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Forgive Virginia Davis if she wanted no fuss on Friday, even though it's the day of her birth. She's never been one for birthday parties. Her last big one was her sweet 16. "A whole bunch of us went to the moving pictures," she says. Her mother served cake and ice cream. That was 92 years before Friday - when Davis turns 108. "I can't believe it. I can't believe it," she says, then adds, "It doesn't pay to live too long." Her husband died many years ago, her son more recently - in his 80s. Her daughter Frances, 76, lives in Agoura Hills. Frances' number is taped on the big-button phone beside the recliner in which Davis now spends her days. It is a large chair, and in it, she looks very small. Her world used to be wide. In recent years, it has closed in. Outside on her Santa Monica street, cars zoom by. People walk past her window, talking loudly. But Davis, who was born in New Castle, Del., faces inward into her living room and kitchen. At the kitchen table, the caregiver who has been with her since she fell a few years ago hunches silently over her cellphone. A river of memories flows through Davis' mind - though some details glide by, uncatchable, just out of reach. She still remembers coming to Los Angeles "well over 70 years ago" on a bus - she and her husband, heading west, carrying just one suitcase between them. She can summon up Yellow Cars and Red Cars and Grand Central Market eons before it went gourmet. She would walk over to the market to save the 5-cent trolley fare and pick up three bunches of beets for a dime. She recalls working as a waitress, earning 25 cents an hour - and the Great Depression when 25 cents was more than some people had. Milkshakes cost a nickel in those days, she says. They were large and filled you right up. When she and her husband were new in town, they would each get one for lunch and then take long walks trying to learn the city. They never made much money. He was a laborer for the studios. He had to call in every day to see if there was work for him. Once he suggested they take the Red Car to see Hollywood. She told him she wasn't interested. In downtown L.A., she says, "in those days, I saw a lot of parades - and the movie stars were in them, so I saw them that way." Which stars did she see? Names elude her. "They're the ones from way, way back." One day, she joined friends on one of the gambling ships in Santa Monica Bay. When she and her husband came home, an earthquake rattled the walls. "I thought I was being punished, because my mother was not a gambler," she says. Was it the Long Beach earthquake of 1933? "Oh my." She can't say for sure. Davis' days don't vary much, she says, 108th birthday or not. She gets up around 8 a.m. She sits in her chair. She listens to the radio. She watches news shows. "Old people just sit, you know, and go to sleep and sit," she says. She'll have soup for dinner as always. She doesn't expect birthday cake. But she will enjoy a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream, as she does every night before bed. [email protected]
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There have been some pretty impressive catches in college football the past couple of weeks, but who did it better between Amara Darboh and Francis Owusu?
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If you haven't already, you'll soon receive replacement credit cards that are more secure than your previous ones. But you won't use them the same way.
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Manuel Rosales, an opposition leader who fled Venezuela after authorities charged him with corruption in 2009, was arrested Thursday as he returned ahead of key legislative elections.
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Khloe Kardashian is asking for respect! Love Ranch Brothel owner Dennis Hof says the Kardashians asked him not to speak to the press, but he says they can go to hell. He says he's troubled by the lack of communication from Kardashians and that he angrily dismissed their request that Khloe do interviews instead of him. He adds that he knows what happened and he's the one protecting his business and telling truth about it. Find out how Khloe is responding.
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Palestinians late Thursday set fire to a religious site in the West Bank revered by some Jews as the tomb of biblical patriarch Joseph. In a separate incident on Friday, a Palestinian impersonating a journalist stabbed an Israeli solider. The attacks came as the militant group Hamas called for a "day of rage" against Israel to begin following afternoon prayers. Palestinian security forces extinguished the blaze early Friday at Joseph's Tomb, a small stone structure in the West Bank city of Nablus. The tomb has become a popular prayer site in recent years among some religious Jews. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israel's Defense Forces, said the "burning and desecration of Joseph's Tomb (was) a blatant violation and contradiction of the basic value of freedom of worship." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack and called for an investigation. Separately, the IDF said that one of its soldiers was stabbed in Kiryat Arba, a town on the outskirts of Herbon. The soldier was lightly wounded and the assailant, who was disguised as a news photographer, was shot on site, the IDF said. The Palestinian man had been wearing a T-shirt with the word "press" written on it. The two incidents arrived at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. Eight Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks over the last month, the majority of them as a result of stabbings. Over the same period, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 14 labeled by Israel as attackers. The rest were killed in clashes with Israeli troops. Hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza on Friday clashed with Israeli troops.
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Boy George at the Attitude Awards Boy George wants to "behave more like Taylor Swift". The Culture Club singer is a big fan of the 'Shake It Off' hitmaker and often thinks his life would be better if he acted more like driven and determined Taylor. Speaking at the Attitude Awards in London, he said: "I really do love Taylor, I often think, 'Not to self, behave more like Taylor Swift!' It clearly f***ing works! She's obviously doing something right, what's she doing lets watch." George, 54, enjoyed all the spoils of pop stardom and fell into some of the pitfalls at the height of his band's success in the 80s and as a superstar DJ in the 90s, including booze, drugs and run-ins with the law. The 'Karma Chameleon' singer - who will be a coach on the next British series of 'The Voice' - accepts he was young and immature but he doesn't think Taylor, 25, will make the same mistakes as him. He said: "When you're young you think you can just do your own thing, I'm impressed with the likes of Taylor Swift, these young stars who just seem to have much more of a grasp on everything than we did. We all just went crazy, although that may happen!"
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A prototype stair-climbing wheelchair has been developed by Swiss students. Jim Drury met them in Zurich.
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Israeli troops on Friday shot dead a Palestinian disguised as a news photographer who stabbed and wounded a soldier in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, the army said. Military spokesman Arye Shalicar told AFP that the way the man was dressed "allowed him to approach the soldier." He did not describe the man's disguise. Unverified photos that spread online of a man said to be the attacker showed him wearing a shirt with the word "press" stamped on it along with a brightly coloured vest. The incident occurred after Palestinians called for a "Friday of revolution" against Israel amid a wave of deadly unrest. It brought to 34 the number of Palestinians killed, including alleged attackers, since October 1. Hundreds more have been wounded in clashes with Israeli forces since the start of the month. Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded. Overnight, Palestinians torched a site revered by Jews in the West Bank in an incident that threatened to further inflame passions. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, under pressure over recent comments that some have labelled incitement, quickly condemned the fire at the site known as Joseph's Tomb in the northern city of Nablus. The United Nations Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting at Jordan's request on Friday to discuss the upsurge of violence.
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New Zealand world number two Lydia Ko shot a bogey-free round of seven-under 65 on Friday to seize the second-round lead at the LPGA Championship in the South Korean city of Incheon. Ko started the second round seven strokes behind Park Sung-Hyun, one of South Korea's domestic star players, but held an outright one-shot lead with a birdie at the last. Ko opened her round with back-to-back birdies. "I think I put myself in good position," Ko said. "But I know there's going to be a lot of great golf from a lot of great players." Lexi Thompson will be grouped with Ko thanks to a second round five-under par 67. AFP
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Do you long for the good old days of motoring? Here are 50 things we miss from days gone by Saying goodbye to the things that made motoring great Motoring has changed almost beyond recognition. Our cars are quicker, more efficient and - most importantly - safer. But we've left behind some of the things that made motoring great. Here are 50 things we miss. The price of gas Remember the days when you could drive away from a gas station with a full tank of fuel, having only spent a few dollars? We do. When gas stations just sold fuel You may also remember the days when it wasn't possible to do a weekly grocery shop at the gas station. No we wouldn't like a giant candy bar for a dollar. Attendant service Who remembers the days when an attendant would greet you with a friendly smile and ask how much you gas you required? Have a nice day. When you stopped at a roadside diner Back in the day, it would take you the best part of a weekend just to get to the coast. Stopping at a roadside diner was a necessity. And a proper treat. Drive-thrus In fact, drive-thrus and diners were just better, period. The Chuckwagon Drive-In at Mount Vernon is no longer there. Chuckwagons They don't make chuckwagons like they used to. This 'Chock Full o' Nuts' is parked outside a bank. We're not saying anything… Cop cars Cop cars were better in the old days. Fact. Cop cars OK, so maybe not as old as the previous slide. Is this any better? Parking lots Cars have grown, but you can't say the same about the space in parking lots. No wonder we need park-assist. DIY mechanics Back in the day, you could open a car's hood and do some light servicing and repairs from the comfort of your own driveway. Today, you need a laptop and a degree in electronics. Car washes We look at this photo and immediately think of Breaking Bad. A full service car wash for 88 cents. Where do we sign? Motor racing Motor racing was better in the days of big moustaches, chest wigs and cigarette sponsorship. Trackside advertisements Similarly, trackside advertisements were better in the good old days. Gasoline, cigarettes and alcohol - a lethal but evocative cocktail. Homemade go-karts Nothing beats the thrill of hurtling down the sidewalk in a go-kart you built yourself. Just you and your four best friends for life. Pedal cars Look, you're just showing off… Auto shows Today, most of the news is 'leaked' before the auto show takes place, which only serves to strip away the intrigue and excitement. Cars as gameshow prizes Face it, we only watched gameshows to see the automobile at the end. This is quite the prize haul. Nuns on scooters Ah, so good to see a pair of nuns riding scooters. Wait, what? Nuns on scooters? Presidential cars Presidential cars were better in the old days. London laid on a Rolls-Royce complete with patriotic license plate for the visit of President Eisenhower. Car press ads Bill Bernbach's legendary Volkswagen ads represent the pinnacle of automotive advertising. Nothing has ever come close. Car press ads You see, press ads just aren't as good today. You could be as happy as a sand boy in a Hillman. Las Vegas We can't help but look at this photo of Las Vegas and wonder how good it would have been during the 1950s and 1960s. Motor clothing When was the last time you dressed up in your best motor clothing and went for a drive? Rubbish cars There's no such thing as a rubbish car. Some are better than others, but cars like the Ford Pinto have gone out of fashion. Lancia Hands up if you miss Lancia? We do. TV and movie cars The youth of today will disagree, but TV and movie cars were better in the old days. The General Lee, the A-Team van, the Mystery Machine, KITT, the DeLorean and the Panthermobile. Just better. Terrible modifications Rubbish car modifications aren't as rubbish as they used to be. In-car audio Who else misses the days when radio stations were just a few clicks away and a vacation involved the creation of a mix tape? Drive-in cinemas Courting at the drive-in cinema. What could be better? Learning to drive Oh how we wish we could have used the Aetna Drivotrainer when we were starting out. Who needs Project CARS? Sat nav systems Shouting at the sat nav when it takes you down a dead-end street is no fun. Things were better when you could shout at your passenger. Festival tailbacks They don't make festival tailbacks like they used to. The music and the cars of Woodstock were just better. Google camera cars So you thought Google camera cars were a new thing? Think again… Ice cream vans When the ice cream van rolled into the 'hood, life felt better. Why would you want to graffiti an ice cream van? Buses If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. Old buses are great. Yellow cabs As are old yellow cabs. Have a nice day. Times Square Yup, Times Square looked awesome in the 1950s. Mobile advertisements We long for the days when construction companies used miniature houses to advertise their business. Great effort. Le Mans The Le Mans 24-Hour race was better when Ford upset the establishment. Woodies We miss woodies, although we do believe this gentleman has taken things too far. Monster Trucks Monster Trucks looked better when they were pounding over a selection of old motors. Bear Foot seems to have a problem with Volvos. Velour upholstery Leather and Alcantara are all well and good, but we yearn for the comfort and style of a velour interior. You stay classy. Rear-facing back seats Thanks goodness Tesla continues to fly the flag for the rearward facing child seats. These are joyous things, unless you happen to be travelling behind a pair of children when stuck in traffic. Sunroofs Thanks to air conditioning and climate control, sunroofs aren't as popular as they once were. We miss them. Headlight wipers Headlight wipers - quite simply one of the coolest features ever to grace a car. Spotlights None of this daytime running lights nonsense, what we want is a pair of good old-fashioned spotlights. Ideally with a set of covers still intact. Wheel trims and steel wheels We've become obsessed with big shiny alloy wheels that only serve to ruin the way a car rides. What's wrong with a set of steel wheels and tasteful hubcaps? Proper wing mirrors In the old days, it wasn't only caravanists who relied on proper wing mirrors. Sure, you needed a pair of binoculars to see what was behind you, but the mirrors looked better. Engines you could see Open a hood today and you're greeted with a huge plastic cover and a warning that you should consult your local dealer simply to change a headlight bulb. Pah. Pop-up headlights Pop-up headlights made everything right. It was a sad day when the Honda NSX ditched them in favour of more conventional headlights. Proper colours Would you like silver grey or grey silver? How about silvery blue or greyish black? Stop it. Why can't we have good, old-fashioned primary colours? Wood interiors Wood. Nobody does good wood any more. No, none of that shiny plastic wood nonsense. Proper wooden dashboards in everyday cars. Bring wood back. Driving An empty Pan American highway in Brazil. We just want to don a pair of Wayfarers and go for a drive.
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A team from Stanford University might have made a breakthrough that could change the lives of people with missing limbs. Researchers have developed an artificial substitute for skin that is capable of sensing when it is being touched and sending that data to the nervous system. It's hoped that technology like this could be used to build futuristic prostheses that could be wired into the nervous systems of amputees. In addition, not only will these people be able to know if they're touching something, they'll also know how much pressure is being used. Put very simply, the skin is comprised of two layers of rubbery plastic skin with a flexible circuit printed on, courtesy of the folks at Xerox Parc. Sandwiched between the two is a run of carbon nanotubes , which conduct electricity when they're pushed closer together. The harder the compression, the more current passes between them, which is how the skin can understand differences in pressure. That, however, isn't enough, since that data would still have to be transmitted somehow into the user's brain. In the end, the team opted to harness a field of science called optogenetics, which involves genetically-engineering cells so that they react to specific frequencies of light. By creating optogenetic neurons that are capable of sensing light patterns, the team proved that it's possible to make this technology work in a person. Admittedly, we're still years away from an initial human test, and project leader Professor Zhenan Bao doesn't believe that optogenetics is a suitable solution. There are also more things that just pressure that human skin can sense, like temperature and friction, all of which would still need to be replicated. Even so, this breakthrough could prove to be enormous in the hopefully not-too-distant future. Stanford
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Lady Gaga Lady Gaga battles depression "every single day". The 29-year-old singer and actress admitted that she fights a daily battle with depression and anxiety and has spoken out about her mental health in order to let others know that they are not alone. She told Billboard: "I've suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life, I still suffer with it every single day. I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings is normal. We were born that way. This modern thing, where everyone is feeling shallow and less connected? That's not human." Gaga has previously revealed she was sexually assaulted at the age of 19 and new song 'Til It Happens to You', co-written with Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren draws upon that experience. Gaga explained: "We don't have to be victims. If we share our stories and stick together, we're stronger. It's hard to listen to that song, it's hard to watch it. Diane really held my hand. I was like, 'I've done a lot of things Diane, but can I do this?' She was like, 'You can do this.' It was extremely cathartic to know that not only am I not alone, but that other men and women aren't alone - we all have each other. Even outside of rape culture, there are a lot of people silently in pain about extremely traumatic things." The singer admitted it took her a long time to come to terms with the attack. She said: "The hardest part for me was the self-acceptance. There's an inability to acknowledge to yourself, 'Not only did this happen, but I'm pretty f****d up about it.' And nobody knows how you feel. I didn't tell anyone [about my sexual assault] for years - and I didn't tell anyone for years because I didn't tell myself for years. And my soul just burnt out until it was gone. And then you have to admit you were in pain, and that you died in a way, but you are in control to bring it back, and there are people in the world who'll help you."
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FNC contributor Scott Martin, Barron's Editor Jack Otter and FBN's Cheryl Casone and Dagen McDowell on a study on the negative economic impact of hangovers.
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Erase your mishaps Our favorite derms are forever waxing on about how healthy skin is a long-term investment. And we get it but we're also human. Even the most dedicated among us are guilty of slipping up and getting too enthusiastic with a new facial peel, going postal on a zit, or crashing before cleansing. (Whiskey makes us so sleepy.) The good news: "If you take care of your skin most of the time, the odd mistake is usually straight-forward to treat," says Amy Taub, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg Medical School in Chicago. Here, pros share the fast-acting products and tricks that can (almost) erase our worst skin mishaps. The screw-up: You over-exfoliated. Maybe your rationale went like this: If scrubbing daily makes skin glow, I'll look like a freakin' disco ball if I do it twice a day. Despite the benefits of exfoliating, over-doing anything that sloughs away dead-cells including using sonic cleansing brushes, acid peels, face scrubs, and microdermabrasion treatments strips the skin of its barrier. . The fix: Stop exfoliating for a week. Then, get obsessed with moisturizing. "When you've buffed away the outer layers, a cream with hyaluronic acid will attract and hold moisture in your skin until it grows back," says Doris Day, MD, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. As soon as you slather on a moisturizer, your skin will feel softer and less irritated. "But don't stop keep it up two or three times a day for at least a week," says Dr. Day. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Hydra-Pure Intense Moisture Cream, $125. The screw-up: You picked a zit. Performing an extraction on your face in front of the magnifying mirror feels so cathartic for about 33 seconds. Then you step back, survey your handy work, and reality sets in. Whenever you pick, scratch, or squeeze a pimple, you introduce bacteria and cause injury, all of which make the spot angrier, longer-lasting and prone to scarring. . The fix: Disinfect. Disinfect the area with a benzoyl peroxide lotion, which fights acne-causing bacteria, and dab on a zit cream with salicylic acid, like Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Vanishing Treatment Cream, which helps prevent further blockage. Over the next few days, keep the spot hydrated and feel free to cover it up with concealer. If the manhandling has produced a bloody mess, treat the area like an injury by dabbing on an antiseptic treatment like Neosporin at night. Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Vanishing Treatment Cream, $8.99. The screw-up: You didn't spot test a new product and your skin isn't happy. When your face starts itching, stinging, or burning, you most likely have a case of irritant contact dermatitis. This often happens when your skin is already injured "by something like over-exfoliating or windburn," says Dr. Day. Less common, but also possible, is allergic contact dermatitis, when you have an allergy to a specific ingredient. . The fix: Act fast. Clean your skin straight away and apply a cooling compress, says Dr. Taub. Treat any remaining irritation by gently dabbing a 1-percent hydrocortisone ointment on the area twice a day. If you're itching or notice angry red blotches, take an antihistamine, such as Benadryl, too. See a dermatologist if the reaction persists for two or three days: "It's really helpful to bring a picture of the ingredient list to the visit, as it helps us identify the problem much faster," says Dr. Taub. Skinfo Soothing Cream, $23. The screw-up: You forgot to apply sunscreen one time! Straight off the bat, we're just going to say this one is a big dermatology no-no. Maybe you missed a spot...or believed your BFF when she said a base tan is a good idea. (It's not, ever. You know that now, right?) Either way, it's damage. The kind that turns you into a leather boot. The kind that makes your skin look red, feel all prickly. The kind we, decidedly, do not like. The fix: Reduce inflammation The fix: The key to recovering from sunburn is to reduce inflammation as much as possible. Popping an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen is a good start. You can also soak a cloth in cold milk (stick with us here the proteins in milk help calm your skin), and apply it to your face for several minutes at a time. In the initial days post-burn, you'll want to avoid any exfoliants or active ingredients that could potentially irritate your skin further. Once the redness has fully subsided (and you're no longer peeling), add a dark-spot treatment serum to your regimen. It will help to prevent freckles or sunspots that may pop up in the aftermath and fade existing ones. This one features a skin-lightening peptide that helps stop pigment from forming, thereby preventing future damage. Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum, $60, available at Sephora. The screw-up: You slept in your makeup. Scientists have known for a while that our skin heals and regenerates while we rest at night. Unfortunately, when we leave our skin marinating in its own debris (gross, we know, sorry), that doesn't happen. Instead, pores become clogged, which can lead to breakouts‚ and skin gets dry and sensitive in patches. . The fix: Get yourself to a sink and wash your face twice. The first time gets rid of the makeup, the second cleanses a little deeper, says Dr. Day. Go for a gentle foaming formula if your skin is oily or acne-prone, or a cream cleanser if you're drier. If there are pimples forming, apply a thin layer of benzoyl peroxide. Then, moisturize as usual and if your skin feels really tight smooth on a face oil. And then, just for one day at least, either skip makeup or opt for a tinted moisturizer and dab concealer on just the red spots. Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, $28, available at Caudalie . The screw-up: You drank wine and your skin is turning just as red. Chances are, this isn't the first time that you sipped a Bordeaux and turned into old Saint Nick. For rosacea-sufferers, certain foods and even a single glass of wine can make skin flushed and inflamed. Basically anything that turns the heat up is a no-go including the steam coming off your morning coffee. You need a quick solution. . The Fix: Tea. The fix: Steep two regular tea bags in hot water, let them cool, and then place them over your closed eyes. Sit back for about 10 minutes and let them do their work. Another old-school fix: cucumber slices. "They have astringent properties, which can reduce puffiness," says Dr. Day. If you're in a rush, swipe on a light layer of cooling eye gel. Drink loads of water all day, skip salty food, and squeeze in a hot yoga session. "The more you flush out the salt, the better your eyes and face will look," says Dr. Taub. The screw-up: You ate too much salt and now your face is puffy. Salt and booze are such a happy combination especially on a Friday night. Unfortunately, too many salty snacks cause water retention, which makes your eyes puffy and your clothes feel tight. . The fix: Cool down fast. "Sit in front of a fan or use an ice pack on the flushed areas," says Dr. Taub, who stresses the key here is to lower the heat so blood vessels constrict. Sensitive-skin formulas with ceramides will boost the skin's moisture barrier, while antioxidants soothe inflammation. Eucerin Redness Relief Daily Perfecting Lotion, $14.99. The screw-up: You forgot to apply moisturizer before makeup. It happens and once it does, you might not want to start over with your entire base. But layering foundation over dry skin not only makes it look blotchy, but it also limits the coverage you get throughout the day. . The fix: Mist. The fix: "Mist a water spray like Evian or Avène over your makeup," says Dr. Day. "It will hydrate skin and set your makeup." Makeup artist Tim Quinn also recommends dipping a brush in moisturizer or cream and lightly stippling over the dry areas. Avène Thermal Spring Water, $12.50, available at Birchbox .
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After the merger with American Airlines, US Airways will make its final flight under that name on Friday.
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Former Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer does not respect the way Steve Spurrier chose to leave South Carolina. Palmer, who played for Spurrier's Gators for four seasons from 1997-2000, was critical of his former coach this week when asked about Spurrier's unexpected resignation. Jesse Palmer appropriately critical of Spurrier quitting: "I don't think you can do that when you're asking your team not to quit on you." Jon Solomon (@JonSolomonCBS) October 16, 2015 It's surprising to hear that coming from someone who had a lot of success under Spurrier, but Palmer certainly isn't the only person who feels that way. Spurrier turned 70 earlier this year, so everyone knew he wasn't going to coach much longer. However, it is uncommon to see such a high-profile coach walk out on his team in the middle of the season. Spurrier basically said he is leaving South Carolina because the team is better off without him , but there are plenty of people who think he just didn't want to weather the storm after starting off the season 2-4. Spurrier's decision to retire is disappointing for all of us, especially when you look over our list of his best quotes . The players he recruited must feel even worse about it.
