text
stringlengths 5
144k
| label
int64 0
9
| id
int64 0
100k
| label_text
stringclasses 10
values |
|---|---|---|---|
So much for the rally. Oil will likely still head as low as $30, analyst John Kilduff told CNBC on Thursday. "I still believe we're going to go to that $30 to $33 area, which is the low point from the financial crisis in 2008, 2009. What you saw over the past several days was technical in nature, a short squeeze. This volatility is a little crazy and I think that $30 target is a downside target is for technicians that are in this market," the founding partner of Again Capital said in a "Squawk Box" interview. U.S. crude (@CL.1) tumbled 9 percent on Wednesday to settle at $48.45, erasing nearly all of its gains in the previous two sessions. The benchmark commodity West Texas Intermediate had soared 22 percent from a nearly six-year low of $43.58 last Thursday, ending the day at $53.05 on Tuesday. The rally's sharp reversal spilled over into the stock market, with energy stocks leading the day's decline in the S&P 500 (.INX) . Data on Friday that showed exploration and production companies had shut down 90 rigs in the prior week boosted the rally. Kilduff said that the industry had merely gotten rid of "the runts of the litter," noting that U.S. production had not fallen and still stands at 9.1 million barrels a day. He said speculation that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, would agree to production cuts in order to reach a deal with Russia on the Syrian conflict also sent oil higher. Saudi Arabia's refusal to support cuts at a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in November accelerated the rout. Meanwhile, Russia is facing the twin headwinds of falling oil prices and economic sanctions over its role in the conflict in neighboring Ukraine. "People want to write off OPEC. You can't do that. They do still matter to a degree. A coordinated cut of some magnitude would stop the price slide," Kilduff said. Fluctuations in currency markets and central bank action has also fed volatility in the oil markets. A strong U.S. dollar (.DXY) drives down oil prices because the commodity is bought and sold in the currency. "At this point, FX volatility has become the prime driver in global volatility. You cannot make any investment decisions without actually understanding which way the dollar is basically heading," said David Woo, Bank of America Merrill Lynch's head of global rates and currencies research. Forex volatility is at its highest level in 20 years for noncrisis periods, research from Bank of America released this week showed. That volatility could continue as countries around the world engage in a currency war, he said. With nations facing fiscal constraints, the only tool available to central banks to stimulate growth is a weaker currency, he said. "If everyone's playing this game you have no choice but to play it because otherwise you get left behind. We call it war because it's a zero sum game. Somebody wins, and somebody else loses," Woo said. There's little the United States can do to stop the dollar from strengthening because the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan are intent on spurring growth through monetary policy. But the most important question for oil and the biggest risk of 2015 is the prospect that China follows suit and moves to depreciate its currency. "If China decides to play the same game, it will be a disaster because commodity prices are going to crash because China consumes 40 percent of the world's basic commodities," Woo said. "And then you're going to trigger a competitive devaluation around the world. The 10-year yield is going to go to 1.25 percent if China wants to devalue [its currency] 10 percent."
| 3 | 9,300 |
finance
|
CASTLETON, Vt. A college in Vermont is searching for its missing 4-foot-long Brazilian rainbow boa constrictor. Castleton State college sent out a campus-wide email asking students and staff to keep an eye out for the snake, which was discovered missing from its cage Tuesday at the college's zoology lab. The school said the snake was not dangerous and was trained to eat only frozen, dead mice. The Rutland Herald reports college officials think the orange-tinged tropical snake was stolen, because its cage had a weighted lid and the door to the room was locked. The snake was last seen Friday; the rooms are locked over the weekend, and they remained so Monday when the campus was shut down for a snow day. ___ Information from: Rutland Herald, http://www.rutlandherald.com/
| 5 | 9,301 |
news
|
If there's one thing big beer marketers know, it's that people like their beer cold. "It's a simple fact that consumers love ice cold beer, and we love providing it," writes MillerCoors, touting their cold-activated labels with mountains that turn blue to indicate when beer "goes from cold … to Super Cold." The problem of insufficiently frigid beer apparently plagues the American consumer and technology is here to help. But since this is the middle of winter, consider an alternative suggestion. Why not drink hot beer? The idea seems strange today, but heated ale drinks were once staples of home and tavern life. They provided warmth on chilly nights and nutrition when meals were scarce. And although we're in the midst of a craft brewing renaissance in which no style of beer is too exotic or obscure to bring to market, warmed ales are conspicuous by their absence. If the allure of hot beer is mysterious, it helps to consider that both the beer and the setting were very different when these drinks were popular. Today's crisp, clear lagers and bitter, hoppy IPAs are not conducive to being at enjoyed at high temperatures. Prior to the 20th century, English and American drinkers were more likely to be quaffing malty ales. These fermented quickly without refrigeration, and at their best they offered a full-bodied sweetness that could be enjoyed unchilled or even hot. They weren't always at their best, however. Publicans could let them go stale and the ales were prone to spoilage by bacterial invaders. As historian Maureen Ogle writes in Ambitious Brew , a history of beer in America, "Wise drinkers edged toward a mug of ale, taking a delicate first sip in order to find out whether the tankard contained sweet beer or sour; a thick, yeasty pleasure or a rank broth with the taste and texture of muddy water." Warnings abound of unscrupulous publicans adulterating their ales with all sorts of unsavory additions to cover up defects. Famed barman William "The Only William" Schmidt cautioned in his 1891 book The Flowing Bowl that "[this] healthy and agreeable beverage used to be prepared often enough from a mixture containing many violent poisons, as Indian hemp, opium, sulphuric acid, sulphate of iron, etc. nay, the addition of strychnia even was suspected." One hopes he was exaggerating. Even so, when the quality of beer was unreliable, the temptation to season it with sugar, spice, and spirits, all of which were common additions to heated ales, is understandable. The heat in taverns serving these drinks would have come from a fireplace around which stiffened, weary travelers would gather, warming up with a hot beverage of some sort. An ice-cold beer was probably the last thing they desired. The fire served as a source of heat for the drinks, too. Iron loggerheads were kept in the flames, ready to be plunged into tankards of Flip, a popular mixture of ale, rum, and sugar. Less dramatically, metal mulling pots were nestled amongst the coals to bring malty ales to warming temperatures. Many of these drinks provided not just warmth and a buzz, but also nutrition. Beverages like caudel and ale berry supplemented alcohol with grains or dairy, blurring the line between food and drink. Books from the 1800s such as The Practical Housewife, Bar-Tender's Guide, or Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks contain many variations on the theme of hot and hearty ale concoctions. The strangest and most substantial of these was posset, which was prepared by curdling milk or cream with hot wine or beer in a specially designed pot. The warm liquid was drawn from the bottom for drinking and the spongy curds spooned from the surface. (If you ever wondered what the king's ghost in Hamlet meant when he described poison causing his blood to "posset and curd, like eager droppings into milk," now you know.) Historian Dorothy Hartley described the appeal of such "soup wine" or "ale meal" in her book Food in England . "After long hours of travel, hot wine, or spirits, on an empty stomach … often you were too tired to eat. Thus, the compromise of a caudel, which warmed you, fed you, and 'kept you going till you could obtain a solid meal.'" Indeed, heated ale was often perceived as being more healthful than cold beer. A pamphlet first published in 1641 with the title "Warm Beer" cautioned that although cold drink is pleasant when one is thirsty, "pleasant things for the most part are very dangerous." The unknown author of the preface claims that drinking cold beer caused him to suffer headache, toothache, stomachache, cough, cold, and other illnesses, but drinking his beer "hot as blood" restored him to good health. He goes on to warn that cold beer could be downright lethal, recounting numerous tales of overheated imbibers falling deathly ill after attempting to refresh themselves with cold beverages. As bizarre as the argument seems, it was grounded in classical theories of medicine that held that the stomach was like a cauldron boiling and breaking down cooked food. "Well into the 17th century, and long after that in the popular imagination, it was taken as a given that digesting was cooking in the fires of the stomach," explains Rachel Laudan, author of Cuisine and Empire. "Anything that quenched those fires, endangered this vital process. And what more effective dampener of the flames than cold, wet drinks?" These theories of digestion eventually gave way to more empirical approaches, but enjoyment of warm beer continued through the 19th century. Even so, trends were underway that would eventually drive heated ale drinks out of fashion. By 1888, W. T. Marchant was lamenting their decline in his In Praise of Ale, published in London. "It is a matter of regret that some of the more comforting drinks have gone out of date. When beer was the staple drink, morning, noon, and night, it was natural that our ancestors would prefer their breakfast beer warm and 'night-caps' flavoured." Perhaps the most important change was the rise of German lagers. Previously enjoyed in the United States mostly by German immigrants and sold in close to proximity to breweries, the development of pasteurized bottling lines and refrigerated rail cars allowed these beers to travel much longer distances and reach much larger markets. American drinkers gradually took to the style and Prohibition helped complete the transition. When the ban on alcohol was repealed, dormant breweries offered plenty of capacity for making beer, but the market had irrevocably shifted away from the saloon and toward home consumption. "Brewing's future lay not in barrels of beer rolled behind mahogany bars," Ogle writes of the period, "but in the cool, well-lighted interiors of the nation's refrigerators." Americans traded their ales for lagers that were colder, cleaner, and more consistent. Appreciation for craft beers has revived in recent decades and it is a great time to be a beer lover. With such an abundance of excellent beers to choose from, one may question whether there is any need to heat them up with all sorts of other ingredients. We no longer believe that our bellies are fiery cauldrons that could be extinguished by a cold draft. We have better ways of feeding ourselves than scooping curds off a pot of posset. We have bosses who frown on starting mornings with a breakfast beer, regardless of its temperature. The demands of good health and nutrition no longer dictate that we drink our ales hot. The only reason left to do so is for pleasure, as a small handful of bars and breweries have rediscovered. The New York cocktail laboratory Booker and Dax has brought back the practice of heating beer cocktails with red-hot pokers. In London, a bar called Purl gets its name from a warm ale-and-gin drink once popular among laborers on the Thames, and it serves a modern spin on the beverage. In Portland, Oregon, Cascade Brewing offers their Glueh Kriek, a tart cherry ale served hot with spices. As brewers and bartenders plunder the past for inspiration, could hot ale drinks become the next big thing? Will heat-activated cans soon appear at a store near you? It's unlikely. But however dubious their theories of health and digestion, our ancestors did know a thing or two about consuming beer. Perhaps in these cold winter months, adventurous beer enthusiasts might be willing to step back in time and enjoy what Charles Dickens described as "the happy circumstances attendant upon mulled malt." This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/hot-beer-anyone/385031/
| 5 | 9,302 |
news
|
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment rose less than expected last week, a sign that the labor market continues to strengthen. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 278,000 for the week ended Jan. 31, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The increase left intact the bulk of the prior week's huge decline, which had taken claims to their lowest level since April 2000. Claims for the week ended Jan. 24 were revised to show 2,000 more applications received than previously reported. Economists had forecast claims rising to 290,000 last week. Claims have been volatile in recent months because of difficulties adjusting the data for seasonal variations. Still, they have continued to point to a firming labor market. The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 6,500 to 292,750 last week. Last week's data has no bearing on Friday's employment report for January as it falls outside the survey period. Nonfarm payrolls likely increased 234,000 after rising 252,000 in December, according to a Reuters survey of economists, which would be the longest stretch of job gains above 200,000 since 1994. The claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid edged up 6,000 to 2.40 million in the week ended Jan. 24.
| 3 | 9,303 |
finance
|
While some may dismiss the measles as a common childhood virus, it also happens to be the deadliest childhood rash and fever illness . To make matters worse, about 30 percent of reported measles cases have at least one complication, especially among children younger than 5 years old or adults over 20. But measles, while highly contagious, is also a completely preventable disease thanks to vaccines. Doctors recommend that children receive a vaccination (in the form of a bundled measles, mumps and rubella shot) twice: the first between ages 12 to 15 months, and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Below, you can see the painful and distressing symptoms measles causes, as well as the complications that arise from the illness. For those who have the stomach for it, head over to Buzzfeed for historical photos that reveal just how devastating diseases like polio and smallpox were before vaccines eradicated those viruses. Graphics by Alissa Scheller for The Huffington Post.
| 7 | 9,304 |
health
|
Spain's Jorge Lorenzo was quickest on day two of testing in sizzling temperatures at Malaysia's Sepang circuit on Thursday, with Honda's double MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez third-fastest. Lorenzo, riding a Yamaha, clocked 1min 59.963sec, 0.052 seconds quicker than Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso. Marquez, who pipped Yamaha rider Italian Valentino Rossi at the top of the timings in Wednesday's first testing session, was third on the timesheets at 2min 0.146sec. Honda's Dani Pedrosa was fourth, 0.297sec behind Lorenzo, and nine-time world champion Rossi was sixth fastest, 0.713sec off the pace. Testing wraps up on Friday, but the riders will return to Sepang for another three-day session on February 24. The new season kicks off in Qatar on March 29. Malaysia will host the penultimate leg of the championship on October 25.
| 1 | 9,305 |
sports
|
Some Chinese companies face unusually tough security reviews in India and are further hampered by visa restrictions, Beijing's ambassador said, slowing the pace of investment despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise to roll out the red carpet. Le Yucheng told Reuters that work had begun on a $5 billion industrial park in western India and a feasibility study on a high speed rail link through the heart of India worth up to $50 billion. Chinese companies lead both projects. But he cautioned that Chinese firms were struggling through a thicket of bureaucracy, complicated procedures for land acquisition and difficult labor and tax policies that hampered a planned $20 billion push over the next five years, mostly in infrastructure. Other countries with investment interests in India have voiced similar concerns since Modi took over last May. But in forthright language, Le said it appeared that in some cases Chinese firms had been unfairly singled out. "We are inspired by Prime Minister Modi's projects (like) 'Make in India', 'Clean India'. We come and we meet a cold face in some ministries. Some Chinese businessmen are very disappointed," Le said in an interview this week. He cited the example of telecoms group Huawei, which has not received security clearance two years after it began building a facility in the south to service the Indian market. That put it at a disadvantage to non-Chinese firms, according to Le. In the past, India has temporarily blocked carriers from importing Chinese telecoms equipment over concerns it could compromise communications security, a fear shared by some other countries. The interior ministry, in charge of approvals, said it had no immediate comment on the Huawei case. Separately, Huawei announced on Thursday it was spending $170 million on a research and development center in India, its biggest outside China, despite the unresolved clearance at the manufacturing unit. "IT'S NOT FAIR" Le's remarks, his first to foreign media since he took over late last year, came the week after U.S. President Barack Obama visited India promising closer defense and economic ties between the world's largest democracies. Le, who spoke in English, said that China welcomed warmer ties between India and the United States and that he believed New Delhi would never be part of any campaign against China. But China was concerned about the lack of an even playing field in India that was slowing investment. For example, India launched a visa-on-arrival system for more than 40 countries last year including the United States, but not China. "Its not fair, China is the world's second largest economy, enjoys a favorable position internationally, but in India we are put on a par with Afghanistan, with Iran." Some Chinese firms have had to wait more than three years before they could be registered to do business in India. One took more than a year just to open a bank account. "We do have considerable advantages in the spheres of capital, technology, cost and construction experience. But we often end up hitting the wall of (the) security review," Le said, calling for equal treatment for Chinese firms. An official at India's department of industrial policy and promotion drew attention to Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement during a visit to China this week vowing to make it easier for Chinese companies to operate in India. Trade between the two most populous nations has soared in the last decade, but remains heavily in China's favor. Greater Chinese investment would help address that, Le said. "WE'VE COME A LONG WAY" India and China went to war in 1962 over a border dispute in the Himalayas that lingers on, fuelling distrust. A standoff between troops on a remote plateau overshadowed a visit to New Delhi by Chinese President Xi Jinping last year. New Delhi has also worried about Chinese military assistance to Pakistan, and in recent years an expanding Chinese role in building ports and roads across South Asia. China has concerns about Tibetan activists led by their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing the Himalayas after a failed uprising in 1959. Le said Modi will visit China in May and both countries were working on a series of agreements to cement political and commercial ties. Before that, special representatives from the two countries will meet to tackle the boundary dispute. The two countries have had 17 rounds of talks since 2003, but are no closer to a settling the 3,500 km border. They are, however, working on a code of conduct for border control and confidence building measures including a hotline between their army headquarters and extra border meeting points. "We have a come a long way in our relations. It's not easy, we have achieved a lot, we want to expand our cooperation, we want to enhance cooperation and not vice versa." (Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
| 3 | 9,306 |
finance
|
@BGlizzle wants to know if Kentucky will go undefeated this season.
| 1 | 9,307 |
sports
|
Call it Space Race 2.0. Almost half a century since the Apollo moon flights, entrepreneurs are expanding the boundaries of rocket and satellite technology as the U.S. makes room for private enterprise. The result is a wave of innovation that echoes the leap in computing from key-punch mainframes to hand-held devices, with startups from San Francisco to Sydney pursuing new engines and Earth-orbiting probes as small as softballs. Buoyed by billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, the industry has surged more than sixfold since 2010 to more than 800 companies, according to market researcher NewSpace Global, with investment in private ventures in that span poised to reach $10 billion by year's end. SpaceX led the way with $1 billion from Google Inc. and Fidelity Investments on Jan. 20 -- a day after satellite maker Planet Labs Inc. announced that it raised $95 million. "It's impossible to overestimate the degree of rock-star engineering talent that has come pouring into the commercial space sector," said Matt Ocko, co-managing partner of venture capital fund Data Collective, an early investor in San Francisco-based Planet Labs. "For great scientists and engineers, this is incredible catnip." The fundraising snaps a years-long investment chill that followed the 1999 bankruptcy of Iridium LLC, the first global satellite-phone network. Interest is being kindled by SpaceX's rocket launches, Virgin Galactic's planned space tourism and efforts by Facebook Inc. and Google to deliver worldwide broadband via small satellites, drones, balloons and lasers. Childhood Dreams "A lot of us grew up during the space race, and there was a long lull when a lot of childhood dreams were put on hold," said Steve Jurvetson, a venture capitalist and SpaceX director. "Now investors have the sense that there is money to be made, and there have been a flurry of business plans since SpaceX." The Google-Fidelity transaction with Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. implies a value of about $10 billion for a company with six launches in 2014, its busiest year. Even as Musk says he has no plans for an initial public offering, that payoff prospect has others dreaming of fortunes to be made in a field dominated only a generation ago by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "What's driving everything is SpaceX proving what they could do," said Scott Nolan, an early SpaceX employee who is now a partner at Founders Fund, the San Francisco-based venture capital firm started by PayPal Inc. co-founder Peter Thiel. "It unlocked a lot of interest in commercial space development. SpaceX took this Silicon Valley, startup approach to design and efficiency and applied it to aerospace. Weekly Basis From satellites that can be cupped in the palm of a hand to 3-D printers in space, breakthroughs "are coming on almost a weekly basis," said Dick "Rocket" David, chief executive officer of New York-based NewSpace Global. Two of the hottest segments center on Musk's pursuits: small satellites streaming data or images, and boosters to get them cheaply into orbit, David said. Planet Labs has raised more than $160 million and launched 73 global imaging satellites. The growth was hard to imagine three years ago, when co-founder Will Marshall built the first of the miniature satellites nicknamed "doves" in a Silicon Valley garage. "A lot of people were very skeptical, and what we were trying to do seemed ludicrous," said Marshall, a former engineer at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. "But we have assets in orbit, and customers who are very interested in the data. Every time we take a picture, we can see how the world is changing. "pace Risks Investing in the new space ventures is still a gamble. When Mountain View, California-based Google paid $500 million in cash last year for Skybox Imaging Inc., the venture had only launched one small imaging satellite at the time of the acquisition. The valuation "was not weighted heavily on the technology, but rather on the notion of a low-cost satellite constellation that can provide persistent imaging" so the data could be used commercially,'' said John Roth, vice president of business development at the space unit of aerospace company Sierra Nevada Corp., which is developing a winged orbiter. "It has yet to be seen if this business model can be sustained and successful." Space exploration also comes with the threat of catastrophic failure. Planet Labs lost 26 satellites in an Orbital Sciences Corp. rocket explosion above a Virginia launch pad in October. "Space is hard," Planet Labs' Marshall said in a blog post at the time. "Planet Labs understands the risks of launch. NASA's Boost NASA provided a boost to commercial space by retiring the shuttle in 2011 and bringing in U.S. contractors. SpaceX has been among the biggest beneficiaries, with contracts for as much as $4.2 billion to ferry cargo and crew to the International Space Station. Musk, 43, is using SpaceX's near-Earth flights to prepare for his more-ambitious project: interplanetary travel that may include establishing a city on Mars -- "a ridiculously long time-frame event," as he put it in a Jan. 12 interview. Other startups are focused on the here-and-now. Accion Systems Inc., founded last year by two Massachusetts Institute of Technology students, raised $2 million in seed money from Thiel's fund and others to develop penny-size propulsion systems. San Francisco-based Spire raised $25 million in 2014 and plans later this year to launch 20 micro-satellites dubbed cubesats bristling with sensors to help track shipping and weather. It developed the first crowd-funded satellite. Internet Redux? "Space is going through what the Internet went through in the 1990s," said Stephen Messer, an Internet entrepreneur and Spire's first investor. "What was once government-funded is now privately funded, and you have miniaturization which is bringing the price down. The markets are also huge: weather alone is a multibillion-dollar industry." Venture capitalist Ilya Golubovich is among those looking for early-stage companies poised to take advantage of the imagery, data and analytics being unleashed by so-called nano- satellites. Given the deal flurry, investors are confident of finding "exit windows" within three to five years, said Golubovich, founder and managing partner of New York-based I2BF Global Ventures. "It's one of the more exciting times in space since maybe the moon landing or Sputnik," he said. "The sector has been heating up across the value chain."
| 3 | 9,308 |
finance
|
Ecuador's government has put a state of emergency in place for the Galapagos Islands, authorities say. Fears there are growing that fuel leaking from the stranded vessel may place the fragile UNESCO World Heritage Site ecosystem at risk. The state of emergency will apply for 180 days and includes the national park, the protected marine reserve and the archipelago, Ecuador's Environment Ministry wrote on its website. The ship, Floreana, carrying more than 1,400 tons of cargo, including food and hazardous materials as well as 38,850 litres of fuel, ran aground off the island of San Cristobal on January 28. Some fuel has leaked into the surrounding water, but has been controlled by booms. The ship, which is in the process of being refloated and removed, had its hull destroyed when it ran aground. The recovery process is expected to take two to four weeks. Most of the hazardous materials, such as gas bottles and asphalt have been recovered and removed from the vessel, only the diesel remains on board. This is the third instance of a ship running aground near the Islands in the past year. In May last year, the ship Galapaface I, with nearly 72,000 litres of fuel and hazardous materials on board hit a rock, and in November another supply ship succumbed to the same fate. The Galapagos Islands, famous for the vast number of species and pristine environment, are located some 1,000 kilometres off Ecuador's Pacific coast.
| 2 | 9,309 |
travel
|
There's no real cure for the common cold, but a little bit of whiskey (that's a little bit, we said) could offer some relief. The classic hot toddy , typically made of whiskey, honey, lemon juice and hot water, can subdue the injustices of your inevitable winter cold. The hot water of the toddy helps to relieve nasal congestion, just like heat of a bowl of chicken noodle soup (or Jewish penicillin ) does. Get the recipe: Kentucky Hot Toddy And the whiskey helps with sniffle issues, too. "The alcohol dilates blood vessels a little bit, and that makes it easier for your mucus membranes to deal with the infection," Dr. William Schaffner , chair of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told ABC News . Before you go ordering a half-dozen Manhattans from the local pub, know that too much alcohol will do anything but make you feel better. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it pulls fluid from the body. You know how after a wild night out you wake up with an unquenchable thirst (and a horrible headache)? This is because you're dehydrated. When you're already feeling like crap, you'll especially want to avoid hangover symptoms. So if you are self-medicating with one (ONE!) hot toddy, make sure to drink extra amounts of other, non-alcoholic beverages, like water, to replenish. Like your mother always told you, drink plenty of fluids , especially when you're nursing a toddy. MSN Health: Can Beer Hops Help Prevent Alzheimer's? Editor's note: If you can't even stomach the idea of alcohol mixed with incessant sneezing, try fire cider vinegar -- the ultimate, non-alcoholic homemade remedy. Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest and Tumblr .
| 0 | 9,310 |
foodanddrink
|
Like it or not, your credit score dictates everything from whether you're approved for a credit card to what rate you're offered on a mortgage. If you're among the 56 percent of Americans with a subprime credit score , it's time to give that baby a boost. In the video below, Money Talks News finance expert Stacy Johnson highlights three of the fastest ways to increase your credit score. Click play for Stacy's tips, and then read on for more suggestions. 1. Clean up your credit report Before you do anything else, go to AnnualCreditReport.com and request a free credit report from each of the big three credit reporting companies. TransUnion Experian Equifax By law, you're entitled to one free report each year, no matter what. When you request them, be ready to print or save them to your computer because you may have to pay to see them again before next year. Once you have the reports, pull out your magnifying glass and examine everything. In particular, look for any accounts that show late payments or unpaid bills. If that information is inaccurate, the report should tell you where to send a dispute. Keeping a clean credit report isn't only important for your credit score; it can also make or break your job prospects. Employers can and do pull credit reports before making hiring decisions. 2. Pay down your balance According to FICO , the company that calculates one of the most widely used credit scores, 30 percent of your score is based on the amount you owe. However, it's not simply how much you owe that's important. It's how much you owe compared to how much credit you have, a ratio known as your credit utilization. For example, if you have a $10,000 credit limit and a $5,000 balance, your credit utilization is 50 percent. If you've maxed out that $10,000 limit, you're utilization is 100 percent. There are many theories on what is the best credit utilization level, but on its website, Experian suggests it's best to have a rate of no more than 30 percent. In other words, you should never have more than $3,000 charged at any time if you have a $10,000 limit. If you're above that amount, paying down your balances is a quick way to boost your score. Live lean for a few months, hold a garage sale or pick up a temporary second job to find the cash needed to drop your credit card balances. 3. Pay twice a month You might think you're doing great because you pay off your card every month, even if it's maxed out. The problem is that your creditors are only reporting balances to the credit bureaus once a month. If you run up a big balance each month, it could look like you're overusing your credit. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Let's assume you have a credit card with a $1,000 limit. It's a rewards card, so you use it for everything. In fact, every month, you hit your limit. The statement arrives, you owe $1,000, and you send in a check to pay it off. The problem is the credit card company is likely reporting the statement balance each month. So it looks like you have a $1,000 limit and a $1,000 balance, and that's a 100 percent credit utilization rate and not a good thing as far as your score is concerned. You can help alleviate the problem by breaking up your credit card payments. Go ahead and charge everything to get the rewards, but send in payments at least twice a month to keep your running balance lower. In addition, if you make a large purchase on your card and have the cash handy, pay it off immediately. 4. Increase your credit limit Maybe you're not in a position to pay down your balances. You could take a different approach to improving your credit utilization rate. You could call your creditor and ask for a credit limit increase. If you've maxed out your $1,000 card and get a limit increase to $2,000, you've instantly cut your credit utilization rate in half. The key is to not spend any of your new credit. It defeats the purpose of getting a limit increase if you immediately charge the card up to $2,000. 5. Open a new account If your current credit card issuer balks at the idea of giving you a credit increase, you can always apply for a card from a different issuer. It will still help your credit utilization rate since your score lumps all your open lines of credit and balances together. An individual with $10,000 in credit and a balance of $5,000 will have a 50 percent credit utilization rate regardless of whether they have all those amounts on one card or spread over multiple cards. Be aware, though, that opening multiple accounts at once is not good either. Too many new accounts can make you look like you desperately want to go on a spending spree. Don't risk dinging your credit score by mistake. Apply for only one or two new cards if you're going to try this strategy. 6. Negotiate outstanding balances Maybe your credit score took a dive because you have bills in collections. You can't wipe out past mistakes from your credit report, but you can do some damage control by settling them. Dummies.com has a short, easy-to-understand primer on how to negotiate your debt. The most important step is to get it in writing. If you don't have any cash on hand to offer as a settlement, you could sell some of your stuff or try one of these unusual ways to make money . 7. Become an authorized user Finally, if none of the above suggestions help you, don't despair. There is one final option, and that is to be added as an authorized user on someone else's credit card. Now, for this to work, you'll need to find someone who loves you very much and who manages their money very well. Once you find this very special person who is going to do you a HUGE favor, you need to cross your heart and hope to die while explaining you have no intention of using their credit card. Instead, you want to be added to their account as a way to build credit. You see, when you're an authorized user, the account will show up on your credit report so long as a card has been issued in your name. Then, your credit report will show all their on-time payments and (hopefully great) credit utilization rate. As a result, your credit score gets a boost, too. Learn more by reading this article about authorized users and credit scores. While these seven strategies can raise your credit score fast, keep in mind "fast" is a relative term. You won't see results overnight; give it about three months or so for the changes to begin positively affecting your score.
