a national unity government that would help stabilize the country. The EU has committed to provide financial and political support to the new government if the agreement is implemented. More than 500,000 migrants have taken the dangerous sea journey to reach Europe this year, while thousands have died.
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The inaugural Latin American Music Awards crowned its first winners on Thursday with Enrique Iglesias and Nicky Jam Win taking home top honors. Celebrating the most influential and iconic Latin artists as voted by the fans in the traditional format of the American Music Awards, the show was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and aired live on Telemundo. Iglesias walked away with five wins, including the coveted artist of the year and favorite male artist awards, with Jam coming in second with three awards. The pair's collaboration, "El Perdón (Forgiveness)," won single of the year, song of the year, favorite collaboration and favorite streaming song. Demi Lovato was also recognized and named Favorite Crossover Artist. SAG-AFTRA announced last month that it was boycotting the Latin AMAs. According to an alert sent to union members, awards-show producer SOMOS Productions had not signed a contract with SAG-AFTRA. Union rules bar members from accepting any employment with a producer who is not covered by a SAG-AFTRA contract. In the case of the awards show, that would include work as a host, singer, dancer or presenter. See the complete list of winners below. Artist of the year Enrique Iglesias Song of the Year "El Perdón" - Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias Album of the Year "A Quién Quiera Escuchar" - Ricky Martin Favorite Female Artist Gloria Trevi New Artist of the Year J Balvin Favorite Collaboration "El Perdón" - Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias Favorite Streaming Song "El Perdón" - Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias Favorite Male Artist - Pop/Rock Enrique Iglesias Favorite Song-Pop/Rock "La Mordidita" - Ricky Martin Feat. Yotuel Favorite Duo or Group-Pop/Rock Camila Favorite Male Artist-Urban Daddy Yankee Favorite Song-Urban "Sígueme y te Sigo" - Daddy Yankee Favorite Duo or Group-Urban Gente de Zona Favorite Artist-Tropical Romeo Santos Favorite Song-Tropical "La Gozadera" - Gente de Zona Feat. Marc Anthony Favorite Male Artist-Regional Mexican Luis Coronel Favorite Song-Regional Mexican Y Así Fue" - Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda Favorite Duo or Group-Regional Mexican Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda Favorite Crossover Artist Demi Lovato Favorite Dance Song "I Want You To Know" - Zedd Feat. Selena Gomez
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Oli Scarff/Getty Images A heavyweight new campaign group calling for Britain to leave the European Union launched on Friday with support from Tory, Labour, Green, and UKIP politicians and top political donors. Vote Leave has support from millionaire Labour donor John Mills, who founded JML, as well as Stuart Wheeler, a major Conservative donor before he joined UKIP as treasurer. Other prominent business backers include Phones4U founder John Caudwell, Reebok founder Joe Foster, Numis Securities CEO Oliver Hemsley, Patisserie Valerie chairman Luke Johnson, and Crispin Odey, boss of leading hedge fund Odey Asset Management. Politicians and campaigners from all ends of the political spectrum are also linked to the campaign, including: Tory defector turned UKIP MP Douglas Carswell; Conservative MP Steve Baker; the Labour Leave group; and Green Party London Assembly member Jenny Jones. The campaign's two big arguments are that the UK should end the supremacy of EU law over domestic law and that by leaving the EU Britain could save money that could be invested in things like the NHS. David Cameron promised an "in or out" referendum on Europe by 2017 as part of his reelection campaign earlier this year. The official line of both the Tory and Labour parties is that they want Britain to remain in Europe and the Prime Minister is trying to renegotiate the UK's relationship to Europe to strengthen his case. But Vote Leave is likely to worry Westminster given the cross-party support the group has drummed up and the deep pockets of its backers. The BBC reports that Vote Leave is planning to spend at least £20 million on the campaign, around half the total the Conservative Party spent in the year leading up to May's election. The Independent reports that there is growing nervousness in the pro-EU camp. The paper quotes an anonymous former Conservative minister as saying: "We could well lose the referendum I am under no illusion about that."
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Cue that awkward point in your life when most of your friends have had their first loves by 18 and you still have yet to find one person you're interested in. For the ladies who can relate, you weren't single because you couldn't snag someone; you were simply holding out for someone better, someone you could really connect with . You didn't want to waste time with the might-have-beens, the jerks, or the players - reasons I actively avoided dating in middle school and even high school. Although many people would argue you have to date around to truly discover what you want, I can confidently say when you know, you know. And if you're the more guarded and picky type like I am, finding that special someone could take some time, but it's completely worth it. For me, the "I want to date this guy" moment didn't happen until sophomore year of college, when I was 20. Even though it was my first-ever relationship, I didn't put any pressure on it and instead just rolled with it. I've come to realize there are probably a lot of women out there who haven't dated anyone until their early or even late 20s, and that's OK. We're still young - what's the rush? In fact, going on your first date as a 20-something is way more exciting. My boyfriend is still the only guy I've ever dated. We've been together for three years now, and these are some lessons I've learned along the way. You are never too late to the game. There will always be potential partners and you'll feel satisfied knowing you can still get the same butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling at any age. Your friends will be ECSTATIC. They've probably been trying to set you up forever and could not be more happy for you (or fiercely protective). Dating after high school is so much better. People are a little more mature and you avoided the whole moving-away-to-different-colleges scenario most high school sweethearts face. He could be the one, but no worries if he isn't. Your 20s are meant for exploring all types of relationships, but it's also nice knowing your first SO could be your last. You'll have less baggage. You'll be proud you didn't hand your heart to just anyone. You'll have fewer sexual and emotional regrets. Compared to other 20-somethings, you'll be hitting the clubs and lounges a lot less. And if you do go out, you don't have to worry about strange people buying you drinks. Your partner's got it. Dates involve a lot more than hanging out at the mall or watching a movie. Your first date will most likely be a dinner or some fun activity where you can actually have a conversation. Conversations are more interesting. You have more to talk about, like future goals or school if you're both still in college. Others have paved the way (and that's a good thing). Watching your BFFs go through highs and lows in their own relationships will have given you greater perspective of what you want in your own love life. Meeting the family won't be as awkward. You'll have more intelligent things to say than just a simple "hey" before you retreat to your SO's room. Big moments are more special. Your one-year anniversary will be extra special because it's your first ever. Dating someone with more experience is actually a plus. Dating someone with more relationship experience will help you both grow as a couple. You'll have better perspective. Even at your most stubborn moments during fights, you can take a step back to look at the bigger picture and try not to let your emotions get the best of your relationship. You've learned patience. You have mastered the art of taking life at your own pace, which is especially hard given some of your friends are starting to become engaged or on partner number three. It can be tricky to juggle your first relationship with school or a burgeoning career, but that's OK. Part of the fun though is figuring this stuff out in your crazy 20s. Being picky is not a terrible trait to have, despite what others may say. If you waited this long for a guy, chances are you picked a good one. You have more freedom when you're dating as an adult. Not having to deal with parental curfews is a major plus to going on dates at night. Most importantly, you FINALLY have an automatic partner for anything you want to do in life. And obviously, they can't say no.
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According to celebuzz.com, Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter to stand up for Justin Bieber after naked photos of him while on vacation in Bora Bora surfaced. Teigen expressed her disgust for the paparazzi by tweeting "No one is ever disgusted by the pig who preys on, photographs and sells pictures of someone naked. Just the celebrity for being naked. Ok." Bieber was amongst the people to favorite the tweet. However, he has yet to make a statement about the nude pictures which are mostly censored but still available some places on the internet.
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Pregnant women will do some interesting things. If you find yourself doing one (or all) of these, then welcome to the club. It's normal! Kind of. 8 Things Only Pregnant Women Do Pregnant women will do some interesting things. If you find yourself doing one (or all) of these, then welcome to the club. It's normal! Kind of. Follow us on Twitter. 1. Stare at people with strollers Yes, it's creepy and the people you are staring at are probably slightly uncomfortable, but you can't help yourself. You're just shopping around, and there's nothing like seeing the real thing in action. It's basically like buying a new car , after all. Follow us on Twitter. 2. Pee every 20 minutes Sometimes even more often. You know you're on a trip with a pregnant woman when visits to the bathroom are the most frequent thing that happens. Follow us on Twitter. 3. Cry over food Whether someone ate your leftovers, the restaurant got your order wrong or you simply can't have what you are craving more than anything, the tears will come. And you will feel like the dumbest person ever for it, but you can't stop them. It's okay. We've all been there. Follow us on Twitter. 4. Fall asleep in the strangest places When you're pregnant, you're extra tired and you may find yourself falling asleep easily and literally everywhere. In the car, on the couch, waiting in the doctor's office, at the dinner table. I say, get those Z's in when you can! Soon enough they'll be a distant memory. You promise, you're not trying to break in. You're just checking out the car seat. Follow us on Twitter. 5. Ask complete strangers about their diaper bag I mean, it's cute and you want to know if they recommend it. Just stop short of asking them to look inside. Follow us on Twitter. 6. Stare at babies. Whenever you see a baby, you can't help but stare and smile and daydream about your own soon-to-be bundle of joy. You don't mean to be a creep, you just literally cannot help but stare at all of the babies. Follow us on Twitter. 7. Peek in car windows. You promise, you're not trying to break in. You're just checking out the car seat. Follow us on Twitter. 8. Read birth stories like it's your job You like to be prepared, and this is the biggest and scariest thing you may ever do. It's only natural to want to know what you're getting into. So you read all of the birth stories you can get your hands on. You probably even have a whole folder of bookmarks. Follow us on Twitter.
