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Campus Insiders' Jordan Cornette breaks down the Boilers and tells you why Purdue has staked its claim as the Big Ten's second best team.
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sports
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Pacers forward Paul George discusses the progress of his rehabilitation from an offseason broken leg.
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Prominent veterans service organizations are blasting Brian Williams over the NBC anchor's false claims that he was on a helicopter forced down by enemy fire in 2003. But the groups are stopping short of calling for the Nightly News anchor to resign. "As an organization of wartime veterans, The American Legion finds his behavior reprehensible, and we hope that Mr. Williams will redeem himself," Michael Helm, the group's national commander, said in a statement. "But ultimately, the American people will judge his character," he added. Joe Davis, national spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, struck a similar tone. "His embellishment shows he has no idea what the term 'direct fire' really means. Whatever personal or professional fallout that follows will and should be determined by the American public," he said in a statement to The Hill. Williams apologized during Wednesday night's broadcast for claiming he was as aboard a U.S. Army helicopter when it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the early days of the Iraq War in 2003, an account he had retold several times over the last decade. Meanwhile, the pilot of the helicopter Williams was on told CNN on Thursday that their aircraft did come under smalls arms fire and "we were all scared." That didn't stop viewers from going online to voice their disbelief over his claim that he "misremembered" the event, chalking it up to "the fog of memory over 12 years." Observers are now watching to see what action, if any, NBC might take against Williams, who has become a household name for news. One key veterans group came to the anchor's defense on Thursday. "Brian Williams made a mistake. He has apologized and I accept his apology," Paul Rieckhoff, CEO and founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), wrote in a Facebook post. He touted Williams' years of work on behalf of veterans across a gamut of initiatives as a reason people should move on. "Persecuting him over this mistake will do little to help our veterans and service members. I am confident that in years ahead, Brian will continue to dedicate himself to our vets as he always has and inspire others to do the same," according to Reickhoff. "I hope that everyone who is focused on this will soon turn their attention to the most important issues facing us as veterans like suicide, unemployment and homelessness," he added. "Those are the most urgent stories that really need covering." Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), a revered Vietnam War veteran, said any decision about Williams' future is "up to his network and others." "I'm honestly not too concerned about the future of Brian Williams," he told The Hill.
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If you could take a pill daily that would lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, boost your immune system, and promote bonding with your mate, wouldn't you do it? You don't actually need a pill to tap these much-needed benefits. There's another way that's more fun, with no side effects: having sex with your mate. So why do so many couples let their relationships fall into a sex-free zone? It starts with your pressure-cooker job, on top of your load of household chores. Add your husband's own stressed-out work life, his ailing mother, and some unexpected bills that are throwing off your budget. Pepper the mix with two small (or large) children, and what you have is a recipe for a couple who would just as soon collapse on the couch as shimmy under the sheets. This scenario is so common that therapists have an acronym for it DINS, as in "dual income, no sex." And it's not only men who are unhappy about it. According to an Australian study in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy , 28% of women ages 35 to 54 who are married or in long-term relationships would like more sex, please . With 53% of the men also reporting dissatisfaction, that means at least half of couples are experiencing a "desire gap." There's an opportunity here. Frequency of sex is intrinsically tied to happiness in a relationship. The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago has consistently found that married couples between the ages of 30 and 59 who describe themselves as "very happy" have sex about 60% more often than those who describe their relationship as "not too happy." (That's 78 times a year versus 48.) "But does more sex lead to greater happiness or greater happiness to more sex?" asks Tom Smith, PhD, a senior fellow at NORC. Evidence suggests that it works both ways. So to boost your health and happiness! here's how to get your groove back. Take a shortcut. After a tiring day, anything that helps ignite your sexual energy should become part of your arsenal. For men and some women, soft porn or magazines often do the trick. (So don't feel inadequate if your husband resorts to porn and don't be embarrassed to use it yourself.) But for many women, romance novels are equally likely to promote passion, says family therapist Michele Weiner-Davis, author of The Sex-Starved Marriage . By providing vicarious thrills, they can help generate natural lubrication, too. (Here are 8 Sexy Reads For Your Bedroom to help get you started.) Be adventurous. It's not only the time crunch but also boredom with the routine that kills passion for most long-term couples because really, if you were excited about sex, you would make the time, says therapist Esther Perel, author of Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence . Variety adds that proverbial spice. But the pursuit of novelty doesn't mean you have to twist yourself into every position in the Kama Sutra. The goal of sex is to bond and have fun, not to end up in traction. Try a new sex position or anything that makes you feel naughty or seductive. That might mean role playing ("Professor, I need some extracurricular tutoring") or dressing up like Rhett and Scarlett (forget the hoop skirt and go straight to the corset). Think like a realtor. Location, location, location: A change of venue accomplishes two goals. It adds novelty, and it gets you away from the household drudgery and chores that tend to make your husband blend into the domestic scenery rather than appearing to be an