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Just ask the Seattle Seahawks, who lost Super Bowl XLIX in the closing seconds when it looked like they'd score an easy touchdown: For every crushing defeat, there's the consolation of a comeback season. And if you're a potential investor in the daily fantasy sports websites FanDuel and DraftKings, it's pretty much the same. Can recent stinging setbacks be offset by a "wait 'til next year" promise? Both were on the fast track to initial public offerings next year, but now DraftKings and FanDuel are under fire after revelations surfaced that they allowed employees to play at each other's sites and win large amounts of money, using information its customers didn't have. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman launched an inquiry and at least one class-action lawsuit has been filed. Boston-based DraftKings and FanDuel, headquartered in New York, are now in damage control, and have banned their employees from playing in daily fantasy games. True, some investors still can't wait to get in the game, despite the controversy. Daily fantasy sports sites have grown at explosive rates over the past few years. But the scandal is producing two major outcomes that can't be ignored. First, more attention is being focused on the lack of regulation in these sites, which reward fans financially for winning play. And second, some multi-million dollar entities have turned a bit skittish: Major League Baseball, which owns a piece of DraftKings, is distancing itself from the site as the scandal unfolds. ESPN, the cable network owned by the Walt Disney Co. (ticker: DIS), cut sponsored daily fantasy sports elements from its news shows. That may not affect the long-term prospects or desirability of any IPO, but it does raise questions as to how much both sites must tighten up their operations in the face of increased scrutiny. "I do believe that both companies have some public trust work to do, more so now than ever," says Derrick Morton, CEO of FlowPlay, a Seattle-based developer of virtual worlds, social casinos and fantasy sports-based casual games. "There have been rumblings about the gaps between the casual sports fan looking to have some daily fantasy sports fun versus the professional players who have advanced computer algorithms that aid them in their selections of players." (When you think about it, that sounds a lot like what happens in daily trading on Wall Street.) "How the public will react to the story … will be interesting to watch," says Ed Edmonds, associate dean for library and information technology and a law professor at Notre Dame Law School. "This could have a big impact on the future of FanDuel and DraftKings. But if they were to go public in the current environment, I think they would do quite well." Others counter that investors might shy away from the sector once the insider-information brouhaha foists more attention on how hard it is to win. "Daily fantasy is in a bind even without the rigging," says Laurence DeGaris, author of "Sports Marketing: A Practical Approach" and professor of marketing at the University of Indianapolis. "There's an argument to be made that it's a game of skill because most of the winnings go to a very small percentage of players. But if that's the case, then it'll be hard to attract new suckers er, customers." As for big payoffs for the everyday investor, that's another story, one that's apparently not a fantasy. If it's a question of "show me the money" (a phrase coined, after all, by a fictional football player), all you have do is look at the starting lineup. DraftKings has raised an incredible amount $375 million and aside from Major League Baseball, lists Twenty-First Century Fox (FOX), Kraft Heinz Foods Co. (HNZ) and the National Hockey League as investors. FanDuel isn't far behind at $360 million, and its roster includes Google Capital and Time Warner Investments, subsidiaries of Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Time Warner (TWX). Another FanDuel backer is the aptly named Bullpen Capital, a venture capital firm in Palo Alto, California, which has invested more that $18 million and remains bullish. "There are 56 million people in the U.S. and Canada playing fantasy sports every year," says Paul Martino, Bullpen Capital's managing director. "Only a few million of them play on daily fantasy sites. So we are just at the beginning. There's still a huge market that's untapped." The possible profit pot has gotten so big, in fact, that Yahoo! (YHOO) entered the fray in July with its entry into daily fantasy sports. Unlike its competitors, it's not a startup , meaning that it has plenty of clout and cash to throw behinds its efforts. Future investors may also find comfort in the fact that daily fantasy sports sites aren't breaking any gaming laws, though debate clearly exists on the accuracy of how they're classified. The games are classified as games of skill, not games of chance. "This is not a question of whether this is gambling by definition," says Rodney Paul, a professor of sport management at Syracuse University. "To me that's obvious: It is. Money is put at risk, the 'house' gets its cut and players play at a negative expected value in the long run. Since the leagues and major investors have partnered with FanDuel and DraftKings, I think it makes it much less likely it will be deemed illegal. But that does not mean that it's not gambling, as people can and do lose money." Rishi Nangia, a business and legal advisor in the fantasy sports industry, sees it more as a new wrinkle. "There is no argument that the gambling laws clearly lay out an exception for fantasy sports," he says. "Much like in any industry, innovation is inevitable. Once the law was determined and made clear, the brightest minds in the fantasy sports industry did what they do best: They innovated with a full understanding of the law." So how exactly did they innovate? Just ask Nangia, who's a fan of the activity himself. "I've been a longtime fantasy sports participant," he says, "and there's a common issue in season-long fantasy sports, one that rears its head in every league: disinterest and apathy. Daily fantasy sports is a perfect solution, particularly in today's society filled with the need for instant gratification. It keeps participants interested and playing, and helps them avoid the season-long fantasy blues." Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report
| 3 | 93,900 |
finance
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Ocean Beach, CA was overtaken by the adorableness of hundreds of Corgi dogs. TC Newman (@PurpleTCNewman) gives dog lovers an inside peek at CorgiCon.
| 8 | 93,901 |
video
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The alliance between Russia and the regime of Bashar al-Assad goes back decades. Here's a bit of historical context that explains why Russia is fighting to prop up its closest ally in the Middle East.
| 5 | 93,902 |
news
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Power Five conference and division win percentages. Plus the probability undefeated teams win out. Who's in? That's the question surrounding the College Football Playoff. Before it can be answered we need to figure out which teams will win their respective conferences, as championships won are a criteria for inclusion. Below are the conference and division win percentages for Power Five teams. ACC It's the usual suspects at the top of the ACC. Florida State and Clemson are undefeated and combined have greater than a 60 percent chance to win the conference. Duke and North Carolina could play spoiler. It's a toss-up between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels for the Coastal Division. Undefeated (chance of winning out) Florida State: 4.4% Clemson: 1.1% Team Division Win% Conference Win% Florida State Seminoles 49.1 33.5 Clemson Tigers 48.5 29.6 North Carolina Tar Heels 45.2 20.0 Duke Devils 47.1 13.8 Miami (FL) Hurricanes 4.0 1.2 Louisville Cardinals 2.0 0.9 Pittsburgh Panthers 3.0 0.6 Boston College Eagles 0.3 0.2 Georgia Tech Jackets 0.2 0.1 Virginia Tech Hokies 0.4 0.1 North Carolina State Wolfpack 0.0 0.0 Syracuse Orange 0.1 0.0 Wake Forest Deacons 0.0 0.0 Virginia Cavaliers 0.0 0.0 Big Ten Ohio State was supposed to run away with the conference as defending National Champions but the Buckeyes are no longer the favorite to win the Big Ten. Michigan, +1600 before the season started, is for real. With a stout defense, Jim Harbaugh has the Wolverines competing for the conference title in his first season. Michigan State is ranked in the AP top ten but barely in the top 25 of our Power Rankings . Sparty is not a real challenger for the title. Iowa is the favorite to win the Big Ten West and has better than a 1-in-5 chance to win the conference after a 6-0 start. Undefeated (chance of winning out) Ohio State: 3.8%, down from 53.3% after beating Virginia Tech in the season opener. Michigan State: 0.1% Iowa: 1.8% Team Division Win% Conference Win% Michigan Wolverines 56.2 40.8 Ohio State Buckeyes 38.6 30.5 Iowa Hawkeyes 77.5 20.8 Northwestern Wildcats 8.0 2.2 Wisconsin Badgers 8.4 2.2 Michigan State Spartans 4.3 2.0 Illinois Illini 4.0 0.6 Penn State Lions 1.0 0.4 Minnesota Gophers 1.0 0.3 Nebraska Cornhuskers 1.0 0.2 Indiana Hoosiers 0.0 0.0 Rutgers Knights 0.0 0.0 Maryland Terrapins 0.0 0.0 Purdue Boilermakers 0.0 0.0 Big 12 Baylor's soft schedule, ranks 117th out of 128 teams, but it doesn't matter. The Bears, No. 1 in our Power Rankings , lay waste to all-comers and are the biggest favorites to win their conference of any Power Five program. TCU and Oklahoma State are each a perfect 6-0 but neither team is a threat to win the Big 12. After an embarrassing loss to Texas as 17-point favorites, Oklahoma has less than a two percent chance to win the conference. Undefeated (chance of winning out) Baylor: 5.9% TCU: 1.0% Oklahoma State: 0.2% Team Conference Win% Baylor Bears 82.6 TCU Frogs 11.8 Oklahoma State Cowboys 3.8 Oklahoma Sooners 1.8 Texas Tech Raiders 0.0 West Virginia Mountaineers 0.0 Kansas State Wildcats 0.0 Texas Longhorns 0.0 Iowa State Cyclones 0.0 Kansas Jayhawks 0.0 Pac-12 Utah is the last remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12 but the Utes aren't getting any love from us. USC, a team with a losing conference record that just had its coach fired, is more likely to win the Pac-12. The real champion, is quietly flying under the radar. Stanford is well positioned to win the conference. The Cardinal is a fringe top ten team that benefits from an underperforming USC and an overrated Utah. Undefeated (chance of winning out) Utah: 0.1% Team Division Win% Conference Win% Stanford Cardinal 88.1 50.9 USC Trojans 30.9 20.9 Utah Utes 24.3 7.6 UCLA Bruins 19.7 7.0 Arizona State Devils 19.8 6.3 California Bears 9.0 4.0 Arizona Wildcats 5.2 2.1 Washington Huskies 2.1 1.0 Oregon Ducks 0.8 0.2 Washington State Cougars 0.0 0.0 Oregon State Beavers 0.0 0.0 Colorado Buffaloes 0.1 0.0 SEC Alabama is the better team, but LSU is the most likely champion. Leonard Fournette has the Bayou Bengals in the driver's seat for the SEC title but the conference is far from decided. LSU, Bama, A&M and Ole Miss could all win the West. The East is a two horse race that got more interesting with the suspension of Florida's starting quarterback. Will Grier's PED suspension lowered the Gators' chance of winning the East by eight percent and its SEC title odds by seven percent. Undefeated (chance of winning out) LSU: 0.8% Texas A&M: 1.8% Florida: 0.2% Team Division Win% Conference Win% LSU Tigers 46.8 36.6 Alabama Tide 32.0 23.1 Florida Gators 76.9 15.4 Georgia Bulldogs 22.3 10.6 Texas A&M Aggies 12.9 8.2 Ole Miss Rebels 7.3 5.5 Arkansas Razorbacks 0.9 0.6 Kentucky Wildcats 0.7 0.0 Tennessee Volunteers 0.2 0.0 Missouri Tigers 0.0 0.0 Vanderbilt Commodores 0.0 0.0 South Carolina Gamecocks 0.0 0.0 Mississippi State Bulldogs 0.0 0.0 Auburn Tigers 0.0 0.0
| 1 | 93,903 |
sports
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GUATEMALA CITY Guatemalan authorities on Tuesday called off the search for victims buried under a massive landslide that killed at least 280 people near the Central American nation's capital. The National Disaster Reduction Commission decided it was time to end the search and rescue operation, while work to stabilize and recover the disaster zone will continue, agency chief Alejandro Maldonado said. He said 70 people are listed as missing. The number has fluctuated in the nearly two weeks since the disaster as bodies were found and missing people were accounted for. Some 50 unidentified human remains will be subjected to DNA testing. "The people are aware that the necessary time has been given to searching for cadavers," said Williams Mancilla, minister of national defense and a member of the disaster commission's board. "Now they have passed that phase and what interests them is the next one." The Oct. 1 slide unleashed at least 105 million cubic feet (3 million cubic meters) of earth on a neighborhood in Santa Catarina Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City. Maldonado, who is the son of Guatemala's president, also named Alejandro Maldonado, said it will be up to the local government to decide if the disaster area is declared a gravesite. Authorities promised financial aid for victims of the slide and are proposing to build 150 new homes for survivors on a 10-block parcel of land near Guatemala City that was seized from a convicted drug trafficker and gang leader.
| 5 | 93,904 |
news
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Want perfect hair? We uncovered the best shampoos and conditioners, heat protection sprays, and more for fine, oily, curly, and frizzy hair types. Want perfect hair? We uncovered the best shampoos and conditioners, heat protection sprays, and more for fine, oily, curly, and frizzy hair types. SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER FINE HAIR Women with fine hair often hear, "At least you have a lot of it." As if quantity is a consolation prize. Redken Cerafill Defy Shampoo and Conditioner plump the hair shaft, resulting in serious fullness and legitimate praise. SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER DRY HAIR Plenty of formulas hydrate brittle hair for a little while. The polymers in Wella Professionals Enrich Shampoo and Conditioner wrap around strands like a sleeve, for nonstop smoothness. SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER COLOR-TREATED HAIR Clear Scalp & Hair Damage & Color Repair Shampoo and Conditioner keep hair as vibrant as the day you left the salon and softer than the day before you ever sat in a colorist's chair (if you can remember that far back). SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER FRIZZY HAIR The antioxidant -rich oils in Nexxus Oil Infinite Shampoo and Conditioner replace that halo of fuzz with a halo of light. SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER CURLY HAIR Dove Quench Absolute Shampoo and Conditioner polish roots, soften ends, and encourage plenty of bounce in between. SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER COARSE/KINKY HAIR Sulfate-free SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Shampoo and Conditioner coddle kinks and deliver major shine. SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER DAMAGED HAIR Don't worry, we can't pronounce it, either (now-now? noh-noh?). Suffice it to say, Davines Nounou Shampoo and Conditioner mean no more strawlike texture. (Oh, and we called the company: new-new!) SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER DANDRUFF Dandruff shampoo isn't the sexiest thing in our shower, but it's one of the most essential. Head & Shoulders Instant Relief Shampoo and Conditioner minimize flakes after one wash. And that peppermint scent makes your whole head tingle (so, OK, it's a little sexy). TREATMENT MASK A dollop of crazy-thick Smooth Sexy Hair Smooth Extender gives coarse, parched hair unprecedented shine and softness. TREATMENT SCALP The sea salt and sweet-almond oil in Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub With Sea Salt instantly ease scalp itch and irritation, then the grainy paste lathers up and rinses away to give hair oomph. TREATMENT THINNING Massage Redken Cerafill Retaliate Hair Regrowth Treatment into your scalp twice daily to stimulate new growth with a 2 percent dose of minoxidil. The clear liquid dries quickly and doesn't leave roots greasy or flat. STYLING PRODUCT VOLUMIZER A blast of L'Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle Boost It High Lift Creation Spray at the roots gives height that stays intact. STYLING PRODUCT MOUSSE Ah, mousse. It has the name of a dessert, the texture of a dessert, and usually the stickiness of a dessert. That's why Pantene Pro-V Volume Triple Action Mousse is such a rare treat. It creates shapely volume all over with zero stiffness. STYLING PRODUCT DEFRIZZER John Frieda Frizz-Ease Miraculous Recovery Repairing Crème Serum blocks humidity and strengthens frayed ends for smoothness from root to tip. STYLING PRODUCT DEFRIZZER, COARSE/KINKY HAIR Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter adds luster with shea and cocoa butters, which also boost moisture without dragging down springy curls (as silicone can). STYLING PRODUCT CURL DEFINER The resins in Living Proof Curl Defining Styling Cream coax listless waves into shapely bends, then polymers keep them that way until your next shampoo. STYLING PRODUCT CURL DEFINER, COARSE/KINKY HAIR Kinky-Curly Curling Custard eliminates fuzz with chamomile and aloe vera; cushy marshmallow helps buoy spirals. STYLING PRODUCT WAVE ENHANCER Oil and water do mix brilliantly. Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion combines the company's classic water-based salt spray with shine-inducing oil. Shake and spritz for ropy and glossy waves. Whatever, science. STYLING PRODUCT STRAIGHTENER Aveda Smooth Infusion Naturally Straight looks more delicate than other heavy-duty straighteners because it is. The lightweight formula produces sleek hair that swings. STYLING PRODUCT HAIR SPRAY Unless your plans include a wind tunnel, any old hair spray will prop up your style. But R + Co Vicious Strong Hold Flexible Hairspray is both budgeproof and easy to brush through. That's kind of mind-blowing. STYLING PRODUCT HEAT-PROTECTING SPRAY Paul Mitchell Hot Off the Press guards against high heat, resists humidity, gives impressive hold, and feeds your cat. OK, not that last one, but...maybe? STYLING PRODUCT SHINE BOOSTER Aloxxi Essential 7 Oil Dry Oil Shine Mist evaporates the second it hits dry hair, leaving behind only a delicate sheen. STYLING PRODUCT POMADE Part cushiony, part velvety (cu-vet-y?), Sally Hershberger 24K Superiority Complex Texturizing Paste provides body, piecey-ness, and a cool, semimatte finish. STYLING PRODUCT OIL, FINE TO MEDIUM-THICK HAIR Even the wispiest strands can handle Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Omega + Nourishing Oil. A drop or two quiets flyaways and imparts a healthy gloss. STYLING PRODUCT OIL, THICK HAIR The avocado oil in L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Nourishing Oil delivers exceptional luster kind of like the most expensive blowout ever. STYLING PRODUCT TEXTURIZER Garnier Fructis Style De-Constructed Texture Tease builds tons of airy volume without any telltale starchy streaks. You have to not see it to believe it. STYLING PRODUCT DRY SHAMPOO Not only does Klorane Dry Shampoo With Oat Milk disguise greasy roots like a champ, but it never makes hair look dusty. (Yes, even yours, brunettes.) HOME COLOR SINGLE PROCESS Think of eSalon as a fairy godmother for hair color. Fill out a questionnaire, upload a photo, and poof! A box of dye formulated by a colorist specifically for you arrives at your door. HOME COLOR ROOT COVERAGE Zinc particles in Color Wow Root Cover Up attach to grays and regrowth like magnets and hold color in place (even in the pool) until you shampoo. HOME COLOR SPECIAL EFFECTS Whether you're going for peach, periwinkle, or full-on My Little Pony, Manic Panic Manic Mixer Pastel-izer transforms the brand's electric, punky hair dyes into cool pastels. HOME COLOR GLAZE Apply John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss in the shower to give your color an instant, immaculate boost.
| 4 | 93,905 |
lifestyle
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During my dieting days, I set so many freaking rules for myself: when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, and so on. My happiness was dependent on the scale, so I followed any plan in order to get that number where I wanted it. But my willpower always weakened after the first day or two of a new eating plan. Plus, I was bitter because I deprived myself, which resulted in huge binge-eating episodes. After 10 years of this internal battle, my weight was at its highest, my self-esteem was at its lowest, and I knew there had to be better way to live. So, I started breaking all the rules and began intuitive eating. That process, at least the way that I interpret it, is all about trusting yourself to know when, how much, and what to eat. In other words, nothing is off limits. I was able to enjoy food without stressing out about it, and, surprisingly, I ended up losing weight. Now, as a health and lifestyle coach, I help women disconnect from what they think they should eat and help them get in touch with what their body actually wants. By undergoing that process, they finally feel free around food, gain more respect for themselves, and start feeling confident again. Here are three common rules that I encourage my clients to break in order to repair their relationship with food and even lose some weight in the process. 1. Stay Away From Sugar, Carbs, Fat, Dairy, etc. We're so quick to cut out a food group because we think it's going to be the answer to our weight struggle. But everyone's body is different. In order to let go of the diet mentality, I had to do my own experimenting to find out which foods made me feel good and which didn't. Before I became obsessed with dieting, I was always a carb-focused kid, and my body weight stayed healthy. When I gave up on dieting, I thought, "Maybe my body really does thrive with more carbohydrates, and I just haven't been eating them because I thought I shouldn't." When I ate foods based on how they made me feel, I was so much happier, I felt healthier, and I wasn't tempted to binge later. 2. Eat This Many Calories and Eat This Many Times Per Day I used to be an adamant calorie counter. I totally geeked-out over tracking everything I ate. However, this completely took away from my body's natural ability to tell me when I was hungry or full. And when I started listening for those signals, I felt more satisfied. So, if you eat your normal 250-calorie breakfast, and you're still hungry, eat until you're content and then stop. Along the same lines, whether you have three larger meals or five smaller meals a day, try to let your hunger cues run the show. When you stop following a schedule, you give your internal rhythm a chance to tell you what you need. This keeps you from feeling hungry and overeating. 3. Treat Yourself in Moderation When you're focused on what you can't eat, you feel completely miserable. Constantly saying no to the things you actually want is no way to live, and a deeper part of you knows this. That's why people often end up bingeing or emotional eating, like I did. When you only drink light beer or commit to noshing on fat-free ice cream, you're telling yourself that you don't deserve to have what you actually want, which makes you feel like you're not worthy of the things you enjoy. Plus, it's not very fun to keep saying no to yourself. So eat the real thing if you want it, and know that you're worth it. Jamie Mendell is a holistic health coach who specializes in helping women lose weight without dieting. More on MSN: Every Menu Item at Domino's--Ranked! What Ronda Rousey Really Eats in a Day 4 Ways Your Hormones Are Messing With Your Weight-Loss Efforts
| 7 | 93,906 |
health
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Martha Stewart comments on Blake Lively's Preserve website after it officially shut down and posted a "farewell" Instagram goodbye to their customers and users.