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I'm an immigrant, but I'm not a monster!
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Bollywood stars have always been trendsetters in India. Lately, the likes of Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan have motivated several Indian men to achieve waxed torsos and chiseled six packs. But there was a time when Bollywood's leading men were known for their thick chest hair and generous midriffs. What if these superstars of yesteryears arrived on Tinder? What kind of profile pictures would they use, and what would their Tinder bio look like? Inspired by a Buzzfeed post, Abhishek Das, a Bengaluru-based graphic designer, has created Tinder profiles for several Bollywood male stars from the 80s and 90s. These (fake) Tinder profiles celebrate everything the era was known for copious body hair, flashy clothes, bizarre hairstyles, et al. For each actor, Das, 23, has handpicked a photo, written a bio and selected a location (gym in the case of Sunil Shetty). The interests for each actor are related to their famous on-screen roles (for instance, badminton for Jeetendra). Here is a look at Tinder trapped in another era:
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A pair of goals in barely a minute stunned Argentina as Ecuador claimed a remarkable 2-0 victory in World Cup qualifying on Thursday. The match appeared to be petering out to a draw in Buenos Aires until Frickson Erazo and Felipe Caicedo struck with nine minutes remaining. Ecuador had chances throughout in the Argentine capital but only managed to break the deadlock in the 81st minute, when center back Erazo headed past Sergio Romero. Caicedo then sealed the three points just seconds later, capping a swift counter-attacking move with a side-footed effort beyond Romero as Ecuador triumphed in Argentina for the first time in its history. The defeat came as a double blow to Copa America finalist Argentina - already missing captain Lionel Messi - after losing Sergio Aguero to an apparent hamstring injury in the first half. Aguero was stretchered off the field and replaced by Carlos Tevez after chasing down Gabriel Achilier in the 19th minute. Ecuador started brightly and had a great chance to take the lead in the 10th minute. Antonio Valencia broke into space just outside the box, but his delivery across the penalty box to pick out the unmarked Jefferson Montero was overhit. At the other end, Argentina went close but not close enough in the 17th minute. Alexander Dominguez was forced into a save by Angel Correa and the former then produced a finger-tip save to deny Aguero from close range after Angel di Maria teed up his teammate. That proved to be Aguero's last bit of action as he was carted from the field two minutes later. Aguero clutched at his left hamstring and signaled to the bench after chasing down Achilier. Ecuador continued to be a threat on the counter-attack in the first half, though it spurned another opportunity to hit the front approaching the half-hour mark, when Miller Bolanos fired over from the edge of the area following Valencia's cutback. It was more of the same after the interval, with Ecuador wasting yet another chance to break the deadlock in the 58th minute. Lucas Biglia slipped in the middle of the field and Christian Noboa pounced and found himself in space outside the box but his chipped effort sailed wide of the post. Argentina had opportunities in quick succession from the 67th minute, though neither Javier Mascherano nor Di Maria found the back of the net. Mascherano linked up with Tevez inside the area but the outstretched Barcelona midfielder was unable to guide the pall beyond Dominguez, while Di Maria's attempted chip was dealt with. Argentina was then made to pay as a flick on from Segundo Castillo fell to Erazo, who stooped low to head past Romero with nine minutes remaining. And it got better for Ecuador just seconds later as Valencia sprinted into the box and passed the ball to Caicedo, who made no mistake from close range.
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Taylor Swift proved she is really is the princess of social media on Thursday by reaching the impressive milestone of 50 million Instagram followers, topping both Kim Kardashian and Beyonce. In fact, the number of people following Swift's whimsical musings and fluffy cat photos is now larger than the population of many countries, including Canada, Australia and Spain. "50 million followers! Thanks so much guys. I'm pretty sure this is just because I have cute cats though," Swift told her fans. Kardashian is next in line with 48.4 million followers, while Beyonce Knowles rocks in with 47.5 million, partially due to her adorable family photos with Jay Z and Blue Ivy. Having won the summer with her sell-out 1989 tour and taking down Apple with a biting letter on her Tumblr page, the "Bad Blood" singer is now set to dominate the onset of fall by appearing on her first GQ cover. Swift shared the smoldering photo on Instagram Thursday morning -- and by that evening had already earned 1.1 million likes for it. "If you don't take Swift seriously, you don't take contemporary music seriously," writer Chuck Klosterman says in the accompanying article. "There's simply no antecedent for this kind of career: a cross-genre, youth-oriented, critically acclaimed colossus based entirely on the intuitive songwriting merits of a single female artist."
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The comparison of LeBron James to Michael Jordan has been an ongoing debate for roughly five years now, and it's one that may never end. Jordan is the G.O.A.T., as he won six NBA championships and garnered Finals MVP honors in each of those seasons. He averaged over 30 points per game during the course of his NBA career, and many would agree that he was the most clutch player in the league's history. The former Bulls superstar played his final game in April 2003. Coincidentally, only three months later, James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many agree that James has been the most dominant player in the league since that time. But is he in Jordan's class? James thinks so. Check out what he recently said in an interview with GQ Magazine. "When I was a kid and I used to see guys wear MJ's shoes when they played against MJ I'm like, 'Oh, MJ got a little mental edge over those guys,'" James said . "So, for me, now being in that MJ class, if he's not a real brother of mine, if you're just a guy that's just like, you actually just go to Foot Locker or somewhere, you just get a pair of 'Brons and you want to wear them on a Tuesday night vs. me? I'm gonna bust your a . Straight up." You see how he cleverly snuck that tidbit in there? The interview was supposed to be about sneakers, but he managed to work a Jordan comparison in there. Sorry, LeBron, but this writer does not believe you're in the same class as the G.O.A.T., who played one level above every other player in NBA history. If James manages to win at least two more rings, we can revisit the conversation at that time. But until then, Jordan remains on a level that no other player has played at throughout an entire career. One thing James has never lacked is confidence, that's for sure.
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sports
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PHOENIX (AP) There comes a time in the fantasy football season where you just have to let go. Not let go in the sense of abandoning hope of winning a championship (that never ends), but moving on from mid-round (and sometimes high) draft picks that just aren't panning out. It's especially crucial as bye weeks deplete your lineup and you need to create room on your roster. So in the spirit of moving on, this week's installment of fantasy plays is going to take a different tack from columns that offer a spate of roster add recommendations. We are going to offer up five players you should drop. LAMAR MILLER He was a third-round pick in many leagues and a solid top-40 overall player in most preseason rankings. It was supposed to be a glorious year for Miller and the Dolphins after the team spent heavily in free agency in the offseason. The result through four games? The coach is gone and Miller has 131 yards and no touchdowns. It is possible that he gets on track as the season goes on, but it's looking like a long year and you would need to have serious problems with your lineup to justify a start for Miller. GOLDEN TATE Tate had a career year in 2014 by eclipsing 1,300 yards. But that is looking like an aberration, and his stats this season are tracking more closely to his numbers in the rest of his career. He is on pace for a finish of about 800 yards. He also hasn't scored a touchdown yet and remember, he only scored four times last season during his breakout year. Definitely a candidate to drop. CHARLES JOHNSON The Minnesota wideout came into the season with lofty expectations after a solid 2014 and earning rave reviews from offensive coordinator Norv Turner in the offseason. He has been nonexistent through four games, mostly the result of injury. He is expected to return after Minnesota's bye. JORDAN CAMERON We've already established that the Dolphins are a mess, and Cameron is one of those players who haven't held up his end of the bargain for Miami. He has 170 yards and no touchdowns. Tight ends are a nice commodity during bye weeks and his numbers aren't horrible compared to his counterparts at the position. But it's going to be tough to give him a start. 30-SOMETHING VETS Roddy White has not enjoyed in Atlanta's resurgence, with only 92 yards on the year. He is also apparently unhappy about his limited role. This is an explosive team, so there are opportunities for him to rebound. I had intended to include Andre Johnson after his poor start for Indy, but he turned around and delivered a great Thursday night performance for the Colts. The lesson: These moves can backfire but sometimes you have to make them.