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WASHINGTON Joe Biden is sending out an unmistakable "forget-me-not" plea for 2016, brushing past signs of a Hillary Rodham Clinton resurgence with fresh and direct suggestions he could be on the verge of entering the presidential race. The vice president's political team broke its months-long silence on the subject with a letter circulated by one of Biden's closest friends and top advisers. In the letter, though Biden is still officially undecided, former Sen. Ted Kaufman describes a "campaign from the heart" that Biden would wage and says a decision isn't far off. "If he decides to run, we will need each and every one of you yesterday," Kaufman says temptingly, alluding to the breakneck speed at which Biden would have to ramp up a campaign. To its recipients Biden's former Senate, White House and campaign staffers Thursday's letter smacked of an unambiguous indication Biden was all but green-lighting a presidential campaign. Several individuals familiar with the letter say it was circulated with Biden's blessing. The individuals weren't authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity. For his part, Biden has been silent on the issue for weeks while allowing his own self-imposed deadlines to fly by. His indecision has led many Democratic leaders to publicly write off his prospects, particularly as Clinton revels in a strong debate performance and an impressive stretch of fundraising, solidifying her status as the Democratic front-runner. Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders both announced this week they'd raised more than $25 million in their last three-month stretch, a potent reminder that many of the Democratic establishment's donors and top players have already committed to a declared candidate. To some Democrats, Biden runs the risk of being perceived as a spoiler at this point, drawing votes away from Clinton without any substantial prospect for electoral success. In public comments, the GOP is all but laying out a welcome mat. Even Biden friends and aides remain at a loss to explain exactly what is holding up his decision. In more than a dozen interviews over the past week, individuals close to the vice president described a man still wrestling with whether he and his family would be well served by campaign pressures while they continue grieving the death of Biden's son in May. Yet more than two months after Biden began seriously weighing that question, those individuals said it was unclear what could change that would push him from undecided to yes or no. Still, Biden and his team are approaching their just-in-case preparations for a potential campaign with a new level of seriousness. This week he has been placing calls to top Democratic strategists in early primary states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to solicit candid assessments of his chances, according to individuals familiar with the calls. Biden's team has also had detailed conversations with campaign data and analytics experts to determine how quickly he could ramp up the digital side of his campaign, the individuals said. For Biden's supporters, including those backing the Draft Biden super PAC, those signals serve as the reassurance they were seeking that their enthusiasm hasn't been misplaced. "The steps that we're seeing toward a potential candidacy are definitely creating some excitement and anticipation and hope in people that this might be happening," said Mike Cuzzi, a former Obama campaign official in New Hampshire who is supporting the pro-Biden super PAC. He added that Biden's supporters were "eager for him to make a determination." Clinton's supporters feel the same, but for different reasons. After her widely lauded performance in Tuesday's debate, her campaign chairman told reporters it was time for Biden to make up his mind. Republicans, meanwhile, have been pining for a Biden campaign, in hopes that a more combative Democratic primary would weaken Clinton. "Right now there's no question Joe Biden would be the toughest candidate for Republicans to beat in the general election," said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Allison Moore. The lack of certainty has also put President Barack Obama in a delicate position, caught between loyalties to his vice president and his former secretary of state. "I'm not going to comment on what Joe's doing or not doing," Obama said Friday, describing Biden as his "very able vice president." Most recent polls show a hypothetical Biden candidacy running third, behind both Clinton and Sanders, with support in the high teens. Biden appears to primarily draw voters who would otherwise lean toward supporting Clinton. Surveys have shown a recent uptick in positive opinions of Biden nationally, with 85 percent of Democrats viewing him positively in a Gallup Poll this month. In the letter, Kaufman offered the first clues to Biden's rationale for a run, describing an "optimistic" campaign that would focus on expanding middle-class opportunity and protecting Obama's legacy. He also drew an implicit contrast with Clinton, who has been criticized by some as appearing calculated or overly choreographed. "I think it's fair to say, knowing him as we all do, that it won't be a scripted affair," Kaufman said. "After all, it's Joe." ___ Associated Press writers Emily Swanson and Ken Thomas contributed to this report. ___ Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
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Want celebrity status hair? Well, it's your lucky day because Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively and more of your fave Stars are sharing how they get their gorgeous locks at home! Discover 6 easy hair hacks here!
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Missy and Jase Robertson from A&E's "Duck Dynasty" open up about the health struggles their young daughter has faced.
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U.S. stock index futures indicated a higher open on Friday, with traders keenly anticipating the release of economic data for any signs of softness that would reinforce the pervading view that the Fed is on hold for now. Stocks surged Thursday amid speculation the Fed would not hike rates until sometime next year, with weak economic reports feeding that view. The market got a nudge from a comment by New York Fed President Bill Dudley, who said he would favor a rate hike this year, but it depends on the strength of the economy. He then added that recent data indicates the economy is slowing. On the data front, Friday will see both industrial production and capacity utilization released at 9:15am ET, with consumer sentiment and job openings and labor turnover, or JOLTS, released at 10:00am. On the earnings front, General Electric (GE) , Honeywell (HON) , Comerica (CMA) , Kansas City Southern (KSU) , SunTrust (STI) , Synchrony Financial (SYF) and W.W. Grainger (GWW) are all expected before the bell. In oil markets, Brent crude traded at around $50.23 a barrel, up 1.01 percent, while U.S. crude was at around $47.02 a barrel, up 1.38 percent. In Europe, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index (.STOXX) was around 0.88 percent higher on Friday morning. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei (.N225) finished 1.08 percent higher, while in China the Shanghai Composite (.SSEC) closed 1.62 percent higher. --CNBC's Patti Domm contributed to this report
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California officials approve killer whale habitat expansion at SeaWorld in San Diego.
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Opportunities to increase your income are everywhere, and more people are choosing to increase their income from the comfort of their own home. The benefits of working from home are many, including: Avoiding commute time Saving money on wardrobe costs Saving money on lunches out The ability to design your own work schedule Telecommuting increased 103 percent between 2005 and 2014, and now consists of a hefty 3.7 million workers, according to the research firm Global Workplace Analytics. While some choose to work from home to earn income outside their 9-to-5 careers, others are bucking the system and turning their work-at-home jobs into a full-fledged business. If you're looking to add extra money to your bottom line, here are seven ways you can increase your income from the comfort of your home. Graphic Design Sites such as Fiverr and Elance are full of requests for graphic design experts who can complete tasks ranging from designing websites to designing company brochures. With the right equipment and know-how, graphic design experts can easily make extra income from the comfort of their home office. Online Surveys More and more companies are looking for opinions from everyday people like you and me, and they'll pay good money to get our thoughts on a variety of subjects. As with any online income business, there are reputable and not-so-reputable survey companies, but the good ones will pay well and pay on time. Although online survey completion likely won't bring in enough money to replace your full-time income, you can earn some great pocket cash each month by signing on with reputable survey companies such as the ones listed in this article by The Penny Hoarder's Kyle Taylor. Voiceover Work If you have a relatable voice and the right equipment, you might be able to make money by doing voiceover work from home. Companies look for voices in all different sounds and accents. From the silly to the professional, there's a variety of needs in the business industry for those who have a voice and that's you! Podcasts Although it can take a while to build up a nice income producing podcasts , the money can be plentiful if you produce great content and are willing to stick with it for the long haul. Take the story of Entrepreneur On Fire's John Lee Dumas. Dumas recorded podcasts every day for nearly a year from his home before making any money, but in May of 2013, things took off. His readership exploded, and he found himself being courted by sponsors to the tune of $12,000 a month. Dumas' listening audience has quadrupled since then, and last month, he made a net $195,000 in income. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? Do what you love, work at it every day and stick with it until you find success. Freelance Writing There's a world of stay-at-home work these days for the person who is gifted at writing. Blog owners, business owners and corporate marketing departments are eager to hire freelance writers to help them share information and sell business products. The pay isn't so bad either: It's not unusual to get paid $50 or more for a website article or informational piece. DIY Crafts and Gifts Those with a talent for creating crafts and handmade gifts have the world at their fingertips in terms of consumers who will buy their creations. There's a myriad of websites, like Etsy, dedicated to selling goods by people working from home who can make anything from dish towels and jewelry to customized room décor. Website Help If you're proficient at setting up, managing or perfecting websites, there's a good chance you could be making income from home. Website owners are constantly searching for people to help with coding, SEO optimization and general management of their websites. There's no shortage of ways to make websites better, which means there's plenty of work out there for those who know how to make a good website better. If you're interested in increasing your income and using your at-home free time to do it, consider one of the above ways to make money in your pajamas. You may just find yourself a new career in the process. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report
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Are you feeling clueless? Has the seven-year bull run in equities left you feeling nervy in the face of a potential rate hike in the U.S. and weakening growth in China? You are not alone. The results of a client survey released by the Swiss bank Credit Suisse on Thursday highlighted that global investors were feeling "lost and bearish." "This is the first time that we have come across so many people who say they are completely 'lost' in the current environment," a team of research analysts at the bank, led by Andrew Garthwaite, said in the note. "We met with many clients in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The wall of bearishness was extreme in the U.S. roughly 80 percent of meetings," Click ahead to see seven reasons why investors are feeling fearful. 1. Stalling global growth "In our investor survey...respondents were almost the most negative on the growth outlook than they have been at any other time since we started the survey," Credit Suisse said. China and emerging markets were identified as the main source of growth weakness but it also signaled "increasing concerns" about an inventory-led soft patch in the developed world, in particular the U.S. 2. China's hard landing It's a perennial and the number one topic in every client meeting, according to the Swiss bank. As well as concerns over a potential property bubble and weakening growth, clients focused on the yuan. "Many clients continue to believe that the currency is the critical barometer. If the RMB is allowed to fall again, many believe it would be highly deflationary and a sign that the leadership has lost control. Most clients believe that the currency will eventually fall significantly", the bank said. 3. Credit is blowing out The research notes that high-yield credit spreads have been widening, worrying a "large number of clients" who believe it is always the "canary in the coal mine" of a major shift in sentiment. New stats from Bank of America Merrill Lynch Friday showed that this fear might be overdone. It stated that last week's inflows into high-yield bonds were at their largest in 8 months, thus meaning spreads have been tightening. 4. A Fed mistake Around two thirds of clients believed that a rise in benchmark interest rates in the U.S., in the current environment, would be a policy mistake. "Most clients acknowledged that the Fed communication has been confusing recently and thus the chance of the market misunderstanding Fed policy was higher than usual," Credit Suisse said. 5. Ineffective QE Another concern was the belief that central banks were fast running out of weapons and quantitative easing had failed to boost inflation. Credit Suisse countered this, however, arguing that disinflationary pressures from China, disruptive technology and the internet, cannot be addressed by monetary policy. 6. Global reserves are falling Global foreign exchange reserves have fallen by around $0.5 trillion since their peak, according to Credit Suisse, with central banks dumping dollars to protect their own currencies. "Many clients claim that this is a bear signal and is, in effect, monetary tightening," Garthwaite and his team said in the note. 7. Valuations and earnings "Equities are not cheap in absolute terms," the French bank said, noting that many clients were also concerned about earnings revisions, which have, on a 4-week moving average basis, fallen close to a 4-year low, it said. If that list wasn't big enough, the research team also highlighted worries over the political landscape becoming less corporate-friendly, under-investment as a result of companies deciding to buy back their own shares and the risk of lower oil prices. Mo re on MSN Money: 9 behaviors that make you a star employee 10 Things to Know About Money Before You're 50 5 reasons to buy Wal-Mart as investors dump the stock
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Taylor Swift Taylor Swift says making up with Kanye West is a career highlight. The 25-year-old star was interrupted by the rapper at the MTV VMAs in 2009 after winning the Best Video award as he believed Beyonce should have won and she's admitted the moment had a huge impact on her at the time. She explained: "When the crowd started booing, I thought they were booing because they also believed I didn't deserve the award. "That's where the hurt came from. I went backstage and cried, and then I had to stop crying and perform five minutes later." "I just told myself I had to perform, and I tried to convince myself that maybe this wasn't that big of a deal. But that was the most happenstance thing to ever happen in my career." However, Kanye faced a backlash over the incident and years later they have been able to put it behind them, which is something the 'Bad Blood' hitmaker is thrilled with because it means they've managed to overcome the event. She told GQ magazine: "And to now be in a place where Kanye and I respect each other-that's one of my favorite things that has happened in my career."
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The family of a Michigan teen who flashed a car's brights at a sheriff sergeant's SUV and wound up dead filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday. A complaint on behalf of slain 17-year-old Deven Guilford accuses Eaton County Sheriff's Sgt. Jonathan Frost of unconstitutional violations of privacy and excessive force in a Feb. 28 traffic stop in the rural central Michigan county outside Lansing. Guilford flashed the headlights of the car he was driving at the sheriff department's new SUV as Frost drove it the opposite way on State Highway 43, according to the complaint. The Ford Explorer had "improperly bright or misaimed headlights" and Frost had stopped two other drivers for flashing their lights at him that night, the lawsuit said. The officer and the unarmed teen can be seen arguing over whether Frost had his brights on in bodycam video that was later released . Guilford declines to turn over his license several times before Frost pulls him from the car, commands him to get on the ground and uses a stun gun on him in an attempt to arrest him in the footage. The five-minute video ends with Guilford screaming in agony after getting up and charging at the officer. Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney Douglas R. Lloyd declined to charge Frost in June. Frost shot Guilford seven times after the teen knocked the officer down and pummeled him with punches to the face during the struggle in the snow by the side of the road, Lloyd concluded after an investigation . The prosecuting attorney's office released pictures of Frost with his face bloodied by Guilford's blows. The probe by local officials and the Michigan State Police didn't absolve Frost in the eyes of the teen's family, though. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan names both the officer and the county as defendants and requests compensation for Guilford's death. Frost and the county committed a "huge miscarriage of justice," Guilford's parents said in a statement to the Lansing State Journal . "The acts of Frost in stopping, demanding identification, ordering Guilford from the car, arresting him as if he were a felon, tasing him and then killing him, were all separate and distinct illegal and unreasonable seizures under the Fourth Amendment," according to the complaint. The teen was driving his girlfriend's Ford Focus home from playing basketball at his church that night and had left his license at her house in nearby Mulliken, his family said. The Guilfords and their lawyers argue he and the other drivers who flashed their lights never should have been pulled over in the first place. "I don't understand how an innocent situation can escalate so much to end in the death of a harmless kid," Guilford's brother Aaron Guilford said in a statement to the State Journal. "Deven was listening to Frost's commands, he never swore or used any profane language. He was confused and he never received any respect in return." Prosecutors called Guilford's death a "tragedy" even as they announced they wouldn't charge Frost in June. Guilford, whose autopsy showed he had smoked marijuana hours earlier, can be seen calling his girlfriend on his phone in the video. Frost later said he grew worried the teen was part of a militia movement and calling in other members to the scene, according to Lloyd's report. The officer acted "in justifiable self-defense," Lloyd found. "While, in retrospect, both Deven and Sgt. Frost could have made different choices, ultimately this tragedy would not have occurred if Deven Guilford had not physically attacked Sgt. Frost," said the 19-page report released this summer by local prosecutors. Representatives for the sheriff's department and the county declined the State Journal's request for comment on the family's lawsuit. Follow on Twitter @tobysalkc ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE . [email protected]
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Mack Brown's name is popping up as a possible candidate for the head coaching job at South Carolina. Brown said he's open to talking with anyone who is interested. Is this a possibility?
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From a simple, sheer surround to an over-the-top lit à la polonaise, these canopy beds from the AD archive make a good night's sleep look more luxurious than ever From a simple, sheer surround to an over-the-top lit à la polonaise, these canopy beds from the AD archive make a good night's sleep look more luxurious than ever At Villa Bucciol, near Venice, Studio Peregalli outfitted a 17th-century iron four-poster with gauzy curtains. For her English manor home, designer Anouska Hempel conceived the Oriel Room's bed, which is wrapped in burlap, velvet, and rope cord. The master bedroom at Burley on the Hill in England features an 18th-century four-poster canopied with a Zoffany silk. A bedroom at Patrick Parsons's Irish castle is outfitted with a Gothic Revival furniture suite, reportedly made by the original homeowners' carpenters. A custom-made canopy stars in the master suite of a Southampton, New York, home designed by Mario Buatta. In the bedroom of a Shelter Island house, designer Russell Piccione dressed a Room & Board four-poster with Roberta Roller Rabbit linens. In Lorry Newhouse's Manhattan duplex, a canopy made from a Lee Jofa print adds Anglo-country glamour to the master suite, which is painted in a Benjamin Moore blue. In a California home, interior designer Miles Redd created a tailored canopy for the master bed. Hubert Zandberg designed the four-poster for this London master suite. Architect Benedikt Bolza designed a guest room's steel twin beds in his Umbria, Italy, home. At an Alison Spear renovated home in upstate New York, a neat canopy is created from a red-and-green check. For more than three decades, Marella Agnelli's husband, Gianni, slept in this grand room on the piano nobile; the 18th-century bed is curtained with embroidered fabric of the same period. A guest room at Castello di Santa Eurasia, an Italian castle furnished by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, features a canopy bed draped with emerald-green velvet. A bed by Anthony Lawrence-Belfair with a canopy and curtains of a Manuel Canovas silk stripe anchors the master suite of a New York City apartment. In the Burgundy château of French filmmaker Jean-Louis Remilleux, a bedroom is anchored by a late-18th-century lit à la polonaise once owned by Madame Roland, a noted political activist during the French Revolution.
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Unions have called on the government to take "urgent" action to save jobs in the British steel industry ahead of a crisis summit on Friday called following the closure of a major plant in northeast England. The meeting follows last month's announcement by Thai steelmaker Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) that it would cut 1,700 jobs and suspend production at its Redcar plant on Teesside. SSI blamed the decision on plunging steel prices on world markets. The summit in Rotherham, northern England, will be attended by ministers, business leaders and several major unions including steelworkers' union Community and Unite. "The summit must not be a talking shop," said Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary of Community. "There is a case for urgent, short-term action to help create a level playing field for UK steel producers. "The government scandalously missed opportunities to intervene and protect the industrial assets in Redcar, which has left a community devastated and taxpayers picking up a bill of hundreds of millions to clean the site," he added. Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said the steel industry was at "crisis point". "The clock is ticking. It's time for the government to stop washing its hands of the industry and intervene to support steel." Business Secretary Sajid Javid, who will be chairing the summit, said "this is a hugely difficult time for the steel industry across the world -- one of the toughest times ever. "There is no magic bullet and we can't change the price of steel, but we can forensically work through all of the challenges we know the industry is facing to see what solutions there might be." SSI bought the Redcar plant near the industrial town of Middlesbrough in 2011 from Indian-owned firm Corus for about $470 million (£304 million at current exchange rates).
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LAUSANNE, Switzerland Michel Platini lost England's support for his FIFA presidential bid on Friday, signaling the first crack in the European unity behind the Frenchman that UEFA had sought to portray. The English Football Association was one of the first federations to publicly endorse Platini's campaign in July and now becomes the first to distance itself from the UEFA president while he remains under investigation. Platini's 90-day FIFA suspension meant he was banned from the UEFA meeting on Thursday where his lawyer responded to concerns about the payment which sparked the ethics case and a Swiss criminal investigation. The English FA indicated on Friday that it had concerns about the explanation for Platini receiving 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) from FIFA in 2011. Platini says the money was unpaid additional salary from his job as Sepp Blatter's adviser between 1998 and 2002 which FIFA could not afford to pay at the time. But a written contract has not been produced for FIFA ethics investigators. "At the UEFA meeting on Thursday the FA learnt more information relating to the issues at the center of this case from Mr. Platini's lawyers," the FA said in a statement, adding that it could not discuss the specifics citing confidentiality. "As a result of learning this information, the FA Board has this morning concluded that it must suspend its support for Mr. Platini's candidature for the FIFA Presidency until the legal process has been concluded and the position is clear." That legal process could continue beyond the Feb. 26 election and the FA the world's oldest federation is preparing the ground to back a new candidate. Jordanian federation head Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, who the FA backed in the May presidential election, is running again. But Asian Football Confederation Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalif, who endorsed Platini's campaign in July, is now also considering submitting his candidacy before the Oct. 26 deadline. Given that Platini will be suspended at the time election integrity checks are conducted, it seems unlikely that the former France captain can be declared a candidate. Platini retained his backing home, with French federation president Noel Le Graet impressed by Platini's lawyer speech, which he said was delivered in a "serene atmosphere." "Michel received almost only compliments to just two or three little remarks, not much," Le Graet said. Platini has filed an appeal against his suspension with FIFA and the support he received on Thursday from UEFA's 54 members was only over his "right to a due process and a fair trial" rather than backing over the payment itself. The English FA stood by that UEFA statement, which said members hope the FIFA case can reach a conclusion by mid-November. But the Swiss attorney general is still also investigating the payment after both Blatter and Platini were interrogated last month. Blatter was suspended for 90 days along with Blatter by FIFA's ethics committee last Thursday. "The FA wishes Mr. Platini every success in fighting these charges and clearing his name, and has no interest in taking any action that jeopardizes this process," the FA said. The Danish federation will wait for the ethics process to conclude before deciding who to back in the election, with the Nordic associations set to discuss Platini's case at a meeting next month. "One shouldn't expect a decision then on whether we support him or not but I believe we will hold another meeting before FIFA's extraordinary meeting on Feb. 26, likely the day before," Danish federation chairman Jesper Moller told The Associated Press. The February election will be FIFA's second presidential vote in less than a year. The 79-year-old Blatter won a fifth term in May but announced his resignation plans four days later as the severity of the U.S. criminal investigations into FIFA officials magnified. IOC President Thomas Bach last week urged FIFA to consider a "credible external presidential candidate of high integrity" as Blatter's replacement, even though the current rules state that hopefuls must have played an active role in soccer for two of the past five years. Bach hopes his intervention will be discussed by FIFA at an emergency executive committee meeting on Tuesday. "I am sure they will study all the questions. They have been given an idea and now it's up to consider this," Bach said in Lausanne on Friday. ___ AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin in Paris and Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report. ___ Follow Rob Harris at www.twitter.com/RobHarris and www.facebook.com/RobHarrisReports
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Tech firm Audiam says songwriters such as pop-punk band A Day to Remember, pictured, are being underpaid by streaming services. Here's a look at the issue. Photo: Daniel Deslover/Zuma Press
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Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I was terrified of the school bus. That No Man's Land between the classroom and home was where I was sure to be called racial slurs and have kids make mock Chinese sounds and pull the corners of their eyes as I walked down the aisle looking for a seat. It was the 1970s in the Midwest. As an an Asian American girl, racial bullying was just a fact of life . I don't think I ever talked about it with my parents. They would have just told me to ignore them and concentrate on getting good grades. I wish I could say race-based bullying is a problem of the past, but unfortunately, that's not the case. My second-grader experienced the eye-pulling taunts, and many of my Asian American mom friends have told me their sons or daughters have been called racial slurs or teased because they look or speak differently. These aren't isolated cases. A recent study reveals that half of Asian American youths in New York City public schools reported racial harassment. And within our community, Sikh, Muslim, Micronesian, LGBT youth and kids with limited English skills are especially at risk. Kids are still coming to terms with their ethnic or religious identity, and they may resent their parents for the culture or skin color they've inherited from them. It's hard as a parent to know what to do when our kids are the targets of bullying because of their race, ethnicity or religion, especially if our own parents were immigrants and unsure of how to speak up or even how the American school system works. That's where the White House comes in. This October, for National Bullying Prevention Month, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Americans is launching the Act to Change campaign. With partners at the Sikh Coalition and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), the White House wants to give AAPI youth along with teachers and parents tools to address bullying. Even though I feel like I'm doing the right things by being aware of bullying and being involved in my sons' lives so I know what's going on at school and who they're friends with, I don't want to be the over-reactive Mama Bear. But I don't want to bury my head in the sand and ignore potential problems, either. One of the things I find most confusing is trying to figure out what constitutes bullying, as opposed to kids just being annoying. The federal government defines bullying as: "Unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems." Harjot Kaur, Community Development Manager at the Sikh Coalition, a group that's been at the forefront of fighting racial bullying, gives some examples. Classmates calling an Indian girl called "Rapunzel" for her very long hair might be benign, but names like "Bin Laden" or "curry head" certainly aren't. And don't assume your kids will tell you if they're being harassed at school. Remember, I never talked to my parents about what was going on. Kaur says that kids are still coming to terms with their ethnic or religious identity, and they may resent their parents for the culture or skin color they've inherited from them. A kid who's being bullied might show signs such as anxiousness, frustration or using their phone more or less. And if your child does talk to you, take it seriously. "Students go to parents when they feel they need a push to go report it," explains Kaur. "Because the parents will find out anyway." Even if you're not Asian, you can help raise awareness of this problem or help make your community welcoming to all kinds of people, such as befriending a parent who isn't familiar with American culture. And whatever your background, there's something we can all do: Speak up. As Kaur told me, "You cannot expect that other people are going to stand up." Visit the Act to Change website for more information about how you can prevent the bullying of Asian American and Pacific Islander youth. Follow us on Twitter.