| 8 | 93,907 |
video
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The photo above just begs for captioning. Just what are Tom Brady and Julian Edelman pointing at and laughing about? "Look at the replay of all the Cowboys defenders missing you ... NFL Report Cards: Team-by-Team Grades for Week 5 The photo above just begs for captioning. Just what are Tom Brady and Julian Edelman pointing at and laughing about? "Look at the replay of all the Cowboys defenders missing you on that last touchdown, Julian!" "Check out the scoreboard: Peyton just threw another interception!" "Ha-ha, we told Gronk we were setting him up with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, but we didn't tell him they were the ones from the 1979 movie ! Oh snap...he doesn't care." "Lol, the Bengals just...wait a minute." Maybe Brady and Edelman just saw the Patriots' grades for this week's report card. Or they are laughing at some of the shocking surprises. Great grades for the Buccaneers offense? The Bears defense? The Eagles coaches? Is this some kind of gag? Nope: It's Week 5, when the unpredictable just kept on happening. Reminder: These are the weekly report cards, not the power rankings . Every week is a clean slate. The season-long report card is in the final slide. New England Patriots: A This Week's Result: Patriots 30, Cowboys 6 Offense: The pass protection was a little shaky early. The Patriots then realized Greg Hardy was the only guy they needed to block hey, Bill Belichick tells them to tune the media out! and Tom Brady had time to set up his signature pick-and-wheel passes, seamers to Rob Gronkowski and quick sideline routes to the running backs. Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount are a credible thunder-and-lightning backfield that would be collecting paychecks and sleepwalking through practices for 75 percent of the franchises in the NFL . A-minus Defense: Picked up what little slack there was and kept the Cowboys from doing anything funny, like trying to complete a pass downfield. A Special Teams/Coaching: Stephen Gostkowski provided a 57-yard field goal when the Patriots still needed points and six touchbacks against an opponent that wasn't about to drive 80 yards under any circumstances. As usual, the Patriots executed a handful of concepts perfectly (once they blocked Hardy) instead of trying to execute dozens of concepts haphazardly. A Looking Ahead: Bring on the next discombobulated foe! The Colts? Splendid! Cincinnati Bengals: A This Week's Result: Bengals 27, Seahawks 24 Offense: Andy Dalton may have had the most impressive game of his career. Only 12 quarterbacks have produced efficiency ratings higher than 90.0 against the Seahawks defense since 2012. Dalton has only thrown for more than the 331 yards he produced against the Seahawks eight times; three of those high-yardage games were three-interception stinkers. (Research via Pro Football Reference .) Tyler Eifert (two touchdowns), A.J. Green , Giovani Bernard, Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones all produced big plays against a defense that often goes weeks without allowing any big plays. A Defense: Sloppy at times but tight when it mattered. The Seahawks generated some rare big plays from their conventional offense to complement Russell Wilson 's usual Tecmo Super Bowl scrambles. By the fourth quarter, however, the Bengals defensive line cracked the code for corralling Wilson. B-minus Special Teams/Coaching: Fabulous, from the execution by the field-goal unit to Kevin Huber's punt-and-pins at the 2-yard line to an offensive game plan that mixed kitchen-sink weirdness (a read-option with only three linemen in front of Dalton) to old-fashioned "pick on Cary Williams" tactics. A-plus Looking Ahead: A short shuffle up to Buffalo to face the unpredictable Bills. Arizona Cardinals: A This Week's Result: Cardinals 42, Lions 17 Offense: Sluggish early and not as dominant as the final score suggests: The Cardinals were 1-of-8 on third-down conversions and enjoyed touchdown drives of four and 22 yards. Still, Carson Palmer is displaying deadly accuracy on deep passes, Chris Johnson is running harder than he has in five years, and Bruce Arians keeps varying formations and personnel packages to prevent opponents from guessing when the delay handoff or tunnel screen is coming. A-minus Defense: Rashad Johnson (two interceptions, one fumble recovery) was this week's star, but the whole Cardinals defense contributed turnovers, pressure, downfield coverage or quick tackles after the many Lions dump-offs. Much of what we perceive of the Cardinals offense is really their defense. A-plus Special Teams/Coaching: The Cardinals have a kickoff-coverage problem; the Lions ripped off a few long returns and had a 62-yarder negated by a penalty. For now, that's a nitpick: Arians and his staff called another gem. A-minus Looking Ahead: Arians returns to the old stomping grounds to face the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger will be there to greet him, but that is probably all he will be there to do. Philadelphia Eagles: B+ This Week's Result: Eagles 39, Saints 17 Offense: The Eagles marched up and down the field all afternoon, but a pair of red-zone interceptions made it look like the team was once again in self-destruct mode. Sam Bradford (333 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) settled down with the help of 183 yards from DeMarco Murray and the running game, fine line play and a rollout pass play that surprised the Saints every single time the Eagles ran it. B-plus Defense: Very sloppy early, when the Eagles couldn't figure out who was supposed to cover Benjamin Watson near the goal line. Fletcher Cox (three sacks and two forced fumbles) then took over the interior of the line, the secondary made adjustments and the Saints began coughing up turnovers. A-minus Special Teams/Coaching: Caleb Sturgis rebounded from an ugly debut with four field goals and only one missed extra point. (This is the new kicker reality, folks.) Special teams ace Chris Maragos made a pair of tackles, one of them a tone-setter on a Saints punt return when the Eagles were flailing. Chip Kelly and his staff made the kind of adjustments after a disastrous first quarter that keep a team from slipping into golf-bag mode. B-plus Looking Ahead: The Giants drive down the turnpike for a Monday nighter. Is the NFC East really at stake? You bet it is! Green Bay Packers: B+ This Week's Result: Packers 24, Rams 10 Offense: The Packers could not run the ball against the Rams defense: Eddie Lacy and James Starks combined for just 44 yards. Interior pressure and a lack of weapons resulted in Aaron Rodgers committing this month's turnover quota of turnovers. But Rodgers' lasers not only reached James Jones and Ty Montgomery in tight spots but also actually propelled them in the direction of the end zone, and two big plays were all the Packers really needed. C-plus Defense: Four interceptions, three sacks, 12 hits on Nick Foles . The two Rams big plays (Todd Gurley's 55-yard run and Stedman Bailey's 68-yard catch) came in the fourth quarter while the Packers held a two-score lead. A-minus Special Teams/Coaching: The defensive game plan was great. The offense may have looked a little conservative, but emphasizing Rodgers' protection against the Rams defense was a prudent choice. B-plus Looking Ahead: A rare visit from the Chargers. Cleveland Browns: B+ This Week's Result: Browns 33, Ravens 30 Offense: If you never thought a team could generate 457 passing yards out of screens, including throws to 30-year-old journeyman tight ends, Josh McCown has some game film that will make a believer out of you. The late-game explosion of catch-and-run plays and Gary Barnidge miracles obscured the fact the Browns offense accomplished very little despite good field position in the first half. B Defense: Porous early and late, stout in the middle. It's hard to sensibly grade much of this game because it felt like about three games. B Special Teams/Coaching: The smoke-and-mirrors offensive game plan paid ever-increasing dividends. The Browns played their third straight long, confusing, headache-generating game with multiple momentum reversals and baffling plays. The coaches did a fine job eliminating some of the errors that doomed them in the last two. B-plus Looking Ahead: Josh McCown- Peyton Manning shootout! And there is honestly no way to predict how it will turn out. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+ This Week's Result: Buccaneers 38, Jaguars 31 Offense: Doug Martin threw his hat into the Comeback Player of the Year ring with 158 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. Jameis Winston made some smart reads and smooth throws on the run; he also got away with an ugly fumble when the referees ruled that his knee was down before he flung the ball backward. The Buccaneers controlled the line of scrimmage against an opponent that played defense like it had just been recruited from a playground pickup game. A Defense: Soft for much of the game, though not nearly as soft as the throw-pillow Jaguars. Six sacks, an interception and a strip-six touchdown of an undrafted rookie running back offset lots of easy completions for Blake Bortles. C-plus Special Teams/Coaching: Connor Barth rewarded the Buccaneers for following his Twitter account with three field goals. Bobby Rainey's long punt return set up a short touchdown. This was a middle school flag football game, but it counts in the standings and can only help Winston's development. A Looking Ahead: The Bucs will keep busy during their bye week. Idle hands are Jameis Winston's lunch truck (sorry). New York Giants: B This Week's Result: Giants 30, 49ers 27 Offense: Odell Beckham Jr. (7-121-1) provided the big plays, while Shane Vereen, Dwayne Harris, Larry Donnell, Rashad Jennings and others took their turns finding the many soft spots in the 49ers defense. The Giants went uptempo early and often. Eli Manning was never sacked. This is how the Giants offense is supposed to look. B-plus Defense: The Giants defense isn't exactly overflowing with talent, and there were times when the 49ers appeared to have a size-speed advantage. But Damontre Moore (two sacks), Kerry Wynn, Uani' Unga and others made enough plays behind the line of scrimmage to force the 49ers into the 3rd-and-long situations that might as well be automatic punts for them. C-minus Special Teams/Coaching: Ben McAdoo's game plans look better every week. Manning nearly coughed the game up with a late miscommunication interception, but the 49ers defender dropped the ball, and Manning rebounded with some smart plays. The Giants are doing a good job burying the narrative from their first two losses. B-plus Looking Ahead: The Monday night matchup in Philly suddenly looks like an old fashioned can't-miss NFC East game. Atlanta Falcons: B This Week's Result: Falcons 25, Redskins 19 Offense: Matt Ryan played his worst game of the year: two interceptions, a red-zone fumble and several passes that either missed wide-open receivers or looked like he was trying to throw a five-pound sack of potatoes down the field. Devonta Freeman (27-153-1) and the line were excellent as usual. It's funny how quickly the words "as usual" attach themselves to strange statements like: Devonta Freeman and the Falcons' offensive line were excellent. B-minus Defense: Held the Redskins to seven points through three quarters and kept the running game in check all afternoon. The Falcons aren't the surest open-field tacklers in the NFL, and their pass rush reminds no one of Buddy Ryan's Eagles, but they prevented the Redskins from making big plays and then made one of their own in overtime. B Special Teams/Coaching: Matt Bryant was uncharacteristically erratic. The Falcons made some daring fourth-down gambles, which paid off: With Bryant off target and the Redskins secondary understaffed, a 4th-and-6 conversion attempt starts to look like a good idea. The offensive game plan was well-designed for Julio Jones ' slight injury, with lots of play-action passes to Jacob Tamme and others. If Ryan and Bryant were in character, this game would have never reached overtime. B Looking Ahead: A showdown in the Big Easy. The Saints might even show up. Chicago Bears: B This Week's Result: Bears 18, Chiefs 17 Offense: The Bears had no healthy wide receivers and pressed rookie center Hroniss Grasu into service. The early results were predictable: The middle of the line collapsed on a strip-sack touchdown, and Jay Cutler barely looked downfield on 3rd-and-long. Given new late-game life, however, Cutler spread the ball around to guys who should be playing the third quarters of preseason games. As usual, Matt Forte (109 scrimmage yards, one touchdown) kept everything looking professional, looking less like trade bait than the best hope for stabilizing a rebuilding program. C-plus Defense: Solid early and dominant once Jamaal Charles ' injury turned Kansas City into a windswept wasteland of utter despair. A-minus Special Teams/Coaching: A blocked field goal after the Charles injury changed the tone of the game. Make no mistake: The Bears looked ready to hit the showers up until the moment Charles got hurt. The fact they turned things around shows they are more motivated now than they were last year or even at the start of last month. A-minus Looking Ahead: The Lions are having the season we all anticipated for the Bears. Pittsburgh Steelers: B This Week's Result: Steelers 24, Chargers 20 Offense: Watching the Steelers run the Wildcat in the first half was like watching the grandparents dance the Electric Slide at a wedding. Le'Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams sometimes bonked each other in the face during the handoff exchange, just like grandparents dancing the Electric Slide at a wedding! When not Wildcatting, Todd Haley squeezed three tight ends along the line of scrimmage and ordered Michael Vick to give the ball to Bell whenever possible. It was an impressive three-quarter long con to set up Markus Wheaton's 72-yard touchdown bomb. A final Wildcat touchdown proved that Haley is the NFL's reigning lunatic genius, so long as 17 offensive points are enough for a win. B Defense: Took away the deep pass, applied consistent pressure and generated a pick-six and then wore down in the fourth quarter on a humid night. B Special Teams/Coaching: Special teams penalties negated several long Antonio Brown punt returns. Going for a touchdown in the waning seconds was a bold call Bell could have accidentally chewed up the clock while fighting for those final inches but it was the right one after an exhausting game, when the Steelers defense probably didn't have any stops left. Those of us who work late into the night on draft grades also appreciate the reprieve from overtime. B-minus Looking Ahead: A trip home to face old buddy Bruce Arians and the Cardinals. Denver Broncos: B This Week's Result: Broncos 16, Raiders 10 Offense: The season-opening Ravens game all over again: interceptions, a stagnant running game, short drives for long field goals and questions about when Peyton Manning will cross the helping-harming tipping point. D Defense: The season-opening Ravens game all over again: interception-return touchdowns, sacks and a reminder that the Broncos reached the playoffs with comical quarterbacking before Manning arrived. A Special Teams/Coaching: Manning owes Brandon McManus a lifetime supply of chain-store pizza, chicken parm sandwiches and affordable homeowner's insurance. The Broncos also blocked their second field goal of the season; the same players who make their defense special are applying pressure up the middle and off the edge. B-plus Looking Ahead: Trips to Cleveland used to be gimmies for Peyton Manning. Nothing is a gimmie anymore. Buffalo Bills: C+ This Week's Result: Bills 14, Titans 13 Offense: Generic off-brand Seahawks. Tyrod Taylor completed one bomb and did the rest of his damage by scrambling. Taylor ran himself into almost as much danger as he ran away from, Daniel Herron offered little as a running back of last resort, and Percy Harvin (no catches on four targets; a loss of one on a messy reverse) has no clear role and little chemistry with his quarterback. D-plus Defense: Bent but didn't break all afternoon. This wasn't a typical big-play Rex Ryan effort, but on an afternoon when the offense was shorthanded and the opponent hoped to win with screens and short passes, it made sense to play things safe. B-plus Special Teams/Coaching: An incredibly dumb offsides penalty on the opening kickoff negated a big play. A ticky-tack roughness call on the Titans' final drive almost led to catastrophe. In between, the Bills did not kill themselves with penalties. Denarius Moore fumbled away a long punt return, but that sort of thing happens when you are down to your fourth or fifth choice of return men. C-plus Looking Ahead: The Bills need to beat a bona fide Super Bowl contender to be taken seriously. The Bengals will do. Indianapolis Colts: C+ This Week's Result: Colts 27, Texans 20 Offense: Less was more Thursday night. Matt Hasselbeck executed lots of short sprint-out passes. Frank Gore ran behind pulling offensive linemen. Andre Johnson did heady "old guy" things on short routes and in the back of the end zone. It wasn't the kind of thing you want to try for 16 weeks, but the scaled-back, horizontal offense was a wise survival strategy. B Defense: You probably saw the highlights of Colts defensive backs alternately covering nobody or each other. You probably did not see any highlights of Texans quarterbacks getting sacked, chased or harried in any way. The Colts have no pass rush at all, but the awful secondary play absorbs the criticism for them. D Special Teams/Coaching: Adam Vinatieri is a treasure in these troubled place-kicking times. Pep Hamilton's offensive game plan was great: Sprint-out passes shortened throws, simplified reads and kept J.J. Watt as far as possible from 40-year-old quarterbacks. Chuck Pagano and Greg Manusky kept looking at each other on the sideline and saying, "I thought you installed a blitz package this week." C-plus Looking Ahead: The Patriots are coming. Try to look like you know what you are doing, guys. Seattle Seahawks: C This Week' s Result: Bengals 27, Seahawks 24 Offense: Thomas Rawls scored a 69-yard touchdown from an I formation off-tackle run. Russell Wilson stood in a secure pocket and lofted a touchdown to Jermaine Kearse. Who says the Seahawks don't have a real offense? Anyone who watched the whole game and saw Wilson scramble so many figure-eights that he started tripping over his own feet. B-minus Defense: Cary Williams gave up several easy catches. There were uncharacteristic lapses in the secondary, like Kam Chancellor allowing Tyler Eifert to drift behind him for a touchdown. The pass rush produced four sacks, while Michael Bennett and Bobby Wagner collaborated on a strip-six touchdown on a Rex Burkhead reverse, but the Seahawks defense looked more like the above-average unit of Weeks 1 and 2 than the historic unit of Weeks 3-4 and 2013-2014. C-plus Special Teams/Coaching: The Seahawks need to take a long look at how they finish close games: They are a Calvin Johnson fumble or an accurate back-of-the-end zone call from 1-4 right now. They should also revisit the "Sherman on the left, Other Guy on the right" wisdom. That was fine when Brandon Browner or Byron Maxwell was the other guy. Opponents are going to line up their go-to receivers against Williams all the time if the Seahawks draw an easy map for them. C Looking Ahead: The Panthers are the team the Seahawks hoped to be this year. Washington Redskins: C This Week's Result: Falcons 25, Redskins 19 Offense: Pointing out that Kirk Cousins throws two interceptions every other week like clockwork is a little mean-spirited. One of this week's interceptions was a tipped ball, and the receiver slipped on his overtime pick-six. Cousins still scattered too many passes high or behind his targets, with much of his production coming on screens to Jamison Crowder (8-87-0) that the Redskins couldn't keep concealing for four-plus quarters. The Redskins' running game accomplished little; the late drives were mostly built from great field position and pass-interference penalties. D-plus Defense: The pass defense was solid considering who was healthy for the Redskins and who they were facing. Ryan Kerrigan (two sacks) helped provide steady pressure; Bashaud Breeland (one interception, four passes defensed) was in the crosshairs against Julio Jones all afternoon but handled it very well. But the Falcons rushed for 176 yards and 5.5 yards per carry and were confident running draw plays near the end zone late in the game. C Special Teams/Coaching: There's not much to lay at the feet of the coaches: The Redskins were undermanned but forced overtime against a surging opponent. If they are convinced Cousins is their best quarterback, there are going to be weeks like this. The only missed Dustin Hopkins field goal was a 53-yarder. B-plus Looking Ahead: Cousins versus the Jets secondary. Look for that every-other-week multi-interception pattern to hiccup. Tennessee Titans: C This Week's Result: Bills 14, Titans 13 Offense: The Titans balanced runs, screens, short passes and the occasional read-option to great effect for much of the game. But with no big-play capability, their drives kept ending short of the goal line. When they needed their short game late in fourth quarter, the Bills had it all figured out. C-minus Defense: The defense held the Bills without a first down until midway through the second quarter and took everything away but the Tyrod Taylor scramble game. That should usually result in a win, but Taylor is really, really fast. B Special Teams/Coaching: The Titans dominated the first half on the stat sheet but only led 3-0. The Titans have lost two straight "moral victory"-type losses, but you only get one moral victory per season. Ken Whisenhunt needs to open up Marcus Mariota's deep game if he hopes to turn these close calls into wins. C Looking Ahead: The Dolphins may be the first team in history that will play to get an interim coach fired. San Diego Chargers: C This Week's Result: Steelers 24, Chargers 20 Offense: Antonio Gates caught the 100th touchdown pass of his career on an impressive first drive. The Chargers offense took the next two-and-a-half quarters off to celebrate before driving for a similar-looking 101st Gates touchdown. In between the touchdowns were lots and lots of dump-offs to Danny Woodhead and Melvin Gordon, plus some costly turnovers. C Defense: The unit played very well against an arch-conservative game plan for three quarters, allowing just three offensive points. Then it allowed Michael Vick to unleash the one deep throw and one vintage scramble per week he still has left in his body. B Special Teams/Coaching: Josh Lambo drilled a 54-yard field goal to give the Chargers a fourth-quarter lead. Philip Rivers impersonated mid-career Peyton Manning in the second half, running the no-huddle and barking adjustments at the line of scrimmage. The Chargers' lack of big-play capability on both sides of the ball is a familiar problem. C. Looking Ahead : Nothing makes a sweaty late-game collapse at home on Monday night worse than a short week and a trip to Lambeau. San Francisco 49ers: C This Week's Result: Giants 30, 49ers 27 Offense: For the first time all season, the 49ers threw downfield without looking embarrassed and sheepish about it. Colin Kaepernick (262 passing yards, two touchdowns, 23 rushing yards) looked like his old self. Carlos Hyde (21-93-1) and Anquan Boldin (8-107-1) had productive evenings. This is probably what the 49ers want their offense to look like for the rest of the season, though it still took a half to get going. C-plus Defense: NaVorro Bowman and Michael Wilhoite combined for a whopping 24 solo tackles and eight assists. The totals look impressive, but the game tape shows the Giants completing pass after pass in the middle of the field, with Bowman, Wilhoite and others giving chase. The 49ers have a Little Dutch Boy defense; Bowman spends too much time patching leaks. C-minus Special Teams/Coaching: Offensive coordinator Geep Chryst said he tweaked some issues on offense, and the adjustments paid off. The 49ers fought hard and came back late. B-plus Looking Ahead: Super Bowl rematch! 49ers vs. Ravens! Both teams stink! Oakland Raiders: C- This Week's Result: Broncos 16, Raiders 10 Offense: Trouble in triplet territory! Amari Cooper was held to just four catches. Latavius Murray was ineffective before leaving the game with a minor injury that may not have passed the Jack Del Rio tough-guy test (he was neither comatose nor engulfed in flames). Derek Carr endured four sacks, threw a pick-six and fumbled. It's never a sign of progress when Marcel Reece (seven catches, 49 yards, one touchdown) is the most prominent offensive performer. D-plus Defense: Charles Woodson provided the capstone to his Hall of Fame highlight reel with a pair of interceptions. The Raiders' front seven played its best game of the year, clamping down on not just the run (easy to do against the Broncos) but on short passes over the middle of the field (a Raiders sore spot and a Peyton Manning specialty). B Special Teams/Coaching: Sebastian Janikowski caught the "Dutch elm kicker" disease with a miss and a block. The offensive game plan made sense: The Raiders emphasized max protection (they used lots of six-lineman formations) and took downfield shots to unexpected targets like rookie tight end Clive Walford. But you can't expect to win when your offense scores 10 points and gives seven back. C Looking Ahead: Bye week. After two losses by eight combined points, this is a good time to give Del Rio a little space so he can trash his office in peace. Kansas City Chiefs: D+ This Week's Result: Bears 18, Chiefs 17 Offense: Nothing that happened before the Jamaal Charles injury matters. Nothing that happens from now on matters. All hope is lost. Woe, WOE to the Chiefs. D. Defense: Played a great game until it became clear the offense plans to spend the rest of the season writing sad poetry in a darkened bedroom and then collapsed under the weight of the organizational ennui. B-minus Special Teams/Coaching: That 66-yard field-goal attempt at the end tells you all you need to know about the Chiefs' offensive plans for the rest of the season. The Chiefs may now have the worst offense in the NFL, and their stubborn refusal to develop secondary weapons is the primary reason. D-minus Looking Ahead: Sadness, bitterness, lamentations, hopelessness and the Vikings. Baltimore Ravens: D+ This Week's Result: Browns 33, Ravens 30 Offense: Justin Forsett (21-121-1, 49 receiving yards) provided the only consistent production. Joe Flacco scored a pair of rushing touchdowns (mind blown) and did what he could to spread the ball around to receivers he just met like Jeremy Ross. But Flacco also made a few bad situational decisions: running backward for a 12-yard sack (those rushing touchdowns can go to your head) and throwing away a two-point conversion pass instead of rifling the ball into a tight spot. C Defense: The pass rush evaporated after the first half. Underneath coverage was miserable. Open-field tackling was poor. Josh McCown put up Tom Brady statistics. These are not your traditional Ravens. D Special Teams/Coaching: The Ravens committed 12 penalties and gave the Browns excellent field position after a shanked punt and a missed field goal in the first half, allowing a pair of field goals that mattered down the line. A 21-9 lead against a quarterback named McCown should be safe, no matter how many wide receivers you had to pull from your practice squad. D Looking Ahead: The 49ers can't get much this year, but they may be able to get some Super Bowl payback. St. Louis Rams: D+ This Week's Result: Packers 24, Rams 10 Offense: Todd Gurley I formation handoffs are great. Tavon Austin jet sweeps and short "waggle" passes are fun until the 10th or 11th time you run them in a month: The Packers figured out when and how Austin gets the ball by the end of the game. Downfield passing remains one long misadventure. Nick Foles is about two turnovers away from inheriting the mantle of Rex Grossman. D Defense: It limited Aaron Rodgers to a handful of big plays and forced two interceptions while stuffing the run. Cut and paste this from the last two seasons: The Rams defense played well; the offense let them down. B Special Teams/Coaching: Greg Zuerlein missed three field goals, though all were from 50 yards out. Let's lay his problems at the feet of a coaching staff that kept asking their kicker to make 50-yard field goals on a windy day on the road. D Looking Ahead: Even Foles can't commit a turnover on a bye week. Houston Texans: D This Week's Result: Colts 27, Texans 20 Offense: DeAndre Hopkins was exceptional. Jaelen Strong finishes more Hail Marys than a pilgrim at Lourdes. Ryan Mallett is Jay Cutler with half the talent and most of the charm. Brian Hoyer is effective when there is no pass rush and defenders either ignore receivers or cover each other. D-plus Defense: Who knows? The broadcasters thought that all we wanted to see were montages of J.J. Watt getting blocked on routine plays. Come to think of it, that probably is all we wanted to see. D Special Teams/Coaching: The Mallett offense consisted mostly of power runs inside and short-angle routes to Arian Foster . There was no good reason for him to retain his starting job, and Bill O'Brien makes Jay Gruden look a little more logical and decisive about his quarterbacks every week. D Looking Ahead: A trip to Jacksonville. Has the AFC South been declared a mid-major conference yet? Jacksonville Jaguars: D This Week's Result: Buccaneers 38, Jaguars 31 Offense: Blake Bortles threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns but also absorbed six sacks and threw an interception. The Jaguars had T.J. Yeldon, Bernard Pierce and Toby Gerhart available but felt the need to give meaningful touches near their own goal line to undrafted rookie Corey Grant, who was stripped for a Buccaneers touchdown. C Defense: Imagine a pile of infant's receiving blankets, covered in lamb's wool and cotton balls, with a litter of kittens on top of it. Now imagine something softer. The Jaguars were a little softer than the second thing you imagined. F Special Teams/Coaching: The Jaguars committed only three penalties, so there's that. This was one of those silly arcade-style football games that sometimes breaks out when terrible teams meet. The Jaguars, in year three of their system with a second-year quarterback facing a turnover-prone rookie, have to be able to win these kinds of games if they ever hope to move on to non-silly games, or if they ever want to reach the fourth year of their system. C-minus Looking Ahead: Jaguars-Texans. Cue the Monty Python army officer: Silly, silly, silly. This has all gotten far too silly. New Orleans Saints: D This Week's Result: Eagles 39, Saints 17 Offense: A reshuffled offensive line missing Jahri Evans and Terron Armstead could not protect Drew Brees (five sacks). Willie Snead and Brandin Cooks were able to gash the Eagles for big plays, but turnovers including a signature Saints after-catch fumble by newcomer Michael Hoomanawanui (he's trying to fit in) allowed the Eagles to pull away from what was a close game at halftime. D-plus Defense: The Eagles had great field position, thanks to turnovers for most of the game, and Brandon Browner and Delvin Breaux each picked off a pass in the end zone. But the Saints committed their usual collection of dumb defensive penalties and looked completely unprepared to face the no-huddle offense all afternoon. D Special Teams/Coaching: Sam Bradford faked a handoff, rolled right and found an open receiver for productive yardage on play after play. Or Bradford lined up under center for a quick inside running play, and the Saints couldn't figure out the Eagles never pass heck, they never even run outside when Bradford takes a traditional snap. The lack of defensive readiness would be shocking if we hadn't been watching it for two years. Also, new punter Brandon Fields was the mayor of "Shank City," but you cannot expect a team to find a replacement punter when no one can even find a kicker. D Looking Ahead: The Saints host the Falcons. Break out the U2 and Green Day: The Saints need all the help they can get. Dallas Cowboys: D- This Week's Result: Patriots 30, Cowboys 6 Offense: Brandon Weeden brought his usual extra-strength "meaningless completion percentage" game. He averaged 7.2 yards per completion, with a long pass play of just 21 yards. D-minus Defense: Greg Hardy recorded two sacks and five hits on Tom Brady. Everybody else played like they game-planned for some other team and didn't really pay attention to that game plan. D Special Teams/Coaching: "Jason, let's get the ball to that strapping young Razorback." "But Jerry, Darren McFadden is not really a third-down back." "That Arkansas fella is bound to break one." "Jerry, maybe we should try to sign or develop a vertical threat to keep us competitive until Dez can…" "WOOO! PIG SOOOEEYYYY! Look at him catch them six-yard passes!" "Sigh. We're down 20-3. Let's kick a field goal." D-minus Looking Ahead: The Cowboys have problems that a bye week won't solve. Detroit Lions: D- This Week's Result: Cardinals 42, Lions 17 Offense: The problem with a dink-and-dunk Lions attack is that it just creates more opportunities for Matthew Stafford to do something dumb with the ball, Calvin Johnson to run the wrong route or a rookie running back to fumble while trying to make a play. At least the old Bombs Away to Megatron offense had a high impact-to-blunder ratio. F Defense: The Lions applied pressure to Carson Palmer and stuffed the run early. The defense then played its part in the self-destruction by giving up several easy Chris Johnson runs off tackle, a bomb from the Cardinals' 1-yard line and other avoidable big plays. C-minus Special Teams/Coaching: Hey, the Lions benefited from an "illegal bat out of bounds" penalty! It's a shame the makeup call occurred in this blowout disaster! Benching Matthew Stafford midway through the third quarter sent the wrong message. His final interception came on a fourth-down conversion where Johnson appeared to run the wrong route; if Stafford needed a "statement" benching, what about Golden Tate and Ameer Abdullah, who also contributed to the turnover circus? (And if Stafford was benched for his protection, why keep Tate and Johnson in the game?) F Looking Ahead: Not only are the Bears ahead of the Lions in the standings, but they are also actually playing smarter, more spirited football. Year-to-Date GPAs Here are the year-to-date GPAs for all 32 teams. Please take note that the grades are weighted: Performances from the last three weeks count for more than Week 2 performances, and Week 1 performances only get a little weight. Remember how tough and organized the Dolphins looked after their Week 1 win? You don't? That's why the grades are weighted. 1. New England Patriots: 3.73 2. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.45 3. Green Bay Packers: 3.23 4. Atlanta Falcons: 3.15 5. Arizona Cardinals: 3.15 6. Denver Broncos: 2.96 7. Carolina Panthers: 2.95 8. New York Giants: 2.77 9. Minnesota Vikings: 2.67 10. New York Jets: 2.41 11. Buffalo Bills: 2.41 12. Pittsburgh Steelers: 2.34 13. Seattle Seahawks: 2.19 14. Cleveland Browns: 2.11 15. Washington Redskins: 2.09 16. Oakland Raiders: 2.09 17. Chicago Bears: 2.08 18. Tennessee Titans: 2.05 19. Philadelphia Eagles: 2.01 20. San Diego Chargers: 1.99 21. Baltimore Ravens: 1.91 22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1.86 23. St. Louis Rams: 1.82 24. Indianapolis Colts: 1.79 25. New Orleans Saints: 1.71 26. Kansas City Chiefs: 1.58 27. Dallas Cowboys: 1.50 28. Detroit Lions: 1.39 29. San Francisco 49ers: 1.30 30. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1.21 31. Houston Texans: 1.11 32. Miami Dolphins: 0.54
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SABMiller accepts a takeover proposal at the fifth time of asking after Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, set out a cash-and-share package currently worth 69 billion pounds ($106 billion). As Ivor Bennett reports new deal ranks in the top five mergers in corporate history and is the largest takeover of a UK company.