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WASHINGTON President Obama this year defined his approach to crises like the civil war in Syria as "strategic patience and persistence." But with Russian jets and missiles now rocketing through the skies over Syria, what he calls patience looks to many critics like paralysis. Whatever it is called, Mr. Obama's advisers say there is little they can do to change the situation in the near term. Proposals are being drafted for meetings in coming days, but Mr. Obama has made clear he is not willing to confront the Russians and risk an escalation, nor does he have a broad new strategy to resolve the conflict or defeat the Islamic State . "There isn't a solution at this point that they're going to get done on their watch," said Michael McFaul, a former White House adviser to Mr. Obama who later served as ambassador to Russia before returning to Stanford University. "They're just going to contain it." Mr. Obama views suggestions for more robust action as a prescription for disaster. His advisers are exploring whether anything can be done to protect Syrian opposition allies targeted by Russian forces, but they are unwilling to provide defensive arms to use against Russian warplanes. Obama advisers concede they may be able to help their allies cope with the Russian bombing only after the fact. Sign Up For NYT Now's Morning Briefing Newsletter Instead, they have been left to puzzle out the Rubik's Cube of Middle East politics in which the move of each interlocking part seems to put a coherent solution even further out of reach. Every day seems to make clearer just how unclear the lines are, a point illustrated once again on Thursday when Russian cruise missiles fired at Syrian targets crashed in Iran instead. As a result, advisers said Mr. Obama may have to essentially wait out Russia's intervention. Frustrated by their own inability to resolve the crisis over more than four years, the president and his team express a quiet confidence that Moscow almost certainly will be no more successful. While the Kremlin may seem to have seized the initiative, the White House has concluded that Russia actually has ensnared itself in a tribal struggle that will defy its power just as it has Washington's. But Mr. Obama's team harbors little illusion that the Syrian conflict will be resolved by the time he leaves office in 15 months. That does not mean that Mr. Obama will not authorize changes in tactics on the ground. The administration is moving forward with plans to put fresh pressure on Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State, by providing ammunition and perhaps weapons to Syrian opposition forces and increasing airstrikes there. But it remained unclear whether that would shift the overall balance on the battlefield. In the year since Mr. Obama authorized a military campaign against the Islamic State, the United States has conducted more than 7,300 airstrikes against the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, yet it still controls broad swaths of both countries. The layers of complexity are hard to unravel. In Iraq, the United States finds itself on the same side as Iran in fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, but on opposite sides in Syria over the fate of President Bashar al-Assad , an ally of Tehran whom Mr. Obama has demanded step down. The United States has resisted military action against Mr. Assad, pressing its allies to focus instead on the Islamic State inside Syria, even as Sunni Arab states like Saudi Arabia want to topple the government. Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, made the case that the United States is in a box of its own creation. "You have allies who do not want to undercut ISIS because it will strengthen the center government," he told reporters while in New York for the United Nations session. "The U.S. is not capable of fighting ISIS because of the concerns its allies have that this will strengthen a government they find unacceptable." Mr. Obama agreed at a news conference last week that one reason his program of training moderate Syrian rebels to take on the Islamic State had failed was because those fighters were more interested in removing Mr. Assad, who has been waging war against his own population. But the White House argues that in deciding to bolster Mr. Assad, Russia is lengthening the conflict because it is not distinguishing between the Islamic State and less radical opposition groups as it bombs those fighting the government. "Russia's efforts to counter the moderate Syrian opposition only make it harder for members of the moderate Syrian opposition to step forward and participate in a political transition that even Russia acknowledges will be necessary to solve the problem inside of Syria," Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said. Moderate rebels under attack by Russia, he added, "might make common cause with extremists, only exacerbating the extremist problem inside of Syria." Irrespective of Moscow's intervention, Mr. Earnest said that the United States would continue its efforts to destroy the Islamic State, noting that America and its allies have conducted 34 strikes against the group in the week since Russia began its operations in Syria. Administration officials privately said they did not want to let their strategic objectives be driven by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Their top priority is to avoid an accidental clash between Russian and American aircraft in the skies over Syria, a prospect that deeply worries Pentagon officials. But American officials hold out little hope of being able to deter Russia from continuing its military operations in Syria or of being able to raise the political or economic cost high enough to stop them. At the same time, some officials dismiss what they call wishful thinking that the United States and Russia could come to some agreement on the way forward. So they wait for Russia to bog down the way it did in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Critics of the Obama administration have pointed to missed opportunities over the four years of the Syrian civil war. They argue that Mr. Obama should have armed pro-American rebels much earlier and either should never have drawn a "red line" warning against the use of chemical weapons or followed through on his threat to launch missile strikes against Mr. Assad for violating it. Mr. Obama's advisers said even if those decisions were wrong in hindsight, that does not help at this point. "We own both of those mistakes," Mr. McFaul said. "But that doesn't mean you have the solution for today. Rethinking those mistakes doesn't give you the solution for the moment that we're in today."
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news
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Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. may give fans another chance to watch a fight they don't really care to see a second time. Pacquiao, who recently announced his plans to run for the senate in the Philippines, told AFP that he has been in talks about a fight with Amir Khan and a rematch with Floyd Mayweather. The Filipino boxer is 57-6-2 and coming off a unanimous decision loss to Mayweather in May. "I will fight anybody, anywhere," he said via AFP. "I am going to fight probably before the election. "The election is coming next year, May, and before that I will probably have one fight." Pac-Man, 36, says his opponent will be finalized in November or December. Previously his promoter Bob Arum said they were considering Juan Manuel Marquez, Kell Brook, and the winner of the Timothy Bradley-Brandon Rios fight as potential opponents. Spoke to @BobArum after the fight. He said the Pacquiao pool includes @AmirKingKhan Marquez, Brook and the Bradley-Rios winner. Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) October 4, 2015 Though Pacquiao reportedly said he has talked with Mayweather about a rematch, we wouldn't hold our breaths on seeing one. For one, Mayweather said he was retiring after winning his last fight to make him 49-0, though many do not believe that was his last bout. Secondly, Pacquiao is aiming to fight in March or early April because he also has to be mindful about his senate campaign. Mayweather has strictly fought on a May/September schedule since 2009. It's highly unlikely he would alter the schedule he has kept for years just to fit Pacquiao's schedule. Lastly, Arum told Yahoo that he has not had talks with Mayweather and considers the boxer retired. Ultimately we would expect Pacquiao to end up facing Khan, and the two could commiserate about how difficult it is to deal with Mayweather .