enticing sexual being. But don't limit your thinking to a romantic B&B. You'll feel more risque, says Perel, if you rendezvous at a hotel for a quickie at noon. Clear the air. Smoldering resentments, not alleged time pressures, are often the true cause of a diminished sex life. Couples blame each other for placing too much emphasis on children or careers at the expense of the relationship or for being lazy bums who can't find a job and won't help out around the house. Such attitudes are not exactly turn-ons. Who'd want to cuddle up with someone who's not only not romantic but actually simmering with anger? Rather than relying on a grope in the dark, try opening up lines of communication and making him feel appreciated and hope the gesture will be reciprocated. "When people feel understood, they often feel a greater sense of love or passion," says Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. If you can't solve all your problems, at least come to enough of a truce to give each other pleasure. Problem solving may get easier after that. (Check out these communication tips .) Just do it. According to therapists, there are four stages of sex: desire, arousal, orgasm, and return to normal. "But for a lot of people, stages one and two desire and arousal can happen in reverse order," says Weiner-Davis. Allow your partner to touch you sexually, whether you're in the mood or not. Nerves that are wired to parts of the brain involved in sexual excitement will be stimulated, and physical arousal will likely follow. Exercise a deux. Enjoyable activities can help couples bond and if sharing a hike or a tennis game makes you feel great, you will tend to associate those feelings of exhilaration with your partner. Even going to the gym together on a regular basis can make you feel stronger as a couple. But a more direct turn-on may be yoga. Many studios offer workshops for couples in which you interact with your partner starting with simply sitting cross-legged on the floor and gazing into each other's eyes. (Need proof? Try these 9 Yoga Poses for Better Sex .) "Yoga poses bring you into a place of vulnerability and openness, where you're not talking around a problem or blaming each other," explains Becky Jeffers, a yoga therapist and wellness coordinator at North Shore Urogynecology in Park City, IL. Other poses involve leaning on each other feeling your partner's skin, spine, and weight against you or even sitting in your husband's lap, facing him, with your legs wrapped around him. "Lots of long-term couples try this on their date night or Valentine's Day," she says. "It generates a lot of heat, both physical and sexual." It's a kind of foreplay and you finish at the same time! Try a good squeeze. There are other forms of sexual behavior besides intercourse, says Stacy Tessler Lindau, MD, director of the program in integrative sexual medicine for women with cancer at the University of Chicago. She's found that many couples who can't have intercourse for medical reasons tend to spend more time touching, holding hands, and hugging as an alternative way of bonding. But these acts of affection are important for healthy couples, too. In a study of long-term partners who were together an average of 25 years, the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction at Indiana University found that, yes, sex was important. But frequent kissing and caressing were also predictive of happiness in the relationship even more for men than for women, says Kinsey director Julia Heiman, PhD. The study didn't examine why, but psychologists note that a loving touch makes you feel desired. Whatever you do, don't give up. Jenna (not her real name), a 56-year-old salesperson in California, thought her sex life was over when she reached menopause. "I told my husband I was done," she says. "My hormones had crashed. I thought I was never going to have an orgasm again." He took her declaration as a challenge to bring it back and he did, with a flourish, relying more on manual stimulation than he had before. Now Jenna is brimming with enthusiasm about her reinvigorated sex life. "No one is more surprised than I am," she reports or more happy to be proven wrong. MORE: 15 Secrets Of Sexually Satisfied Long-Term Couples
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Sec. of State John Kerry is in Ukraine, in the midst of a grave escalation on the ground. CNN's Jim Sciutto reports.
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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott faced further speculation about his future Friday after a senior cabinet minister refused to rule out a party vote on his leadership next week. Christopher Pyne became the latest MP to spur talk that Abbott could lose his job after months of mounting pressure were compounded recently by his much-ridiculed decision to make Britain's Prince Philip a knight. Pyne was responding to reports that three ministers believe there will be a vote on Tuesday when Liberal Party MPs and Senators hold their first party room meeting of the parliamentary year. "I can't rule it out," Pyne, who is Education Minister and leader of the house told Nine Network television. Fading poll numbers and policy backflips have angered backbenchers, while last month's decision to award the British royal has brought matters to ahead. Late Tuesday, several MPs revolted against the conservative prime minister by calling for a leadership vote. Asked if he believed Abbott had the numbers to rule out a challenge, Pyne could only offer hope. "That is a very inexact science, but I hope he does, yes," Pyne said amid reports that barely 30 of the 102 party room members would vote against Abbott. A simple majority would be needed to oust the prime minister. Abbott, who has promised greater consultation and an end to some of his more controversial policies, said he expected "business as usual" before the party room. "So I'm expecting just to get on with business and I'm confident that I've got the full support of cabinet," Abbott told Macquarie Radio. No one has stood up to run against Abbott and the pundit's favourite, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, said late Thursday the prime minister enjoyed full support. "There has been nobody that has been looking to appear to be his successor or to be his replacement," he said. But Turnbull also did not rule out a party room challenge when asked what he thought would happen on Tuesday. "We'll see. You'll just have to wait and see," he said. The ruling Liberal-National coalition stormed to power in a September 2013 election, but in polls this week it trailed the opposition Labor Party 46 to 54 percent. Abbott's rating plunged to just 34 percent.