| 3 | 9,311 |
finance
|
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Isssue 2015 cover has been unveiled , but we don't think anyone was more shocked than the magazine's newest cover girl, Hannah Davis. The 24-year-old model and girflfriend of former pro baseball player Derek Jeter shared her super sexy cover shot Wednesday on Instagram . Dressed in a black lace embellished bikini, Davis was photographed by Ben Watts on Tennessee's Blackberry Farm. The rustic scenery is a far departure from previous SI Swimsuit edition beachy backdrops, and a part of the reason she didn't think she landed the highly coveted cover. Thank you to my @si_swimsuit and @imgmodels family! I am honored to be your 2015 cover girl! Wow!! A photo posted by Hannah Davis (@hanni_davis) on Feb 4, 2015 at 8:55pm PST "I gave her a hug and the only words she could get out were, 'Are you sure?' Is it definitely printed already,'" said SI assistant managing editor MJ Day about the day the mag gave Davis the news. In a video on the Sports Illustrated site , you can see the young model in complete shock as she sees the cover for the first time during an appearance on SI Now. While Davis is no rookie (this marks her third appearance in the magazine), landing the cover is an incredible honor that most models dream of. Last year's 50th anniversary issue featured Chrissy Teigen, Lily Aldridge and Nina Agdal as cover stars, who have all gone on to do big things. We're starting to get the feeling that we are going to be seeing a lot more of Davis in the coming months. Check out the 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue online on Monday, Feb. 9 and in print on newsstands on Tuesday, Feb. 10. But in the meantime, you can watch the official cover reveal on Jimmy Fallon below.
| 4 | 9,312 |
lifestyle
|
Samsung recently released its new virtual-reality headset, the Gear VR (powered by Oculus Rift), but the product comes with a foreboding list of possible health-related side effects. The electronics giant cautions that people should stop using the Gear VR immediately if they experience seizures, loss of awareness, eye strain, nausea or "any symptoms similar to motion sickness ." In addition, the device is not recommended for children younger than 13. "Prolonged use should be avoided, as this could negatively impact hand-eye coordination, balance and multitasking ability," the lengthy disclaimer warns. Samsung also says the device should not be used in a moving vehicle, although the Australian airline Qantas recently announced it will soon be providing the headsets to first-class passengers on flights. [ Photos: Virtual Reality Puts Adults in a Child's World ] Virtual reality (VR) is becoming increasingly common in everything from entertainment to medicine to the military. But when it comes to understanding how VR affects the brain, scientists "don't really know what's going on," said Mayank Mehta, a neuroscientist at UCLA. "I would say this is reason for caution, not business-as-usual," Mehta told Live Science. Live Science reached out to Samsung, but a company spokesperson declined to comment. Cybersickness Scientists have been aware of the potential side effects of VR systems for some time. A number of studies have examined what is sometimes referred to as " cybersickness " or "sim sickness" (short for simulation sickness). These feelings explain why some people feel sick in 3D movies. "We think when you're walking around in the real world, you're getting input from multiple senses, and they're all in perfect agreement," said Mehta, who studies how virtual environments affect the brains of rats, at the level of individual neurons. In virtual reality, however, "the brain is expecting everything to be in sync, but things are not in sync," he said; the virtual world is "incomplete." Brain shutdown In Mehta's studies, he and his colleagues built special setups with tiny treadmills that the animals could run on while exploring a virtual room. The rats appeared to behave normally in the setup, but when the researchers looked at the animals' brains, they "found really surprising stuff," Mehta said. For example, in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in mapping an individual's location in space (as well as many other functions, including memory, learning and dreaming), 60 percent of neurons simply "shut down" while the animals were in virtual reality, Mehta found. And it gets worse. Many of the neurons that don't shut down show abnormal patterns of activity. In the real world, these neurons create a map of space, but in the virtual world, "the map of space is totally destroyed," Mehta said. Mehta suspects that the part of the brain involved in keeping track of an animal's location is so fine-tuned that it "expects" everything to be in sync. "I believe that's why these neurons are shutting down" in virtual reality, he said. But is it bad for the animals that the hippocampus shuts down in virtual reality? "We don't know the long-term consequences," Mehta said. "When millions of us are using virtual reality 6 to 7 hours a day," he said, "we may want to look [into] it, given that it's such a big change." Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter . Follow us @livescience , Facebook & Google+ . Original article on Live Science. Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind This is a Rat's Brain on Virtual Reality | Video 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Brain
| 5 | 9,313 |
news
|
WASHINGTON (AP) A 911 dispatcher twice told an emotional 13-year-old girl to "stop whining" as her father lay dying after a hit-and-run on a Maryland highway, according to a recording of the call obtained Thursday. The dispatcher has been reassigned to a position away from the public pending an investigation, said Capt. Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. The dispatcher, whose name Davies declined to release, could return to answering 911 calls but could also face termination, depending on the investigation, which will including looking at any past problems, he said. The 911 call came in Sunday after a car hit Rick Warrick, 38, of Washington, D.C., and his fiancee as they changed a tire on a highway about halfway between Washington and Baltimore. The driver of the car that hit the couple fled. No arrests have been made, and police say they have no description of the car. Warrick was killed. His fiancee, Julia Pearce, 28, was seriously injured but was in fair condition at Baltimore's Shock Trauma Center on Thursday. Warrick's 13-year-old daughter was in the back seat with her younger brother, and called 911. During the five-minute call, the dispatcher asks the teen for more details about her location and about what happened. The teen answers many of his questions but struggles at times to remain calm. At one point, the dispatcher interrupts her. "OK, let's stop whining. Let's stop whining, it's hard to understand you," he says. The dispatcher sounds frustrated when the girl asks him to send help quickly. At one point he asks if there's someone else he can talk to. The dispatcher also questions the girl repeatedly about why her father is lying on top of his fiancee, to which she tearfully responds that it's just how he landed. She tells him that her father was breathing but not conscious. The dispatcher doesn't ask the girl how old she is and calls her "ma'am." Davies told The Associated Press that the dispatcher should have handled the call differently. Instead of telling her to "stop whining," he said the dispatcher could have asked the girl to try to calm down and reassured her that help was on the way. "911 dispatchers are trained to take control when they have a hysterical caller to focus them, but how (the dispatcher) proceeded to do that doesn't meet our expectations of how that would occur, and we're going to presume the public feels the same way," Davies said. "That's not how they expect to be treated when calling 911 in an emergency like that."
| 5 | 9,314 |
news
|
When it comes to vacation, kids say the darndest things ... and some fabulously honest things, if they're an 11-year-old travel writer. HuffPost Travel caught up with Ayonnah Tinsley , a preteen from Centreville, Virginia who has visited places as far-flung as Italy, as exotic as Panama and as low-key as the local Cinnabon. She breaks down every last spot on her kid-friendly site YaYa Stars , with some of the purest real-talk we've ever seen (no advertising nonsense here). Some descriptions are so perfectly honest, it's hard not to chuckle. "I discovered a toothpick inside one of the French fries," she writes about one Disney World eatery. "However, the decor was outstanding." Ayonnah dreams of visiting Greece "because in fourth grade, me and my friend devoted most of our free time to learning about Ancient Greece." She would also love to take a Disney cruise , as "certain rooms get interactive pictures of characters in frames." And we have no doubt that these places could benefit from her online reviews. A sampling of where she has been: On Rome: "Of course the cheese was totally delicious. In fact I think it is the best cheese there is!" On Cinnabon: "You know in a regular cinnamon bun how the center of it was always the best part? Well, apparently they knew that too and remade it when it is just the centers of the bun." On The Waldorf Astoria in Orlando: "The decor, colors and room especially was so pretty and coordinated properly." On Napa Valley: "Dominoes, Bricks and Pizza Hut's pizza is only okay compared to locally grown toppings for pizza made in Northern California." On airplanes: "The worst part of flying is when it takes too long for people to get on and get off. I think something that can make a flight better is more flexible seating arrangements so people can sit where they want and clear out the aisles quicker." We hear you, Ayonnah. Loud and clear . Some of Ayonnah's quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity.
| 2 | 9,315 |
travel
|
NEW YORK ( TheStreet ) -- The holidays have not been kind to UPS . In 2013, the shipping heavyweight's network was overwhelmed by a last-minute surge in online orders, especially via Amazon , causing massive delays in holiday shipments and a social media firestorm. Must Read: 10 Stocks Carl Icahn Loves for 2015: Apple, eBay, Hertz and More Then last year, after having beefed up its holiday capacity considerably , including hiring 95,000 seasonal workers and adding 50 new hubs, UPS was able to deliver packages on time but subsequently had to lower earnings guidance because of the expenses involved. The stock promptly sold off to the tune of 10% the day the guidance was issued, and has shed another 1.9% since. On Tuesday, UPS reported financial results that CEO David Abney characterized as "below expectations" due in large part to sluggish holiday demand in off-peak periods, or those unrelated to Black Friday or Cyber Monday. TheStreet caught up with UPS's CFO Kurt Kuehn after the earnings release to discuss how it plans to adjust its pricing to be more in line with its costs, how it's adapting to the trend of omnichannel retailing in which customer orders placed online can be fulfilled from brick-and-mortar stores or local distribution centers, and the challenges it's facing from upstart same-day delivery companies Must Read: Royal Caribbean's CEO on What Wall Street Completely Missed TheStreet: Can you take us through the specifics of the new residential pricing strategies? What should consumers expect to see this year? Kuehn: We've not released all the details of the specific pricing strategies, but basically we are going to look to make sure that we recover with revenue the increase that reflects the cost that we have to spend and the investments that it takes to handle the incredible surges that we see these days during the holidays. Clearly, the revenue focus will be on our lightweight packages and our residential shipments, most likely the ground shipments that happen during those holiday periods. But it will be on a selective customer by customer basis, and for some customers that we have multiyear contracts it will come in gradually over time. TheStreet : How has the rise of omni-channel retailing changing how UPS does business and how is it being done operationally to prepare for an acceleration in the capabilities this year? Kuehn: The omni-channel transition is fascinating, and we are seeing more and more retailers learn how to take advantage of their forward deployed brick-and-mortar to actually compete with some of the great Internet customers. The advantage that brick-and-mortar retailers have is that there is inventory there close to their customers, and so we are seeing and saw a big change this holiday with a number of big retailers taking advantage of their local retail outlets and doing fulfillment where by UPS comes by late in the afternoon or evening and then delivers packages in that metropolitan area the next day. It is a way to provide superior service. It's a great way for salespeople to recover the sale in that metropolitan area. It does change our flows a little bit. It did reduce some of the urgent shipments we sent out last year at this time since retailers can now do local same-day delivery and not necessarily have to fly by air. Although during those very busy periods during peak, that's not necessarily a negative trend for us. We will continue to adapt and continue to help our retailers find ways to take advantage of the brick-and-mortar they do have going forward. Must Read: Tupperware CEO Insists This Is Not Your Mom's Tupperware TheStreet : What are some of the risks you see to UPS from more retailers starting to offer same-day delivery services? Kuehn: Same-day delivery, we think, is an important service but will remain relatively small, kind of a niche. We think the absolute demand and need for that service is somewhat muted. One fact is that the majority of Internet shopping occurs late afternoon and evening, so just the feasibility of those things happening in that late a time is somewhat unlikely. We're much more focused on next-day fulfillment; that local fulfillment we talked about with omni commerce is a great example. But we certainly do have some strategic investments and keep very close tabs on how that kind of same-day fulfillment can happen profitably, and we'll be watching it. TheStreet : How are the peak shipping periods different for UPS starting to change operationally comparing 2014 to 2013 and 2012? Kuehn: Well, the big change we've seen over the last couple of years is just that e-commerce has really hit a critical mass to where the composition of when purchases are made and the spikes that we see are becoming more and more dramatic. We're now to the point where our peak operating day is more than 100% over our average for the rest of the year. The other thing is we're really seeing two distinct peaks, kind of a U-shaped peak, if you will, with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period generating a tremendous spike. Shipments were up over 12% on Cyber Monday for us. Then, the buying and purchasing abates a bit for a couple of weeks and then you get a bit of a flat period, and then it ramps up the last week or so to a more traditional holiday peak. So learning to live in this dual-peak period with a somewhat reduced demand period in the middle is one of the things that's happened over the last couple years and something that we'll continue to adjust to. Must Read: Why Whole Foods CEO Is Not Afraid of Rivals in 2015 TheStreet : What is UPS's view on acquisitions and companies that offer on-demand delivery such as InstaCart? Is the budding industry seen as an area a leader like UPS needs to get into to continue to evolve? Kuehn: Clearly, any company that intends to be around for the long term, and UPS is one of those, needs to watch events very carefully as they evolve and new players as they change the scene. We have a very active [research and development] group and strategy group that participates and watching a number of new companies. Clearly, these on-demand and sharing applications that seem to be proliferating in some industries are of interest to us, and we do have, in some cases, equity positions in some of these companies. The trick for a company like UPS is to understand what is a fad, what is very good from a customer service perspective but extremely expensive and therefore won't grow; and then what are those things that can be leveraged and scaled up to drive benefits to millions and ultimately create value for the company. There's no one silver bullet right now. But it's clearly an area we watch very closely and will be adapting to over time. Must Read: How Clorox' New CEO Hopes to Wipe Away Competitors in 2015 TheStreet Ratings team rates UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC as a Buy with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC (UPS) a BUY. This is driven by several positive factors, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income." You can view the full analysis from the report here: UPS Ratings Report
| 3 | 9,316 |
finance
|
Millions of people around the world start their days on subways, metros and undergrounds and, though that experience may be a commuter's low point, interest in images of subway systems still runs high. In fact, that daily-grind element may be the reason that interest exists in the first place. "I think in many ways when people are riding the subway they tend to be acting like photographers. They're looking at their surroundings with just enough distance to try to make sense of it visually," says Stephen Bulger, who recently curated a new exhibition of subway-set photographs for his gallery in Toronto. "People marvel at that because they've been there and seen that." The show includes a range of photos, from the uncredited documentation of the building of New York City's subway system to pieces from modern artists who work in undergrounds around the world. And, in bringing those photos together, Bulger noticed that the history of subways has tended to follow a set path regardless of the city in which the system is set. Early trains were traditional and sturdy; a period of decay began in the mid-20th century; modern cars are streamlined and more obviously designed. "It mirrors the industrial age itself," he says. "Things fall into disuse and neglect but there seems to be rebirth of urban spaces." Looking at the subway, then, isn't just a matter of seeing one's commute reflected on a gallery wall it's also a way of looking at the history of the city as a whole. The exhibition Subway is on view at the Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto through Mar. 14, 2015.
| 5 | 9,317 |
news
|
Sprint's (S.N) quarterly revenue fell less than expected as the U.S. mobile provider attracted more subscribers by cutting prices and offering promotions. Shares of the company, which is 80 percent owned by Japan's SoftBank, rose 3.7 percent to $4.75 in premarket trading on Thursday. Wireless carriers have been going after each others' subscribers with discounts and attractive plans as they try to increase revenue in a highly competitive, nearly saturated market. Sprint said it added 892,000 total wireless subscribers in the three months ended Dec. 31, well above Wall Street analysts' estimate of 790,000. The company's net operating revenue fell 1.8 percent to $8.97 billion but beat analysts' average estimate of $8.68 billion, according to Thomson Reuters. Sprint's net loss more than doubled to $2.38 billion, or 60 cents per share, from $1.04 billion, or 26 cents per share, a year earlier. The latest quarter included a $2.1 billion non-cash impairment charge. Through Wednesday's close of $4.58, Sprint's stock had dropped more than 40 percent in the past 12 months.
| 3 | 9,318 |
finance
|
The old-fashioned radio still reigns as consumers' top source for finding new music, but at Sunday's Grammy Awards, online streaming might show itself to be the fast track to industry recognition. With the likes of record-of-the-year nominees Iggy Azalea and Meghan Trainor breaking out on YouTube and streaming services such as Spotify, this year's Grammys could be a celebration for one of music's few growing segments. Among the nominees for this year's top awards - song, record and album of the year - only British soul singer Sam Smith and R&B artist Pharrell Williams had a hit that placed among the top 10 radio songs in total plays in 2014, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "I don't think anyone who is voting thinks that the Grammys happen in a world where streaming doesn't exist," said William Gruger, the social/streaming chart manager at Billboard. The online success of Azalea's rap hit "Fancy" with singer Charli XCX and Trainor's ode to full-figured women "All About that Bass" underscore the power that streaming - and its young-skewing consumers - have in elevating a song's profile at the grassroots. Such is the promise of streaming that Apple Inc bought headphone maker Beats for $3 billion last year, in part for its curated music service. Grammy voters, however, are supposed to cast their ballots only on artistic merit, said Neil Portnow, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which hands out the awards. "The fact that music is available to consumers via streaming and via download or via traditional product, that doesn't have anything to do with the awards process itself," Portnow said. "There isn't anything about streaming that relates directly to how those awards are given." STREAMING DIVIDES INDUSTRY But falling album sales and digital song downloads have elevated streaming's prominence within the industry. In December, Billboard and data compiler Nielsen SoundScan revamped the weekly album chart to include online streaming. Services such as Spotify, Beats and Google's YouTube helped propel on-demand music streams to 55 percent growth in 2014. "The industry is paying more attention to it especially when Billboard is changing their charts," said Lyndsey Parker, editor of Yahoo Music. Azalea's "Fancy" was the top song on Spotify in 2014 while its video racked up 440 million views on YouTube in under a year. "'Fancy' blew up because people were streaming that song like crazy ... it's good for discovery and elevating the profiles of new artists," Parker added. Trainor's "Bass" has been streamed 569 million times on YouTube. By contrast, John Legend's "All of Me" was last year's top radio song with 816,000 plays. But streaming still faces an uphill climb among the industry's establishment, which is unhappy with the way and amount of money services such as Spotify compensate for the art. Megastar Taylor Swift, a song and record of the year nominee, notably pulled all her music from Spotify and streaming sites in November prior to the release of top-selling album "1989." Spotify, which boasts 60 million active users, says about 70 percent of its revenue goes to record labels and publishers, which then have their own separate agreements with artists. "If a streaming service bases its business on the music that it plays, one would think there has to be a way where the people who write, perform and own that music can be fairly compensated for the work they do," Portnow said. "I don't think we are there yet," he added, "and I think there is a long way to go."
| 6 | 9,319 |
entertainment
|
Several years ago, New York City's Department of Environmental Protection decided to crack down on restaurants that were clogging up drainpipes by dumping used cooking oil into neighborhood sewers. Rather than using inspectors to catch restaurant employees in the act, as they might have done in the past, the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning dug up data from an obscure city agency that identifies all local restaurants that employ a carting service to haul away grease. With a few quick calculations, comparing restaurants that did not employ a carter using imagery and other geo-spatial data, analysts in 2012 were able to give inspectors a list of statistically likely suspects, The New York Times first reported. The result was a 95 percent success rate in finding and penalizing the dumpers. The Bloomberg administration made smart use of data. And the recent explosion in the availability of big data is dramatically changing the way cities, businesses, public health organization and other entities are doing business and making decisions, according to a new study by the Pew Charitable Trust released Wednesday. "Local governments have used performance measurement collecting and studying data with the aim of improving operating efficiency and effectiveness for decades, but today's cities have access to a wealth of other data," the report said. "Those on the cutting edge are using these data with new analytical tools in innovative ways that often reach beyond the conventional definition of performance measurement." In the past, local governments generally examined statistics only within individual departments, but today they're gleaning insights by combining and crunching data across agencies. Government officials previously reviewed performance statistics annually, quarterly or twice a year. Now they often gain insights in real time, Pew said, letting them be more responsive and efficient. Perhaps most importantly, cities that once used analytics to understand past events are using them to predict future events , enabling officials to better anticipate new trends or potential disasters. In short, cities are using new techniques and strategies to break out of narrow data silos and see a bigger picture. Pew found that at the local level, new methods of collecting and analyzing information "have varied and far-reaching effects on the ability of leaders to understand and work within their fiscal constraints and meet residents' needs." "These days, cities are working to do more with less," Robert Zahradnik, director for the Pew Charitable Trusts' state fiscal health and economic growth work, said. "Our research has shown that two thirds of the large cities we track have not yet recovered from the Great Recession. New kinds of data and data analytics offer governments a way to improve services and operate more efficiently." Rick Cole, deputy mayor for budget and innovation in Los Angeles, recently told a National League of Cities conference in Austin, Texas that cities should use data to identify potential problems, understand why they're happening, and find solutions, Pew found. Cole told the audience, "It's not the numbers. It's what you do with the numbers." Here are other examples of how cities are using big data around the country: Boston's Problem Properties Task Force analyzes trends using data points from various city departments including 25-month crime statistics from neighborhood or police districts and top-ten address lists for code violations to predict which properties are at risk for more problems. The task force then works with landlords to address complaints and violations promptly. Detroit Fire Department officials collect information about response times, medical emergencies, calls for assistance and other matters received on 911 lines in planning for improvements in response time and community outreach. That data has been critical during the city's financial and budget crisis, when it had to decide which fire companies to shut down to save money. The new system has helped determine which fire companies to brown out at what times to minimize the adverse impact on response times and improve services. Las Vegas is using a system called the Park Asset Data Collection and Data Conversion Program to cut costs while improving services. The system stores quantitative data and maps for all park amenities, including benches, restrooms, trees, soil and sod. Previously, the city was paying for staff to assess the needs before work could begin. While this creative use of data has resulted in breakthroughs in government services and enforcement, concerns still exist, said Zahradnik. "Breaking down silos is important for every level of government, but there are important concerns when sharing information," Zahradnik said. "For example, sharing administrative data that may improve the outcomes of a program needs to be balanced with protecting the privacy of the individuals seeking services." Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: 10 Tax Facts the IRS Doesn't Want You to Know How to Prepare for Obama's Spending Avalanche 5 Stupid Tax Proposals Hidden in Obama's Budget
| 3 | 9,320 |
finance
|
Prosecutors say Aaron Hernandez's fiance hid the gun used to kill Odin Lloyd in a trash bag after receiving a text message from Hernandez.
| 8 | 9,321 |
video
|
By Steve DelVecchio The 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover was revealed on Wednesday night, and it was Hannah Davis who got the nod. As many of you know, Davis has been dating former New York Yankees superstar Derek Jeter for quite some time. Davis, 24, said she didn't think she had a shot at being on the cover because her photoshoot was done on a farm and not a beach. "I told my mom there was no way I'd get the cover," an emotional Davis said after SI Now surprised her with the announcement . "I told her, 'They do beaches for covers and I'm on a farm. There's no way. It's not possible.'" SI assistant managing editor MJ Day said the setting plays no part in selecting a cover photo. "There's no person, there's no place," Day explained. "The best photo wins. Period." The decision was made public during a pretty funny appearance Davis made on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon Wednesday night. It's hard to beat the trio of ladies that appeared on last year's SI Swimsuit cover, but Davis is certainly deserving of the honor. Davis racked up some screen time with Jeter's family during the future Hall of Famer's farewell tour last season, so you know their relationship must be pretty serious. There have even been rumors about Jeter and Davis having a secret wedding , though they have not said much publicly.
| 1 | 9,322 |
sports
|
UNIVERSITY PARK - When James Franklin took over the Penn State football program last January, he knew he was taking hold of a program beset by NCAA sanctions and recruiting limitations. Although the NCAA had lessened the NCAA's inital scholarship reductions four months before Franklin arrived - Penn State would be able be at 75 total scholarships in 2014 and 80 in 2015 - Franklin would still have to settle for a limited classes sizewise until the team would be allowed to carry a full 85 in 2016. But when the NCAA completely lifted the sanctions in September, everything changed and Penn State was able to get creative in order to maximize its recruiting efforts and replenish its depth. Although recruited along with the rest of the 2015 class, early enrollees Sterling Jenkins, Paris Palmer and Tommy Stevens will count retroactively toward last year's class. By signing 22 more players on Wednesday and getting a verbal commitment from Stanford offensive lineman Kevin Reihner - who announced he will transfer to Penn State as a graduate student and be eligible to play immediately - Penn State still has two spots left in the 2015 class. "We'll have them either this year or next year," Director of Player Personnel Andy Frank said. "We'll have about two left that we could potentially give this year and we'll continue to look around. Things will happen in the spring, things may happen tomorrow. You never know. But things will happen over the course of the spring where guys will decide they want to leave the school they're at and I think we'll be looking around." Coaches are not permitted to talk about players who have not signed National Letters of Intent and Frank made sure to remind Franklin of that on Tuesday when reporters asked about Reihner and a handful of preferred walk-ons who have announced their intentions to attend Penn State. The restoration of scholarships also put Penn State in a tricky position on recruiting trails. Penn State missed out on some top-tier recruits who simply chose other schools. But they were forced to pass on others - specifically a few skill position guys defensive recruiting coordinator Terry Smith said - not knowing if they'd have space and knowing they'd have to restore depth in the trenches. "You've got to find players," Frank said. "It's hard to tell a kid no in September and expect him in February to say yes to you. Unfortunately we were in that situation where we had to tell really, really good players, 'Hey, we don't have room for you right now.' Knowing what we know today would we have taken those guys? Yeah, we would've. We would've loved to have." Coaches rely on Frank behind the scenes Frank is not as noticeable on the sidelines and isn't readily available to reporters. But he plays a massive role in the program's day-to-day operations. "They're kind of like back in the command center," offensive recruiting coordinator Josh Gattis said. "Andy Frank is really kind of the director of the whole organization from a recruiting standpoint. He does an unbelievable job making sure we're organized, making sure we're in the right areas and attacking the right areas we need to." Frank uses a big whiteboard to keep track of day-to-day recruiting targets and maps out detailed itineraries for each coach. Sometimes, there are logistical breakdowns and Frank has to have a backup plan ready. Or he has to conjure one quickly so Franklin or whichever coach doesn't lose critical recruiting time. Take a recent plans for Gattis to fly out of Philadelphia to visit a prospect in Florida. Gattis woke up in State College and got in his car and headed east. But snow beat him to Philadelphia and the flight was delayed to the point he wouldn't make it south in time. So he called gave Frank a ring. Frank told him to turn west and booked him on a flight out of Pittsburgh - the same flight Franklin was taking. "You have a backup plan and sometimes a backup plan happens on the fly," Frank said. Camps offer coaches more perspective Franklin brought up the team's summer camps eight times during his 33-minute press conference Wednesday. Penn State hosted a handful of camps last season and spent time on other campuses in order to evaulate prospects in person. Those evaluation sessions pay dividends, Franklin said. "If you look at most of our class a bunch of the guys came to camp and worked out," Franklin said. "So they could improve and get better with their fundamentals and their skills and have great high school careers. But also there's an opportunity to evaluate those guys as well and see how coachable they are." Gattis said coaches may be able to judge potential a bit better. Take a quarterback for instance - if he can throw free of in-game stress inside the team's Holuba Hall, it provides coaches a clearer picture of his potential skillset. "It also allows that student athlete to see how we coach," Gattis said. "It gives them a better understanding of who we are as coaches and whenever you're able to get a kid on campus, especially at Penn State, you're able to show them what you can provide them, not only athletically but academically." Penn State will host seven camps this summer. Only drama on signing day? A wrong number Within a few hours, all of Penn State's 2015 recruits had signed and sent their National Letters of Intent to the coaching staff. While the day began with a celebration in the team's "War Room" inside the Lasch Building, it went off without any hitches despite a few jitters as coaches waited for the last letter to come in. Four recruits were in by 8 a.m. and five more came in before nine. The next 12 were in before 11 and Penn State coaches anxiously awaited the final member of the 2015 class. The official timeline has Altoona defensive end Kevin Givens as the final signee - at 11:19 a.m. A coach called each recruit and Skyped or FaceTimed as they sent their letters. At one point, Franklin tried to FaceTime Shareef Miller and misdialed. Instead he wound up chatting briefly with a Penn State fan. ESPN.com had a reporter in the room after other reporters had been asked to leave. ESPN later tracked down the man on the other end of the line. "It was Coach Franklin," Aleem Medley told ESPN.com. "They had all the balloons in the background. I'm like, 'Coach?' I was doing most of the talking. We just had a good laugh. (The call) was only about 58 seconds or so. I was just so stoked." Follow Travis Johnson on Twitter @bytravisjohnson.