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Our data experts created a Retirement Index for every county across the U.S. based on five factors scaled from 1-100. The Best Retirement Communities in Every State Looking to settle down, empty nesters? Choosing a place to retire sounds easy everyone has a dream city where they've always wanted to live. Sometimes, though, it isn't as simple as packing up and moving to that beachfront property you've always dreamt of. And maybe it shouldn't be. After all, retirement will (hopefully) represent a big chunk of your lifetime. It's important to live somewhere that satisfies all your care, community and transportation needs while still having enough culture and entertainment options to keep you happy. FindTheHome has you covered in your search for "happily ever after." The site's data experts created a Retirement Index for every county across the U.S. based on five factors scaled from 1-100. Care Score (quality of local hospitals, nursing homes and home health centers) Entertainment Score (amount of universities, recreational facilities, libraries and parks per capita) Convenience/Transportation Score (WalkIQ and grocery stores/restaurants per capita) Community Score (high percentage of population over age 65 with college degrees) Housing Score (market health score, median sale price, HPI forecast, high percentage of properties with rent under $1,500/month) This list contains the community in every state with the best Retirement Index. The states are ordered from the lowest score to the highest score. Unsurprisingly, the top community is in Florida. But there are several surprising entries in the top five, including one Orange County that's not in California. No. 50: Van Buren County, Arkansas Population: 17,147 Most Populous City: Clinton Retirement Index: 88.31 Care Score: 30.2 Housing Score: 76.5 Convenience Score: 84.4 Entertainment Score: 65.8 Community Score: 29.8 No. 49: Yankton County, South Dakota Population: 22,518 Most Populous City: Yankton Retirement Index: 88.82 Care Score: 87.4 Housing Score: 40.6 Convenience Score: 77.4 Entertainment Score: 44.9 Community Score: 81.1 No. 48: Sussex County, Delaware Population: 200,632 Most Populous City: Milford Retirement Index: 89.15 Care Score: 28.3Housing Score: 81.4 Convenience Score: 85.7 Entertainment Score: 55.9 Community Score: 81.4 No. 47: Juneau City and Borough, Alaska Population: 31,897 Most Populous City: Juneau Retirement Index: 89.39 Care Score: 25.3 Housing Score: 85.1 Convenience Score: 88.2 Entertainment Score: 53.5 Community Score: 81.6 No. 46: Madison County, Alabama Population: 339,279 Most Populous City: Huntsville Retirement Index: 89.47 Care Score: 31.9 Housing Score: 85.8 Convenience Score: 89.2 Entertainment Score: 40.2 Community Score: 82.7 No. 45: Lowndes County, Mississippi Population: 59,746 Most Populous City: Columbus Retirement Index: 90.44 Care Score: 83.5 Housing Score: 61.5 Convenience Score: 82.4 Entertainment Score: 56.3 Community Score: 79.9 No. 44: Yavapai County, Arizona Population: 211,968 Most Populous City: Prescott Retirement Index: 91.71 Care Score: 25.7 Housing Score: 91.6 Convenience Score: 93.5 Entertainment Score: 61.5 Community Score: 82.4 No. 43: Fairfield County, Connecticut Population: 926,233 Most Populous City: Bridgeport Retirement Index: 91.76 Care Score: 29.9 Housing Score: 83.3 Convenience Score: 86.6 Entertainment Score: 63.7 Community Score: 83.9 No. 42: Lincoln Parish, Louisiana Population: 46,926 Most Populous City: Ruston Retirement Index: 92.17 Care Score: 78.4 Housing Score: 67.9 Convenience Score: 83.0 Entertainment Score: 51.5 Community Score: 81.9 No. 41: Washoe County, Nevada Population: 425,495 Most Populous City: Reno Retirement Index: 93.24 Care Score: 86.3 Housing Score: 85.2 Convenience Score: 88.6 Entertainment Score: 42.0 Community Score: 80.7 No. 40: Box Elder County, Utah Population: 50,160 Most Populous City: Brigham CityRetirement Index: 93.26 Care Score: 88.3 Housing Score: 85.8 Convenience Score: 89.3 Entertainment Score: 54.9 Community Score: 79.2 No. 39: Routt County, Colorado Population: 23,409 Most Populous City: Steamboat Springs Retirement Index: 94.15 Care Score: 40.5 Housing Score: 85.1 Convenience Score: 88.6 Entertainment Score: 76.0 Community Score: 83.7 No. 38: Ada County, Idaho Population: 401,673 Most Populous City: Boise Retirement Index: 94.16 Care Score: 93.5 Housing Score: 83.4 Convenience Score: 87.2 Entertainment Score: 36.6 Community Score: 82.0 No. 37: Monongalia County, West Virginia Population: 98,483 Most Populous City: Morgantown Retirement Index: 94.63 Care Score: 87.6 Housing Score: 72.5 Convenience Score: 83.6 Entertainment Score: 60.7 Community Score: 82.2 No. 36: Payne County, Oklahoma Population: 77,897 Most Populous City: Stillwater Retirement Index: 94.77 Care Score: 82.6 Housing Score: 82.8 Convenience Score: 86.9 Entertainment Score: 55.2 Community Score: 81.9 No. 35: Kauai County, Hawaii Population: 67,872 Most Populous City: Kapaa Retirement Index: 94.87 Care Score: 84.6 Housing Score: 83.8 Convenience Score: 86.3 Entertainment Score: 63.3 Community Score: 81.0 No. 34: Grand Forks County, North Dakota Population: 67,357 Most Populous City: Grand Forks Retirement Index: 95.16 Care Score: 85.4 Housing Score: 84.0 Convenience Score: 87.6 Entertainment Score: 59.1 Community Score: 81.3 No. 33: Otoe County, Nebraska Population: 15,727 Most Populous City: Nebraska City Retirement Index: 95.19 Care Score: 88.1 Housing Score: 80.4 Convenience Score: 85.1 Entertainment Score: 64.7 Community Score: 81.2 No. 32: Fayette County, Kentucky Population: 300,843 Most Populous City: Lexington-Fayette Retirement Index: 95.22 Care Score: 90.6 Housing Score: 83.6 Convenience Score: 87.5 Entertainment Score: 46.2 Community Score: 82.7 No. 31: Ramsey County, Minnesota Population: 515,732 Most Populous City: St. Paul Retirement Index: 95.70 Care Score: 95.1 Housing Score: 83.4 Convenience Score: 87.3 Entertainment Score: 46.3 Community Score: 82.8 No. 30: Sangamon County, Illinois Population: 198,269 Most Populous City: Springfield Retirement Index: 95.72 Care Score: 89.9 Housing Score: 85.3 Convenience Score: 88.8 Entertainment Score: 53.4 Community Score: 82.0 No. 29: Los Alamos County, New Mexico Population: 17,979 Most Populous City: Los Alamos Retirement Index: 95.88 Care Score: 83.0 Housing Score: 85.4 Convenience Score: 88.6 Entertainment Score: 42.6 Community Score: 87.7 No. 28: Glynn County, Georgia Population: 80,280 Most Populous City: Brunswick Retirement Index: 95.99 Care Score: 83.2 Housing Score: 85.3 Convenience Score: 88.6 Entertainment Score: 70.5 Community Score: 81.1 No. 27: Lincoln County, Maine Population: 34,297 Most Populous City: Wiscasset Retirement Index: 96.06 Care Score: 84.6 Housing Score: 79.0 Convenience Score: 84.2 Entertainment Score: 64.1 Community Score: 83.5 No. 26: Williamson County, Tennessee Population: 188,935 Most Populous City: Franklin Retirement Index: 96.17 Care Score: 90.9 Housing Score: 80.4 Convenience Score: 84.0 Entertainment Score: 50.1 Community Score: 84.8 No. 25: Llano County, Texas Population: 19,223 Most Populous City: Kingsland Retirement Index: 96.23 Care Score: 82.5 Housing Score: 80.2 Convenience Score: 84.8 Entertainment Score: 63.7 Community Score: 83.9 No. 24: Gallatin County, Montana Population: 91,499 Most Populous City: Bozeman Retirement Index: 96.50 Care Score: 91.5 Housing Score: 83.4 Convenience Score: 87.0 Entertainment Score: 54.2 Community Score: 83.3 No. 23: Boone County, Missouri Population: 165,776 Most Populous City: Columbia Retirement Index: 96.54 Care Score: 91.7 Housing Score: 84.8 Convenience Score: 88.4 Entertainment Score: 50.6 Community Score: 83.7 No. 22: Hamilton County, Ohio Population: 802,481 Most Populous City: Cincinnati Retirement Index: 96.75 Care Score: 88.9 Housing Score: 80.2 Convenience Score: 84.8 Entertainment Score: 73.9 Community Score: 82.1 No. 21: Windham County, Vermont Population: 44,216 Most Populous City: Brattleboro Retirement Index: 96.79 Care Score: 84.7 Housing Score: 76.3 Convenience Score: 83.8 Entertainment Score: 80.0 Community Score: 82.6 No. 20: Dane County, Wisconsin Population: 496,762 Most Populous City: Madison Retirement Index: 96.86 Care Score: 90.8 Housing Score: 84.0 Convenience Score: 87.8 Entertainment Score: 55.9 Community Score: 83.8 No. 19: Teton County, Wyoming Population: 21,575 Most Populous City: Jackson Retirement Index: 96.93 Care Score: 86.8 Housing Score: 72.8 Convenience Score: 82.9 Entertainment Score: 75.0 Community Score: 84.0 No. 18: San Francisco County, California Population: 817,501 Most Populous City: San Francisco Retirement Index: 96.99 Care Score: 89.6 Housing Score: 88.6 Convenience Score: 90.3 Entertainment Score: 44.6 Community Score: 85.1 No. 17: Talbot County, Maryland Population: 37,859 Most Populous City: Easton Retirement Index: 97.10 Care Score: 93.4 Housing Score: 83.1 Convenience Score: 87.2 Entertainment Score: 56.7 Community Score: 83.9 No. 16: Montgomery County, Pennslyvania Population: 989,474 Most Populous City: Germantown Retirement Index: 96.14 Care Score: 91.0 Housing Score: 83.2 Convenience Score: 85.7 Entertainment Score: 43.8 Community Score: 86.0 No. 15: Johnson County, Iowa Population: 134,034 Most Populous City: Iowa City Retirement Index: 97.38 Care Score: 94.7 Housing Score: 85.3 