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Is Oprah Winfrey giving Kanye West's 2020 White House bid a run for his money? Not so fast ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately, the talk show queen says that as long as she is black, she won't be running for President of the United States of America in this lifetime. Also, over the past few weeks, rumors have been swirling that Oprah is joining Donald Trump on the ticket, but the media mogul has other plans. Check out the video to get all the details.
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PALO ALTO, Calif. Here at Stanford, where football players read Harry Potter before kickoff and halftime shows are dedicated to Hollywood blockbusters and CrossFit, the most popular shirt on campus parodies, in loving fashion, the fixed demeanor on David Shaw's face. "Fifty Shades of Shaw," it reads, with certain emotions sadness, excitement, pride, boredom joined by his unchanged, unsmiling expression. In the shirt's defense, there's always been something stoic about Shaw, just as there's long been a static blueprint for the program at large: Stanford has remained traditional while others, particularly inside its own conference, strayed from a tried-and-true, old-school formula. Rivals zigged and zagged; the Cardinal's course has maintained a straight line. This has often been for better Stanford is 47-13 since Shaw's ascension to head coach in 2011 and, occasionally, for worse. September's loss at Northwestern triggered memories of recent regular-season missteps against perceived underdogs. It's easy to recall the Cardinal's doomed-to-fail fourth-down dive in a Rose Bowl loss to Michigan State in early 2013, a decision Shaw explained with frustratingly rational logic: We're Stanford. More so than any other championship-contending program in the country, Stanford doesn't deviate from a script. Stanford will win, Stanford will lose the former far more than the latter yet Stanford will be Stanford, offensively and defensively, as college football's version of a platinum-album rock band that never strays from its set list of greatest hits. "People panic all the time," Shaw said Thursday, after Stanford's 56-35 win against UCLA. "Whenever something doesn't happen, people panic. Coaches and players can't panic. We have won a lot of football games here playing the right way, playing smart football, playing good football, and it's hard for the outside world to understand it." Yet subtle change is afoot at Stanford, growth seen most clearly in the figure most crucial to the Cardinal's quest for the College Football Playoff: Shaw, who has evolved partially at his players' request into a coach more willing to display his emotions rather than rest behind his stoicism. "Last year I used to say to guys all the time, don't keep your passion for the team a secret and don't keep your passion for your teammates a secret," Shaw said. "That's probably the biggest area of growth for me, is to let the guys know that I'm into it, too, that I'm enjoying it too, that I can celebrate when they win or when they make a play as well." Fittingly, given how Thursday night's win against UCLA should vault Stanford back into the national conversation, this change has roots in last season's victory against the Bruins. Despite the Cardinal's three-possession lead, Shaw spent much of the second half pacing the sidelines, bothered, "antsy," senior defensive back Ronnie Harris said. Harris, a team captain and leader in an inexperienced secondary, approached Shaw. Just let it out, he said. "If you have just an outburst of passion, you don't know how much energy that gives to us," Harris said. "And he's answered the bell." Shaw has "more pep in his step," Harris added. "He's emotional," said running back Christian McCaffrey. Shaw is "bringing the juice," said cornerback Alijah Holder. "We feed off the energy," wide receiver Francis Owusu said. The players have seen a different coach at practice, at film study, during pregame speeches and halftime adjustments, even as the message We are Stanford has remained constant. Shaw hasn't necessarily changed his personality, nor have the Cardinal changed as a team, exactly; Shaw has merely tweaked his approach to suit the need, with the end result that Stanford's playing with a higher energy level and playing at a higher level, period. "Really, football is an emotional game, and it's a shame to let the emotion out of it," McCaffrey said. "This year we definitely focused on playing our game and having fun with our brothers. I love coming to practice every day and just feel blessed that we get to show our emotion." The Cardinal have won four in a row to open Pac-12 Conference play for the first time since 2011. The offense has scored 40 or more points in each of the last four games, rolling at a clip unseen in the post-Andrew Luck era; Stanford is one of just 10 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision to score 40 or more points four times. Stanford has topped 50 points in each of the past two games, a first since 2011. Each of its five wins have come by a double-digit margin. The scheme hasn't changed on offense, but the production has. Last year's team was woefully inconsistent through much of the regular season, only finding a rhythm upon installing pieces of an up-tempo formula in November. After struggling against Northwestern scoring just six points, placing Shaw's play-calling under increased scrutiny the offense has taken shape behind McCaffrey, a do-everything sophomore who has rushed headlong into the Heisman Trophy conversation. McCaffrey broke the program's single-game rushing mark with 243 yards against the Bruins, highlighted by a 70-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and accounted for 369 all-purpose yards, just shy of school record. There are many great running backs in college football, with two in particular LSU's Leonard Fournette and Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott at the forefront of the Heisman race. No back, and perhaps no player in the country, can match McCaffrey's three-phase impact, whether as a runner, receiver or returner. "They heard all the things that were said on the offensive side, that we couldn't be a Stanford offense because we didn't have a big back," Shaw said. "We've got a big back in a little body. He's just an outstanding football player and he's just a sophomore." Said quarterback Kevin Hogan, "I wouldn't even call him a running back. He's just an incredible football player. He does everything; he does it well." But McCaffrey's surge fits into the greater message. The offense hasn't changed, but the production has: Stanford is more explosive using the same playbook, more consistent and more dangerous within the existing scheme. Shaw is still even-keeled, merely more willing to show his passion and energy pumping his fist on a fourth-down stop, shaking his head, smiling in disbelief after Owusu's over-the-back touchdown grab in the second half. And Stanford is still Stanford, only energized by the evolution of a coach confident enough in his message to alter his approach. "He's getting us way more ready for these games just by his passion," Harris said. "He's just being himself out there, he's having fun, he's backing up his boys now. We just see him more relaxed. You see him happier. And our team is feeding off that."
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Emergency teams rescued 14 people from a section of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles late Thursday after flash floods unleashed mudslides that stranded hundreds of vehicles and forced many drivers to scramble to the roof tops of their cars. Up to five feet of mud covered some parts of the northbound lane of the freeway 75 miles north of L.A., around Fort Tejon State Park. Hundreds of vehicles remained stuck in the mud as of Friday morning, the Associated Press reported. More than 45 miles of I-5 is closed from Santa Clarita to north of Fort Tejon State Park, according to the California Department of Transportation. "Boulders were just coming down the mountain and we were just like, 'We can't see' and it was just really crazy," said Gabby Vasquez, who was among those stranded, KABC-TV reports . Mud also surrounded homes in the Elizabeth Lake area, the Los Angeles Times reports . Emergency teams used a helicopter to rescue two people trapped in an SUV partially submerged in rushing water. State Route 58 in Kern County was closed near Mojave, Calif., about 95 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. In a statement, the California Department of Transportation said it expected the State Route 58 shutdown would be "a long term closure" and advised motorists to seek alternative routes. Golf ball-sized hail was reported around parts of Palmdale, where rain fell at the rate of six inches per hour and winds gusted up to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service. A second highway was closed Thursday night following a separate mudslide. And a number of secondary roads were left impassable from mud and some residents were trapped in their homes. Cleanup by Los Angeles emergency crews using excavators and trucks is expected to take much of Friday, with the section of the highway likely expected to be closed until mid-afternoon. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said it rescued 14 people also pulled eight animals to safety. Capt. Keith Mora of the LAFD said the agency rescued four people and two dogs from atop one car. Many more were able to walk to safety after waiting out the flood on top of their own vehicles, he said, according to the Associated Press. As much as 1.45 inches of rain fell in a short period of time around 3 p.m. in the area of the most intense flood. One of the most extreme rainfall reports came from a weather station southwest of Lancaster, Calif., which tallied 2.99 inches of rain in just 30 minutes Thursday afternoon, the Weather Channel reported. More thunderstorms are expected later Friday, potentially across already hit areas of southern California. The National Weather Service warned that more flash floods were possible. Flash flood watches have been posted by the weather service for much of southern California, southern Utah, northern Arizona, and southern Nevada.
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J.J. Watt is a super human on and off the football field. The Houston Texans defensive end and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is a terror for opposing quarterbacks, but he also has a tremendous heart. Watt recently visited a Houston-area hospital to hang out with and sign autographs for kids. Since it's close to Halloween, Watt dressed up as Batman. As you might imagine, football and super heroes is a great mix for kids. The full feature will be shown on Sunday morning's edition of "The Today Show" on NBC. Click on the link in the tweet below to watch a preview. @JJWatt is… BATMAN @TODAYshow @TexasChildrens @DCComics #TexansCare WATCH: http://t.co/N9FSRGUT2A pic.twitter.com/kI2CWbdzsE Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 16, 2015
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Rafael Nadal's renaissance took a big step forward on Friday as he whipped a flagging Stan Wawrinka for the loss of just three games to reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals. Nadal beat the world number four 6-2, 6-1 to bring up his first win over a top-five player in more than a year and extend a hot streak after he also reached last week's China Open final. Spain's Nadal was on court for just 64 minutes against Wawrinka, who admitted he was feeling the effects of his marathon three-setter against Marin Cilic late the previous night. The French Open champion made 34 unforced errors and was on target with just 45 percent of his first serves. AFP
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What are the top college football games to watch in Week 7? Our guys take a look at the matchups and weigh in on their top games to keep an eye on.
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Eliminate these small expenses to gain a lot more wiggle room in your budget. Simple Ways to Cut Your Spending It might not seem worth it to go to the trouble to eliminate small expenses from your budget. After all, how much of a hit could your bank account really be taking if you spend a few dollars here and there? A big hit, actually. Just cutting $5 a day from your daily spending could save you $1,825 a year. Then, if you were to set aside those savings each year for 30 years, you'd have more than $180,000, assuming a 7 percent annual return. Click ahead for 15 ways you could easily save several dollars a day. The actual amount you can save will depend on your spending habits, but these examples show that it is possible to find an extra $5 in your budget daily. 1. Stop Getting Breakfast on the Go Brown bagging your lunch can help avoid blowing several dollars a day on fast food or restaurant meals. But a growing number of consumers are seeking convenience for the first meal of the day, said Kendal Perez, a money-saving expert with Coupon Sherpa . Visits to restaurants grew 5 percent from June 2014 to June 2015, according The NPD Group, a research company. Considering that the average cost of a restaurant breakfast is about $5, according to a CBS News report, you'll save by eating at home or creating a stockpile of breakfast items at work. Perez recommended storing low-cost items such as bread, peanut butter, granola bars or even frozen breakfast sandwiches at the office so you won't be tempted to buy a pricey breakfast on your way to work. 2. Adjust Your Tax Withholding If you usually get a big tax refund, you could easily save more than $5 a day by adjusting your tax withholding . That refund means you're letting Uncle Sam hang onto too much from your paycheck each month. File a new W-4 form with your employer to claim more allowances the more you claim, the less tax that is withheld. IRS.gov has a withholding calculator you can use to figure out how many allowances to claim. If you received the average refund of $2,700, you could get an extra $225 in your paycheck each month or about $7 a day by adjusting your withholding. 3. Skip Sodas If you dine out for lunch or dinner, you can lower the cost of those meals by ordering water instead of soda. At a fast-food joint or restaurant, you'll pay $1 to $2 (or more) for a soda. If you order a soft drink at both lunch and dinner, you could easily approach the $5 mark. Cutting out sodas at home as well and opting for water instead also could help you save money. A 12-pack of brand-name soda costs about $5. If you currently drink two cans a day and go through five 12-packs a month, you could save another $25 a month by eliminating your soda habit. 4. Use Discounted Gift Cards You can save money on everyday purchases using discounted gift cards for retailers you frequent. Websites such as CardCash.com, GiftCards.com and Raise.com sell gift cards for hundreds of national retailers for less than face value because they buy them at a discount from consumers who don't want them. For example, GOBankingRates recently found a CVS gift card with a face value of $40.85 selling for $34.72 at CardCash.com an instant savings of more than $6. So, if you stock up on discounted gift cards for drugstores, gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets and other stores, you easily could save $5 a day on your purchases. 5. Take Advantage of Supermarket Sales One of the best ways to lower your grocery bill is to stock up on items that are nonperishable or can be frozen when they are on sale rather than buying just what you need for the week. "When shoppers buy only their weekly needs, they are forced to pay full price for 50 percent to 80 percent of what goes in their cart," said Teri Gault, founder and CEO of TheGroceryGame.com . Once you have a stockpile, you can plan weekly meals around what you have and around perishable items that are on sale at the supermarket. Gault said that TheGroceryGame.com members report average savings of $523 a month for a family of four by stockpiling sale items and using coupons. That amounts to about $17 a day in savings. 6. Find Coupons for Retail Purchases Clipping coupons can help you save at the supermarket. But you can use coupons to save on plenty of other everyday purchases and you don't have to clip them. Mobile apps such as CouponSherpa and RetailMeNot make it easy to find coupon codes for a variety of items and services when you're out shopping. Simply search for a retailer, and if it is offering a coupon, you can show the barcode on your mobile device at the checkout to get a discount. Perez said there recently were coupons available on the Coupon Sherpa app for $5 savings at Shoe Carnival, $8 off a full-service oil change from Oil Can Henry's and 20 percent ($8) off a $40 purchase at children's retailer Carter's, for example. 7. Look for Free or Low-Cost Entertainment You might be surprised at how much you're paying for entertainment. The average household spends $2,482 annually on fees and admission, toys, and other entertainment supplies, according to the most recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's nearly $7 a day. There are plenty of ways to cut entertainment costs. Take hikes in nearby parks rather than paying to go to an amusement park. Visit museums on free admission nights. Invite friends over to watch a movie rather than going to the theater or take advantage of free lectures at the public library or a nearby university. Look for activities available in your area that appeal to you and your family. 8. Stop Buying Bottled Water The average cost of one bottle of water is $1.45, according to Statistic Brain Research Institute. If you or your family members drink several bottles a day, you could easily be blowing $5 a day on water that you could get for a fraction of the cost from the tap. In fact, bottled water costs 240 to 10,000 times more per gallon of tap water, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. 9. Avoid ATM Fees If you've made it a habit to withdraw cash from the nearest ATM rather than one in your bank's network, you're paying a lot for convenience about $4.50 in fees each time, according to CNN Money. To avoid getting charged to access your own money if you're not near your bank's ATM, withdraw cash fee-free during your next grocery store visit, Perez said. 10. Eliminate Cable TV With so many free and inexpensive ways to watch TV shows and movies, there's no need to pay for pricey cable TV. The average TV bill is $123 a month, according to The NPD Group, so cutting the cord can save you about $4 a day. You can watch dozens of movies and previously aired TV shows for free on Hulu.com and Crackle.com, which also offer their own original series. The major networks, such as ABC, CBS and NBC also let you watch some of their shows for free on their websites. And you can take advantage of your public library to borrow DVDs for free. 11. Walk More, Drive Less Being willing to walk or take public transportation can save you some serious cash depending on your driving habits and gas prices where your live, said Stephen Rischall co-founder of 1080 Financial Group . The savings could add up to $5 a day, he said. Or, you could save even more by ditching your car entirely. According to AAA, the annual cost of owning and operating a vehicle is $8,698 nearly $24 a day. 12. Make Coffee at Home If you buy a 16-ounce cup of coffee at the coffee shop each day for about $2, it might not seem like you're spending a lot. But it costs only about 8 cents to brew the same size cup at home, according to USAToday.com's coffee cost calculator. If you typically buy several cups of Joe or pricier coffee drinks such as cappuccinos or lattes at the coffee shop, then switching to home-brewed coffee could easily save you $5 per day. 13. Cut Credit Card Payments With a Balance Transfer If you carry a balance on a credit card with a high interest rate, you could lower the amount you pay each month by taking advantage of a 0 percent balance transfer offer. Based on calculations by financial education site MagnifyMoney.com, if you transferred a $10,000 balance from a card with a 20% APR to one with a 0% APR, you would avoid paying nearly $1,900 in interest over the course of a year, or about $5 a day. You'll need a credit score of at least 680 to qualify for balance-transfer offers, according to MagnifyMoney.com. To see how much you can save, try the CreditCards.com balance transfer calculator. 14. Refinance Your Mortgage If the value of your home has risen since you bought it and interest rates have dropped since you locked in your mortgage rate, you might be able to lower your monthly mortgage payment by refinancing. Some 3 million homeowners could save at least $200 a month by refinancing their mortgages at today's rates, and about 500,000 could save $500 or more each month, Black Knight Financial Services told the M Report. That averages out to about $7 to $17 a day. Refinance calculators such as those offered by Mortgage Professor and HSH.com can help you determine whether you can benefit from refinancing. 15. Actually Save $5 a Day To help her clients save money, Certified Financial Planner Ilene Davis said she tells them to stash $5 a day into an empty soda bottle. This practice guarantees that they're actually saving that amount daily. If you don't have the discipline to do this on your own, a free service such as Digit can help. You link your checking account to the service, and then it analyzes your income and spending to determine a small amount that it can move every few days into a savings account for you. Whether you're saving actively or passively, the money will add up.
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NEW YORK ( TheStreet ) -- It may be tempting to write off Bill Gross's lawsuit against his former firm, PIMCO , as a billionaire seeking to get richer, but the lawsuit contains a real life lesson for employees of more modest means: Read before you sign. Gross's case "is another classic example for why it is exceedingly important for both parties -- the employer and employee -- to have detailed, written employment contracts or plan documents that sets forth who is entitled to what amount of benefits," said Robert Fields, a New York-based attorney who specializes in employee benefits and executive compensation. "Unless you have everything -- all these factors -- written down in detail and signed by both parties, you're setting yourself up for a lot of heartache," Fields said. Last week, Bill Gross sued his former employer on several claims valued at hundreds of millions of dollars each. He alleges that managers at PIMCO plotted to drive him out of the company he co-founded in 1971 in a manner that would allow them to divvy his bonus payments among themselves. The dollar amount is large and the headlines huge, but the case has implications for regular employees much smaller incentive-compensation arrangements -- from bonuses to stock awards -- and get fired or resign for another position. "Bill Gross's situation is different because he has resources, but most employees in this situation would find themselves waging war against an entity that is much better equipped," said Thomas Greene, a partner specializing in executive compensation at Holland & Knight in Boston. Gross left PIMCO on Sept. 26, 2014, just days before the end of the third quarter -- one of the four periods each year in which bonuses were paid -- and announced he was going to Janus Capital . Typically, bonuses were larger near the end of the year. Although tensions among the higher ranks at PIMCO had been widely reported, Gross' departure was somewhat of a surprise, as his name was synonymous with PIMCO. In addition to co-founding the business, Gross also managed the firm's Total Return Fund, which at the time was the world's largest and a mainstay in many people's 401(k) plans. "One of the sub-issues with this particular situation is, 'What was the nature of the departure and how does that affect the overall interpretation of the plan?'" Greene said. The difference between being fired for cause and being laid off might affect the financial outcome for employees. In his complaint, Gross details months of infighting at PIMCO in which he had conversations about what his role and compensation would be, only to have those agreements negated later. When Gross exited the company, he believed that he was still entitled to at least some of his third-quarter bonus as "PIMCO's usual custom and practice was to pay departing employees an appropriate share for partially completed quarters," he said in the complaint. Gross submitted a copy of PIMCO's profit sharing plan as evidence. Like most contracts, it is heavy on the legalese, which can make even the most intelligent employees want to consult a legal dictionary -- or lawyer: "Upon the Termination of Employment of a Participant, unless otherwise provided in his or her employment agreement, if any, his or her participation in the Plan shall be terminated, except with respect to the Profit Sharing payable (i) with respect to the Coverered Quarter preceding his or her Termination of Employment and (ii) with respect to a Termination of Employment due to death or permanent disability, with respect to the partial Covered Quarter in which such Termination of Employment due to death or permanent disability occurs." Few people -- even the most seasoned executives -- could make it through that section absolutely certain of what they would be entitled to upon leaving a company. Further complicating matters is that the section also addresses compensation arrangements outside of that particular plan. For many executives, it's not uncommon for compensation to include a mix of long- and short-term incentive plans that may be paid in cash, stock, or fringe benefits. Making sure the plans work together -- or at least don't present ambiguities -- is crucial. "You have to make sure that the terms of any contract either coincide with the plan or specifically set forth provisions that are specifically stated that they supersede the plan," Fields said. New employees may find it difficult to bring up such conversations when they are negotiating compensation, partly because they don't want to talk themselves out of a job and partly because relationships are generally more positive in the beginning. "It's great to have that trust but you need to verify everything through documentation," said Greene, the Holland & Knight attorney. "These issues never come up when things are great; they always come up when things are kind of spoiled." For employees who find themselves signing compensation agreements, Greene urges clearing up uncertainties to ensure a "surgical" departure where benefits are paid on schedule. "Hope for the best, but anticipate the worst in the documents and work to make things clear," he said.
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Prince William opened up about the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, in an emotional speech on Thursday night. The Duke of Cambridge spoke at the 21st anniversary of the charity Child Bereavement U.K., a charity which Princess Diana helped launch in 1994, three years before she died in a car accident in 1997. "My mother was determined to help those in need and she would have been immensely proud as I am of all that Child Bereavement U.K. has achieved these last 21 years," Prince William said from the podium. "15 years later, I was honored to be invited to become patron of Child Bereavement U.K. to continue my mother's commitment to a charity which is very dear to me." The charity is run by Julia Samuel, a friend of the late Princess Diana and godmother to 2-year-old Prince George. It assists U.K. families and children dealing with the loss of a parent and also terminally ill children. "What my mother recognized back then and what I understand now is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure," he continued. "As a father to two young children myself, I now appreciate it all the more." Tonight The Duke said "21 years ago last month, my mother attended the launch of the Child Bereavement Charity" pic.twitter.com/Mcn3ruUrG0 Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 15, 2015
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The sun has sprung a leak: A hole in the topmost layer of the sun and its magnetic field, the size of 50 Earths, is letting loose an ultrafast solar wind that has kicked off several nights of auroras down on Earth. A new image, from NASA's orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory, reveals the enormous hole as it was Oct. 10, taken at an ultraviolet wavelength unseen by the human eye. To an ordinary observer, the gaping hole would be invisible, though you should NEVER stare at the sun because serious eye damage can result. The gap in the sun's magnetic field lets out a stream of particles traveling at up to 500 miles (800 kilometers) per second, kindling a days-long geomagnetic storm upon hitting Earth. [ Biggest Solar Storms of 2015 in Photos ] Coronal holes, like the one that materialized last week, normally form over the sun's poles and lower latitudes, more often when the sun is at a less active point in its 11-year cycle. They are areas within the sun's outermost layer , called its corona, which are lower-density and cooler that, plus the weakened magnetic field, lets the plasma and charged particles that make up the corona stream out more easily in a solar wind. If aimed toward Earth, that spells the makings of a geomagnetic storm: a phenomenon that can affect power and navigation for satellites orbiting the Earth as well as radio communication. Another side effect of a geomagnetic storm is enhanced northern lights: the glowing auroras that often form in the night sky over the northernmost reaches of the planet grow much brighter and can even extend much farther south than usual. (Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's [NOAA] Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, initially predicted auroras to be visible as far down as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon, although they didn't ultimately appear quite so low.) Geomagnetic storms and auroras can also be caused by other sun phenomena, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which both blast the corona's material outward because of increased magnetic activity. As the coronal hole continues its slow march westward on the sun's surface (to the right, from Earth's perspective), solar winds will stay strong, NOAA officials said in a statement , which may lead to additional minor geomagnetic storming. Thus, bright auroras will likely continue at least around the Arctic Circle. Email Sarah Lewin at [email protected] or follow her @SarahExplains . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com .