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NEW YORK The first we see of the man we loved as Saul Goodman, he is behind the counter in a shopping mall Cinnabon in Omaha, Nebraska. We don't know why. And we don't know when, other than, presumably, it's several years before he came to be the irrepressible Albuquerque attorney for drug lord Walter White on the AMC drama "Breaking Bad," then, thanks to the virtuosic work of Bob Odenkirk, who played him, broke out as a character so irresistible the world refused to let him go when "Breaking Bad" ended its five seasons in 2013. Now the man we knew as Saul (with Odenkirk reprising the role) is back, better than ever, in "Better Call Saul," a much-anticipated, well-worth-waiting-for prequel airing two episodes at 10 p.m. EST Sunday and Monday. That "huh?" scene in the Cinnabon instantly signals that "Saul" retains the twisted storytelling style of its forebear. No surprise, since it was co-created by "BB" mastermind Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, a "BB" writer who conceived the Saul Goodman character. "There are so many glimpses of this character in so many different guises different ages and awarenesses," says Odenkirk, who, speaking for himself as the actor portraying him across the hop-scotch "Better Call Saul" narrative, acknowledges, "It's a puzzle. And, in a great way, it can be hard to keep track of. We had to do that work. But when you watch it, you don't have to." In short, as every "Breaking Bad" fan understands blissfully, the viewer of "Better Call Saul" need only submit and enjoy. Soon enough, Sunday's premiere settles (sort of) back home in Albuquerque, quickly certifying "Saul" as its own special thing: That is, the man we knew doing hefty business as Saul Goodman is, on this show, a struggling criminal lawyer born Jimmy McGill. "This guy seemed so happy during 'Breaking Bad'!" says Peter Gould by phone from Los Angeles, where he and his writing team are already plotting season 2. As discussions of a spinoff got more and more serious, "We asked ourselves, 'How did this guy get to be Saul Goodman in the first place?' The more we talked about it, the more excited I got about a certain period in his life about six years before Walter White walked into Saul's office. "What problem does becoming Saul Goodman solve for Jimmy McGill?" That was what the writers asked themselves, says Gould. "That was the genesis of starting the new series where we did." The premiere reunites the viewer with Mike Ehrmantraut (the fearsome "Breaking Bad" fixer played by Jonathan Banks) and introduces new characters, including Jimmy's mysteriously indisposed brother Chuck McGill (played by Michael McKean). But Odenkirk (who arrived on "Breaking Bad" in its second season as welcome comic relief, then grew Saul into a full-bodied scene stealer, even in the company of leading men Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul) returns now as the star in his own right. He is constantly on-screen and, as he brings new shadings to an old, familiar character, you can't take your eyes off him. He's too wound up, beguiling, calculating and desperate to let you. Odenkirk, on a visit to New York on Thursday, repeatedly deflects the credit for his performance on "Saul" to the writing and the producers. "I can't believe they trusted me with it," he says. "Getting that first script I was like, 'Really? You're gonna trust me to bring this guy to life on THIS level? Thank you! But you're nuts!'" Maybe not. With "Breaking Bad," his first dramatic role, Odenkirk revealed true acting chops, and since then turned in impressive performances in the 2013 film "Nebraska" and last year's FX series "Fargo." But at 52, he can look back at a lengthy career largely focused as a comedy writer and performer whose credits include "Saturday Night Live," ''The Ben Stiller Show," ''The Larry Sanders Show" and, paired with David Cross, HBO's legendary "Mr. Show" sketch-comedy series. Asked how he identifies himself as a show-biz professional these days, he pauses thoughtfully, then says, "I spent so many years with writer at the top of the list, it's hard to say I'm an actor now. But I like acting. It's a wonderful challenge. If I got to act the rest of my life and do roles as good as this one, I would take that option." In the meantime, he dismisses talk of imminent stardom. When a reporter praises him for the three "Saul" episodes shared for preview, he responds earnestly, "I have to keep my head down still. "We have 10 episodes this season, and more after that, so it's a long road," he declares. "I need to prove myself over all of it to an audience. So there's more challenge to come." _____ EDITOR'S NOTE Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at [email protected] and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier. Past stories are available at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/frazier-moore _____ Online: http://www.amctv.com
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Violence erupted at a semi-final match of the Africa Cup of Nations and a helicopter was brought in to try to calm the chaos. CNN's Don Riddell has the details.
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Five babies too young for the vaccine have been diagnosed with measles at a daycare outside Chicago. CNN's Ryan Young reports.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jumping onto the ice following a line change, Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker received a lead pass and broke behind the Chicago Blackhawks' defense for a sudden breakaway, scoring his 18th goal of the season in Minnesota's convincing 3-0 win on Tuesday night. The speed was apparent immediately after Zucker made the jump from college hockey to the NHL in 2012. The skill and scoring touch were demonstrated soon after, like on his first NHL goal during another breakaway against the Detroit Red Wings in 2013. Yet, Zucker's role, and his progress, might have been demonstrated more by being on the ice for Mikko Koivu's first-period goal against Chicago. Zucker chased in on the forecheck, and two passes later, the Blackhawks eventually turned the puck over in the Wild's offensive zone. Zucker went to the net and had a couple of initial scoring chances before Koivu scored. Zucker, Koivu and Jason Pominville were on the ice against Chicago's potent line of Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Brad Richards. Later in the game, Zucker would see time against Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Brandon Saad. "We have the confidence to put him on the ice," head coach Mike Yeo said. "We have the confidence to put him on a line with Mikko and Pommer and know that line's going to be matched up with Toews and Hossa and still feel confident. A lot of work has been put in, and there's still a lot more to be put in, but he's definitely playing some good hockey right now." Zucker has become a vital contributor for Minnesota as much because of his defense as for his offense. Because of his defensive improvement, he's seen more ice time and is second behind Zach Parise in goals scored for the Wild. Zucker has scored in back-to-back games and is sixth on the team with 23 points. Following his breakaway goal on Tuesday, Yeo said his speed comes through not just from his legs but his recognition and "thinking fast." "Getting in a bit of a comfort zone where you know what you're supposed to do every night and the way you're supposed to play every night," Zucker said. "That's a good thing. I've had a lot of help from a lot of the guys really showing me the way and the way I need to play." Parise and Zucker are two left wings who aren't the biggest players on the ice -- both are listed at 5-foot-11. Parise has become known for his nonstop effort and work ethic. Zucker is finding his way with a lot of the same relentlessness. "His speed is always so dangerous, but I think the thing that stands out to me is how he works for the loose pucks," Parise said. "He's got the just kind of never-quit attitude. When there's a fight for the puck in the corner, he's coming out with it a lot. Outside of all the breakaways he gets, that's kind of the reason for a lot of the success he's had this year, I think." However, Zucker had to prove himself defensively before