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finance
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A BUK missile brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last year over eastern Ukraine killing all 298 people on board, the official inquiry into the air disaster concluded Tuesday.
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Conventional wisdom holds that retirees should not enter their golden years still holding a mortgage. However, Diahann Lassus , the president and chief investment officer of wealth-management firm Lassus Wherley, says, "That's not a one-size-fits-all answer today, because there are many other factors you have to think about." Thanks to today's low interest rates and reasonable long-term returns from investments, it may make more sense for retirees to carry a mortgage for a longer than usual period, she noted. Trouble is, many people are "obsessed" with paying their mortgage off. Either way, there are two parts to any such decision: the math and the emotion. If you're considering paying off a mortgage "because it's really bothering you that it's hanging over your head, you really want to start thinking about a longer time frame than tomorrow," said Lassus. She recommends thinking 10 or even 15 years out but still making extra payments each year. However, don't take money out of 401(k) plans and the like to help pay down your mortgage, she cautioned, "because it will benefit you more for the long term to build those retirement accounts." Conversely, carrying a mortgage into retirement offers a lot of financial positives especially if you have a very low interest rate. "What you can do is invest those dollars [and] your earnings could be significantly higher, which means you're using someone else's money to earn more so that you're able to build your retirement assets over time," said Lassus. "And that tax deduction makes it even more cost-effective." In the end, act only after you've looked at the math in terms of investment returns vs. mortgage costs, she said. "But you also have to be able to sleep at night."
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finance
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If you've ever seen the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" then you're familiar with the concept of proactively scrubbing certain memories from your brain. Things that you record online constantly spark our memories and there are even services that do it on purpose. Timehop and Google Photos have elements of it and so does Facebook's "On This Day" feature . The daily reminder of stuff that's happened on that day in the past can be awesome. It can also suck serious ass and trigger you into depression. I'm not kidding, I've had things pop up about events or people that made me shed a tear. Today, Facebook has launched controls to let you filter some of those bad memories out. Simply go to your "On This Day" page and then click on "preferences." Then you can enter a date or person to have content filtered out the next time that date or person is about to be shoved into your unsuspecting face. You can turn notifications off for this feature entirely and never look at them, but there are times where it's cool to remember what happened on this day five years ago. Just not when it's something that might gin up sad feels. Then again, sometimes it's nice to remember…because being shown what upsets us reminds us that we're human.
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news
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When Jennifer Lawrence found out she was paid less than the boys, she wasn't mad at Sony. She was mad at herself.
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Justin Bieber may have to find new cover art for his "Purpose" album in the Middle East, because it shows a shirtless Bieber and clearly shows signs of Christianity on his chest.
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Taylor Swift Taylor Swift leads the nominations for the American Music Awards. The 25-year-old star is up for six awards at the annual ceremony, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for 'Blank Space' and Collaboration of the Year for 'Bad Blood', which she created with Kendrick Lamar. Following just behind her is pal Ed Sheeran and 'Can't Feel My Face' hitmaker The Weeknd who each received five nominations, including nods for Artist of the Year. Other stars up for the coveted prize include Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Luke Bryan, Sam Smith and Meghan Trainor, with the category set to be narrowed down to five in a public vote prior to the ceremony. The Song of the Year category will also be fiercely fought with Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk', Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's 'See You Again' and Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' being among the huge hits which will battle it out for the prize. The event will take place at Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater on November 22 and will be hosted by actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. Last year's ceremony saw performances from Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea, Lorde, One Direction, Nicki Minaj, 5 Seconds of Summer, Sam Smith and Jennifer Lopez, while Katy Perry was the big winner, taking home three awards including Single of the Year for 'Dark Horse'. The nominations for the American Music Awards 2015 are as follows: Artist of the Year: Luke Bryan Ariana Grande Maroon 5 Nicki Minaj One Direction Ed Sheeran Sam Smith Taylor Swift Meghan Trainor The Weeknd New Artist of the Year presented by Kohl's: Fetty Wap Sam Hunt Tove Lo Walk The Moon The Weeknd Song of the Year: 'See You Again' - Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth 'Uptown Funk!' - Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars 'Thinking Out Loud' - Ed Sheeran 'Blank Space' - Taylor Swift 'Can't Feel My Face' - The Weeknd Collaboration of the Year Unleashed by T-Mobile: Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth - 'See You Again' Rihanna & Kanye West featuring Paul McCartney - 'FourFiveSeconds' Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars - 'Uptown Funk!' Skrillex & Diplo featuring Justin Bieber 'Where Are Ü Now' Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar - 'Bad Blood"' Favourite Male Artist - Pop/Rock: Nick Jonas Ed Sheeran Sam Smith Favourite Female Artist - Pop/Rock Ariana Grande Taylor Swift Meghan Trainor Favourite Duo or Group - Pop/Rock: Maroon 5 One Direction Walk The Moon Favourite Album - Pop/Rock: 'X' - Ed Sheeran 'In The Lonely Hour' - Sam Smith '1989' - Taylor Swift Favourite Male Artist - Country: Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Sam Hunt Favourite Female Artist - Country: Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Carrie Underwood Favourite Duo or Group - Country: Zac Brown Band Florida Georgia Line Little Big Town Favourite Album - Country: 'Old Boots, New Dirt' - Jason Aldean 'Anything Goes' - Florida Georgia Line 'Montevallo' - Sam Hunt Favourite Artist - Rap/Hip-Hop: Drake Fetty Wap Nicki Minaj Favourite Album - Rap/Hip-Hop: '2014 Forest Hills Drive' - J. Cole 'If You're Reading This It's Too Late' - Drake 'The Pinkprint' - Nicki Minaj Favourite Male Artist - Soul/R&B: Chris Brown Trey Songz The Weeknd Favourite Female Artist - Soul/R&B: Beyoncé Mary J. Blige Rihanna Favourite Album - Soul/R&B: 'X' - Chris Brown 'Black Messiah' - D'Angelo and The Vanguard 'Beauty Behind the Madness' - The Weeknd Favourite Artist - Alternative Rock: Fall Out Boy Hozier Walk The Moon Favourite Artist - Adult Contemporary: Ed Sheeran Taylor Swift Meghan Trainor Favourite Artist - Latin: Enrique Iglesias Ricky Martin Romeo Santos Favourite Artist - Contemporary Inspirational: Casting Crowns Hillsong United MercyMe Favourite Artist - EDM (Electronic Dance Music): Calvin Harris David Guetta Zedd Top Soundtrack: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' 'Empire: Original Soundtrack from Season 1' 'Pitch Perfect 2'
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Steve Sarkisian was fired as USC's football coach on Monday after he checked himself into rehab. Who is a good fit to replace Sarkisian?
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It's time to upgrade your barware or at least change it up because you can't shoot your Champagne without the Chambong . This new Champagne chugging tool combines the functionality of a beer bong with the elegance of a glass wine flute. The first Chambong emerged in Seattle when a team of quirky entrepreneurs tried (and failed) to create a "super bowl" for the 2014 Super Bowl. With the help of some imaginative onlookers and a bottle of bubbly, the team discovered that their final product which was intended to be a high-capacity smoking apparatus, served as a functional wine "shooter". Why combine a beer bong with a wine flute, you might ask? " Because it's awesome. " Want to find out for yourself? Buy it here or read more about the Chambong at Mashable .
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Celebrity news for Oct. 13, 2015 Jon Hamm enjoys a guys' night out with Paul Rudd A newly single Jon Hamm stepped out in New York on Oct. 9 with his buddy, Paul Rudd, to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play the Chicago Cubs at Foley's, a St. Louis-centric sports bar in midtown Manhattan. Rocking a Cards hat, Jon "looked hot and seemed happy" as he smiled for photos with adoring " Mad Men " fans, according to the New York Post . The lucky lady on the right is Randi Naughton, a local FOX reporter from Jon's hometown. Taylor Swift counts her squad among the best aspects of her life You gotta hand it to Taylor Swift: When she got sick of public commentary on her love life, she reprioritized, putting her "squad" pals first and forging a new image as pop culture's uber-friend. In the new issue of Vogue Australia (via E News ), the singer opens up about how and why she did it. "A lot of the time I'll reach out to people to tell them they're great and a friendship will come out of them. Ella and I -- Lorde -- we met on our own because her album came out and I sent her flowers and told her it was great, and now she's one of my best friends," Taylor says in the story accompanying her Schiaparelli haute couture-clad cover. "My friendship group is one of my favorite things about my life right now. Our friends really have each others' back. It's the first time in my life that I've had anything strong like that in the friendship department." Julianne Moore launches gun safety program After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012, Julianne Moore decided it was her parental responsibility to take action on gun safety for the sake of her own children. That's why she's launched Everytown Creative Council, an offshoot of Everytown for Gun Safety made up of actors, artists and other creative types. "For cars, you have to have training and you have to have a license, and you wear seat belts and we have airbags and we have all of these things in place that have reduced fatalities unbelievably. And it was a totally unregulated industry at first," said the mother of two, whose goal is to create more awareness and discussion about gun safety, in an interview with People . "I feel like something that is very sensible and straightforward can be done also with guns." Rose McGowan 'hijacks' a bipartisan gala; demands integration, honesty Like a modern-day "Network" news caster, Rose McGowan is mad as hell and she's not going to take this anymore. The "this" in question? Out of touch politicians. After growing frustrated at the direction of conversation at a bipartisan political fundraiser in Manchester, N.H., on Oct. 11, Rose raised her hand and, as she later put it on Facebook, "hijacked" the gala. First, she defended her experience, calling herself an "accidental tourist" in Hollywood and reminded the crowd that she's done work in places like Kuwait, she's lived all over the country, she's invested and she's owned her own business. "In short," she said, according to E News , "I know what I'm doing." She continued: "And I would say to you: 1) Get out of my body; 2) Equal pay for women; 3) Integrate! You cannot make laws for America without knowing it. People coming up and complaining to you. If that's your integration, people, I don't understand what that is. And I believe you guys are better, and I believe you started with an ideal that meant something. And so what I see as part of the American public, as an independent and as a constituent, I don't understand." In a recap on social media later, she suggested that "Maybe politicians should tell the truth sometime" -- and noted that she had been uninvited from another political event happening the next day. Chris Hemsworth joins Instagram -- with a snake in tow Chris Hemsworth finally got on the Instagram train -- and he brought a friend along for the ride. "Hangin with the locals in my backyard," the " Avengers " star captioned the photo, which showed Chris keeping a safe distance from a massive snake chilling in what appears to be his backyard. "The real Jurassic Park." Err ... dislike. Rob Lowe recalls his most embarrassing beauty moment Mystery of the ages, solved. Yes, Rob Lowe did prettify his peepers with the help of a little Kohl. Chatting with Yahoo , Rob recently admitted his most embarrassing beauty moment involved "some guyliner in the 80's" -- specifically, while "backstage [at] David Bowie's Serious Moonlight tour." He notes that he "learned a lot" from his makeup artist ex-wife, as well as "from sitting in makeup chairs since I was 15 years old as an actor." No word on how he pulled off that fluff factor happening on top of his head. Britney Spears buys a new mansion Brit-Brit's got a new pad. TMZ reports Britney Spears is the proud new owner of a five-bedroom, seven-and-a-half bath mega-mansion in the Thousand Oaks section of Los Angeles. The new abode, which reportedly set the singer back $7.4 million, features an infinity pool, golf course, tennis courts and massive wine room. Not too shabby, sister. Kate Moss wears her wedding ring amid new romance rumors If The Sun's sources are to be believed, Kate Moss may have moved on from her husband, Jamie Hince with a 28-year-old photographer named Count Nikolai von Bismarck. The British tab, via the Daily Mail , reports Kate's continued to wear her wedding ring while relaxing in the Cotswolds -- where the German Count has reportedly been spending time with her. A source adds that the pair have developed "a close bond." Kate and Jamie said " I do " four years ago. Anna Duggar is staying strong in the wake of Josh's scandals While Josh Duggar continues his treatment program for pornography addiction, his wife Anna is flying solo as she raises the couple's four children, Mackynzie, Meredith, Michael and Marcus. And despite the drama that surrounded Josh's molestation scandal and infidelity admission , Anna is holding up well under pressure, according to Josh's cousin, Amy. "I talk to her a lot. She's doing good," Amy tells Us Weekly . "She's stronger than I would be, I'll tell you that. There's no way I could handle that … I would handle it so different, oh my gosh." Kylie Jenner is allegedly scared Blac Chyna is planning a tell-all Is a Kylie Jenner expose in the works? Gossip sites like Starcasm and The Hollywood Life seem to think so. A source recently told THL Tyga's ex, Blac Chyna, has enough dirt on Kylie to write a tell-all about her relationship with Tyga. "Kylie thinks Blac's an opportunist and it upsets her that Tyga runs to his ex when they're having problems, telling her everything that's going in their relationship," says the gabby insider. For all Kylie knows, Blac could be taking all that information and plotting to write a book, exposing what goes on behind closed doors with Kylie and Tyga. She doesn't trust Blac. She feels that woman has some sort of spell over Tyga, especially since they've had a child together." Side note: If Blac can dig up enough compelling secrets about a teenager who's spent her life staring down a reality TV camera crew, she might want to skip the writing career and go straight into private detective work.
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Steve Spurrier is resigning from South Carolina after doing exactly what he said he wanted to when he took the job: accomplish things that had never been done before in Columbia. (Oct. 13)
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22-year-old Matthew Ajibade was tased four times in the groin while tied to a chair.
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Police and demonstrators, angry at the government's response to Saturday's deadly twin bomb blasts, scuffle in Istanbul and Ankara. Mana Rabiee reports.
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The American Music Awards nominations were announced Tuesday morning, and there were some major artist snubs and questionable categorizations.
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Clay Helton isn't lowering expectations as he takes over as interim coach of Southern California for the second time in his career. Walking straight from the practice field to address the media for the first time since being announced as the replacement for Steve Sarkisian, Helton said the team is focused on winning the Pac-12 title. The Trojans dropped to 4-2 after losing to Washington on Thursday and trail Utah by two games in the South division. "That goal will not end for us," Helton said. "Our goal is to finish as champions." Sarkisian was fired Monday, one day after he missed practice and was asked by athletic director Pat Haden to take a leave of absence. Haden wasn't specific about the reasons for Sarkisian's absence, only saying that "it was very clear to me that he is not healthy." The coach was reprimanded and apologized in the preseason for appearing drunk at the "Salute to Troy" booster event in August which Haden had to pull him off the stage during a speech. Haden said he reached out to Sarkisian, his family and Sarkisian's agent in an attempt to deliver the news Monday prior to sending his termination letter, but still has not spoken with the Trojans' former coach. Haden expressed support for Sarkisian as he deals with his personal issues, and also defended his hiring of Sarkisian prior to the 2013 season. Haden said the school used a search firm, did background checks, talked to longtime friends and colleagues from USC and Washington and that no one expressed concerns about Sarkisian's behavior or personal life. Haden said dismissing Sarkisian was very difficult personally because of the long relationship between the two. He defended his decision to keep him as coach after the incident prior to the season. "He deserved another chance," Haden said. "That's what I gave him. He has violated those agreed upon expectations." Before being able to get back into contention the Pac-12, the Trojans are headed to South Bend on Saturday for their rivalry game against No. 13 Notre Dame. Helton, who coached USC to a win in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2013 after the departure of interim coach Ed Orgeron, wasn't shy about his desire to earn the job permanently. "I've done this job before and I am confident in my ability to do it," Helton said. Helton announced several adjustments to the coaching staff, with Marques Tuiasosopo taking over quarterback duties and offensive administrative assistant Lenny Vandermade now overseeing tight ends. Helton said he will retain his role as offensive coordinator and call plays. "We love coach Sark," Helton said."We look forward to him getting healthy and get back to doing what he loves to do, and that is coaching."
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Entering training camp, Tom Brady was expected to miss the first four games of the season due to his Deflategate suspension. Of course, he had that suspension lifted, and all he's done since then is break records and get off to a fantastic start. Through four games, Brady has thrown for 1,387 yards, 11 touchdowns to zero interceptions, and has a passer rating of 121.5. Without much analysis, those numbers are obviously ridiculously impressive, and they put him on pace for a historic season. With 1,387 yards in four games, Brady is on pace to throw for 5,548 yards. That would make him the NFL's first 5,500-yard passer, eclipsing Peyton Manning's record of 5,477 yards set in 2013. His hot start also puts him on pace to throw 44 touchdowns and zero interceptions -- although that's highly unlikely to happen. Nevertheless, Brady has been incredibly consistent this season and has rivaled his great start from 2007 when he threw 50 touchdown passes. Tom Brady 2015 (thru 4 Games)116/160 (72.5%) - 1387 - 11 TD 0 INT2007:95/120 (79.2%) - 1118 - 13 TD - 2 INT #Patriots Mike Loyko (@NEPD_Loyko) October 12, 2015 MORE NEWS: Want stories delivered to you? Sign up for our NFL newsletters.
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(Bloomberg) -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV can double its use of lower-paid temporary staffers under a new labor agreement being voted on by the United Auto Workers union, said two people familiar with the matter. Savings from that concession helps offset big raises given to almost half of the company's unionized U.S. hourly employees. More than 250 pages into the tentative labor agreement between Fiat Chrysler and the Detroit-based union is language that lets the company use temps any day of the week instead of just Mondays, Fridays, weekends and holidays. That means FCA could double the use of temporary staff from 4 percent of work hours to 8 percent, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the estimate isn't public. The new rules on temps weren't in highlights distributed to union members, who are scheduled to vote on the deal next week. Temporary workers have been a contentious issue with the UAW because they make less than entry-level workers, get fewer benefits and can be terminated at any time. The UAW has called out Nissan Motor Co.'s use of temps at U.S. plants it's trying to organize. In December, UAW President Dennis Williams called the practice a "shell game" to keep pay low. The contract says that negotiators held "lengthy discussions" about the use of temporary employees before agreeing that under certain circumstances, it was mutually beneficial. UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg and Shawn Morgan, a spokeswoman at Fiat Chrysler, declined to comment. Trade For Raises The UAW may have had to agree to more temporary workers as a way to reduce costs and secure better pay for the existing full-time employees, said Kristin Dziczek, director of the industry and labor group at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "This will cause some tension with the membership," Dziczek said in a phone interview. "Taking on more temps is part of the compromise to get the tentative agreement and they could agree to more for a new deal. FCA has a limit on what they will spend on labor." UAW temps, who pay dues to the union, can earn as much as $22 an hour under the new contract, which provides a path for entry-level, or Tier 2, workers to earn the same $29 an hour veteran workers will get. FCA also gives temporary workers fewer benefits. They don't get a pension plan or prescription drug, dental or vision coverage that full-timers get, according to the temporary agreement. Using temps isn't all bad for UAW members, because it allows them to take vacation time and long weekends. The new contract lets members take single days of vacation for the first time. But traditionally, the union has tried to limit the number of temps so the company must hire more full-time people to cover for absences. FCA's UAW workers voted against the first tentative agreement because they weren't happy with how it deals with Tier 2 workers, Dziczek said. Under that deal, the newer employees could reach $25.35 an hour up from a maximum of $19.28 in the previous contract. Veteran workers who started before the 2007 UAW contract make $28 an hour and would get close to $30 over the next four years. Temporary workers are also a sore spot for Detroit's carmakers, who point out that Nissan and Toyota Motor Corp. have many more temps in their plants than they do. That lowers their costs and allows them more flexibility to reduce staff and save money during a downturn. Toyota gets 10 percent to 20 percent of its labor done by temporary workers and Nissan gets as much as 40 percent of its labor done by temps, according to research from CAR. To contact the reporter on this story: David Welch in Southfield, Michigan, at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jamie Butters at [email protected] John Lear
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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station test a new camera that can be used to learn more about space using a floating ball of water. Rough Cut (No reporter narration).
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Not every tablet needs to replace a computer. Personal Tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler shows why Amazon's new $50 Fire is all the tablet you need for reading, watching TV and playing casual games.
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The coffee king's stock is at an all-time high and it's hard to see anything on the horizon that can slow Starbucks down.
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The overhaul of the iconic men's magazine comes at a time when pornography has become readily available online. Fred Katayama reports.
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Chris Pratt is a big movie star these days, but when he runs around New York on "Billy on the Street," no one seems to know who he is.
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Slurred broadcast leads to 23-year-old getting busted
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USA TODAY Sports gets you ready for Week 6 of fantasy football with this week's top 5 Waiver Wire targets.
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LAS VEGAS In this battleground state, divisions along the politically split Las Vegas Strip aren't as bright as the lights. But they are there, inside board rooms and executive offices. Casino mogul Steve Wynn is hosting Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate at his Wynn Las Vegas resort-casino. And while he dined with the Clintons socially earlier this year, he's no fan of President Barack Obama. He abhors the president's health care plan, has offered advice to Republican presidential candidates and financially supported the party's candidates and political action committees in the past. Wynn Resorts spokesman Michael Weaver confirmed that Wynn has spoken with nearly every Republican candidate at some point, suggesting to Donald Trump that a third-party run would be unwise and that deporting 13 million people would be an irrational undertaking. New Jersey Gov. and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie appears to be Wynn's only beneficiary of this election cycle, so far. This year, Wynn donated $5,000 to Christie's political action committee Leadership Matters for America and later $25,000 to super-PAC America Leads, which is supporting Christie's candidacy. The 73-year-old casino CEO and chairman, worth $2.5 billion according to Forbes, has left open the possibility he could support a Democratic candidate for president, telling Nevada political pundit Jon Ralston during a televised interview in May that "there's a chance I'll support anybody." Wynn has donated to federal Democratic causes here and there, including the New Jersey Democratic State Committee in 2002 and to Vice President Joe Biden during his campaign in 2007. But, more often, he supports Republican groups and candidates. He and his wife, Andrea, have donated a combined $173,800 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the last three years. So how did Wynn become host to the first Democratic presidential debate? CNN called Wynn Resorts. Weaver said CNN Politics executive editor Mark Preston first reached out to the resort-casino company's government relations executive, Ulrico Izaguirre. CNN didn't return an email seeking comment. Izaguirre joined Wynn Resorts less than a year ago from Caesars Entertainment and sits on the board of Mi Familia Vota, which mobilizes voters on immigration issues and supported the president's executive order to defer deportations of the parents of legal citizens. Izaguirre was a White House aide to Vice President Al Gore in 1999 and ran Gore's 2000 presidential campaign in Arizona and New Mexico. "Ours is a team of great diversity, representing every race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and political philosophy," Wynn said in a statement at the time the debate was announced. "To have the privilege of being intimately involved in the American political process by hosting this debate is a moment of great pride and excitement for all of us." Weaver said 1 percent of Wynn Resorts' 25,000 employees will be watching from the theater's audience. Outside, across the street, are two more billionaire casino moguls with strong political persuasions, one a friend of Trump's, the other a friend to Republican candidates looking for a bank account boost. In one corner is Sheldon Adelson, the Republican super-donor worth $25.6 billion who owns The Venetian and The Palazzo. He and his wife spent more than $100 million to back presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and later Mitt Romney in the 2012 election. In the other corner is Phil Ruffin, owner of the Treasure Island casino-hotel, Trump's billionaire best friend who hosted the Republican candidate at his pirate-themed property last week. Don't expect to see Ruffin in the debate crowd Tuesday. "I just hope it brings us some business," he said. "I'll watch it on TV."