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On Monday Canadians go to the polls to select a new Prime Minister. Here's what you need to know.
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Nestle said Friday that laboratory tests ordered by an Indian court had found its popular Maggi noodles were safe to eat, paving the way for their return following a government ban. India's food safety watchdog banned the noodles in June, saying lead levels exceeded statutory limits. But the Bombay High Court, the highest judicial body in the western city now known as Mumbai, overturned the ruling two months later and ordered fresh tests. "All the 90 samples, covering six variants, tested by these laboratories are clear with lead much below the permissible limits," the Swiss food giant's Indian unit said in a statement. Nestle India, which has continued to sell the product in other countries, added that it hoped to return the brand to Indian stores as soon as possible, saying it had "always maintained that Maggi noodles were safe". "In compliance with the orders of the Hon'ble Bombay High Court, we will now commence manufacture and will start selling only after the newly manufactured products are also cleared by the designated three laboratories," the statement read. "We are committed to reintroduce our beloved Maggi noodles at the earliest," it added. Shares in Nestle India shares rose almost eight percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange following the news. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India imposed a nationwide ban on Maggi noodles after inspectors found excessive levels of lead, as well as traces of flavour enhancer MSG (monosodium glutamate). It criticised the company for failing to include MSG in the list of ingredients. Nestle has said it does not use MSG in its Maggi products sold in India, but that glutamate is a naturally occurring substance and may be present in some of the ingredients. In August, the court in Mumbai called the ban "arbitrary" and said it violated the "principles of national justice". Nestle's Indian arm has estimated that its run-in with Indian regulators will cost them 3.2 billion rupees ($50 million). Nestle had sold the product for over three decades in India, and had 80 percent of the country's instant noodle market before the ban.
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Is your weight-loss supplement going to send you to the emergency room? It could be, according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. In this study, researchers from federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, estimated that 23,000 trips to a hospital emergency room annually are due to folks taking dietary supplements. The researchers reviewed 10 years of data obtained from more than 60 hospitals, which comprised a nationally represented sampling of emergency departments in the United States. While some of the visits were due to the unsupervised swallowing of the supplements by children and choking issues by older adults, the biggest culprit in landing these folks in the ER was the use of weight-loss products. The most common adverse effect that consumers of these products experienced were heart issues, such as palpitations, chest pains and a rapid heartbeat. If that isn't scary enough, the majority of these folks on the ER gurney were young adults, age 22 to 34 years old. According to the Federal Trade Commission's website, "FDA has discovered hundreds of dietary supplements containing drugs or other chemicals, often in products for weight loss and bodybuilding. These extras generally aren't listed on the label and might even be sold with false and misleading claims like 100 percent natural and safe." The FTC warns against falling prey for these seven weight-loss gimmicks that sound too good to be true: Lose weight without diet or exercise! Nothing in life is free. Pass on any product that promises miraculous results with little effort on your part. Lose weight no matter how much you eat of your favorite foods! When was the last time you were ever able to eat unlimited amounts of high-calorie foods and lose weight? When it comes to losing weight, you can't have your cake and eat it, too. Lose weight permanently! Never diet again! Weight loss is never permanent if you regress back to your unhealthy eating habits and couch-potato lifestyle. If there isn't a discussion of long-term lifestyle changes, you are being duped. Just take a pill! There isn't a magic pill that will let you off the hook if you don't also reduce your calorie intake and get off the couch. Lose 30 pounds in 30 days! If the advertisement guarantees speedy results, it's guaranteed to be a fad diet that is likely to be untrue, unhealthy and unsafe. Losing weight at the rate of a pound or less weekly is the safest and most realistic rate that you should expect. Lose weight with our miracle diet patch or cream! There isn't a patch or cream on this earth that you can apply topically that will melt fat away on or in your body. Everybody will lose weight! There isn't one perfect weight-loss diet . Rather, you should meet with a registered dietitian nutritionist for a personalized, individually tailored weight-loss plan that is based on science and designed to meet your health and lifestyle needs. Depending on your medical history, the costs may even be covered by your insurance company. (Check with your insurance policy to see if this service is covered.) Don't let your battle of the bulge land you in your local ER. Recognize that losing weight is a good goal for many of us, but the use of a dietary supplement cannot safely get you there by itself. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report
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Colleges cannot hand out an unlimited number of scholarships, but former Florida head coach Will Muschamp regrets not extending one to now-Kentucky receiver Garrett Johnson. Muschamp, who is now the defensive coordinator at Auburn, approached Johnson following Thursday night's clash between the programs and acknowledged the mistake made two years ago. J.T. Beisner of KSTV shared the video of the moment when Muschamp told the sophomore wideout, "I screwed up. I'm a dumb[butt]. You're a [heckuva] player." Will Muschamp to Garrett Johnson, who never received a scholarship offer from the coach at Florida: pic.twitter.com/zncIWMxVKG T.J. Beisner (@Beisner_cn2) October 16, 2015 Johnson attended high school at West Orange, which is near Orlando and less than 100 miles from Gainesville. Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel notes Johnson was a life-long Florida fan , but when Muschamp and the coaching staff didn't offer a scholarship, Johnson "was miffed" and committed to Kentucky instead. Listed at 5'9″ and 160 pounds as a recruit, he certainly wasn't the prototypical size for a receiver at a big-time program. Nevertheless, Johnson has already proved Muschamp wrong in person twice. On Thursday, Johnson set career-high marks with nine receptions and 160 yards, eclipsing previous bests of six catches and 154 yards. Yes, he torched Muschamp and Florida for those numbers last season, during a game Johnson also caught two touchdowns. Credit Muschamp for the gesture, because Johnson must've felt a strong sense of satisfaction after the encounter.
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WASHINGTON (AP) A special Republican-led House panel questioned a longtime aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton about the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, despite Democrats' insistence that Huma Abedin had little knowledge about details of the terror strikes. Abedin, committee staff and a few lawmakers met behind closed doors for several hours Friday at a session focused on the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, is scheduled to appear before the panel on Thursday in a widely anticipated public hearing. The decision to question Abedin angered the panel's top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, and the Clinton campaign. "She had no policy responsibilities, no operational responsibilities and was not with Secretary Clinton on the night of this phenomenal tragedy," Cummings told reporters after breaking away momentarily from the day's proceedings. Abedin is vice chairwoman of Clinton's campaign and was a top State Department aide when Clinton served as secretary of state. She also worked in Clinton's Senate office. In a statement, the campaign suggested that calling Abedin as a witness was a fresh sign of the panel's partisanship. "The committee's focus on Huma (as opposed to numerous intelligence and defense community officials still outstanding) is additional evidence that the actual attack in Benghazi, and its lessons about how we might better protect diplomats serving in dangerous places, are the last things on the committee's mind," said Nick Merrill, a campaign spokesman, in a statement. Republicans have defended the panel's investigation as the committee comes under intense scrutiny after two House Republicans described its work as partisan and aimed at hurting Clinton's presidential bid, a characterization the panel's chairman rejects. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., took the unusual step on Thursday of chiding a fellow Republican, who said the investigation was designed in part "to go after" Clinton. Gowdy said the comments by Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., were "unfortunate" and misinformed. Hanna is not a committee member. A former Republican staffer also has criticized its work as solely focused on Clinton while describing a less-than-professional atmosphere, with an informal wine club nicknamed "Wine Wednesdays," and several Republican staff members spending time forming a gun-buying club. Gowdy has dismissed those criticisms as coming from a disgruntled employee who was fired. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said late last month that the Benghazi panel could take credit for Clinton's recent drop in public opinion polls. He later retracted the comment. Democrats, who have complained about the $4.5 million, 17-month probe, have seized on McCarthy's comments. "When you have the No. 2 person in the Republican Party ... to tell you this is all about a taxpayer-funded political effort to derail the campaign of Hillary Clinton, ladies and gentlemen, that is a problem," Cummings told reporters. An official who was not authorized to speak about the proceedings and spoke on condition of anonymity said Abedin would likely not be questioned about her employment status at the State Department or her work for the Clinton Foundation or a consulting firm with ties to former President Bill Clinton. Congressional Republicans have said Abedin may have skirted ethics guidelines in her 2012 work as a special adviser for Hillary Clinton while she also worked for Teneo Holdings, a consulting firm co-founded by Douglas Band, a former aide to President Clinton. Abedin also reportedly worked during that period for the Clinton Foundation, a global charity that works with businesses, governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals. The Benghazi panel interviewed two other top Clinton aides, Cheryl Mills and Jake Sullivan, last month. Gowdy did not attend Friday's session in which committee staff and attorneys questioned Abedin. Republican Reps. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia and Mike Pompeo of Kansas did attend the meeting, as did Cummings. Asked about Gowdy's absence, spokesman Jamal Ware said, "no particular reason," and later added that the chairman discusses the questions with staff in advance and trusts his colleagues to pursue them. ___ Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC.
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There's a redesign coming soon for the Google Play store, if images posted by one Google software engineer are to be believed. Kirill Grouchnikov, who has worked on the app for almost six years and is moving on to another team in the company, uploaded the pictures above and below to his Google+ account. It doesn't look like a total overhaul of the Play store's design, but it's certainly fresher, with smooth animations and a new layout. The store looks like it will be divided into two main sections: Apps & Games and Entertainment. (This would replace the six categories of the current Play store: Apps, Games, Movies & TV, Music, Books, and Newsstand.) There's also, apparently, support for languages that read from right-to-left coming, with Grouchnikov uploading images of the Play store in Hebrew. New animations sliding from section to section. ( Kirill Grouchnikov ) Elastic scrolling in the redesign. ( Kirill Grouchnikov ) We're not sure when Android users can expect to get their hands on the new design, but they probably won't have to wait long judging by Grouchnikov's use of the #soon hashtag. (But then again, he also uses the #uhhnggngyeh hashtag repeatedly, and who knows what that means when it comes to update schedules.) You can check out the images below, with the first showing the evolution of the Play store (previously the Android Market) over the years, and the second revealing what Grouchnikov describes as a one-time intro screen.
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A fashion model who criticised her former agency in an open letter for allegedly telling her to lose weight has said she intends to continue working in the industry, but on her own terms. Charli Howard made headlines around the world after posting on Facebook : "Here's a big FUCK YOU to my (now ex) model agency, for saying that at 5'8" tall and a UK size 6-8 (naturally), I'm 'too big' and 'out of shape' to work in the fashion industry." The south Londoner's retaliation against what she termed the fashion world's "unobtainable" beauty standards was reported on from as far afield as Israel, New Zealand and America. Since posting, Howard said she had been "blown away by the support" she had received. However, not all responses had been supportive, with one suggesting there may be more to the story. Replying to the original post on Facebook, Annette-Marie Kjean, head of women at Wilhelmina London, an agency which has represented Howard, wrote: "You have chosen a very public forum to air your feelings. "In fairness you should be obliged to tell the whole truth of our experience representing you as a model. You are quick to fat shame the women in the office yet you claim that this is the precise reason why you feel hurt. "Perhaps now is a good time to reflect upon the facts of how and why we truly decided to end our management relationship with you ... Remember that you left us once for another agency and then came back a second time asking to be with us again and we welcomed you back. You left that part out. "After many years of trying our best with you, it is unfortunate that you still refuse to see the facts and choose to only share your opinions, much to the disservice of anyone reading your post." It is unclear whether Wilhelmina was the agency to which Howard was referring in her Facebook post. A woman who answered the phone at the agency on Friday morning would give no comment on the letter or Kjean's riposte. Howard, who is 23 and has been modelling since the age of 17, published her open letter on Tuesday evening. She wrote: "I will no longer allow you to dictate to me what's wrong with my looks and what I need to change in order to be "beautiful" (like losing one fucking inch off my hips), in the hope it might force you to find me work. "I refuse to feel ashamed and upset on a daily basis for not meeting your ridiculous, unobtainable beauty standards, whilst you sit at a desk all day, shovelling cakes and biscuits down your throats and slagging me and my friends off about our appearance. The more you force us to lose weight and be small, the more designers have to make clothes to fit our sizes, and the more young girls are being made ill. It's no longer an image I choose to represent. "In case you hadn't realised, I am a woman. I am human. I cannot miraculously shave my hip bones down, just to fit into a sample size piece of clothing or to meet 'agency standards'. I have fought nature for a long time, because you've deemed my body shape too 'curvaceous', but I have recently began to love my shape. I don't have big boobs, but my bum is OK plus, a large majority of my clients are OK with this. "And anyway, let's face the facts: when I was seven and a half stone, I still wasn't thin enough for you. When I went to the gym five hours a week, you still weren't finding me work. I can't win. "Ironically, I do love modelling the people I've met, the places I've visited and I am proud of the jobs I've done. I will continue to do it, but only on my terms. My mental and physical health is of more importance than a number on a scale, however much you wish to emphasise this. "Until (and if) an agency wishes to represent me for myself, my body and the WOMAN I've become, give me a call. Until then, I'm off to Nandos." Amid the uproar caused by the post, Howard said her only regret was that she hadn't done it sooner. In a blog for the Huffington post , she wrote: "I can't help but feel ashamed for not being brave enough to stand up to my agency and for my body shape earlier (best described as a 'pear'). "There's no doubt about it modelling itself is fun, hence why I said I'll continue to do it on my own terms. But it is not a career."
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A Romanian zoo shut its doors for good, and left behind five lions to die in their cages. But thanks to rescue workers, they'll all get a second chance at life. Sean Dowling (@seandowlingtv) has more.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned violence in Afghanistan could spill over into ex-Soviet Central Asia, a day after the US announced it would keep thousands of troops in the conflict-wracked country. At a meeting in Kazakhstan, Putin and the leaders of ex-Soviet states agreed to create a joint task force to defend the region's borders in the event of a crisis. The deal could pave the way for the deployment of Russian and other troops along unstable Tajikistan's 1300-kilometre (808-mile) frontier with Afghanistan. "The situation there (in Afghanistan) is genuinely close to critical," Putin told the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). "Terrorists of different stripes are gaining more influence and do not hide their plans for further expansion," he said in Burabay, a popular tourist destination around 250 kilometres north of the capital Astana. "One of their aims is to break into the Central Asian region," Putin said of the radical groups. "It is important for us to be ready to react in concert to this scenario." US President Barack Obama on Thursday said American troops would remain in Afghanistan past 2016, retreating from a major campaign pledge as he admitted Afghan forces were not ready to stand alone against the resurgent Taliban. Russia has military bases in the ex-Soviet nations of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and -- with local militaries ill-equipped -- many in the region look to Moscow to shore up the region's vulnerable southern frontier with Afghanistan. Tajikistan's porous border with the conflict-torn country is of particular concern given the surge in fighting between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Instability in Afghanistan's north, highlighted by the Taliban's brief capture of the strategic city of Kunduz last month, has spurred talk that Russian troops could step in to secure the border. Tajik political analyst Abdugani Mamadazimov, however, said that it is unlikely that the Kremlin will take over guarding the frontiers. "For Russia to have a base in the country is one thing. But the border is a matter of national sovereignty for the Tajik government," he told AFP. - Focus on Syria - While Russia is warily eyeing the upsurge in fighting in Afghanistan, its main focus remains on Syria, where it is carrying out a bombing campaign to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Putin praised the more than two-week-old air campaign, saying that Russia's strikes had "destroyed dozens of command posts, munitions depots, hundreds of terrorists and a large amount of military hardware". Russia, he insisted, was only targeting "terrorists" in Syria and there was "a time limit" on the air campaign linked to a ground offensive by Assad's forces. He added that "according to various estimates" there were between 5,000 to 7,000 people from Russia and the former Soviet countries of the CIS fighting with IS. The US and its allies in a coalition targeting Islamic State jihadists have slammed Moscow's intervention in Syria and say Russia is hitting moderate groups battling Assad. Putin has dismissed the criticism and accused Washington of refusing to coordinate with Russia over the bombing campaign. On Friday, he sounded a more conciliatory tone, saying Russia was in a "negotiation process" with regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and "was making attempts to build cooperation with the United States and Turkey".
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A look at 35 every day ideas and techniques to keep your mind healthy. Stay strong When you have a strong and healthy mind, you can survive the toughest times and endure life as it comes. And the good thing is, keeping sound physical and mental health is very much in your hands. Here's a look at 35 everyday ways to keep your mind healthy. Never miss your breakfast According to a 2013 study published in the "Italian Journal of Pediatrics," regular breakfast leads to improved cognitive function and performance, including better memory and attention. No doubt that breakfast is considered to be the best meal for the brain. Follow news Whatever your area of interest may be, develop a habit of going through current events regularly to keep the brain cells stimulated and active. Moreover, reading newspapers will inculcate a thinking spirit in you. Learn to play music Learning to play a musical instrument challenges the brain to remember the chords, the strings and notes stimulating the cells to perform better. Meditation Dedicating at least half an hour daily for meditation can do wonders, including improving the level of concentration, empowering the brain's health for steady focus, and stabilizing the general functioning of the brain. Make green tea a habit Green tea, one of the healthiest drinks, is full of antioxidants and alkaloids that help the brain function better and efficiently. The consumption of the beverage is also known to reduce depression and stress levels. Solve puzzles While solving a puzzle, you compare and match shapes and colors, which simply means you are flexing your mental muscles. Have antioxidants Consuming foods such as avocados, spinach, broccoli, asparagus and beetroot which are rich in antioxidants can help improve your focus, problem-solving capability and memory. Antioxidants are known to slow down the aging process in your brain: they convert the free radicals, which are damaging to the brain cells, into harmless agents. Play Scrabble According to a research by the University of Calgary, scrabble players have good visual word recognition, and can maintain a healthy mind successfully. Solve basic calculations While grocery shopping or running errands, do the calculations without using the phone calculator. This will keep your brain stimulated. Exercise your eyes Stressing your eyes on the computer screen for long hours can tire the brain. Try the eye exercise called tromboning, which is helpful in improving concentration, stimulates the flow of nutrients to the eye and keeps the brain attentive. Another exercise to try is close your eyes and gently press your hands on them for 1-3 minutes. You should also periodically gaze into the darkness to relax your eyes. Remember names Remembering the names of your colleagues and team-mates will not only create a good impression, but will also keep your mental muscles flexing. One of the ways to remember the names is to use them every time you talk to them. Adequate sleep Proper sleep every day is directly related to the effective working of the mind. Lack of sleep can cut down your ability to think and work. Keep a diary Researchers have found that writing a diary can really stimulate the working of the brain. When one goes back into the memory and experiences the happenings of the day to write down their feelings and opinions, it strikes a balance between the mind, body and emotions. Learn a foreign language Apart from being added in your resume, learning a foreign language can flex your brain cells for healthy functioning. When the brain is learning new sounds and alphabets, its concentration level goes quite high. Deep breathing A form of relaxation, deep breathing also oxygenates the body, which in turn keeps the brain healthy. Dedicating at least fifteen minutes to deep breathing in the morning will recharge the brain cells to perform better and stay healthy for a long time. Protect your head Apart from practicing safe road habits while cycling, make sure to not jump lanes, be patient in a traffic jam and follow the traffic lights. Make sure that you wear a safety helmet while cycling or playing any sport to protect your head in case of an accident. If the brain is damaged, it can cause irreparable cognitive impairment. Stay away from drugs Apart from temporarily diminishing the thinking capability and disrupting the attentive power, drugs can cause permanent brain damage. Reduce stress The stress you absorb through your career and relationships affects your mental and physical health in several ways. Share your problems with family and friends rather than curbing it because that will reduce the negative impact on the functioning of your brain. Consume onions Onions are rich in antioxidants, which help prevent damage to the blood-brain barrier and foster stable blood flow to the brain. Try to eat them at least once a day. Memorize lyrics of new songs Our brains have the incredible ability to make neurons and new connections throughout our lives. Memorizing lyrics of songs can actually get the brain cells stimulated, keeping them healthy for long time. Spend some time with nature To rejuvenate yourself, spend some time away from technology. This will relax your mind and body. Have raisins and almonds The fiber present in raisins and almonds regulates the absorption of sugar in your body; as a result, the brain doesn't get overwhelmed with the sugar rush and it performs better. Also, the iron present in these foods enhances your mental alertness. Switch hands Try using your less dominant hand for simple tasks such as eating or writing. Switching hands seeks additional brain attention, thus stimulating the brain cells. Solve crosswords If you have a daily newspaper, attempt to solve the crossword puzzles every day. They usually get progressively more difficult as the week goes on, culminating in the most challenging puzzle on Sunday. You can also find many free crossword puzzles online. A relaxed bath After a hard day at work, a relaxed 15-minute bath can recharge your mind relieving you of excess stress. Keep blood pressure under control Regular exercising, balanced diet and reduced stress can prevent the risk of cognitive decline. A stable blood pressure significantly helps in keeping your mind healthy. The power of positive thinking As Norman Vincent Peale said: "The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, and give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, and think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised." Thinking positively empowers the brain and enhances the cognitive ability. Practice reading Reading is an unparalleled exercise for the mind and the life. Apart from learning, you will develop the habit of remembering names and connecting the characters in the story. Travel Exploring new places and cultures is definitely challenging. Learning new ideas and experiences will keep your mind active and excited. Exercise Regular exercising increases the blood flow to the brain, stabilizes the heart rate and promotes the birth of new neurons, making your brain healthier. Discussions Engage yourself in healthy discussions over the table with family and friends to make your brain think faster and better. The more you discuss, the more you think and perceive, making it a healthy exercise for the mind. Massage A professional massage will not only relax the muscles of your body but it will also regulate the blood flow, including that to your brain. Olive oil Replace vegetable oil with olive oil because it will open up your capillaries and promote the blood flow to the brain and other parts of the body. Have fish Researches have proven that having Omega 3-rich fishes such as salmon few times a week can do wonders for your physical and mental health. The two main omega-3 fatty acids that are present in fish oil eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the major structural components of neuronal membranes. Avoid fast food Fast food and heavily processed foods contain saturated fats and artificial ingredients, which are not healthy for the brain. Avoiding such foods will keep you mentally as well as physically fit and healthy.
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A massive wildfire near Austin, Texas has destroyed about three dozen homes, and burned more than six square miles. Several dozen homes were destroyed. Firefighters are calling in a DC-10 firefighting jet. (Oct. 16)
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So it's official. After months of speculation, we have a date -- of sorts. Sometime next Spring, the government will sell what will likely be its final tranche of shares in Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY), direct to the public. The price? A 5% discount to the price prevailing in the market at the time of the share sale. Small investors seeking shares of £1,000 or less will get priority, and those holding their stake for a year will benefit from a 1-for-10 share bonus, up to £200, as happened with the TSB share sale of last year. But will the sale be as profitable for investors as was TSB? In its brief stock market existence before being snapped up by Spain's Banco de Sabadell, investors clocked up gains of 37%, once the bonus shares were taken into account. Massive interest Investors certainly seem to be hoping that history will repeat itself. Within days of last week's announcement, stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown were reporting that over 120,000 people had signed up to express an interest in the sale. And by the end of the week, Chancellor George Osborne was announcing that a quarter of a million would-be investors had expressed an interest, submitting their details to either the Government's own registration website, or to one of the brokerages handling the sale. Put in context, that's four times higher than the number expressing an interest in Royal Mail when that was floated back in 2013. Not a rocket Now, let's get one thing clear at the outset. Lloyds isn't going to be one of the great privatisation giveaways that we saw in the Thatcher era. Nor is it going to be a re-run of Royal Mail, which rose to 605p within weeks of its 330p flotation -- an impressive 83% gain. And the reason is quite simple: there's already a market in the shares, with the prevailing price dictating the flotation price. Nor is there unmet pent-up demand, with City institutions scrabbling to build up a post-flotation stake. So the share price certainly isn't going to rocket. Modest immediate upside That said, the flotation marks the end of a period in which the Government has been aggressively selling-down its 43% stake in the bank. This drip-drip-drip of selling will certainly have served to keep the price depressed. And with no more of this overhang coming onto the market, modest capital gains are at least more of a possibility than they were. What's more, I expect to see the bank undertake a share buyback programme at some point, which will also help to lift the price -- not to mention the dividend. What would you be buying? Lloyds is a solid retail bank, with a strong position in a number of profitable market sectors -- and, helpfully, a minimal position in a number of sectors, such as investment banking and fund management, where investors are rightly leery. So forget the Black Horse on the high street -- it's brands such as Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows, Halifax, Birmingham Midshires, and Lex Autolease that make a lot of the running. And with its finances repaired after the credit crunch, low levels of bad debts, and an end in sight to PPI compensation payments, there's a lot to like about Lloyds' numbers. At today's share price, for instance, Hargreaves Lansdown has the bank trading on a yield of 3.5%, rising to 5% for 2016 and over 7% by 2018. For investors looking for a steady -- and rising -- income, the attractions are obvious. Moreover, a yield of 7% in today's terms holds out the prospect of capital gains, to bring the prevailing yield closer to the market average. Yet three years ago, in October 2012, you could have bought Lloyds shares at under 40p, effectively half their present price. So should you buy? That said, the attractions of the Spring share sale are somewhat nuanced. The price -- a 5% discount to the prevailing share price in the market -- is a useful fillip, but not especially generous. The bonus share scheme adds to the attractions, but is capped at £200. Plus, to earn it, you have to hold the shares for a year. Finally, with privatisations like this, there are no brokerage charges to pay -- a useful saving if you're a small investor only buying £750 or £1000 worth of share. I shall probably take advantage of the share sale to top up my present holding. But if, in the meantime, the price suffers a temporary setback, I might be tempted to dive in early. To find out the strategies to adopt if you want to become one of the growing number of surprise UK millionaires , read this FREE Motley Fool report: ' 7 Simple Steps For Seeking Serious Wealth ' while it remains available! Malcolm owns shares in Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Mail. The Motley Fool UK has no interest in any of the shares mentioned in this email.