he would get chances on one of the top two lines -- particularly with Koivu, who often matches up with the opponent's top offensive line. Yeo said Zucker's biggest improvements have been in consistency and defensive play. "The offensive instincts have always been there for him," Yeo said. "The speed is there. The recognition, those instincts are there. With all these young players, they don't get better by all of a sudden, it's not like he's skating faster right now. It's not like he's handling the puck better. He's doing all the things that he does well, and all the things we needed him to improve he's worked on, and we've given him that opportunity and put him in situations where he needed to improve. And to his credit he's done the work." The point was driven home, hard, the past two seasons. Even while his offensive skill was easy to see, Zucker would often ride the shuttle between Minnesota and the American Hockey League. He played 20 games for the Wild in 2013 and 21 games last year. "It just made me realize what I have to do every night," Zucker said of playing in the AHL. This season, Zucker has played in 46 of Minnesota's 50 games. He started the season playing limited minutes on the fourth line. Before long, he showed he was ready for more responsibility. Zucker worked during the summer to prepare himself for a bigger role. He credited the trainers with the Wild and those he worked with in the summer. He's seeing the effects of his work in the summer and previously in the AHL. "I know there were a lot of times where it may have not seemed like the popular decision to put him back down in the minors," Yeo said. "We knew there was a level to his game that we needed him to get to, and it's difficult a lot of times for players to find that here. They need the ice time. They need the experience, and as much as anything else it's just appreciating what you have. It's working for it and he's done that. He's paid his dues." Follow Brian Hall on Twitter
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Lately I've been crushing on every redhead in my vicinity especially the ones we've been seeing on the red carpet. So after obsessing over Emma Stone's perfectly imperfect tousled bob and Jessica Chastain's radiant side-swept waves at the Golden Globes, I finally got up the courage to add a little fire to my mousy-brown hair. After my initial new-hair excitement subsided, though, I realized I'd actually have to put some work into maintaining the cinnamon shade. I reached out to celebrity colorist Kyle White (the same guy who transformed my hair) to find out how to keep red notorious for its fast fade-out fresh. His three-step plan: Use a sulfate-free shampoo... Sulfates are detergents that whisk away dirt and oil from your hair. But if you have color-treated hair, they'll whisk away the dye, too. To preserve a rich red, try Davines Minu Shampoo. It's gentle, sulfate-free, and just sudsy enough. But not every day. Even a sulfate-free shampoo will strip away your scalp's natural oils, which act like a deep, color-preserving conditioner, says White. Try not to shampoo more than three times a week, and if you must shampoo daily, rinse with cool water, which can help preserve dye molecules. Stay away from the sun. Not only is this good for your skin, but it's also good for maintaining your red hair. "The sun fades the vibrancy of your color, so use a sunblock for your hair and cover your head with a hat," says White. Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil should do the trick.
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lifestyle
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(Bloomberg) -- Tiger Woods, who withdrew from the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open yesterday with his latest back injury, has become a bookmaker's best friend. The most-supported golfer in both the number of bets laid and the total value of wagers, Woods's failure to win a U.S. PGA Tour title since August 2013 and a career-worst round of 82 last week have turned a large profit for sports books. With odds that bookmakers say would be as much as three times longer if not for Woods's name and prior success, public support shows no signs of fading, even as the 14-time major champion's play has gone from bad to worse. "I wish there were five more of him out there," said Jeff Sherman, assistant manager at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Woods, 39, shot his worst round as a professional Jan. 30 to miss the cut at the Phoenix Open by 13 strokes. He withdrew yesterday after 12 holes at Torrey Pines, where he's won eight times. Woods blamed his latest back problems on a fog delay that postponed the start of his round by more than two hours. "It just never loosened back up again, and when we went back out it just got progressively tighter," he told reporters. "It's frustrating that it started shutting down like that. I was ready to go. I had a good warmup session the first time around. Then we stood out here and I got cold." The SuperBook opened Woods's title odds this week at 50-1, which was quickly bet down to 40-1. Sherman said Woods attracted five times more support than the next closest competitor. "He's still a betting favorite no matter what odds are posted -- whether it's 50-1 or 2-1," Jimmy Vaccaro, sports book manager at Las Vegas' South Point Casino, said in a telephone interview. "Even though he can't hit it two feet anymore, for the time being anyway." Bet Down At Sportsbook.ag, Woods opened at 45-1, his longest ever odds at the website. Matt James, a spokesman for the book, said he was priced shorter than his true odds in anticipation of overwhelming support. "Sure enough, within the first 12 hours we attracted enough action to make him a large loser in our book," James said in an e-mail. "We immediately cut his odds to 30-1." Before Woods joined the PGA Tour in 1996, the favorite at a major tournament would often have odds of about 12-1. At the height of Woods's dominance, he would sometimes tee off at 2-1. Action was so heavy on Woods -- who won 11 major tournaments from 1999-2006 and held the world No. 1 ranking for more than 85 percent of those weeks -- that sports books developed lucrative-looking "Tiger vs. the field" proposition bets to try and even out the money. Woods arrived at Torrey Pines having missed consecutive cuts for the first time as a professional. He hasn't won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, 17 months before he crashed his SUV during an argument with wife, an incident that led to his admission of extra-marital affairs, divorce and a stint in rehab. McIlroy's Odds Sherman said that if any other golfer was playing at Woods's current level, he'd have been at 150-1 this week. If world No. 1 Rory McIlroy was Woods, Sherman said, he'd be 5-2 to win the Masters Tournament in April, rather than the 9-2 odds the Northern Irishman currently has to capture the only major that has eluded him. "That name just attracts the money," Sherman said of Woods. Vaccaro and Sherman compared Woods to the Chicago Cubs. Bettors religiously wager on the Major League Baseball team's title odds, even though the Cubs haven't won a playoff game in 11 seasons and last won a World Series in 1908. "People would bet the Cubs all the time, no matter what," Vaccaro said. "They've been chasing that for over 100 years." The same will apply to Woods "for a long time," he added. "They grab onto these icons and they go down with the ship to some degree," he said. To contact the reporter on this story: Eben Novy-Williams in New York at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at [email protected] Dex McLuskey, Rob Gloster