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They're so funny, it's scary. THE GOAL: Dipped in Glitter The thick coat of golden sparkle on these pumpkins is all thanks to a craft room staple Mod Podge! See more at P.S. Heart » Follow us on Facebook. THE FAIL: Barely Sparkled We're not sure what went wrong here (Too little glitter? Not enough glue?). But, sadly, the result is decidedly lackluster. See more on Instagram » Follow us on Facebook. THE GOAL: Peanut Butter Spider Cookies We are not going to say no to anything chocolate and peanut butter flavored, ever. Get the recipe from A Spicy Perspective » Follow us on Facebook. THE FAIL: Peanut Butter Spider Cookies Well, this person sure did nail down the creepy part. See more at Instagram » Follow us on Facebook. THE GOAL: Tightly Wrapped Mummy Flexible garden ties make this charming little mummy a posable figure. See more at Family Chic » Follow us on Facebook. THE FAIL: Loose Ends This poor mummy is clearly not very well-dressed for the occasion. See more on Instagram » Follow us on Facebook. THE GOAL: Crescent Mummy Dogs Crescent rolls and hot dogs? What's not to love. Mummies in a blanket might be our new favorite snack inspiration. Get the recipe from Pillsbury » Follow us on Facebook. THE FAIL: Crescent Mummy Dogs There's literally no resurrecting this mummy dog fail. He's a goner. See more at Pinterest Fail » Follow us on Facebook. THE GOAL: Slimy Worms The color, texture, and detail make these creepy crawlers look completely realistic. See more at Instructables » Follow us on Facebook. THE FAIL: Sticky Situation This almost worked they're certainly slimy! But that's about as close as this blogger got with her creepy worm craft. See more at Masshole Mommy » Follow us on Facebook. THE GOAL: All Smiles A cheerful little baby had nothing but a good time when she was plopped inside of a carved pumpkin. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE FAIL: Not Amused There are so many wonderful things about Halloween, but this little one just doesn't want to get on board. Sorry, mom. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE GOAL: Skeleton Egg Oh, what a little ketchup and mustard can do... Get the recipe from Cute Food for Kids » THE FAIL: Skeleton Egg This guy is just not a morning person. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE GOAL: Subtle Accent This blogger's handmade pumpkin décor looks totally chic and lights up to create a dim glow. See more at Recaptured Charm » THE FAIL: Messy Gourd Somewhere between the balloon deflating and the glue drying, this pumpkin didn't exactly turn into an elegant centerpiece. But we think this blogger is being a little hard on herself they're pretty cute! See more at It All Started with Paint » THE GOAL: Spider Web Pizza Halloween doesn't always have to be about candy.This spider web pizza is perfect for getting kids interactive in the kitchen. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE FAIL: Spider Web Pizza It looks like this little girl went a little heavy with the cheese! A kid after our own hearts. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE GOAL: Rainbow Bright A pumpkin splattered with crayons is supposed to look a tiny bit messy, but this blogger made sure the colors still came out just right. See more at Crafty Morning » THE FAIL: Dull Hues In what this crafter describes a "hot mess," the once brightly colored wax didn't transfer over to the white gourd. See more on Instagram » THE GOAL: Pumpkin Pound Cake Impress your friends with this seemingly simple cookie cutter hack. Get the recipe from She Knows » THE FAIL: Pumpkin Pound Cake Womp. The good news is that at the end of the day this is still pumpkin cake, and pumpkin cake is always delicious. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE GOAL: Pumpkin Cake An edible centerpiece is the best kind of centerpiece. Get the recipe from Gooseberry Patch » THE FAIL: Pumpkin Cake This pumpkin mess with slimy green frosting is brought to you by Nickelodeon in the '90s. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE GOAL: Carefully Carved The only thing messy about this pumpkin is the (rather unpleasant) trail of guts and seeds falling out of its mouth. Not the prettiest DIY, but we applaud the execution. See more at Room for Seconds » THE FAIL: Tiny Spillage A messy mini-gourd just doesn't have the same effect as its larger cousins. See more on Instagram » THE GOAL: Witch Finger Cookies Things just got REAL with these incredibly lifelike finger cookies, complete with sliced almond fingernails. Get the recipe from Domestic Sugar » THE FAIL: Witch Finger Cookies A little swelling happens to the best of us. The good news is that this is almost a cookie cake. See more at Pinstrosity » THE GOAL: Sharp Art This comic book-esque makeup is completely on-point. See more at The Beauty Insiders » THE FAIL: Less Defined Two eyebrows that almost run together and a squiggly line where the face outline should be makes for a messier version of the look. See more at Pinterest Fail » THE GOAL: Spider Web Pretzel Snacks Spider web snack treats using only two ingredients (melted chocolate and pretzels) seems easy enough right? Get the recipe from Mom Endeavors » THE FAIL: Spider Web Pretzel Snacks Looks like the spider took one look at this web and abandoned ship. See more at Pinstrosity » THE GOAL: Transparent Ghoul This blogger's tabletop ghost appears to actually be floating! Nice work. See more at Made by Marzipan » THE FAIL: Not-So-Spooky What do a balloon, a soda can and a heap of cheesecloth have in common? They all tried to become a Halloween ghost, and failed miserably. See more at Craft Fail » THE GOAL: Candy Corn Cupcakes 125071 Frosting inside and outside the cupcake. We're into it, but does it work? Get the recipe from Sugar Turntable » THE GOAL: Candy Corn Cupcakes I think we've all learned by now that surprise inside treats are typically a recipe for disaster. See more at Epic Pinterest Fail » THE GOAL: Chic Chevron Once the paint was dry, this blogger ever-so-carefully peeled away tape that revealed a chevron design with straight, clean trim. See more at My Sweet Savannah » THE FAIL: Jagged Edge But sometimes painters tape just doesn't cooperate no matter how good your intentions are. See more at Eggs & Pet Hair »
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Four years ago, Jennifer Connell showed up at her nephew Sean Tarala's eighth birthday while he was riding excitedly around on his new bicycle. When he saw his "Auntie Jen," he allegedly ran straight up to her, jumped into her arms, and the two tumbled to the ground, leaving Connell with a broken wrist. Now Sean is 12 years old, and it's time for him to pay the piper. Or really, it's time for him to pay his aunt $127K for injuring her with love. Connell admits that her nephew has always been "very loving" and "sensitive," but that's pretty much a moot point, because now, all these years after, her life on the Upper East Side in Manhattan is a shambles, only a shell of what it once was. "I was at a party recently, and it was difficult to hold my hors d'oeuvre plate," she told the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Superior Court. After all, if you can't hold an hors d'oeuvre plate, can you really even call that living ? Her nephew, Sean, is the sole defendant in this case, and he stood in court with only his father, since his mother died last year. It is an absolute wonder that Connell was able to file her papers and stand up in court, asking for what is really an exorbitant amount of money for a broken wrist and the emotional injuries she sustained that stem from her inability to hold cocktail weenies comfortably at parties. Essentially her lawsuit claims that her nephew, who, let's remember, had just turned 8 years old at the time, should have known better than to shower her with an excited hug: "The injuries, losses and harms to the plaintiff were caused by the negligence and carelessness of the minor defendant in that a reasonable eight years old under those circumstances would know or should have known that a forceful greeting such as the one delivered by the defendant to the plaintiff could cause the harms and losses suffered by the plaintiff." Assuming the jury hearing this case is even relatively sane, she's in for a rude awakening, because "negligence" and "carelessness" are practically all 8-year-olds even do at that age. By the time kids are 8, they are pretty much solid on the concept of not hurting people who are younger than them; they get that they have to be gentle with littler kids and babies and are pretty great at following through on that. They are not, however, so clear on the idea that they can hurt people who are bigger than them, and certainly not on purpose. At that age, adults are still pretty invincible beings who can weather flying-leap hugs, protect you from spiders and monsters under the bed alike and who can spell every word, even hard ones, like "spaghetti." So no, it's not likely that Sean should have "known better." Or really, he likely did know better than to hurt people but just didn't imagine he could actually hurt his aunt, and he was probably keyed up, given that it was his birthday. But let's put all of that aside for a second and just ask, "Why?" Why would you sue a child for hugging you, even if you fractured your wrist? Or here's a better question: Why would you sue your "very loving, sensitive" nephew four whole years after his excitement on his birthday gave you a boo-boo while he sits next to his widower father with a "confused" look on his face? Maybe it would be warranted if your nephew were Damien from The Omen and a complete psychopath and hugged you out of pure demonic malice as a part of his master plan to make it impossible for you to enjoy mini quiches in the carefree way you once did. Kids are not adults. As parents, we encounter all kinds of people who think they should be, and usually those interactions run from kind of irritating to seriously frustrating. It might be your mother-in-law who imagines that toddlers should be reasonable or the restaurant patron who thinks your baby needs to just chill out. It's annoying and generally limited to the littlest kids, insanely enough. But big kids aren't immune to this either; if you're parenting one, you'll meet plenty of people who don't understand why your child can't just sit down and shut up with their hands folded nicely in their lap or, apparently, shake hands calmly on a day as exciting as their birthday. Usually, though, those people aren't related to you, and once the interaction is over, you're left with little more than a bad taste in your mouth and a story to tell at the next mom group wine-and-whine session. When the person is a relative and the interaction doesn't end without a sky-high payout four years later, that's a special kind of ugly. Follow us on Twitter.
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lifestyle
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A "Star Trek" super fan built the most authentic Trekkie paradise this side of the Alpha Quadrant in a suburb of Houston, Texas. And now he's selling it. Star Trek House A "Star Trek" super fan built the most authentic Trekkie paradise this side of the Alpha Quadrant in a suburb of Houston, Texas. And now he's selling it. Listed for $1.27 million, the focal point of the 6,000-square-foot mansion is a cinema room decked out like the Starship Enterprise, down to the most minute detail. "He's always been interested in space travel, in being in the stars, and he decided that if there was no way to travel to the stars, he'd bring them here," listing agent William Machupa said of the seller. Click through for a tour of the unusual home with a completely ordinary façade. This unassuming new construction home is actually one in a million. The four bedroom, four bathroom house has a huge kitchen and crisp new interiors. As you pass the lagoon-style indoor pool, a staircase beams you right into... A full reproduction of the USS Enterprise! The homeowner converted the room into a replica of the famous "Star Trek" set. The seller dubbed it the "USS Cyrus." The details of the replication are stunning. It even includes pneumatic doors and a 100-plus-inch screen beneath a fake sky filled with fake stars. Blue lighting brings the sci-fi experience home, especially in the pod-style bunk beds. Even the bathroom, which has a Jacuzzi tub and a jetted shower, follows the theme. The fantasy doesn't stop at "Star Trek." The master bedroom is decorated like a medieval castle. The children's room layout is pretty cool, too.
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AS Roma's Radja Nainggolan and Konstantinos Manolas both score a basket in the NBA Halfcourt challenge as their team mates, Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Florenzi fall short.
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NEW YORK Responding to a furor over undercover videos, Planned Parenthood says it will maintain programs at some of its clinics that make fetal tissue available for research, but will no longer accept any sort of payment to cover the costs of those programs. Anti-abortion activists who recently released a series of covertly filmed videos have contended that Planned Parenthood officials sought profits from their programs providing post-abortion fetal tissue to researchers. Planned Parenthood said the videos were deceptively edited and denied seeking any payments beyond legally permitted reimbursement of costs. The new policy forgoing even permissible reimbursement was outlined in a letter sent Tuesday by Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards, to Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health. "Planned Parenthood's policies on fetal tissue donation already exceed the legal requirements," Richards wrote. "Now we're going even further in order to take away any basis for attacking Planned Parenthood to advance an anti-abortion political agenda." The videos were released, starting in mid-July, by a group of anti-abortion activists calling themselves the Center for Medical Progress. Activists posed as representatives of a biomedical firm and sought to negotiate the purchase of fetal organs from some Planned Parenthood personnel. David Deleiden, who led the undercover video effort, depicted Planned Parenthood's shift as "an admission of guilt." "If the money Planned Parenthood has been receiving for baby body parts were truly legitimate 'reimbursement,' why cancel it?" he asked. Republicans in control of Congress have responded to the undercover videos by launching several investigations of Planned Parenthood, along with efforts to cut off the organization's federal funding. Most of that funding is reimbursement for Medicaid patients receiving cancer screenings, contraception and other non-abortion services. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, described Planned Parenthood's policy change as "a good, tangible result" of the various House investigations. He said his own panel would continue its inquiry into Planned Parenthood's use of federal funding. Planned Parenthood says its fetal tissue programs currently take place in only two states California and Washington at about a half-dozen of the 700 health centers run by the organization nationwide. Planned Parenthood's executive vice president, Dawn Laguens, said the Washington state affiliate already had a policy of accepting no reimbursement for its costs, and the California affiliate will now follow the same policy. "I don't think it will have a huge impact on their budget," Laguens said. "For Planned Parenthood, this was always about one thing honoring the desire of women to contribute to lifesaving research. It was never about money." While selling fetal tissue for profit is illegal, a 1993 law passed by Congress with bipartisan support allows women who undergo abortions to donate fetal tissue for use in scientific research. The law allowed entities supplying the tissue to recover the costs of running such programs. During the three-month controversy over the videos, some of Planned Parenthood's critics have called a ban on research using donated fetal tissue. However, there has been strong defense of the practice from within the medical and scientific establishment. The Department of Health and Human Services, in a letter to Congress in August, said fetal tissue "continues to be a critical resource for important efforts such as research on degenerative eye disease, human development disorders such as Down syndrome, and infectious diseases, among a host of other diseases." Professor Arthur Caplan, director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center's Department of Population Health, said Planned Parenthood's move was strategically wise. "The fees are being used to promote the canard that PP is killing babies for profit. They are not," Caplan wrote in an email. "But deciding not to accept reimbursement for any processing or handling would effectively end the lying about what PP is and has been doing." University of Notre Dame law professor O. Carter Snead, a bioethicist, had a contrasting view. "Planned Parenthood's decision is clearly an effort at damage control to preserve its carefully cultivated (and ferociously defended) image as merely a women's health care organization," said by email. "Nothing Planned Parenthood has done today will change its role as the world's leading abortion provider." Early reaction to the announcement divided along party lines in Congress, where Democrats have depicted the multiple Republican investigations as baseless. "I am pleased that Planned Parenthood has taken this additional step, removing a distraction, and, in the process, returning focus to the high-quality health care they deliver to millions of Americans," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut. Rep. Diane Black, a Tennessee Republican, said she remained intent on seeking to defund Planned Parenthood. "It is curious that, while Planned Parenthood officials maintain there has been no wrongdoing, they still find it necessary to change their policy," Black said. "Clearly, this was a decision motivated by optics rather than the organization's conscience." ___ Associated Press writer Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow David Crary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CraryAP
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If you are planning to get the latest iPhone, you might not want to wait much longer. Some of the best offers are starting to go away as carriers end the limited-time offers they made in a bid to grab lucrative iPhone loyalists . Both Sprint and T-Mobile have been offering various deals that lease or sell the new iPhone at a significant discount. Over the weekend, though, T-Mobile ended one of its offers, the one that allowed customers to lease a new iPhone for as low as $20 per month without trading in a smartphone. T-Mobile is still offering a second option, which lets customers get a new iPhone for as low as $5 when they trade in their old smartphone. "The introductory pricing for iPhone 6s without trade-in has ended, but customers can still take advantage of our other introductory offer and get a new iPhone 6s for just $5 per month with trade-in of iPhone 6 or other newer model phones or $15 per month with trade-in of iPhone 5, 5c and 5s among others," T-Mobile said in a statement. Sprint has been offering its own leasing deals, including one that allows customers to lease a new iPhone for as low as $1 per month . That is billed as a limited-time offer as well, though it is not clear when it will end. However, those considering Sprint have a deadline of their own to keep in mind. Sprint plans to hike its unlimited data plans by $10 per month starting Oct. 16, meaning those plans will cost $70 per month instead of $60.
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A paramedic in Tennessee responded to an emergency call earlier this month minutes after saying "I do." Sarah Ray was still at the church in Clarksville, TN, on October 3 with her wedding party, when her father and grandparents were involved in a collision a mile away while on their way to the reception. Ray and her new husband, also a paramedic, rushed to the scene of the crash still in their wedding day finery. They only knew that the car was that totaled and her family was injured, but not to what extent. Luckily, everyone's injuries were minor. Her grandmother and father went to the hospital with bruises from the air bags and seat belts. Her grandfather was not injured. After making sure everyone was okay, Ray's mother snapped a photo of her in her wedding dress at the crash site. Ray told USA Today that her grandmother apologized for ruining her big day, but Ray says she doesn't see it that way. "I think the photo is great," Ray said. "It definitely makes for a memorable wedding. I hate that the actual accident had to happen, but everyone is going to be OK, so we can kind of laugh about it now." The image has since gone viral after it was posted on the Montgomery County Facebook page . The picture of her standing in her wedding dress in front of EMS trucks has garnered over 12,000 likes and more than 5,000 shares. Some are calling Ray a hero, but she says she was just doing her job. "It's not heroic. That's just what we do every day, and it was family," she told USA Today . "I believe any other first responder would do the same thing. It just happened that I was in a wedding dress." Follow MSN Autos on Facebook
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autos
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"Where are the flying cars ?" goes the common refrain. "I was promised flying cars!" They have been a staple in science fiction for more than half a century a beloved childhood memory from the 1960's children's cartoon The Jetsons or even the frightening gritty flying cop cars in the 1982 movie Blade Runner . The 1989 movie Back to the Future Part II predicted that they will be commonplace by 2015, while 1997's The Fifth Element gives us a little more time: By the year 2263, the skies of New York are packed with multilevel lanes of flying cars whizzing between the city's skyscrapers. YouTube: The Jetsons Intro They might not be the floating Thai food trucks The Fifth Element promised, but flying cars do already exist . The company Terrafugia , founded in 2006, specializes in what they call "personal aviation" and has developed both a functional "flying car" and a "roadable aircraft" although you will probably have to consult their press releases to fully understand the difference . YouTube: Terrafugia Oshkosh 2013 2min It looks intriguing, but their technology only raises more questions if we have the means, why haven't flying cars hit the aerial roadways? The basic technology hasn't been impossible to crack: We have been developing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) machines for over half a century. Decade after decade, engines get smaller and lighter and cheaper. The problem isn't one of demand either: Traffic in large cities has been a continuous struggle, with population sizes increasing and millennials preferring to live in metropolitan areas rather than suburbs. The pressing problem of road congestion has bred other technological innovation, such as real-time traffic monitoring and intelligent traffic light management . So why, in 2015, is the flying car still stuck in the "goofy prototype" phase of its lifecycle? The answer may be more simple than you think: You want it, but in today's technological era, you might not actually need a flying car. The lifecycle of technological innovations In his book The Hacker Crackdown , Bruce Sterling describes the four stages of the lifecycle of a technology . First is the golden vaporware stage, where the technology is merely a fanciful notion. Second is the goofy prototype stage, where the inventors have created something that looks awfully neat and seems to have potential but isn't at all practical. Third is the cash cow stage, when the technology matures and finds its useful place in the world. Finally, there is technology death : When the idea is replaced by something faster or more effective as all technological ideas eventually are. His book is about telephone hacking, so Sterling describes these stages in development of the telephone . He makes the important point that there was a time when people were not sure whether telephones would be widespread or useful. The innovation went through its own "goofy prototype" phase: It was featured at state fairs as a novelty device, but nobody really knew what was for. Most people initially thought it quite creepy and impractical. Who wants to talk to noises made by a machine? And isn't it a great burden to have to lay down miles and miles of wire for this device, when you could just sent a messenger boy on a bicycle instead? Two factors needed to fall into place before the telephone was widely adopted: socialization and infrastructure. People needed to become comfortable with the idea of the telephone, and the actual structures that allowed telephones to be used (switchboards and telephone lines) needed to be put into place. YouTube: The Invention Of The Telephone I THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION The telephone eventually overcame these problems, but social and infrastructure concerns are even larger obstacles for the flying car. Futurist Gray Scott, founder of the Serious Wonder website and host of The Futuristic Now podcast, told me that one of the biggest practical problems with the traditional concept of the flying car is the unpredictability of people. Managing multiple levels of "lanes" of airborne traffic would not only require a complete overhaul of "driver's education" training but would require new levels of attention and skill that are sure to be challenging to today's motor vehicle drivers. "We do not want texting tweens behind the wheel of a traditional flying car," Scott observed. Scott believes that the development of drone technology and self-driving cars are what finally will allow flying cars to emerge from the "goofy prototype" phase, to become a cheap and ubiquitous option for personal travel. But I think he's wrong. I believe we will never live in a world where flying cars are commonplace, for one simple reason: They have arrived too late. When science fiction lets us down People always like to focus on the predictions of science fiction that eventually came true from Jules Verne predicting the rocket ship in 1865 to Douglas Adams 's 1978 novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy giving an eerily accurate description of the Kindle . But science fiction has promised us a lot of things over the ages, and many of them have not materialized. In Frederic Brown's 1949 sci-fi novel What Mad Universe , the main character sets out in a spaceship to the moon, and to chart the course, he reaches under the pilot's seat to get out a copy of the "Astrogator's Almanac" in which he looks up the direction and distance to punch into the space ship's controls. The 1965 novel Dune describes books written in microscopic letters on "Ridulian crystal paper" that is only one molecule thick. And who can forget the infamous automated feeding machine from the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times ? YouTube: Charlie Chaplin - Eating Machine OK, maybe the Chaplin film shouldn't be considered a serious prediction. But anyone knowledgeable about history is aware that there have been more technological predictions throughout the ages that have not come true than ones that have. Earlier this month, the Washington Post published a series of drawings illustrating what French artists in the year 1899 thought the world would be like in the year 2000. Of course, flying cars play a prominent role. But the series makes other predictions as well, including an orchestra of instruments played by automated mechanical arms and an automated cleaner that has multiple brooms protruding from a central machine. These "failed predictions" of science fiction show an interesting pattern: They never appeared because our culture outgrew the original technology that they were based on. We never needed mechanical arms to push a broom across the floor, because Hubert Cecil Booth invented the vacuum cleaner in 1901. We never needed mechanical arms to play real musical instruments, because Robert Moog's synthesizer made people realize that electronics could reproduce any sound. The invention of the digital computer, with incredibly compact data storage, made both Fredric Brown's "Astrogator's Almanac" and the Ridulian crystal paper of the Dune universe obsolete before anyone bothered to create them in real life. In each of these cases, the science-fiction innovations became obsolete before anyone bothered building them, because they were improvements on technology that took a radical turn in a different direction. I believe we will never live in a world where flying cars are commonplace, for one simple reason: They have arrived too late. In the next 20 or 30 years, will there be a demand for flying cars? That will depend on whether there is a demand for cars at all . We are moving rapidly into an age of worldwide digital communication. Analysts predict that up to 60 percent of Americans may work from home within the next few years. Businesses regularly use Telepresence and holographic technologies to have meetings across the globe. Even my 78-year-old mother Skypes with her friends in Germany on a regular basis. Some futurists go so far as to predict that we will be able to project our consciousness into remote robots halfway across the globe by the year 2045 . If that prediction comes even close to being true, the much-beloved "flying car" could end up being obsolete before it (proverbially) gets off the ground. Like the charming mechanical arms of the "automated orchestra" imagined by French artists in 1899 or the quaint notion of astronauts using an "Astrogator's Almanac," the flying car may end up being a cool enhancement of a technology on the verge of obsolescence. What the future will hold Of course, we may not transition to the world of telepresence and consciousness teleportation as quickly as some people predict. If the demand for flying cars lasts long enough, the "goofy prototype" created by Terrafugia may just develop into something more. On the other hand, if people remain resistant to the idea of autonomous self-driving vehicles , flying cars might simply not be a socially acceptable or practically feasible option any time soon. There are "in-between" possibilities as well. Public transportation might be poised to more easily transition to " drone technology " than individual personal vehicles. Many large cities already struggle with expansion of their subway systems because digging is expensive and structurally dangerous; the Chicago "L" train is elevated above traffic for exactly these reasons. We may not want texting tweens steering individual flying cars, but a self-driving public transit system that could fly above standard automobile traffic would be a city planner's dream come true. In the end, it will be our social evolution as much as our technological development that determines whether flying cars become a reality or end up being a curious footnote of fiction, stuck between mechanical orchestras and Charlie Chaplin's automated feeding machine on the bookshelves of history. Photo via JD Hancock /Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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"If you are going to run for president, you should represent all people of the United States."
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Kendall and Kylie Jenner . Gigi and Bella Hadid . Presley and Kaia Gerber . All newly-minted models from famous families, who happen to have a penchant for posing together in editorial spreads and magazine covers. The latest joining this genetically-gifted force are Christie Brinkley's youngest, Jack and Sailor Brinkley-Cook. In the November issue of Town & Country magazine , the stunning siblings pose together in black-and-white shots by Matthew Brookes in posh fall ensembles. And in the accompanying interview, they talk about their future and how they plan to forge their own path, given that their mom was a legendary Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, who still knows how to make headlines with her age-defying bikini bod . "It can be hard to be up-and-coming and constantly compared to an icon," says Sailor, who says she's focused on school and college at the moment. While Jack is busy working to build his acting credentials (he just finished studying at N.Y.C.'s Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute) he says that he usually seeks insight from big sister Alexa Ray Joel. "The most terrifying thing is the desire to establish a career as an actor," he shares. "It's an extremely competitive and challenging industry to conquer. If I ever have anything I need to talk about or get over, Alexa is my go-to." When Sailor, got into modeling two years ago Brinkley told PEOPLE , "It's really amazing because my daughter Sailor, and my daughter Alexa, are both what you call late bloomers, I guess." And she included a key piece of advice for life in the spotlight, whether her children continue to seek it or not: "All you can have is pity for the person who spends all day writing [negative things] and you certainly can't take it personally." For more info on the sibling's spread, pick up the November issue of Town & Country and visit townandcountrymag.com . And tell us, what do you think of the smoldering pics? Share in the comments below. --Colleen Kratofil
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A report out of Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies is a gusher of bad news about apartment rentals, and the worst news is about the grim future that awaits senior citizens living on fixed incomes. Entitled "Projecting Trends in Severely Cost-Burdened Renters: 2015 2025," the study projects that rents will keep climbing -- faster than inflation -- and the pains that will cause seniors on fixed incomes are obvious and sharp. The study focused especially on renters who are "severely burdened" by rents -- amounting to one in four renters in 2013 who paid over half their income for a place to live. "Roughly twice" as many renters now are "cost burdened" compared to 1960, said Harvard. But the numbers just may be about to go up. Millennials -- who are heavily renters -- are taking it on the chin in this rental marketplace, but the group with the worst outlook, per Harvard, is senior citizens. "Today, 30% of elderly renters are paying more than half their incomes on housing," said Harvard. Particularly hard hit will be women. Said the Harvard researchers: "Older women in particular are increasingly likely to live alone and face severe cost burdens." The report also noted a steep growth in seniors is forecast: "According to the U.S. Census's 2014 National Population Projections, the population aged 65 and older is expected to jump to 74 million by 2030, an increase of 33 million in just two decades." The report grimly predicted: "As the population of older people grows, so will the number of rent-burdened older households." Why so bleak? Supply-demand equations are in play. Said Harvard: "Vacancy rates have fallen to their lowest level in two decades, and rents have soared." A reason is that there just is not much construction of affordable housing. The other reason: "Over the last decade, the share of renter households in the United States has increased significantly as homeownership rates have fallen from a high of 69.2% in the second quarter of 2004 to 63.4% in the second quarter of 2015, the lowest level since 1967," said the Harvard report. "We are now seeing more renters than at any other time in U.S. history." As rents have gone up, Social Security has stagnated. Do the math. The average Social Security benefit now is $1,328. For a couple it is $2,176. For a single paying half of his/her income that caps rent at $664. For a couple, $1,088. Not that much is available in many cities at either level. Worse: seniors have been flocking to rentals. There is no end in sight to the misery ahead for seniors on fixed incomes as they are caught in a perfect storm of constrained supplies of affordable apartments, rising rents and their own income stagnation. "With fixed incomes, retirees can certainly be the hardest hit when it comes to rent increases," said Brian Coyne, head of sales and industry relations at apartment rental site Zumper. "Rent increases statistically keep up with inflation at the least, so rents will always be increasing." Matt Foster, CEO of iRent Inc., joined in the gloom, predicting steady increases in rent over the next 15 years. What can seniors do to cope? The prime advice: carefully pick where to live, with an eye on one's budget. "Retirees are being squeezed by a combination of low yields on savings and rents accelerating faster than inflation," said Norm Miller, the Hahn Chair for Real Estate Finance in the School of Business at the University of San Diego. "This will not abate soon, but there are some options that come with an emotional price, such as moving to less expensive markets, possibly leaving relatives behind. There are many cheaper places to live if one is willing." Foster offered advice in the same vein: "Retirees should consider moving to cities with lower housing prices. Destinations like Florida or Arizona offer a lower monthly rent, a more affordable cost of living, and don't forget about the sunshine." Case in point: Phoenix, where Rent Jungle pegs the average rent for a one bedroom at $878 a month. Two bedrooms costs $1,116. Rent Jungle puts the average rent in San Francisco at a budget shattering $3,512. Rent Jungle said the average rent in Boston is $2,582. In Tampa it is $1,174.