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In my hunt for bargains, today I'm looking at Unilever (LSE: ULVR), Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF) and Devro (LSE: DVO). Doing many things right Unilever's doing many things right. Despite facing weak markets just like other firms operating abroad, the firm's third-quarter results are encouraging. For the nine months of the year so far, underlying sales grew of 3.8% and volumes are up 2.1%. City analysts following the firm expect this progress to boost earnings by 8% for the full year with a further 6% uplift during 2016. The chief executive puts the current success down to a long-term view whereby the company attacks costs and keeps up sustained investment in brands, infrastructure and people. He does sound something of a warning, though, saying the firm "continues to see soft global markets with no immediate sign of getting help from an improving global economy". Lots of companies, and fund managers such as Neil Woodford, have been saying similar things about the global economy. That does make me wonder whether the next move in the global economy might be down if it can't improve now, when will it? Perhaps the recovery for this macro-cycle is already in the bag. If so, treading water can only be kept up for so long before exhaustion sets in. Whether or not the economy worsens from here, Unilever will be capable of falling back on its cash-generating 'defensive' characteristics to provide some support for portfolios containing the firm's shares, I reckon. At today's 2890p share price, the forward price-to-earnings ratio (PER) runs just below 21 and the forward dividend yield at 3.2%. Forward earnings will likely cover the dividend payout 1.5 times. Unilever's not cheap, but sometimes it's worth paying a little more for something better. Highly valued Perhaps an unexpected jewel in the crown of food producer Associated British Foods is its ownership of the fast-growing discount-clothing store chain Primark. The retail operation through Primark delivers around 50% of the firm's profits, and growing. Since 2012, the shares have shot up and now the valuation is high. At today's 3296p, the forward PER sits at around 32 for 2016, but City analysts following the firm only expect earnings to lift about 4% that year. Whether it's the well-known nature of the Primark store estate or some other factor causing this investor exuberance, I don't know. However, at this level, I'm not interested, because a lot of future growth seems already priced-in to the shares. In demand Sausage skin manufacturer Devro isn't a whizzy dizzy business but it does provide a product with high demand. The firm also enjoys something of a tailwind as the trend to replace animal intestine sausage coverings with collagen plays out. The firm is expanding in China, too, so doesn't seem short of growth potential. Back in August, the chief executive told us that sales volumes are growing in several important markets and prices remain firm. That's a reassuring message. The firm is making progress transforming its manufacturing facilities to support future growth and to help manage costs. We can get hold of the company's shares for a forward PER of 18 at today's share price of 297p. For that, we'll get a forward dividend yield of 3.1% with forward earnings likely to cover the payout around 1.8 times during 2016. City analysts following the firm expect earnings to rise 15% this year with a further 5% uplift next year. I like Devro's set-up but remain cautious because the shares traded at lower ratings than this in the past. In fact, the shares have been quite volatile in recent years and shall probably remain so, which raises the possibility of a better-value entry point down the road. Devro is tempting, but Unilever features in a document prepared by our investment team as one of five superior large-cap firms , each of which has a healthy balance sheet, a dominant market position, reliable cash flows, wide exposure to global markets and decent growth prospects. This special wealth report compiled by our analysts here at the Motley Fool underlines why all five of them make strong candidates for income and capital growth. You can find out what our money managers have to say about these five attractive firms right now, completely free and with no obligation , by clicking here. Kevin Godbold has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Devro and Unilever. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.
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Kids who live in these cities are going to be eating candy well into the New Year, because as Mara Montalbano (@maramontalbano) tells us that's where the most treats are given out.
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Greek MPs are set to vote on a range of reforms including raising the retirement age and increasing punishments for tax evasion, in order to secure the country's third bailout. Kirsty Basset looks at what's at stake for Greece and its prime minister, Alexis Tsipras.
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Lamar Odom spent $75,000 at the Love Ranch brothel. The 35-year-old former basketball star is currently in a critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious at the Nevada brothel earlier this week following a four-day stay where he partied with prostitutes. In total, his stay, including a VIP suite and access to the prostitutes, cost him a total of $75k.
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When Gina Lee was trying to choose a costume for her daughter, Willow, to wear on her first Halloween, she couldn't narrow it down to one. Should she be a traditional pumpkin, a little lion, or something with a pop-culture twist? Finally, the photographer decided that she shouldn't have to settle. "I wanted her to have three [costumes], but it's only one day," Gina told us. "So I put three together and just showed them leading up to Halloween." Two years later, Gina and Willow continue their costume tradition. Only now the pieces and photo shoots are far more elaborate, and the photos reach many more people, thanks to Gina's Instagram hashtag #dressupwillowmonth. Though most of the photos are solo shots of the 3-year-old, Gina occasionally enlists her husband, Christopher, or Willow's buddy Cooper to participate. In three years, Willow has worn dozens of outfits, ranging from historical figures to famous movie characters. But her favorite costume to date came with an extraspecial perk. "I think she loved the In-N-Out waitress, because of the burger and milkshake treat," Gina says. Although this started out as a simple mother-daughter activity, Gina is happy to see that the project has become a social media success. Especially since her photos have inspired so many other parents' costume ideas. "If I can give a little inspiration, that is great," Gina says. "I'm always inspired by what others are doing, so we all get a little something out of it." Read through to look at Willow's costumes, and see if any will inspire your tot's trick-or-treating ensemble. Little Old Lady From Pasadena When Gina Lee was trying to choose a costume for her daughter, Willow, to wear on her first Halloween, she couldn't narrow it down to one. Should she be a traditional pumpkin, a little lion, or something with a pop-culture twist? Finally, the photographer decided that she shouldn't have to settle. "I wanted her to have three [costumes], but it's only one day," Gina told us. "So I put three together and just showed them leading up to Halloween." Two years later, Gina and Willow continue their costume tradition. Only now the pieces and photo shoots are far more elaborate, and the photos reach many more people, thanks to Gina's Instagram hashtag #dressupwillowmonth. Though most of the photos are solo shots of the 3-year-old, Gina occasionally enlists her husband, Christopher, or Willow's buddy Cooper to participate. In three years, Willow has worn dozens of outfits, ranging from historical figures to famous movie characters. But her favorite costume to date came with an extraspecial perk. "I think she loved the In-N-Out waitress, because of the burger and milkshake treat," Gina says. Although this started out as a simple mother-daughter activity, Gina is happy to see that the project has become a social media success. Especially since her photos have inspired so many other parents' costume ideas. "If I can give a little inspiration, that is great," Gina says. "I'm always inspired by what others are doing, so we all get a little something out of it." Read through to look at Willow's costumes, and see if any will inspire your tot's trick-or-treating ensemble. Wayne's World The Magic School Bus Siegfried & Roy Orange is the New Black Cracker Jacks Inspector Gadget Car Saleswoman Burts Bees Clinique Sales Rep Disney Mousketeer Baywatch Lifeguard The Kissing Sailor Baby Björk Magician and White Rabbit Marionette Hippies Troll Doll Kate Middleton and Prince William Richard Simmons Elf on the Shelf Native Americans The Price Is Right Competitor Olympic Runner Elliott and E.T. Sandy and Danny Candy Girl In-N-Out Waitress Frida Kahlo Pilgrims Morton Salt Girl Forrest Gump and Lt. Dan Soccer Star American Gothic Lady Liberty Annie Flashdancer Biker Baby Supergirl Cabbage Patch Kid Glinda the Good Witch Gilligan and the Skipper Roller Derby Girl Synchronized Swimmer Paddington Bear Lion "The Hangover" Baby Hot Dog on a Stick Employee
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Prince William rarely talks about his mother, Princess Diana , but when he does it's absolutely wonderful. The British royal attended the 21st anniversary dinner of the charity, Child Bereavement UK, on Thursday. The Prince gave a speech that honored his late mother, Diana Spencer. Diana attended the charity's launch party many years ago, and now it's his turn. Referencing the pain he felt when his mother died in a car accident in 1997, William said, "What my mother recognized back then and what I understand now is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure."
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Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez blasted the Spanish press on Friday, accusing them of trying to "destabilise" the club. The former Liverpool and Chelsea boss also hit out at "invented" scandals, alluding to a supposed dispute between star forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. "There are scandals that are invented, all the time. I'm surprised by the quantity of things that come out of Real Madrid that aren't true," fumed Benitez at the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's Bernabeu clash with Levante. AFP
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Wearable sensors could one day interpret the gestures in sign language and translate them into English, providing a high-tech solution to communication problems between deaf people and those who don't understand sign language. Engineers at Texas A&M University are developing a wearable device that can sense movement and muscle activity in a person's arms. The device works by figuring out the gestures a person is making by using two distinct sensors: one that responds to the motion of the wrist and the other to the muscular movements in the arm. A program then wirelessly receives this information and converts the data into the English translation. [ Top 10 Inventions that Changed the World ] After some initial research, the engineers found that there were devices that attempted to translate sign language into text, but they were not as intricate in their designs. "Most of the technology ... was based on vision- or camera-based solutions," said study lead researcher Roozbeh Jafari, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M. These existing designs, Jafari said, are not sufficient, because often when someone is talking with sign language , they are using hand gestures combined with specific finger movements. "I thought maybe we should look into combining motion sensors and muscle activation," Jafari told Live Science. "And the idea here was to build a wearable device." The researchers built a prototype system that can recognize words that people use most commonly in their daily conversations. Jafari said that once the team starts expanding the program, the engineers will include more words that are less frequently used, in order to build up a more substantial vocabulary . One drawback of the prototype is that the system has to be "trained" to respond to each individual that wears the device, Jafari said. This training process involves asking the user to essentially repeat or do each hand gesture a couple of times, which can take up to 30 minutes to complete. "If I'm wearing it and you're wearing it our bodies are different … our muscle structures are different," Jafari said. But, Jafari thinks the issue is largely the result of time constraints the team faced in building the prototype. It took two graduate students just two weeks to build the device, so Jafari said he is confident that the device will become more advanced during the next steps of development. The researchers plan to reduce the training time of the device, or even eliminate it altogether, so that the wearable device responds automatically to the user. Jafari also wants to improve the effectiveness of the system's sensors so that the device will be more useful in real-life conversations. Currently, when a person gestures in sign language, the device can only read words one at a time. This, however, is not how people speak. "When we're speaking, we put all the words in one sentence," Jafari said. "The transition from one word to another word is seamless and it's actually immediate." "We need to build signal-processing techniques that would help us to identify and understand a complete sentence," he added. Jafari's ultimate vision is to use new technology, such as the wearable sensor, to develop innovative user interfaces between humans and computers . For instance, people are already comfortable with using keyboards to issue commands to electronic devices, but Jafari thinks typing on devices like smartwatches is not practical because they tend to have small screens. "We need to have a new user interface (UI) and a UI modality that helps us to communicate with these devices," he said. "Devices like [the wearable sensor] might help us to get there. It might essentially be the right step in the right direction." Jafari presented this research at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 12th Annual Body Sensor Networks Conference in June. Follow Live Science @livescience , Facebook & Google+ . Original article on Live Science . 11 Odd and Intriguing Smart Home Technologies Body Beautiful: The 5 Strangest Prosthetic Limbs 5 Crazy Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Biotech
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Engagement shoots are great, don't get me wrong, but there's something really special about a photo shoot that captures the romantic, comfortable nuances of just-married life. Brittany and Phil will be able to look back at these beautiful photos for years to come and remember this once-in-a-lifetime period of their lives. Kayla Coleman, who photographed the couple (along with their adorable pup, Welly), said she was so happy they allowed her to peek into a day in the life of their little family, adding, "Their sweet, styled, and beautiful home is a perfect reflection of the two of them." See the photo shoot now! Engagement shoots are great, don't get me wrong, but there's something really special about a photo shoot that captures the romantic, comfortable nuances of just-married life. Brittany and Phil will be able to look back at these beautiful photos for years to come and remember this once-in-a-lifetime period of their lives. Kayla Coleman, who photographed the couple (along with their adorable pup, Welly), said she was so happy they allowed her to peek into a day in the life of their little family, adding, "Their sweet, styled, and beautiful home is a perfect reflection of the two of them." See the photo shoot now!
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A new study suggests that the male brain is hardwired to choose sex over food. Mara Montalbano (@maramontalbano) has more.
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A SINGLE mum has spent over £20,000 on her 22-month-old pouting pageant baby and says she is proud to excessively spoil her daughter. Carer Jas Sullivan, 23, has splashed out on £15,000 worth of designer clothes for her only child Minnie-Beau. And among the traditional Spanish frills and sophisticated furs sit an array of flamboyant beauty pageant costumes including a corset-style dress and a ruffled two-piece bikini. Now Minnie-Beau is making a name for herself on the beauty pageant scene with her trademark pout setting her apart from her rivals. The dainty tot is dripping in £1,000 worth of gold jewellery and has hair extensions and a full face of make-up applied before every stage appearance. Videographer / Director: Andy Casey Producer: Emma Pearson, Chloe Browne Editor: Sonia Estal
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It's interview time, and you've brought confidence in your heart and butterflies (and coffee) in your belly. You've even packed your head with answers to typical interview questions. That's a good start, but what, uh, actual things did you bring to the interview? "Cellphone and keys" is not a valid answer. Walk into an interview empty-handed, and you've likely already made a questionable first impression. For one, you simply don't look prepared, says Tony Beshara, a placement and recruitment specialist and author of "Acing the Interview," among other job-search books. Plus, while your competition backs up their claims with hard evidence, you'll be pitching yourself without any proof. As Beshara puts it: "You're going to sit there and say, 'I'm going to be a good employee, because, by God, I'm just a good employee.'" You can do better than that. Look prepared, support your claims and show your interviewers why you're the best candidate for the position by bringing these six items: 1. Several copies of your résumé Of course, make sure the résumé you bring is the version you've customized for this company and position. (Because you've been a good job seeker by tailoring your application materials to each opportunity, right?) As for how many copies, bring enough so that each of your interviewers can have his or her own copy, suggests U.S. News On Careers blogger Chrissy Scivicque, in a post about why you should never go to an interview empty-handed. And don't forget to bring a copy for yourself, too. "It is perfectly acceptable to have your résumé in front of you at the interview," writes career expert and author Martin Yate in "Knock 'em Dead 2016: The Ultimate Job Search Guide." He adds: "It shows you are organized, and it makes a great cheat sheet." 2. Company research Before interviewing (and even applying), experts recommend researching the heck out of your prospective employer. What can you learn from the company's website and employees on LinkedIn? Has the company been in the news lately? What do people say about the company on Glassdoor? With this knowledge, you'll be able to have a more intelligent conversation with the interviewers, and they'll more easily picture you in the job, writes U.S. News On Careers blogger Alison Green, in a post about interview preparation. And it doesn't hurt to have your research notes in front of you during the interview, Beshara says. 3. Questions you plan to ask Because, yes, you should absolutely ask questions. Doing so not only gives you insight into the position, but, Yate writes: "It also helps advance your candidacy because our judgments about people are based, in part, on the questions they ask, since those questions speak to the depth of their interest and understanding." He adds, however, that the first interview is not the time to ask about salary and benefits. Instead, jot down a few of the smartest interview questions you could ever ask. 4. List of references Bring a list of your top (professional) admirers, along with their contact information "just in case," Scivicque writes. If you advance past the interview stage, you'll save the employer a step by providing this information in advance. 5. A folder to store all this, and a pen and paper to take notes "These demonstrate your preparedness, and they give you something constructive to do with your hands during the interview," Yates writes, qualifying that these materials should be "decent." That means you should skip the ragged folder and the notebook that still has your old American History notes in it from a decade ago its wire spiraling a hazard to anyone within a foot radius. Consider the materials a reflection of you. No need for leather binding or embossed monograms​, but make sure your materials are clean, tidy and not distracting. 6. Bragging rights Also bring "collateral materials" to leave behind with interviewers, Beshara says. "Things that show you are better than any other candidate." Think: glowing performance reviews, test scores and certifications, accolades you've received in writing, letters of recommendation and successful plans you've developed for other companies. As Beshara puts it: "You're communicating that 'I'm really good at what I do, and everybody I ever worked for really knows me, loves me and they'd hire me again.'" Don't have much to brag about? "Then you'd better find something," Beshara says. If you're fresh out of school and without much professional experience, for example, cite good grades, awards and kudos you've received from professors and mentors. "All you're trying to do is show folks that 'I'm a damn winner,'" Beshara​ says. Once you've put together these materials, practice presenting them, just as you would rehearse ​answers to potential interview questions with friends and family. This step is particularly important if you're not one to boast. "If you're not a salesperson, you've got to get a sales enough personality to be able to do that," Beshara says. In fact, he adds, you should prepare so thoroughly that "if somebody woke you up at 3 in the morning and said, 'give me your pitch on why we ought to hire you,' you ought to be able to do it." ​ This training will pay off come interview time, when you can readily cite your materials as opportunities arise in the conversation. ("Oh, you're looking for someone who can write proposals? Let me show you the most recent one I've written and the results it achieved.") Or you could take control of the interview at the start by walking interviewers through your book of achievements think five to seven minutes, not 45 and how they prove you're the best fit for the job, Beshara says. Is the tactic a little forward? Yep, Beshara says, which is exactly what you need to be in order to stand out among the other candidates. "What's more painful: Looking for a job or having to learn how to be aggressive?" he asks. "You have to be aggressive about it, and that's all there is to it."
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In an ideal world, you'd master all three. But, yeah, life happens. So where should you start? For the past few decades, the question has been, "What's more important for weight loss: exercise or healthy eating?" And, for decades, we have cut calories, fat and carbs, and spent more money on gym memberships than our parents would have ever imagined. We have also gained, not lost, weight. We also haven't slept . While the National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, 30 percent of American adults clock six or fewer hours, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And people who sleep less than five to six hours a night are up to 45 percent more likely to be obese, says Alexandra Sowa, a clinical instructor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. "More than one-third of Americans are obese and a similar number is sleep deprived. Both can be considered to be significant health problems, approaching epidemic proportions." So maybe there's your answer. Maybe it's sleep that's really the most important part of the weight-loss equation. That's not to say that all three healthy habits aren't vital to helping you hit your ideal weight not to mention cutting your risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. But sleep is unique in its ability to make or break the other two. Basically, while you can probably get pretty decent sleep even if you're eating junk food and sitting on your keister all day, you can't expect to get in a good workout or eat healthy diet if you're skimping on shuteye. That's because, not only does poor sleep drain your body of energy, it affects energy balance and function in every tissue of your body, says neurologist Phyllis C. Zee, director of the sleep disorders center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. For one, sleep deprivation throws off your body's levels of hunger-regulating hormones making binging a biological inevitability, not a matter of willpower, says registered dietitian Kelly Pritchett, assistant professor of nutrition and exercise science at Central Washington University. Specifically, it can reduce your body's levels of leptin, "the satiety hormone," and increase ghrelin, "the hunger hormone." That's part of the reason why in one Mayo Clinic study, when men and women cut 80 minutes from their regular sleep schedule, they ate an extra 549 calories the next day. Those calories aren't coming from baby carrots, either. Previous research from the University of California Berkeley used brain scans to find that sleep deprivation impairs activity in the brain's frontal lobe, which is in charge of complex decision-making, but increases activity in the brain's reward center, the one that lights up in response to sugar, salt and fat. "When you are sleep deprived, your brain is more likely to want high-energy foods for fuel," Zee adds. "It shouldn't be a big surprise. When you are up at 2 or 3 in the morning, you aren't thinking about salads." And even if you do somehow manage to stick to your healthy-eating guns while running on too-little sleep, your weight-loss progress will still suffer.In one University of Chicago-led study, when dieters got 8.5 hours of sleep a night over the course of two weeks, half of the weight they lost was from fat. However, when they only got 5.5 hours of sleep a night, their rate of fat loss dropped by 55 percent even though they were following the same diet. Again, the connection may come down to hormones. Research published this year in the journal Diabetologia shows that just four days of sleep deprivation reduces the body's insulin sensitivity, increasing the risk for fat storage . The study also found that sleep deprivation reduces the body's levels of growth hormone, which contributes to not only your fat-burning potential but also your ability to recover from exercise. Meanwhile, Zee's research, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, suggests that getting enough sleep may affect your ability to work out more than working out affects your sleep quality. "Sleep is completely underrated. People think they can do with a little bit less, and many even think it's normal to get by on a few hours of sleep," Zee says. "They feel tired, but they think that's the worst of it. In reality, the consequences of poor sleep are much greater." Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report
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When a group of New Jersey firefighters find out a boy is being bullied because of his sneakers, they buy him a new pair.
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Michigan hadn't even put its finishing touches on its 38-0 thrashing of Northwestern last weekend, and Michigan State fans were already assuming the worst. The worst is that their beloved Spartans lose to the Wolverines this Saturday. And this fear could very well be realized; No. 14 Michigan has both confidence and momentum from pitching three consecutive shutouts, and is favored at home against a fourth-ranked Michigan State team that struggled to put away two Big Ten bottom-dwellers the past two weeks. The angst emanating from East Lansing spread throughout the state this week. Spartan fans are sick and tired of hearing about Jim Harbaugh, and his khakis. They're sick and tired of thinking about all their team's injuries. They're sick and tired of hearing that the rise of Michigan must mean the demise of Michigan State. Let's forget that Michigan State has won six of seven against its in-state rival, or that the Spartans have emerged as one of the nation's best teams in recent years. Ignore the three consecutive bowl wins against TCU, Stanford and Baylor. It sure seems like everyone is. Even Spartan fans themselves. For better or worse, and no matter what it achieves on a national scale, Michigan State still and will always compare itself to Michigan. The players do their commemorative rings from last season include the score of their win against the Wolverines and so do the fans. Part of it is proximity, but the larger part is that Michigan State has played second fiddle to Michigan for much of its football life. Though fortunes have switched in recent years, as Michigan bumbled through its Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke eras, there remained a sense of anxiety in East Lansing. Surely, Michigan would rise again. And it has, even if it's just six games into Harbaugh's first year. All offseason, there were photos and tweets of Harbaugh; anything he did grabbed headlines. Talk radio chattered on and on about the big two coaches in the Big Ten meaning Harbaugh and Urban Meyer, with Mark Dantonio a presumed afterthought. Then, everything began coming up maize and blue once the season started. Michigan's season-opening loss to Utah looks better and better each week as the undefeated Utes continue rising in the polls. Michigan State's signature early-season win against Oregon looks worse and worse as the Ducks dropped consecutive home games to Utah and Washington State. Now, Michigan and Michigan State are set to meet for just the 18th time in the series with both teams ranked . So much is at stake not just for two Big Ten contenders, but to set a tone for the future. Or, it's just one game and all of this is completely overblown. ... But try telling that to a nervous Spartan.