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WILMINGTON, Del. Kurt Busch and his attorneys engaged in a smear campaign to cover up the driver's alleged abuse of his ex-girlfriend, according to court documents filed in Kent County (Del.) Family Court Thursday by Patricia Driscoll's legal team. In a rebuttal of closing arguments filed Wednesday, in which Busch's attorneys accused Driscoll of perjury, Carolyn McNeice, Driscoll's attorney, wrote that her client did not perjure herself. McNeice said that Busch's legal team sought to smear Driscoll's reputation to distract from the very real allegations that the driver grabbed her by the throat and slammed her head three times against the wall during a race weekend in Dover International Speedway in September of 2014. "I suggest instead that Respondent (Busch) does not have a public relations problem; he has a domestic violence problem," McNeice wrote. "He committed an act of abuse and the Court should find in Mrs. Driscoll's favor." The written summations, filed by attorneys this week, mark the closing stages of protective order hearing between the driver and Driscoll, his former girlfriend, who owns her own defense company and runs the Armed Forces Foundation. In Wednesday's filing Busch's legal team alleged that Driscoll repeatedly lied on the stand making up stories about how he allegedly abused her so she could destroy his reputation. They also questioned why Driscoll never rebutted claims that she was an assassin, something which she denied after the hearing. McNeice wrote in Thursday's rebuttal that Driscoll did not have to, because she already did when asked during cross examination. In a statement to the media made after the final hearing in January , Driscoll said Busch's claims that she was an assassin were ludicrous and were an attempt to destroy her credibility. Busch's legal team claimed in their closing arguments Wednesday that Driscoll, told "legions of people" that she was a trained killer. And she never rebutted the driver's claims about her covert life because she knew people would come forward. Rusty Hardin, Busch's attorney, said Thursday evening said he hadn't seen the rebuttal, but when told of the comments he said they were "patently false." "... there is no question that she has lived a life of misrepresenting things to people," he said, adding that they could file a perjury complaint with the courts depending on what happens in the coming weeks. "She will be fortunate if she rides this thing out without being charged with a crime herself." Busch does not have a domestic violence problem, Hardin said. "If anybody needs protection, it's him," he said. Driscoll has requested that Busch stay away from her and not contact her. She also is asking for Busch to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and be assessed by a certified domestic violence treatment agency, according to the court filings. Kent County Family Court Commissioner David Jones is expected to make a ruling on the matter in the coming days. Dover Police Department closed their investigation into the incident last December and turned it over to the state Attorney General's office. The office has not yet announced a decision on the allegations.
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Pandora (P) plunged sharply after the music streaming company on Thursday reported quarterly revenue that widely missed expectations as mobile advertising growth slowed. The company posted sales of $268 million, which fell short of Wall Street estimates for $277 million, according to expectations from Thomson Reuters. Earnings matched expectations at 18 cents a share. Shares plummeted as much as 26 percent in extended-hours Thursday following the report, breaking below the IPO price of $16 a share. (Click here to see how Pandora is trading.) (P) The firm additionally handed in current quarter revenue guidance that disappointed. The company expects revenue of between $220 million and $225 million, versus Wall Street expectations for $244 million. "We end 2014 in a very good position, with stronger relationships across the music community, record monetization metrics and highly engaged users," said Brian McAndrews CEO of Pandora in a press release. "...2015 will be a year in which we optimize Pandora's potential for long-term growth. We enter the year with energy and focus on what comes next further migrating radio budgets from terrestrial to digital, defining the future of mobile marketing and advancing Pandora's leading role in the future of the music industry." Pandora said its total listener hours grew 15 percent to 5.2 billion in the fourth quarter, up from 4.54 billion in the same period a year ago. The company said it has 81.5 million active listeners as of the end of the fourth quarter, an increase of 7 percent year-over-year.
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finance
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Twitter is stepping up efforts to boost its user base and monetization as the messaging platform faces pressure from lackluster growth since its stock market splash debut in late 2013. Twitter, set to release its quarterly financial results later Thursday, saw a 40 percent drop in its stock price last year, raising questions about the future of chief executive Dick Costolo. In recent weeks, Twitter has taken steps to woo new users, boost engagement and to improve monetization. This week, Twitter unveiled plans to sell ads that run outside its own platform in what could be the start of a broader advertising network. The plan allows advertisers to place "promoted tweets" on third party sites, the first of which are Yahoo Japan and the news app Flipboard. In January, Twitter began rolling out new group chat and video features. According to reports Thursday by Bloomberg News and The New York Times, Twitter has reached a deal with Google to make its short messages more visible on the Internet. The deal would allow tweets to show up with Google searches as soon as they are posted. Deutsche Bank analyst Ross Sandler said in a research note this tie-up "could be the catalyst to push shares meaningfully higher," and help Twitter boost its user base. Twitter still needs to prove it can attract and retain new users, according to Forrester research analyst Nate Elliott, who notes that Twitter is lagging other social networks such as Instagram and Pinterest. "Twitter has acquired only a modest number of new users in the past year, and its engagement rate per user actually went down slightly last quarter," Elliott said. "Twitter hasn't just had its silver medal taken away -- it's likely been knocked off the podium entirely, tumbling into fourth place." In October, Twitter said the number of monthly users grew 23 percent from a year earlier to 284 million. A Pew Research Center report showed that among US users, Twitter is behind Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram in the number of users. The research firm Trefis said in a report this week that Twitter has strong potential over the long term. The report said Twitter could provide some positive surprises with "some uptick" in users over the past quarter, and "strong demand for advertising during the holiday quarter." "Over the long run, we think Twitter has a solid monetization potential," the Trefis analysts said. Although Twitter's base of active users has been stuck, Trefis said the company can get revenue from "over 500 million visitors who come to Twitter-owned properties but don't login, and from hundreds of billions of tweet impressions that are accessed through syndication" at other websites. - Bird 'stands for something' - But the short-term concerns prompted Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey to launch a "tweetstorm" last week defending the company and its CEO. Speaking of Costolo, Dorsey said "there isn't a single person who has been thinking longer about Twitter" than the CEO. Dorsey also said Twitter is not just a company but "a movement." "Twitter has more global awareness than most century old companies, and yet the brand actually stands for something," he said. "The Twitter bird has come to stand for empowerment and a positive force in civil society." But as a public company, Twitter needs to reassure investors on its outlook. According to the research firm eMarketer, Twitter accounted for 0.84 percent of digital advertising worldwide in 2014, up from 0.49 percent a year earlier. In mobile Twitter's share was 2.56 percent, up from 2.25 percent. "Twitter is at a crossroads. We've been in constant 'wait and see' mode over the last few quarters as it rolls out new features designed to boost usage," said Debra Aho Williamson, analyst at eMarketer. "And while Twitter's advertising business has been a bright spot for the company, it isn't the only company making bets on video advertising and on selling ads outside of its walls. It will face a lot of competition in those two areas."