| 1 | 9,323 |
sports
|
Here at R29, we spend a lot of time scouting for beauty products you haven't already heard of, despite the fact that there's a treasure trove of cult classics to consider. What beauty junkie, for instance, hasn't eyed a bottle of, say, Oribe's Dry Texture Spray? Or, that infamous NARS Orgasm blush? The ultra-luxe Eve Lom cleansing balm? We've seen them mentioned on websites, magazines, and heard about their allegedly miraculous abilities straight from the mouths of our favorite YouTubers. So, we thought: We could do a list of the cult classics. But, then, we thought: They've seen that before. That's when we decided to come up with a list of the products that make our spidey senses tingle the bona fide, killer buys that are destined to earn cult stardom. These are the things we've seen on set and backstage, the miracle moisturizers and lippies our go-to makeup artists are constantly wielding, and the blowdry balms our favorite stylists feel lost without. They fill our very own medicine cabinets and makeup bags, and they consume an unreasonable amount of space on our desks. (It's work, though!) Click through to see what exactly made our list hopefully there's a product here for you. As always, feel free to fill us in on what you think should be the next big thing. We're always looking for recommendations. "I love a good face mist, but it's not something I ever considered a treatment product it's more of a comforting, benign moisture product. Then, I was introduced to Yuli's Panacea Elixir, and it changed everything I thought I knew about face mists. A few spritzes of this organic concoction in the a.m. and p.m., and my zits were instantly calmed, redness was diminished, and my complexion looked and felt hydrated, soft, and dewy." Megan McIntyre, beauty director Yuli Panacea Elixir, $68, available at Yuli . "My clients and I are constantly battling with dry lips! I always do a treatment in the spa for them, but this is great for in-between visits." Kerry Benjamin, celebrity aesthetician Sara Happ The Lip Scrub, $24, available at Nordstrom . "This smells like gardenias and heaven, and when you massage it into the skin, you look in the words of a gentleman who saw me shortly after its application 'like you just woke up or something.' Mix in one drop with your favorite liquid foundation for a super-boost that will change your complexion game forever." Phillip Picardi, senior beauty editor Rodin Olio Lusso Face Oil, $170, available at Olio Lusso . "Tucked away in this unassuming jar is the only balm that keeps my skin from flaking all winter. Seriously Sweet Bee is the closest thing to a miracle that I've ever found. (Shoutout to makeup artist Gloria Noto for recommending it to R29ers!) It melts into skin, giving you an instant glow, and keeps you hydrated all day. I've been recommending it to my friends since the mercury started to drop." Maria Del Russo, beauty writer Medicine Mama's Ultra Beauty Balm, $32, available at Medicine Mama's Apothecary . "If you haven't gotten in on the sheet-mask wave, these bad boys are a great introduction. I've been slowly working my way through the range of Dr. Jart's masks (I even prefer them to their Korean counterparts) and, I have to say, the Pore Minimalist is my favorite so far. It includes Korean charcoal, spearmint extract, and arginine, which provide the skin with pore-tightening results and an overall glowing complexion." Taylor Bryant, beauty production assistant Dr. Jart+ Pore Minimalist Mask, $35, available at Birchbox . "If you haven't heard about this yet, you should have: It's sort of an 'instant wonder' mask for dull skin it improves the overall appearance of your complexion, leaving you tighter, brighter, and feeling a little lighter." Phillip Picardi Ren Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask, $55, available at Sephora . "Beloved by models and makeup artists alike, this is that rare beauty product that really does benefit everyone. Place the little plastic cylinder in the freezer for a few hours, and then attach it to the handle and go to town rolling your face. Undereye puffiness will be diminished, skin will appear lifted and vibrant, and you'll look and feel way more awake and alert. Bonus: It's also great for helping relieve tension and pain from headaches and migraines. Is it any wonder we can't stop raving about this little gadget?" Megan McIntyre Hansderma Skincool Ice Roller At-Home for Face and Body Massage, $29, available at Hansderma . "This is the only organic product that I use and sell. It burns a little when you apply it, but it feels like it's working. I got hooked on it initially as it was really helping my eczema, but it's great for pigment, acne, and it really moisturizes, too." Kerry Benjamin Organic Herbal Face Food Herbal Face Food, $99.97, available at Organic Herbal Face Food . "Rose water, aloe-leaf juice, lavender water, witch hazel, willow-bark extract, and more make this the most delightful face mist I've ever used. I like to lift my head toward the sky, outstretch my arm like I'm taking the perfect selfie, and spritz three times. Do it post-makeup, or before you touch up your concealer or what-have-you. It's sure to lift your spirits." Phillip Picardi Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence, $85, available at Nordstrom . "This product already has a pretty intense cult following among the natural hair community and beyond. You can use it as a face, body, and/or hair mask. Whatever your mask of choice, be ready for a seriously intense cleansing." Taylor Bryant Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay, $6.99, available at The Vitamin Shoppe . "Hands down, this is the most effective, most pleasant to use 'take the day off' makeup remover I have ever had the pleasure of smearing on my face. It has a petroleum-jelly-like texture, but it's the exact opposite it features sunflower-seed oil, greater-burdock-root extract, annatto seed, iris root, and orange extract to hydrate and nourish as it purifies your pores. Rub it onto dry skin and massage it into your face, then splash on some water and watch as it transforms into a milky emulsion that rinses away dirt, grime, and even the most resilient waterproof makeup. And, don't even get me started on the scent sometimes I just pop open the tube for no other reason than to inhale its intoxicating aroma." Megan McIntyre Nude Skincare Perfect Cleanse Omega Cleansing Jelly, $38, available at Sephora . "Never have I ever met a cleansing balm that actually took off a full face of makeup without scrubbing myself into mean, red oblivion before this one. This guy is packed with antioxidants, peptides, white lily, and omega-rich oils. I smooth it on, brush my teeth, and then rinse off. What's left is pretty, hydrated skin…and I love it." Phillip Picardi Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse, $75, available at SpaceNK . "Full disclosure: I have only tried this product a grand total of one time. However, so much did it impress me from that little test that I am fully and totally invested in its sure-to-be-cult status. Created by one of Germany's most revered dermatologists, this anti-aging cream features fern extract, which has been shown to protect the skin's cell DNA from damage as well as protect against environmental aging. It also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, making it great for those of us suffering from both wrinkles and acne (curse you, hormones!). All I know is that I smoothed this dreamy cream on my skin and fell head-over-heels in love with every aspect of it the scent, the feel, and the way it made my skin look. I'm composing a haiku of devotion to it right now." Megan McIntyre Royal Fern Anti-Aging Cream, $250, available in-store at Bergdorf Goodman . "When Mariah Carey sang 'Touch My Body,' it was probably because she had recently discovered Juno. This formula enhances skin with a lipid blend, while yummily scented botanical extracts hydrate and leave a touchable glow." Phillip Picardi Sunday Riley Juno Body Transformative Body Lipid Serum, $105, available at Sephora . "I love this product to help smooth wrinkles and your chest overnight!" Kerry Benjamin SilcSkin Decollette Pads, $28.95, available at SilcSkin . "It's like green juice for your face, but not as gross! Plus, it contains the instantly plumping hyaluronic acid, so you look fresher immediately after application." Phillip Picardi Joanna Vargas Daily Serum, $85, available at Beauty.com . "I have a somewhat contentious relationship with face oils. As someone with dry, yet acne-prone skin, they offer me something I desperately need (hydration) but at the price of something I absolutely loathe (zits). So, I had pretty much written them off until I came across this indie gem. Made with oils of rosehip seed, carrot seed, and frankincense, as well as immortelle extract, it makes my skin supple and silky without breaking me out. And, as anyone who has struggled with a coconut-oil-induced pimple party on their face can tell you, that alone is a star-making feat." Megan McIntyre Mullein & Sparrow Facial Serum, $48, available at Mullein & Sparrow . "Stubborn dry patches don't stand a chance against this body oil, made by top stylist and editor Linda Rodin. Made up of 11 essential oils like jojoba, primrose, and argan it's not only a great moisturizer but also works overtime as a perfume." Taylor Bryant Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Body Oil, $130, available at Olio Lusso . "This is a wireless, ultrasonic microdermabrasion device. With the help of the micro-bubble-jet energy, ultrasonic energy, and electric-property ions, this provides three professional-grade treatments in one. It gently removes dead skin cells, dirt, and debris from a moistened skin surface, while a thin metal spatula vibrates ultrasonically to extract pores without pain. It also has different 'modes,' with different wavelengths, to suit various concerns." Kerry Benjamin Trophy Skin Labelle Ultrasonic Skin Scrubber, $149, available at Amazon . "If I could, I'd give the entire Tatcha range of products Cult Classic status it truly deserves it. Rather than pick just one which would be like choosing a favorite child in beauty-editor world I'll highlight my most recent obsession, the Indigo Soothing Silk Hand Cream. Unlike practically every other hand cream I've ever tried, it doesn't make my hands feel sticky and greasy, and it helps eradicate even the roughest, scaliest, reddest patches of skin. It has a super-thick, almost balm-like texture, so a little goes a long way. I've seen an improvement in my hands' winter flakiness, and my nails and cuticles also seem more hydrated and healthier. It doesn't hurt that the scent is also heavenly I'm now the weirdo randomly sniffing my hands at my desk. I'd be embarrassed if it didn't smell so damn amazing." Megan McIntyre Tatcha Indigo Soothing Silk Hand Cream, $38, available at Tatcha . "Two words: What hangover?" Phillip Picardi Sisley Paris Eye Contour Mask, $145, available at Nordstrom . "This is the perfect product for prepping hair: It builds grit, adds texture and hold, and creates natural movement. Spray it in damp hair before blowdrying to build body and create beachy, piece-y texture, or scrunch it in dry hair to build wave and movement." Jen Atkin, celebrity hairstylist Sachajuan Ocean Mist, $27, available at Shop Zoe Life . "This is a completely organic, anti-frizz leave-in conditioner that's made with sustainable ingredients from California. With its handful of essential oils, it not only smells amazing, but helps to restore health to your hair and scalp. Use a dime-sized amount and run it from roots to ends to prep for your blowdry." Adir Abergel, celebrity hairstylist Garrett Markenson Reverie Milk Leave-In Nourishing Treatment, $42, available at Beautyhabit . "This has been a counterculture, punk-rock staple since 1985. I started dabbling with these bright, pigmented, semi-permanent colors when I was just a budding little punk rocker at 12 years old…now, it's gone mainstream! I use it to create pastel rainbows and bold colors on myself and my clients." Aura Friedman, hair colorist at Sally Hershberger Downtown Manic Panic High Voltage Cream Formula Hair Color, $13.99, available at Manic Panic . "This is one of my all-time favorite products for shorter lengths on women it isn't greasy, but it gives great shine. And, it isn't matte, but it gives incredible texture and separation. I rough-dry the hair and put the lightest amount of wave in it with a curling iron, and then I warm a dab of this product in my palms and work it in from the mid-lengths to the ends." Kristin Ess, celebrity hairstylist and cofounder of The Beauty Department R+Co Continental Glossing Wax, $27, available at R+Co. "I'm hesitant to call many beauty products 'all-in-one,' because rarely is a product actually able to do everything at once, or able to do it well. This silky cream is the exception to that rule. I use it on my hair as a pre-blowout styler, and it does everything from protect my fine, bleached-blonde strands from even more damage to help smooth and tame my mane. And, as wonderful as it is as a heat-styling aid, it's just as phenomenal as an air-drying product smoothing this through my strands and letting my hair dry naturally leads to a soft, pretty texture and tons of great movement without any frizz or flyaways." Megan McIntyre Kérastase Elixir Ultime Creme Fine, $42, available at Kérastase . "The pricetag seems ridiculous, right? But, then you unwrap this little mint-green treasure, turn it on, and all of a sudden, you feel like your round brush or your Mason Pearson has been given angel's wings. Everyone whom I've ever told to buy this guy has texted me, professing their love. You didn't know blowdrying could be this good. And, you deserve a good blow, right? Who doesn't?" Phillip Picardi Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000, $300, available at Hair Envy . "This is the most wonderful detangler in the world. Plus, it also creates incredible shine! Spray five to 10 times all over before brushing once you get out of the shower. It's never, ever heavy if you spray it on wet hair!" Kristin Ess Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner, $17.95 $10.99, available at Ulta . "This is literally like lotion for your hair. It creates the perfect second-day feel, where hair has separation and moisture without getting greasy. Use after styling to create definition, smooth flyaways, and prevent dryness." Jen Atkin Leonor Greyl Eclat Naturel Nourishing and Protective Styling Cream, $46, available at Leonor Greyl . "You know that feeling you get when you're at the shampoo bowl and your scalp is just being rubbed and massaged to perfection, and your eyes get all squinty and happy, kind of like you're a cat whose back is being scratched? That's THIS for your shampoo little beads help exfoliate the scalp, while chamomile and St. John's wort prevent color loss." Phillip Picardi Christophe Robin Cleansing Mask with Lemon, $49, available at Saks Fifth Avenue. "Our entire office is obsessed with this cleansing crème. Why? It's essentially a hybrid shampoo and conditioner that takes washing your hair to new, exciting levels. It doesn't suds or lather up like your typical cleanser and is sulfate-free for the curly-haired ladies in the house. It also completely eliminates the need for conditioner a lazy girl's dream." Taylor Bryant Purely Perfect Cleansing Creme, $40, available at Urban Outfitters. "This is an Australian brand that's 100% vegetable-based with added essential oils. Spray this liberally on the roots, then blowdry it can be used for anybody, but it's especially useful for anyone who loves voluminous hair." Adir Abergel Kusco-Murphy Setting Lotion, $27.69, available at SleekHair.com . "No curling iron can give you the same look as a great flat iron with beveled edges. This is great for girls who like a natural wave, as opposed to the more patterned, curling-iron looks." Kristin Ess GHD Classic Styler, $185 $148, available at GHD . "Although it was originally designed for removing extensions, this brush is a must-have for detangling. I literally use it every day it's perfect for right out of the shower to brush out tangles faster than anything, without pulling!" Jen Atkin Sheila Stotts Removal Brush, $28, available at Sheila Stotts . Friedman also loves and recommends Davines' range to all of her clients for maintaining hard-to-keep color, but Ess has a different trick, specifically for the red formula: "It will always be cool to have a subtle whisper of blush-pink to your hair, even if it's just for a wild weekend. I apply this after shampooing wherever I want a hint of pink! It's great for blondes." Davines Alchemic Conditioner Red, $28.50, available at Davines . "This product can make even the dullest, most lifeless skin come back to life. I love it for light-to-medium skin tones because it's natural, and brings the perfect amount of light to your cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the Cupid's bow, eyelids, inner eyes, and collarbone." Katey Denno, celebrity makeup artist RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, $38, available at RMS Beauty . "The precise point on this product allows me to mimic the look of actual brow hairs and create a strong shape that still looks natural. It's great for anyone who likes a polished, perfectly groomed eyebrow. Plus, it's almost always sold out in the popular shades!" Robin Black, makeup artist and founder of Beauty Is Boring Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, $21, available at Anastasia Beverly Hills . "Quite possibly the most perfect blue-red lipstick in existence, this gorgeous shade by Lipstick Queen Poppy King achieves the dual feat of longwear power and comfort. One swipe of this, and I know I'll be complimented on my standout pout. I've worn a lot of reds in my day, but this one puts all others to shame." Megan McIntyre Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope Lipstick in Black Tie, $50, available at Violet Grey . "I have long been a massive fan of Bite Beauty's lip shades, but these guys are a cut above everything else I've ever swept across my mouth. Not only do these pencils apply seamlessly and come in a wide range of gorgeous shades, the pigment sticks to your lips like nothing else. This is truly one of the only swipe-it-and-forget-it products I've ever used." Maria Del Russo Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon with Resveratrol, $24, available at Sephora . "I won't bore you with all the details of the genius invention that is Troy Surratt's eyelash curler…since I already did that a couple months ago. Just know that curling your lashes allows more light to hit your beautiful eyes, making it a crucial step in anyone's routine. And, this one? It's out to get that classic little silver model. It has already replaced mine." Phillip Picardi Surratt Relevee Lash Curler, $30, available at Barneys New York . "This is my favorite face highlighter for women with medium to medium-dark skin tones, or just for anyone who's pale and wants to bronze up! It's creamy, so it's easy to use just apply to cheekbones, eyelids, and even under the lower lashes and across the lid, to add a bronze halo to the eye." Katey Denno Ilia Sway Stick, $34, available at Ilia . "This is THE product to cover up the evidence of jet lag, unreasonable weather, red carpet flashes, occasional breakouts, and Fashion Week skin. It's pigmented and slightly dry, so it stays put, and builds up to a full coverage in a pinch. I've been known to mix it with a little moisturizer to create sheer, all-over coverage. Almost every artist I know carries this product use the yellow-based side to cover redness and the peach base to take care of dark circles." Robin Black Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, $34, available at Sephora . "Rumor has it Kim K is a fan of this product, which is great for brightening your complexion. Apply it to the T-zone, under the eyes, and on the tops of the cheekbones, then bounce into the skin with a damp sponge for a truly flawless makeup look." Phillip Picardi Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Yellow Makeup Cover Base, $48, available at Nordstrom . "If you've constantly struggled with getting the perfect cat-eye, then this is the product you've been waiting for. Feline Flick has a felt tip that makes application a snap, but its packaging is also a winner. The pen has a finger-friendly grip, allowing you greater precision in your handling. It's like a magic wand, but better because it's makeup, obviously." Maria Del Russo Charlotte Tilbury The Feline Flick Liquid Eye Pen, $30, available at NET-A-PORTER . "This is my favorite way to make pale, light, light-medium, and medium bodies look golden and glowy. I mix it with body lotion and a little bit of luminizer, and then rub it into the skin it offers a great, sheer application of color." Katey Denno Dr. Hauschka Translucent Bronzing Tint, $39.95, available at DermStore . "I stumbled upon this little gem thanks to my amazing brow whisperer, Kristie Streicher. I get my brows tinted, but since she's based in L.A., I have to have something to keep my brows looking full in-between my appointments. That's when she pointed me toward this little pencil. And, I mean little the micro-fine precision point means you can use it to mimic the look of tiny brow hairs, which helps to make your fill-in job look way more believable. It's the next best thing to my tinting sessions with Kristie." Megan McIntyre Kimiko Super Fine Eyebrow Pencil Automatique, $25, available at Kimiko Beauty . "Some people cut a rug. Some cut a bitch. Me, myself? I cut a cheek. Shade & Illuminate is the most intimidating palette in my kit it took me months to master it. But, once I did, I felt like a samurai who had earned his sword. Chiseled features and the most insane, camera-ready highlight in the game. Makeup artists love it, and so will the beauty addict reading this post." Phillip Picardi Tom Ford Beauty Shade & Illuminate, $77, available at Saks Fifth Avenue . "This is the perfect way to add 100%, all-natural moisture to lips and add a hint of color without looking like you're wearing anything at all." Katey Denno Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm, $7, available at Burt's Bees. "This is an insider favorite it's a three-prong liquid liner that makes the perfect tightline simple. A tightline instantly makes your eyes appear more open and your lashes look thicker." Robin Black Clarins 3-Dot Liner, $26, available at Clarins . "Powder bronzers are fine in the summer, but really, they're just too much on me in the winter. This creamy base is the right hit of bronze that warms me up and makes me look dewy, hydrated, and fresh-from-the-beach. Even though we all know I don't ever come out from under my umbrella without SPF 50." Phillip Picardi Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base, $48, available at Nordstrom . "I'm typically one to spend an arm and a leg on complexion products. But, NYX has totally changed that with this concealer: I've been using it for a few months, and nothing covers up my red spots and pimples better. I've even taken to using it as a highlighter, since the formula has light-diffusing particles that double to create an illuminating effect." Maria Del Russo NYX Hi Definition Photo Concealer Wand, $4.99, available at Ulta . "ZuZu has a line of nontoxic liquid liners that are available in truly electric colors. I tend to use the navy and green most often, but I'm also a big fan of the classic black! In the green-beauty world, it can be tough to find true, dark blacks but this one is." Katey Denno ZuZu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner, $14.85, available at Gabriel Cosmetics . "I'm not one for gimmicky makeup, but this tube mascara from L'Oréal is the exception to the rule. It comes with a primer, which I ignore because the actual formula is actually pretty bananas for your lashes all on its own. Swipe it on, and it creates a physical 'tube' around the lash that lengthens, defines, and extends your fringe without any clumps. They come off with just warm water, so no tugging and pulling on your eyes with makeup remover required. One thing to note: If you've never used tubes, when they come off it can look like your lashes are falling out they're not; the tubes just fall off whole and make it appear like you are molting. Glamorous!" Megan McIntyre L'Oréal Double Extend Beauty Tubes, $10.95, available at L'Oréal. "Meet the freshest, most subtle blush for light-to-medium skin tones. Tap it into the skin with your ring finger for an undetectable flush." Phillip Picardi Kevyn Aucoin The Creamy Glow in Pravella, $26, available at Barneys New York .
| 4 | 9,324 |
lifestyle
|
Georgia Tech won 11 games last season, and they beat Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl; however, Georgia Tech did not have any recruits that were 4-stars or higher. Jeff Fischel lets us know what led to their lack of success.
| 1 | 9,325 |
sports
|
If you tend to worry about making ends meet, you're not alone. Money is the No. 1 stress factor for adults in the United States, topping work, family obligations and health concerns, a new survey found. Parents, Gen Xers, millennials, women and those living in lower-income households report higher-than-average levels of stress especially when it comes to money, according to the results. And people who reported a lot of anxiety about money were more likely to use unhealthy habits to deal with their stress, like binge-watching TV, drinking or smoking, the survey showed. The American Psychological Association (APA) commissioned the survey of more 3,000 adults from across the United States in August 2014. The poll found that 72 percent of Americans had felt stressed about money at some point during the previous month, including 22 percent who felt "extreme stress" about money during that time. For many Americans, there's little relief from that anxiety: 26 percent said they felt stressed about their finances most or all of the time, while 54 percent said they have "just enough" or "not enough" money to make ends meet at the end of the month, according to the survey. Overall, 64 percent of Americans rated money a somewhat or very significant source of stress. But that percentage ticks up for certain demographic groups: parents with kids under 18 (77 percent), Gen Xers (76 percent) and millennials (75 percent). Americans living in households with an annual income of less than $50,000 had higher overall stress levels than people in households earning more than $50,000 per year (5.2 vs. 4.7 out of 10 on a stress-measuring scale), according to the survey. That gap has widened over of the past seven years; in 2007, both income groups reported the same average stress levels (6.2 on a 10-point scale). Lower-income Americans were also twice as likely to say they worried about money all or most of the time compared with their better-off peers (36 percent vs. 18 percent), according to the poll. Besides money, other top-rated sources of stress were at least loosely tied to finances. A majority of Americans (60 percent) said work was a very or somewhat significant source of stress, while 49 percent said the same about the economy, 47 percent were stressed about family responsibilities and 46 percent were stressed about health concerns. Overall, stress levels for Americans actually dipped last year, to 4.9 out of 10 on a stress-measuring scale, down from 6.2 in 2007. But that level still might be higher than what Americans said they considered healthy: 3.7 out of 10, on average. High stress levels can have reverberating effects on a person's health and well-being. About 75 percent of Americans said they experienced at least one negative side effect of stress in the previous month, such as feeling irritable or angry (37 percent), nervous or anxious (35 percent), unmotivated (34 percent), fatigued (32 percent), overwhelmed (32 percent) and depressed (32 percent). People who reported more extreme stress levels over money were more likely to deal with their stress in unhealthy, or at least sedentary, ways, such as watching more than 2 hours of TV in a day, browsing the Internet, eating, sleeping, smoking or drinking. And about one in five of the people polled said that they have either thought about skipping or have skipped going to the doctor because of financial concerns, even when they needed health care.
| 7 | 9,326 |
health
|
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- New season, same old story with Tiger Woods. Only it's no longer a happy tale. For the third time in his last eight PGA Tour events, Woods got into a cart in the middle of his round and was driven to the parking lot because of back pain. Most troubling about Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open was he spoke only a week ago of feeling "great" physically, and this was only his second event of the year. He blamed this one on the weather, which caused his "glutes" to shut off. Woods walked off the course after 11 holes on the North Course at Torrey Pines, citing tightness in his lower back from standing around for more than an hour in the cool Pacific air during a fog delay in the morning. He never looked comfortable, and Billy Horschel noticed it right away. Woods was reaching for his back at the turn. Horschel tried to help by picking up the tee for Woods on their 10th hole and the ball from the cup when Woods made birdie. "I was ready to go," Woods said. "I had a good warmup session the first time around. Then we stood out here and I got cold, and everything started deactivating again. And it's frustrating that I just can't stay activated. That's just kind of the way it is." Woods now has gone 12 straight PGA Tour events without a top 10, dating to his runner-up finish in The Barclays in 2013 when back pain dropped him to his knees. This was his first round since a career-high 82 last week in the Phoenix Open to tie for last with a club pro and miss the cut by 12 shots. "It's tough to see a guy I look up to, a guy I consider a friend, to have issues with spasms," Horschel said. "It's tough to see him go, but he was in quite a bit of pain." Nicholas Thompson had an 8-under 64 on the North Course and had a one-shot lead over Michael Thompson when play was suspended by darkness. Brooks Koepka, coming off his victory in the Phoenix Open, had a 66 on the North. The best score on the tougher South Course belonged to Jhonnatan Vegas, who shot 67. Dustin Johnson, playing for the first time since his six-month leave for "personal challenges," holed out for eagle on No. 4 on the South Course as his lone highlight. He had five bogeys and was 2 over with one hole remaining. But this day was all about Woods, which used to be typical at Torrey Pines because he has won the tournament seven times. Thursday was different. Several players came out of the scoring area and said, "What happened to Tiger?" "It's just my glutes are shutting off," Woods said, sound more like a physical therapist than a 14-time major champion. "Then they don't activate and then, hence, it goes into my lower back. So I tried to activate my glutes as best I could in between, but they never stayed activated." It has become a troubling trend for Woods. In his last six tournaments since back surgery last March, he has missed the cut three times, withdrawn twice and finished 69th in the British Open, his lowest 72-hole finish in a major. "It's just tough not seeing him have his best, whether it's with his game or with his health," said Rickie Fowler, who played in the group with him. Woods was 2-over par through 11 holes and in a tie for 130th when he withdrew. He will fall to his worst world ranking since before he won his first PGA Tour event as a 20-year-old in 1996, and he most likely will not qualify for a World Golf Championship for only the second time in his career. Woods is not expected to play again until the Honda Classic in three weeks. Doral is the following week. He did not indicate earlier in the week that he would add tournaments to his schedule ahead of the Masters, which is April 9-12. The front nine at Torrey Pines was more of the same kind of golf he showed in the Phoenix Open last week, when he missed the cut by 12 shots with a short game that was shocking. On his first hole, the par-4 10th, Woods short-sided himself right of the green and he bladed his chip some 35 feet beyond the hole for a bogey. He was in trouble again on the next hole, facing the same chip, and this time struck it perfectly. He chipped in to save par. From there, it was a mixed bag of poor tee shots (he hit only one fairway) and poor iron shots. His tee shot on the par-3 12th wound up on a front tee box at the 13th hole. He missed the green long and right from the 13th fairway. Woods made a 6-foot birdie on the 16th and he made birdie on the par-5 first hole. The last hole he completed was the most telling. Horschel and Woods were in the right rough, about 70 yards short of the green. Horschel hit to about 12 feet on the collar of the green behind the hole. Woods went about a yard from a tee box on the next hole, the shot sailing over the heads of the gallery and down a slope. From there, he duffed his flop shot halfway up the hill, hit the next one too hard about 15 feet past the cup and two-putted for double bogey. Woods won five times in 2013 and was PGA Tour player of the year. He has never looked further from the elite in golf as he does now. Woods took four months off to let his back fully heal and to regain his strength. On Thursday, he headed home early from Torrey Pines to a future as mysterious as fog.