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Indiana sheriff on 'Fox & Friends' vows to ignore potential executive order requiring law enforcement to register firearms
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected AstraZeneca PLC's diabetes drug combination, the U.K. drugmaker said Friday. The FDA, in a complete response letter (CRL), told the company to provide more clinical data for the type 2 diabetes medication -- a combination of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin drugs. The health administration's move came as a setback for AstraZeneca, which has been trying to secure a place in the drug market by bringing newer treatments. The drugmaker's rivals such as Paris-based Sanofi, Denmark's Novo Nordisk A/S and Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Co. are stepping up to bring in new treatments amid the growing diabetes pandemic, according to Bloomberg . "The CRL states that more clinical data are required to support the application. This includes clinical trial data from ongoing or completed studies and may require information from new studies. AstraZeneca will work closely with the FDA to determine the appropriate next steps for the NDA and remains committed to the development of the saxagliptin/ dapagliflozin fixed-dose combination," AstraZeneca said in a statement. The company, however, said the FDA's decision did not "affect ongoing interactions with other health authorities as part of these individual application procedures." AstraZeneca's shares fell 1 percent in early trading on Friday, underperforming a 1 percent rise in the European drugs sector, Reuters reported. Last year, AstraZeneca estimated that the saxagliptin and dapagliflozin drug combination for type 2 diabetes could generate top annual sales of $3 billion, out of total diabetes revenue of $8 billion expected by 2023, according to Reuters. Saxagliptin, which is marketed under Onglyza brand name, is part of a class of drugs called DPP-4 inhibitors. Under saxagliptin's treatment, the body produces more insulin, which in turn removes sugar from the blood. Dapagliflozin, sold as Farxiga in the U.S., is an SGLT-2 inhibitor, a drug type that blocks sugar from being absorbed into the kidneys. In this process, excess sugar is removed from the body through urine, controlling diabetes.
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Check out how Estonia transformed a Soviet Prison into a local favorite swimming hole.
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LOTHIAN, Md. A woman who shared a female lover with her husband decided to kill them both after she fell out of the love triangle, and she recruited her teenage daughter and the daughter's boyfriend to help her do it, police and a relative said Friday. The woman and her husband had both been involved with Jacqueline Riggs, but the couple's 18-year marriage, which was "fraught with conflict and domestic abuse," became more strained as the wife fell out of the love triangle, according to charging documents. The mother and daughter recruited the girl's boyfriend, 18-year-old Gabriel Struss, to help with the slayings, police said. The woman initially told police her husband committed suicide, but authorities said the cover-up unraveled as investigators learned the evidence didn't match her story. Now the 42-year-old mother, her daughter and the boyfriend face first-degree murder charges. The girl is charged as a juvenile. The Associated Press generally does not identify juveniles charged with crimes and is not naming her parents to avoid identifying the girl. The 13-year-old's grandfather says she is one of the couple's five children. Authorities learned about the deaths when the wife called police Oct. 5 and said her husband had killed himself at their home in Lothian, about 20 miles east of Washington, D.C., according to charging documents. Officers found him in the master bedroom with a gunshot wound to the upper body, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The wife told police that she, Riggs and her husband had been drinking in their bedroom the night before, and later, her husband and Riggs went to the basement and argued. When he returned, she said, he told her to get out and not to bother Riggs. The wife told police she slept elsewhere and that later, when she returned to her husband and tried to wake him, she noticed a handgun next to him and called police. Officers found Riggs dead in the basement. An autopsy showed she had multiple cuts and stab wounds. Forensic analysis of several pieces of evidence "did not coincide with what the crime scene depicted," police said. For instance, investigators found a .45-caliber handgun next to the husband's body, but a .38 shell casing nearby. Analysis of the bullet that killed the husband showed it was not fired from the handgun found next to him, and investigators also could not find a weapon that they believed could have been used to kill Riggs, the charging documents said. There was also no sign of an intruder. A review of phone records showed the wife, her daughter and Struss discussed the slayings over text message, according to charging documents. In one text, Struss told the girl that she shouldn't talk to police or he would go to jail for life. In another exchange, the teens discuss the girl taking the fall for Struss. The mother was arrested Thursday and is being held without bond. Struss, who is also charged with several counts of conspiracy, was arrested in Annapolis early Friday. The 13-year-old girl, who is also charged with accessory after the fact, is being held at a juvenile detention facility. A person who answered a telephone number for the Struss familiy said they did not have any comment and hung up. Reached by telephone Friday at his home in Florida, the wife's father said that he spoke to his daughter several times after the bodies were found and that she "seemed to be doing reasonably well." He said he had not talked to her since she was arrested. The woman's father said his daughter and son-in-law had five children ranging in age from 8 to 17. He said the couple moved to Maryland from Michigan about two years ago, but that he wasn't in regular contact with them. He said his daughter had been working as a personal assistant, and his son-in-law was driving a truck. He said it had been 10 to 15 years since he'd last seen his daughter.
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There's a somewhat scientific formula to standing out at work. Last year, leadership development consultancy Zenger/Folkman collected upward of 50,000 360-degree evaluations conducted over five years on more than 4,000 individual employees. They looked specifically at the leadership behaviors that distinguished "good" performers (those rated at the 40th to 70th percentile) from the "best" performers (those rated at the 90th percentile and above). Results showed that the best performers were rated a whopping 43 percentage points more productive than average performers. Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, CEO and president of Zenger/Folkman, respectively, outline their findings in The Harvard Business Review. As it turns out, there are nine key skills that separate the cream of the crop from everyone else. The following list is ranked in reverse order of which had the most impact on evaluations. 9. Providing honest feedback People typically assume that it's a manager's job to give feedback, so employees who are willing to give feedback to their coworkers can stand out, Zenger and Folkman write. It's not a matter of chastising people, but of raising new questions and offering suggestions based on what has helped you in the past. In other words, you don't criticize others so much as support them. In general, experts say, you should consistently offer positive and negative feedback and explain why you're giving it. Especially when pointing out something they could have done better, make sure to ask what the person needs from you in order to help them improve. 8. Being resilient According to Paul Schoemaker, research director of the Mack Institute for Innovation Management, most people overreact to their mistakes at work. As a result, they end up trying to hide them or to continue behaviors that have already proven unproductive. But Zenger/Folkman's research found that the best employees are quick to recognize their missteps and learn from them. Likewise, they don't dwell on other people's errors. 7. Using good judgment When making decisions, top performers weigh each alternative carefully and consider the potential effects of each, Zenger and Folkman find. They conduct research instead of simply taking a chance, and understand that the impact of their choices could be huge for the company. The first step to making wise decisions is understanding the biases that can get in the way from overestimating the importance of information that's available to listening only to the information that confirms your preconceptions. 6. Staying accountable The best employees follow through on all the commitments they make to their teams. Zenger and Folkman say it's not just forgetfulness when you fail to make good on your word it's dishonesty, and it can make you seem less competent. To hold yourself accountable for all your promises, it's important to identify your motivation, or a clear reason why the task should be done, writes Kevin Daum at Inc. You'll also want to be aware of the consequences for completing the task and leaving it unfinished. Finally, he suggests, make sure you have a one-page plan in place, complete with deadlines, for achieving your goal. 5. Taking initiative Instead of waiting for direction, Zenger and Folkman find that top performers offer their opinion and assistance. It's about going beyond your job description and helping out with bigger projects underway at your company. At Fast Company, leadership professional Anush Kostanyan writes that sometimes this means sharing your ideas instead of assuming no one will want to hear them. Other times it means asking lots of questions, which will allow you to generate additional ideas and ways to help. 4. Embracing change One of Zenger/Folkman's clients cited a "frozen middle" of employees who resist organizational change. You can stand out from this group by welcoming necessary change in strategy, no matter how much inconvenience it causes. More recent research by Zenger/Folkman found that welcoming novelty is a key contributor to leadership effectiveness. So if you're looking to get promoted to management, this trait could be crucial for you to demonstrate. 3. Volunteering to represent the group Star employees take advantage of opportunities to represent their teams to other departments or organizational units. Zenger and Folkman say it benefits them, too, because it's a chance to network and learn beyond the scope of their individual role. Just make sure you smile when you meet your colleagues for the first time. 2. Working collaboratively The ability to work as a team was a key distinction between average and top performers, Zenger and Folkman found. Some employees may believe that their contributions are more likely to be recognized if they work alone. High performers understand that an organization can achieve more if everyone pools their skills and talents. In fact, at least one personality assessment that measures leadership potential factors in the capacity for teamworking and team-building. For those hoping to work their way up the corporate ladder, the ability to work well with others is key. 1. Setting stretch goals Top employees set and achieve goals that exceed others' expectations, and encourage coworkers to do the same. And recently, Zenger and Folkman found that setting the bar high and reaching it is a core component of effective management. Less successful employees and managers are what Zenger and Folkman call "sandbaggers." In other words, they may only meet expectations because they worry that if they complete all their tasks ahead of time, they'll be rewarded with even more work. Zenger and Folkman say it's therefore important for organizations to recognize employees' contributions when they go above and beyond, instead of simply piling more tasks on their plate.
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Remember these familiar faces? We bet you do. THEN: Jerry Mathers From 1957 to 1963, Jerry Mathers charmed Leave It To Beaver's audiences each week as the Cleaver family's adorable little rascal, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver. Follow us on Facebook. NOW: Jerry Mathers After Leave It To Beaver, Jerry joined the United States Air Force Reserve, eventually rising to the rank of Sergeant. He's done a few acting parts here and there, and is now the national spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America organization. Follow us on Facebook. THEN: Ron Howard Another Happy Days alum, Ron Howard first got his start as adorable redhead Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show before moving onto his role as Richie Cunningham. Follow us on Facebook. NOW: Ron Howard Ron has made a name for himself as a director and producer, winning over critics and audiences alike with award-winning projects including A Beautiful Mind and Arrested Development. Follow us on Facebook. THEN: Maureen McCormick Though she appeared in shows like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, Maureen's most famous role was on The Brady Bunch as the family's beautiful eldest daughter, Marcia Brady. Follow us on Facebook. NOW: Maureen McCormick In 2008, Maureen published her controversial (and widely-read) autobiography, Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice , detailing her difficult experiences portraying one the of most famous characters of the 1970s. Follow us on Facebook. THEN: Danica McKellar Danica wooed the hearts of many teenage boys while playing Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years. Follow us on Facebook. NOW: Danica McKellar In 2014, Danica wowed audiences on Dancing With The Stars' 18th season, coming in sixth place with her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Follow us on Facebook. THEN: Candace Cameron Bure Candace followed in the footsteps of her older brother Kirk, a.k.a. Mike Seaver of Growing Pains. In 1987, she was cast as D.J. Tanner in Full House, starting her career as one of most famous preteens of the late '80s and early '90s. Follow us on Facebook. NOW: Candace Cameron Bure During her appearance in Dancing With The Stars in 2014, she was a fan favorite. The married mom-of-three has also written two books: Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness , a New York Times best seller, and Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose . Follow us on Facebook. THEN: Corey Feldman As a teenager, Corey starred in hits including Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Gremlins, and Stand By Me, making him a favorite '80s heartthrob . NOW: Corey Feldman Between 2007 and 2008, he appeared with fellow '80s star Corey Haim in the short-lived reality series The Two Coreys. He's also a big animal rights activist, appearing in a PETA ad with his now ex-wife Susie Feldman. THEN: Macaulay Culkin Who could forget this adorable little guy? With iconic roles in Home Alone, My Girl, and Richie Rich, Macaulay became one of the most famous child actors of all time. NOW: Macaulay Culkin He's since appeared in films like Saved! and Party Monster, but Macaulay has mostly stayed out of the spotlight though his comedic band The Pizza Underground briefly gained notoriety when a video of the actor eating pizza went viral in 2013. THEN: Tia and Tamera Mowry From 1994 to 1999, these identical twins charmed audiences while starring on Sister, Sister. NOW: Tia and Tamera Mowry They've continued to appear on television: Tamera is currently co-hosting talk show The Real , while Tia stars on Nickelodeon's Instant Mom . Tamera is also now expecting her second child with Fox News correspondent Adam Housley and Tia welcomed her first son with actor Cory Hardrict in 2011. NOW: Danielle Fishel Talk about a career coming full circle! Danielle now stars with fellow Boy Meets World cast member Ben Savage in the show's modern-day spinoff Girl Meets World . THEN: Jaleel White Can you believe that Steve Urkel was originally only supposed to appear once on Family Matters? Fortunately, Jaleel's hilarious portrayal made Urkel an instant favorite, earning him a permanent spot on the show. NOW: Jaleel White In 2012, Jaleel appeared on Dancing With The Stars, impressing judges with his partner Kym Johnson. THEN: Tatyana Ali Tatyana started her acting career at the age of six on Sesame Street, then honed her comedic chops on the series that made Will Smith famous : The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. NOW: Tatyana Ali After her Fresh Prince days, this brilliant lady went on to get her bachelor's degree in African-American Studies at Harvard University. She's also made television appearances on shows including Second Generation Wayans, The Eric Andre Show, and Love That Girl!. THEN: Melissa Joan Hart In the '90s, Melissa played everyone's favorite know-it-all sorcerer on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. NOW: Melissa Joan Hart While she's no longer sporting her '90s scrunchie and glitter eyeshadow , Melissa is still looking great. She now has three children with husband Mark Wilkerson and resides in Westport, Connecticut. THEN: Raven-Symoné Though she eventually had a show of her own (That's So Raven), Raven-Symoné got her start at the age of three on The Cosby Show. NOW: Raven-Symoné After guest hosting the show multiple times, Raven-Symoné now has a permanent spot on The View along with seriously cool gray hair . THEN: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen dominated the child star game in the late '80s and early to mid-'90s, first both appearing as baby Michelle Tanner on Full House before moving on to more starring roles in their own films, including Passport to Paris and When in Rome. NOW: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen While the Olsen twins have taken a step out of the TV and film spotlight, they are now two of the most successful designers in the fashion industry. Their couture label The Row and contemporary collection Elizabeth & James have gained huge followings amongst fashion's elite, as well as everyday women. THEN: Dakota Fanning During the 2000s, Dakota appeared in huge blockbusters like Uptown Girls and War of the Worlds. And at the age of seven, she had already earned a Screen Actors Guild award nomination for her role in I Am Sam. NOW: Dakota Fanning Can you believe she's already 21? The actress is also a bonafide fashionista, appearing on the covers of magazines including Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Vanity Fair. THEN: Joshua Jackson Joshua played Charlie Conway , the unofficial team leader of the Ducks in The Mighty Ducks. Though he wasn't the most skilled player on the team he would frequently miss important shots Charlie was extremely loyal to the Ducks and his coach, viewing Gordon as somewhat of a father figure. He became more confident throughout the movie and 23-year-old SPOILER ALERT scored the championship-winning goal from a penalty shot in overtime. NOW: Joshua Jackson Joshua is currently starring as Cole Lockhart on the Showtime drama The Affair. Before that, he starred in hit shows Fringe and Dawson's Creek, and according to his website, has appeared in over 30 films over the course of his career. (Remember his role on Cruel Intentions? Never forget.) In his personal life, he's been dating actress Diane Kruger since 2006, but the pair has said throughout their relationship that they have no plans to get married. THEN: Elden Henson Elden played the role of Fulton Reed in The Mighty Ducks, an introvert who was recruited for the team after his powerful slapshot broke through Gordon's car window. He didn't say much throughout the movie, but he was an important team member that led to the Ducks' championship win. NOW: Elden Henson Most recently, Elden stars as Foggy Nelson in the Netflix's original series Daredevil, where he plays the best friend and legal partner of the main character, Matt Murdock. He's also part of The Hunger Games franchise; in November he'll return to the big screen to reprise his role as Pollux the Avox in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. THEN: Marguerite Moreau Marguerite played Connie , or "The Velvet Hammer" of The Mighty Ducks, as Averman referred to her as in the beginning of the film. She was the only girl on the team before Gordon recruited figure skater Tammy, and she didn't put up with any of the boys' immaturity. Connie was also romantically linked to Guy Germaine throughout the movie, and the two kissed at the end of the championship game. NOW: Marguerite Moreau Marguerite's breakout role was in 2001 as a camp counselor in the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, which she followed with smaller roles in the The O.C., Parenthood, and Shameless. In July, she reprised her role in Wet Hot American Summer in the Netflix reboot Wet Hot American Summer: First Days of Camp. That same month, she and her husband of five years, Christopher Redman, also welcomed their first child, Casper Hayes Redman. THEN: Jussie Smollett Jussie played Jesse Hall's younger brother Terry in The Mighty Ducks. Though he was less outspoken than his older brother, he wasn't afraid to call out Gordon for his poor coaching in the beginning of the movie. NOW: Jussie Smollett You'll probably recognize Jussie as one of the breakout stars of FOX's hit drama Empire, where he plays Jamal Lyon, the middle son of hip-hop mogul Luscious and his ex-wife Cookie. For most of the show's first season, Jamal's father rejected him for being gay, but Jamal eventually won over the Lyons family patriarch/sociopath and was chosen to run the business. Expect all that to change, though, because Empire is a roller coaster and nobody is safe for long. THEN: Piper Perabo Perabo played the oldest Baker sibling of the bunch in the box office hit Cheaper by the Dozen . NOW: Piper Perabo To many of us, she'll always be Violet "Coyote Ugly" Sanford. But in recent years, she's also starred in TV series Covert Affairs and popped up in that strange Bruce Willis/Joseph Gordon Levitt movie Looper. She also likes to share photos of flowers on Instagram . THEN: Tom Welling Welling was the football-playing, auto-welding second oldest Baker sibling in Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. NOW: Tom Welling And he's still as beautiful now as he was back then. THEN: Hilary Duff Lorraine Baker from Cheaper by the Dozen was a fabulous character, even if it's hard to accept Hilary Duff as a "Lorraine," really; she just doesn't look like one, you know? Duff was arguably one of the most famous names in the movie at the time, having also played the title character in Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire. NOW: Hilary Duff Hilary's star hasn't waned since and in particular, nowadays, she's going through a twee former child star's rebellion a.k.a. that dyed hair (and the adult plot lines that feature on her new show, Younger). Oh, and she just covered Cosmopolitan . THEN: Kevin Schmidt Schmidt played second son and the token chubby Baker in Cheaper by the Dozen . NOW: Kevin Schmidt Schmidt continues to work as an actor and producer these days. Bonus fun fact: His brother Kendall was one-fourth of boy band Big Time Rush. Oh, and he owns a pig now. THEN: Alyson Stoner Stoner played Sarah Baker, the resident trouble-maker in Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. NOW: Alyson Stoner You may also know her as the girl from the Missy Elliott video ! Riding high off the nostalgic publicity that came with Missy Elliott's Super Bowl moment, Stoner also recently released a single, " Pretty Girls ." THEN: Alexandrea Owens-Sarno She's the actress who played Jack Dawson's "best girl" (but perhaps his second-best dance partner) Cora in Titanic. NOW: Alexandrea Owens-Sarno This lucky little lady is all grown up , now in her mid-20s and still a working actress in LA. THEN: Abigail Breslin Remember Abigail? The child star who stole our hearts in Little Miss Sunshine? NOW: Abigail Breslin The 19-year-old actress ain't so little anymore she's shed the quirky track suit and glasses and she's now starring in the new series, Scream Queens. THEN: Jeff Cohen Jeff Cohen played Chunk from The Goonies, and more importantly, coined the "Truffle Shuffle." NOW: Jeff Cohen Since (sort of) leaving Hollywood, Jeff Cohen, who, as you can see, ain't so chunky anymore , became an entertainment lawyer. So, he's still tinseltown-adjacent. In fact, the 40-year-old child star was seen whooping it up at Variety & Women in Film's pre-Emmys party recently. THEN: Erin Murphy Remember Tabitha Stephens from Bewitched? NOW: Erin Murphy When the show ended in 1972, child star Erin Murphy did some commercials and modeling gigs, but the 51-year-old has since left Hollywood. Now, the mom owns two businesses: Erin Murphy Knits and Slim Chillers , where she sells frozen vodka martini ice pops. THEN: Noelle and Cali Sheldon When's the last time you thought about Rachel's onscreen daughter Emma, from Friends? Baby girl(s) Geller-Green were played by twins Noelle and Cali Sheldon. NOW: Noelle and Cali Sheldon The twins are now 13 years old and still acting. And here's what they look like today . THEN: Peter Ostrum Ostrum was in the sixth grade performing regularly at the Cleveland Play House children's theatre when he was discovered by talent scouts who were searching the nation for an actor to play Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory . Though he was offered a three-film contract after filming for Willy Wonka was finished, the role of Charlie Bucket was Ostrum's only film appearance. NOW: Peter Ostrum After graduating high school, Ostrum got a veterinarian degree from Cornell University. Today, he has his own veterinary practice in Lowville, New York. Ostrum has only made a few appearances in the media since portraying Charlie. In 2009, he partnered with Dunkin' Donuts in Boston to promote their campaign "You 'Kin Do It!" where he gave out Charlie Cards to commuters on the MBTA. One lucky participant received the "Golden Ticket" unlimited rides on the commuter rail for a year and a year of free Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Ostrum has also appeared on Top Chefs: Just Desserts and Where Are They Now: Child Actors. THEN: Michael Bollner The part of Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was Bollner's acting debut, despite the fact that he only spoke German and had to be coached through his lines during shooting. Augustus is a greedy, gluttonous boy who is the first child to find a Golden Ticket and the first child to be kicked off the tour of the factory. NOW: Michael Bollner Bollner wanted to pursue an acting career after his role in Willy Wonka, but his father made him quit so he could focus on his education. Today, Bollner lives in Munich, Germany, owns his own successful accounting firm, and works as a tax accountant. THEN: Denise Nickerson Before being cast as gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka , Nickerson already had some acting experience up her sleeve. She had been a regular on the soap opera Dark Shadows for several years and she appeared in an episode of Flipper and The Doctors. Her character is known for being extremely competitive and always chewing gum a habit that comes back to bite her after she tries a piece of gum that is still being tested and her skin turns blue. NOW: Denise Nickerson After her role in Willy Wonka, Nickerson went on to appear in several smaller roles on TV shows, but her career was temporarily placed on hold after she was struck by a car while crossing the street. She chose to leave the acting business in 1978 to work as a nurse and is now a full-time mom. THEN: Julie Dawn Cole When she was 12 years old, Cole was cast for the role of bratty, spoiled Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka . Her character is most noticeably known for her awful ways and for falling down a garbage shoot after interfering with the trained squirrels used to select the best nuts (you know what they say about karma). NOW: Julie Dawn Cole While Cole's acting career began with the role of Veruca Salt, it certainly didn't end there. She has had a fairly successful career as an actress in the UK, playing in a few movies, starring in several TV shows, and performing in multiple theatre performances. She is the only actor from Willy Wonka who is still acting today. NOW: Paris Themmen Themmen decided to take a break from acting at the age of 14 in order to "just be a kid;" however, he received a B.F.A. in Theatre from New York University after high school. After graduation, he founded Access International, described on his website as "a travel service sending backpackers standby on charter flights to Europe." In recent years, he has been directing commercial casting sessions in Los Angeles and occasionally appearing at film conventions and in commercials. In 2000, he was an extra in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. THEN: Lisa Whelchel Whelchel played Blair Warner from The Facts of Life, the spoiled rich girl everyone loved to hate and of course the most glamorous of the group. But as we found in later seasons, she had a lot of emotions bubbling underneath her "Daddy's girl" surface. NOW: Lisa Whelchel In 2000, Whelchel founded Momtime , a "group of moms who meet weekly in a home to encourage one another, learn from each other's challenges, and most of all, be refreshed through laughter." How sweet is that? Plus, she's been speaking at Women of Faith conferences on topics like family and friendship. And contrary to so many child star cases, she somehow still looks exactly the same even at age 52. THEN: Kim Fields Gossipy Dorothy, a.k.a. Tootie, from The Facts of Life made us all fall in love with rollerskates and pigtails. Fun fact: Kim Fields actually had to wear braces until 1985, so the ones she wore in earlier seasons were totally real. NOW: Kim Fields Now a mother-of-two, 46-year-old Fields has enjoyed a long career in acting, music, and directing. Talk about being multitalented, Tootie! Now if only she could say her "We're in trou-blllle!" catchphrase one last time, we'd be so happy. THEN: Mindy Cohn Before today's "love your body" movement, the '80s had Natalie Green from The Facts of Life, whose self-love on TV was an inspiration to a generation of teen girls. She perfectly summed up all our thoughts with this quote: "Who wants to be a skinny pencil? I'd rather be a happy Magic Marker!" NOW: Mindy Cohn Now 49, Cohn's now rocking some cool purple hair . If you're wondering why you haven't seen her on the small screen for a while, it's because she's doing work behind-the-scenes. Since 2002, Cohn has voiced Velma Dinkley for the Scooby Doo franchise. THEN: Nancy McKeon She didn't show up until the second season, but Joanna "Jo" Bonner from The Facts of Life was immediately an audience favorite. With her motorcycle and bad girl antics, she brought drama (and excitement) to the group. McKeon's role as Jo got her some serious attention while the show was airing, she and her devout Catholic family were granted a visit with Pope John Paul II. NOW: Nancy McKeon Since The Facts of Life, McKeon, now 49, has appeared in shows like Without a Trace and Sonny With a Chance, as well as several made-for-TV movies. We have to admit: Even though we loved Jo, this haircut is so much better than her totally '80s mullet .