Convenience Score: 88.8 Entertainment Score: 52.4 Community Score: 84.3 No. 14: Westchester County, New York Population: 956,283 Most Populous City: Yonkers Retirement Index: 97.38 Care Score: 88.0 Housing Score: 82.3 Convenience Score: 85.8 Entertainment Score: 64.7 Community Score: 84.3 No. 13: Benton County, Oregon Population: 85,989 Most Populous City: Corvallis Retirement Index: 97.45 Care Score: 77.7 Housing Score: 89.2 Convenience Score: 91.8 Entertainment Score: 60.5 Community Score: 84.7 No. 12: Morris County, New Jersey Population: 495,261 Most Populous City: Morristown Retirement Index: 97.46 Care Score: 93.2 Housing Score: 82.8 Convenience Score: 86.2 Entertainment Score: 56.2 Community Score: 85.0 No. 11: Douglas County, Kansas Population: 112,210 Most Populous City: Lawrence Retirement Index: 97.72 Care Score: 92.0 Housing Score: 82.5 Convenience Score: 86.7 Entertainment Score: 64.6 Community Score: 84.0 No. 10: Albemarle County, Virginia Population: 100,636 Most Populous City: Hollymead Retirement Index: 97.72 Care Score: 87.5 Housing Score: 83.9 Convenience Score: 87.7 Entertainment Score: 61.6 Community Score: 85.5 No. 9: Hamilton County, Indiana Population: 282,977 Most Populous City: Carmel Retirement Index: 97.72 Care Score: 88.8 Housing Score: 83.3 Convenience Score: 87.0 Entertainment Score: 62.0 Community Score: 85.1 No. 8: Jefferson County, Washington Population: 29,882 Most Populous City: Port Townsend Retirement Index: 97.89 Care Score: 85.1 Housing Score: 86.8 Convenience Score: 90.0 Entertainment Score: 61.0 Community Score: 84.9 No. 7: Newport County, Rhode Island Population: 82,545 Most Populous City: Newport East Retirement Index: 98.21 Care Score: 94.7 Housing Score: 84.6 Convenience Score: 87.3 Entertainment Score: 60.8 Community Score: 84.5 No. 6: Washtenaw County, Michigan Population: 348,560 Most Populous City: Ann Arbor Retirement Index: 98.30 Care Score: 92.9 Housing Score: 85.6 Convenience Score: 88.8 Entertainment Score: 61.5 Community Score: 84.6 No. 5: Grafton County, New Hampshire Population: 89,166 Most Populous City: Lebanon Retirement Index: 98.39 Care Score: 81.7 Housing Score: 86.6 Convenience Score: 89.8 Entertainment Score: 80.0 Community Score: 83.3 No. 4: Beaufort County, South Carolina Population: 165,354 Most Populous City: Hilton Head Island Retirement Index: 98.40 Care Score: 85.3 Housing Score: 81.8 Convenience Score: 85.6 Entertainment Score: 80.0 Community Score: 84.2 No. 3: Orange County, North Carolina Population: 136,057 Most Populous City: Chapel Hill Retirement Index: 98.61 Care Score: 95.0 Housing Score: 83.8 Convenience Score: 87.5 Entertainment Score: 64.0 Community Score: 85.3 No. 2: Barnstable County, Massachusetts Population: 215,449 Most Populous City: Barnstable Retirement Index: 99.06 Care Score: 90.7 Housing Score: 85.7 Convenience Score: 88.9 Entertainment Score: 69.8 Community Score: 84.9 No. 1: Martin County, Florida Population: 147,786 Most Populous City: Palm City Retirement Index: 100.00 Care Score: 92.5 Housing Score: 93.8 Convenience Score: 95.1 Entertainment Score: 69.6 Community Score: 83.9 Explore More Places on FindTheHome
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finance
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Novak Djokovic's China Open charge showed no sign of slowing as he destroyed towering American number one John Isner 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals in a lightning 52 minutes on Friday. The top-ranked Serb brushed off the 6 feet 10 inch (2.08 metre) Isner to clock up his 27th straight victory at a tournament where he has never been beaten and has now won 23 sets in a row. The lop-sided defeat was almost embarrassing for the 13th-ranked Isner, clocking in a shade quicker than Djokovic's similar straight-sets humiliation of China's 219th-ranked Zhang Ze in the previous round. Djokovic finished off Isner with a service winner on his first match point to move past Jimmy Connors and into sole second place for best unbeaten starts at a tournament, behind Nadal's 31 at the French Open. Despite the American burying 85 percent of his trademark big first serves in the first set, Djokovic was sending them back more often than not and moving his opponent around the court. "You can always improve. I guess everybody's different. Just depends from your character or your approach to tennis and generally to everyday commitments," he said. "I thought I should always try to improve in every possible occasion. Every time I'm on the court I see things I can be better on. That's one of the reasons that I keep on getting that motivation to move on. "Today was a great match. Obviously the fact that he served that high of a first percentage of serves in and I managed to break him twice says enough about the quality of the return that I had today. That was the key to win the match." Next up for the seemingly unstoppable Serb, who won three out of four Grand Slam finals this year to reach 10 major titles, is Spain's David Ferrer, who beat Taiwanese wildcard Lu Yen-hsun 6-3, 6-1. - Rafa's revenge - Earlier, life was a little trickier for Rafael Nadal as he was forced to come from a set down against America's Jack Sock before setting up a chance for revenge in the semi-finals against Fabio Fognini. The out-of-sorts Spanish great, scrapping to recover his form after a tough year, was outgunned by Sock's howitzer forehand but he dug deep to see off the world number 30, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. "Yes, it was an important victory for me. Obviously I finished the match playing better than what I started. It's important because I came back," Nadal said. "This year I lost a lot of matches when I had an advantage. So to have the chance to win a match when I start losing this one, so it's important for me, too." Nadal, into his first hardcourt semi-final for more than a year, will now face Fognini, who has beaten him three times this season including in last month's US Open third round. "He's a great player. When you play against a great player, especially if you don't play to your best, your chances are lower," Nadal said of the Italian, who beat Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 6-1, 2-6, 6-2. "If I am able to play my best tomorrow... I am going to have my chances. If not, it's going to be tough. It's simple. Sport is simple." In the women's draw, Ana Ivanovic beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 7-5 to set up a semi-final with Timea Bacsinszky, who recovered from a first-set 'bagel' to beat Sara Errani 0-6, 6-3, 7-5. Agnieszka Radwanska beat Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4 to go into a semi-final clash with the in-form Garbine Muguruza, who halted the run of American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1, 7-5.
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Germany's DPA news agency and the New York Times both quoted Sepp Blatter's US-based lawyer, Rhichard Cullen early on Friday, who said that the FIFA president's legal team had filed a challenge with the appeal committee of international soccer's governing body. The New York Times said it had obtained a copy of the appeal, in which the 79-year-old Blatter complained of brusque and unfair treatment and his legal team demanded access to the FIFA Ethics Committee case file. They also demanded that they and their client be given a hearing so that they could argue their case in full. The news came just hours after a close associate of Blatter, Klaus Stöhlker, seemed to indicate that the FIFA boss would take no action against his 90-day provisional suspension, saying this would make "no sense." On Thursday, FIFA announced that its Ethics Committee had imposed the ban on Blatter, UEFA President Michel Platini and FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke (who had earlier been placed on leave by the world governing body. The Ethics Committee's decision came a fortnight after Swiss authorities announced that they had launched a criminal investigation into some of Blatter's alleged dealings, including a contract signed with the Caribbean Football Union over television rights which was allegedly "unfavourable for FIFA." Blatter is also suspected of having made a "disloyal payment" to Platini which was "at the expense of FIFA." Both Blatter and Platini have repeatedly rejected accusations of wrongdoing. Earlier on Thursday, the UEFA president announced his intention to appeal against the temporary FIFA ban. "I reject all of the allegations that have been made against me, which are based on mere semblances and are astonishingly vague," said Michel Platini in a statement released on Thursday evening. "I want everyone to know my state of mind: more than a sense of injustice, or a desire for revenge, I am driven by a profound feeling of staunch defiance. I am more determined than ever to defend myself before the relevant judicial bodies," the statement said. Platini is one of three candidates to succeed Blatter when a new president is chosen at an extraordinary FIFA congress on February 26. Until Thursday's events, he had been seen as the clear favorite. pfd/ (dpa, Reuters)
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sports
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NASA's Curiosity rover team recently published a study which suggests that Mars had lakes billions of years ago.