| 1 | 9,327 |
sports
|
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil A reveler performs during the Banda de Ipanema carnival parade Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015. Taiepei, Taiwan A TVBS screen grab taken from a video shows a TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane clipping an elevated motorway and hitting a taxi before crashing into the Keelung River. London, United Kingdom The statue of Britain's former Prime Minister Winston Churchill is reflected onto the rain covered pavement in front of the Houses of Parliament. Damascus, Syria A man gives medical assistance to an injured man as two wounded children wait nearby at a field hospital after what activists said was an air strike by forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on February 2, 2015. London, United Kingdom Sumatran tiger Melati walks past a present box to celebrate the first birthday of her cub triplets in their enclosure at London Zoo February 4, 2015. Zhangjiajie, China Women practice Yoga at the tianmen mountain scenic spot on January 31, 2015. Washington, D.C. Media surrounds as President Barack Obama's new $4 trillion budget plan is distributed by the Senate Budget Committee as it arrives on Capitol Hill Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. London, UK People enjoy the 'Jump In!' interactive art installation, which is a 30-person pit full of 81,000 white balls, made by creative agency Pearlfisher for adult playtime, on February 3. Buenos Aires, Argentina Esteban Florentin, 72, who says he is dressed as a red ant, poses for a portrait during a march for justice and against impunity in the case of the mysterious death of late prosecutor Alberto Nisman Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. Regensburg, Germany A full moon sets behind the parish church of Schoenach on February 4, 2015. Moscow, Russia Employees adjust an electronic transparent screen on February 3, 2015. Bhaktapur, Nepal Devotees offer prayer as they stand on the bank of the Hanumante River, during the final day of the month-long Swasthani festival on February 3, 2015. Miami, Florida A pelican sits in the sun at the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015. Donetsk, Ukraine A woman reacts outside a damaged hospital on February 4, 2015. Krasnoyarsk, Russia Three women are seen through a giant kaleidoscope at the "Newton Park" interactive museum of science on February 4, 2015. Pernik, Bulgaria A dancer known as Kukeri performs during the International Festival of the Masquerade Games on January 31, 2015. Valhalla, New York Officials inspect a Metro-North train crash with a sport utility vehicle that occurred last night on February 4, 2015. Sicily, Italy The crater of Mount Etna volcano lights up during an eruption on February 2. Suruc, Turkey A Syrian Kurdish refugee cuts the hair of a young boy on January 30, 2015. Leeuwarden, Netherlands A linesman stands in the snow during a Dutch Eredivisie football match between SC Cambuur Leeuwarden and Vitesse Arnhem on February 4. Kathmandu, Nepal Devotees offer prayer by rolling on the street during the final day of the month-long Swasthani festival at Bhaktapur on February 3. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (centre), falls after addressing supporters upon his return from an African Union meeting on February 4. Austin, Texas Lauren Cachbaux grimaces as she poses with a rattlesnake on February 2. Rome, Italy The Italian acrobatic aviation team flies over the skyline as the newly elected President Sergio Mattarella inaugurates his mandate on February 3. Arosa, Switzerland Spectators take pictures of hot-air balloons lined up on the frozen Upper Lake during the International Balloon Week at a Swiss alpine resort on February 3. Mount Pleasant, New York A New York State policeman holds a hot beverage while looking towards a commuter train which struck a vehicle, causing seven fatalities on February 3. Paris, France French President Francois Hollande pays his respect near the flag-draped coffins of nine French Air Force personnel during a ceremony on February 3. Wolverhampton, UK A competitor jumps off a barrier wearing a mankini during the Tough Guy Challenge at South Perton Farm on February 1. Rahat, Israel A flock of starlings flies in shape-forming pattern across the sky after sunset, in the northern Israeli Negev desert, on February 2. Almonacid del Marquesado, Spain Believers dressed as "diablos," or devils, enter a church to attend a face-washing ceremony of the statue of their village's patron saint San Blas (Saint Blaise) during the Endiablada festival, on February 2. Chicago A man walks past an ice-covered tree along Lake Michigan on February 2.
| 5 | 9,328 |
news
|
CHICAGO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Five babies at a suburban Chicago daycare center have been diagnosed with measles, adding to a growing outbreak of the disease across the United States, Illinois health officials said on Thursday. Officials are investigating the cluster of measles cases at KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine, said a statement from the Illinois and Cook County health departments. All the children are under 1 year old and would not have been subject to routine measles vaccination, which begins at 12 months. The source of the infection was not immediately known. Public health officials have reported that more than 100 people across the United States have been infected with measles, many of them traced to an outbreak that began at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, in December. "These cases underscore the need for everyone who is eligible for the vaccine to ensure that they have been vaccinated," Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a statement. "There are certain individuals who, because of their age or clinical condition, cannot be vaccinated." One adult in Illinois was recently diagnosed with measles. The diagnoses for the adult and two of the babies have been confirmed through laboratory testing, health officials said. Test results for the other three cases are still pending, but they have been diagnosed based on clinical and epidemiological criteria, officials said. On the advice of health officials, the KinderCare center is excluding until Feb. 24 unvaccinated children and staff who may have been exposed to the virus, according to a statement from Knowledge Universe, KinderCare's parent company. The center was given a "deep clean" on Wednesday night, the statement said. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes fever, red and sore eyes, runny nose, cough and a rash. It can be fatal in some cases. Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 after decades of intensive childhood vaccine efforts. The measles outbreak has renewed a debate over the so-called anti-vaccination movement in which fears about potential side effects of vaccines, fueled by now-debunked research suggesting a link to autism, have led a minority of parents to not have their children inoculated. Last year, the United States had 644 cases from 27 states, the most since 2000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Will Dunham)
| 5 | 9,329 |
news
|
Wilfried Bony has been named in Manchester City's UEFA Champions League squad at the expense of Stevan Jovetic. Ivory Coast striker Bony moved to the Etihad Stadium from Swansea City last month, signing a four-and-a-half year contract. The 26-year-old is yet to make his debut for Manuel Pellegrini's team because of his nation's run to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, but his inclusion in City's squad for the latter stages of the Champions League was viewed as a formality. Nevertheless, restrictions placed on City's UEFA squad size after the club fell foul of Financial Fair Play regulations last year meant an overseas player would have to make way for Bony. Montenegro international Jovetic is the player to miss out. The forward appeared in five of City's six Group E matches, although he failed to score and was substituted at halftime in his only start in a 2-1 home defeat to CSKA Moscow. City faces Barcelona in the round of 16, hosting the Catalan giant Feb. 24 before traveling to Camp Nou for the second leg March 18. Barcelona knocked out Pellegrini's men at the same stage of last season's Champions League. Elsewhere, Real Madrid has added prodigious youngster Martin Odegaard to its squad ahead of the quarterfinal matchup against Schalke. The 16-year-old Norway international signed on a three-and-a-half-year deal when he joined from Stromsgodet in January and he will become the youngest player ever to feature in the competition if boss Carlo Ancelotti selects him in the next round.
| 1 | 9,330 |
sports
|
After earning more than $50 million in revenue from marijuana sales last year, Colorado may have to pay some of it back to residents, thanks to a tax law that puts a limit on how much the state can take in. The legal quirk has lawmakers scrambling to hang onto the money that's meant for state schools. A statewide referendum may be the only way out. "I think it's appropriate that we keep the money for marijuana that the voters said that we should," Republican Senate President Bill Cadman, told the Associated Press , which reported that the refunds could total about $30.5 million, which translates to about $7.63 per adult resident. All cannabis sales are taxed at a 25 percent rate, 15 percent of which was meant to go to statewide education programs. However, a 1992 constitutional amendment prevents state and local governments from spending excess tax money when revenues grow faster than the rate of inflation or population growth. The only way to change the rule is with a statewide referendum, and lawmakers aren't impressed. Another Democratic lawmaker told the AP the situation was "absurd." Those in the legal pot business have mixed feelings. While some say that tax rates are too high and encourage illegal markets to continue, most agree that more money is good the industry. "This will drive the point home how this new, burgeoning weed industry can be helpful to society, as it can be a substantial sources of revenue for the state," said Marc Ross, founding partner at Sicheniza Ross Friedman Ference LLP, and a marijuana business professor at Hofstra University. He expects that lawmakers won't end up refunding the money, and that the industry will keep booming. "I believe business owners, who are making money running these businesses, are happy to pay the taxes, and the public, which is getting public benefits from the tax revenues and approved legalized marijuana, are happy to have those taxes," he said. "In sum, it becomes a "win, win, win" situation for business owners, the public and the state."
| 3 | 9,331 |
finance
|
An inmate escapes from a North Carolina prison by walking right out the front door! Sean Dowling (@SeanDowlingTV) has the crazy video.
| 8 | 9,332 |
video
|
12 common mistakes shoppers make at the grocery store Shoppers often waste money at the grocery store without realizing it. We asked Melissa d'Arabian, Food Network host and author of the best-selling book Ten Dollar Dinners, about some of the most common mistakes they make. Here are the expensive blunders and easy ways to fix them. 1. Paying full price for meat. "Meat is usually the most expensive item on your dinner plate," d'Arabian says. She suggests checking circulars for "loss leaders" highly discounted items that get shoppers into stores. Often, cuts of pork, beef, and chicken will be 50 to 75% off. Buy this meat in bulk then freeze it for later. 2. Being a slave to a recipe. Instead of buying every item on a long recipe list, think about ingredients you already have and could swap in. "Lemon juice is an acid, so try using another acid, such as vinegar or orange juice in its place," d'Arabian told us. "Soft leafy herbs such a cilantro, mint, basil and parsley, are often interchangeable." 3. Not using the freezer. You can save a lot of money by freezing bread, bacon, herbs (d'Arabian freezes fresh herbs with oil in ice-cube trays), and tomatoes. Buy these items in bulk when they're on sale, and you'll save even more. . 4. Thinking that "inexpensive" ingredients don't warrant budget shopping. Yeah, a can of beans is pretty cheap. But d'Arabian points out that you can buy five cans' worth of dried beans for the price of one can. Check out her blog post for how to portion out and cook your own. 5. Not doing math in the produce aisle. Most produce items are available pre-packaged or loose. "Take 10 seconds to do some quick math to determine the per-pound price of a package before deciding whether to buy loose or packaged," d'Arabian says. Usually, potatoes and carrots are cheaper packaged, while mushrooms, apples, and oranges are cheaper by themselves. 6. Grabbing a big cart. "Studies have shown that grocery stores can do one simple thing that will result in you unwittingly spending more money: put out bigger grocery carts!" d'Arabian says. "Use this information to your advantage and always select the smallest cart available." If the store only has carts, fill up yours with less expensive products like produce before hitting the snack aisles. 7. Splurging in the wrong department. Replacing rib-eye steak with filet mignon can cost you an extra $15 per pound, d'Arabian says. Instead, treat yourself in the produce aisle. Expensive wild mushrooms or heirloom tomatoes cost $1 or $2 more, but will make your meal a lot nicer. 8. Overlooking the salad bar. "A handful of hazelnuts from that aisle will set you back only 20 or 30 cents toast, chop, and sprinkle over green beans or in an inexpensive lettuce salad and you have a fancy restaurant-worthy dish," d'Arabian says. "The salad bar is also a great way to grab a small quantity of a high-impact ingredient (such as high-quality briny olives for a tapenade)." 9. Not asking the grocery staff for help. "Ask the person behind the butcher counter for advice on how to cook an unfamiliar cut of meat that is on sale, or ask if he will break down a large inexpensive pork loin into a variety of cuts: chops, cubes, and a few smaller roasts," d'Arabian recommends. 10. Getting bogged down by a list. "Be open to guidance from the sales prices," d'Arabian shares. "I usually just write 'vegetables for dinner' on my list, and let the prices be my guide when I'm in the produce aisle." 11. Not knowing the prices of the things you buy most. In order to shop smarter, you need to know how much essential items like chicken breasts, milk, or diapers cost normally. That will help you spot a bargain at the store. Make a list of the items you buy most so you can stock up when there's a sale. 12. Thinking that saving only happens at the store. "Ask any restaurateur: Half the battle in saving money is in inventory management. Manage your pantry and ingredients wisely, and you will save money!" d'Arabian says. "Also important: managing your leftovers. Remember, the most expensive ingredient in your kitchen right now is the one you throw away."
| 0 | 9,333 |
foodanddrink
|
Greece's ambitious hard-left government on Thursday ran into trouble with Germany and the European Central Bank but vowed to push ahead with its electoral pledge to renegotiate the country's unpopular bailout. After a positive start to this week's meetings with European leaders, Berlin poured cold water on Greece's hopes just as the ECB dealt a blow to its funding. "We even didn't agree to disagree from where I'm standing," a subdued-looking Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told a news conference following talks with his counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble. Since winning elections on January 25, the Syriza government of 40-year-old Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has asked its creditors for time to propose new reforms that will replace the unpopular EU-IMF bailout agreement. But Germany remains opposed and in a stunning move, the ECB said it would no longer accept Greek government bonds as collateral for loans. The ECB move makes it less attractive for the banks to hold the government bonds, for which they have been practically the only buyers, thus putting the government's ability to raise short term funds on the market in question. Addressing his newly elected lawmakers in parliament on Thursday, Tsipras insisted he would carry out his party's promises to end the "nightmare" of austerity in Greece. "We are a sovereign country, we have democracy, we have a contract with our people, we will honour this agreement," Tsipras said in a speech frequently interrupted by applause. "Fear is over in Greece. Terror and blackmail are over.... The Greek republic cannot be blackmailed because democracy in Europe cannot be blackmailed," he added. A few hours later, several thousand people gathered in Syntagma Square in Athens, the scene of some of the most violent protests against the programme of austerity imposed by Greece's creditors, to urge the government to stay strong. "We support our government's unshakeable position," the protest organisers said on Facebook, where they had announced the demonstration shortly after the ECB's announcement late on Wednesday. "We send our solidarity to all people in Europe who are waiting on Greece to send the message of dignity," they said. 'Down from the clouds' During a tour of European capitals this week, Tsipras and Varoufakis had received a friendly welcome, while their creative proposals for restructuring Greece's huge international loans were cautiously welcomed by economists. Syriza promised to regain the country's dignity in negotiations with creditors, and the strong government line has struck a chord at home. "I like how we are no longer going to Europe on our knees, but standing up. We may go down, but we'll go down with our heads held high," said Athens taxi driver Panagiotis Poulopoulos. But Berlin remains sceptical about Greece's bailout proposals and is strongly opposed to any reduction in Greece's debt, while the ECB move was a brutal return to reality. "The ECB decision is the beginning of a process to bring the Syriza government down from the clouds," said Thanassis Diamantopoulos, a professor of political science at Athens' Panteio University. Analysts say Germany's rebuff could again inflame anti-German sentiment dating back to the Nazi occupation of the country during the Second World War. "The intransigence of the ECB and of Germany could backfire," said political analyst Ilias Nikolakopoulos. "People will close ranks around Syriza. Europeans underestimate the anti-German feeling in Greece," he said. In Berlin, Varoufakis also refered the rise of Nazism in Germany after World War I as a reminder of the dangers of pushing a country to desperation. "I think that of all countries in Europe the Germans understand best this simple message," he told Germany's ARD public broadcaster. "If you humiliate a proud nation for too long... without light at the end of the tunnel, then the pressure will rise in this country at some point."
| 3 | 9,334 |
finance
|
LOS ANGELES Amy Pascal will step down as co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and head of the film studio, nearly three months after a massive hack hit the company and revealed embarrassing emails. Pascal, one of the most powerful women in Hollywood and the force behind such critical and commercial hits as "The Social Network" and "American Hustle," will launch a major new production venture at the studio focused on movies, television and theater, Sony Pictures said Thursday. Her career with Sony has spanned nearly 20 years. During the hack, Pascal came under fire for racist remarks about President Obama's presumed choice in movies that surfaced in leaked emails. She apologized for "insensitive and inappropriate" comments in her emails that she called "not an accurate reflection of who I am." Pascal also faced criticism for green-lighting the film that may have inspired the hacking to begin with: "The Interview," which starred Seth Rogen and James Franco as bumbling journalists on a mission to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The outcome was not surprising, and will benefit both sides, said Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Capital Securities in Tokyo where Sony Corp. , the parent company of Sony Pictures, is based. "She's a woman of many talents. She has great relationships that are valuable to Sony in the future, and she will still have Sony funding and the freedom to make films and to build on her many years of experience," he said. Pascal will shift to the new venture in May. Sony Pictures will finance Pascal under a four-year contract and retain all distribution rights worldwide to films it funds. The venture will be located at the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California. "The studio's legacy is due in large part to Amy's passion for storytelling and love of this industry. I am delighted that Amy will be continuing her association with SPE through this new venture, which capitalizes on her extraordinary talents," said Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton in a statement. "In recent months, SPE faced some unprecedented challenges, and I am grateful for Amy's resilience and grace during this period." Since Pascal has led the studio, Sony Pictures has amassed over $46 billion in global theatrical box office revenue and 315 academy award nominations. Some of the films Pascal shepherded include the last three James Bond films, "The Da Vinci Code," ''Adaptation," ''Eat Pray Love," ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," ''Moneyball," and "Zero Dark Thirty." "I have always wanted to be a producer. Michael (Lynton) and I have been talking about this transition for quite some time and I am grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to pursue my long-held dream and for providing unparalleled support," Pascal said in a statement. Earlier this week, Sony upgraded its sales forecast for its pictures business in the fiscal year ending in March by about 3.5 percent to 890 billion yen ($7.6 billion). But it expects operating profit to fall by about 4 percent thanks to $15 million in costs from investigating the cyberattack and fixing problems it caused. Most of the costs associated with the hack will be covered by insurance, the company said.
| 3 | 9,335 |
finance
|
Shares of Amazon surged after the company reported its fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 29, with investors focusing mainly on the small profit that Amazon managed during the holiday season. For the full year, Amazon posted a net loss of $241 million despite both double-digit revenue growth and generating nearly $2 billion of free cash flow. Free cash flow has long been the metric Amazon points to as the best way to measure the company's performance, and Amazon certainly delivered on that front. But there's a problem with Amazon's free cash flow numbers: They ignore billions of dollars in spending that the company is financing through capital leases. Despite the impressive-looking free cash flow, Amazon is actually losing a tremendous amount of money, no matter how you slice it. I pointed this out in a previous article , which includes an explanation of exactly how Amazon accounts for its capital leases. A funny thing happened during Amazon's conference call a few days ago. Instead of just touting its free cash flow figures and moving on, as it usually does, the company actually mentioned these massive capital leases, pointing out that it finances some of its spending in addition to the capital expenditures reported on the cash flow statement. The biggest piece of this financing is for Amazon Web Services. Why does this matter? In Amazon's report of free cash flow, it showed essentially the same data it shows every quarter, with one important difference: The second footnote pointed to some additional free cash flow measures in the appendix, including one that adjusts for its massive spending via capital leases. This is the first time Amazon has actively pointed out its capital lease activity beyond the required disclosures in its financial statements. This changes the story pretty dramatically. Along with the $4.9 billion Amazon spent directly on capital expenditures during the past year, it also committed an additional $4 billion through capital leases. While this $4 billion doesn't represent a cash expense today, these capital leases will have to be paid for during the next few years. During the past 12 months, Amazon paid about $1.3 billion in capital lease payments, erasing most of its reported free cash flow. These payments are considered financing cash flows, therefore excluding them from the free cash flow calculation. These payments are only going to rise as Amazon finances more of its spending. Next year, Amazon expects to spend a little more than $2 billion paying for these capital leases, according to its 10-K, excluding any additional capital leases that the company enters into next year. This will effectively wipe out any reported free cash flow, and these payments will continue to rise unless Amazon curtails its capital lease activity. Unlike other companies with big public cloud business, like Microsoft and Google, Amazon doesn't have billions of dollars in profit coming in from other businesses to finance all of this growth. During the past 12 months, Microsoft spent $5.3 billion in capital expenditures, with much of this going toward growing its cloud business. Google spent a staggering $9.7 billion. If Amazon wants to remain competitive in cloud computing, it can't slow down its spending. But it also can't afford to keep spending as heavily as it has been. Amazon's reported free cash flow numbers make it seem like the company can invest heavily and still manage to generate cash. Well, it can't. Not even close. Amazon's long-term goal is to optimize free cash flow; but its reported free cash flow is meaningless if it doesn't adjust for capital leases, or at the very least, payments on those capital leases. I applaud Amazon's management for finally pointing out these capital leases to investors, as they are extremely important in order to truly understand Amazon's business. But the company is still touting its nearly $2 billion in free cash flow as if it means something. It doesn't. If Amazon keeps doing what it's doing, the company is going to be taking on a lot more debt during the next few years. It paid $210 million in interest during 2014, completely wiping out its operating income for the year, and this number will only rise if this heavy spending continues. It turns out that Amazon isn't some sort of magical cash machine, able to generate $2 billion of free cash flow while reporting far lower, or even negative, earnings, all the while investing heavily in capital-intensive businesses. Instead, it's a company that's borrowing billions of dollars in order to finance its growth, using lease accounting to make it appear profitable on a free cash flow basis. There's nothing wrong with what Amazon is doing, but investors need to wise up to these sorts of accounting games. Timothy Green has no position in any stocks mentioned, although he does own a Kindle, and he likes that quite a bit. The Motley Fool recommends Amazon.com, Apple, and Google (A shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com, Apple, Google (A shares), and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Related Links Social Security: 5 Facts You Must Know Warren Buffett Tells You How to Turn $40 Into $10 Million Social Security: 3 Things to Know Before Taking Benefits Early
| 3 | 9,336 |
finance
|
Milan is quietly confident it can claim a surprise win at Serie A champion Juventus and blow this year's title race wide open. Juve, aiming for a fourth successive crown, leads the league by seven points and has lost just once this season. Massimiliano Allegri's men missed a chance to extend their advantage to nine points following a 0-0 draw at Udinese on Sunday. And Milan, buoyed by a 3-1 home win over struggling Parma, is out to spring another shock on Juventus. That result ended a run of three straight losses for Milan in all competitions, but the mood is evidently high in the camp, with goalkeeper Diego Lopez insisting his team would go all-out for victory in Turin. "The match against Juventus will be brilliant, against the best side in Italy right now," he told the club's official website ahead of Saturday's meeting. "We are going there to play for the win. We can try and win it." Forward Alessio Cerci also believes his side can pull off an unexpected victory. The Italian, who joined on an 18-month loan deal from Atletico Madrid in January, said: "Against Juventus, we have to play an open game. We're taking on the league leaders - the strongest team in Italy. We will have our chances." Milan was busy in the recent transfer window, with the likes of Cerci, Mattia Destro, Suso and Gabriel Paletta all joining the club. Coach Filippo Inzaghi is out to improve his side's strike force with Jeremy Menez and Keisuke Honda - both midfielders - responsible for 18 of 31 league goals this season. And while Destro will give Milan added firepower, he - along with teammate Philippe Mexes - is suspended for the clash. Also missing through a ban is Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner after reaching the yellow card limit. Milan will need to defy recent history to emerge victorious, having lost its last five to Juve, including a 1-0 win that the three-time defending champion claimed at San Siro in September. Carlos Tevez scored the winner on that occasion and was quick to talk up the importance of the weekend's match - dubbing it as a "classic of Italian football" when speaking to JTV. Tevez has scored in three of Juventus' last four home matches in all competitions. The draw with Udinese ended a five-match winning streak, but Juve can take confidence from an incredible 38-game unbeaten run in home league matches.
| 1 | 9,337 |
sports
|
Liverpool and Everton contest the 224th Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Saturday, with visiting boss Brendan Rodgers delighted to have seen his team turn a corner of late. Rodgers' men have taken 16 points from their last six Premier League outings and booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers in midweek. The Anfield outfit has not lost the derby since 2010 but was denied victory in this season's reverse fixture by a late Phil Jagielka thunderbolt. With Rodgers' side eager to maintain upward momentum against its near-neighbor, the Liverpool boss talked up the squad's renewed belief in Thursday's pre-match news conference. "They are incredible games to be involved in as a manager and for the players. We prepare really well for every game and this game is no different," he explained. "Our momentum at the moment is at a real good level. I'm happy with how it's going for us, considering where we were at the first part of the season." Everton too has managed to arrest poor form of late - having bounced back from its four-match losing run in the Premier League over the Christmas and New Year period. While a run of one victory from five outings since then is far from ideal form, Martinez insists his side is much improved from where it wasat the start of the year. "Obviously, the last derby that we had at Goodison [3-3 in November 2013] was a phenomenal football game with plenty of goals and two teams with a real attacking mindset," the Spaniard said. "I expect very much the same - two teams that are going into the fixture in very good moments of form. Liverpool have found their way of performing and are really enjoying a good run and we feel in a similar situation in terms of the confidence of the win that we had at the weekend." Liverpool's Lazar Markovic is expected to be available despite suffering a knock against Bolton, while Martinez could welcome back James McCarthy (hamstring) and give a debut to loan signing Aaron Lennon. Tim Howard, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar remain sidelined for Saturday's hosts however.
| 1 | 9,338 |
sports
|
Derek Jeter's girlfriend succeeds Kate Upton on the swimsuit throne
| 8 | 9,339 |
video
|
ORLANDO, Fla. For several weeks, Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan has felt the team has been stuck in a rut. He's hoping a change of leadership on the bench will get them out of it. Citing a "stalled" growth process, the Magic fired Jacque Vaughn as coach Thursday after two and half seasons, ending the tenure of the first-time head coach brought in to help rebuild the franchise. The Magic made the move following a 15-37 start to the season and after a series of lopsided losses during a 10-game losing streak. It is the Magic's second skid of at least five games since the start of 2015. Orlando was also 15-37 through 52 games last season. Assistant James Borrego has been named interim coach. Hennigan wouldn't disclose a timeline for naming Vaughn's successor, but said the team is "100 percent" behind Borrego, and that he would have an opportunity to vie for the job on a full-time basis. "We went into this season wanting to see some progress," Hennigan said Thursday afternoon. "We wanted to see growth. We just didn't feel like we were seeing the type of growth that we wanted to see. So that led us to this point. "We find ourselves in a little bit of a rut...but it's a road bump, not a road block. We will get through this." Assistant coaches Brett Gunning, Wes Unseld Jr., and advanced scouting manager Zack Guthrie were also fired. Laron Profit and Jay Hernandez, who both formerly worked in player development, were elevated to serve as Borrego's assistants. Borrego said he plans to focus on improving the Magic's defense. Despite being as healthy has the Magic have been all season, the Magic have given up 100 or more point in 14 consecutive games. They've also lost five of their last six at home, where they are just 5-17 this year. "I'm ready for the challenge," Borrego said. The 39-year-old Vaughn ends his Orlando tenure with a 58-158 overall record. Vaughn's dismissal comes having the fourth-year option of his contract picked up by the team this this past offseason. "There's never an ideal time to make a change of this magnitude," Hennigan said. "As the season progressed, we just felt like a change needed to be made and we felt this was the time to do it. Plain and simple." Vaughn struggled to help his team show improvement after a massive offseason influx of players, which included the addition of free agent Channing Frye. The final tipping point came following the Magic's 110-103 loss at San Antonio on Wednesday. The most recent losing streak has also included perplexing losses to some of the NBA's worst clubs in Detroit, Charlotte, L.A. Lakers, and New York. Both Vaughn and Hennigan were hired three seasons ago to lead the rebuild of the club following the departure of franchise stalwart Dwight Howard. In picking up the option year for Vaughn and Hennigan this summer, the belief was that team management wanted to give both an opportunity to lead a team built to make the playoffs. This past offseason also included the club's most extensive roster makeover since their arrivals. The moves brought in eight new players, including veterans Frye and Ben Gordon, to fortify a roster that already featured a young core of Victor Oladipo and Nik Vucevic. But the team struggled out of the gate when both Oladipo and the free agent pickup Frye suffered preseason knee injuries. Frye only missed the opener with a sprained left ACL. Oladipo followed up his right MCL sprain with facial fracture that caused him to miss the first nine games. Despite the changes on the coaching staff, Magic CEO Alex Martins said Hennigan's job is "very secure" and said he is pleased with the talent he has been able to assemble. "This is just a short bump in the road. This can easily get back on track," Martins said. "We believe we have a great deal of talent on our roster. That's not to say we don't need to continue to grow that roster. We're realistic about that. But we believe in our players." ___ Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower
| 1 | 9,340 |
sports
|
Most personal finance experts agree that we should all have an emergency fund of some sort a ready supply of cash to see us through life's rough patches. That cash can pay for a needed car repair, a leaky faucet, a lost or stolen smartphone or even living expenses for a short period of time in case of job loss. What the experts don't agree on is how much to set aside. Some say six months; others say three. Whatever the amount you decides to set aside for emergencies even for a modest starter emergency fund of $500 or $1,000 actually saving that money can be easier said than done. In fact, a 2014 Bankrate survey found that as many as 6 in 10 Americans say they do not have enough cash on hand to cover even a minor calamity like a $500 car repair. If you've been struggling to build your own emergency fund, the answer is simple: Spend less or earn more or both. Here are some ideas to get you started. 1. Maintain a spending book This is where it starts. Get a notebook and track your spending for a month, every cent. At the end of the month, sort your spending into categories (food, transportation, entertainment) and evaluate carefully. Interrogate every dollar that isn't going to necessities, and then interrogate your necessities. This is also the first step in building a budget, so keep the momentum going by setting up a budget, for free. 2. Eliminate budget busters Yes, cable TV is a budget buster. Can you go without it altogether? Can you step down to a cheaper package? Saving up for an emergency fund will require at least some lifestyle changes: brown bag it, drink fewer Starbucks lattes, raise (or lower) the thermostat, shop second hand, take the bus to work on Fridays and eat a meatless dinner on Mondays. The good news is that several small changes can add up to significant savings over time. 3. Renegotiate everything Everything is negotiable. Call up all your service providers, and ask for better rates. Tell your bank you want to pay less interest on your credit card. Ask your insurance company for a rate reduction. If anybody balks, shop around. 4. Bank the savings Once you've gone to the trouble of evaluating your spending and then trimming where you can, make sure you "bank" the savings. Make depositing or transferring the money you save into your emergency fund part of your routine. If you decide to automate that transfer, send yourself a notification by email or text message. Watching your money grow is rewarding. 5. Sell your old stuff One man's trash is another man's treasure. If you have old stuff cluttering up your closets, turn it into cash on Craigslist or eBay, and put your earnings in the bank. This is a twofer: less clutter, more emergency fund. 6. Sell other people's old stuff Depending on where you live, your local thrift stores and flea marts may be full of clothing, furniture and décor that fetch higher prices on sites like eBay. Bring your smartphone along on your next visit to the secondhand store, and look for price discrepancies you can profit from. 7. Get a side hustle Since you eliminated cable during the cost-cutting phase, your nights and weekends are free. Can you wait tables, work retail, offer Lyft rides or take freelance gigs from Fiverr and TaskRabbit? 8. Check your withholding While it's nice to get a big check from the IRS every spring, it's nicer to have the money now and going into your emergency fund. Use the IRS' withholding calculator and adjust accordingly. 9. Baby-sit or dog walk for friends and neighbors For a fee, of course. 10. Rent your extra room Make your place available on Airbnb for short-term housemates, or rent your room to a boarder (who may also help out with the utilities, too). 11. Sign up for focus groups Marketers and pollsters are so interested in what you think that they'll pay for your opinion. Visit a site like FindFocusGroups.com, and earn $50 to $150 just for speaking your mind.