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There's no such thing as an ugly Lamborghini Miura, but the one currently for sale by Bingo Sports in Japan is something truly special. Starting life as a 1968 example, German Lambo importer Herbert Hahne had this beauty converted into a custom Jota SVR. The authentic Lamborghini Miura Jota started as a project to take the company's supercar racing, and the one-off featured a plethora of upgrades, including lower weight, aero adjustments like fixed headlights, extra power, and much more. The car met an untimely end when its wealthy owner had a crash in Italy. However, a few Miura owners wanted one, as well, and the factory did a handful of conversions to create examples that are incredibly valuable today. Read More: The 10 coolest Lamborghinis ever made According to Bingo Sports' listing, Hahne's car is something a bit different. He had a '68 Miura transformed with this shapely body in 1975. The design now sports incredibly wide rear fenders to fit some serious tires at the back. He also had a rear spoiler added to the engine cover that placed the wing right on top of the roof when closed. The interior was also refitted with some comfy leather-covered Recaro seats and a Blaupunkt stereo. Within about a year of the custom work, the Miura made its way to Japan. The supercar has lived there ever since, and a three-year restoration was reportedly just completed. That's not too hard to believe because the photos show every surface of this unique supercar as practically immaculate. There's no price listed on this beauty, but we did inquire with Bingo and will update this post if and when we hear back. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook Related Video:
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You're not paranoid if it turns out Big Brother is actually watching you. That means that if you are a Verizon (NYSE: VZ) wireless customer you can rest assured that those eyes you feel following you around the room are actually a tracking cookie. The company uses the controversial (but legal) mechanism to monitor which sites people visit and all sorts of other data to help it serve ads. Verizon's actions are not unique. Lots of companies track Internet behavior in order to serve targeted ads, but the company's actions are more egregious than many and also expose their customers' personal info to hackers, according to Pro Publica: Privacy advocates say that Verizon and AOL's use of the identifier is problematic for two reasons: Not only is the invasive tracking enabled by default, but it also sends the information unencrypted, so that it can easily be intercepted. It's a practice frowned upon by privacy advocates -- especially because the cookie is turned on by default and few users actually know it's there or how to turn it off. The company, of course, tells subscribers what it's doing in its privacy policy , but you have to assume that very few people actually read the fine print. Disclosing its tracking efforts in a way that almost no customers are likely to notice lets Verizon learn everything from "gender, age range, and interests" to "Web browsing, app usage, and location." If you find that disturbing, hang on, it just got worse. What is Verizon doing now? The phone company/wireless provider recently bought AOL and it's bringing its tracking efforts to its new purchase. Now the company will be sharing data with its online subsidiary. The company detailed how it works in the privacy policy: These programs use online and device identifiers, including AOL browser cookies, ad IDs from Apple and Google, and one created by Verizon, known as a "Unique Identifier Header." When the Verizon and AOL programs are combined, this Verizon identifier will be inserted in certain Web traffic that is sent only to Verizon companies (including AOL) and to certain partners. These partners will be authorized to use the Verizon identifier only as part of Verizon and AOL services. Of course, Verizon isn't doing this to improve your Web-surfing experience. The company admits it will "use these identifiers to help make our advertising programs better." It lists exactly what it means by that: Linking Verizon advertising program information to information AOL has, to provide more personalized advertising. Connecting app and web browsing activity so ads linked to your interests can appear in both. Helping to determine that different devices have the same user so AOL can deliver better advertising in more places. So, without their actual consent, Verizon is keeping tabs on its customers in order to better exploit them. That's a slap in the face that you actually pay for the privilege of receiving. Why is this bad? In addition to being an invasion of privacy that's legal due to implied rather than implicit consent, Verizon may also be putting customers' personal data at risk. As Deji Olukotun of Access, a digital rights organization, told Ars Technica : "It's an insecure bundle of information following people around on the Web." What can you do? While Verizon puts everyone into the tracking program as a default setting, it is possible to opt out. The company details how to do so on the same privacy policy its customers are unlikely to ever visit: The privacy of our customers is important to us, and if you don't want to participate in these programs, you don't have to. You can opt out of Relevant Mobile Advertising by visiting your privacy choices page in MyVerizon or calling 1.866.211.0874...You can see your participation status and makes changes at your privacy choices page in MyVerizon. It's hard to see exactly how important Verizon sees its customers' privacy when it violates it as a default setting. Verizon needs to change this Instead of making its program even more invasive, Verizon needs to place the option to opt in directly in front of its customers. If being delivered more targeted ads is something people truly value, then they will have no problem sharing their data and will choose to be a part of the program. Tracking people because you're legally allowed to, due to a loophole that allows you to make tracking a default choice people have to opt out of is bad business. As customers learn they are being tracked, it's likely to leave a bad taste in their mouths and some will go looking for providers that don't spy on their customers for their own benefit. Verizon will lose some data by making this an opt-in program rather than being quiet about its existence and making the opt-out choice less than easy to find. That might hurt its ad business in the short term, but it would be a major sign of good faith to its customers. SPONSORED: The next billion-dollar iSecret There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here .
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finance
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It's the most promising HIV vaccine in years.
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health
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Experts don't know what causes multiple sclerosis, but both genes and environment seem to play a role What causes MS? Multiple sclerosis (MS) is pretty quirky as far as diseases go. Some of the nuances surrounding who gets it and when continue to baffle experts. Here's what they know for sure: MS is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body misfires against its own central nervous system. What sets off the process is unknown, but is thought to be a combo of genes plus environment. Here are 12 things linked to a higher risk of MS. Your gender Montel Williams and a few other high profile male celebs have been diagnosed with MS, but by and large, MS disproportionately strikes women, says Nancy L. Sicotte, M.D., the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The gender gap is growing. "It used to be two women to every one man, but several new studies suggest it is approaching 4:1," she says. Even though women are more likely to develop MS, the disease tends to be more severe in men, adds John Rose, M.D., a professor of neurology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Where you live People who live closer to the earth's poles (Think: Australia, New Zealand, parts of North America, Canada, and Iceland) are at higher risk for MS than those who live closer to the equator. This is true in the U.S. too. MS is twice as prevalent in North Dakota than Florida, for example. "We have always been puzzled by this," says Dr. Rose. The likely culprit is vitamin D or lack thereof. Our bodies make vitamin D in response to sunlight, so people far from the equator make less, especially during the long, dark winter months. Your vitamin D levels Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a host of illnesses--including MS. But before you go thinking you have a handle on it, there are MS hot spots in locations that do get lots of sunlight including parts of Greece and Italy. "We think migration patterns and environmental aspects may have something to do with this," says Dr. Rose. When you were born This is strange, but true. "If your mother was pregnant with you through the winter, you are at greater risk for MS," Dr. Rose says. "It's a curious phenomenon, but if you are born in spring or late spring, your mom's levels of vitamin D during pregnancy may have been low which could explain it." Finnish researchers found that spring babies are at higher risk of MS. According to this study, an April birth was linked to a 9.4% higher MS risk, while those born in November had an 11.1% lower risk. Your ethnicity MS is more common in whites, particularly those with Northern European ancestry. Some groups--people with African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American ancestry--seem to be at lower risk, although they can still get the disease. MS is almost unheard of among some groups according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society , including the Inuit, Australian Aborigines, and New Zealand Maoris. You moved as a child If you move as a child, your risk of MS will change to match your new homeland, whether you move from a low risk to high risk area for MS or vice versa. However, this is true only if you moved before roughly the ages of 12 to 15; after puberty, such a move doesn't seem to matter. "If your parents came to the U.S. from the Orient, they seem protected, as do their children," Dr. Rose says. "The second generation--i.e. their grandchildren--may be at a higher risk for developing MS." This suggests that environmental factors may play a role, he says. Your smoking status We all know that smoking is bad news, and that it increases the risk of lung cancer and heart attack. But few know that it's a well established risk factor for MS too. Smokers and ex-smokers are more likely to be diagnosed with MS than people who never smoked and the more cigarettes you smoke the higher the risk (5-fold greater risk at more than 4 packs a day). While you can't go back and unsmoke cigarettes from the past (we wish), it can help to quit if you're still puffing away. Research suggests that MS may progress more quickly in current smokers. Your age MS can be diagnosed at almost any age, from childhood right on up to your years as a senior citizen. However, it's more likely to occur in people ages 20 to 50. "MS is not an all comers disease, " says Carrie Lyn Sammarco, a nurse practitioner at the Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center of New York University Langone Medical Center. "We don't tend to see it in children, although it can occur," she says. You've had mono Many germs have been studied as possible MS triggers, but the results have been mixed. There is, however, a growing body of evidence for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which causes mononucleosis. (Mono symptoms are fever, sore throat, and swollen glands.) A Journal of the American Medial Association study found higher levels of EBV antibodies in people with MS. (About 95% of people are infected with EBV at some point, but not all get symptoms.) Wayne State University researchers found that a history of EBV is more common in people with MS. While no cause and effect has been established, "a relationship is clearly present," they concluded. You have another autoimmune condition Autoimmune diseases tend to cluster. This means that if you have one, you may also develop others. So that means if you have type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease, you may have a slightly higher risk of being diagnosed with MS too. However, the link isn't as strong with other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, says Dr. Rose. "Genes seem to set up the haywire autoimmune system," he says. Your family tree While the environment has an impact on MS risk, so too, does genetics. "If a mom has MS, her children have a 5% risk of having MS, and if a dad does, his daughters also have a 5% risk, but his sons have less of a risk," says Dr. Rose. It's usually a combo of factors--genes and environmental triggers--that result in MS, even within families. For example, the MS risk is 1 in 750 for most people, 1 in 40 for those with close family members with the disease, and 1 in 4 for those with an identical twin with it. You've experienced extreme grief Stress can worsen MS symptoms and some research suggests that it can even increase the risk of developing MS in the first place. One study found that parents of children who died were more likely than other parents to develop MS in the next decade, and the risk seemed even higher--twice as likely--if the death was unexpected (such as an accident). "We are still trying to figure out how much and what type of stress could lead to flare ups, worsening disease or even cause MS," Dr. Rose says.
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Facebook is partnering with the European satellite company Eutelsat to beam the internet to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa that don't currently have access. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the news on his Facebook page last week that the company will use Eutelsat's Amos-6 satellite to provide the coverage. "The Amos-6 satellite is under construction now and will launch in 2016 into a geostationary orbit that will cover large parts of West, East and Southern Africa," Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page. The move is part of Facebook's Internet.org , a non-profit initiative to bring free internet services to people around the world. Here's how the satellite will work. The satellite Facebook is using, the Amos-6, will launch in 2016. It will provide coverage to large parts of east, west, and southern Africa. The satellite is currently under construction. The Amos-6 satellite will use the same technology as Eutelsat's KA-SAT, which orbits over Europe. Eutelsat currently has 39 satellites in orbit. The image above shows the orbital position of each device. The KA stands for "Kurz Above," which refers to satellites that transmit a higher radio frequency. The KA band satellites use a frequency that is 26.5 to 40 GHz. Satellites that use a KU band referring to Kurz Unten or "underneath" use lower frequencies in the 12 to 18 GHz range. The lowest frequency range a Eutelsat will use known as L band satellites, like "low" is in the 1 to 2 GHz range. Why does a higher frequency matter? Well, the higher the frequency the more bandwidth you can squeeze out of the system. And more bandwidth means a faster internet service. That frequency is transmitted in small spot beams that will cover parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The Amos-6 will provide service to the orange spot beams depicted in the photo. By transmitting the frequencies in a lot of small spot beams that cover an area, instead of one large spot beam, the transmittance is more powerful. Users that fall within one of these small spot beams will receive the internet if they have a satellite dish outside of their building and a modem inside connected to a computer. The above photo is the equipment used in Europe for the KA-SAT satellite, but users in Africa will have a different dish and modem setup that has not been determined yet. The dish outside the building will receive and transmit data back and forth with the satellite. It is unclear who will be supplying the dish to the buildings, but Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, "We're going to work with local partners across these regions to help communities begin accessing internet services provided through satellite."
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The New York Knicks have floundered over the past two seasons to a 54-110 record. Their 65-loss campaign last season was, statistically speaking, the worst in the organization's history which dates all the way back to the 1940s. But even though the Knicks stunk worse than Pepé Le Pew in a sauna a year ago, fans remained loyal. New York's average attendance of 19,812 ranked No. 4 in the NBA a season ago and was actually up from the year prior. So will that dedicated fan base be rewarded for its dependability with a winning season in 2015-16? In order for the Big Apple to turn its basketball fortunes around or at least vastly outperform the 17-win kerfuffle in Derek Fisher's first season as head coach Carmelo Anthony, who missed half of last season, will need to be the catalyst for success. Provided that the Knicks won just 17 games, it's logical to conclude that Melo had a down year. But in actuality, Anthony's production was still quite good. He averaged 24.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest. His three-point shooting percentage dipped to 34.1%, which was his lowest mark since 2009-10 when he was still in Denver. However, that can be attributed to the fact that Anthony was nursing a knee injury all season and eventually opted to have surgery in February limiting his season to 40 games. Though he played on a hobbled leg for an unproven coach and with an uninspired supporting cast, Melo's offensive acumen still shined through. He finished sixth in points per game among all NBA players despite a multitude of factors working against him. There's still a lot of pressure on Anthony's shoulders to perform, especially with four years remaining on a five-year, $124 million deal he signed two summers ago. But thanks to a savvy, under-the-radar off-season put together by president of basketball operations Phil Jackson, New York's alpha dog now has an intriguing supporting cast. Revamping the roster began on draft night. The Knicks went big (literally) with the No. 4 pick in the draft, selecting 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis. The 20-year-old has displayed flashes of his vast potential in the NBA Summer League and in the preseason, but could be a year or two away from making significant contributions with the Knicks. To make a more immediate impact, the Zen Master shipped Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks in exchange for the No. 19 overall pick, which wound up being Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant. The stocky point guard wasn't much of a three-point threat in college, but he converted 48.6% of his field goals and was fourth in the nation among senior guards in assists per game. Grant will create a solid three-man PG rotation with veteran floor general Jose Calderon, who can't be relied upon much as a defensive sieve, and second-year guard Langston Galloway. In addition to trading a promising youngster for an incoming rookie, the front office also added a trio of potential free-agent bargains. Arron Afflalo ( two years, $16 million ), Kyle O'Quinn ( four years, $16 million ) and former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams ( two years, $9.5 million ) are all low-risk options for the money. Relative to other deals getting inked throughout the summer, these signings looked comparatively modest, which will certainly help NY lure more talents in the future when the cap spikes. Afflalo had a rough season split between Denver and Portland, but he's just one year removed from the best campaign of his professional career when he averaged 18.2 points per game on 45.9% shooting from the field and 42.7% from beyond the arc with Orlando. O'Quinn, a native of Queens, reflects very favorably on an advanced stats basis. As the guys of Hardwood Knocks pointed out via Twitter, he's one of just two players (who played a minimum of 2,500 minutes from 2012-13 forward) to average at least 18.5 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per 100 possessions. The other guy is Tim Duncan. D-Will, meanwhile, is already gaining favor within the organization. Viewed as a tweener without a set position, the former University of Arizona star hasn't been able to carve a niche at the professional level. With the Knicks, he's scored more than 20 points in consecutive preseason games something that might be tied to Phil Jackson's belief in the 24-year-old. • MORE NBA: Training camp storylines: Western Conference | Eastern Conf. "When I met with Phil that's all I needed," Williams said, per the New York Post . "Just that one meeting with him. He told me he wanted me on his team. That gives me a lot of confidence right there when you have a team that really wants you and not necessarily just picks you." All three of those role players have a chance to make a profound impact around Anthony in the city that never sleeps. But the biggest off-season acquisition, literally and figuratively, is Robin Lopez. In 59 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers last season, Lopez snatched nearly half of his total rebounds on the offensive end of the court. He was a huge reason why Portland ranked above league average in second-chance points a season ago. New York, on the other hand, finished No. 22 in that category. Lopez doesn't exactly stuff the stat sheet, but he does a lot of the intangible things well. That makes him a more than viable starting option at center. If Lopez can continue to make an impact on the offensive glass while knocking down his signature mid-range shots, the Knicks should be vastly improved from a season ago even if Melo isn't 100% healthy. Jackson wasn't able to court a big name like LaMarcus Aldridge or Jimmy Butler in free agency, but the moves he did make though complementary could propel New York back into the playoff picture. More from Ben Leibowitz: Every NBA Team's Biggest Draft Bust in History Is the Markieff Morris Drama Finally Over for the Suns? The Biggest Dead Weight Gone from Every NBA Team PointAfter is part of the Graphiq network, a data aggregation and visualization website that's collected all the information about Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks and put it all in one place so you don't have to go searching for it. Join Graphiq to discover contextually-rich data visualizations spanning NBA players , NBA teams and thousands of other topics.
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Twenty-one days before Christmas I got laid off. A group of us were called into a gray, empty conference room and told, "Your jobs have been eliminated." While HR mechanically droned on about our severance, COBRA, and clearing our desks, a vibe of abject resignation settled over the room. I stared at my friend across the table. I texted my then-boyfriend. I called my mom. And then I did what I think any sensible individual might do: I drank heavily. As it happens, the stages of grief aren't that dissimilar to the ones you experience after getting laid off. There's shock and disbelief: "How can this happen? They can't do this… this can't be legal, right!?" ...depression: "I knew I'd never make it in NYC anyway. I give up." ...bargaining: "Can we talk to someone? There has to be a way to make this work." ...and anger: "Screw them! This job was stupid anyway. I hated coming to this office." The next morning I trudged to JFK airport with a massive hangover to pick up my younger brother, who had conveniently come to visit. On that raw December morning, I felt like a total failure. Turns out, I'm not alone. Losing your job sucks in myriad ways, and while reemployment helps to mitigate some of the negative effects such as low self-esteem, social withdrawal, and psychological well-being it doesn't always eliminate them. 1 It probably comes as no surprise that one study found the chances for depression were three times higher in young adults who were unemployed compared to those who were employed. 2 As someone who while employed would never have said I was defined by my job, I felt purposeless. As my job hunt dragged on, I started to question: Was I even a decent editor? Should I be doing this with my life? As someone who while employed would never have said I was defined by my job, I felt purposeless. Yes, I found a new job. But binging on ice cream and booze while marathoning the entire canon of Black Books (British comedy is amazing, people) ultimately left me blaming myself and feeling stressed out. Looking back, I can't help but think: Maybe I could have dealt with the whole situation better. With that in mind, I tapped Michael Bennett, M.D., a psychiatrist along with his daughter, Sarah Bennett, for suggestions on healthier ways to recover from job loss. They offered a few tough-love tips on how to get back at it and gain more than a hangover in the process. 7 Ways to Bounce Back Faster 1. Figure out what you can learn. "When a relationship ends, hopefully you can take something from it and use it for next time. I think the same is true for jobs," Sarah says. Ask yourself: Is there something positive you can take from this job and bring to your next? Were there any benefits you got: a raise, better title, new skill, even a new friend? If you were fired or blindsided, Sarah also suggests "CSI-ing your firing". In other words, do a little detective work. What might have led to this? Were there factors that got you here that you could avoid in the future? Was there something you could have done to keep your boss at bay while you started a job hunt? Take an honest assessment of your actions, Sarah says, so you don't make the same mistakes again. 2. Stop beating yourself up. We just mentioned taking an honest assessment, and that's helpful for this too. Be real about the situation: If you know you're a good employee who did everything you could, stop blaming yourself. "Right away, try to limit the responsibility," Michael says. "Work as soon as you can to pump up your rationale." In my case, I kept criticizing and over-analyzing every little thing when I should have faced facts: They laid off nearly 20 editors. This was typical corporate downsizing. "If you feel terrible, don't punish yourself more for not getting back on your feet right away," Sarah says. "But do consider, 'Am I taking it too personally?'" If you're stuck in the "this is all my fault" stage, that's a negative spiral, Sarah says. She suggests staying business-like: Stick to the facts and avoid sinking in self-pity. Even if you were fired because of something you did, focus on correcting it in the future, not on the mistakes made. 3. Be objectively positive. List in a concrete way everything you did well at your previous job. For instance, I listened to instructions, turned in my work on time, and was nice to people. "That's a substantial and grounded piece of confidence," Sarah says. "Evaluating yourself goes a long way in eliminating low self-esteem." Even if you're not feeling terrifically confident, you've got a list of positive attributes you can reinforce during the application process and then take to your next job. (I like to think of this as the "fake-it-till-you-make-it" tip.) {{promotion.placement.html}} 4. Eat right, exercise, and stick to a sleep schedule. Lots of studies suggest that exercise can help you deal with stress and help minimize depression. 1 Yes, eating a good meal and hitting the gym might be just as important as sending out a job application. Additionally, maintaining a regular sleep schedule even if you don't have a job to get up for can help you be more productive and keep you feeling positive. If you're feeling really down, Michael suggests asking, "How much I can do today? Will an hour of exercise make me feel better and then allow me to accomplish more tomorrow?" Remember: Just 30 minutes of physical activity, five days a week, can help improve your mood and your sleep. 2 Works Cited Exercise for the treatment of depression and anxiety. Carek PJ, Laibstain SE, Carek SM. International journal of psychiatry in medicine, 2011, May.;41(1):0091-2174. Increased physical activity improves sleep and mood outcomes in inactive people with insomnia: a randomized controlled trial. Hartescu I, Morgan K, Stevinson CD. Journal of sleep research, 2015, Apr.;():1365-2869. 5. Forget about the anger. "Only in the movies do you get to have a big fight and feel better," Michael says. In reality? You don't get to say much and might go on feeling angry or depressed for a long time even after you get hired somewhere new. It's OK if these feelings linger, but the important thing, Michael says, is not to dwell on them. The more you focus on those feelings, the less you focus on the helpful steps we've mentioned: self-evaluation, taking care of yourself in a positive way, and assessing your strengths. "The problem with using anger as a motivator an 'I'll show them!' is you're defining yourself in relationship to a negative workplace," Sarah says. Instead, think about what was good, what was bad, and what you want your next job to be like. 6. Accept that it may have been a bad fit. Hear us out: What if losing your job is actually OK because it leads you to discover that whatever you were doing wasn't right for you? I cringe every time someone utters the clichéd, "When one door closes, another opens," but it's worth thinking about your larger life goals. Take a frank look at your former job, just don't take it personally, Michael says. Were your co-workers jerks? Did you have nothing in common with them? Were there questionable company policies that were beyond your control? "Take this information with you into the job search and interview process: Don't just look for them to like you, but really pump yourself up for a good fit, Michael says. This is tough because you may want to take whatever position you can get. Instead, continue to analyze your prospective new employer and keep your personal requirements in mind. For instance, if company culture is important to you, does the new job meet your standards? Or will you truly find this new work fulfilling six months down the road? 7. Realize your next job may not be The One. Of course, we recognize there are financial constraints that may require you to take a job sooner than later even if it's not a dream fit. Ground yourself in your reason for being at your job, Michael says. In moments of self-doubt, remember: You have something to offer. Do it diligently every day. When all else fails, know that you're not stuck at that job forever, and keep looking for what you really want to do. Bottom line: Concentrate on what you do best and don't get weighed down by those creeping, insecure thoughts. You'll be back on your feet in no time. Works Cited The Far-Reaching Impact of Job Loss and Unemployment. Brand JE. Annual review of sociology, 2015, Sep.;41():0360-0572. Unemployment and depression among emerging adults in 12 states, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2010. McGee RE, Thompson NJ. Preventing chronic disease, 2015, Mar.;12():1545-1151.