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finance
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To the 80 million customers of Anthem whose personal information was stolen by hackers, security experts offer this advice: Keep a close eye on your medical claims statements. Identity thieves use plundered health plan data to run up large bills in the victims' names. Anthem disclosed yesterday that names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, medical IDs, street and email addresses and employee information including income levels were stolen in one of the biggest data breaches of a U.S. company. Identity theft may not have been the main goal of the breach. Federal and private-sector investigators are pursuing evidence that points to Chinese state-sponsored hackers who are stealing personal data from health care companies to seek information on the personal lives of defense contractors, government workers and others, according to three people familiar with the probe. Still, the information of tens of millions of others has been compromised and can't be considered safe. Anthem, the second-largest insurer in the U.S. by market value, is only the latest to fall victim to hackers. Attacks on the industry have increased sevenfold in the past year, according to Websense, a cybersecurity firm. Anthem is mailing information to the affected members on how to access free credit-monitoring and identity protection services. It has also set up a website and toll-free number to answer questions. Plan members can't do anything right now to be 100% sure their identity won't be swiped. But if you're an Anthem member, here's what you can do: Watch for bogus billing Consumers' best defense will be the insurer's vigilance over claims reports for signs of medical-identity theft, according to the security specialists. One of the biggest threats is the possibility of medical-identity theft, in which an impostor steals members' insurance IDs or Social Security numbers and uses them to rack up thousands of dollars in health care bills, said Geoff Hancock, the chief executive officer of Advanced CyberSecurity Group in Washington. All it takes to submit a fraudulent claim in many cases is a name, plan member ID number and date of birth, Hancock said. The bill then gets sent to the person who has had her identity stolen, or to her insurer to pick up the tab. Google yourself Anthem members should also monitor bank statements, search online for their names and e-mail addresses and look out for suspicious e-mails, since hackers often sell stolen addresses to malicious spammers sending viruses or fraudulent offers, said Carl Leonard, principal security analyst for Websense Inc. "This is going to be the year of the health-care data breach," said Bob Gregg, CEO of ID Experts, which provides a monitoring service that alerts people when medical claims are made in their name. "Health care is going to be the target going forward." Medical or health-insurance information can sell for 10 times what a credit card number fetches on the black market, making it a lucrative area for cybercriminals. Start reading the mail you trash With a stolen credit-card number, new cards and their numbers can be quickly issued and the bank takes care of the fraudulent charges. Medical identify theft can cost thousands of dollars, take years to resolve and leave a lasting mark on a person's medical record. More than 1.8 million people had their medical identity stolen in 2013, a 19 percent increase from the previous year, totaling $12 billion in medical costs, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute, a data security research firm in Traverse City, Mich. While the majority of victims have their identity stolen by someone they know, 7 percent of cases were from a data breach, the group found. About a third of those who had their identity stolen said they incurred out-of-pocket costs averaging more than $18,000 in legal expenses, credit-reporting fees, medical services because of a lapse in health insurance, and payments to health-care providers for services provided to the impostor in their name. The best way to detect that type of activity is to closely read the "explanation of benefits" -- something few people do, said Katherine Keefe, global focus-group leader for breach response services at insurer Beazley Plc. Her company provides cyber-insurance to help companies prevent and deal with the aftermath of a cyberattack, and she worked for a major health insurer for more than a decade. "Scrutinize information that comes back from your health- care providers to make sure, just the way you'd examine your credit card statement, that it is accurate," said Keefe. "That is one way you can take control of the situation." Gregg said it's crucial to catch fraud early on, since the more claims there are, the harder it can be to resolve. He's seen it take years for patients to get their medical records cleared up. "The key is to catch it the first time it happens," Gregg said. "If we can catch the first instance of it, then we can put a stop to it right there."