| 3 | 9,341 |
finance
|
Victor Martinez injured his left knee during an offseason workout last week, and was examined today at the Watson Clinic. According to an update released by the Tigers , Martinez tore his left meniscus and will undergo surgery with Dr. James Andrews next week. Martinez will miss all of spring training, putting his status for Opening Day in doubt. Martinez is coming off the best offensive season of his career in 2014. He hit .335/.409/.565 with 32 home runs and 103 RBI, finishing second to Houston's Jose Altuve in the batting title race. He was worth 4.4 WAR despite serving as the team's primary designated hitter, and finished second in the AL MVP voting to Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels . Martinez missed the entire 2012 season after tearing his left ACL in January. His timetable for recovery from meniscus surgery depends on the procedure performed, but initial updates suggest that Martinez will miss four to six weeks. He may still be able to play on Opening Day, but a short stint on the disabled list to begin the year would not be a surprise. Martinez's injury comes at the worst possible time for the Tigers, who are also uncertain about Miguel Cabrera's status for Opening Day after undergoing right ankle surgery earlier this offseason. Cabrera's rehab appears to be on schedule, but the severity of his injury and depth of his surgery require a longer timetable for recovery.
| 1 | 9,342 |
sports
|
Investigators of Anthem Inc.'s data breach are pursuing evidence that points to Chinese state-sponsored hackers who are stealing personal information from health-care companies for purposes other than pure profit, according to three people familiar with the probe. The breach, which exposed Social Security numbers and other sensitive details of 80 million customers, is one of the biggest thefts of medical-related customer data in U.S. history. The attack appears to follow a pattern of thefts of medical data by foreigners seeking a pathway into the personal lives and computers of a select group -- defense contractors, government workers and others, according to a U.S. government official familiar with a more than year-long investigation into the evidence of a broader campaign. The Anthem theft follows breaches of companies including Target Corp., Home Depot Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. that have touched the private data of hundreds of millions of Americans and increased pressure on the U.S. government to respond more forcefully. Though President Barack Obama promised action against North Korea after the destruction of property at Sony Pictures Entertainment, corporations and the government have struggled to come up with appropriate responses to attacks that fall into a gray area between espionage and crime. 'Phishing' Attacks Technical details of the attack include "fingerprints" of a nation-state, according to two people familiar with the investigation, who said China is the early suspect. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation, according to Anthem, which has hired FireEye Inc., a Milpitas, California-based security company, to assist. China has said in the past that it doesn't conduct espionage through hacking. The Chinese embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Hackers could use stolen information -- which Anthem said in its case included birthdates and e-mail addresses -- to conduct "phishing" attacks on customers who unwittingly provide access to their companies' networks. Government officials have been investigating whether foreign interests are using personal, financial or medical information as leverage to gain intelligence from people who want their information to stay private, according to the U.S. official. Adviser Hacked Michael Daniel, President Obama's chief adviser on cybersecurity, said this morning that he was among the Anthem customers who had their personal information taken. Among those insured by Anthem have been employees of Northrop Grumman Corporation, according to the insurer's website, while the company has processed claims for workers at The Boeing Company in Missouri. Boeing has about 15,000 workers in Missouri, where the company's defense unit is based. Those and other defense contractors could be of interest to foreign intelligence organizations. Anthem spokeswoman Kristin Binns declined to comment. John Dern, a spokesman for Boeing, and Mark Root, a spokesman for Northrop Grumman, didn't immediately comment. Jenny Shearer, a spokeswoman for the FBI, declined to comment. Building Profiles In the past year, Chinese-sponsored hackers have taken prescription drug and health records and other information that could be used to create profiles of possible spy targets, according to Adam Meyers, vice president of intelligence at Crowdstrike, an Irvine, Califorinia-based cybersecurity firm. He declined to name any of the companies affected. "This goes well beyond trying to access health-care records," Meyers said. "If you have a rich database of proclivities, health concerns and other personal information, it looks, from a Chinese intelligence perspective, as a way to augment human collection." That doesn't mean that personal information wouldn't make its way to criminals, he cautioned, pointing to the possibility of moonlighting by hackers who work by day for China. A different major U.S. health insurer was breached recently by Chinese hackers, according to a person involved in that investigation, who asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. In that case, investigators concluded that the goal of the hack was to obtain information on the employees of a defense contractor that makes advanced avionics and other weaponry, said the person, who declined to identify the insurer. The hackers first hijacked a translation website that the insurer's customer representatives used when dealing with foreign clients, using it to implant malware on the company's computers, the person said. Hard Targets "A lot of these healthcare companies have a lot of very trusted relationships at the network level and the corporate level to some very hard targets on the federal side and the commercial side," said Orion Hindawi, co-founder and chief technology officer for Tanium Inc., a Berkeley, California-based security firm that is used by banks, healthcare and other companies. "The healthcare environment is in an unfortunate position: It didn't expect to be a high, heavy target five years ago, so they didn't prepare," Hindawi said. "They didn't expect to have advanced threats from nation-state actors targeting them." Deep Panda At Anthem, officials detected the theft of the trove of customer information as it was being sent from its computers on Jan. 29, according to one of the people. Meyers said the breach fits the pattern of a hacking unit that Crowdstrike calls Deep Panda, which over the last several months has targeted both defense contractors and the health care industry. The Anthem investigation is young, several people involved cautioned, saying the final determination of the hackers' identity could ultimately change. The estimated number of customers whose data was stolen could also turn out to be lower, one of the people said. U.S. intelligence officials have been increasingly concerned that repeated attacks on medical and pharmaceutical firms are at least in part efforts to obtain personal information for espionage purposes. Two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified efforts to pursue the attackers, said a number of the attacks came from the People's Liberation Army's Unit 61398. Five members of that Shanghai-based hacking unit were indicted by federal prosecutors last year. Dual-Purpose Hack A different and more sophisticated group attacked Anthem, based on initial indications, two people familiar with the investigation said. Like many other Chinese hacking campaigns, the attacks appear to serve multiple purposes -- one commercial and the other related to national security -- said one of the U.S. officials. The attacks, this official and a former intelligence officer said, can test a firm's ability to protect intellectual property and financial information, while simultaneously stealing prescription records, medical treatment histories and other personal information that could be used to blackmail individuals to reveal national security and trade secrets. The attacks apply new technology to some of the oldest espionage trade craft in the world, the former official added. --With assistance from Julie Johnsson in Chicago and Richard Clough in New York. To contact the reporters on this story: Michael Riley in Washington at [email protected]; Jordan Robertson in Washington at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at [email protected]; Jeffrey D Grocott at [email protected]; Pui-Wing Tam at [email protected] Jeffrey D Grocott
| 3 | 9,343 |
finance
|
I was hoping you could give me some advice. I am in a happy, long distance relationship with my boyfriend and we enjoy sex every time we meet. However, usually he wants to have sex more than once in a day, but I find it painful being penetrated that often. When he penetrates me/I get turned on, I tense a lot, which feels great, but I feel like this is the reason penetration hurts when we do it again after sex. We don't use condoms, since I'm on birth control. We use lube. I was wondering if you have any advice ways I can prevent this and be able to have sex more than once a day? -C As always, the first thing a female-bodied person should do when experiencing pain during sexual activity is go get checked out by a sex-positive or at least sex-neutral gynecologist. In the U.S., the Affordable Care Act has recently made healthcare more accessible, and many Planned Parenthood locations still use a sliding-scale fee system based on the individual patient's financial situation. Many other countries have universal health care. When you speak with the doctor, be prepared to describe the sensations you're feeling and the conditions under which they occur in more detail than you have in your letter. In the meantime, I suggest that you expand your definition of sex. Use your hands, your mouth, the backs of your knees, your elbows, whatever other body parts you can employ, to give your partner sexual pleasure. The same applies to him work on finding ways to make you feel good that don't involve vaginal penetration. Lube up and have him rub his penis back and forth between your crossed upper thighs, giving him the sensation of friction inside squeezed flesh, and giving you some sweet clitoral stimulation. Get creative with it. If you really want to do penis-in-vagina penetration more frequently, you also might consider trying to train your body to relax while experiencing sexual arousal as opposed to tensing. While pelvic spasms are a part of the physical process of orgasm, consistent tension throughout sexual activity can be overkill and can lead to a vaginal canal that feels like you've been lifting weights with it. When you feel yourself begin to tense, pause sexual activity until you've relaxed. You can work on this with a willing partner or by yourself. I'm a cis female in my mid-20s with a strong sex drive and an open and extremely safe sex life. I find myself being accused by my last several partners, men and women both (but especially the women) of not knowing what an orgasm is. I've always experienced my sexual pleasure in a rolling fashion think running up and down progressively larger hills. I have never experienced the kind of orgasm that people around me endlessly talk about: a huge climax and lots of fireworks and blah blah blah. By the time I finish, though, my legs are shot and the rest of me is worn out. While I much prefer what I have, my partners' insistence is starting to set off my paranoia. Have you ever heard of anything like what I'm describing, as opposed to the huge-O moment? Because, again, its finally getting on my nerves that there might be something wrong with my hookups, despite me being on top of my health sexually. And, I'm frankly the fuck over worrying about it. But, I'm having a hard time getting feedback as a not-straight woman in the deep south. -M The question to answer here is whether you are happy with what you get out of the sexual experiences you have. It sounds like you most definitely are, so screw the opinions anyone else may have on the validity of your orgasms. If you are satisfied with the physical sensations you have during sex, then you are satisfied regardless of whether you have fireworks hitting you over the head, rolling hills of pleasure, or no orgasm at all. You don't need to experience satisfaction in anyone's definition but your own. That said, I've heard of, seen, and felt those rolling kinds of orgasm, and in my opinion, they're super-nifty both to have and to cause in another person's body. The only thing that seems to be wrong with your hookups is the insistence of your partners that your pleasure is incorrect in some way. It smacks faintly of Freud's belief that clitoral orgasms were immature and adolescent, which is to say it is an utterly bullshit method of policing and dismissing female pleasure.
| 4 | 9,344 |
lifestyle
|
Les Miles had some harsh words to say about Louisiana high school players leaving the state for other schools. What do you think of Les' comments?
| 1 | 9,345 |
sports
|
15 foods that help relieve pain Experiencing pain is no fun. While our first instinct is to reach for the medicine cabinet, did you know that some foods may have pain-relieving properties? Whether it's lowering inflammation or blocking pain signals, Dr. Martica Heaner , a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist, has compiled 15 foods that may help you manage your pain. Raspberries The anthocyanins that give the fruit color may reduce inflammatory pain. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Raspberies Coffee Withdrawal from regular use can cause headaches, but occasional caffeine seems to relieve pain. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Coffee Mint tea Mint tea is soothing and wintergreen especially may block pain signals. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Mint Tea Ginger Add to veggies for its anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce pain. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Ginger Red onions High in inflammation-reducing quercetin as well as red-pigmented anthocyanins. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Red Onions Tofu Mix with sautéed veggies; the isoflavones can have an anti-inflammatory effect. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Tofu Turmeric Iron-rich spice with curcumin that may keep inflammatory enzymes in check. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Turmeric Red grapes Has antioxidant Vitamin C and potentially anti-inflammatory anthocyanins and ellagitannins. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Red Grapes Kale Juice it or make soup for the anti-inflammatory sulforaphane found in all cruciferous veggies. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Kale Tuna High in anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids and good source of protein and minerals. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Tuna Chili peppers Their hot capsaicin used for pain creams, may help in food, although may not be as potent. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Chili Peppers Cabbage The sulforaphane may reduce inflammatory pain, plus high in Vitamins C, K and folate. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Cabbage Salmon Its Omega 3 fats may reduce pain related to inflammation plus good source of minerals. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Salmon Olive Oil Contains oleocanthal that may inhibit inflammatory enzymes. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Olive Oil Green tea It's not only soothing, its catechins can be anti-inflammatory. Click here to know nutritional benefits of Green Tea
| 7 | 9,346 |
health
|
The Sports Illustrated 2015 Swimsuit Issue cover has been revealed with the beautiful Hannah Davis front and center. Now ETonline is bringing you five things to know about the 24-year-old stunner. 1.Davis appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night, where she put the moves on announcer Steve Higgins. But did you know that she's been romantically linked to baseball legend Derek Jeter since 2012? The two are fiercely private about their relationship, but have reportedly been on-and-off for a few years. 2.When it comes to gal pals , Davis can count fellow Sports Illustrated beauty Chrissy Teigen among them. The girls got some quality time in at last year's DirecTV Beach Bowl with Teigen's hubby John Legend and Ireland Baldwin and even appeared together in a controversial Air New Zealand safety video . 3.No surprise here, but SI readers should recognize Davis from her previous appearances in the swimsuit issue, including a super-sexy spread set at the Jersey Shore last year. 4.Or maybe you saw her on the small screen. Back in 2013, Davis was cast as the DirecTV genie who grants wishes to TV viewers. 5.Last but certainly not least, the Saint Thomas native is not only gorgeous she's totally down to earth. Just look at her completely adorable reaction to seeing her cover for the very first time. The 2015 Swimsuit Issue launches online on Monday, Feb. 9, with the print edition to hit newsstands the following day.
| 6 | 9,347 |
entertainment
|
Happy Nutella Day! One of the most popular sweet spreads in the world, Nutella is something that can be eaten with almost everything. With National Nutella Day being celebrated on February 5, let's take a look at some tasty Nutella recipes. Nutella truffles Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Cookies Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Flan Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Milkshake Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Banana Smoothie Click here to get the recipe. Frozen Nutella Pie Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Ice Cream Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Crescents Click here to get the recipe . Nutella Crepes Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Brownies Click here to get the recipe. Nutella on Ciabatta Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Swirl Bread Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Cheesecake Bars Click here to get the recipe. Nutella and banana crepes Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Covered Cornflakes Cookies Click here to get the recipe. Nutella and Apple Sandwich Click here to get the recipe. Nutella Pudding Click here to get the recipe. Easy Nutella Brownie Cups Click here to get the recipe. Mango Flavoured Nutella Shrikhand Click here to get the recipe.
| 0 | 9,348 |
foodanddrink
|
You need to be an ESPN Insider to read the entire column , but Rob Vollman has named P.K. Subban the best player in the NHL at the age of 25, and Alex Galchenyuk the best player in the NHL at age 20. On Subban, the NHL's best 25-year-old Vollman compares Subban to his peers in regards to possession, where only Jake Muzzin is even close on a relative scale, and Muzzin has played fairly heavy offensive zone starts in Los Angeles, and doesn't put up nearly the points per minute that Subban does. The strength of the Canadiens without Subban also works in his favour in this comparison, as the Habs are genuinely terrible the last couple years without P.K. on the ice, and perform like a cup contender when he's on. Vollman notes that he believe no other player in Subban's age group could have the same positive impact in Subban's skates. On Galchenyuk, the NHL's best 20-year-old Already leading his draft class in points and goals, Alex Galchenyuk also leads the way in terms of possession, and point shares. Where Galchenyuk separates himself from other high-scoring 20 year olds like Filip Forsberg , is his ability to control possession against top-six level competition, according to Vollman. We also took a look at Galchenyuk's 18-year-old season recently , which showed that his potential for offensive production is flat out incredible. The Habs nearly had three of the world's best at their ages You might be reading this and thinking, what about Carey Price? He's a Hart and Vezina Trophy candidate this year, the heart beat of the Montreal Canadiens, and the best goalie in the world. There's one little thing getting in Carey Price's way in regards to being the best 27-year-old in the NHL though, as Vollman names him as an honourable mention. Remember that Sidney Crosby guy? Yeah, he's 27 too. Carey is phenomenal in every way, but Sidney Crosby is nearly unmatched in history, he's that good. Follow @AndrewBerkshire
| 1 | 9,349 |
sports
|
Check out the best high-flying action from ACC basketball in this week's Dunks of the Week Presented by New York Life.
| 1 | 9,350 |
sports
|
No one heads to the supermarket or drugstore with a shopping list that reads: • Overpriced bottle of Coke • Trashy celebrity magazine • Bag of candy I'm not supposed to eat At least, we hope no one has ever created such a shopping list. Regardless, those items are snatched up and purchased by many shoppers, typically because they're tempted while waiting in the checkout area. As customers stand in line, surrounded by the goodies stocked in the vicinity of the cash registers, sometimes their rumbling stomachs and base curiosities get the better of them. The result: They drop a few bucks to satisfy a chocolate craving or read about the latest contrived Kardashian scandal, and the store wins some quick and easy profits. But what if there were no opportunity for the store to tempt you into making such ill-advised impulse buys ? Well, in fact, it's getting harder for stores to nudge customers into making checkout impulse grabs, and tech is a big reason why. While the advent of smartphones doesn't eliminate the possibility of checkout impulse purchases, research indicates that our iPhones and Androids serve as "mobile blinders" that shield us from mindlessly eyeing the candy shelves and other checkout area temptations. In other words, because we're checking email or Twitter or Instagram or playing some silly game on our phones, the odds are lower that we'll buy, or even see , gum, chocolate, and the latest issue of Cosmo . What's more, online shopping , as well as the increasingly popular option of ordering groceries or other goods online and then picking up purchases curbside , all but negates any chance for the shopper to make an impulse buy. Another potential impulse purchase killer is self-checkout: Because shoppers are occupied with scanning their orders, they're not thinking about how wonderful that chocolate bar in front of them would taste. For obvious reasons, companies whose business relies on such impulse purchases aren't happy about any of this, and at least one large candy company is doing something about it. Recently, the blog Retail Wire took note of some comments on the topic and what's known by insiders as "dwell time" made by Chris Witham, a senior manager of front-end experience for Hershey, at an industry event. "Anytime there is a pause in the shopping trip and shoppers take a look at some of the merchandising that is available, that is dwell time," explained Witham. Obviously, retailers and companies like Hershey want shoppers to encounter some "dwell time" in order to maximize the odds that they will add an impulse purchase to their carts. Still, they don't want shoppers to get annoyed by being forced to wait around forever. "As they get to pay points, how much is a good amount of dwell time [going] to encourage impulse purchase, but not have a detrimental effect on the shopping trip as a whole?" Among the strategies Hershey is actively working on to counter the effects of technology and boost opportunities for impulse buys are adding on-demand chocolate dispensers to self-checkout areas, as well as candy and snack kiosks and vending to curbside pickup areas and perhaps near the pumps at gas stations. What's clear is that candy companies aren't simply going to give up on pushing impulse sales, no matter how technology changes the game. "Impulse, in an indulgent business, is really important … But shopping is changing, and impulse is under threat," said Frank Jimenez, Hershey's senior director of retail evolution, according to The (UK) Guardian . "What happens if and when the checkout goes away?" And what happens if the majority of shoppers turn into those described by the Wall Street Journal last fall: They are time-pressed and deal savvy, visiting stores only when they run out of items like cereal or toilet paper and after doing extensive research on purchases online and with friends. They buy what they came for and then leave. There's little to no chance a store can ensnare this kind of shopper in an impulse buy. It's a good thing for stores, and for companies such as Hershey, that other research indicates that 9 out of 10 consumers buy things that aren't on their shopping lists, and that millennials are most likely to make impulse buys not because they spotted a good deal or promotion but simply to pamper themselves. Among the takeaways for shoppers who don't want to be suckered into impulse purchases: 1) Shop with a list. 2) Stick to the list. 3) Keep your head down at the checkout area to avoid temptation. 4) Take advantage of online shopping and/or curbside pick-up services when they make sense.
| 3 | 9,351 |
finance
|
MADRID (AP) Midfielder James Rodriguez's surgery on a broken bone in his right foot was a success, his Real Madrid club said on Thursday. The operation was on the fifth metatarsal in the right foot, Madrid added on its website. The European champion did not say how long it expected him to be sidelined. Rodriguez was hurt after scoring the opening goal in the 2-1 win over Sevilla in the Spanish league on Wednesday. He was substituted in the first half after doctors examined his foot on the sideline. The 23-year-old Rodriguez quickly became a first-choice selection for coach Carlo Ancelotti after his arrival following his outstanding World Cup with Colombia, when he was the top scorer with six goals and helped the team reach the quarterfinals. He has played in 33 of Madrid's 36 games this season, scoring 12 goals and assisting on 10 more. Madrid leads the Spanish league, and visits defending champion Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Madrid has also reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League as it seeks to defend its European title. It begins its round-of-16 tie at Schalke on Feb. 18.
| 1 | 9,352 |
sports
|
The Orlando Magic fired coach Jacque Vaughn on Thursday, a person familiar with the decision told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the Magic made an announcement. Assistant coach James Borrego will serve as interim coach until the Magic find a replacement. The Magic are 15-37 and have lost 10 consecutive games this season, a season in which ownership and the front office, led by general manager Rob Hennigan, expected improvement. That wasn't the case. Vaughn, who turns 40 on Wednesday, was 58-158 during his two-plus seasons with the Magic. According to Basketball-Reference, Vaughn had the second-worst winning percentage as an NBA coach with a minimum of 200 games: Sidney Lowe had the worst at .257, Vaughn was next at .269, then Kurt Rambis at .279. Orlando also dismissed assistant coaches Wes Unseld Jr. and Brett Gunning and manager of advanced scouting Zach Guthrie. Vaughn spent 12 years in the NBA as a player and came to Orlando from the San Antonio Spurs where he was an assistant for Gregg Popovich. The Magic had hoped a young, energetic coach with NBA pedigree could help the Magic with a young roster that has some talent: Tobias Harris, Nik Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon. With those players and another lottery pick in the 2015 draft, the Magic job should be one that draws a lot of interest.
| 1 | 9,353 |
sports
|
There's a fine line between charm and cheese in fantasy epics, and movies as silly and overwrought as "Seventh Son" only help to illustrate just how hard it is to hit the right tone when balancing action, romance, (attempted) wit, and the creation of the world. For every "Princess Bride" or "Lord of the Rings," there are 10 "Jack the Giant Slayers," and as studios cram more and more CG spectacle into each final product, it seems that storytelling and character are the consistent casualties. "Seventh Son," directed by Sergei Bodrov, is no exception. Based on Joseph Delaney's novel "The Spook's Apprentice" (the first in a series), "Seventh Son" tells the story of Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges), a skilled witch hunter (or, "spook") who must train a new apprentice after the evil witch Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) escapes her imprisonment. He takes on Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) because Tom, you see, is the seventh son of the seventh son which makes him especially suited to the job of killing supernatural beings. Bridges is as marble mouthed as ever and barely comprehensible as the hard-boiled spook. He's trying something here that is not quite working and actually makes it difficult to become emotionally invested in his relationship with the apprentice. It's entirely possible that he and Barnes have some sharp exchanges and witty banter, but when you're not straining to decipher exactly what nonsense exposition was mumbled, they're doling out such sitcom-level gems as "I'm starting to wish I was the sixth son." Moore, who is riding high on her stellar, Oscar-nominated "Still Alice" performance, doesn't fare much better as the scorned, shape-shifting witch, who aims to unleash vengeance on humanity because of one betrayal. Mother Malkin teams up with her sister (Antje Traue) and "half witch" niece Alice (Alicia Vikander) to carry out her wishes At first it seems like there might be an epic battle of the sexes brewing. For Master Gregory, death is the only option for a witch. You almost start to feel bad for Mother Malkin and her kind, wishing for a final showdown between the two warring forces. But "Seventh Son" swerves into something much more conventional and expected in that there's no real subversion happening at all: The craziest characters are the women with the broken hearts. All of this could be forgiven if "Seventh Son" was at least entertaining. Nearly every piece of dialogue sounds like a parody of the genre and the attempt to alternate between humor and action falls flat on all fronts. As painstakingly designed and choreographed as the fight sequences are, they just never manage to excite or thrill and the actors couldn't seem more disconnected from one another. The promise of seeing Bridges and Moore reunited on screen (they were in "The Big Lebowski" together) was another possible highlight, but their interactions are fleeting and full of plot-heavy ceremony. When it finally hits theaters, Friday, it will have been just under two years since "Seventh Son" originally intended release, and perhaps it should have stayed on the shelf. It's not evil that this film exists in the world. With three screenwriters, a formidable cast and two extra years to tinker, it's just more of a mystery as to how all the elements fail to coalesce into something enjoyable. Far stranger fantasy movies have inexplicably worked their way into the culture's goodwill. "Seventh Son" tried to play it too safe, when it should have made the choice to either be camp or sincere. "Seventh Son," a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "intense fantasy violence and action throughout, frightening images and brief strong language." Running time: 102 minutes. One star out of four. ___ MPAA definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ldbahr
| 6 | 9,354 |
entertainment
|
A few years ago, Kia showed the Track'ster concept that was based on the Soul hatchback and was modified for track duty with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel-drive. Now the Korean automaker has confirmed another all-wheel-drive, Soul-based concept: the Kia Trail'ster e-AWD concept, which will make its official debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show next week. Kia announced last month that an all-wheel-drive variant of the Soul would be shown at Chicago. The automaker previously released a teaser image of the hatchback sporting lower body cladding similar to that found on the Audi Allroad and Volvo V60 Cross Country. Although few details have been released, the automaker has released a second teaser image of the Kia Trail'ster e-AWD concept on a dirt road. The automaker says the "rugged" Trail'ster e-AWD concept aligns "form and function to conceive a uniquely compelling vehicle for the city-dweller-turned- outdoor-adventurer." While we initially thought the e-AWD concept would be based on the Soul EV, Kia says the turbocharged Trail'ster e-AWD concept features a "smartly integrated rear electric all-wheel-drive system," which suggests that an internal combustion engine will power the from wheels and an electric motor will power the rear wheels. Similar to the setup used in the Lexus RX 450h. Additionally, the concept is said to feature a fully-retractable canvas roof. We will find out more when the Kia Trail'ster e-AWD Concept is revealed at the Chicago auto show next week. Related Link: Research the 2015 Kia Soul Source: Kia
| 9 | 9,355 |
autos
|
Being a CrossFit junkie has its perks and we're not just talking about being able to do pullups and lift crazy heavy weights above your head. According to the results of Match's fifth-annual Singles in America survey, unattached people who work out at CrossFit gyms have more sex than people who break a sweat in other ways. To be exact, 38 percent of female CrossFitters say they got it on at least monthly or more in 2014 (they also reported going on more dates). Coming in a close second and third in terms of most sexually active single fit women (try saying that five times fast) were those who ran and those who did Zumba. If CrossFit isn't in your fitness repertoire, don't worry apparently, living any kind of active lifestyle still ups your chance of getting laid. According to the survey, 33 percent of singles who exercised in any form two to six times a week had sex at least monthly, compared to only 20 percent of singles who rarely or never worked out. So no need to swap gyms; just keep doing what you're doing, and your sex life will thank you.