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Palestinian men armed with knives and a gun killed at least three people and wounded several others in a string of attacks in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv Tuesday, on a "Day of Rage" declared by Palestinian groups. Subtitled Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
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Man, you've got to love college football. The coaching carousel was already the single most entertaining part about covering this sport (if not all sports period), and this year, in a gift straight from the coaching Gods, we didn't even have to wait until December for the carousel to spin violently out of control. North Texas let go of their coach after getting blown out by an FCS school over the weekend. Maryland sort of fired their coach late last week, then said they weren't going to fire him, then actually did fire him, then apologized for firing him after their most prominent booster got pissed off (which might be my favorite firing story in years, by the way). And of course Steve Sarkisian got let go Monday afternoon, right before Steve Spurrier shocked the world by announcing his retirement effective immediately, Monday night. Add in Illinois --- which let go their coach just a few days before the season began --- and that's five head coaching vacancies... and it's not even Halloween! Add in the impending openings at Miami, Virginia and likely at Virginia Tech, and this year's "silly season" is about to be downright absurd. Of course with all these firings there must be hirings, and you and I both already know which boring old names are going to get thrown out for all these vacations. There will be Chip Kelly talk (not happening for at least another year), Tom Herman (didn't he just get to Houston like a half hour ago?), Justin Fuente (who's hiring a coach they can't pick out of a police lineup?), and Greg Schiano (wait, he's still alive?), not to mention, a whole new group of yet-to-be identified has beens, up and comers and retreads. But while all this hot set talk is nice, let's be honest: Ultimately there's only one name we all care about. That man is of course Lane "Why Are You Calling Me Joey Freshwater" Kiffin. Look, the simple truth is that Kiffin is going to get a head coaching job somewhere next year; he's too big of a name, at too high-profile a school, and his offense is playing too well for someone not to give him a chance. Not to mention that his agent is Jimmy Sexton, meaning that Kiffin's name is going to repeatedly be leaked for every job opening from Maryland to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, until someone cuts him a fat check. So with Kiffin destined to get another head coaching job this winter, Outkick the Coverage decided to have some fun with the proceedings, and start what we hope will be a recurring series of articles. It's called the "Lane Kiffin Vacant Head Coaching Job Heat Index" where we look at all the vacant head coaching jobs, and list the likelihood that Kiffin ends up at each. Granted it's an inexact science, but we're going to continue to work the formula and re-tweak it, until we get it right. In the meantime, here is the first installment: South Carolina: Scorching hot Over the last few weeks, it's been the sexy, rumor du jour to say that Kiffin will eventually end up at Miami. And to those who are saying it, well, it makes sense: Who doesn't want to see Kiffin strutting down South Beach in a white linen shirt with the top six buttons undone? The answer is "no one" and the NCAA is already preparing paperwork for the inevitable investigation into recruiting violations that will happen the second he's hired. But for all the talk about "Kiffin to Miami," over the last few weeks, "Kiffin to South Carolina" has always made more sense to me if the job did eventually open up. Which it did on Monday. For starters, the school already has everything Kiffin would need to be successful: A solid fan-base, great resources and awesome recruiting base. Kiffin already knows the state's high schools well; remember the whole " Tennessee recruiting hostesses scandal " originated when Kiffin sent a bunch of college girls to a high school game in South Carolina. So in a lot of ways, it's almost like this was the job Kiffin was born to eventually take. It'd be like a homecoming of sorts if he accepted. More importantly, I see a lot of parallels between this job, and Kiffin's actual coaching ability. The truth is Kiffin isn't Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh or Nick Saban, and he never will be. But it's ok; South Carolina isn't Florida, Alabama or Georgia either. Instead, Kiffin is a "good enough" coach, and South Carolina is a good enough program, one where going 9-3 is perfectly acceptable, and 11-1 is not the expectation. Yes, there would be pressure at South Carolina, but not the insufferable, overwhelming pressure he'd have at other schools. Add in the fact that we could all throw in a few " pumping gas someday " jokes, and it's a win-win for everyone. Kiffin to South Carolina makes too much sense. Maryland: Hot Sure Kiffin has no ties to the Big Ten, and sure he has no ties to the state of Maryland either (well, except for that one time he went to a bachelor party in Atlantic City, hopped in the back of a stranger's car on the way to the club, and woke up on the outskirts of Baltimore a day later), but for a lot of the same reasons "Kiffin to South Carolina" makes sense to me, "Kiffin to Maryland" makes sense too. The school has a surprisingly good recruiting base, and as someone who has spent a lot of time in the D.C. area, I can tell you that "Maryland football" is roughly the 67th most important team in that market, meaning the media pressure won't be overwhelming for Kiffin. Add in the fact that Kiffin would be coaching against Urban Meyer every year, and again, we're all winners. Maybe Kiffin could even hire Nu'Keese Richardson as his wide receivers coach, just to get under Urban's skin. What? Too soon? Add in the Under Armour connection --- which would not only yield a major recruiting advantage, but also an endless supply of windbreakers and visors for Kiffin --- and this scenario, in theory, could make a lot of sense. (Feel free to copy and paste the above sections --- minus the Under Armour stuff --- if and when the Virginia and Virginia Tech jobs open up later this year as well.) Illinois: Lukewarm This strikes me as highly, highly unlikely, but ultimately what does Illinois really have to lose by calling Kiffin? If they hire him, it's the single most relevant thing Illinois football has ever done in my lifetime... which is saying something, since they played in a Rose Bowl a few years ago (seriously, that happened). Plus, Kiffin would have the benefit of coaching in the single easiest division in the FBS that doesn't begin with "ACC." I mean seriously, with the decent recruiting base Chicago provides, you mean to tell me he couldn't take home a Big Ten West title within a few years? When all he's got to do is get through Paul Chryst, Kirk Ferentz, and Chuckles McGee over at Nebraska? It seems like a fit that could work. Not to mention that "Kiffin to Illinois" would follow in the long tradition of the Illini hiring coaches who were major flops elsewhere, but kinda, sorta weren't bad once they got to Champaign (yes, I'm looking at you, Ron Zook). Of course that also means that it will all probably end with Illinois overvaluing their place in the college football pecking order, and firing Kiffin two years after he gets to a major bowl game. But it will still be a fun ride along the way. North Texas: Cold Kiffin's whole life has been like one, big episode of "Dallas," so it only seems appropriate that he return to his proverbial roots, and take the head coaching job in Denton, right? Ok, I'll be honest: This ain't happening. Being Alabama's offensive coordinator is not only more high-profile, but also more high-paying than being the coach at some random, middle-of-the-road Conference USA school. But still, can't a guy dream? Wouldn't Kiffin's battles with Tom Herman, Chad Morris and Charlie Strong for all of Texas' second-tier recruits be legendary? Wouldn't his thinly veiled tweaks at UT, and TCU (come on, we all know he'd have fun with Gary Patterson) be great? Wouldn't it be awesome if he brought back his dad for a victory tour, and then Monte built the No. 1 defense in college football, just to shove it in Jerry Jones' face? Most importantly, wouldn't Lane look spectacular in all green? I feel like it'd really bring out his eyes. USC: Sub-zero, Hell Freezing Over Cold It seems unlikely, but hey, if Bobby Petrino could end up back at Louisville, anything's possible.... right? RIGHT? Don't answer that. In the meantime, we'll continue to update the "Lane Kiffin Vacant Head Coaching Job Heat Index" throughout the season. Aaron Torres is a contributor to Outkick the Coverage and FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres , Facebook or e-mail at [email protected] .
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Google might be working on two new styles of delivery drone, according to FAA filings spotted by Engadget . The two new UAVs might be the next things tested by Google X, the company's experimental division, following the failure of Project Wing earlier this year. The two aircraft named M2 and B3, for now were registered with the FAA earlier this month. Just how different they may be from Project Wing remains to be seen. All we know is that each is registered with the FAA as a "fixed wing multi-engine" electric aircraft, and that Astro Teller, the head of Google X, told The Wall Street Journal earlier this year that the company was already working on a design that "moves away from the single-wing-based approach." Little else can be gleaned from the filings other than that the paperwork was filed using Google's Boulder, Colorado address and not with the company's California headquarters. But coupled with information obtained by The Guardian in August, it seems that these new drones would weigh up to 55 pounds and be capable of speeds up to 100 miles per hour. That sounds much more like an Amazon drone-delivery competitor than Project Wing ever did. Project Wing was a single-wing delivery drone meant to be used in disaster relief situations, was capable of vertical takeoffs and landings, had a wingspan of about 5 feet, and weighed just under 19 pounds. Google had previously been testing Project Wing over private land that it was leasing from NASA. To fly outdoors over public land you have to file with the FAA, so it appears Google is ready to move its delivery UAV program into a new round of testing.
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Tuesday night's premier 2016 presidential debate, like all the others so far, will feature three moderators. One of them will likely be unfamiliar to the vast majority of viewers. But know this: The reporter that many English-speaking viewers haven't heard of might ask some of the toughest questions. Juan Carlos Lopez is an English- and Spanish-speaking reporter with CNN en Español based in Washington, D.C. And unlike co-moderator Anderson Cooper's work , which calls on him to drop in on the world's controversies but work mainly behind an anchor desk in New York, and Dana Bash , who spends most of her time on Capitol Hill, Lopez's beat requires him to roam far and wide. His work often involves stories on trade throughout the Americas, immigration to the United States, inflation rates in other countries and political and social controversies in the the U.S. and abroad. He covered events in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, the Elian Gonzalez matter in Florida and more recently the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations. He has also been involved in covering drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's prison break and the related manhunt, as well as political protests related to high-level corruption scandals in Latin America this year. Lopez reported extensively on efforts to boot the U.S. Navy off of Vieques Island in Puerto Rico and the environmental mess left behind , and he weighed in on the Florida presidential election debacle in 2000, as well as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the moment that the United States made its case for war in Iraq at the United Nations. Lopez has interviewed a number of politicians, including Hillary Clinton, the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya and his successors; as well as former Colombian leader Alvaro Uribe, Mexico's former president Vicente Fox and Panama's Ricardo Martinelli. And back in the United States, he has covered both both the Republican and Democratic Party conventions. Last week alone, Lopez covered the congressional hearing where U.S. officials took responsibility for the mistaken bombing of a Doctor's Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, and helped to tell Spanish-speaking viewers about Myriam Witcher, the Colombian American woman who Trump brought up on stage at an event where she promptly professed her commitment to the Trump campaign . If you need more evidence, check out the wide range of topics Lopez tweeted about in the last few days . Then, if you don't speak Spanish, make use of that Google translate button up top. You will get a rough but very clear idea. And if that's not enough prep work for the debate, Lopez's moderator skills get a regular workout. He's the host of CNN en Español's weekly debate program "Choque de Opiniones" (that translates roughly to "Clash of Opinions") and a daily news show, "Directo USA." His role on the latter program is what the New York Times called CNN en Español's Wolf Blitzer . Lopez is also regular contributor to CNN's English language programs. And some of CNN en Español's programing featuring Lopez also appears on Sirius XM radio. It's also worth noting that, while some English-speakers may not know Lopez, CNN en Español is available in 30 million homes. Those houses stretch "from Alaska to Patagonia," according to CNN executives. And Lopez has been nominated for Emmy Awards twice once just this year in the Outstanding Newscast or News Magazine in Spanish category . Perhaps that's why Lopez's official CNN en Español job title presentador y corresponsal en jefe (chief anchor and correspondent) seems to pretty much fit. But to be perfectly honest, there's not a lot of personal information out there on Lopez. There's not even a Wikipedia page of questionable quality dedicated to the journalist. On a semi-personal note, we do know this: Lopez is a native of Colombia and began his career as a TV reporter in Bogota before moving to Miami and working for Univision. Lopez joined CNN in the 1990s and moved over to CNN en Español when the company founded the network in 2000. So like Bash and Cooper, he's been with CNN for a long time. And in an August interview with the Venezuelan newspaper, El Universal, Lopez told a reporter that he's thankful to work as a journalist in the United States. In the United States, people may not like what a reporter writes or airs, but journalists are rarely killed or jailed in connection with their work. Lopez pointed out that in Mexico, the United States' neighbor, and many other countries, the situation is quite different. ( Here's a link for those who can read Spanish) Lopez earned his journalism degree at Javerina University in Bogota and spent time studying at the New Iberoamerican Journalism Foundation an organization founded by acclaimed Colombian and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez , who died in 2014. Marquez, who is probably best known in the United States as the mind behind the books "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Love in a Time of Cholera," began his professional life as a journalist. He created the foundation to train journalists to do high-quality work which contributes to democracy and development in Latin America and the Caribbean . So it's fair to say that Lopez has swum with big fish in more than one country.
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Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer crashed out to little-known Spanish left-hander Albert Ramos-Vinolas in a major shock in his opening match at the Shanghai Masters. Defending title-holder Federer was stunned 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-3 by the world number 70, who is yet to claim his first career title and has only won three matches in total at the Grand Slam tournaments. Federer, 34, gave a thin smile and a wave to the crowd, which included his idol Rod Laver, as he left a shocked Qi Zhong Stadium, where he lifted the trophy last year and won the 2006 and 2007 Tennis Masters Cup. AFP
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If someone wants to give you the tired, misinformed "baseball is dying" argument, tell them to look what happened on Monday, just one day of playoff baseball. It wasn't only that National League playoff baseball returned to the previously dormant major markets of Chicago and New York, in front of delirious crowds with more than a bit of revenge on their minds. It wasn't just that upstart Houston, holding a four-run lead six outs away from advancing to the ALCS, allowed Kansas City to score seven unanswered runs, providing more proof that no sport has a endgame better than baseball because the possibility of a comeback is never bound by time. No taking a knee. No running out the clock. The joy also came from four action-packed games in which we were reminded that youth is helping bring back offense to a game bent on mastering run prevention. All four winning teams Monday scored at least eight runs. How rare is that? There have been seven different years of LDS play in which fewer teams won with at least eight runs. Now consider this: There were a one-day record 21 home runs hit Monday 17 of them by players in their 20s. (The exceptions were Chris Colabello, 31, of Toronto and Adrian Gonzalez, 33, and Howie Kendrick, 32, of the Dodgers.) Impressive rookies like the Cardinals' Stephen Piscotty, 24, the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber, 22, and Kris Bryant, 23, and the Astros' Carlos Correa, 21, all went deep. Other 20-something stars to go yard Monday included the Royals' Salvador Perez, 25, and Eric Hosmer, 25, St. Louis's Jason Heyward, 26, Chicago's Anthony Rizzo, 26, the Mets' Yoenis Cespedes, 29, and the Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson, 29. One day doesn't make a trend. While runs and home runs did tick up this year, the game only is back to 2012 levels when it comes to offense. But for one symbolic day, anyway, young hitters may have provided a hint of what's to come. • NEW: One-week $2M fantasy league. First place wins $150K and top 90K teams win cash! Sponsored by FanDuel 42 for (Game) 5 Forty-two pitches. If you never saw the Royals play, all you needed to see to understand them were 42 pitches in the eighth inning Monday in Houston. In a span of 42 pitches, the Royals went from pending elimination to an ALDS Game 5 from four runs down with six outs left to one run up. And here's all you need to know about why Kansas City is still alive, in case you didn't learn your lesson from last October: Among those 42 series-altering pitches, Houston coaxed just three swings and misses out of the Royals, including only one on 19 tries at getting a third strike. It was death by a thousand paper cuts: single, single, single, single, single, error, stolen base, strikeout (which took 10 pitches to get), walk and to score the go-ahead run ground-ball out. It was the triumph of making contact, of cutting down a swing and trusting the guy behind you to keep the rally going. The Royals may have finished eighth in the AL in slugging during the regular season, but they are one of the league's best rally teams. Among all major league teams, the Royals were last in strikeouts by their hitters and were the second-best team in batting average with two strikes (Boston ranked first) and at hitting with runners on (Toronto was first). Such grinding tactics play especially well in October. Now Houston has to walk into Kansas City and play a win-or-go-home game for both teams. That same scenario turned out fairly well for San Francisco last year, though with the way Houston's bullpen is melting down, the Astros may need ace Dallas Keuchel to play the role of Madison Bumgarner on two days of rest. You would think the home team would have a decided edge in such winner-take-all games. But in the wild-card era (since 1995), the home team is 21 24 in sudden death games. When it comes to playoff baseball, maybe foul balls, ground balls and general nuisance at bat hold more of an edge than the home field. • MORE MLB: Full postseason schedule, start times, TV listings Interpreting Gibbons's odd pitching moves Monday's strangest move came when Jays manager John Gibbons pulled starting pitcher R.A. Dickey despite him throwing well and being one out away from qualifying for a win. Just how strange was it? Only one other manager in postseason history had ever hooked his starter one out from getting a win in an outing in which he allowed one or no runs and no walks: Tony La Russa, who yanked Jaime Garcia from 2011 NLCS Game 5 against Milwaukee. But here's one difference: La Russa was holding a 4 1 lead when he gave Garcia the hook. Gibbons held a 7 1 lead over Texas when he pulled Dickey with one on and Shin-soo Choo, who had gone 2-for-2 to that point, coming up to bat. "One thing I've learned over the years, sometimes the best way you win games is don't let the team get back into it," said Gibbons, who brought in David Price to face Choo. "Especially this … you know, it's our first go-round with this kind of game, but I know what kind of offense they have. So I was really focusing on Choo. He hit him twice, and he's hit him in his career. What we didn't want to happen is a couple guys on base, Choo comes up. And R.A. has been known to give up the fly balls, launch it. Maybe if that should happen now, they're right back in the game." The decision seems even more curious knowing this: Gibbons then had Price, his ace, throw 50 pitches of low-leverage middle relief, a workload that Gibbons said will preclude Price from pitching out of the bullpen in Game 5. (It's an assumption Price disputed.) It was difficult to fathom, especially because Dickey is a 40-year-old former Cy Young Award winner, not some wide-eyed kid. But here's what you can interpret from Gibbons' decision: • He is a very aggressive postseason manager. • He doesn't consider any spot a low-leverage spot when his team is playing an elimination game. • He has tremendous faith in covering Game 5 without Price, which begins with Marcus Stroman, whom the Jays actually like more than Price against Texas, and might involve Dickey as a reliever. Watching Gibbons, a modern-day Sparky Anderson, run a sudden-death playoff game on Wednesday ought to be a lot of fun.
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The Model S P90D costs $140,000. It is also being called by many "the best car ever made". From its 17-inch touchscreen menu, to its startling acceleration thanks to "ludicrous mode", get a behind-the-wheel look at Tesla's newest car.
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ZURICH FIFA investigators are yet to be convinced there was any long-standing verbal agreement that led to Sepp Blatter secretly sanctioning the payment of 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) to Michel Platini. Failing to persuade FIFA's ethics committee that the 2011 payment was legitimate led to Blatter, the FIFA president, and Platini, the head of European soccer, both being suspended for 90 days on Thursday, pending a full verdict. Both strongly deny any wrongdoing, want to see the reasons for the suspensions and have filed appeals. The case has removed - temporarily at least - two of the most powerful men in the game in the latest escalation of a corruption scandal that has rapidly expanded since May, when the U.S. indicted 14 officials, seven of whom were arrested in Zurich while attending the FIFA Congress. Although FIFA's ethics committee does not have to prove a motive for Platini's payment unlike the Swiss attorney general they have been exploring whether there was any connection to it being made months before Blatter gained UEFA's support in the 2011 FIFA presidential election, a person familiar with the situation told AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation by FIFA's ethics committee, which could lead to lengthy bans from soccer for Blatter and Platini, is still continuing in private. Here is a deeper look into the issues being investigated by FIFA around the payment: ___ WHY AND WHEN WAS IT MADE? Platini received his 2 million Swiss franc (about $2 million) windfall in February 2011, supposedly after calling in a debt from his time on the FIFA payroll as an adviser to Blatter between 1998 and 2002. At the time, Platini received 300,000 Swiss francs per year to travel the world with Blatter, another person familiar with the FIFA ethics case told the AP on Monday. Platini carried out the job for 3 1/2 years, collecting 1.05 million Swiss francs, before being elected to the ruling executive committees at both UEFA and FIFA in 2002. What Platini now claims, which is yet to be publicly endorsed by any FIFA staffers from 1998 to 2002, is that he deferred an additional 500,000 Swiss francs per year from the job agreement until the governing body could afford to pay him. Although FIFA did forecast a deficit of 134 million Swiss francs between 1999 and 2002, the accounts show a revenue surplus of 115 million Swiss francs by the end of the period, meaning it could have afforded to pay Platini. ___ WAS THE PAYMENT LEGITIMATE? The Swiss attorney general is suspicious. That is why his investigators swooped on FIFA headquarters as Blatter was chairing an executive committee meeting in September and immediately quizzed the FIFA president as a suspect on allegations that he sanctioned a "disloyal payment" to Platini. Platini has a lower status in the Swiss criminal investigation, being treated as somewhere between a witness and an accused person. Separately, FIFA's ethics investigators received the documents that form the Swiss criminal investigation and conducted hours of interviews with Blatter and Platini. The fact they decided they should be banished from soccer for 90 days at least while the investigation is completed is a signal of their early assessment of the case. Blatter is yet to say anything himself or through his lawyers to publicly support Platini's account, while denying any illegality himself. Differing explanations are said to have been given during their interviews and contradictions in their accounts will only deepen the possibility of long bans. Verbal agreements for such large amounts would not be sanctioned in the corporate world in most countries. One aspect of the case considered within FIFA as implausible is how Platini expected to call in the debt after 2002 if Blatter was either voted out of power, quit or was no longer alive. Also being considered is how Platini expected to demand payment, without paperwork, if he had fallen out with Blatter after 2002 or the president had simply refused? The outstanding amount, as Platini claims, could have provided Blatter with enormous hold over the former France captain. And could it have weakened Platini's determination to take on Blatter, knowing 2 million Swiss francs was potentially at stake? That is why investigators have delved into the timing of the payment February 2011 around four months before Blatter was re-elected for a fourth term. A month before the vote, Platini's UEFA said it "strongly recommends" that European associations vote for Blatter. The incumbent was facing one challenger until Mohamed bin Hammam withdrew days before the poll after becoming embroiled in a bribery case. Platini insisted two weeks ago in quotes provided by UEFA: "The fact that this payment was made a few months before the FIFA presidential elections is irrelevant since I never had any plans of becoming a candidate." A rift has grown between Platini and Blatter recently over the 79-year-old Swiss blocking the 60-year-old Frenchmen's path to the FIFA presidency. ___ WHY IS THE PAYMENT ONLY EMERGING NOW? Few people in 2011 are likely to have known about the payment, beyond Platini and Blatter, the person familiar with the case said Tuesday. The Swiss attorney general will have discovered the payment either from a whistleblower, or from the more than 120 suspicious activity reports from Swiss banks or from the 11 terabytes of FIFA data seized from FIFA HQ. Details were then passed to FIFA's ethics investigators to ensure it could speedily conduct a case into Blatter, world football's leader of 17 years, and Platini, who has headed UEFA since 2007. ___ UEFA DECISION DAY Hours after Platini was suspended on Thursday, UEFA declared that its executive committee "stands fully behind" Platini following a teleconference of members. But ahead of an emergency meeting of the executive committee on Thursday, cracks are showing within UEFA, sparked by Danish member Allan Hansen expressing frustration that he is yet to receive replies to many questions about the payment. His support for Platini would end if no written contract exists which it does not. When questions about Platini's probity come up in Thursday's meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, it will be Hansen who is likely to be able to speak with some authority on the issue. That is because he is also a member of FIFA's audit and compliance committee, which was established in 2012. ___ FUTURE OF BLATTER AND PLATINI The 90-day suspensions, which can be extended by 45 days, were imposed to remove Blatter and Platini from positions of power. The punitive sanctions, which could last years, would be implemented by FIFA's ethics committee following guilty verdicts mostly likely before the Swiss criminal investigation reaches its conclusion. While the criminal case requires the attorney general to prove intent, the FIFA ethics code does not and the threshold for convictions within the sport is much lower. The code in place in 2011 says that sanctions can follow acts being "committed deliberately or negligently." Blatter was ultimately responsible for FIFA when the payment was made and Platini was a fellow member of his ruling committee, whose other members did not know about the transaction. If FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert accepts there was a verbal agreement, Blatter and Platini could still be facing multi-year bans. If Eckert does not believe them, the payment could have been deemed corrupt and result in life bans. Blatter's career was coming to an end anyway but his disgrace will be complete if an absolute ban is the final chapter of a 40-year FIFA career. Blatter was planning to stand down in February after an emergency election prompted by his decision to stun soccer on June 2 with a resignation statement following the arrest of close associates. Platini, though, had his eyes on Blatter's FIFA seat. Now it seems highly unlikely Platini will ever lead world soccer, his reputation as a title-winning playmaker for France and Juventus threatening to be wrecked by the case. ___ Follow Rob Harris at www.twitter.com/RobHarris and www.facebook.com/RobHarrisReports
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Comedian Eddie Murphy is receiving the 2015 Mark Twain Prize for humor. Here is a look back at his iconic career as a member of "Saturday Night Live," countless movies and a few stand-up specials.
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No longer just for aerial photography and stunt aerobatics, hobbyists have found a new use for drones: making them fight.
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Throughout the course of a season, there are countless jaw-dropping shots executed by the best players in the game. Many of those are, in a word, "perfect" -- as in requiring just one shot from tee to green, a hole-in-one. The 2014-15 PGA Tour season saw a total of 43 aces, including two each by Billy Hurley III, Andres Romero and Brian Harman (who had both of his in a single round!). RELATED: Players with the most aces in PGA Tour history | Share your ace Here's a look, with video, of my eight favorite aces from this past season. 8. Dustin Johnson on the 227-yard, par-3 fourth hole at Trump Doral in the third round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship, a tournament he would go on to win. 7. And, just three groups later, J.B. Holmes went and did the same thing on the same hole! 6. Check out Patrick Reed with a hole-in-one on the 188-yard, par-3 16th in the third round of the Shell Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston. I can't get enough of the fist pump. 5. Justin Thomas, who was a Rookie of the Year finalist, snagged his first ace on the PGA Tour with this beauty at the Greenbrier on the par-3 18th hole -- a 175-yarder -- in the opening round of the Greenbrier Classic. How cool is the commentary from Thomas? "Go in, please. Please go in." Doesn't happen often, but sometimes the ball listens. 4. It's hard to call one ace better than another ace. They're all incredible. But, this one from Billy Hurley III in the second round of the Frys.com Open at Silverado's par-3 15th hole was pretty ridiculous. The ball nails the flagstick and could have been sent in any direction as a result. Instead, it dropped into the center of the hole. 3. What better way to end a round of golf than with a hole-in-one? That's precisely what Rickie Fowler did in the opening round of the Quicken Loans National. Playing the back nine first, Fowler's round came to a close on the 200-yard, par-3 ninth at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club where he delivered a terrific walk-off ace. Now that'll make dinner taste extra delicious. 2. Stupid. That's the best way to describe what Brian Harman did at the Barclays. In the final round of the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, the former University of Georgia golf star nailed not one, but two holes in one. Here's a look at the second one. Harman's face says it all, "Are you kidding me?" 1. Jordan Spieth wasn't going to let the season pass without getting in on the hole-in-one party. The PGA Tour and PGA of America Player of the Year Award winner picked up an ace in the opening round of the BMW Championship -- the third leg of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. Spieth aced the 196-yard, par-3 second hole.