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finance
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The federal government is about to have a huge problem if it doesn't figure out a better way to recruit workers with the necessary skill sets to successfully and efficiently do their jobs especially for IT and cybersecurity jobs areas where it seems to be struggling the most. That's according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, which found that the growing "skills gap" among federal workers poses "a high risk to the nation because it impedes the government from cost-effectively serving the public and achieving results." Auditors said the skills gap is most common among government careers in cybersecurity and information technology, auditors, contract and acquisition specialists, economists, human resource specialists, scientists and engineers, according to the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) Council Working Group areas that affect nearly every federal agency. That's alarming since these positions are among the most crucial especially at a time when the government is trying to update its technology. A survey from cloud provider Eduserv last year found that lack of skills around cloud computing contributed to issues with the federal government adopting the technology. According to the poll, nine in 10 federal workers required some form of training to use the cloud. The survey also found that 51 percent of respondents believe their federal agency didn't have the technical skills to move to the cloud. The auditors said the skill deficits are already affecting the government's missions. For example, hiring challenges at the Department of Interior have resulted in fewer inspections of oil and gas facilities. This "results in an increased risk to human health and safety due to a spill or accident." Meanwhile, the decline in telecommunication skills across multiple agencies has already led to delays and cost overruns of 44 percent, the report said. The Office of Personnel Management is planning to address the issue by first working with the Chief Human Capital Officers Council to identify the weaknesses and propose ways to fix them OPM has previously made similar efforts to address the skills gap by using a data-driven approach to figure out which occupations struggle the must. In it's last attempt, OPM set a goal of reducing the gap by 50 percent. However, the GAO said there is no clear basis to determine whether it was met. GAO recommended that going forward, OPM should create a schedule specifying when its database will be updated to include new staffing data needed to assess the overall skills gap within the federal government. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: How a Discredited Report Turned Parents into Anti-Vaxxers Holy Harley, Pope's Motorcycle Goes Up For Sale 5 Stupid Tax Proposals Hidden in Obama's Budget
| 3 | 9,616 |
finance
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Editor's Note: Ximena Vengoechea is a design researcher at Twitter, and Nir Eyal is the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products . In his famed experiments, Ivan Pavlov trained his dogs to associate mealtime with the ring of a bell. Pavlov found he could elicit an involuntary physical response in his dogs with a simple jingle. Every time his bell rang, the dogs began to salivate. Today, the beeps, buzzes, rings, flags, pushes and pings blasting from our phones prompt a similar response. They are the Pavlovian bell of the 21st century, and they get us to check our tech incessantly. However, as powerful as these cues are, people are not drooling dogs. Your product's users can easily uninstall or turn off notifications that annoy them. What makes an effective trigger? How can you be sure that the notifications you're sending are welcome and lead to higher engagement instead of driving users away? Below are a few tenets of notifications that engage users, instead of alienating them. Good Triggers Are Well-Timed Great apps create an instantaneous link between an emotional itch and the salve the service provides. To create this mental connection, effective messages are thoughtfully timed. There are two kinds of triggers: external and internal. External triggers are cues in the user's environment that provide information for what to do next. A button telling the user to "click here," "tweet this" or "play now" are all examples of external triggers. Internal triggers rely upon associations in the user's mind to prompt actions. The most frequent internal triggers are emotions. When we're feeling lonely, we check Facebook. When we're uncertain, we Google. When we're bored, we watch YouTube videos, check Reddit or scroll Pinterest. Habit-forming products align the external trigger (a push notification, for example) with the moment when the internal trigger is felt (say the feeling of uncertainty or boredom). The closer the timing of the external trigger is with the internal trigger, the sooner the association is formed. For instance, imagine you have a connecting flight and only 40 minutes to spare. As soon as you land, you're worried about which gate to go to next and how long it will take you to get there. You turn your phone off airplane mode and, voilà, there's a notification from your airline with all the right information. Your boarding time, gate number, and whether your departure is on time are presented at the moment you're most likely to feel anxious. Now you can get to your next connection without having to frantically scan one of the terminal's crowded departure screens. By providing information at the moment the user is likely to need it, the app builds credibility, trust and loyalty. Good Triggers Are Actionable Good triggers prompt action while vague or irrelevant messages annoy users. It's important that a trigger cue a specific, simple behavior. For instance, notifications from WhatsApp make it easy for users to check the latest update on a thread and respond accordingly. Their notifications are simple and focused and instruct the user what to do next. The intended action prompted by the notification can also occur outside the app. Google Now tells users when to leave for an appointment based on what it knows about their location, traffic conditions and mode of transport: "Leave by 11:25 am to arrive on time." Good Triggers Spark Intrigue A bit of curiosity goes a long way when it comes to prompting specific, intended actions. Triggers entice users to swipe to learn more when there's some mystery regarding what they might find if they do. Timehop, for instance, sends a cheeky notification reading, "No way, was that really you?," and prompting the users to open the app. To see the photo, users need to simply swipe. It helps that Timehop's messaging is lightweight and humorous enough to be out of the ordinary. Of course, if Timehop used the same copy every day, it would prove less compelling over time. Variability stimulates curiosity, and can make a notification worth checking. The element of surprise or a bit of the unexpected can make users more likely to respond to a notification, so don't send the same notification again and again. Building for the Ping All of us experience the annoyances of poorly designed notifications and triggers. Irrelevant, ill-timed, or repetitive triggers grate on us like fingernails on a chalkboard. The worst offenders bare the wrath of fickle users who stop using, unsubscribe or uninstall products that don't respect the rules of building good triggers. By integrating thoughtful, interesting, and actionable triggers that are closely coupled with users' deeper needs, designers can build notifications that people look forward to engaging with.