| 7 | 9,356 |
health
|
INDIANAPOLIS Two-time All-Star Paul George said Thursday he is hopeful of returning to play for the Indiana Pacers this season after suffering a gruesome leg injury, though he remains uncertain it will actually happen. George took Larry Bird's playful jabs for months and he said he was pleasantly surprised when the Pacers' president of basketball operations suggested George should play this season if he could. "I always talk to Larry about the situation. He always tells me how bad I look, being out there, so for him saying March, I was just playing off that," George said referring to a one-word Tweet "March?!" he sent out after Bird's comments on Tuesday. "Ideally, that's a great time where I want to be there. I'm obviously a long ways away from it because I've got so many steps that I've got to take," he said. "But that's when I want to be back." George had not taken questions since late November when he was just doing some light shooting work. Even then, it seemed unfathomable that George could contemplate a return this season after his right leg snapped in a collision with a basketball stanchion during the U.S. national team's Aug. 1 scrimmage in Las Vegas. George left the court on a stretcher and had surgery that night to repair the compound fracture. Bird, coach Frank Vogel and George took turns answering questions in mid-August about the long road back, but nobody ruled out the possibility of a return this season and they still haven't. Bird's comments raised the idea once again. The comments could have been intended to convince players, fans or perhaps potential trade partners that the Pacers (18-32) remain all in this season. But Bird usually doesn't resort to sending messages through the media, and on Thursday, Vogel provided a different explanation. "I think he (Bird) basically was just clarifying sort of the difference between Paul's situation and I guess what Chicago encountered with Derrick Rose where they just said he's out this year no matter what," Vogel said. "We're not going saying that. We think he (George) is likely out this year, but I think Larry was just stating that if he's able to play then we're going to open-minded to that." Team doctors told the Pacers it would take seven months for George's injured leg to heal completely, making a possible return in March plausible. Vogel said the latest update he's gotten is that the bone is almost completely healed. George's activity also has picked up. He's now participating in some one-on-one drills and has increased his shooting tempo at practice, and George went even further Thursday by saying he's able to do everything except contact work. He's hoping that changes in the next several weeks. "At that time (March 1), I'd like to be full on practicing with no limitations, going out and being incorporated in all of our practice sessions and doing it through the whole duration of practice instead of just spot minutes and getting thrown into the mix," George said. Bird acknowledged that George would only play if he was cleared and felt like he could play. Vogel said getting into game shape could take an additional one to two months and he said the playoff picture would have no impact on a decision regarding George's return. Even George believes the odds for a return this season are less than 50-50. But George is weary of sitting, and doesn't want to have to wait any longer than necessary to get back. "I want to be back out there. Playing. I want to play, that's just my competitive side. I just want to be out there and continue to play," George said. "But again, I know it's not a likelihood at this point, but I'm definitely pushing and working hard to make it possible." Notes: Vogel said centers Lavoy Allen and Ian Mahinmi would both miss Friday night's game because of injuries.
| 1 | 9,357 |
sports
|
Russia on Thursday defied critics by unveiling a monument to the watershed 1945 "Big Three" Yalta summit, despite objections from an ethnic group persecuted under Joseph Stalin's rule. The 10-tonne monument was inspired by enduring images of then Soviet leader Stalin, US president Franklin D. Roosevelt and British prime minister Winston Churchill meeting in the Crimean peninsula town of Yalta to decide the fate of the post-war world. But Crimean Tatars, a Turkish-speaking Muslim population, have been hostile to the statue because under Stalin they were accused of collaborating with Nazi Germany and deported to Central Asia. Many of them died of starvation and disease. The unveiling of the bronze sculpture at the Livadia Palace, just outside Yalta, coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Yalta conference which took place from February 4-11, 1945, after Stalin insisted the leaders meet on Soviet territory. Just like the famous pictures of the meeting, the sculpture by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli depicts the three leaders seated on chairs, a disabled Roosevelt between Churchill and Stalin. The figures of the two Western leaders are 3.2 metres (10 feet) high, while the statue of the Soviet host -- who according to Western memoirs dominated the talks -- is ten centimetres (four inches) higher. Tsereteli first hoped to see the monument installed a decade ago but Ukrainian authorities dropped the plan after outraged Crimean Tatars took to the streets across the peninsula. - 'Typhus and deadly lice' - Ahead of the ceremony, the Tatar assembly spoke out against the installation of the sculpture in Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine last March. "If the monument gets erected it would be an open demonstration of the attitude to the memory of Crimea and our people," said assembly member Abduraman Egiz. The peninsula's 300,000 Tatars oppose Russian rule over Crimea and boycotted a referendum in which a majority of voters were reported to have chosen to split from Ukraine. In comments at Yalta commemoration ceremonies, Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of parliament's lower house, said that as global powers seek to settle the Ukraine crisis the West should remember the lessons of the Yalta talks including "readiness for dialogue". But analyst Vyacheslav Nikonov, grandson of Stalin's foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, said it was hardly possible to stage a similar meeting now. "The West lacks political figures of the calibre of Churchill and Roosevelt," he told AFP. Ahead of the conference Churchill complained that the place was "good for typhus and deadly lice," according to State Department records. With the conference happening just 10 months after the peninsula was liberated, hosting hundreds of guests was no easy feat. "If we had spent 10 years on research we could not have found a worse place in the world than Yalta," Churchill was quoted as saying.
| 5 | 9,358 |
news
|
Hackers have stolen personal information from tens of millions of people with Anthem health insurance. The nation's second-largest health insurer, formerly known as WellPoint, said hackers stole Social Security numbers, names, birthdates, email addresses, employment details, incomes and street addresses of people who are currently covered or had coverage in the past. The Anthem hack adds to massive data breaches at JPMorgan, Sony Pictures, Target and Home Depot in the past 18 months. Whether shopping, banking or going to the hospital, Americans are mostly at the mercy of companies to keep their sensitive details safe. But here's what you can do if your information was stolen. FIRST THINGS FIRST Notify the credit agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and request a 90-day credit alert. (Each reporting agency is supposed to notify the others, but you may want to contact all three yourself.) The alert tells businesses to contact you before opening any new accounts in your name. You can renew the alert every 90 days, or you're entitled to keep it in effect for seven years if you find that your identity is stolen and file a report with police. You might consider asking the reporting agencies to place a full freeze on your credit. This blocks any business from checking your credit to open a new account, so it's a stronger measure than a credit alert. BUT you should weigh that against the hassle of notifying credit agencies to lift the freeze which can take a few days every time you apply for a loan, open a new account or even sign up for utility service. BE A DETECTIVE When your credit card bill comes, check closely for any irregularities. And don't overlook small charges. Crooks are known to charge smaller amounts, usually under $10, to see if you notice. If you don't, they may charge larger amounts later. Get a free credit report once a year from at least one of the major reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), and review it for unauthorized accounts. Ignore services that charge a fee for credit reports. You can order them without charge at www.annualcreditreport.com . If you order from each agency once a year, you could effectively check your history every four months. DO PAID SERVICES WORK? Some experts say there's not much to be gained from a paid credit monitoring service. But it can't hurt to sign up for any monitoring Anthem or any other hacked business offers for free. NOTE: These services will tell you if a new account is opened in your name, but they won't prevent it, and many don't check for things like bogus cellphone accounts, fraudulent applications for government benefits or claims for medical benefits. Some do offer limited insurance or help from a staffer trained to work with credit issuers and reporting agencies. SOMEONE DID STEAL MY IDENTITY, WHAT DO I DO? Contact the credit issuer to dispute fraudulent charges and have the bogus account closed. Request your credit report and ask the reporting agencies to remove bogus accounts or any incorrect information from your record. See tip #1 on setting up a credit alert and/or freeze. Submit a report through the FTC website: www.consumer.ftc.gov. Click the "privacy & identity" tab, which will walk you through creating an affidavit you can show to creditors. Keep copies of all reports and correspondence. Use certified mail to get delivery receipts, and keep notes on every phone call. AVOID ADDITIONAL HACKS After a hack, scammers may try to use the stolen data to trick you into giving up more personal information. They can use that info to steal money in your accounts or open new credit card. Don't click on any links from emails. Bad software could be downloaded to your computer that can steal account passwords. You might get letters in the mail saying you won a tablet or vacation and give you a phone number to call. Don't do it. It's likely a ploy to gather more information from you. Hang up the phone if you get a call asking for account numbers or other information. Scammers may also send texts, so don't click on any links from numbers you don't know.
| 5 | 9,359 |
news
|
The trial of disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and 13 others for aggravated pimping continues with Dominique Alderweireld, also known as 'Dodo La Saumure' ('Dodo the pimp') taking the stand. Duration: 01:25
| 8 | 9,360 |
video
|
DETROIT When Victor Martinez hurt his left knee during offseason workouts three years ago, the Detroit Tigers responded by signing Prince Fielder. Now, a huge free agent acquisition like that seems extremely unlikely but the Tigers are hoping Martinez's latest injury won't be quite as serious. "It's not the same injury, but I'm still holding my breath," manager Brad Ausmus said. Martinez tore the medial meniscus in his left knee last week, and the team said he is scheduled for surgery Tuesday with Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Florida. The Tigers said an additional update will be provided then. Detroit has not announced a timetable for Martinez's return. The designated hitter, a five-time All-Star, missed the 2012 season after injuring the same knee. Martinez hit .335 with 32 home runs and 103 RBIs in 2014, and the Tigers signed him to a $68 million, four-year contract. He figured to be a major part of Detroit's drive to win a fifth consecutive AL Central title, but now the Tigers may face a difficult task if the 36-year-old misses significant time. General manager Dave Dombrowski said the injury hasn't altered Detroit's approach to the offseason not yet, at least. "There are no changes in our plans at this time," Dombrowski said in an e-mail. "We will evaluate that after his surgery." When Martinez was injured in 2012, the Tigers responded by signing Fielder to a $214 million, nine-year contract that Jan. 26. He was traded to Texas after two years with Detroit. This time, Martinez's injury occurred even later in the offseason, and there aren't any major power-hitting options left on the free-agent market. Martinez tore his anterior cruciate ligament before the 2012 season, and he also had surgery to repair the medial and lateral meniscus. Dr. Richard Steadman operated then. Even if this injury turns out to be less severe, it's still a jolt to a team whose spot atop the division is looking increasingly precarious. Max Scherzer, the 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner, left as a free agent to sign with Washington, and slugger Miguel Cabrera is coming off right ankle surgery. Detroit made one big trade this offseason in an attempt to add more power, dealing right-hander Rick Porcello to Boston for Yoenis Cespedes. The Tigers also are hoping for another strong season from outfielder J.D. Martinez, who hit 23 homers in 123 games last year. But it was the Cabrera-Victor Martinez combination that Detroit could count on for star-level production on a consistent basis, and with spring training only a couple weeks away, it's not clear when either of them will be at full strength. Ausmus said the DH spot isn't the problem going forward. The Tigers can always move another solid hitter like Cespedes or J.D. Martinez to that spot, which would leave room for another outfielder in the starting lineup. A lot will depend on Cabrera's health. If he needs to be used as a DH or is out of the lineup entirely, Detroit would have to find someone to play first base, where Victor Martinez has filled in on occasion in the past. Ausmus said catcher Alex Avila may spend some time at first this spring, and infielder Andrew Romine could also play there. Jordan Lennerton and Aaron Westlake two non-roster invitees who have never played in the majors are also potential options. "From a first base perspective, we're kind of in a little bit of a holding pattern," Ausmus said. So the Tigers will wait until Martinez has surgery, and until they learn more probably in the next couple weeks about Cabrera's prognosis. Then they'll have a better sense of their predicament. "You try to make the best of it," Ausmus said.
| 1 | 9,361 |
sports
|
Sony Pictures' Amy Pascal has stepped down as co-chair of Sony's movie studio following a debilitating cyber attack that revealed her private emails. Ms Pascal will start a production company that will launch in May 2015. She has already apologised for certain revelations that came as a result of the leaked emails. Last month, Sony condemned the "vicious" attack, which led it to suspend the release of the film 'The Interview'. "I have spent almost my entire professional life at Sony Pictures and I am energized to be starting this new chapter based at the company I call home," said Ms Pascal in a statement. She added that her transition to a production role had been discussed "for some time". 'Insensitive and inappropriate' As part of the agreement, Sony will fund her production company for at least the next four years, and it will retain distribution rights. Sony did not immediately name a successor to Ms Pascal, leaving Michael Lynton as the sole head of one of Hollywood's biggest production studios. Ms Pascal was one of the highest profile Sony names whose emails were leaked as part of the hack. She reportedly commented on the viewing habits of President Barack Obama in a derogatory manner in an email to producer Scott Rudin. Ms Pascal and Mr Rudin both subsequently apologised for the emails, with Ms Pascal saying in a statement at the time: "The content of my emails to Scott were insensitive and inappropriate but are not an accurate reflection of who I am. "Although this was a private communication that was stolen, I accept full responsibility for what I wrote and apologize to everyone who was offended." Hack fallout On 24 November, Sony revealed that it had been the subject of a hack by a group calling themselves Guardians of Peace (GOP). GOP was later traced back to North Korea, who US authorities believe instituted the attack in retaliation for Sony's decision to produce 'The Interview', in which North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un is killed. The group gained access to the firm's network and stole huge amounts of internal information, including emails and copies of films, such as Annie, that had not yet been released. Although Sony did withdraw 'The Interview' before its planned release, it ultimately made it available to view online and allowed it to be shown at some cinemas. The film made about $15m (£9.6m) through downloads alone over its first three days of distribution.
| 5 | 9,362 |
news
|
Some well-known names could go public this year Last year saw plenty of excitement out of the IPO market. All told, 268 companies came public with an average return of about 21%, and 24 IPOs generated gains of more than 100%. 2015 is getting off to a decent start, too, as seen in recent successful IPOs such as Box Inc (NYSE:BOX), Shake Shack Inc (NYSE:SHAK) and Etsy (NYSE:ETSY). And there's a lot more runway this year. What hot IPOs could we see? Well-known companies such as Airbnb and Snapchat certainly would gin up intense excitement, but the private capital markets are extremely liquid, and there's little pressure for these particular operators to go public. But a number of well-known companies are in a much more logical place to tap the public markets for funds. In fact, there are five in particular that look like great IPO candidates for 2015. Click ahead for a look. More from InvestorPlace : 12 Cheap Stocks to Buy Now for Under $10 1. Smashburger The burger market is the largest dine-out segment in the United States, boasting $72 billion in sales -- twice the size of the pizza market. The burger market also is undergoing major changes as consumers want higher-quality offerings. Wall Street already has caught on to this trend -- just look at the successful IPOs of Habit Restaurants Inc (NASDAQ:HABT) and Shake Shack. Given all this, it wouldn't be surprising to see another deal get done in the burger space. And Smashburger seems like a likely candidate. Founded in 2007, Smashburger has been on a strong growth ramp that has seen revenues shoot up from $39.4 million in 2010 to $109.1 million in 2013. Smashburger now sports 300 locations across 34 states and four countries. And anecdotally, Smashburger knows how to make tasty food. The burgers are made from fresh, 100% certified Angus beef (which is never frozen), it offers thick milkshakes and it even serves beer and wine. But note that Smashburger isn't without a little turbulence. Its former CEO, David Prokupek, is suing the company for millions in unpaid severance from his firing. 2. Vice Media Vice Media, the pioneering and edgy young digital media company, may go public in 2015, as it makes aggressive moves to expand and grow its burgeoning empire through mergers, acquisitions and other deals. A Financial Times piece late last year quoted Vice's charismatic CEO Shane Smith as saying the company would go on a "deal spree" this year, and would likely take to the IPO markets if it still looked like investor demand would be there. Vice's gritty documentary series rose to prominence when it got picked up by HBO, a division of Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX), in 2013. Now in its third season, the show has been renewed for two more seasons and recently struck another deal with HBO Now to do a half-hour daily newscast that will stream online to HBO Now subscribers. With funding from A&E Networks, a prominent Silicon Valley VC fund, and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (NASDAQ:FOXA), Vice Media's most recent valuation was at $2.5 billion. Again, CEO Shane Smith isn't afraid to speak his mind on what justified a public offering this year: "Theoretically, if we're doing $1bn of top line revenue and 30 to 35 per cent margins . . . what media offering has there been like that in the last decade?" 3. Shopify In 2006, Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake built an e-commerce site to sell snowboards . In the process, they realized there was a much bigger opportunity: helping other merchants build their own e-commerce sites. Smart move. Now, Shopify has more than 120,000 merchants , which range from small operators to multinationals like General Electric Company (NYSE: GE ) and Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA ). But over the years, Shopify has evolved its systems. For example, it now has rich mobile features, as well as point-of-sales systems for brick-and-mortar retailers. Such moves have been effective in dealing with tough competitors like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ) and eBay, Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY ). Just this week, Shopify did the expected and filed for an IPO . It plans to issue shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SHOP, as well as the Toronto Stock Exchange. Lead underwriters on the deal are Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS) and Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY). 4. Fitbit Fitbit looks poised for an IPO in 2015, according to a Bloomberg report. And the timing looks good, as investors certainly have an appetite for wearables -- people are eating up product possibilities from the likes of Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE), Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and of course the GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) was a big success. Fitbit's core product is a wristband that tracks a person's health vitals like the heart rate, calories and number of steps taken. However, Fitbit might be rushing to market because of the advances by those previously mentioned companies, who certainly count among Fitbit's rivals. Still, Fitbit isn't without punch, and its innovation could keep it ahead of the game. Before the holiday shopping season, the company launched the Fibit Surge -- a "superwatch" with features such as continuous heart rate monitoring, multisport functions and smart notifications for your phone. The company also now has the Fitbit Charge HR, which features a seven-day battery life -- a direct response to consumer complaints. 5. Uber Uber, which allows people to hail a privately driven car using their smartphones, doesn't really need to go public to raise money. Already, Uber has pulled in about $4 billion in debt and equity financing. Still, an IPO would provide even more visibility for the firm, especially as it continues an aggressive expansion campaign. Being a large public operator certainly would make a statement about Uber's place in the space. Of course, Uber is rife with controversy. It seems to face lawsuits in every market it does business in -- in large part because it's hugely disruptive to local taxi industries, but also because various incidents have put Uber's backround checking techniques into question. But Uber has the resources to deal with these problems -- and its investors do not appear to be nervous. That said, an IPO is really the only option left for Uber to cash out. At a valuation of more than $41 billion, Uber is simply too rich to fetch a buyout offer. And when Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) put together a $1.6 billion convertible debt financing, it created bonds that would turn into stock at a 20% to 30% discount to whatever Uber's valuation is at the time of an IPO. Tom Taulli runs the InvestorPlace blog IPO Playbook . He is also the author of "High-Profit IPO Strategies," "All About Commodities" and "All About Short Selling." Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. John Divine contributed to this report.
| 3 | 9,363 |
finance
|
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama is poised in coming days to ask Congress for new authority to use U.S. military force against Islamic State militants, the White House said Thursday. But the top Republican in Congress warned it won't be easy to pass the measure and that it will be up to Obama to rally support from lawmakers and the public. "His actions are going to be an important part of trying for us to get the votes to actually pass an authorization," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday. "This is not going to be an easy lift." White House spokesman Josh Earnest responded that the administration is dedicated to getting a new authorization with support from Republicans and Democrats. That's even though Obama has argued new authorization isn't legally necessary and has been ordering airstrikes on militant strongholds in Iraq and Syria for months. "The president believes it sends a very powerful signal to the American people, to our allies, and even to our enemies, that the United States of America is united behind this strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL," Earnest said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group, "That across branches of government and even across political parties, even in this divided time in our nation's political history, at least, that Democrats and Republicans are committed to this very important task." Earnest declined to discuss specific provisions being discussed, such as how long the authorization will last, what geographical areas it will cover and whether it will allow for the possibility of ground troops. He said details are still being worked out with lawmakers from both parties, with the hopes of coming up with the authorizations can draw bipartisan support. But top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California said talks with the administration are focusing on a time frame of three years, while the other issues are still being worked out. Pelosi told journalists it will be a challenge for wary Democrats, the White House, and Republicans seeking a broader use of military force to forge an agreement, but that she ultimately expects one to be reached. "I'm not saying anybody's come to an agreement on it," Pelosi said. "I think it's going to be a challenge, but we will have it." Obama has been relying on congressional authorizations that President George W. Bush used to justify military action after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Critics say the White House's use of post-9/11 congressional authorizations is a legal stretch, at best. Pelosi said she hopes Congress will repeal the 2002 congressional authorization for the war in Iraq but retain the 2001 authorization for military action in Afghanistan. Earnest said the White House also supports repeal of the Iraq authorization replaced by the new authorization. The developments come after Islamic militants released a grisly video of the murder of a Jordanian Air Force pilot by burning him alive. Pelosi also said that the U.S. should "move quickly" to steer military aid to Jordan, which has begun a stepped-up campaign against the militants, including a series of air strikes in Syria. Republicans generally want a broader authorization of military action against the militants, who have overrun wide swaths of Iraq and Syria, than Democrats have been willing to consider. Obama has said he does not intend to have U.S. "boots on the ground" in combat roles, while many Republicans believe that option ought to be available to the military. "I have always believed that when it comes to fighting a war that Congress should not tie the president's hands," Boehner said. Secretary of State John Kerry has testified that any new authorization should not limit U.S. military action to just Iraq and Syria or prevent the president from deploying ground troops if he later deems them necessary. Kerry also said that if the new authorization has a time limit, there should be a provision for it to be renewed. California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, already introduced legislation rather than wait for Obama's version. His bill would authorize the use of force against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria for three years, but prohibit the use of ground forces in a combat mission in either nation. He has said if the president later decided to deploy ground troops, he could return to Congress to ask for new authority. "It is my hope that the administration will be willing to accept important limits in a new authorization as well as the sunset or repeal of the old AUMFs, as this will be necessary to ensure strong bipartisan support and meet the goals the president set last summer of refining and repealing the prior authorizations," Schiff said in a statement Thursday, using the acronym for authorization for use of military force. ___ Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report. ___ Follow Andrew Taylor at https://twitter.com/APAndrewTaylor and Nedra Pickler at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler
| 5 | 9,364 |
news
|
Marcus Mariota could experience a slide down the board on draft day. For the time being, he's experiencing a slide down Todd McShay's Mock Draft 2.0, as the ESPN analyst has him falling to the New York Jets at No. 6. New York opted for a regime change this offseason, which brought Todd Bowles into the fold as the replacement for Rex Ryan. Geno Smith has had a rocky start to his career and McShay believes the team might look to begin again with 2014 Heisman winner. McShay also has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting a Heisman-winning quarterback, as he believes the team will choose Jameis Winston with the No. 1-overall pick. Tampa Bay currently has Josh McCown and Mike Glennon on the roster at quarterback, with neither inspiring much confidence. Tampa Bay struggled to a brutal 2-14 season under first-year head coach Lovie Smith, due in large part to sub-par play from the not-so dynamic duo. The Buccaneers will have a chance to rectify the situation when it goes on the clock with the first-overall selection. The Buccaneers have not drafted a quarterback with the first pick since taking Vinny Testaverde out of University of Miami (Fla.) in 1987. Behind Tampa Bay are the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars , a pair of also-rans in the AFC South. Tennessee could also be looking for a quarterback after seeing Charlie Whitehurst , Jake Locker and Zach Mettenberger taking turns losing. Here's a look at McShay's top 10 picks : 1. Jameis Winston, QB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers McShay does not believe the Buccaneers have a franchise quarterback in tow, and simply will be making the decision between Winston and Marcus Mariota. McShay writes that the risks Winston brings (off-field issues) have to be weighed against Mariota's ability to develop rapidly from Oregon's spread system. 2. Leonard Williams , DE - Tennessee Titans Williams would provide an instant upgrade along the defensive line for Tennessee. McShay argues that Williams would provide a formidable duo with Jurrell Casey up front, helping to fix a run defense which was 31st in the NFL last season. McShay sees Mariota as an option here, but believes Williams is the safer pick. 3. Randy Gregory , DE - Jacksonville Jaguars Gregory is a player who can get after the quarterback for third-year head coach Gus Bradley in Jacksonville's defense. The Jaguars ranked in the top 10 in sacks, but McShay sites Chris Clemons being 33 years old as an issue. McShay believes the Jaguars are in desperate need of a right tackle, but doesn't see value. 4. Amari Cooper , WR - Oakland Raiders Cooper is the best receiver in the draft according to most evaluators. McShay thinks general manager Reggie McKenzie needs to add some serious weapons around Derek Carr , who had a promising rookie season. Cooper is 6'1 and 205 pounds, and McShay sees him as a terrific route-runner with top-end speed. 5. Shane Ray , DE - Washington Ray might be the best pure pass-rusher in the draft and could pair with Ryan Kerrigan to give Washington a devastating combination. McShay thinks Washington will try to replace Brian Orakpo with Ray, with the former slated to be an unrestricted free agent come March. At 250 pounds, Ray is expected to become an outside linebacker. 6. Marcus Mariota , QB - New York Jets The Jets have been struggling the past four years, dealing with the likes of Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith under center. McShay believes that if Mariota falls this far, new general manager Mike Maccagnan will scoop up the Heisman winner. McShay's main concern is Mariota learning to produce better from the pocket, but sees New York as willing to take the chance. 7. Danny Shelton , NT - Chicago Bears Shelton's stock soared at the Senior Bowl in January, where the 332-pound nose tackle showcased size and strength. McShay thinks general manager Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox might be moving Chicago toward the 3-4. If that's the case, Shelton will be a centerpiece in the new defense. McShay likes the Bears getting better defensively here. 8. Arik Armstead , DE - Atlanta Falcons Atlanta has the worst defense in the NFL last season, and could improve in a variety of ways. McShay has the Falcons taking Armstead in the first round, giving Atlanta some pass-rush help. The Falcons did not have one player with five sacks last season. McShay also likes Armstead against the run, believing he can be a three-down player. 9. Brandon Scherff , OT - New York Giants New York has been shuffling the offensive line for years. The Giants brought in Geoff Schwartz in free agency last year, only to watch him sustain injuries that kept him off the field all year. Scherff s McShay's highest-rated offensive lineman and could slide in as a bookend to 2013 first-round pick Justin Pugh . 10. Kevin White , WR - St. Louis Rams McShay knows the Rams would love to upgrade at quarterback here, but doesn't see an avenue for that to happen. White would be a playmaker for St. Louis, something the team also lacks. Kenny Britt was the most productive receiver on the Rams last season, while Brian Quick and Tavon Austin has been slow to develop. ★★★ SB Nation's Dan Kadar published his most recent mock draft Monday , and sees things much differently. Kadar has the Buccaneers taking Mariota with Winston being selected by the Titans. Kadar also has Jacksonville taking Gregory, with Williams headed to Oakland. At the fifth spot, Kadar believes Washington will select La'el Collins out of LSU, with New York picking defensive end/outside linebacker Vic Beasley of Clemson. Kadar also sees defense in Chicago's future, but is going with Dante Fowler from Florida. Kadar likes the Falcons to select Ray out of Missouri before rounding out the top 10 with Cooper and Scherff to the Giants and Rams, respectively.
| 1 | 9,365 |
sports
|
As if we needed an excuse to devour Nutella by the tub, the lush chocolate-hazelnut spread is the star of these eight takes. There are oh so many ways to eat Nutella, but these recipes should help you see the spread in a whole new, delicious light. Nutella Pound Cake What could be better at tea or coffee time than a dense slice of Nutella pound cake ? Nutella on Toasted Baguette With Flaky Salt OK, this really isn't a recipe, but it is our favorite fast yet fancy way to eat Nutella: spread thick on toasted baguette with flaky sea salt . Nutella Burgers Though this may look like a savory burger, it is in fact a Nutella burger , complete with fruit layers and a doughnut bun. Nutella Sandwich Cookies Show your love of the chocolate-hazelnut spread by making these sweet, heart-shaped Nutella sandwich cookies . Nutella Hot Chocolate Nary a lick of Nutella should remain on the jar. To achieve such a feat, learn this quick Nutella hot chocolate hack . Nutella Pizza Nutella pizza is topped with fluffy dollops of whipped cream and Amaretti cookies. Homemade Nutella Perhaps nothing can replace silky-smooth Nutella, but homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread is worth making on special occasions. Nutella-Stuffed Cronut Holes What's better than a Cronut? We think a Cronut hole filled with Nutella is a step up. Deep-fry some store-bought dough, roll the holes in granulated sugar, use a piping bag to fill those little babies with lots of Nutella, and thank us later.