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People can tell me as much as they want what a great experience it is travel alone. And I fully appreciate that it's a great experience for them. But I'm of the unshakeable belief that life on the road is better together, even if that means you'll occasionally have to see your travel buddy at their worst like when they're up at the crack of dawn for a redeye flight that seems to just keep getting delayed. Well, here's one great way to make sure your travel buddy stays in a good mood: give them a free trip. And no, I'm not talking about paying full price for their airfare, but I am talking about giving them a free seat on a plane. How, you ask? Companion passes and certificates. Companion passes and certificates range from 50% discounts on a ticket for your travel partner to in the case of Southwest a free pass for a person of your choosing to accompany you wherever you fly. Here are all the U.S. airlines with companion passes, certificates and discount codes, and how you can get them. Hint: there's a good chance it'll involve a credit card signup. Alaska: Those with an Alaska Airlines credit card (Visa Signature, Platinum Plus MasterCard and Visa Business) receive a "companion fare discount code" every year: first when they sign up for their card, then on their anniversary. The code is good for one discounted companion fare in economy, which is a $99 base fare. Delta: If you have a Delta credit card (SkyMiles or Reserve) from American Express the airline will send you one companion certificate first at signup and then each year you renew the card. The certificate is good for someone to accompany you on an eligible round-trip domestic trip. Hawaiian: One of the perks of signing up for the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard is a 50% discount for a round-trip, coach companion ticket between Hawaii and elsewhere in North America. It's just a one-time deal, though. Southwest: This is the gold standard of an airline companion passes, allowing for one lucky person of your choice to fly with you every time you fly for nearly two calendar years. To earn it you'll need 100 one-way qualifying flights or 110,000 qualifying points within one year. You'll probably want the Chase Southwest credit card, which can have bonuses up to 60,000 points just for signing up, to help get you there. Virgin America: The airline gives Virgin America Visa cardholders an annual $150 companion ticket discount code, starting first at sign up. American Express Platinum: If you fly business or first class a lot, this is the way to go. The Amex Platinum card partners with more than 20 airlines worldwide, including Delta. Cardholders who book a business or first-class ticket on one of AmEx's participating airlines can always bring along their companion for free, with no max number of flights.
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To tip or not to tip? It's hard to tell these days. Some restaurateurs in the U.S. are starting to ban tipping and raise overall menu pricing to compensate. Danny Meyer's Universal Hospitality Group announced its decision to end tipping in its restaurants this week. It's an effort to balance wage inequality in the industry chefs and kitchen workers often bring in less because their pay is not subsidized with tips. But unless broadly embraced by restaurant companies across the $730 billion U.S. dining industry, it's likely to lead to confusion among diners. "People won't know whether to tip or not when they go out to eat," said Aaron Allen, founder of restaurant consulting firm Aaron Allen & Associates. Of all the restaurateurs abandoning gratuity, the most notable is clearly Danny Meyer, whose company owns the famed Gramercy Tavern in New York, as well as The Modern, which will be the first of his places to abandon tipping. Meyer said he is eliminating tips across the Group's restaurant portfolio to balance wages among the staff. "We believe hospitality is a team sport, and that it takes an entire team to provide you with the experiences you have come to expect from us," he said in a statement. Meyer's heart seems in the right place, but his plan may not work as well as imagined. He'd have to raise prices by about 20 percent to compensate for the lack of gratuity. That is the standard amount to tip these days, Allen said. An entrée at Gramercy Tavern costs $19-$24, with a 20 percent markup, that's $23-$29 for a meal. With tip, it's the same but diners can be emotional. Warren Solochek, president of NPD's foodservice division, said that people may choose to go to places that are comparable but include tipping, just so that they can feel in control of their bill. "It is absolutely a psychological issue," he said. "It's also an economic issue." There still is the perception that a customer is paying more, Allen said, when a restaurant puts an extra dollar sign next to menu items, even if the bottom line is same. There is a way that no-tipping policies could actually make meals more expensive. It's in the American culture to tip, and that temptation is always going to be there, Allen said. Even if there is no tip line on the bill, diners might still be inclined to leave something in fear of seeming impolite. And, if they're unsure whether or not a restaurant is a tipping or non-tipping one, that would likely lead to a lot of gratuities left "just in case." To avoid accidental tipping, all the restaurants in the U.S. would have to adopt a no-tipping policy which is unlikely. On the flip side of doubled-tipping would be situations in which diners think a tip is no longer required even when a restaurant doesn't have a no-tipping policy and has not initiated a wage increase for workers it would be a new way to "stiff" restaurant staff. Many applauded Meyer's decision, pointing to the fact that wage problems are rampant in U.S. restaurants. "Eliminating the two-tiered wage system is essential to ensuring a fair and just future for the nation's 11 million restaurant workers," Saru Jayaraman, co-director and co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, said in a press release . But if diners forgo eating out completely, this will all be moot. And a number of other restaurant owners have already implemented no-tipping policies. Amanda Cohen, owner of Dirty Candy in New York, charges a 20 percent administration fee in lieu of tips. At Tom Colicchio's flagship Craft restaurant, lunch service is tip free. "It's time for a change. It's time to pay the servers a salary," he told Eater . But other restaurateurs aren't so sure. "Tipping is a way of life in this country," Drew Nieporent, a restaurant owner in New York and London, told The New York Times . "It may not be the perfect system, but it's our system. It's an American system." "I would call it an experiment for the restaurant industry as a whole," Solochek said.
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Ben Carson has performed a valuable public service. When the good doctor last week likened gun control to Nazi Germany's confiscation of weapons, he cut to the heart of America's debate over guns. Advocates of "commonsense" regulations, such as bans on assault rifles, 30-round magazines, and armor-piercing bullets, are dumbfounded that these restrictions cannot make it through Congress. But as Carson made clear, Second Amendment absolutists are not only concerned with their ability to shoot burglars or deer. They insist on their right to buy indeed, to stockpile military-grade weaponry because they believe that someday, they may need to wage a guerrilla war against a tyrannical president and the U.S. military. "You may think a 30-round magazine is too big," RedState founder Erick Erickson once said. "Under the real purpose of the Second Amendment, a 30-round magazine might be too small." This is no fringe view: The "insurrectionist" theory of the Second Amendment, as historians call it, is deeply embedded in America's gun culture. It holds that the Founders expressly built an escape clause into the Constitution, giving citizens "the right to bear arms" so they could violently overthrow the government should it defy the people's will. A 2013 Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found that 29 percent of Americans agreed with the statement, "In the next few years, an armed revolution might be necessary in order to protect our liberties." As Carson put it in his guileless way, no pile of bullet-riddled bodies can be "more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away," since liberty itself is at stake. This belief animates the adamant opposition to gun laws, and until gun control advocates engage it directly and effectively, nothing will change.
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Kale, chia seeds, seaweed: these hot and trendy superfoods have garnered a lot of buzz for their health benefits. But are any of them actually a "magic bullet" nutrition solution? Bon Appetit gets to the bottom of it.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. Eight men were charged Thursday with making and distributing dozens of firearms, many of them assault-style weapons illegally equipped with silencers, in what federal officials are calling one of the biggest takedowns in California's Central Valley. Undercover agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives purchased or seized more than 230 firearms and silencers. Many are known as "ghost guns" because they lack serial numbers and can be sold without background checks or transfer documents. "Firearms trafficking such as that alleged in this indictment is one of the primary sources of crime guns found on the streets, and the manufacture of untraceable, unserialized firearms hampers criminal investigations, putting the public at greater risk," U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said at a news conference. "High-capacity assault rifles, with silencers but without serial numbers, are some of the most lethal weapons that criminals can get their hands on." The charges include dealing in firearms without a license, unlawfully manufacturing firearms, possession of silencers, short-barreled rifles and firearms lacking serial numbers, and conspiracy. Three of the eight face separate drug charges, which Wagner said shows a connection between gun and narcotics trafficking. Among those named in the 70-count indictment David Bennett, 27, a former probationary correctional officer with the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department. Bennett and his brother are charged with conspiring to make and deal unlicensed firearms from their Stockton home. His attorney, Michael Long, did not immediately return messages. Steven Plesser, attorney for his 39-year-old brother, Daniel Bennett, said his client is charged with using his drill press to machine the parts that were then assembled into weapons. "He seems to have been the man with the tool that was needed," Plesser said. "It seems like the other people were doing the sales." The brothers live in different homes on the same property in Stockton, he said. Joseph Latu, 29, of Elk Grove, Charles Tucker, 29, of Stockton, and Ionel Pascan, 28, of Riverbank, were arrested last week as they prepared to sell 50 unmarked short-barreled assault-style weapons and 50 silencers to undercover agents at the Yolo County Airport in Davis, authorities said. Their attorneys did not immediately return telephone messages. Wagner said the group ramped up its manufacture of the weapons after undercover agents first contacted them in February. Handguns were also purchased or seized. Wagner said he can't recall as many guns being seized in one operation in his 20 years as a federal prosecutor.
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Officials said Wednesday that Lamar Odom took a significant amount of a sexual-performance enhancer. How might that have played into his collapse?
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'Close to You', the theatrical adaptation of classic songwriter Burt Bacharach's music, opens in London with a singalong with the cast and the veteran musician. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)
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Defense Secretary Ash Carter is asking military and civilian leaders involved with his pending decision to open all combat jobs to women by January to not discuss the issue without approval. "Until I make the final decision, further public discussion of the [WISR or Women in Service Review] process is neither helpful or prudent," said an Oct. 2 memo signed by Carter and obtained by The Hill. "External communication by any official within the Department of Defense regarding specific WISR deliberations and deliberative documents must be confidential and approved in advance with the Deputy Secretary of Defense," the memo said. The WISR, begun in 2013, was intended to give the military services time to study and implement an order by then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to open all combat jobs to women by January 2016, or else submit requests to the Defense secretary by Sept. 30 for an exemption. The memo, which was addressed to service secretaries and chiefs, as well as the under secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, and to the assistant to the secretary of Defense for public affairs, was meant to provide "guidance" as Carter nears a decision on whether to open all combat jobs to women. However, the memo has been seen as a "gag order" by some, to prevent public scrutiny of the data being reviewed in the debate. At issue is an extensive review that the Marine Corps conducted on mixed-gender units in simulated combat situations. Gen. Joseph Dunford, a former Commandant of the Marine Corps, has recommended that the infantry remained closed to women base on that study which found that mixed-gender units did not perform as well. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who is also the service secretary for the Marine Corps, has called the study flawed and said he intends to recommend all Navy and Marine Corps jobs be opened to women. While the summary of the study said that those units performed less effectively than all-male units, the full study itself has not been released, despite calls from members of Congress, advocates of women in combat, and journalists. In response to a question on Sept. 15 as to whether Carter instructed the Marine Corps not to release the full study, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said, "I'm not aware that they've been told not to release [it]." "What [we] have been made aware of is that all of the services were told that any of the background information material supporting their position with regard to women in service, would be coordinated, put together, and would be released at the appropriate time in the future," he said. The memo also states Carter intends to review recommendations from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs -- who is now Dunford, as well as the service secretaries and chiefs, and from U.S. Special Operations Command. "I want to hear from everyone before I make a final decision. I am less interested in who is making a particular recommendation and more interested in the reasoning behind it," Carter said. "My ultimate decision regarding any exception to policy request will be based on the analytic underpinnings and the data supporting them," he said.
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Taylor died after a two-month battle with colon cancer, his wife Pat said late Thursday. The Canadian diplomat took in six American citizens who slip away when Iranian revolutionaries stormed the US embassy in 1979. Taylor and his deputy sheltered the Americans for three months. "He did all sorts of things for everyone without any expectation of something coming back," Pat Taylor told the AP news agency. "It's why that incident in Iran happened," she added. "There was no second thought about it. He just went ahead and did it. His legacy is that giving is what is important, not receiving. With all his friends that's what he did." The student followers of Ayatollah Khomeini took the remaining 52 embassy staff and civilians hostage, launching a stand off with the US that lasted 444 days. However, Taylor managed to send the six diplomats home in three months. In cooperation with the CIA, he persuaded the Ottawa government to issue fake passports for them and to smuggle them out of the country disguised as a film crew. Hollywood vs. reality The US awarded Taylor the Congressional Gold Medal for helping the American citizens and providing them with shelter in his residence and his deputy's Tehran home. "Ambassador Taylor's actions during the Iran hostage crisis were unquestionably heroic," said Peter Boogaard, a White House National Security Council spokesman said on Thursday. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was sad to learn of the news of the diplomat's death. "Ken Taylor represented the very best that Canada's foreign service has to offer," he said. Part of Taylor's story is shown in the Oscar-winning picture "Argo," directed by the Hollywood star Ben Affleck. However, Taylor and many others, including former US president Jimmy Carter, felt that the 2012 movie downplayed Canada's and Taylor's role, while putting the CIA in the forefront. The story of the former ambassador was told again in the 2013 documentary "Our Man in Tehran." dj/kms (AP, AFP)
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Click through to see images from the Phuket Vegetarian Festival in Thailand being held from Oct 13 to 21, rejoicing the Chinese community's belief of abstaining from meat and other stimulants. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival in Thailand is being held form Oct. 13 to 21 this year, rejoicing the Chinese community's belief that keeping away from meat and other stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help achieve good health. Here's a look at some of the best images from this year's festival. Note: Viewer discretion advised. Contains images of people with extreme piercings. A devotee of the Chinese Ban Tha Rue shrine prays with people in front of an altar. Women leave a Chinese temple after offering ritual prayers during the vegetarian festival. A devotee of the Chinese Ban Tha Rue shrine walks with spikes pierced through her cheeks during a procession. A devotee of the Chinese Samkong Shrine walks with knives pierced through his cheeks. Devotees of the Chinese Samkong Shrine walks with knives and metal objetcs pierced through their cheeks. A devotee of the Chinese Ban Tha Rue shrine walks in trance at a shrine. Devotees take part in a Tall Lantern Pole-raising ritual at the Jui Tui Shrine. A Thai worker installs giant candles at Sung Heng Ye Chinese temple. A member of a Chinese opera troupe applies make-up before performing at a shrine. Thai workers light giant incense sticks at Sung Heng Ye Chinese temple. Members of a Chinese opera troupe gather before performing at a shrine during the fest. A Thai woman lights up incense sticks at Sung Heng Ye Chinese temple. A Thai woman prays at Thian Fah Chinese temple. People pray at a shrine in Chinatown. A member of a Chinese opera troupe looks on as she applies make-up before performing at a shrine. A Thai woman holds incense sticks and candles during prayer. A member of a Chinese opera troupe applies make-up before a performance. People light incense sticks before offering ritual prayers. Devotees take a part in a Tall Lantern Pole-raising ritual at the Jui Tui Shrine. People shop for vegetarian food at a market in Chinatown. A vendor prepares meat substitute for vegetarian food at a market.
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Asian shares got a bright start on Friday, catching some of Wall Street's shine after upbeat U.S. price and jobless claims data calmed some recent concerns about the strength of the U.S. economy. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was up 0.5 percent in early trading, touching fresh two-month highs and on track for a robust weekly gain of 1.6 of percent. Japan's Nikkei stock index (.N225) was up 1 percent, but still poised to shed about 0.9 percent for the week. Wall Street logged solid gains overnight, after the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell back to a 42-year low last week. That suggested the labor market remained strong even though recent jobs data has sent mixed signals. Also out overnight, the core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy costs, gained 0.2 percent in September after ticking up 0.1 percent in August, reviving some bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve will deliver its first interest rate hike since 2006 as early as this year. The U.S. central bank held policy steady last month, and expressed concerns that the slowing global economy, particularly in China, might pose a threat to the U.S. economic outlook. Rekindled rate-hike expectations lifted the dollar. The dollar index (.DXY), which gauges the greenback against a basket of six major counterparts, was up 0.2 percent at 94.524, but still on track for a weekly loss of about 0.3 percent. Still, some investors remained cautious ahead of China's latest economic growth data scheduled to be released on Monday. Growth in the world's second-largest economy is expected to slow to 6.5 percent in the third quarter, falling below 7 percent for the first time since the global financial crisis. "China's economy is growing fast - though not as fast as analysts and investors would like - and that is all you need to know," Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said in a note to clients on Friday. Oil prices took back overnight losses made when the U.S. government reported a larger-than-expected crude stockpile build, U.S. crude (CLc1) was up 1.2 percent at $46.92 a barrel, after shedding 0.6 percent on Thursday. Brent (LCOc1) added 0.9 percent to $50.19. (Reporting by Lisa Twaronite; Editing by Eric Meijer)
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With Lamar Odom in the hospital fighting for his life following an episode at a Las Vegas brothel , the entire media landscape, not just the sports world, is discussing the health of the former NBA champion and estranged husband of Khloe Kardashian. CNN was one of the many outlets to discuss Odom's health and the media frenzy surrounding it. But as one would suspect, the people at CNN have not watched a lot of basketball. So instead of using a graphic showing the former Lakers forward, they used a graphic of Spurs all-star forward LaMarcus Aldridge. MORE: Odom's career in photos | Odom's Kardashian history not something to run from Lamar/LaMarcus, what the hell, they're all the same right? pic.twitter.com/GW1xVJFsRu Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) October 15, 2015 We're not saying CNN shouldn't cover sports, but, well, some solid research would certainly help.
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Catherine Levesque explains what Canada's election will mean for LGBT rights going forward.
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This is the first time there have been this many teams still unbeaten - six - entering Week 6 of an NFL season. No, we are not putting the 1972 Dolphins on early high alert that another team might finally equal their Perfect Season. Keep the champagne on ice, Perfectos. The six unbeatens (one of them, Atlanta, played Thursday night) will have ample opportunity to knock each other off. Denver and Carolina have three games left against fellow unbeatens; Atlanta and Green Bay have two; and New England and Cincinnati have one. The field will likely winnow itself even before those head-to-head games. For instance, Carolina is favored to lose Sunday at Seattle. And I'm predicting Cincy will be an upset loser at Buffalo. Despite the record number of unbeatens, there are but two super teams this season: the Patriots and Packers. The betting numbers underline that. Green Bay is the Super Bowl favorite right now at 3-1 odds in a near dead-heat with New England at 7-2. Nobody else is better than a 10-1 longshot. Likewise, Aaron Rodgers is a 7-5 MVP favorite, Tom Brady is on his heels at 11-5, and nobody else is closer than 14-1. The Packers' toughest remaining games appear to be at Denver on Nov. 1, at Carolina on Nov. 8 and at Arizona on Dec. 27. The Patriots, after playing at the Colts Sunday night, see a Nov. 29 date at Denver as their likeliest loss. New England and Brady appear to be on a mission, driven by anger, fueled by "Deflategate" and the NFL's controversial investigation and handling of the matter. The league's four-game suspension of Brady was overturned by the federal courts, but the NFL continues to pursue an appeal - even though the league logically would be better served by dropping this rather than be seen as witch-hunting one of its flagship franchises and most popular stars. I'm not sure if anything can stop a Patriots-Packers Super Bowl. I'd still not bet on either raising the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the first Perfect Team since Miami in 1972 - but I'd also not bet much against the Patriots doing exactly that, just as they nearly did in the 2007 season. Eight years later, New England has the motivation and the talent and the coach and the schedule and the quarterback to give perfection - and the Perfect Redemption - a major shot. -The nine QBs with a 100-plus passer rating (led by Brady and Rodgers) are the most ever entering Week 6 - and three others are over 98.8. The teams of the four top-rated passers are a combined 18-1. -Rodgers needs 186 air yards Sunday to reach 30,000 for his career, and he'll break Johnny Unitas' long-standing record for reaching that milestone in the fewest attempts. -San Diego's Philip Rivers makes his 150th consecutive start Sunday. Only longer QB streaks have been by Brett Favre (297), Peyton Manning (208) and Eli Manning (172, current). -Geezer update: Raiders safety Charles Woodson became the third man to intercept a pass at age 39 or older, joining Darrell Green and Clay Matthews Jr. And Matt Hasselbeck because first 40-plus QB to throw two TDs in a game since Mark Brunell in the 2010-season playoffs.
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Led by Nikolay Kulemin and John Tavares, the Islanders scored two late goals in the third period to pull out a 4-3 comeback victory over the Predators on Thursday.
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Use these ideas to send your resume to the top of the pile.