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To say that runners are connected to their sneakers would be a huge understatement. All runners, at a minimum, rely on their shoes and it's fair to say that many runners have full-on attachment issues. Whether it's not wanting to part with the old pair or not wanting to spend big bucks on a new pair, too many runners are logging miles on shoes that are past their prime. Samantha Clayton, an Olympic athlete, personal trainer, track coach and Herbalife's senior director of fitness education, sees this problem first-hand. One aspect that makes it even tougher, she said, is that everyone wears down their sneakers at different rates, so there's no absolute rule for when you should switch them out. "Many brands test their product to ensure their shoes can last for up to 500 miles of wear, but we are all truly individuals and the length of time your shoes will last depends on so many factors, including how you run, your weight, if you are getting them wet, the terrain that you are running on, how many days of the week are you wearing them and of course the quality of the brand you are buying," said Clayton. "Basically [the tougher you are] on your shoes the less time they will last. Investing in one or two new pairs per year for an average gym goer/runner is sufficient and if you are an avid exerciser and runner, two to four pairs a year will seem normal." While that's a helpful rule-of-thumb, it's up to you to evaluate the status of your sneakers. Clayton shared five tips for knowing when it's time to get rid of your old shoes. Look: "Most of the time you can simply look at your current running shoes and know that it's time to get a new pair. Keep an eye out for loose stitching, separation of the glued sole to the shoe or if the heels look stretched out and/or there are places on the outsoles that have completely worn down. However, if your shoes are in good shape, but just look dirty don't throw them out. Just clean them up and invest in a new pair of laces!" Comfort: "We all love to wear comfortable shoes, but if your current shoes have completely molded to the shape of your foot they may no longer be providing you with the support that you need. Also, if your old shoes start to give you blisters or discomfort it may be because they have lost their shape completely and are now affecting the way you run." Size: "If your current shoes start to feel too tight or too lose you must get fitted for a new pair. I know we all think that our feet stop growing in our teen years but there are many things that can affect the shoe size that you wear. Pregnancy, weight gain or weight loss can change your shoe size especially the width fitting." Function: "Worn tread increases chances of slipping but also indicates an overall aging and breakdown of the shoe's support. If there are wrinkles and cracks on the bottom of the shoe this is an indication the material in the sole is starting to deteriorate and getting a new pair is essential. If your shoes are making squeaking sounds it's also a sign that the glue is coming loose." Smell: "Most running shoes will smell a little right after taking them off but if your shoes have a terrible odor it's time to get some new ones, because it's a sign that they have become permeated with moisture and bacteria. This is an unhealthy environment for feet."
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8-year-old fitness instructor Demarjay Smith raced olympian Usain Bolt and pulled off an impressive win.
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ST. LOUIS In the mid-to-late 1980s, an NHL fan's day often started with a survey of the scoring summaries in the morning newspaper to see how many points Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux had racked up the night before. As USA TODAY's hockey writer, I always made it my business to see Gretzky and Lemieux in person as often as possible. There was always a sense of anticipation that something spectacular would happen when you watched those two NHL icons. I thought about those days Thursday morning as I conducted interviews in preparation for Connor McDavid's NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers. He had two shots and no points in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues Thursday night. I had never seen McDavid play live before Thursday, and I realized that morning that I had the same mixture of intrigue and expectation I used to have three decades ago when I headed off to see Gretzky or Lemieux. This is not to say that McDavid will reach the level of accomplishment enjoyed by either Gretzky or Lemieux, but there is something about both McDavid and Buffalo Sabres rookie Jack Eichel that fascinates us. "We know what (McDavid) will bring to the table for our team," said Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. "But we aren't going to put ridiculous pressures and expectations on him." McDavid's first NHL game was a solid and mature performance. He went out of his way to not hurt his team. From a coaching standpoint, he might have played it too safe. That was to be expected given what a responsible player he is. He wasn't going to be a risk-taker in his first NHL game. That's not who he is. "It was kind of all a blur," McDavid said. What I've noticed in 30 years as USA TODAY's hockey writer is that the greatest players dominate because of one important aspect of their game. Some stars are great skaters, and others have gifted hands, and others have Herculean strength. But the one trait that binds them together is their ability to think about the game differently than everyone else. When Gretzky was rewriting the league's offensive record book, it was as if he was playing three dimensional chess while everyone else was playing checkers. He always seemed to sense what opponents would do next. Lemieux had a knack for knowing when to accelerate and when to slip into the soft areas of the defense. He seemed to have a sixth sense about when the goaltender was most vulnerable. Both Lemieux and Gretzky had iron wills. If Gretzky had four points, he wanted five. He was driven to be the best. Lemieux dominated the game with a back injury severe enough that he couldn't even tie his own skates. That's what I see in McDavid and Eichel the imaginative thinking and the molten drive to be the best. They use their tools differently than other players their age. They seem to see plays unfolding two seconds before everyone else. For both of them, it's simply a matter of learning to trust their instincts in a league where coaches have zero tolerance for mistakes. The NHL community believed it had a Gretzky vs. Lemieux-like rivalry when Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby entered the NHL together, but that rocket ride burned out quickly. Different positions. Different approaches. Different personalities. We don't think of Ovechkin when we think of Crosby. The McDavid vs. Eichel comparison seems far more compelling. The No. 1 and No. 2 draft picks of 2015, one a Canadian and the other an American. Both are centers. Both can skate. Eichel wants to be better than McDavid and vice versa. Eichel scored in his NHL debut Thursday with a memorable shot on the power play. McDavid didn't find the scoresheet Thursday, but you can tell by watching him that he is apprenticing for greatness. In his first two shifts, he was just a half-second away from clean steals that could have sent him on a breakaway. In the opening two minutes of the third period, McDavid looked rocket-propelled when he blew by veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and turned around Alex Pietrangelo on his way to recording his first NHL shot. You can see that McDavid is a superstar in training. It feels like he is going to make something happen. Eichel plays that way as well. All the Oilers need to do is be patient. "He knows he can do it and we know he can do it," Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said. "It's figuring out when and how and against who." Lemieux scored his first NHL goal during his first shift, on is first shot. He stole the puck away from Raymond Bourque to set up his dramatics. Gretzky registered an assist in his first NHL game, but he had scored 43 goals the season before playing in the World Hockey Association. Now Eichel has scored in his first game. Something tells me that it won't be long until McDavid does something that will be just as memorable as those first-game feats. Follow columnist Kevin Allen on Twitter @ByKevinAllen .
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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- Count Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen among those around the NHL taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the league's new 3-on-3 overtime. A few things do seem clear about the setup: It will make goalies' stats uglier, result in fewer shootouts and force coaches to decide whether to focus on defense or an all-out attacking style. "I wasn't really sure about it at first," said Niskanen, whose team hosts the New Jersey Devils in a season-opener Saturday. "Now I think it's probably going to do what it was designed to do: Teams are going to get `grade A' chances, and if that's what people want to see, then let's do it. Fans are going to love it and the forwards are going to love it. Goalies and `D'? Maybe not as much." As the hockey season gets going this week, how teams deal with the switch from 4-on-4 in OT to one fewer skater per team could wind up having a real effect on the standings. Consider this: A year ago, with 4-on-4 rules, 44 percent of overtime games were decided by a goal before they got to a shootout, according to STATS, about the same percentage that it's been in the 10 years since that format began in 2005-06. But during this preseason, the first NHL test of 3-on-3 after it was tried in the AHL, 72 percent of OT games ended before a shootout, STATS said. Factor in that nearly a quarter of all regular-season games over the past decade went to overtime, and what might seem like a minor rule change takes on more significance. "I like the concept of it. I like more games being decided closer to where we're playing the 5-on-5 game -- and less shootouts deciding games," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "The shootout's been entertaining, but I think a lot of people within the league would like to see more games not decided by shootout." Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma pointed out that teams weren't necessarily using their No. 1 goalies in the preseason, which skewed the numbers. He also thinks coaches and players will adapt. "We're going to be better defensively as it goes on, versus better offensively," Bylsma said. "Right now, you're feeling it out." The expectation is that most teams will use two forwards and a defenseman, but that could change. How much teams try to be the first to score as opposed to trying to control the puck and prevent goals might shift, too. Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette called 3-on-3 a "tough thing to practice." "The majority of the goals are usually some sort of a transition goal or somebody falls down," Laviolette said. As his goalie, Pekka Rinne, put it: "I'm sure every team is going to go through a little bit of a learning curve." Buffalo's Bylsma and others, including Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa, figure one way teams will do things differently during 3-on-3 is to take care of line changes while in possession of the puck, instead of dumping it to the other end. The first 3-on-3 overtime of the regular season was a wild affair. On Thursday night in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat Philadelphia 3-2 on a breakaway from defenseman Jason Garrison that capped an OT period filled with end-to-end action and even a penalty shot. "How to describe it?" Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Lunacy. It's just constant (action)." Tampa Bay outshot the Flyers 5-3 during overtime, and 32-25 for the game. "There's definitely a lot of chances out there, and that's what the league was trying to get out of it," Flyers goalie Steve Mason said. "I think we're going to see a lot of games ended in overtime just because of how wide open it is." Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 53 goals last season, doesn't sound like someone in love with the idea of 3-on-3, even if he could be the sort of player who'll pad his scoring stats with more room to operate. "It's not fun, because if you're stuck in the zone, you're going to be dead after that, obviously," the three-time MVP said. "And you have to be smart with changes." His team's goalie, Braden Holtby, said he's "indifferent" to shootouts and the prospect of having fewer of them. He also isn't sure yet how he feels about 3-on-3. "I think the novelty (of shootouts) has worn off a bit. If anyone thought it wouldn't when they implemented it, then they're a little bit crazy," Holtby said. "Anything like that, that's a novelty, is soon to wear off. Just like this 3-on-3 will, at some point." ------ AP Sports Writers Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tenn., and Jay Cohen in Chicago, and AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow in Buffalo, N.Y., and freelance writer Mark Didtler in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report. ------ Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
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This series of GWODs was designed exclusively for Greatist by Bodeefit . For more information about the exercises in this workout, or to see video demos of each movement, follow the links below the graphic. Be sure to note the results of your workout so you can track your progress as you go. Before you tackle this workout, try this quick and effective full-body warm-up . It's just five simple moves but hits every major muscle group and gets your heart pumping. Little Raven Complete 25 reps of the following movements, then 20 reps, then 15 reps as fast as safely possible. Elevated Push-Ups V-Ups Plank Splits Want to kick up the intensity? Just move faster. And don't forget to check back on Monday for a totally new (but equally awesome) GWOD!