| 0 | 9,366 |
foodanddrink
|
Stop if you've heard this one already: Rising interest rates and a confluence of other factors are going to conspire to kill dividend-paying stocks. The refrain is a familiar one on Wall Street, with each year seemingly bringing new warnings against the perils of dividend payers. Yet with each passing year the trade continues to go strong, and 2015 is shaping up as no exception. The group is off to a strong start. Funds that track divided payers have enjoyed an especially strong February, with many outperforming the S&P 500 (.SPX) . An asset class often looked on with disdain by those seeking riskier and supposedly higher returns is showing resilience, and winning some converts. "Over the past 12 months, dividend yield as a style has outperformed in all markets apart from Japan," Credit Suisse analysts led by Andrew Garthwaite said in a report for clients this week. "In the euro area, U.K. and U.S., dividend indices outperformed their wider markets by 3.8 percent, 5.6 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively." The analysis was more Europe-centric, asserting a new monetary easing policy from the European Central Bank would keep bond yields low and thus make dividend payers more attractive as investors become more willing to pay a premium for companies that provide income to shareholders even though stock prices may be sluggish. In all, the Credit Suisse note set forth six reasons to own dividends: Low yields; regulatory easing; reasonable valuation for dividend stocks; strong inflows to high-dividend funds; solid earnings trends for the group; and the likelihood that European companies in particular are due to start allocating more to dividends than their U.S. counterparts. As the chart below shows, investors who have stuck with the dividend theme have been rewarded with outperformance against the S&P 500. Early indications from companies indicate that dividends will be a priority. January saw a more than 10 percent increase in annualized cash payments. If no company changes its dividend rate several, most notably GM (GM) and 21th Century Fox (FOXA) , have raised significantly in recent days payments would increase 5.1 percent from last year's $57.1 billion, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. Silverblatt notes that February is typically the biggest month for dividend hikes, while banks will announce their dividend plans in March. Among individual companies, he advised watching out for Exxon Mobil (XOM) , which he expects to increase its dividend, likely in April. For retail investors, there are a slew of dividend ETFs that provide broad-based exposure to the sector. Some of the top nonlevered funds that don't deliver two or three times return using leverage performers are below:
| 3 | 9,367 |
finance
|
A senior adviser to Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) has resigned, after he made a number of racially charged comments on his Facebook page, including one that compared two black people to "zoo animals" having a "mating ritual." ThinkProgress and BuzzFeed News posted several screenshots showing the Facebook posts by Benjamin Cole, Schock's senior adviser for policy and communications. The congressman announced Cole's resignation in a statement first reported by the Journal Star in Peoria, Ill. "I am extremely disappointed by the inexcusable and offensive online comments made by a member of my staff," Schock said. "I would expect better from any member of my team. Upon learning about them I met with Mr. Cole and he offered his resignation which I have accepted." In a post reported by BuzzFeed last week, Cole bemoaned "black miscreants" who he said "routinely harassed" white residents of his apartment building in Washington, D.C. He also wrote of seeking to put as many "Black criminals who live and loiter on my street behind bars." Cole suggested it was only blacks who were a problem but said that if he found people of any other race causing "mischief" in his neighborhood, he would also seek their imprisonment. ThinkProgress's report focused on comments from Cole's Facebook page from October 2013, during the government shutdown. "So apparently the closing on the National Zoo has forced the animals to conduct their mating rituals on my street," he wrote , adding the hashtag #gentrifynow. According to ThinkProgress, the post included a video of a woman shouting with someone not visible. Another post published by the liberal site shows Cole writing, "This is where she finds another glass bottle, and breaks it on their stoop to use as a weapon." In December of 2013, he posted that "one of the hood rats on my street just got shot by another hood rat. I was there when the gun was fired." In 2010, according to posts unearthed by BuzzFeed, he wrote that he thought they should build a mosque on the White House grounds for President Obama. "I just think it would be nice for the president to have his own house of worship, since he's not been able to find one suitable in DC since 2004 when he moved here," he wrote in a comment. Cole made news earlier this week when he got into a conflict with a Washington Post reporter over whether the reporter could write about an expensive redecoration project in Schock's office said to be modeled after a room from the TV show "Downton Abbey." Scott Wong contributed. This story was updated at 3:06 p.m.
| 5 | 9,368 |
news
|
Michigan's Signing Day may be done, but adding impact players apparently is not. Former Houston quarterback John O'Korn tweeted that he will be coming to Michigan to play for Jim Harbaugh and passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch. Harbaugh said on Signing Day that there was a possibility of adding more players to the class/roster for this fall but did not get specific. He also dropped a curious reference to five quarterbacks competing for the starting job when only Shane Morris, Wilton Speight and incoming freshmen Alex Malzone and Zach Gentry were known. Maybe O'Korn was the fifth, though he probably will be ineligible to play this year because of transfer rules. He has only played two seasons at Houston. He had six touchdowns and eight interceptions before he was benched five games into this season. That came after an impressive freshman season in 2013, when he passed for 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. At 6-feet-3 and 210 pounds, he was a three-star recruit out of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas in 2013. His intention to transfer was announced by Houston on Jan. 17, and he reportedly was given a release for Texas, TCU, Wisconsin and Florida. Michigan cannot confirm whether he will transfer until after he is enrolled and through compliance. Mark Snyder writes for The Detroit Free Press, a Gannett paper.
| 1 | 9,369 |
sports
|
At the annual Arkansas State football recruiting round-up assistant coaches Dan Dodd and Trooper Taylor shared some of the craziest and funniest stories that have occurred during their years of recruiting. 'We were in a home, just a few nights ago" said Dodd, who also serves as the Red Wolves' recruiting coordinator. "We were grinding away and working hard, and all of the sudden we hear gun shots (ta, ta, ta, ta, ta as illustrated by Dodd.). It stopped everything for me and Coach (Blake) Anderson. The young man (we were recruiting) gets up, and walks to the door, and looks out like "oh, this stuff happens all the time." But, that wasn't the only time Dodd and Anderson heard gun shots that night. A few minutes later a few more shots rang out. Dodd said it was "kind of scary", but later added "We had a good laugh after…but, that's what we go through all the time." Dodd also heard of another crazy event that happened to a coach while on the road a few years ago. "(The coach) shows up in the morning to pick this kid up," he said. "He calls the kid and gets no response, so he climbs over the chain link fence (at the kid's house), and he soon finds out he is in the middle of a junk yard. So, he turns the corner and he sees two Dobermans. So, he turns back round, and hits the chain link (fence) wide open, just as the Doberman bites him in the butt." The coach went on to get out, and run to the car safely. When he got in the car, Dodd said his only thoughts where to lock the door so the dog couldn't get in. Dodd's final story capped them all. "This same coach is driving, and he gets pulled over, because of expired tags on a university car. So, he reaches into his wallet to show his ID, and just like the car, it is expired. They take him and the vehicle to jail. They give him one phone call, and he calls the recruit to tell him he will be late." Those seem tough to follow, but the comedian of the bunch, Taylor, who charmed the crowd last year, had no trouble following up Dodd's story with a few of his own. "(Brian) Early takes me with him to recruit." said Taylor "I fly to Atlanta, mind you; I get up at 3 a.m. to get on a 6 a.m. flight. Once I get there, (Joe) Cauthen tells me to jump in with Brian (Early) and go see this kid whose house is 6-and-a-half hours away from Atlanta. We get to the kids house, and mamma has some Kool-Aid, that I am chomping at the bit to drink. "She comes out, and (it looks like) she has put this Kool-Aid in a flower vase. Early and I are sitting on the couch…and Brian Early volunteers "ole Troop Doggy Dog" for some (Kool-Aid.) I get a cup, and take two little sips…the worst Kool-Aid you've tasted in your life, I had bitter beer face. "It's hard to mess up Kool aid" he said between laughs. Trooper said he tried to play it off, and went on to ask the mom what she put in the Kool-Aid and found out she didn't use sugar. "Pump your brakes, who doesn't use sugar in Kool-Aid?" said Taylor "Mamma had used a big ole can of pineapples. She took the pineapples out, and poured the pineapple juice (into the Kool-Aid) as sugar." The dad, who had not spoken all night, left for nearly 10 minutes, and came back with a big dusty Cowboys cup. The mom filled it up, and then "presented it to me like it was Heisman." said Taylor. "When we finally get to the car, Early is talking about eating, and I said I could care less where we eat, as long as that place has a bathroom." Taylor added he would get her son back in two-a-days. That wasn't the only story Taylor shared. After the event was over, Taylor told me a few more stories. "I go to this kid's house, and I know his family really well. I pull up, and as the garage opens; I see it has been turned into a work-out facility. The kid (we were recruiting) is in there doing an icon cross and shaking, and his muscles where popping out and all of his family was out there spotting him. That was a first for me, but, I felt pretty good about his athletic ability after that. "Another time, I had to drop a rental car off. When I got there, the rental car place kept saying they had no record of the car. The lady said "sir, you can't leave without the car. And I said I have to leave; I gotta catch a flight, this is y'all's car. As I was leaving, she was chasing me down, and then I remembered I dropped the car off at the wrong dealership. I rented national and dropped off at Enterprise. Thankfully, she took care of it, and got the car back to National." Lastly, Taylor recalled of a time when he was visiting a high school in Auburn. "I go in, I go see the principal, the coach, and then the kid. After a little bit, I go back outside and I can't find my car. I'm putting the key in a car, and it won't work, the car won't unlock. I forgot I had rented a different car, but the one I was putting my keys in looked just like mine from 3 days ago. Same type of car, same color, same year model. A school bus driver finally came up and said "coach, you're putting your key in the principal's car, I think yours is on the end of this row. I completely forgot."
| 1 | 9,370 |
sports
|
The cast of 'Saved by the Bell' reunites in a sketch on 'The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,' and the crowd goes wild! Sean Dowling (@seandowlingtv) has the details.
| 8 | 9,371 |
video
|
Tim Howard is returning to MLS? That was the rumor flying around last week, but it's a pretty far out there one, and Everton manager Roberto Martinez agrees. "That's the first I've heard of it. Obviously, Tim has got a long-term contract here, which he signed in the summer. "He's in the best moment of his career. When you're a goalkeeper of that age, you're starting to use your experience to influence the people around you. "I think his level of goalkeeping has been terrific. His contract finishes after the next World Cup, and I don't think anything before that is going to tempt him to leave Everton. I don't think that's the case at all." When Howard signed his new contract with Everton, which will take him through the summer of 2018, he said that closed the door on his returning to MLS. His plan was to play out that contract and then retire. The only question was whether he would continue playing for the United States, something that has not been decided as he takes a year-long break before reconsidering his national team future. But his club future was set. Howard has gone through a bit of a rough patch this season, making more mistakes than usual and currently finding himself on the sideline with an injury. Still, it doesn't look like the Toffees are going to move on and find a new goalkeeper to replace him and that appears the most likely way for Howard to land in MLS. If Everton thought Howard couldn't cut it anymore and bought a new starting goalkeeper, then they may allow Howard to leave and join MLS. At that point, Howard would probably be open to it, but the Toffees appear content with the American for now, so a return to MLS looks unlikely.
| 1 | 9,372 |
sports
|
Atletico Madrid hosts La Liga leader Real Madrid on Saturday, aiming to extend the club's five-match unbeaten run against its local rival this season. Atletico's record against Real has been an excellent response to its defeat in last season's UEFA Champions League final. Real won 4-1 after extra time on that occasion, but Atletico exacted a very minor form of revenge with a Spanish Super Cup triumph which came via a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu and a 1-0 win at the Vicente Calderon. A league meeting followed in September, with goals from Tiago and Arda Turan giving Atletico a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu. And Diego Simeone's men were responsible for knocking Real out of the Copa del Rey's last 16 last month, winning 2-0 at home before a 2-2 draw in the return leg ensured their progression. It all points to another mouth-watering encounter between the two sides. Cristiano Ronaldo, scorer of 28 Liga goals this season, will return from suspension for Real, which leads the league by four points and is seven clear of third-place Atletico. Real will be without James Rodriguez, though, after he fractured a metatarsal in Wednesday's 2-1 triumph over Sevilla in Madrid. Luka Modric (thigh) will also miss out. Rodriguez scored in the win, as did Jese Rodriguez, but the absence of the Colombian star is a significant blow in a clash against a fresher opponent, as Atleti did not play midweek. As always, there is no shortage of motivation for both sides, but Atletico defender Diego Godin said his team's excellent recent record against Real counts for nothing. "We want to win we always want to win. Even more against Real Madrid," he told reporters. "It's a different match and just because we won the previous matches doesn't mean we'll win this one. We must plan it well, follow the path we're on and that's what's going to bring us closer to the result we want. "It's an important match against a direct rival, because of what's at stake in the league. Playing at the Calderon, with our people, we aspire to win." Godin is well-versed in Real's threats and said his side has spent plenty of time working with the ball in a bid to avoid costly errors. "We're working on countering the strengths of Real Madrid," he added. "One of them is the counterattack, of course. They play with very fast people at the front, very fast and very precise. We'll try to be careful, especially when we have possession of the ball, because when they steal it, they are the most dangerous in the world." Fernando Torres scored both goals in the 2-2 second-leg Copa draw in Madrid last month and could be restored to the starting lineup after being an unused substitute in Atletico's 3-1 win at Eibar on Saturday. Mario Mandzukic bagged a brace on that occasion, while Antoine Griezmann netted a seventh-minute opener. Captain Gabi missed the match through suspension, which has now been served.
| 1 | 9,373 |
sports
|
After leading the charge against the House vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Children Protection Act, North Carolina Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers finds herself with a lot fewer friends in Washington than she had just weeks ago. The proposed legislation stops abortions after 20 weeks when modern science tells us babies in utero smile, suck their thumbs, and feel pain, among other human attributes except in cases of rape, incest and where the life of the mother would be jeopardized if the pregnancy were allowed to continue. It's a common sense measure that enjoys broad support among Democrats and independents, as well as Republicans. Ellmers' perfidy has turned former friends into intractable foes. Her political future is a constant topic of conversation, with many of her former supporters concluding she doesn't have any, no matter how hard House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (who has visited her congressional district on several occasions and is the presumptive successor to John Boehner as speaker) and others in the GOP leadership work to secure her re-election. She has alienated what is affectionately termed the grassroots the folks back home who are passionate adherents to the pro-life cause and will avenge their betrayal at the next opportunity. At least that's the way it is supposed to play out. In reality it's just a bit more complicated than that. As mad as people are right now, two years (more like 18 months) is a long time in which bridges can be rebuilt and wounds can heal. Even if they can't, however, the axiom that you cannot beat someone with no one still must be addressed. Indeed, for many groups on the right, the desire to hold members of the House and Senate "accountable" and, one presumes, ideologically pure, has become a reason for existence. Angry letters and emails expressing frustration at continued betrayals by elected officials who are not devoted enough to "the cause" are an excellent way to raise money. As a mechanism for winning elections though, they come up a bit short. Actually, the whole business turns on the ability to recruit candidates to put their names on the dotted line and run. It's a job that much-maligned party organizations like the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee are set up to do and which independent groups, at least those on the right, do not do at all well. Beating an incumbent in a party primary is a very difficult task, eight times out of 10. The odds are against the challenger for reasons that should be obvious to everyone. That also means that the margin for error on the insurgent side is very, very small. Sometimes, though, they prevail in a bruising contest only to be clobbered in the general election. That's because, most often, the insurgents are chosen from among those who have already stepped up. They may not be the best candidate. They may not, as in the case of Delaware's Christine O'Donnell (to name but one) even be a good one. Choosing the horse to ride from among those offered is rarely as good an option as being able to go to the barn yourself and picking one. Ellmers will have the power of the party and her colleagues in Congress at her disposal along with all the privileges her office provides. This is why so many targeted and ideologically-tainted candidates still manage to prevail in their primaries. It is not enough to persuade the voters to "fire" the incumbent; the challengers must also convince a sufficient portion of the electorate that they are a better choice. All too often in primaries the challenger does the former quite well while failing utterly to make the case that the latter is also true. If those who feel they have been betrayed by Ellmers are serious about extracting their pound of flesh, they must take the recruitment process seriously. It is not enough to settle on a self-funder who, sensing an opportunity, is prepared to seize the opportunity. Whether or not a potential challenger can raise enough money to make the race is not nearly as important as the part of the district they are from, their background and personal story, any character flaws or ethical problems they may have that are heretofore undisclosed and, if they are an elected officials or party officer, the votes they have cast and positions they have taken on key issues. To know these things requires boots on the ground that can research the candidate and his or her history, talk to the regional powerbrokers and influencers, canvass potential primary voters and caucus attendees, and produce a realistic assessment of the chances for victory even if everything doesn't go the way they want. Certainly Ellmers deserved to be called to account for derailing the planned effort to, once again, see this particular piece of legislation pass in the House. In the last Congress, she not only voted for it, she was a co-sponsor and spoke in favor of it on the House floor. Whether a primary challenge is the right way to do it will only be clear after a concerted effort is made by those who wish to see her defeated to recruit into the race a candidate who can win the primary and the general election. In politics, as in life, there is little point to cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report
| 5 | 9,374 |
news
|
A few months after its release in the US, and ahead of being rolled out in additional territories, the action film starring Keanu Reeves is already set to have a sequel, Movies.com reports. In an interview with the website, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch revealed they are already thinking about the next chapter in the "John Wick" story. "We have ideas for days and without blinking twice we know we can outdo the action from the original," said Stahelski. "It's the matter of story and how much you like the character... If there's great action but you have a character that no one likes and doesn't have charisma you're not going to watch it...So we want to make sure we have a story and a character that everybody loves and then we'll dress it with action that we promise will be awesome." The fact that the director did not mention Keanu Reeves, coupled with his insistence on "the character," has led to speculation that the actor may not return to the role. The filmmakers have yet to confirme or deny the rumors, however. Chad Stahelski and David Leitch scored a surprise box-office hit last fall with "John Wick," which was made on a $20 million budget and has earned over $78 million in theaters so far. Still basking in their success, the two filmmakers are currently in talks to helm the film adaptation of the "Cowboy Ninja Viking" comic. The film will star man-of-the-moment Chris Pratt ("Guardians of the Galaxy").
| 6 | 9,375 |
entertainment
|
Please donât speak to me right now.
| 8 | 9,376 |
video
|
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Paul George says he would like to play this season even though he understands the odds are against him making it back so fast from a gruesome right leg injury. In his first public comments in more than two months, Indiana's two-time All-Star told reporters Thursday that doctors believe his broken leg should be fully healed in the next several weeks. He hopes that will allow to be cleared for full practices sometime in March. What remains uncertain is whether he can get back in shape before the regular season ends in mid-April. The comments come two days after president of basketball operations Larry Bird said he would like to see George play this year if he can. George says hearing that from Bird was a pleasant surprise.
| 1 | 9,377 |
sports
|
Niger is set to send troops to Nigeria for the multi-national battle against Boko Haram after scores of people were killed in a fresh onslaught by the Islamist fighters in a key border town. Intervention from Niger would open a new northern front in the increasingly regional fight against the Islamist insurgents who killed over a hundred people, including 19 soldiers, on Wednesday in a rampage in the Cameroonian town of Fotokol on Nigeria's border. The onslaught came a day after Chad sent troops across the frontier to battle the jihadists and recapture the Nigerian town of Gamboru. Chad's army said it had killed more than 200 Boko Haram fighters in the clashes. "They (Boko Haram) attacked and burnt three mosques in the attack," Mele Mohammed, a Fotokol community leader, told AFP. "In the mosque, in the Tashangalau area, they killed 31 people who were praying." He added: "Our consolation is that our attackers also suffered heavy casualties, especially when the fighter jets bombed them as they fled." A government source said Niger's parliament will vote Monday on sending its troops to Nigeria to fight the militants, who have killed 3,000 people and forced over a million from their homes since launching its insurgency in 2009. "Niger is indeed going to send troops to Nigeria as part of the struggle against Boko Haram," the source said. Nothing more than a stream, the Komadougou Yobe, marks the frontier between Niger and Nigeria, and the water level has recently dropped considerably, making it easy for troops to cross. African Union leaders have backed plans for a 7,500-strong five-nation regional force to take on the extremists, who control vast swathes of northeast Nigeria. - 'A crucial step' - African and Western experts were meeting in Cameroon's capital Yaounde on Thursday to devise the combat strategy against the Islamist militants. The three-day summit "amounts to a crucial, determining and decisive step in the war that the international community has decided to intensify against Boko Haram," Cameroon's Defence Minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o said. Nigeria's military has drawn fierce criticism for failing to rein in the insurgents, who have stepped up their campaign of terror in the northeast in the run-up to presidential and parliamentary elections planned for February 14. Viewing the widening field of Boko Haram activity a direct threat to its national interests, Chad has had troops equipped with tanks and hundreds of other vehicles stationed since Monday on Niger's territory in the Bosso region adjoining the border with Nigeria. French President Francois Hollande called Thursday on the international community to help fight extremism in Africa, instead of talking on the sidelines. "Do your job, don't give lessons, act. Do your duty, no one else will do it in your place," Hollande said. France is supporting the operations by carrying out reconnaissance flights over border areas of Chad and Cameroon to provide the two nations with intelligence, defence officials in Paris have said. Boko Haram has seized control of vast tracts of northeastern Nigeria, including the strategic town of Baga in the Lake Chad region where the borders of four countries converge. Troops from Chad and Niger stationed at a joint military base in Baga withdrew before Boko Haram fighters seized it on January 3. Nigeria has reacted defensively to the presence of foreign troops on its soil. "Nigeria's territorial integrity remains intact," defence spokesman Chris Olukolade insisted, claiming national forces had "planned and are driving the present onslaught against terrorists from all fronts in Nigeria, not the Chadian forces".
| 5 | 9,378 |
news
|
For the past 13 years, iPhoto has been the standard photo management app on Apple's Mac computers. I use it because it's there and does mostly what I need it to do. But in recent years, it has started to look and feel tired and outdated, with a cluttered interface, slow performance and limited features. I've just been too lazy (and cheap) to look for alternatives. That's why I perked up when Apple announced that it would retire iPhoto and its professional photo-editing software, Aperture, and replace them with a new and improved app called Photos. The mobile version of Photos launched with iOS 8 in September, and the desktop app was promised for early 2015. Depending on your definition of "early 2015," Apple is either on track or late to deliver on its promise. Today, the company provided an update on the status of the app, saying that it will release Photos for OS X this spring (the company declined to provide a more specific timeline), as part of a larger update to OS X Yosemite. But if you're a developer, you can get a beta version of the new Photos desktop app starting today. Before today's beta release, Apple gave me the opportunity to have some brief hands-on time with the app not nearly enough time to do a thorough review, but enough to gather these early impressions. New, but familiar With Photos for OS X, Apple has managed to build an app that feels both refreshingly new and comfortably familiar. For me, there was barely a learning curve in jumping from iPhoto to Photos. Much like the iOS 8 app, photos in the desktop Photos app are organized based on when and where you took them, and grouped under the bigger umbrellas of Collections and Years. Your pictures really take center stage in this app I was able to see a lot more images at a glance, compared to iPhoto. Apple says that Photos devotes 67 percent more screen space to your images compared to iPhoto. Also, all the main tools are quickly accessible via the toolbar at the top of the screen, rather than being scattered throughout the app. This includes shortcuts to your photos, shared images, albums and projects, which includes things like photo books, calendars and cards. You can also "favorite" photos and share them directly to a compatible third-party service like Tumblr by downloading a sharing extension from the Mac App Store. Overall, Photos is just a more visually stunning and pleasant app to use. Editing made easy Photos offers many of the same editing tools as iPhoto, but they're easier to use and offer more functionality. To edit a photo, you can simply click on the image and then press the Edit button in the upper right-hand corner. This will bring up a new side menu that offers editing tools like Enhance, Rotate, Crop, Filters, Adjust and Retouch. Under Adjust, you can tweak various aspects of the photo, including light, color and definition, using a simple slide ruler. Compared to iPhoto, the tools offer better visuals to see what you're doing. Not knowing a ton about photo editing, I also appreciated having the Auto button, which would automatically select the best settings based on the picture. For those who have a little more photography know-how or want to experiment, you can drill down even further under these settings to make more refined adjustments. For example, under Colors, you can fine-tune the saturation, contrast and cast. But maybe a little too easy for some While Photos offers some advanced settings like white balance and level, it lacks some of the professional-level tools found in Aperture. For example, it doesn't have brushable or curve adjustments and doesn't support splitting and merging libraries. And you can't add custom metadata fields in the app. While Apple believes that Photos will offer enough to satisfy many current Aperture users and pros, the company said it also understands that others might opt for a more powerful editing program like Adobe Lightroom. Getting in sync One of the main features that Apple is touting in Photos is the iCloud Photo Library . Built on the company's four-year-old cloud service, it allows you to sync your entire photo library across all your various Apple devices and iCloud.com. Also, any edits that you make to a photo on one device will be reflected on all your connected gadgets. In my tests, the feature worked without problems. Changes I made to a photo on the desktop app showed up in the iOS Photos library within seconds over Wi-Fi, and vice versa. Photos and videos are stored in original format to your iPhone Cloud Library, and can be accessed anytime over Wi-Fi. For those who are not comfortable with storing their photos in the cloud, the feature is optional. You can simply store your images locally on your computer and use the Photos app for managing your files and editing. The unknown While all these features are well and good, there are still some unanswered questions about Photos for OS X. For example, I wasn't able to test the transfer process from iPhoto and Aperture to Photos. Apple said that files from iPhoto and Aperture should migrate over to Photos intact, but I'd like to see that for my own eyes, especially after some found the transition from iPhotos to Photos in iOS 8 to be messy. Also, while the pre-installed software ran smoothly on the MacBook Pro that Apple loaned me, how will it perform on older devices? These are areas we'll look at when the final version of the app is released. But based on my experience so far, Photos for OS X looks to be a huge improvement over iPhoto in all aspects, even if it lacks some of the advanced tools that will appeal to Aperture users and professional photographers.
| 5 | 9,379 |
news
|
The days of competing in the Champions League and winning Scottish league titles year after year are just a memory for Glasgow Rangers. Crippled by a financial crisis in 2012, the club is currently toiling away in the second tier of Scottish football. Weekly stories of boardroom chaos have turned the club into something of a laughingstock. This week, Rangers took another blow that sums up just how far one of Britain's biggest teams has fallen. On Monday, five reserve-team players from English Premier League club Newcastle arrived at Ibrox, sent on loan until the end of the season. Most Rangers fans would never have heard of any of the players but they will be playing a huge role in the team in the next few months. In a bizarre news conference, Rangers caretaker manager Kenny McDowall explained Thursday that he has orders from the club's hierarchy to play the five loan signings, provided they are fit. ''I will carry out the instructions that they give me,'' McDowall said. Slovenian midfielder Haris Vuckic, English defender Remie Streete, Burundi-born Gael Bigirimana, Swiss defender Kevin Mbabu and Northern Ireland winger Shane Ferguson will soon be part of Rangers' starting lineup and attempting to help the team gain promotion into the Scottish top flight. Even though they weren't good enough to make Newcastle's first team, the five can only improve the quality of Rangers' side, which has stripped of its big names since demotion to the fourth tier three years ago as a punishment for its financial problems. Rangers is 16 points behind second-tier leader Hearts with more than half the season gone. Only one team earns automatic promotion. To get back in the top flight, Rangers will likely have to win a playoff between the teams finishing second and third, and then beat the side that places next to last in the top division in a two-legged match. It seems that a team with a record 54 league titles and a 50,000-capacity stadium is slowly turning into a glorified sister club for Newcastle. Mike Ashley, Newcastle's owner since 2007, has been playing an increasingly significant role at Rangers in recent months as the Glasgow club struggles to get back on a sound financial footing. Ashley has managed to secure a stake of nearly 9 percent in the club, and lent Rangers 10 million pounds ($15 million) last month to stop it from going out of business. Bailing out the club has allowed Ashley to hire his own men on the Scottish board. Derek Llambias, who worked under Ashley at Newcastle as managing director, was recently appointed as Rangers' chief executive. Another Ashley ally, Barry Leach, is on the Rangers board. In December, the Scottish Football Association rejected an attempt by Ashley to increase his share in Rangers to 29.9 percent. Ashley faces a hearing next month which will determine whether his dual interests in Rangers and Newcastle breaches Scottish football rules. Still, Ashley's influence at Rangers is building on and off the pitch. And Rangers, desperate for Ashley's cash, is in no position to deny him increasing control. ''I have been told what to do,'' said McDowall, who said the orders have come from Llambias, ''and I have told them I am more than happy to carry out what they have told me.''