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PALO ALTO, Calif. When Andrew Luck returns to Stanford in the summer, he likes to tease strength coach Shannon Turley about making sure the Cardinal program remains a meritocracy. For those of us who didn't score high enough on the SAT verbal, Luck essentially means that the essence of the Stanford program is rooted in the belief that opportunities should be earned as opposed to gifted. In short, production trumps hype. So it's notable that on sophomore tailback Christian McCaffrey's first summer workout in the summer of 2014, Stanford veterans saw his speed and explosiveness and began chirping, "Heisman! Heisman!" At 6-foot and just a shade over 200 pounds, McCaffrey doesn't scare anyone coming off the bus. But his Stanford teammates were impressed enough at first glance of his speed and agility that their initial observation is beginning to look more like a prediction. BOX SCORE: STANFORD 56, UCLA 35 As No. 15 Stanford eviscerated No. 18 UCLA 56 35 on Thursday night to solidify itself as a Pac-12 favorite and College Football Playoff contender, that premonition began to look like a reality. McCaffrey delivered one of the most dominating singular performances in recent college football history, a performance that evoked the dominance of players like Reggie Bush, Percy Harvin or LaMichael James. McCaffrey's 369 total yards were the most of any player in the FBS this year. It included a 96-yard kickoff return, a Wildcat touchdown run for 70 yards and a total of four touchdown runs. (It could have been five if he didn't get caught on the 4-yard line on the kick return). McCaffrey took pitches to the corner, ran with his shoulders squared between the tackles and was so dominant that virtually the entire stadium emptied by the end of the third quarter. He finished the night with 243 yards on 25 carries, a cool 9.7 yards per hand off. WATCH: Francis Owusu's stunning catch The only thing McCaffrey didn't do was deliver the most memorable highlight of the night. Receiver Francis Owusu took those honors by hauling in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Hogan by pinning the ball on the back of Jaleel Wadood. Owusu essentially leapt up, bear hugged Wadood and caught the ball by holding it against Wadood's spine while falling to the ground. It was so remarkable that Stanford coach David Shaw broke a lifetime of sideline stoicism by reacting like an overzealous walk-on. Owusu delivered a remarkable moment, but McCaffrey just kept on making history, all without stepping on the field in the fourth quarter. He broke Toby Gerhardt's school rushing record (223) with a minute remaining in the third quarter. And remember, Gerhardt ended up as a Heisman finalist that year. ?McCaffrey overtook San Jose State's Tyler Ervin for the No. 1 spot in all-purpose yards, and he's likely stiff-armed his way up a few Heisman lists with his performance. Credit good genes, as his father Ed was an NFL All-Pro and his mom, Lisa, a soccer star at Stanford who once joked to SI , "That's why Ed and I got together, so we could breed fast white guys." Stanford Cardinal Total Offense Per Game in 2015-16 | PointAfter That looks like a pretty prescient plan. And aiding Christian McCaffrey's nascent Heisman campaign is the sudden surge of his team's national relevance. On Sept. 5, when Stanford sleepwalked through a 16 6 loss at Northwestern, the Cardinal looked so sluggish and unimaginative on offense that even the most innovative code junkie here couldn't have written a scenario where they'd return to the national conversation. But as a chill enters the October air, Stanford resonates the as the Pac-12's best chance to get a team in the College Football Playoff this season. (You can argue Utah, but Stanford would be favored on a neutral field if they played next week. And, don't forget, the Pac-12 title game will be up the road at Levi's Stadium). Suddenly, petite Stanford Stadium (50,000) will become one of the most important places in college football in the next six weeks. Stanford hosts Washington, Oregon, California and Notre Dame and has road games at Washington State and Colorado. Even if you guzzled that extra glass of chardonnay in the ultra-civilized pre-game tailgate here, that stretch looks manageable. So how did Stanford recast itself from sputtering underachiever to potential playoff program? Well, it didn't change a thing. Stanford looks like Stanford again, recapturing the blueprint that helped the program become one of college football's unlikely powers the last decade. Coach David Shaw never panicked after the Cardinal went 8 5 last season. And he didn't really change a thing after that disastrous performance at Northwestern. This is a Stanford team that imposes its will and methodically crushes your defense's morale one power run at a time. This is Stanford with a quarterback (Hogan) whose 29 wins lead all of college football, a tight end (Austin Hooper) who rekindles memories of Zach Ertz and an offensive line that is finally playing up to its recruiting hype. (Insert meritocracy joke here for that group). Stanford's defense was expected to be porous this season after replacing the entire secondary, but the Cardinal got a pick-six from emerging star Alijah Holder and made UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen's scintillating debut against Virginia feel like it was in 1988. At the halfway point, Stanford is putting up a performance that resembles 2014 Ohio State. They lost early, found themselves and are quietly building an identity and momentum. After McCaffrey's historic night on Thursday, Stanford isn't sneaking up on anyone anymore. The Cardinal have streaked from obscurity to the College Football Playoff conversation the same way McCaffrey streaked into the Heisman conversation they've earned it. Somewhere, Andrew Luck is surely smiling.
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Now that every FBS team is in the midst of conference competition, it can sometimes be difficult to pick the five games that have the greatest impact on the College Football Playoff race. Well OK, some are easy, and as always Saturday is likely to see results that shake up the Playoff picture like an Etch A Sketch. But here are our picks for the top five in a busy Week 7, led by three head-to-head matchups of ranked teams. Michigan State vs. Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN | 5dimes line: Michigan by 6½ The Spartans still have the clean slate, but it's hard to make the case that they've been playing better than the Wolverines of late. Add in the fact that the game is at the Big House, and it's understandable why Las Vegas has Michigan favored. A fourth consecutive shutout for the Wolverines would almost certainly be too much to expect, but Michigan State has struggled to move the ball on the ground thanks to a spate of injuries on the interior line. QB Connor Cook has done enough to keep the Spartans afloat, but hard hitters like Michigan LB Joe Bolden and S Jabrill Peppers could make his day difficult. Michigan hasn't been an offensive juggernaut, either, and QB Jake Rudock still has thrown more intereptions (six) than TD passes (five). Spartans DE Shilique Calhoun will do his best to cause more miscues. Alabama vs. Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS | 5dimes line: Alabama by 4½ The Aggies have yet to leave their home state for a game this season. And though the stock from their Arizona State win appears to be on the rise, their résumé as a whole remains thin. That all changes if they can take down the Crimson Tide. Alabama seems to thrive in hostile environs, but it should also be noted that Georgia's power-based offense played into the Crimson Tide's defensive strength up front. A&M's spread attack has more in common with the Mississippi offense that caused Alabama trouble. Aggies QB Kyle Allen will look to take advantage of speedy targets like Christian Kirk and Josh Reynolds, but Alabama LB Reggie Ragland always seems to be in the right spot to stop big gainers. Tide QB Jake Coker might have found his deep threat in freshman WR Calvin Ridley, though he'll continue to utilize TBs Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake to do the heavy lifting. No matter what play Alabama calls, Aggies DE Myles Garrett must be kept out of the backfield. Florida vs. LSU, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN | 5dimes line: LSU by 6 Truth be told, this is not a must-win game for either team, because the loser will still control its own destiny in its division of the SEC. One might argue that LSU needs it more because those teams left on the Tigers' slate pose a more formidable challenge than the Gators' second-half opponents. But Florida won't want to take anything for granted, and a victory at night in Baton Rouge would elevate the Gators to league favorite status. The biggest question facing the Gators is how the team will function with Treon Harris back at QB. He has starting experience from a year ago, though most of it wasn't positive. LB Kendell Beckwith and the LSU defense won't make his job any easier. The game's other major storyline is how well TB Leonard Fournette, the Tigers' Heisman favorite, handles the best defense he's seen to date. LSU QB Brandon Harris has maintained ball security, but he might have to take more chances to keep Gators LBs Antonio Morrison and Jarrad Davis honest. Arizona State vs. Utah, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN | 5dimes line: Utah by 7 An opening-week loss to Texas A&M and a subsequent thrashing at the hands of Southern California put the Sun Devils in an early hole. But they took down UCLA, which was ranked in the top 10 at the time, on the road. They certainly feel like they can do it again, but the Utes have protected their home turf well against solid competition already. Arizona State QB Mike Bercovici has shown pinpoint accuracy in his most recent outings, but FS Marcus Williams and the Utah secondary are proven pass thieves; Utah is tied for the NCAA lead in turnover margin is tied for fourth in interceptions. As good as Utah TB Devontae Booker has been, the Utes have still struggled to finish in the red zone on occasion. Sun Devils LB Salamo Fiso will look to keep it that way. USC vs. Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC | 5dimes line: Notre Dame by 4 Without the benefit of a conference title for which to compete and with a "1" already in the loss column, there's no margin for error for the Fighting Irish. The Trojans are likely in spoiler mode for the rest of the campaign, but they'd love to start that right here against one of their traditional rivals. Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the end of Steve Sarkisian's coaching tenure in terms of on-field performance was the Trojans' offensive troubles. But don't expect QB Cody Kessler to hold anything in reserve as he looks to make the second half of his senior season more memorable. Notre Dame's defensive centerpiece, LB Jaylon Smith, will try to keep him under wraps. The primary weapons for the Irish, TB C.J. Prosise and WR Will Fuller, must steer clear of Trojans LB Su'a Cravens. Keep an eye on these matchups Saturday as well: Penn State at No. 1 Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC The Nittany Lions fell off the radar when they lost to Temple in Week 1 and are still struggling on offense, but the Buckeyes haven't exactly been dominant themselves. … No. 12 Mississippi at No. 22 Memphis, noon ET, ABC/ESPN2 A win here gives Memphis a huge boost in its quest to represent the Group of Five conferences in a major bowl, so the Rebels, who still have plenty of work to do in the SEC, must come prepared. … No. 17 Iowa at No. 21 Northwestern, noon ET, ABC/ESPN2 The winner here emerges as the Big Ten West leader and becomes a dark-horse playoff contender, particularly if the Hawkeyes, who already own a victory against Wisconsin, prevail.
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Ahead of Saturday's Michigan State-Michigan game, Wolverines fans vandalized a Magic Johnson statue on the Spartans campus.
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Byron Scott isn't a fan of 3-point shots, so it's interesting that the Lakers coach is suggesting the NBA implement a 4-point line. Scott, who said last year that 3-pointers don't win championships, told the Orange County Register in September which rules he would change if he were NBA commissioner. MORE: NBA season predictions | Kobe reportedly left arena to visit Odom "I think the 3-point line is exciting," he said. "I would add another line and make a 4-point line as well. I'd say let's go another three or four feet back and that's a 4-pointer." The current NBA 3-point arc radius is 23 feet, 9 inches, so what's another three feet? Well, considering the court would have to be expanded to fit a 26-foot arc, we're guessing Scott's idea needs a bit of tinkering. NBA executives last year did explore the possibility of increasing the dimensions of the court and introducing a 4-point shot. NBA spokesman Tim Frank later said via ESPN.com that the talks were out-of-the-box ideas and downplayed the chances of either idea gaining traction.
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A youth basketball coach in New York City received a phone call in July. One of his former players was looking for him. The player was Lamar Odom, the former high school basketball star who went on to win two N.B.A. titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. His professional basketball career was finished, and his private struggles were playing out for public consumption on reality television. Odom hoped to patch things up with his former coach. He also wanted help. "Then why did you move to Las Vegas?" the coach, Gary Charles, recalled asking him. Odom assured Charles he was committed to regaining his fitness and playing basketball again, so Charles made arrangements for Odom to work out later that week at a Las Vegas-area high school. Charles was optimistic. Perhaps this was the fresh start that Odom desperately needed. But when that day came, and the gymnasium was prepared for his arrival, Odom did not show up. On Thursday, Odom, 35, remained hospitalized in Las Vegas, two days after he was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel. The hospital has not released information about his condition, but news reports said he was in a medically induced coma after a drug-fueled binge. "I can't lie," Charles said. "A lot of us were afraid of this day." Many athletes fade from public view and struggle to find a purpose once their playing days are over. Odom, however, has had a quintessentially modern late-career and post-career existence. He was married to, and later estranged from, the reality TV celebrity Khloe Kardashian. Their marriage and its demise were chronicled for the masses. Even those who had never met him could watch his decline. "I wish he had just come home and surrounded himself with the genuine, loving people who have been there for you from the beginning," said Erick Barkley, a former teammate at Christ the King Regional High School in Queens. Welcoming Reality TV The Lakers have always thrown their arms around the entertainment world, but in Odom's final season with the team, in 2010-11, they may as well have played under the Hollywood sign. Sasha Vujacic, a backup guard, was engaged to the telegenic tennis star Maria Sharapova. Shannon Brown, another backup guard, was married to the pop star Monica. Matt Barnes, a reserve forward, was married to Gloria Govan, who starred on the reality show "Basketball Wives." And then there was Odom, who had met Khloe Kardashian at an August 2009 party thrown for his teammate Ron Artest. A month later, Odom and Kardashian were married. The wedding was featured on an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," and Odom quickly became a fixture in America's first family of reality television. When the E! network unveiled its plans for a spinoff called "Khloe and Lamar," in January 2011, Odom did not appear to be an ingénue along for the ride. It was a calculated business decision made by someone who grew up aware of life's hard realities. "As an athlete, you've got to take advantage of opportunities," Odom said at the time. "When the ball stops bouncing, it stops bouncing." He also appreciated that this was a different type of opportunity, not one that availed itself often to basketball players. He hoped that the show would showcase what his teammates saw regularly his wry humor and ability to poke fun at himself and that it would be an opportunity for him to evolve, to show that he was worth paying attention to for something more than sticking a ball in a hoop. That did not stop others from raising their eyebrows or their arms. The show came in the midst of the Lakers' drive for a third consecutive N.B.A. championship, at a time when the coach, Phil Jackson, had wondered aloud about the attention span of many of his players, whose play in the first half of the season suggested they were conserving their energy for the playoffs. But while Jackson backed Odom's involvement, he barred the camera crew from the toilets, the showers, the trainer's room or the coaches' office. "There are some things we won't be doing," he said. Odom welcomed the opportunity to do the show and the public scrutiny. Knowing his attention and effort sometimes flagged over the course of the season, he hoped the show would help hold him accountable. Even a mini-slump would raise questions about his priorities. "That's almost like the added incentive a little bit," Odom said. "I'll make sure I remain sharp and stay in the gym, but basketball is basketball. I won't tire myself out. Of course, if I don't play well, it's easy to take a shot at me." There was little reason to do so that season, among the finest of Odom's career. A 6-foot-10 power forward, he set career highs in shooting and 3-point shooting percentage and averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists, contributions that earned him the N.B.A.'s Sixth Man Award. So he never could have anticipated what was to come. "When he got traded from the Lakers, I think he took that hard," said the former N.B.A. player Speedy Claxton, a high school teammate. "He really liked it in L.A. He felt like he had a family there, with the Kardashians. I think that was kind of the start of it, when everything went bad." Leaning on Friends Odom had the rare capacity to drift in and out of friends' lives as if nothing had changed. Claxton, who now works as an assistant coach at Hofstra, said he had last spoken to Odom about two years ago. Claxton's phone rang the caller ID registered an area code from Malibu, Calif. and Claxton was confused. Who was calling him from Malibu? It was Odom, en route to New York and eager for a reunion. "He'll just call you out of the blue," Claxton said in an interview. "You won't hear from him for years, and then, all of a sudden, your phone will ring." Claxton said he was always happy to hear from Odom. They had grown up together, won high school championships together and dreamed of stardom together. As a youth, Odom leaned on his friends as a source of stability when so much else in his life felt untethered. Soon, others flocked to him. At Christ the King, Odom achieved a level of celebrity foreign to most teenagers. Courted by college recruiters and pursued by reporters, he was disarmingly courteous. When Odom appeared at his elite summer camp, Sonny Vaccaro, then an influential sneaker company executive, turned to Charles and said, "That's a $2 million smile." Said Barkley, "The attention didn't bother Lamar. It didn't go to his head. He was always the same person." Yet Barkley a product of public housing, the youngest of nine children knew that Odom was dealing with tougher circumstances than most. Odom's father was largely absent. His mother died of cancer when he was 12, and he then lived with his grandmother. It was no secret to Barkley how Odom coped with adversity. "Basketball, man," Barkley said. "Basketball. Basketball was his therapy." Still, Charles said, Odom had a habit of disappearing for days at a time. When he would reappear, Charles or someone else would drive him back to school. Sometimes, Odom would vent to Charles about family members who had died, about the drugs in his South Jamaica neighborhood. "I said to him, 'My God, I don't know how you stand up sometimes,' " Charles said. Neither was Odom immune from the ills of grass-roots basketball, from the clutches of coaches who treated him like a commodity. He attended three high schools his senior year. He dropped out of Nevada-Las Vegas before playing a single game as the N.C.A.A. investigated his test scores. He declared for the N.B.A. draft after one season at Rhode Island. Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the fourth overall pick in 1999, Odom twice violated the league's drug policy in his first four seasons. Then, in June 2006, his 6-month-old son, Jayden, died of sudden infant death syndrome in New York while Odom was home to attend the funeral of an aunt. (He has two other children from a previous relationship.) Barkley, who was a first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers, wound up spending much of his career overseas. But he and Odom would occasionally reconnect in New York. Odom, Barkley said, always seemed elated to see Barkley's mother, Shirley, a pastor at God's Divine Prayer Tabernacle in Brooklyn. Odom would ask her to lay her hands on him and pray for him. By then, Odom had found a home with the Lakers, fulfilling many of the expectations that had trailed him since high school. But he also seemed to sense that he was vulnerable, too. A Crushing Trade When the Lakers traded Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in December 2011, many of the people who knew him best feared for his mental health. "Being with the Lakers meant everything to Lamar," Charles said, "and Lamar is a very sensitive young man. When he was traded, I said, 'Oh, my God, you just crushed that kid.' Like, if you know him, you knew how much it meant for him to be with the Lakers." Odom struggled with the Mavericks, his confidence and focus eroding along with his playing time. On his final day with the team, in April 2012, he turned to a teammate at practice. "I don't love this anymore," Odom said, according to a person briefed on the conversation. "I don't want to do this." So Odom simply walked out of the gymnasium, the door closing behind him. He did not return. The production crew from "Khloe and Lamar" was around for the final stages of Odom's dysfunctional stint in Dallas. The show also spotlighted the difficult, sometimes parasitic relationships that Odom had with friends and family. His close friend Jamie Sangouthai was in charge of Odom's clothing company, Rich Soil, but failed to gain any traction with it, much to Khloe Kardashian's chagrin. (Sangouthai died in June.) There was also the spectral presence of Odom's father, Joe, with whom Odom had a fitful connection, and who would often conclude meetings by asking his son for money. The following season, Odom rejoined the Clippers but averaged just 4 points a game. In August 2013, he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. He pleaded no contest and received three years' probation. Four months later, Kardashian filed for divorce. A comeback attempt with the Knicks in April 2014 foundered. Jackson, who had been hired as team president, had hoped to give Odom another chance to revive his career. But the Knicks waived Odom in July. In the most recent cycle of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," Odom did not appear on camera, although he popped up as a voice on the phone in a couple of episodes, usually sounding sad and regretful. In chitchat with her sisters, Khloe Kardashian defended her continued contact with him. As with some other troubled reality television stars including Scott Disick, who has three children with Kourtney Kardashian but has been estranged from her Odom's primary use to the entertainment industry was as a piñata for the celebrity news media. TMZ has covered his personal problems relentlessly over the years, as have tabloid television shows like "Inside Edition." This week, with Khloe Kardashian reportedly at his hospital bedside and news cameras lurking outside, Odom was behind closed doors, yet somehow at the center of another public spectacle.
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Authorities have arrested a Malaysia-based hacker who allegedly gathered personal information of U.S. military members to pass on to a prominent ISIS propagandist. CNN's Evan Perez reports.
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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Francis Owusu's circus catch in the end zone on Kevin Hogan's third touchdown pass of the night highlighted a dominating performance for No. 15 Stanford, which rolled to its eighth straight win over No. 18 UCLA, 56-35 on Thursday night. Christian McCaffrey ran for a school-record 243 yards and four touchdowns while gaining 369 all-purpose yards for the Cardinal (5-1, 4-0 Pac-12), who won their fifth straight in impressive and entertaining fashion against the Bruins (4-2, 1-2). BOX SCORE: STANFORD 56, UCLA 35 On a night full of big plays, none topped Owusu's 41-yard TD catch. It started with McCaffrey taking a direct snap in the wildcat and handing to Bryce Love on a jet sweep. Love the flipped the ball to Hogan, who had lined up as a receiver on the play. Hogan set himself in the backfield and threw deep to Owusu. Despite being interfered with by a face-guarding Jaleel Wadood in the end zone, Owusu still managed to trap the ball against Wadood's back while not even being able to see it. Owusu managed to keep his hand on the ball to maintain control as the two fell to the ground, leading to the touchdown that even drew a smile from the usually taciturn coach David Shaw. Hogan threw for 131 yards on eight completions and McCaffrey took over the national lead in all-purpose yards with 1,518 for the Cardinal, who have scored 225 points the past five games after being kept out of the end zone in a season-opening 16-6 loss at Northwestern. McCaffrey scored on a 70-yard run out of the wildcat after Owusu's catch and added his fourth touchdown from 6 yards out later in the third quarter as he broke Toby Gerhart's school record of 223 yards rushing in 2009 against Oregon. Josh Rosen threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Paul Perkins ran for 104 and a score, but the Bruins still dropped their second straight contest to fall further back in the Pac-12 South race. Stanford maintained its dominance in this series with its most overwhelming performance in decades. The Cardinal have outscored the Bruins 277-131 during the current streak and had their highest-scoring game against the Bruins since a 57-0 win in 1929. The Bruins' injury-depleted defense had no answer for the power running and trick plays from Stanford's offense. The Bruins have lost star linebacker Myles Jack and three other defensive starters to season-ending injuries and the absences showed against the Cardinal. The offenses had their way for most of the first half, but Stanford went into the break with a 35-17 lead thanks to a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown by Alijah Holder that opened the scoring, a 96-yard kickoff return for McCaffrey that set up another score and numerous penalties on UCLA that thwarted its drives. McCaffrey, who had just one rushing touchdown the first five games, also ran for two scores in the first half. UCLA receiver Kenneth Walker was ejected late in first half for a targeting penalty on a block on Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez. ------ Online: AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org/
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In Stanford's dominant 56-35 win over UCLA, Cardinal WR Francis Owusu reached over a defender's back to make a TD catch, turning in what could be the play of the year.
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RICHMOND, Va. Only a few months ago, the condemned men on Virginia's death row left their tiny cells just three days a week for showers, and an hour a day five days a week for recreation in a fenced outdoor cell. A sheet of glass separated them from family during visits. Now, the seven men awaiting execution get an extra half-hour of recreation each day, and officials are building a new yard with a basketball court and exercise equipment. They can hang out with up to three other death row inmates for an hour daily, and the state is building a room where they can watch TV, make phone calls, play games and send emails. They can hug and hold hands with relatives when they visit. "Those kinds of things are meaningful when so very little is granted to the inmates," said Victor Glasberg, an attorney who represents several of the condemned men challenging Virginia's restrictions, which for years effectively held the inmates in solitary confinement and were among the most stringent in the U.S. Those policies were quietly overhauled recently after months of legal challenges, the first of which was filed by a man convicted of three murders who was executed Oct. 1. Alfredo Prieto first won more privileges when a federal judge agreed that Virginia can't automatically place death row inmates in solitary confinement, but an appeals court later overturned that ruling. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed Prieto's appeal this week, but another lawsuit filed by other death row inmates before the overhaul is still moving through the courts. They argued they were entitled to the same privileges as Prieto and said their isolation amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. Michael Bern, Prieto's attorney, declined to comment. A Department of Corrections spokeswoman said Director Harold Clarke was not available for an interview and declined to comment because litigation is pending. The agency has said in the past that federal courts have ruled that long periods of isolation aren't considered cruel and unusual punishment. But Clarke said in an August affidavit that he authorized the changes "in an effort to explore improvements to the overall environment on Virginia's death row." Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in court documents last month that conditions on death row are now "significantly more progressive," though Glasberg said he's meeting with officials Friday to discuss further changes. "When your comparators are horrible, it goes just so far to say that you're at the top of the heap," Glasberg said. The changes bring some comfort to Paul Burns, whose older brother William Joseph Burns has served on Virginia's death row for 15 years. But Paul Burns still doesn't think he can face visiting his brother, who was sentenced to death in 2000 for raping and killing his mother-in-law. "When you've got a family member on death row, it just hurts to go see them. You know he's living a hell of a life in there," he said. Conditions among the 31 death penalty states vary widely and are difficult to track because there are no reporting requirements and the policies can change frequently, said Richard Dieter, senior program director at the Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes the death penalty. Nearly all isolate death row inmates in some way, and most offer more privileges than Virginia had previously, according to a survey conducted by the Association of State Correctional Administrators in 2013 and cited by Virginia officials in court documents. Most of the states surveyed allow inmates to participate in certain group activities, like religious services and therapy, but fewer than half let inmates touch their family members and friends during visits. The new room in Virginia will be used for religious services, behavioral programming and employment opportunities for the condemned inmates, Clarke said. Missouri, which has the least stringent policies, is the only state that houses its death row inmates with the general prison population, and they're offered the same programs as other offenders. Meanwhile, in Colorado and other states, inmates can't participate in group activities, get recreation time with other inmates or have contact visits, according to the ASCA survey. Even the families of some victims don't object to the new privileges in Virginia. Harold McFarland said he believes the man who killed his 32-year-old son deserves to die. But he supports giving William Morva more freedom within prison walls. "While he's still on the Earth, he should be treated as a human," McFarland said. ___ Follow Alanna Durkin on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aedurkin .
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