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France launched a new air strike overnight in Syria against an Islamic State training camp and further strikes will follow, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday. "France hit Daesh (Islamic State) in Syria last night in Raqqa... It is not the first time, nor will it be the last time," Le Drian said on Europe 1 radio. "French Rafale jets delivered bombs on this training camp and the targets were met," he added. "We struck because we know that in Syria, particularly around Raqqa, there are training camps for foreign fighters whose mission is not fight Daesh on the Levant but to come to France, in Europe to carry out attacks," he said. France launched its first air strike in Syria on September 27, destroying an Islamic State training camp near Deir al-Zor in the east of the country, saying at the time it was acting in "self defence". Le Drian said that the Islamic State was France's "main enemy" and that Russian air strikes were mostly hitting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's opponents in Syria and not Islamic State targets. He reiterated that Assad, whom he said had killed 250,000 of his own people, could not be part of a political solution in Syria. France, which has provided weapons and logistical support to rebels linked to the Free Syrian Army in the past, has repeatedly said Assad would have to go before government troops and rebels could together defeat Islamic State. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
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Take a look at Thursday's craziest moments, including Zach Parise's third career hat trick and Astros 2B Jose Altuve's diving snag.
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Ned Yost discusses the decision to remove Yordano Ventura after a rain delay, the performance of Chris Young and why the Royals got Johnny Cueto.
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Facebook has finally introduced its answer to people's appeal for a "dislike" button in the form of six new emojis called "Reactions."
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When you think about food poisoning , you probably think of raw eggs or meat. But there's a serious food safety threat you probably overlook every day: produce. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 50% of foodborne illnesses come from the fruits and veggies that we eat raw. And there's more: the produce you eat on a regular basis could have some pretty shocking, gut-wrenching stuff on it. Here's what we're talking about: 1. Human feces In September 2015, cilantro imported from Mexico was discovered to be contaminated with cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that's transmitted though fecal matter. FDA investigators later found human waste and toilet paper in cilantro fields and quickly halted imports. The episode spawned many gag-worthy headlines (There's Poop On Your Cilantro!) and sickened 546 people. 2. Dirty diapers More than 1,000 people contracted hepatitis A after eating contaminated scallions imported from Mexico back in 2003. (Luckily, most recovered quickly healthy people who get hepatitis A usually get better without much issue.) After the outbreak, investigators from the FDA found evidence of unsanitary conditions at farms that supplied the tainted veggies, including inadequate hand washing facilities and contaminated irrigation water. In some fields, children wearing diapers also played on piles of harvested produce. 3. Floor water Listeria is one of the most deadly foodborne bugs, and in 2012, it was the cause of a 28-state recall of fresh cantaloupe. Only about 150 people were confirmed infected, but 99% of them had to be hospitalized, and 30 died. The most likely culprit? A poorly designed production facility that was "not easily cleanable" and rife with puddles of stagnant water, according to FDA reports. 4. Wild pig waste A 2006 recall of fresh spinach sickened 205 people with a particularly dangerous strain of E. coli called O157:H7. Unlike less serious types of E. coli, an infection with this one can produce a toxin in the body that causes kidney failure. Although the direct cause was never identified, farm inspections later found that water sources were exposed to cattle and wild animal feces, including that of wild pigs roaming near the fields. 3. Floor water Listeria is one of the most deadly foodborne bugs, and in 2012, it was the cause of a 28-state recall of fresh cantaloupe. Only about 150 people were confirmed infected, but 99% of them had to be hospitalized, and 30 died. The most likely culprit? A poorly designed production facility that was "not easily cleanable" and rife with puddles of stagnant water, according to FDA reports. 4. Wild pig waste A 2006 recall of fresh spinach sickened 205 people with a particularly dangerous strain of E. coli called O157:H7. Unlike less serious types of E. coli, an infection with this one can produce a toxin in the body that causes kidney failure. Although the direct cause was never identified, farm inspections later found that water sources were exposed to cattle and wild animal feces, including that of wild pigs roaming near the fields. 5. Dog poop and birdbath water Salmonella pops up all the time on food recall alerts, but an investigation into a small 2012 outbreak caused by sprouts grown in Arizona was truly revolting. There, the FDA found standing water on the floor, dogs roaming the property and animal waste near a well, and large tubs of dirty green water, uncovered and attended by several birds. Salmonella is rearing its ugly head this year, too: An ongoing recall of cucumbers has been linked to 558 illnesses and counting. So how do you protect yourself? First, keep an eye out for recalls by signing up for the FDA's email alert service right here . Then, try to buy produce directly from local growers you trust. Wash whatever you buy, too: It can't eliminate all pathogens, but washing usually eliminates 90 to 99% of them, which could be the difference between getting sick and staying well. Finally, don't go raw. Cooking over heat can kill off the remaining 0.9999% of germs, experts say. More from MSN The Truth About the Pumpkin Shortage 7 Myths About Medication and the Facts Behind Them
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Learn more about this lifelong condition that causes disabling joint pain and extreme fatigue. When Tiffany Batista Peterson of New York City, then 18, told the family doctor she was having intense joint pain, he was dismissive. When she asked if it could be arthritis, he told her girls her age don't get arthritis, and muttered something about attention-seeking kids. "I was like, well, OK, doctors are always right," Peterson says. That missed diagnosis may have cost her six years of delayed treatment for lupus, a painful, sometime disabling autoimmune disease . Peterson's family, originally from the Dominican Republic, watched her worsening symptoms with concern. She treated herself with over-the-counter pain medicine as best she could. By the time she was 24, her joints were stiff with excruciating pain. But she had graduated from college and out of her parent's health insurance, so she didn't go see a doctor. "One morning I couldn't get up off my bed," Peterson says. "I had to call my mom to come take me to the bathroom, and I was pretty much bedridden for about two months. I couldn't walk. I had to wait for someone to take me to bathe, to bring me meals. It was really frustrating and a dark time, because I had no clue what was going on with my body." At this point, Peterson's mother took her to a hospital and arranged health insurance, leading to approval for Medicaid coverage. Lupus is a chronic, lifelong condition that causes disabling joint pain and extreme fatigue and can lead to inflammatory complications throughout the body. While there is no cure, effective treatment is available. People with lupus tend to have periods of wellness , or remission, alternating with illness flares. The most common and serious type of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. Lupus also doesn't play fair, as certain people are at higher risk for the disease. Women of childbearing age are much more vulnerable. African-Americans are more likely to have lupus, while Hispanics tend to develop more complications at a younger age. It's important to catch lupus early, and it helps to know what to look for. Common symptoms are painful or swollen joints, fever, extreme fatigue, kidney problems and sun sensitivity and skin rashes. Butterfly rash, which runs across both cheeks and the bridge of nose, is a hallmark. Cold temperatures can trigger Raynaud's phenomenon, with sudden lack of blood flow to the hands and feet. Here are seven things you may not know about lupus. 1. It's not just growing pains. Looking back, Mirian Alvarez, 28, of Boston, can pinpoint early symptoms: her fingers turning bluish-purple with cold weather; the knee pain that would come and go. "Oh, it's growing pains," she recalls doctors telling her. "That summer after I graduated from college, I started to lose my hair in amounts that I knew weren't OK," Alvarez says. Next came fever, and her joint pain grew progressively worse. "I could not tie my own shoelaces," she says. "It was hard to put on my clothes; to walk. It just didn't make any sense to me, because I was so young. I looked normal. It was hard to explain to people: 'Everything hurts.'" 2. Complications can occur. Eventually Alvarez was diagnosed with lupus. But two years ago, the complication of inflammation of the lining of her heart put her in the emergency room. She's doing better with that now but still has bouts of pain, particularly during winter or if she's tired. In Peterson's case, a biopsy two months ago revealed she had a serious kidney infection called lupus nephritis , adding the potential for more complications such as high blood pressure and kidney failure. She's under the treatment of a primary care physician in internal medicine, a rheumatologist and a kidney specialist or nephrologist. 3. Early access to care is key. Dr. Candace Feldman, an associate physician for Brigham and Women's Hospital, is co-author of a large study published in March looking at variations in death rates among U.S. patients with systemic lupus. While Hispanic lupus patients are more likely to have complications, and in earlier stages of the disease, the study found that Hispanic and Asian patients with systemic lupus have lower death rates than black, white or Native American patients. "We certainly think that earlier access to care, earlier access to treatment, earlier detection of certain manifestations of lupus such as lupus nephritis can really change the course of the disease," Feldman says. "We think it can reduce the incidence of end-stage renal disease. We think it can reduce cardiovascular [complications]." The benefit of taking early action applies to all lupus patients, she emphasizes. 