| 1 | 9,380 |
sports
|
It looks like we still don't know whether Prince George will be getting a little brother or sister. Then again, neither do Kate Middleton or Prince William! The palace tells E! News, "The couple do not know what the sex of the baby is!" So it continues to remain a mystery despite some reports saying that the Duchess of Cambridge will be having a girl named Diana. A source told OK! that they "chose" Diana because they "felt they needed to go with something very traditional, like Elizabeth or Mary, or something that had a lot of meaning to them." The odds from Ladbrokes, a British-based gaming company, have the royals naming their potential daughter Diana at 12/1, while Elizabeth remains the favorite at 5/1. The princess, who is nearly seven months pregnant, told a 17-year-old girl last month at the opening of the Kensington Leisure Center that she can feel her baby kicking , according to The Telegraph. "It's moving all the time," she was quoted as saying. "I can feel it kicking now." She added that she didn't know the sex of the baby back then either, hence her referring to little George's future sibling as "it." Since then, Kate and her family have reportedly taken it easy by relaxing on the gorgeous island of Mustique, a source told People. And a source confirmed to E! News that there has been increased security on the island and restrictions in place due to "important guests" visiting. The Palace wouldn't comment or confirm details. This wouldn't have been the royal family's first time on the island, as the Middletons have headed there as their annual family trip. But daddy Wills stayed back last year to focus on his studies. E!'s new scripted series The Royals premieres Sunday, March 15, at 10 p.m.! Follow The Royals on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates!
| 6 | 9,381 |
entertainment
|
A Pentagon study from 2008 claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has Asperger's syndrome, giving him a need to exert "extreme control" when faced with crises, according to the report released Thursday. Experts studying his movements and facial expressions in video footage theorized Putin's neurological development was disrupted in infancy, giving him a sense of physical imbalance and a discomfort with social interaction, according to the report by the Pentagon's internal think tank, the Office of Net Assessment. "This profound behavioral challenge has been identified by leading neuroscientists as Asperger's Syndrome, an autistic disorder which affects all of his decisions," wrote the study's author, Brenda Connors, of the US Naval War College. "During crisis, to stabilize himself and his perceptions of any evolving context he reverts to imposing extreme control," wrote Connors, who has studied the body language of other world leaders. USA Today first revealed the study in a report Wednesday, following a Freedom of Information request. Putin's condition also can prompt him to "withdraw from social stimulation as he did at the time of the Kursk nuclear submarine incident" in 2000, when a Russian sub sank in the Barents Sea, the study claimed. The theory about Putin's condition could not be definitively confirmed without a brain scan, the report said. But experts cited the Russian president's body movements and "microexpressions" as indicators of Asperger's, a high-functioning form of autism. Since coming to power more than a decade ago, Putin has long vexed the United States. Washington experts were taken aback by the Russian president's decision to annex the Crimean peninsula last year and back pro-Moscow separatists. Former president George W. Bush once famously said he looked his counterpart in the eye and was able to see "his soul." But the Pentagon study claimed Putin's unrelenting stare reflected a neurological abnormality and an inability to pick up up on social cues. His condition meant that Putin would display a "hypersensitivity" and "a strong reliance on the fight, flight and freeze responses" instead of a more nuanced social behavior, it said. The Pentagon played down the study, saying it apparently never made its way to the desk of the defense secretary or other top decision makers. "The Office of Net Assessment did not send these reports to the secretary, and are not aware of any requests from any DoD (Department of Defense) leaders to review these reports," Lieutenant Colonel Valerie Henderson, a Pentagon spokesperson, told AFP. All indications were that "the reports remained in the office," she said. But the report's author argued that examining the body movements of leaders and their potential "to predict behavior and decisions is as potent an instrument as an evolving weapon system."
| 5 | 9,382 |
news
|
Pete Carroll sat down with Matt Lauer and the Today show to talk about what was going on in his mind when Russell Wilson was picked off on the 1 yard line in Super Bowl XLIX.
| 1 | 9,383 |
sports
|
Deborah Lippmann is just as passionate about music as she is about polish. A jazz singer herself, she bases the names of all her polishes around songs. For instance, before Kelly Clarkson won her Grammy in 2013 for "Stronger," Deborah adorned her nails with a glittery polish, formulated just for the singer, that ended up being named for the award-winning hit. Getting a chance to snag Deborah for a shoot meant going all-out. And she was happy to oblige. Instead of keeping things understated like she typically does for Fashion Week, it was all about length and bling with this manicure. Deborah has worked on the nails of everyone from Lupita Nyong'o to Lady Gaga, and she most recently worked on rapper Iggy Azalea. "I loved her," beamed Deborah. "She was really funny." Vowing to satiate my inner Rihanna, Deb decided to apply long claws to my natural nails, but not before giving them a paint job in Rolling in the Deep, a deep navy blue. Then, she added a glitter tip in Stronger and applied a clear coat of polish so the Swarovski crystals would stick. (Yes, Swarovski crystals.) To finish things off, she coated the back of the nail with the crystals and adhered the nail to my natural nail. My nails were practically weapons, but you could easily tone down the look for everyday wear. Just paint everything on your natural nail, and adorn them with a few faux crystals to create that "blinged-out" moment.
| 8 | 9,384 |
video
|
CNBC's Bob Pisani reports on today's trading action; and Jeff Kilburg and Kenny Polcari, look at ways to trade market highs.
| 3 | 9,385 |
finance
|
From pine nut flavor to added vitamins, here are the Coca-Cola sodas you probably haven't tried.
| 8 | 9,386 |
video
|
A thrift store employee in coastal Maine got more than he bargained for when he opened a donated book and found a gun. The gun, a small Derringer-style pistol, was carefully hidden inside a secret compartment carved from the pages of a hardcover book delivered to a Goodwill retail store in Ellsworth, Maine, police said. "It was just like you see in the spy movies," said Ellsworth Police Lieutenant Harold Page. The employee had been sorting through donated books when he came upon one that "just didn't feel right," according to Goodwill spokesman Ken Christian. "Part of our normal procedure is to go through books and shake them out, to get papers and bookmarks and things out of them," he said. "But this was clearly something more." The store manager called police, who confirmed the .31 caliber black powder gun was unloaded. Christian said the book, "Den of Lions," by Associated Press reporter Terry Anderson, had arrived from a central warehouse that receives donations from bins and stores throughout the region, so the store had no way to track its owner. Police in Ellsworth have not yet found a match for the gun's serial number in national databases. "I suspect someone was just cleaning out their house and tossed this book without knowing it had a gun inside," Page said. The book, he said, was sealed with a small magnetic latch. Goodwill, an international non-profit, sells mostly donated goods at its stores to fund social programs. Christian said employees occasionally find unexpected donations, including prosthetic legs, adult videos hidden inside mislabeled DVD cases and misplaced dentures, but never a gun until now. "This was a first," Christian said. (Editing by Scott Malone and James Dalgleish)
| 5 | 9,387 |
news
|
Who would have guessed that in 10 U.S. major cities, $275,000 could get you such appealing single-family homes? It's not surprising to find one in Boca Raton, FL, where the median home price is just over $272,000. But you also find these gems in Portland, OR, where the median tops $310,000. Their styles and amenities vary, but these homes around $275,000 all have three or four bedrooms and at least a little yard to call their own. Boise, ID 3604 N Stone Creek Way, Boise, ID For Sale: $274,900 This hillside home with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms has extensive outdoor decks, including a private, master suite-accessible deck with a hot tub. See more Boise homes for sale. Wichita, KS 808 S Glen Wood Ct, Wichita, KS For Sale: $259,900 This 3-bedroom, 4-bathroom home built in 2014 has all the bells and whistles expected in a new home. The spacious basement complete with family room, bathroom, and wet bar is ideal for entertaining guests. See more homes for sale in Wichita . Portland, OR 8739 N Calvert Ave, Portland, OR For Sale: $275,000 A kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances graces this 3-bedroom, 2-bath home, which has been recently refinished. See more homes for sale in Portland . Boca Raton, FL 22073 Caldera Ave, Boca Raton, FL For Sale: $275,000 For those sizzling hot days, this 3-bedroom, 2-bath home's backyard pool serves as a great remedy. The renovated kitchen plays a starring role, with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a stylish backsplash. See more Boca Raton homes for sale. Charlotte, NC 13518 Reunion St, Charlotte, NC For Sale: $267,900 Located on a quiet cul-de-sac and sporting a private back deck, this newly built 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home offers a serene way of life. Notable features include a spacious, modern kitchen and beautiful hardwoods. See more homes for sale in Charlotte . Chicago, IL 9015 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago, IL For Sale: $270,000 This 4-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home has been updated throughout with new hardwood floors, ceramic tiles, and a fenced-in yard. See more homes listed in Chicago . Indianapolis, IN 31 W Kessler Blvd Dr, Indianapolis, IN For Sale: $274,900 An incredibly modern interior with distinctive finishes enhances this 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom ranch home. Style and quality intertwine throughout the home's 2,312 square feet. See more Indianapolis homes for sale. Ann Arbor, MI 2107 Charlton St, Ann Arbor, MI For Sale: $268,500 This 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom ranch home has been completely remodeled, featuring a spectacularly unique interior design. Offering a possible renting opportunity, the fully finished, walkout lower level could be used as a separate apartment. See more homes for sale in Ann Arbor . New Orleans, LA 3551 Post Oak Ave, New Orleans, LA For Sale: $265,000 Crown molding embellishes this spacious 4-bedroom, 3-bath colonial home, which has just received a thorough renovation. Granite countertops grace the kitchen and bathrooms. See more homes listed in New Orleans . Reno, NV 8165 White Falls Dr, Reno, NV For Sale: $250,000 This 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home has a newly updated kitchen, complete with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a sleek backsplash. The appealing backyard features a landscaped patio area. See more Reno homes for sale.
| 3 | 9,388 |
finance
|
FAIRBANKS, Alaska An Alaska man who attempted to walk 50 miles between two villages at 35 below zero was found in good shape 4 miles from his goal by searchers called by his family. Lawrence James, 52, wore heavy winter gear and carried water and a .22-caliber rifle. He walked nonstop for 15 hours and told searchers he didn't get cold on the long stroll between Birch Creek and Fort Yukon, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. James left Birch Creek at about 7 p.m. Monday and spoke to Fort Yukon Police Officer Michael Ivie on Tuesday when he was found. "When I asked him why he did it, he said that a cousin of his did it a few years back and he thought he'd try to see if he could do it," Ivie said. "I told him, 'more power to you, buddy,' but that's not something I think I'd want to try." James' family alerted Alaska State Troopers and village law enforcement in part because he was not completely sober. "He had been drinking," Ivie said. "Not a whole lot, he wasn't drunk. He had a couple of drinks. He said if he had to do it all over again, he would have probably picked a different time. He said his last drink kind of gave him that urge, that oomph." The cold temperatures clinched the decision to search, Ivie said. "Our issue is that it was minus-30 or below, and he was by himself, and he was only carrying a little .22 rifle," Ivie said. "There were all sorts of possibilities that might have happened. He could have been trampled by a moose or (attacked by) wolves." The rifle would not be effective against a moose or predator, Ivey said, but said James "could have shot a couple of ptarmigans to eat." James felt fine during his walk, he told Ivie, but acknowledged his legs were hurting after 15 hours. "That's understandable, he'd just walked 50 miles," Ivie said. ___ Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com
| 5 | 9,389 |
news
|
If you need more Nashville in your life, you're not alone. Luckily for us, Lennon & Maisy Stella are here to help.
| 8 | 9,390 |
video
|
Sheikh Harith al-Nadhari had lectured in online videos for Al Qaeda and praised the Charlie Hebdo attack
| 8 | 9,391 |
video
|
Feb 9, 2015; 1:40 AM ET Falling ice in New York City's financial district closed sidewalks on Feb. 3. This video shows the ice falling from 4 World Trade Center. No injuries were reported.
| 8 | 9,392 |
video
|
SAN DIEGO Tiger Woods bladed his first chip some 35 feet by the hole. In a similar spot on the next hole, he chipped in. In his first round since his career-high 82 in the Phoenix Open, Woods was fighting par Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open and doing his best to hang on. He made the turn in 1-over 37 on the North Course. Woods is getting as much attention with his bad golf as when he was winning at a staggering rate. He has missed the cut in his last two PGA Tour events albeit six months apart because of injury and his short game was a mess last week in rounds of 73-82 to miss the cut by 12 shots. The start of the fog-delayed opening round was ominous. From the first cut of rough, Woods short-sided himself to the right of the green and bladed his chip well past the hole to make bogey. Facing another bogey on the 11th hole and with another chip with about 12 feet of green to the hole, the pitch was perfect and rolled into the cup for par. From there, it was a mixed bag of poor tee shots (he hit only one fairway on the front), poor irons (he hit only three greens) and chip shots that, except for the hole out, were ordinary at best. He made par-saving putts of 6 and 12 feet. His lone birdie was a wedge from the left rough to about 6 feet on the 16th hole. Woods appeared to reach at his lower back after his tee shot on No. 1 his 10th hole of the round though he has said at Phoenix and last December at Isleworth that his health was strong from taking four months off at the end of last year. The opening round was delayed 2 1/2 hours because of a thick fog off the Pacific Ocean, meaning the first round would not be completed until Friday. Woods was expected to finish. Brooks Koepka, coming off his victory in the Phoenix Open, was among the early leaders at 3-under par through eight holes on the North Course. Woods is an eight-time winner at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 U.S. Open played exclusively on the South Course. He won two years ago in a runaway, though he missed the 54-hole cut a year ago. He needs a strong finish this week to have a reasonable chance at qualifying for the World Golf Championship at Doral.
| 1 | 9,393 |
sports
|
Victor Martinez will have a second surgery on his left knee that will sideline him for most, if not all of spring training. The Detroit Tigers announced Thursday that Martinez tore the medial meniscus in his left knee last week during his off-season workout program. He's expected to miss four to six weeks. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski says he has no plans right now to augment the roster in the wake of his injury. "We'll have to wait 'til next week to find out," he told USA TODAY Sports. "Hopefully they can get in and fix it easily. "Having been through this so many times, we'll just wait and see. " Martinez underwent a MRI and examination at the Watson Clinic Wednesday, which confirmed the diagnosis, and is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday with Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. Martinez, 35, signed a four-year, $68 million deal with the Tigers this off-season. He missed the entire 2012 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee that off-season. In 2014, Martinez finished second in American League Most Valuable Player voting. He hit .330 with 32 home runs and 103 RBI and led the AL with a .409 on-base percentage. The extent of rehabilitation time for the injury is not known at this time and the Tigers will have an additional update after his surgery. Fenech writes for the Detroit Free Press; Contributing: Gabe Lacques
| 1 | 9,394 |
sports
|
How to Make a Moscow Mule and 8 Twists on this Classic Drink How to Make a Moscow Mule and 8 Twists on this Classic Drink Some things just don't catch on. Remember that brief period where we all, without hesitation, started referring to French fries as "Freedom fries"? We certainly wish we could forget. Some recipes should just stick with the original. Luckily for us, the Moscow Mule's open for interpretation. Browse: Moscow Mule recipes The Cup The copper heiress had the right idea the metal keeps Mules icy cold, and most argue it also retains the fizziness of the ginger beer. Now major retailers like West Elm and Anthropologie have caught on to the trend. Both stocked Moscow Mule mugs this winter in their gift areas. We agree that the shiny cups are perfect presents and wet bar necessities. West Elm Moscow Mule Mug - $24 Anthropologie Moscow Mule Mug - $24 The Classic Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow's casual eatery, The Meatball Shop, has New York buzzing about its delicious namesake dish and desserts, but it's the cocktails we're after. The bar menu features a classic Moscow Mule recipe that is refreshing year-round. They've even started selling their branded copper mugs online. Click here for the classic moscow mule recipe. Make: Prickly Pear Moscow Mule Spiced Apple Mule The hidden, speakeasy-esque Grand Central Station cocktail lounge The Campbell Apartment creates a quintessential fall drink by combining apple and Earl Grey flavors. Infusing the vodka at home is quick, easy, and requires just a few tea bags. Click here for the Spiced Apple Mule recipe. Try this version: Cardamom Moscow Mule Bootleggers Mule Although the original Moscow Mule was created to popularize vodka, we find that mules taste just as good with a spirit substitution. Swapping for whiskey is typically called a Dublin Mule, but we opt for American Born Moonshine's white-whiskey recipe, the Bootleggers Mule. Click here for the Bootleggers Mule recipe. Make: Mississippi Mule Strawberry Moscow Mule Traditionally a summer flavor, strawberry added as a twist to your mule works just as well when you're pining for warm days. Bites of Bri's cocktail is easy to replicate at home, and a good reminder spring's just around the corner. Click here for the Strawberry Moscow Mule recipe. Make: Mexican Mule Caribbean Mule The Cuba Libre may very well have been the inspiration for the lime squeeze in a Moscow Mule, so it makes sense that substituting vodka for rum would create a popular mule for the rum-drinker, known as the Havana or Caribbean Mule. We like Ling & Louie's handcrafted version. Click here for the Caribbean Mule recipe. Serve it with Caribbean Chicken Skewers & Salsa Blueberry Moscow Mule Blueberry and vodka were meant to be. Which is why we love Sugar and Charm's Blueberry Moscow Mule recipe. Simply follow Eden's directions and you've got a splash of flavor, plus a few antioxidants. Click here for the Blueberry Moscow Mule Recipe. Not a fan of the Mule? Make a Blueberry Martini instead. London Mule Gin had its mule-moment when Audrey Saunders of NYC's Pegu Club invented the Gin-Gin Mule. If your preference lies with gin, we recommend trying the simple substitution. Ling & Louie's London Mule adds the cool flavor of cucumber to the mix, perfectly pairing with the gin and lime. Click here for the London Mule recipe. Want to try more cocktails with Gin? Click here . Peach Basil Moscow Mule Whitney of Little Leopard Book said she was making Peach-Basil Moscow Mule by the pitcher for her Fourth of July party, and with just the right combination of tropical and fresh flavor we can see why mules were made for entertaining. Click here for the Peach Basil Moscow Mule recipe. Cooking School: 9 Simple Ways To Keep Your Food Fresh Manzanita Mule Step aside, margarita. If you're a tequila lover, substituting the liquor for vodka is commonly known as a Mexican Mule or Jalisco Mule. Ben Scorah, founder of mixology company Road Soda, shares a cocktail created for an event during Art Basel. The Manzanita Mule combines the kick from ginger beer and tequila with added green-apple zest. Click here for the Manzanita Mule recipe. Bought too much tequila? Here are more cocktail recipes you can try.
| 0 | 9,395 |
foodanddrink
|
The Wyoming Cowboys have had their fair share of slam dunks this year, but none compare to this high flying act by Derek Cooke Jr. as the Cowboys beat the Colorado State Rams in Laramie
| 1 | 9,396 |
sports
|
The Cleveland Browns are a mess . Their quarterback is in rehab , and the assistant coach who convinced the team to draft him has been fired. Their best offensive player has been suspended for the 2015 season. Their owner was just called , "Jerry Jones, only without the football knowledge." The oddest move of their offseason was the departure of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan . While Shanahan didn't exactly set the league on fire in his only year in Cleveland, he still built the 21st-ranked passing game in the league with Brian Hoyer at quarterback and an anonymous group of skill-position players. The team went 7-9 which doesn't sound great, but is actually their best record since 2007. According to a CBS's Jason La Canfora, Shanahan crafted an entire 32-point presentation about why he wanted to leave the team after the season, and used it to convince coach Mike Pettine to let him out of his contract without a fight: "At season's end Shanahan, the lone bright spot on offense, perhaps, presented Pettine with a 32-point presentation on why he wanted to get out of his contract, sources said. And after much deliberation among lawyers and negotiation, in a bizarre precedent, a statement was crafted and Shanahan was a free man. ... Allowing Shanahan to walk sent shockwaves through the building, with such a talented coach allowed to go at a time when the Browns desperately needed to develop a quarterback and with a quarter of the teams in the NFL needing a new offensive coordinator." Shanahan had two years left on his deal. The team could have fought to keep him or at least asked for compensation from whichever team he signed with, Pettine told the Cleveland Plain Dealer , but they ultimately chose not to. "It's just very hard to win in the NFL (even) when everybody's into it and they truly want to be there," he said. "And again if you have somebody that just doesn't want to be there, I know it's easy to say, 'Hey he's under contract, hold him to it,' (but now) there's a dark cloud over your coaching offices and I've been a part of that." Shanahan ended up landing the offensive coordinator job with the Atlanta Falcons. It's an objectively better situation. He went from having Johnny Manziel as his quarterback to Matt Ryan as his quarterback. NOW WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing a wig and glasses, surprised a young fan on the streets of Madrid
| 1 | 9,397 |
sports
|
Winner: Auburn National signing day is in the books, and like every other year, there were plenty of twists and turns. So, where were the biggest winners and biggest losers? Scout takes a look at five on each side. Starting with ... War Eagle! Auburn had a huge day, and it went well beyond landing five-star defensive end Byron Cowart of Seffner (Fla.) Armwood (pictured). Four-star outside linebacker Jeff Holland of Jacksonville Trinity Christian, four-star receiver Ryan Davis of St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood, four-star cornerback Javaris Davis of Jacksonville Ed White, Miami Norland safety Carlton Davis (who flipped from Ohio State) and Atlanta Lakeside offensive guard Mike Horton (who had been a Florida commit) all signed with the Tigers. Because of it, Auburn moved from No. 10 to No. 3 in the rankings. Loser: Colorado Colorado was already struggling with its 2015 class, and it had two big prospects on its signing-day board and got neither. The Buffaloes finished 75th nationally, last in the Pac-12, after Bishop Mora Salesian receiver Jeremy Kelly opted for San Jose State and four-star outside linebacker JayJay Wilson of Valencia (Calif.) High opted for Arizona State. Winner: Ohio State It was not as much about whom the Buckeyes added on signing day, but whom they held onto and how it happened. Detroit Cass Tech running back Mike Weber, a one-time Michigan commit who was expected to flip back to the Wolverines, instead went with Ohio State. And quarterback Torrance Gibson of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage (pictured) stayed true and signed with Ohio State. Add in that Ohio State pulled in North Little Rock (Ark.) High four-star receiver K.J. Hill, who was committed to Arkansas for a long time, and Greenbelt (Md.) Eleanor Roosevelt four-star offensive tackle, and it was a big day for the Buckeyes. Loser: Maryland The Terps make this list after finishing 47th in the rankings because of the promise they had going into signing day and then not landing players. Maryland was the long-time leader for Trinity Pawling (N.Y.) School defensive end Austrian Robinson, but on signing day he chose Ole Miss. Maryland was also heavily involved with Greenbelt (Md.) Eleanor Roosevelt four-star offensive tackle Isaiah Prince, but Ohio State swooped in late and landed Prince, who lives a few miles from the Maryland campus. Winner: UCLA The Bruins made a huge surge in the rankings by landing the No. 1 running back Plano (Texas) West's Sotonye Jamabo (pictured) and the No. 1 tight end Avon (Conn.) Old Farms' Chris Clark. But the signing-day excitement went well beyond that. Four-star receiver Cordell Broadus of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, four-star offensive guard Josh Wariboko of Oklahoma City (Okla.) Cassady and safety Nathan Meadors of San Bernadino (Calif.) San Gorgonio each signed with the Bruins. It could be even better as Montezuma (Ga.) Macon County four-star middle linebacker Roquan Smith, the No. 1 player at his position, committed but still has not sent in his letter of intent. Loser: Miami The Hurricanes continue to get beat in South Florida, and it was not pretty for a program struggling to keep talent home. Not only did Miami lose Torrance Gibson, but it could not get running back Jordan Scarlett of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, nor could it land Miami Booker T. Washington receiver Antonio Callaway, who signed with Florida. Winner: USC One thing USC mastered is the signing-day surge, and this time it vaulted the Trojans to No. 1. Five-stars Iman Marshall (pictured), a cornerback from Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, and defensive end Rasheem Green of Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra, the Nos. 7 and 22 players, respectively, signed with the Trojans. Also, four-star Junipero Serra linebacker John Houston, the No. 54 prospect, receiver Deontay Burnett of Junipero Serra and defensive tackle Kevin Scott of Los Angeles Bishop Salesian signed with USC. Loser: Ole Miss The Rebels finished 16th, so it speaks to their recent history they are on this side of the list despite a nice ranking. Ole Miss was unable to land four-star middle linebacker and former Ole Miss commit Leo Lewis, Memphis University four-star offensive tackle Drew Richmond, who recruited hard for Ole Miss while he was committed there, and Glen Saint Mary (Fla.) Baker County five-star defensive CeCe Jefferson, who publicly had Ole Miss as his leader for a while but wound up at Florida. Winner: San Diego State It was a really nice finish for the Aztecs as the non-Power 5 program pulled in a pair of four-star players in Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany receiver Desean Holmes and Bishop Mora Salesian outside linebacker Kyahva Tezino, who is the No. 258 player in the class. It helped San Diego State to finish second in the Mountain West. Loser: Washington State It was not a good day on the Palouse. Pasadena (Calif.) Muir's Taeon Mason flipped to San Jose State. Then, four-star offensive tackle Clayton Johnston of Ahaheim (Calif.) Servite and Deontay Burnett decided to go with USC as blue shirts. Not a good way to become relevant in the Pac-12 again.
| 1 | 9,398 |
sports
|
Jake Matthews didn't even expect to end up on the season of The Ultimate Fighter that saw his home country of Australia take on Canada in 2014. Typically fighters under 21-years of age aren't able to compete on the reality show due to the alcohol allowed in the house, but with the series being filmed in Canada this time and the legal drinking age being two years less than the United States, 19-year old Matthews was allowed to participate. Matthews entered the show with a 6-0 record, but was still rather naïve when it came to high-level MMA and what it took to succeed in a show as big as the UFC. He lost his only fight on the card, but his coach Kyle Noke realized right away that there was definitely a lot of talent hiding in this brutish young fighter out of Australia. So Noke brought Matthews to the United States with him after the show finished filming and put him in the same room with some of the best fighters in the world including UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Carlos Condit and Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone. "Obviously it didn't go my way, but it was a good experience," Matthews told FOX Sports about doing The Ultimate Fighter. "From there I went straight to the states to Albuquerque to train with Kyle Noke and Jon Jones and all these big UFC stars. So that was just nuts, on its own!" Matthews finally made his UFC debut last year and he made quite the splash. Two fights into his career thus far and two submission finishes, including his last win over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vagner Rocha. Matthews is now 20-years of age and while most of his friends are in college or out partying on the weekends, he spends his free time in the gym, hunkered down in a sparring session or another long practice. There have been hundreds of cautionary tales about athletes at the same age flushing a professional career down the drain because of bad influences that lead to even worse decisions. Matthews promises that will never, ever happen to him. "I know what I have and I know how lucky and privileged I am to fight in the UFC and have the life that I have. I'm not going to give it up by doing something stupid," Matthews said. "I've always been like that. I don't go out much and that's my choice. That takes away getting in trouble a little bit. "Knowing what I want, I can have a good life when I'm older after I accomplish my goals." While Matthews is certainly living the dream of many fighters right now, he never wants to feel like he's actually accomplished something great by just ending up in the UFC. He doesn't want to have 20 fights inside the Octagon and finish his career with a resume that's speckled with a rollercoaster of wins and losses. The last thing Matthews ever wants to be is just another fighter. "Nothing scares me more than just having a normal life and being average," Matthews said. "I want to do something with my life and be successful in the UFC. I tell myself that every morning." There's still a ton of untapped potential brewing under the surface for Matthews so he's not trying to rush his career by calling out the top fighters in the sport just yet. The young Australian has also witnessed plenty of competitors who had a quick rise to the top only to get torched by the best fighters in the world because simply put -- they weren't ready. It's part of the reason why Matthews just wants to fight whoever the UFC puts in front of him and if he keeps winning and continues to get better, he'll earn the right one day to call out anybody on the roster and feel confident enough to know he can beat them. He's also smart enough to know that day is not today. "I honestly feel like I'm nowhere near my peak. I have a lot of years to go before I reach the age where people believe you peak at. With my jiu-jitsu and striking it's all there, but I still have a lot to learn. I'm just going to take each fight by ear. I'm in no rush," Matthews said. "Taking silly fights when I'm not up to that level yet is going to cut my career short. I'm going to play it smart. I want to be remembered."
| 1 | 9,399 |
sports
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.