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Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the the first player to win four Golden Shoes but he says he is not satisfied and wants more
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This time around, the approaching debt ceiling deadline is frightening. It's old news that crisis government is the order of the day in Washington , and that's especially the case in a Congress deeply divided across party lines on virtually major issue. But now that another crisis looms at the beginning of next month, when America will default on its bills unless Congress raises the debt ceiling by November 5, it's time for panic mode. It's not the first time that the far-right caucus has dredged up this particular brand of madness, threatening arbitrary economic calamity unless an unwilling country meets its demands. I t's not even the first time this year . We've seen three debt ceiling crises since the Tea Party arrived in 2010, but this time might frighteningly be different. This time, the insurgents actually have a pretty good argument for going over the cliff. For those who've ignored it or blissfully managed to forget, the debt ceiling is a cap on government borrowing that was created back in 1917. Prior to that, Congress had to authorize every new bond issuance, so the system was changed to allow the Treasurer to issue public debt as necessary within a fixed limit. Why the limit? Mostly as a matter of political posturing. The debt ceiling has nothing to do with government spending, which is set during the budget process; it's just a chance to showboat about paying for things Congress has already bought. The Treasury only borrows money when it doesn't have the cash on hand to pay for pre-existing obligations. It's getting the check at the end of dinner. The lobster was great but someone has to pay for it, even if that means calling the bank and raising your credit limit. Noting the contradiction in the late '70s Congressman Dick Gephardt passed what was known as the Gephardt Rule, which automatically raised the debt ceiling to meet the budget. (The rule said that a debt ceiling hike was "deemed approved" as necessary to pay for any budget that passed Congress, unless specifically voted otherwise.) Although it didn't end the grandstanding, this rule did effectively eliminate the debt ceiling as a substantive issue until 1995, when House Republicans suspended it pending an ultimate repeal in 2001. Compare this with the right's signature Hastert Rule, designed to make bipartisan legislating impossible and which gives about 40 members of the House's far right enough power to keep manufacturing this crisis . Although several major politicians, including some presidential candidates , are posing this as a spending issue, it's really about restructuring debt. This government has already spent this money on thousands of greater and lesser obligations, such as to contractors, retirees, existing bond holders, soldiers and more. Now it needs to borrow in order to cut the checks. Two countries in the world use this parliamentary device (the U.S. and Denmark), and it's because, not to mince words, the idea is catastrophically nonsensical. With the money already spent, Treasury must borrow in order to avoid default, so why allow even the smallest chance that it can't? Mostly because for almost 100 years, the debt ceiling was a very quiet bit of legislative arcana. Politicians used it as an opportunity to rail against spending by the other party while understanding its role in keeping the lights on. Some would cast symbolic "no" votes on a sure-to-pass bill, and the system chugged quietly along. Nobody fixed what wasn't broken. That was then. Today that understanding is broken with a breathtakingly radical group of House Republican legislators who see their prime duty not as functional governance but as " standing up" to President Obama and the Democrats . (See: more than 50 votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act.) To them the debt ceiling is a made-to-order hostage situation. It's not that they disagree with the widespread misery a default would cause. It's that they see in those unemployment lines an opportunity. So what exactly would happen if America breaches the debt ceiling? According to UCLA economist David Shulman, at first it would look very much like a government shutdown. "My guess is what will happen is the government will make payments on the debt and not default on that, but might default on Social Security checks, Medicare checks, accounts to defense contractors and salaries to federal employees," he said. "That's where the balance will come from. I don't think you'll have a default in a financial sense, but you will have a default in the sense that people who expect to get paid are not going to get paid." Even that might not be so bad. It might just more closely resemble previous debt ceiling crises as far as financial markets are concerned: a scare, maybe a credit downgrade that doesn't affect interest rates, but everyone gets paid in the end. A default that winds on this form of "financial triage" would hit its limits and the Treasury would begin to default on interest and loans. That, Shulman, said "is the squeeze." "That's what makes the economy worse, [when] you have pressure on the banking system ," he said. Interest rates would feed on the uncertainty, bringing borrowing down to a crawl and taking with it business spending on new equipment and buildings. Those industries would start laying people off, which would suck purchasing power out of the economy and what economists call a negative feedback cycle would begin. Getting interest rates back down to stimulate more spending would be incredibly hard, because once a deadbeat, always a deadbeat. Of course any prediction, Shulman emphasized, comes with the caveat that no one necessarily knows how Treasury would prioritize its payments or how the market would react. It's anyone's guess. In 2011 and 2013, Tea Partiers bet big that Democrats, unwilling visit that kind of harm on the American people, would cave in to extraordinary demands as a condition for new debt. In 2015, with a Presidential election in the offing, the stakes are higher. Frighteningly so, because this time around it would actually be politically rational for Republicans to pull the rip cord on calamity. We've been to this dance so many times since 1994, it's begun to feel routine. Each time the GOP shuts down the government or takes America to the brink of default, it takes a beating in the polls, losing the public relations battle despite its very best spin doctoring. By the time of the next election, though, voters have moved on to other things. It happened in 2013, when the Republicans did both in one month and still won big in the 2014 elections. We voters are fickle creatures. It takes something on the order of the Iraq War to make an issue stick long-term, and even then only when it manages to stay in the headlines. A sabotaged economy certainly would stay relevant, but not the mess that caused it. That would fade into the background against the drumbeat of bad news: return to recession, high unemployment numbers, hemorrhaging retirement accounts and all on Obama's watch. Presidents get the blame when the economy turns south, fair or not. Happy voters tend to stick with the status quo; unhappy ones throw the bums out. For Republicans hoping to take back the White House after eight years of Democratic rule, a rocky economy would be just the thing to shore up their electoral bid, especially after a difficult primary). For a party that has made clear that "the single most important thing we want to achieve" (Mitch McConnell, 2010) is defeating Obama, the political calculus of a bad economy in 2016 is a frighteningly rational option. Or maybe not. As Shulman reiterated, voters do properly appoint blame when conservatives shut down the government. "They can't win the PR battle," he said. "If anything happens, the government shuts down or we run out the debt limit, the Republicans get blamed." Maybe. But a plan doesn't need to be foolproof to sound appealing , especially to legislators borderline desperate for the Oval Office. It might reasonably work, and that's enough to make it a politically rational choice for the opposition. Like we said, the debt ceiling is back. This time it's scary.
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finance
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The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals - Feature The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals The 2% Solution: We Attend the 43rd Annual Van Nationals
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autos
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A cargo plane carrying supplies for African Union troops crash-landed outside Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Monday, government officials told AFP.
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video
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Ole Miss just got stronger with the addition of left tackle Laremy Tunsil who is set to return on October 24th against Texas. What does this mean for Ole Miss on the field? #ChallengeAllGivens
| 1 | 93,967 |
sports
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The Best Carb Substitute: Cauliflower The Best Carb Substitute: Cauliflower Looking for grain-free carb options? Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that can replace just about any starchy or bread-based carb, whether it's pizza crust, burger buns or Tater Tots.Bonus: cauliflower isnt' just low-carb, it's also gluten-free and dairy-free... and most importantly delicious! So give cauliflower a chance and test out one of our recipes. This article is courtesy of our friends at PrettyFit. Check out their site for more recipes, nutrition tips, and to learn about their products. Cauliflower Bread The base for all cauliflower substitutions is cauliflower rice. Once you rice your cauliflower, you can then shape it and pair it with any ingredients and flavorings to create several different carb options. What You'll Need1-2 large heads of cauliflower1 egg or 2 egg whitesGarlic, salt, or oregano to tasteDirectionsGreate, chop, or food processs the cauliflower into rice sized grains or smaller.Beat the egg/eggwhites and add seasonings. Add in cauliflower and shape as bread slices, buns, pizza crust, or more. Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of cauliflower. Flip half way throughRemove and let cool. Note: If the cauliflower is too hard for your taste, try steaming it until soft before grating/chopping. You should try the cauliflower before mixing it with the egg. Mixing the cauliflower with the egg will keep it from falling apart. Cauliflower Tater Tots What You'll NeedCauliflower bread mix (cauliflower, egg)1/2 cup onion, minced1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheeseSalt and pepper to tasteDirectionsPreheat oven to 400F.Mix your uncooked cauliflower and egg mix in a large mixing bowl. Add in the onion, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.Form small bite-sized tots.Place tots on a greased baking sheet. Make sure not to let them touch each other. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the tots halfway through. Let cool and enjoy! Cauliflower Breadsticks These are a wonderful, low-carb option for dinner parties and they'll sure to be a hit!For this recipe, repeat the cauliflower Tater Tot recipe from above. Use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar, and roll the mix into long sticks instead of tots. Serve with marinara dipping sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. Cauliflower Burger Buns Using cauliflower to make burger buns is another excellent way to prevent going carb-heavy.To make, simply form your uncooked cauliflower bread mix into buns and bake at 400.Serve with your favorite burger patty or butter and char on the grill.
| 7 | 93,968 |
health
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Charlotte Hornets rookie Frank Kaminsky won over the crowd in China with some pretty sweet dance moves at mid-court.
| 1 | 93,969 |
sports
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Lego Dimensions won't mean the end of one-off Lego games. In fact, we could be hearing what the next one will be as early as January. While the development of Lego Marvel's Avengers essentially paralleled the creation of Lego Dimensions , Avengers game director Arthur Parsons said everyone remains committed to both Dimensions and other future Lego games. "One million percent this is not the last Lego standalone game," Parsons told me during a recent interview. "The first day Lego Dimensions was announced internally, we were told there will be a standalone video games alongside Lego Dimensions. "People love Lego video games and we will continue to make Lego video games." Lego Dimensions , which hit earlier this month, includes a number of brands that have also received their own Lego standalone games. That could leave gamers open to some confusion about what they're getting when they pick up a Lego Dimension expansion pack or Lego standalone game. But Parsons said he doesn't think that will be the case. " Dimensions is in a different space," he said. "Take last year, we made Batman 3 , but there's also a Batman in Lego Dimensions . We also made a Lego: The Movie standalone game and those characters are in Dimensions "It is just a case that they're in separate spaces. I really don't see it as an issue." Just because developer TT Games makes a standalone game, that doesn't mean that property will always show up in Dimensions . Currently, that's the case with the next standalone due out: Lego Marvel's Avengers , which hits on Jan. 26. There are no Marvel characters in Lego Dimensions , despite the fact that this is the second Lego Marvel game TT Games has made. I asked if the current lack of Marvel characters in Dimensions had anything to do with the fact that Disney, which owns Marvel, has its own toys-to-life game in Disney Infinity . That game, which does include Marvel super heroes, could easily be seen as a direct competitor. As more companies get into the toys-to-life game business, especially those that use existing properties, this could become a bigger issue over time. But Parsons says that hasn't been an issue to date. "Ever since we've been owned by Warner Bros. we're not stuck with who we work with," he said. "We'll make the best Lego games we can." And Lego Marvel's Avengers does seem to be a case in point, at least for the standalone titles. The game is a massive undertaking that touches on not just the Avengers movies, but on the entire second phase of Marvel movies as well as a little bit pulled from comics. The main storyline has players guiding the central Avengers characters through the story of The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron . That bit is canon, main story elements pulled directly from the movie. In fact, even some of the movie's dialogue is being used as well, though often paired with delightful Lego animations that result in some inspired humor. The opening of the game is a shot-for-shot (nearly) Lego remake of the attack on Strucker Castle in Bavaria &mfash; the opening scene of Age of Ultron . Jumping into the game halfway through the story allowed Parsons and the team to give players a taste of just how over-the-top the gameplay will be, he said. The game then jumps around a bit, hitting the major moments of the two movies as gameplay, but also occasionally filling in some of the duller moments with plot summaries told in static, comic-book style panels. The game is, as all Lego games are, packed with Easter eggs, running jokes and fun little things to find. It also has an enormous selection of characters, many of whom have alternate costumes pulled from Marvel movies and comics. For instance, Thor appears in a variety of costumes, including the most current which has a woman wielding the hammer. Parsons said they've also hidden classic comic book covers throughout the game, each recreated with Lego minifigs. There are about 20 as of now, and the team is hoping to include more. The game adds a new element of play to the Lego franchise, allowing players to team up super heroes to deliver special attacks. These team attack moves help illustrate the game's theme of team work, Parsons said. Because Lego Marvel's Avengers was developed at the same time another team was developing Lego Dimensions , Parsons said they took some of the lessons learned from that game and brought it over to Lego Marvel's Avengers . Chief among them seems to be how Lego Marvel's Avengers manages to pack not two movies, but six and at least one TV show into one game. While players can content themselves with playing through the storyline of the two Avengers movies, they also have the option to leap into open worlds connected to those other movies. "It's similar to Lego Dimensions Adventure Worlds," Parsons said. "We saw they had multiple things and we thought why not do the same thing. "We wanted to up our first Marvel game." So there are a number of these sandbox worlds that include content from Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier , TV show Agent Carter and, as Parsons put it, "a whole load of comic book content." "You wouldn't necessarily think of Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy walking around in this game," he said. (They do.) "The main story is canon, but the freeplay is anything related to this. So there's Defenders content, Jessica Jones , et cetera, et cetera. "If you were to look at the Marvel universe through Lego glasses what you would see is this game." Lego Marvel's Avengers doesn't include just Marvel Easter eggs, it also continues the tradition of Lego game Easter eggs. The biggest, perhaps best, of those are the post-credit teases that the last few games have included. In 2013's Lego Marvel Super Heroes , a post credit scene showed the back of a character that looked an awful lot like Batman. But when he turns around it's Black Panther. The head fake, gamers later realized, was a tease to TT Games next title: Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham , which came out in 2014. That game ends with a silhouette of a group of super heroes standing together, a group that looks an awful lot like the Avengers. But when the lights come on, it turns out to be a bunch of DC characters. Another head-fake that turned into a tease for TT Games' next title: This one. So what can we expect at the end of Lego Marvel's Avengers ? "There's a tease at the end of this one too," Parsons said. "But you'll have to play it to find out what it is."
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entertainment
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The NFL is a multibillion-dollar enterprise, but it didn't get that way by being lenient about who can use its content.
| 3 | 93,971 |
finance
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My school cafeteria served the predecessor to sad desk lunch . Kids would take the rubbery cheese out of the stuff crust pizza and see if they could bounce it; "turkey and gravy on a biscuit" contained "real meat"; and the salad bar's lettuce was limp enough to make a gas station salad seem appealing. The only time school lunch was worth buying? French toast stick day. Before entering elementary school, I'd never had French toast sticks. (I probably had French toast , though my parents aren't cruel enough to withhold all the great breakfast things.) Sure, you can eat French toast in slice form, but sticks are far superior. There's just something so visceral about these vanilla-y, egg-coated soldiers. Maybe it's the way you can dunk them in a tiny saucer of syrup, or the imminent danger of sticky fingers, or the choice to either eating them with a fork and knife or with your hands. Try picking up a slice of regular ol' French toast. See? Not nearly as enjoyable of an experience. While I'm not entirely sure of how my school cafeteria made their French toast sticks, or rather how whatever industrial food supplier they bought their meals from did, I can promise the method described below does not come close and I mean this in the best way possible. Firstly, we're working with leftover brioche or challah . You can use other types of bread, but the result will not be nearly as rich and will therefore be sad. Sad French toast sticks aren't allowed. Secondly, we're not just taking a French toast batter and applying it to sticks. No, this batter's spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves and acts as a coating. Which, brings us to point three: French toast sticks are meant to be deep-fried. They get crunchy and caramelized on the outside thanks to the flour and sugar, yet remain soft and pillowy on the inside in the best French toast way. Confectioners' sugar and maple syrup are a must for serving. No one will be mad if there's some sliced fruit or perhaps an apple compote alongside either. Eating these for lunch is, of course, a great idea no school cafeteria required. French Toast Sticks For the toast: Eight 3/4 inch-thick slices brioche or challah, preferably day-old For the batter: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger A large pinch ground cloves 2 cups buttermilk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Vegetable or canola oil, for deep-frying Confectioners' sugar, for dusting Maple syrup, for serving Fresh fruit, fruit compote, stewed fruit, etc., for serving Cut each slice of bread into thirds to make sticks. (Don't worry about making each piece perfectly straight and rectangular.) For the batter, mix all the dry ingredients (flour through cloves) in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and fold, using a spatula, until just combined. The batter might be a little lumpy and that's perfectly fine, just make sure not to overmix. In batches, immerse a few of the sticks into the batter and let sit for 3 minutes. Transfer the bread sticks to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain while the oil heats. In a large, deep skillet, heat about 1 1/2 inches vegetable oil over high heat until it reads 350° F on a deep-fat thermometer. Working with a few at a time, fry the bread sticks for 3 minutes, flip, and fry on the second side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar, drizzle with maple syrup (or serve some in a cup alongside for dunking), and serve with fruit or any of its iterations, if you like. Serve immediately. See the full recipe (and save and print it) here. Photos by James Ransom
| 0 | 93,972 |
foodanddrink
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BEIRUT, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Islamic State called on Muslims to launch a "holy war" against Russians and Americans over what it called their "crusaders' war" in the Middle East, an audio message distributed by supporters of the ultra hardline group said on Tuesday. "Islamic youth everywhere, ignite jihad against the Russians and the Americans in their crusaders' war against Muslims," the speech by Islamic State spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani said. The United States and Russia are carrying separate airstrike campaigns in Syria, which they say are targeting Islamic State. Washington says Moscow's campaign has mainly targeted other insurgent groups including those that have fought Islamic State, a charge Russia denies. The United States is also carrying out airstrikes in Iraq, where Russia has also become separately involved. A senior Iraqi parliamentarian said on Tuesday that Russian officials were part of a new Iraq-based intelligence center with staff from Iran and Syria. The audio message also confirmed the death of Abu Mutaz Qurashi, which the SITE monitoring service said was a reference to a senior Islamic State official killed in an airstrike in Iraq in August and referred to then as Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali. The White House said at the time that a U.S. air strike in Iraq had killed Hayali, whom it described as the second-in-command of the group which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. The audio made no specific mention of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whose health and whereabouts became a subject of speculation earlier this week when an Islamic State convoy was hit in Iraq. Eight senior figures from Islamic State were killed in the Iraqi air strike while meeting in an Iraqi town on Sunday, but Baghdadi did not appear to be among them, residents of the town and hospital sources said.
| 5 | 93,973 |
news
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Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley's appeal hearing by Major League Baseball for a two-game suspension has been scheduled for next Monday, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. Utley was suspended for controversially sliding into Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada while trying to break up a double play , sending Tejada tumbling to the ground. Tejada broke his right fibula in the collision and will be out for the remainder of the postseason. Utley reportedly passed a concussion test after hitting his head on Tejada's knee. Utley appealed the suspension before the third game of the National League Division Series. He did not play in Monday night's 13 7 loss, which gave the Mets a 2 1 advantage in the series. Reaction to Utley's play from current and former MLB players was varied, with some commending Utley for his tough play and others criticizing him for being excessively violent. Game 4 will be played on Tuesday night beginning at 8:07 p.m. ET at Citi Field. • NLDS Game 4 previews: Cubs, Mets try to finish Dodgers', Cardinals' seasons - Christopher Chavez
| 1 | 93,974 |
sports
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Johnson & Johnson reporting quarterly sales well below Wall Street estimates, hurt by the stronger dollar and disappointing demand for some of its drugs.
| 3 | 93,975 |
finance
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A Tennessee paramedic is being hailed as a hero after she rushed to the scene of a car crash involving her own family on her wedding day. People reports that Sarah Ray and her husband Paul, also an EMT, had just said their vows and were en route to their wedding reception on October 3 when they got word that Ray's father and grandparents had been involved in a car accident just two miles away from the church. The Rays didn't hesitate to head to the scene despite the fact that Sarah was in her wedding dress (and it was raining). Her mother, Marcy Martin, snapped a photo that has since gone viral, which shows the bride, holding up her gown, the lights of emergency vehicles flashing behind her. How dedicated are you to your job? Sarah Ray, Paramedic with Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services, was... Posted by Montgomery County, Tennessee on Friday, October 9, 2015 Thankfully, no one was hurt (though Ray's grandmother was taken to the hospital as a precaution), and Ray insists she isn't a hero. In a Facebook comment on the photo, Ray writes, "I really don't think we did anything out of the ordinary. I would like to believe just about anybody in the medical field would have done the same, especially for family...dressed up or not. I'm just very thankful everyone was okay. We are proud of our job and proud to be a part of Montgomery County EMS." We suspect there were some extra-special toasts when the family finally arrived at the reception.
| 4 | 93,976 |
lifestyle
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The Duggar family can't seem to stay out of the spotlight. The latest headline-grabbing incident involves some relationship advice the brood's matriarch, Michelle Duggar, recently posted on the family blog. When someone wrote in wondering what tips she had for newlywed wives, Duggar's number one piece of marital wisdom was to always be "joyfully available" in the bedroom. She explained how a friend had once told her as much, and it turned out to be the best relationship advice she'd ever received. More of Duggar's friend's advice: "Smile and be willing to say, 'Yes, sweetie, I am here for you,' no matter what, even though you may be exhausted and big pregnant and you may not feel like he feels." While that may work for the Duggars, we had a feeling (a strong, wtf feeling, actually) that not all married women would agree. (For actually good sex advice, pick up The Women's Health Big Book of Sex) "It's impossible for you and your partner to always be in the same place sexually," says Jane Greer, Ph.D., New York-based marriage and sex therapist and author of What About Me? Stop Selfishness From Ruining Your Relationship. "The challenge is to balance your desires with theirs and make room for both of your needs to be met." The key word there is "balance," something that's sorely lacking in Duggar's advice. Burying your disinterest in sex to please your partner will eventually breed resentment between the two of you, says Greer. Not to mention that a sense of duty isn't usually part of the equation when it comes to having crazy-good, break-the-bed sex. It's true that women can take longer to get in the mood, says Greer that's part of why foreplay is often an essential part of a top-notch romp, since it gives both parties the chance to get equally worked up. It's also why experts sometimes suggest going along with the motions if you know you could get all hot and bothered, but just aren't right now. "It's like with food. If your partner's hungry and you aren't, you may keep them company while they eat," says Greer. "Sometimes by doing that, your own appetite gets turned on!" Burying your disinterest in sex to please your partner will eventually breed resentment between the two of you. That advice is only applicable when you feel like you mentally want to have sex, but your body hasn't caught up yet. Being raring to go every time your partner wants some action isn't a prerequisite to being a good partner yourself, and it certainly doesn't promote an equal relationship. "It's important for both of you to respect each other's needs and differences," says Greer. Giving into sex when you internally would rather not is trampling over your emotional needs, and it can serve as an obstacle to the true intimacy that comes with being honest about this kind of thing. It also plays into the idea that dudes have such basic brains they can't understand why you may not want to have sex, never mind be OK with it. It's natural if you sometimes don't feel like having sex for whatever reason, whether it's because you have cramps, worked an 11-hour shift, or are annoyed with your partner. Or if you just don't feel like it, period! A worthwhile S.O. will know that everyone's desires ebb and flow, and you're well within your rights to want to have an actual Netflix and chill night, sans innuendo. The one thing to keep in mind is how to get across the message that no sex will be had. Sexual rejection stings, even if you know the person loves you, so it's best to tread carefully when telling your partner you're not up for it. "You still want them to feel important and desired," just like you would if the tables were turned, says Greer. To that end, Greer recommends saying something like, "You know how much you turn me on, but tonight I'm just exhausted," or, "I've had such a rough day, I don't have the energy I would want for us to have really hot sex." Then offer up another time, a "sexual raincheck" of sorts, so you both have something to look forward to in the future.
| 4 | 93,977 |
lifestyle
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Rita Ora has revealed that she's dying to reboot Labelle's 'Lady Marmalade' with Miley Cyrus, Charli XCX and Iggy Azalea. But people online don't want to hear it. Tom Hatton (@thetomhatton) has the scoop.
| 8 | 93,978 |
video
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Dating in the 21st century is a flurry of delirious anticipation. There's the potential to meet your future spouse on a number of online platforms at any time - I actually met my current boyfriend on Tinder! - with a simple one-sentence message. On the other hand, the never-ending options sometimes make for a trying dating experience, because sifting through dozens and dozens of interests can mean missing the perfect connection. So when you FINALLY settle with someone you really, really love . . . it's all the sweeter. At the moment, I'm in exactly that sort of relationship. My guy is by far the best boyfriend I've had - he's an unwavering support system, he's got a heart of gold, and his affection is limitless. I'm the kind of girl who commits 100 percent in a partnership, so in the spirit of loyal ladies everywhere, here are seven signs the woman you're with will never stop loving you. She's been with you for a long time. Dating in the 21st century is a flurry of delirious anticipation. There's the potential to meet your future spouse on a number of online platforms at any time - I actually met my current boyfriend on Tinder! - with a simple one-sentence message. On the other hand, the never-ending options sometimes make for a trying dating experience, because sifting through dozens and dozens of interests can mean missing the perfect connection. So when you FINALLY settle with someone you really, really love . . . it's all the sweeter. At the moment, I'm in exactly that sort of relationship. My guy is by far the best boyfriend I've had - he's an unwavering support system, he's got a heart of gold, and his affection is limitless. I'm the kind of girl who commits 100 percent in a partnership, so in the spirit of loyal ladies everywhere, here are seven signs the woman you're with will never stop loving you. If you've been together for a long, long time, chances are, your gal is not going anywhere any time soon. FYI: once we get attached to something (like a boyfriend), we never want to let go. Familiarity and comfort are EVERYTHING for the women who enjoy relationships. Follow us on Twitter. She goes above and beyond. She's constantly showering you with affection just to show you how much she cares. She wants to be treated like a princess, yes - more than that, though, she wants to treat you like royalty, too. Follow us on Twitter. You're part of her circle. Her mom adores you; you have her best friend's stamp of approval. If you're right for her, it'll show in ALL of her relationships . . . giving her more incentive to stick around. Follow us on Twitter. She's vocal about her feelings and desires. If she tells you what she wants and when she wants it (i.e. "I think we should consider moving in together within the next year"), this lady is pretty damn serious about you, and she wants you to know. Follow us on Twitter. She imagines a future with you. If she's got a list of baby names going on her iPhone notes, she's undoubtedly picturing a future with you, however distant. Or maybe she's researching how to decorate your next apartment (see above), or she's pinning engagement rings on her Pinterest board (wink, wink). No matter the case, she's definitely imagining a long life with you by her side. Follow us on Twitter. She's not afraid to tell you the truth. She tells you when you're getting on her nerves, when she's feeling sad, and the reason she gets jealous once in a while. She tells you about her childhood, her hopes and dreams, and her thoughts on the things that matter in the world. She only opens up with the ones she knows are going to stick around - and she's going to stay, too. Follow us on Twitter. Her love is unconditional. She lets you know how much she loves you every single day, and yes, "forever" is part of her vocabulary. When you get in fights - including the really big, ugly ones - she still reminds you that you are, and always will be, the one. What more affirmation could you need? Follow us on Twitter.