4. Language barriers can reduce access to care . "Not all health care centers have providers that are fluent in Spanish," Feldman says. Translator and interpreter services vary as well, she notes, and the issue extends to details like appointment reminders: "Is that reminder in English? Or is that reminder in Spanish?" Medication instructions are complex in any language. "The regimens we use to treat lupus are not just take one pill once a day," Feldman says. "It's much more complicated than that. The instructions may include changing doses day by day. Are those instructions provided in Spanish? And I'm sure the answer is: It depends." 5. Inclusion is another care issue. Jane Delgado, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health , says her group has worked to improve access for a long time. Getting people to sign up for insurance is a priority. However, limited means restrict people's options. "You may have to make a choice between food and insurance," Delgado says. For some, she says, it's a matter of paying for food and praying to stay healthy. Studies to test whether medications are safe and effective are another concern. "Clinical trials do not have enough Hispanics in them," Delgado says. "So the medications that are developed may not respond the same way in us as in other people." The need for increased diversity in medical research is highlighted in the case of the drug Benlysta, considered a breakthrough to treat lupus in adults. Among African-Americans, effectiveness of the drug was less apparent than for others in early studies, and it's now being tested specifically among African-Americans with lupus to draw more definitive conclusions. 6. Community outreach is an important resource. Ana Penman-Aguilar, associate director for science with the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , was part of a study team looking at health disparities among U.S. Hispanics. "One thing that really drove this study was the desire not to represent Hispanics as a monolithic population," she says. Differences could arise depending on whether families originated from Puerto Rico, Cuba or Mexico, for instance, or if they were born within or outside the U.S. Health care access could improve in a variety of ways, Penman-Aguilar says, including increased insurance enrollment and changing the health care workforce mix. "There's a need for bilingual and Spanish-speaking physicians and health care providers," she says. "Hispanics are severely underrepresented in the fields of medicine and public health." Community health workers called Promotores de salud are an important resource, Penman-Aguilar says. They reach vulnerable, low-income and underserved people, supporting health education efforts and linking community members to free or low-cost health services. 7. Staying active is possible. Today, Mirian Alvarez is doing "pretty OK," she says. She works in human resources for a health care company. While it's mostly office work and not too strenuous, the 40-hour week still takes a lot of energy. Alvarez stays on top of her condition, sees a nutritionist and avoids inflammatory foods . And she helps organize and takes part in the Walk to End Lupus Now for the Lupus Foundation of America. Tiffany Peterson, while on medical disability, stays as active as she can. Social media was a mainstay when she was confined to home or bed. Now, she says, "I can go out and be social, but I know I'll pay the price for it afterwards when it's really hard to move or I'm having a lot of pain." Peterson has found her voice. "I'm not really shy about asking questions when it comes to health care," she says. And she advises others to speak up, get the support they need and bring a companion to medical appointments to bridge language barriers, translate and help cut through the jargon. More from MSN 7 Dangerous Misconceptions About Depression 7 Myths About Medication and the Facts Behind Them
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WASHINGTON U.S. Park Police confiscated a drone that crashed on the Ellipse near the White House on Friday and issued a citation to the operator involved. Howard Solomon III of Washington, D.C., was cited with launching, landing or operating an unmanned aircraft in a restricted area, park police said. The citation carries an $85 fine, police said. Reached by phone Friday, Solomon told The Associated Press that he had been trying to take pictures of the monument and that the wind blew the drone across a street that divides the Ellipse from the grounds of the Washington Monument. "I was just flying trying to take pictures of the monument," he said of the aircraft that officials said could be bought for about $65. Drones are prohibited in Washington, D.C., because of security around federal buildings and safety concerns about flying over people and around other planes. The Federal Aviation Administration announced a 'no-drone zone' campaign in June to reinforce the prohibition. People who violate the ban could be fined up to $25,000. The ban covers everywhere within a 15-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Another drone crashed in January on the White House grounds. No charges were filed in that case, which was considered accidental by an operator who lost control of a drone from a nearby apartment building. But the incident raised security concerns about how to protect the White House, Congress and other important buildings from the threat of a drone carrying weapons.
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CNBC's Jane Wells reports on one farmer who turned his "Frankenfruit" dreams into pumpkin profits.
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Man is being evaluated at hospital
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The Texas Rangers had a scare on Thursday afternoon , as third baseman/team leader Adrian Beltre left ALDS Game 1 early with a back injury that was later deemed a strain by team officials. Beltre was kept out of the club's Game 2 lineup for Friday afternoon, though manager Jeff Banister sounded somewhat hopeful regarding the veteran's status. "There is some improvement," Banister said on Friday morning, as quoted by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News . "I've seen him walking around; to me that's an improvement. Yesterday, he was putting one foot in front of another, if you want to call it walking, you can call it walking." Grant added that the Rangers don't plan on taking Beltre off the 25-man roster, as doing such a thing would render him ineligible for the ALCS roster should Texas advance. Instead, they hope Beltre will be able to go for Game 3 on Sunday at Globe Life Park in Arlington after receiving treatment for his back and resting a bit. When asked about the thought of taking Beltre off the roster, Banister dismissed the notion. "I'm not really even thinking about that," Banister said to Grant. "There's no way you can assume, based on what Adrian has shown he can play through, that he wouldn't be ready. He basically played through a strained oblique this year, swinging and working with one flap down." In Beltre's place for Game 2, Hanser Alberto will assume third base duties.
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You won't believe some of the outfits that got their wearers in trouble. Dress code violations have been in the news constantly for the past year, with girls being shamed for wearing clothes that would be deemed appropriate and adorable in any other setting. Often it's a male teacher or administrator checking girls' outfits for skin showing, telling them that their shoulders are "distracting," or that they don't have the right body type to wear a certain dress. Dress codes have gotten so out of hand that some teachers are even confused, like the one who reprimanded a Florida teen for wearing a sleeveless top under a jacket. When girls get in trouble for what they wear, it sends a dangerous message that their bodies are inherently sexual and available for boys to harass. But i t's not what girls are wearing that's the problem, it's the fear that boys can't control themselves around them - and, far worse, that they shouldn't have to. We dressed three girls in cute outfits that all include an item that was deemed a dress code violation. Plus, we included outfits that you can wear to school with no problem, although you probably wouldn't want to. It all just proves that dress codes are total B.S. Sleeveless Dress Vs. Jacket + Skirt Combo Banned : Last August, girls in McHenry, IL, banded together to protest their school's rule that students need to wear shirts or dresses with sleeves long enough to cover their shoulders. Approved : Girls are expected to cover up their cute tops with jackets. Forget that it's 90 degrees out! Shoulders are just too distracting. Jeans + Tee Vs. Turtleneck + Dress Banned : Stephanie Hughes, a student at Woodford County High School in Kentucky, was sent home last August for showing her collarbone in an otherwise normal top. The school has a policy that tops "must not extend below the collarbone." Approved : Cover up every single part of your skin by wearing a turtleneck underneath your V-neck dress! Then you won't distract any male students with your ~sexy~ collarbone. Tunic + Leggings Vs. Sweatshirt + Ski Pants Banned : Last April, Macy Edgerl, a 12th grade honors student at Orangefield High School in Orange County, Texas, was sent home from school for wearing leggings. Macy was completely covered in a loose tunic top. Approved : Ditch the leggings and opt for baggy ski pants instead! Make sure to pair it with a figure-disguising sweatshirt, in case anyone accuses you off showing off your body. One-Shoulder Prom Dress Vs. One-Shoulder Prom Dress + Jean Jacket Banned : Just last month, students at Coeur d'Alene High School in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho were told that spaghetti strap and other bare-shoulder dresses were banned two days before prom. Students who couldn't return their dresses, didn't go to the dance. Approved : Wear a jacket on top of your dress - it won't mess up the pretty style at all! Button-down Shirt + Skirt Vs. Tee, Cardi + Bermudas Banned : Fifteen-year-old Miranda Larkin from Orange Park, FL was forced to wear a "shame suit" last year after her skirt, which hit mid-thigh, was deemed inappropriate. Approved : Make sure your knees aren't visible in super ~cool~ under-the-knee shorts. Skinny Jeans and Spagetti-Strap Dresses! Skinny jeans, flirty dresses - wear what makes YOU feel comfortable and confident, and speak up if you feel you are being harassed for what you're wearing. Together, we can totally make crazy dress codes a thing of the past.
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