| 4 | 93,979 |
lifestyle
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The 6 Worst Halloween Candies and 6 Healthier Alternatives We trust you already know that candy isn't the healthiest of food choices. In fact, in some cases it may be one of the worst options, but that doesn't mean it has to be entirely off limits. There's nothing wrong with treating yourself to a bite-sized Milky Way or sneaking a few Skittles every once in a while. But when an occasional candy turns into a ritual that occurs every day after lunch or each night after the kids are in bed, that's when it can start to wreak havoc on your health. And we all know how easy it is to develop a candy-eating habit around Halloween when sweet treats seems to pop up just about everywhere you go and fighting temptations feels like an uphill battle. One way around this is to opt for healthier alternatives. "It's important to keep candy consumption in moderation and to remember that there are always healthier alternatives to your favorite candies," said Tara Zamani, M.S., C.N.S., a clinical nutritionist with Content Checked . "Keep in mind that too much sugar consumption is directly linked to weight gain, ADD, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and poor digestion and immune system function as it wreaks havoc on the blood sugar and creates an unhealthy microflora environment in the gut ." So, which sugar-filled offenders will wreak the most havoc on your insides? Zamani recommended avoiding products that contain refined sugar, trans fats , hydrogenated oils, food coloring, high-fructose corn syrup, synthetic vitamins, preservatives and artificial flavors. On the other hand, her list of "nutritionist approved" ingredients includes natural sweeteners like agave nectar, brown rice syrup, honey, coconut palm sugar-syrup, tapioca syrup, stevia, reb A and monk fruit. "When you're shopping for healthier alternatives check the ingredient list and look for labels that say things like organic, non-GMO, no artificial flavors, no synthetic preservatives and no artificial colors," she added. To help you identify some of the worst candy culprits, Zamani weighed in to share what she feels are the most unhealthy types of Halloween candy and similar alternatives made with higher-quality, healthier ingredients. We're not saying you should never eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup again, just be mindful of what these types of candies are made of and aim to save them for truly special occasions. Worst: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Zamani gives these a thumbs down because they're made with non-organic, GMO peanuts, refined sugar and preservatives. She pointed out that one package (two peanut butter cups) has 13 grams of fat and 21 grams of sugar and especially recommends that kids avoid them if they're at risk for being overweight or developing early onset diabetes . Alternative: Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups "Justin's creamy, chocolate peanut butter cups are gluten-free and made with organic ingredients," Zamani said. "These treats are a much healthier version of the traditional Reese's Peanut Butter cups as the peanuts in these are organic, non- GMO and there are no preservatives or trans fats ." Worst: Pumpkin Oreo Cookies "This treat is highly processed as it contains enriched wheat flour, artificial colors and flavors, synthetic vitamins, high-fructose corn syrup, and loads of sugar 12 grams for two cookies," Zamani said. "Nowhere in the ingredient list does it list pumpkin. A combination of these ingredients can lead to an unbalanced blood sugar and indigestion, as our bodies have difficulty absorbing synthetic vitamins." Alternative: Nikki's Halloween Cookies "These Halloween cookies are made of unbleached wheat flour, organic sugar and natural flavors," Zamani said. Plus, they have no preservatives or artificial colors or flavors, which Zamani said makes them a healthier choice compared to Oreos. Worst: Candy Corn "This candy mainly consists of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup the most refined type of sugar that is also genetically modified," Zamani said. Not to mention, it's made with artificial flavors and colors, which Zamani explained are especially problematic ingredients for kids with ADD, asthma and allergies. Alternative: Surf Sweets Organic Fruity Treats "These are a great alternative to candy corn as these candies are sweetened with organic tapioca syrup, grape juice and organic cane sugar, and colored with turmeric, black carrot juice and annatto," Zamani said. "Natural colors and flavors may not cause the side effects that artificial colors and flavors do, like head or stomach aches." Worst: Skittles These rainbow-colored candies are made with high-fructose corn syrup, more refined sugar, hydrogenated palm oil, and artificial colors and flavors, all of which Zamani definitely doesn't approve of. She noted that some of these ingredients may be linked to hyperactivity, food allergies and even cancer. Alternative: Annie's Organic Fruit Snacks "These are free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup and are made with organic natural sweeteners and organic sunflower oil," Zamani said. "Annie's fruit snacks are a good alternative to traditional Skittles for satisfying that 'taste of the rainbow' craving." Worst: Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops Because they are sticky and waxy, Zamani said these candies are some of the worst for your teeth. Plus, she also mentioned that they're made of not-so-nutritious ingredients like hydrogenated soybean oil and artificial flavors and colors. Additionally, just six small Tootsie Roll pieces can contain about 20 grams of sugar. That's pretty close to the amount that the American Heart Association says women should limit their intake to for just one day . Alternative: YumEarth Organic Lollipops "These lollipops are vegan, free of all allergens including gluten , free of high-fructose corn syrup, and free of artificial colors and flavors," Zamani said. Plus, she pointed out, they're made with all organic ingredients and real fruit extracts." Worst: Starburst "These processed fruit chews are full of artificial flavors and colors, trans fats, sugar, and are the worst candy for promoting tooth cavities and decay , as each packet of 10 contains 22 grams of sugar," Zamani said. "These processed fruit chews are full of artificial flavors and colors, trans fats, sugar, and are the worst candy for promoting tooth cavities and decay as each packet of 10 contains 22 grams of sugar," Zamani said. On top of that, Zamani added, Starburst can increase acidity in the mouth, which could break down tooth enamel. Alternative: TruJoy Organic Fruit Chews "These chews are made with all organic ingredients, natural flavors and colors, and don't contain any high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, synthetic vitamins or hydrogenated oils ," Zamani said. "Plus, they are also gluten-free."
| 7 | 93,980 |
health
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Ick, you went to roast some potatoes and noticed that your oven is covered with a layer of thick and greasy slime. (That's what you get from months and months of whipping up delicious recipes from scratch.) But before you hit auto clean--which cranks the oven temp way up, likely setting off your smoke alarm--hear us out. There's a better way. What you need: Vinegar, baking soda, water, a damp rag and one of those handy little spray bottles. What you do: Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda and water until it forms a paste. Remove the oven racks and spread it all over the interior of your oven (steer clear of any heating components) to give it a nice even coat. Let it sit overnight. Then what? In the a.m., use a damp rag to wipe off the paste. Then fill your spray bottle with vinegar and spritz it over any remaining baking soda. This will cause a reaction and it will foam (yay, science!) so you can really give your oven a good wipe-down.
| 4 | 93,981 |
lifestyle
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NEW YORK As an Orthodox rabbi with a law degree from Harvard, Jonathan Frankel would not appear to be your prototypical tech executive. But Frankel, 31, does have a computer science background as well, which probably better explains his position as chairman and CEO of Nucleus. And no you fans of the HBO series Silicon Valley , I'm not talking about that Nucleus. Frankel's Nucleus is a Philadelphia start-up that aims to produce a modern intercom, turning such a device into a smart, connected voice activated controller, designed especially with families in mind. The Nucleus device, which can be mounted on a wall, taps into Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or the company's own "mesh" network to let family members communicate with one another in a blink, or more specifically in less than 200 milliseconds, Frankel says. Mom or dad might use this smart intercom to summon the kids down for dinner by voice you might for example have one Nucleus in the kitchen, another in Junior's bedroom. Under another scenario, you might use Nucleus to check in on an aging parent who lives alone by video. Bark out "Nucleus call grandma" and the hope is you'll be able to see each other with no lag or latency. Indeed, Nucleus is not only meant to work within the home, but with other Nucleus's, even ones halfway around the world. And you need not arrange such a remote video chat in advance, as would be the case if you were trying to Skype or FaceTime someone. You can also talk to multiple people at once. The product has an 8-inch HD touchscreen with a wide-angle lens, night-vision camera and noise-cancelling microphone. A privacy shutter can block the camera for those times when you don't want to be seen. Frankel demonstrated the device's capabilities on an Android tablet while showing off a non-working prototype of the device itself. He says Nucleus can function as baby monitor, home security camera, vehicle for receiving security alerts, and as a controller for connected home devices, including products from Nest, SmartThings and iControl. Frankel got the idea for Nucleus when he was changing his son's diaper and realized there were no clean diapers in the room he shouted for his wife, but she couldn't hear him from the kitchen The company has begun taking pre-orders at a current cost of $209 each. The cost is expected to rise to about $249 by spring 2016 when Nucleus is slated to appear, with discounts for families that purchase multiple units. Around that time, an iOS or Android app is also expected to be available. A sign of the product's potential viability comes from the fact that it is being manufactured in Asia by Foxconn, the company that builds iPhones for Apple. To get Nucleus to work you will have to connect it to power and have a decent connection to the Internet (Wi-Fi or Ethernet). Despite Frankel's rabbinical ties, there are no miracles to solve that one. Email:[email protected]; Follow USA TODAY tech columnist @edbaig on Twitter
| 5 | 93,982 |
news
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When Mobipicker.com published a post on Friday speculating that PepsiCo Inc ( PEP ) would come out with a smartphone, it seemed like a bizarre hoax. The post cited a Weibo ( WB ) page titled "Pepsi Phone" which appeared, according to the post, to be authentic. So maybe it was a joke on gullible non-Chinese speakers. Well, apparently not. A follow-up on Sunday published specs for the phone, called Pepsi P1, which it said would be released October 20. On Monday, a PepsiCo spokeswoman confirmed the phone's existence to Reuters, saying in an email, "Available in China only, this effort is similar to recent globally licensed Pepsi products which include apparel and accessories." So Pepsi Makes Phones Now That fact raises a lot of questions, not all of which have clear answers, so we'll start with the clear-ish and work our way down to pure speculation. We know the "where" just China. How about the "what"? The P1 will run Google Inc's ( GOOG , GOOGL ) open source Android 5.1 operating system; it will have a 5.5" 1080p display, two cameras (13MP and 5MP), 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. The price tag is 1,299 CNY , about $205. (See also: Cheap Smartphones that Compare to Apple and Samsung's Flagship Models .) There is a "who" that lacks an answer here. PepsiCo has said it is not manufacturing the phone itself, but licensing its (Pepsi) brand to a still-undisclosed partner. PepsiCo is far from a one-brand company, with Lay's, Quaker Oats, Aunt Jemima, Cap'n Crunch, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Aquafina, 7UP, Tropicana, Sierra Mist, Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Fritos and more under its belt. It's rather curious that the company is licensing a soft drink brand for a phone not that the rest of its portfolio would be any more appropriate. Given China's protectionist policies, chances are the mysterious partner is local. But the Real Question is Why? PepsiCo does not appear to be in such dire straits that it must resort to such an ankle-breaking pivot. The company sells a number of well-known food and beverage brands, clustering at the junky end of the spectrum. And, of course, Pepsi. PepsiCo reported $16.33 billion in third-quarter revenues on October 6, down 5% from the previous year, and $533 million in net income, or $0.36 per share, down 73%. The decline was due to a $1.36 billion write-down of its investments in Venezuela and currency impacts stemming from the strong dollar, which depressed revenues by around 12%. The results beat analysts' expectations, and the stock is trading about 1.5% higher at the time of writing. Perhaps the company is worried about long-term shifts in consumer tastes. The North American beverages segment made up 32.8% of PepsiCo's total revenues in the latest quarter (29.9% in the more typical prior-year quarter). That might make executives with an eye towards the future nervous, as Americans are distancing themselves from syrupy soft drinks. According to Beverage Marketing, reported in the Wall Street Journal , last year marked the tenth straight yearly decline in U.S. soda consumption. Beverage Digest estimates U.S. per-capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks to be at its lowest level since 1986. Bottled water sales, including of PepsiCo's Aquafina brand, are growing, and may surpass soft drinks in 2017 (although even there a pushback against the plastic waste disposable water bottles generate could gain traction). (See also: Has Coca-Cola Lost Its Pop? ) The same health-conscious zeitgeist that threatens to ruin the market for soda also looms over PepsiCo's -itos portfolio: Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos and Tostitos. Americans are slowly falling out of love with the brightly colored, plastic-wrapped, trans fat-added palate that defined the modern consumer for much of the 20th century. Junk food increasingly belongs to a bygone era; soft drinks, rooted in an time when temperance was on the rise and parents gave their toddlers over-the-counter cocaine for toothaches, even more so. Maybe that's why PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Co ( KO ) are in talks to invest in Greek yogurt maker Chobani LLC . The snack maker, beloved of yoga mat-toting millennials ("the choice of a new generation," you might say), could end up being valued at up to $3 billion. The Bottom Line Yogurt makes sense. But discount smartphones in China? There's certainly room for the market to grow: according to Our Mobile Planet's figures , smartphone penetration in China lagged behind the U.S. by 9.5 percentage points in 2013 (the latest year available, admittedly an eternity in this context). If China were to catch up to the U.S. in that regard, around 130 million people would have to buy a smartphone. In any case, people replace their phones frequently, even though the market for smartphones in China is far from open. Let's just hope this isn't another Amazon ( AMZN ) Fire. Or New Coke.
| 3 | 93,983 |
finance
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Doctors are using a relatively new technique to try to protect newborns; CBS's Dr. Mallika Marshall reports.
| 7 | 93,984 |
health
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For the first time since the Census Bureau began collecting such data, women are more likely than men to attain a bachelor's degree in America.
| 8 | 93,985 |
video
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Sen. Bernie Sanders clarifies his level of support for gun control legislation during the CNN Democratic Debate in Las Vegas.
| 8 | 93,986 |
video
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Sen. Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb make their case why they are qualified to be Commander in Chief of the U.S. military.
| 8 | 93,987 |
video
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Led by Bryan Little's two goals, the Jets cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday.
| 1 | 93,988 |
sports
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The cows have been sitting on the shore since a tanker crashed days ago.
| 8 | 93,989 |
video
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Derrick Rose is still recovering from the orbital bone fracture he suffered during the Bulls' first practice of the season, and while it was initially believed that he'd be able to play in the regular season opener on Oct. 27 against the Cavaliers, that now appears to be questionable, at best. Hoiberg said Rose "most likely" will miss all 8 preseason games. Opener not ruled out but in jeopardy. K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 13, 2015 Rose is back at practice, though he has yet to be cleared to participate. Training camp and the preseason aren't always important, but for a Bulls team that has a new head coach and a new system to adjust to, Rose's absence will just make things take a little longer to come together than the team anticipated. MORE NEWS: Want stories delivered to you? Sign up for our NBA newsletters.
| 1 | 93,990 |
sports
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There are not enough U.S. soldiers in Europe, where concerns over Russia have shown America's army to be too thinly spread after years of cuts, a top American general said Tuesday. The U.S. military has been caught in the crossfire of a dispute between the White House and Congress over how the 2016 defense budget will be funded, leaving all three groups uncertain about future funding. "We have a force that is shaped for a different reality than we have today," said Maj. Gen. Duane Gamble, commander of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, during a reporter roundtable in Washington, D.C., according to a Stars and Stripes report Tuesday. "We are stretched thin and we do face some significant challenges." America's top commanders are in the nation's capital this week at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army. Chief among the discussion are questions over cuts, which are set to see the U.S. military shrink by around 20 percent to 450,000 troops by 2018. U.S. Military Active Duty and Reserves Personnel Numbers Over Time | FindTheBest The Pentagon has no plans to return troops to Europe permanently and will instead have to rely on a rotational force of Army Reserves and National Guard. The current European force of 28,000 is the smallest it's been since the Cold War began at the end of World War II. Plans to reduce troop numbers in Europe were drawn up before Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 and became involved in the east Ukraine war. Concerns over the U.S. Army in Europe come just one day after U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh claimed that impending cuts meant that the "nation is at risk, and ultimately, the world is at risk," he said. McHugh also noted that forced sequestration against the military was hindering its ability to operate effectively. Current estimates by McHugh suggest that the army was only 30 percent effective compared with the 60 percent that it should be at. "My greatest fear is what comes next, what don't we see that's heading toward us at this moment. What don't we see that will face us and our allies?" McHugh asked, according to a Defense News report. "Will we be agile and ready enough?"
| 5 | 93,991 |
news
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Candidates including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders took on gun control, Benghazi and other big issues at the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2016 race. Here are the highlights.
| 8 | 93,992 |
video
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Opioid abuse has been a serious problem in the U.S. for decades now. Being addicted to one of these drugs, whether it's heroin, oxytocin, or another kind of prescription painkiller, can cause relationships to crumble, financial difficulties, health problems, and even death. In just the last 10 years, there's been a dramatic rise in prescription painkiller-related deaths, and heroin overdose deaths have quadrupled. Despite this, the percentage of people getting treatment for opioid use and dependence has remained about the same. According to new research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research, more money has been spent on treatment in recent years, but wider access to treatment has not improved. "We found that 80 percent of people with an opioid addiction are not getting treatment," said study leader Dr. Brendan Saloner, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School, in a press release . "This hasn't changed, despite the growing and more complicated problem of opioid abuse and dependence." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , over 8,200 people died of heroin-related overdoses between 2002 and 2013. The rate of prescription drug-related overdose deaths more than doubled during this period as well. The study utilized data on opioid abuse disorders and treatment utilization from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health. The researchers identified 6,770 individuals who met the clinical criteria for an opioid use disorder each reported being physically dependent on opioids, or said their use of opioids had caused financial, personal, or legal problems. The researchers compared two time frames: 2004 to 2008 and 2009 to 2013. The team found that about 20 percent of those identified as having a drug-use disorder underwent treatment during both periods. The percentage of this population using heroin, however, jumped from 24 percent in the first time frame to 35 percent in the second, a fact the researchers believe may have been caused by people switching from painkillers to heroin a cheaper alternative. Changes within the population receiving treatment did not end with the increase in those being treated for heroin. The most common treatments for both periods were outpatient treatment and self-help groups. The use of inpatient treatment increased from 37.5 percent to 52 percent over time, and the percentage that received care in a doctor's office increased as well, from 25 percent to 35 percent. Researchers say that private doctors are increasingly prescribing a drug called buprenorphine, which aids in the management of cravings and hopefully reduces opioid use. Saloner says buprenorphine and another treatment drug, methadone, work by preventing physical withdrawal symptoms from manifesting and keeping users from becoming high. One problem is that many areas have no access to drug treatment, and even if they do, the treatment center could be overcrowded or the actual treatment inadequate . For example, many state Medicaid programs prohibit the use of the two medications. "The real challenge in this is getting more people into settings where they can get methadone and buprenorphine," Saloner said. "We also need to think about changing the conversation about opioid addiction, which is a chronic relapsing illness, just like diabetes. Referring to drug users as junkies or criminals keeps people with addiction in the shadows and away from getting help." Saloner pointed out that some of these people may be open to treatment options, but choose not to seek them out because of the stigma associated with addiction. Source: Saloner B, Karthikeyan S. National Changes in 12-Month Substance Abuse Treatment Utilization Among Individuals with 2 Opioid Use Disorders, 2004-2013. JAMA . 2015.
| 7 | 93,993 |
health
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One couple is not complaining that President Barack Obama has played 256 rounds of golf during his presidency, especially since the most recent one took place at their wedding venue...on their wedding day. Stephanie and Brian Tobe were about to say their vows on Sunday at the Lodge at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif., when their schedule was interrupted by the secret service and POTUS' golf game. The President, who was in California for the weekend on business, decided to wrap his visit with a round at the famed course. It just so happened that the Tobes were preparing to marry at an altar that overlooked the 18th green at the same time. NEWSLETTERS: Sign up to get the latest golf news in your inbox According to a blog post by the couple's photographers, Erin and Jeff Youngren, the minor inconvenience of letting the president play through was nothing to the excitement they felt by being in his presence. And then, things got better. From Erin's blog: "Jeff came over the radio in my earpiece and yelled, "We're coming down with Brian and Stephanie!! Hold him if you can!!" (As if I have the power to hold a presidential party. What was happening??) Immediately, I switched lenses and starting asking secret service agents as they shoved down the line, "Can we please get a photo with the couple??? Can we please get a photo with the couple???" I yelled back into my earpiece, "You need to hurry or he'll be gone!" Brian and Stephanie burst from the hotel, Stephanie sprinting in her navy blue Nina heels and Monique Lhullier gown, their friends and family bust into cheers at seeing them, and this is what happened." Obama shook hands with guests and posed for photos with the couple, apologizing for holding the ceremony up. And as per the photographer, POTUS gave the groom, who is also from Chicago, some marital advice. "Nothing about this presidential drop-in negatively impacted the day," Erin wrote. "In fact, the mood became so fun, laid back, and celebratory, that it was one of the most joyful weddings we've ever been at ever. We easily made up the timeline with the cocktail hour, we were able to get better sunset photos, and in the end, things didn't run late at all. It was a life moment that none of us will ever forget."
| 1 | 93,994 |
sports
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From Chrissy Teigen and John Legend to Kimye. Every Halloween season we wait to see which celeb duos will put the most effort into delivering an epic Halloween costume and unsurprisingly, we're never disappointed. From Kim and Kanye to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, look to these couples for the best costume inspo out there. Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson As Sandy and Danny from Grease. Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey As Frozen characters. Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna As Purge characters. Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka As Charlie Chaplin and Groucho. Martha Hunt and Jason McDonald As Elvira Hancock and Tony Montana from Scarface. Jessica Alba and Cash Warren As Romy from Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and Maberick from Top Gun. Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson As Storm and Black Panther. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel As characters from Trolls. Ansel Elgort and Violetta Komyshan As Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow from Game of Thrones. Kate Upton and Justin Verlander As Sandy and Danny from Grease. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom As a principal and gym teacher. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom As Bill and Hillary Clinton. Tyga and Kylie Jenner As skeletons. Beyoncé and Jay Z As Barbie and Ken Doll. Beyoncé and Jay Z Dressed in throwback '80s looks. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum As the Beast and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Russell Wilson and Ciara As Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Ariana Grande and Mac Miller As characters from Matrix. Ariana Grande and Mac Miller As Suzy and Sam from Moonrise Kingdom. Ariana Grande and Mac Miller As Eevee and Pikachu. Amy Schumer and Ben Hanisch As characters from Stranger Things. Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart As skeletons. Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka As Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo, with their kids dressed as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber As Hell's Angels. Fergie and Josh Duhamel As Choupette and Karl Lagerfeld. Beyoncé and Jay Z (and Blue Ivy) As characters from Coming to America. Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler As Pulp Fiction's Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan As the Cat in the Hat. Jessica Alba and Cash Warren As The Incredibles. Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo As an '80s couple. Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman As a sexy nurse and doctor. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon As firefighters. Bill and Giuliana Rancic As a plastic surgeon and patient. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon As cookies and milk. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend As Mario and Princess Peach. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt As cop and prisoner. Bryan Greenberg and Jamie Chung As John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson As a milkmaid and Scottish Highlander. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend As Cleopatra and a gladiator. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West As Catwoman and Batman. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West As a sailor and mermaid. Tyga and Kylie Jenner As Chucky and the Bride of Chucky. LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian As Danny Zuko and Sandy from Grease. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon As angels. Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian As Batman and Robin. Sophia Bush and Austin Butler As Russell Brand and Katy Perry.
| 6 | 93,995 |
entertainment
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And it's pretty awesome.
| 8 | 93,996 |
video
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It's no secret that Michigan State needs to play better than they have in recent games if they want to win the Paul Bunyan Trophy for a third consecutive season. The question is: How will they do it? Coach Mark Dantonio's answer: Arrive in Ann Arbor confidently. "We have not played perfect football games, but we have the ability to do that," Dantonio said during his Tuesday press conference. "What we have to do is go down there and play well ... They're (Michigan) not making a lot of mistakes. "We just have to come confident and be ready to play. We look forward to the challenge." The challenge is traveling to Michigan Stadium and entering the rivalry game against the surging Wolverines (5-1) as the perceived underdog for the first time in a while -- even though the Spartans remain undefeated (6-0). "I think you're only underdogs if you think you're underdogs," Dantonio said, "I will say that Michigan is playing outstanding football right now and we need to play better at certain points in time. "We are undefeated, though. We've found ways to win football games, and that's the bottom line. Every game is different as we move forward, and we look forward to the challenge and opportunity" Dantonio is looking at every step back as an opportunity to grow stronger. Injuries seem to be the common theme for the Spartans this season (Conklin, London, Williamson, Sweat, Copeland, Meyers, Davis). Without commenting on who's fit to play against Michigan, Dantonio did say that his team is always prepared. "You always have a plan; if so and so goes down, there is always a plan in place," Dantonio said. "That's why you work your twos, that's why you recruit other players. It should make your football team stronger in the long run, and that's what we are always looking toward. "Whether it's losing a player or losing a football game, you have to gain something, and you have to also gain from winning." Although continuously giving coach Jim Harbaugh and his team the respect they have earned this season, you can hear the determination in Dantonio's voice when he talks specifically about what this game means to Michigan State. "For me, personally, and probably a lot of people, a lot of players, there are certain games that you measure yourself against because you measure yourself against the past. You sort of keep track," said Dantonio. "Not to say that the other games aren't important, but you just sort of put a little bit more emphasis on this. "So, yeah, it's exciting."
| 1 | 93,997 |
sports
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You know very well by now, just about everything Taylor Swift does turns to gold. With her catchy song lyrics and ginormous fan base, she's won the hearts of millions worldwide, so there isn't a doubt her style is on par with the rest of her many successes. As we head full-steam ahead to colder weather, it's worth noting that she's mastered Fall style with a trusty formula she's used over and over: a coat long enough to mimic a dress, a pair of tights, easy-to-trek-in boots, and we can't forget her signature classic red lip. With her slim figure and mile-long legs, she'd look good in anything, but this outfit really does work for all body types. This is the way to conquer a pretty and flirty look, even on a chilly day. It's time to take a tip from Taylor and replicate the look with the examples and shopping ahead. You know very well by now, just about everything Taylor Swift does turns to gold. With her catchy song lyrics and ginormous fan base, she's won the hearts of millions worldwide, so there isn't a doubt her style is on par with the rest of her many successes. As we head full-steam ahead to colder weather, it's worth noting that she's mastered fall style with a trusty formula she's used over and over: a coat long enough to mimic a dress, a pair of tights, easy-to-trek-in boots, and we can't forget her signature classic red lip. With her slim figure and mile-long legs, she'd look good in anything, but this outfit really does work for all body types. This is the way to conquer a pretty and flirty look, even on a chilly day. It's time to take a tip from Taylor and replicate the look with the examples ahead.
| 4 | 93,998 |
lifestyle
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Curious if you should be working out when you're fighting a cold? We spoke to endurance athlete and family physician and Dr. Cathleen London, M.D., about the advice she offers clients when they ask the same question. The rule that Dr. London sticks by is: "neck and up!" If your symptoms are in your head, nose, or throat - and you're feeling up to it - it's fine to work out. If it's below your neck (or in your chest), Dr. London says to dial it back. This is the time when you've really got to rest. Working out with a chest cold is "asking for trouble," since it can exaggerate your pesky symptoms and prolong your bug. Dr. London is a big believer in listening to your body and giving yourself the time and space to heal, even when it's "frustrating as all hell!" You'll thank your future self, since taking it easy is the only way you'll feel better, sooner. Dr. London also shared a few of the habits that she sees in people who manage to stay unscathed by germs all year long. The mainstays are plenty of rest, a healthy diet full of antioxidants, and staying hydrated, but she says that exercise is also a big factor. Besides keeping you fit during the Summer months, exercise supports your immune system because it reduces stress. While stress wreaks havoc on your mind, it can also wreak havoc on your immune system. When the levels of the stress hormone cortisol are heightened, it leaves you immunocompromised. Working out regularly keeps your cortisol levels in check - and keeps you healthier and happier! RELATED LINKS: Brew Up This Ginger Tea Recipe When You're Sick 8 Ways to Boost Your Immunity and Prevent Bugs Eat These Foods to Nip Your Cold in the Bud
| 4 | 93,999 |
lifestyle
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