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news
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Everyone knows millennials live with their parents in far greater numbers than prior generations did. But this trend hasn't abated even with an improving economy. Much of the trend may have to do with factors that have nothing to do with economic cycles, such as student debt and delayed marriage. The New York Fed released new data this week showing that homeownership rates for young adults keep sliding, while the rate of living with parents is staying high, even as economic fundamentals like unemployment and growth improve. It's not just the youngest adults having problems, it seems; both they and 30-year-olds are on roughly the same trajectory, living-situation-wise: away from ownership and toward their parents' spare rooms. And Census data released last week shows something similar. While its estimates are different from the New York Fed's (thanks to different samples and different definitions of what it means to live with your parents), the Census likewise finds that the levels of living with parents are climbing and that 25-to-34-year-olds in particular are increasingly choosing to move back home. It's tempting to blame the recent economic meltdown for a lot of young adults' woes. After all, they have higher unemployment rates than older adults and are notoriously underemployed as well. And while the financial crisis (and the unemployment that came with it) certainly didn't help things, there's an important trend here: that moving in with mom and dad predated the crisis . That's because things like later marriage and heavy student debt also predated the crisis. Slate's Jordan Weissmann saw a bright side to this trend: "At some point, these twenty- and thirtysomethings are going to start climbing back out of the basement. And when they do, it will be a boost to the economy. Right now, the U.S. household formation rate ... is incredibly low. When it speeds up, you'll see more demand for housing, and the things that come along with it, like appliances, furniture, televisions, and so forth. So, you know, just think of this graph as increasing potential." He's right a better economy will probably send some of these youngsters out into the appliance-and-furniture-market, which will in turn improve the economy. But this living-with-parents trend will only abate so much, and it's certainly not going to rebound to pre-recession levels. Indeed, a 2014 Federal Reserve paper found that it's debt (particularly student debt) that's keeping young adults in their parents' basements, not a depressed economy. And while the economy is improving on a number of fronts, student debt is certainly not budging downward. Boomers, you may want to get used to your young roommates for a bit longer.
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news
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If you think you can't get a deal much better than a 3% down payment on a home, you might be surprised. There are more than 2,000 down payment assistance programs nationwide that can drastically reduce the amount of money buyers need to pay at closing. But according to some in the industry, too few buyers and real estate agents know about them. RealtyTrac, an Irvine, Calif.-based real estate research firm, along with Down Payment Resource, an Atlanta-based company that aggregates programs for real estate agents and buyers, recently identified nearly 2,300 down payment assistance programs. There are limits on which buyers and homes can qualify for the programs: Those analyzed in the report had an average household income limit of $104,000 and a maximum sales price limit on average of $823,000. But even with those constraints, more than 86% of the 78 million single family homes and condos in the U.S. could qualify for one of them, the report said. The more lofty the local real estate values, the fewer properties are likely to qualify. For example, according to Realty Trac and Down Payment Resource, only about 30% of homes in San Francisco and New York qualify. But in Wayne County, Mich., which includes the battered real estate market of Detroit, 94% of homes, nearly 1 million of them, qualify for some form of help. The lack of awareness of down-payment aid is comparable to the situation with Veterans Administration housing-aid programs; while many veterans can qualify for zero-down-payment home loans, experts say too few know about the program. "Prospective buyers or their agents willing to put in a few minutes of time to find out what programs are available to them will put themselves in a much better position to successfully purchase a home," said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. A second loan to cut closing costs Down payment programs are offered through a wide range of organizations cities or counties, local housing finance agencies, non-profits or even employers. A typical down payment program, known as a Community Seconds, works by adding a subordinate low-interest or no-interest mortgage to the first mortgage for the purpose of eliminating or reducing closing costs. The payment is often deferred or forgiven for each year the buyer remains in the home and sometimes has several emergency relief provisions for the borrower, though the loans can have a higher interest rate than the first mortgage. Other programs include Mortgage Credit Certificates that can provide up to $2,000 in annual tax credits for the life of the loan. There are also programs that provide loans to revitalize downtrodden neighborhoods that have been hit hard by foreclosures. On average, the amount of down payment assistance (DPA) RealtyTrac and Down Payment Resource was $11,565. For example, on a $250,000 home with a 3% down payment of $7,500, the closing costs for the buyer could typically add up to another $13,000, once costs such as loan origination fees, broker's commission, title, recording and transfer taxes were factored in. But a down payment program could lower the closing costs to just $200. Real-estate pros say that wider use of down-payment programs could supplement recent efforts by the mortgage industry and the federal government to draw more buyers into the market, especially younger buyers struggling to scrape together a down payment. Late last year, Federal Housing Finance Agency director Mel Watt ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to begin buying loans that have as little as a 3% down payment (or a 97% loan-to-value ratio), down from its earlier minimum limit of 5% (95% LTV). RealtyTrac's Blomquist noted in November 2014 that for a household with the estimated median U.S. income in 2014 of $54,417 it could take more than 12 years to save up for a 20% down payment for a home priced at the median value at a typical annual savings rate of 5.6%, but it could take less than two years to save for a 3% down payment. Still, the problem, according to RealtyTrac and Down Payment Resource, is that few buyers and agents know about possible assistance. According to a NeighborWorks research study, 70% of American adults don't even know these programs exist. "Down payment assistance tends to suffer from lack of awareness," Mark Hughes of First Team Real Estate, in Irvine, California, told RealtyTrac. "Guidelines and specifics tend to change with economic swings. Agents typically don't keep up with the changing requirements," he said. Another problem: Despite the availability of down payment help, some buyers who use down payment programs still lose out on purchases when they compete with buyers who can put the traditional 20% down or make all-cash offers. That will change when more inventory comes on the market, said Greg Smith, a broker at Re/Max Alliance in Denver, "Overall I think the new low-down programs will help long term, but may take time to have any real impact," he told RealtyTrac. To check and see if a property could be eligible for a program, you can go to the down payment resource eligibility search engine. 10 U.S. counties with most homes qualifying for down payment help
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finance
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General Motors Co (GM.N) plans to begin building the Chevrolet Bolt, its all-new $30,000 electric car, in October 2016 at an underused small-car plant north of Detroit, two supplier sources said. Despite the heavy hype surrounding the car's unveiling last month at the Detroit auto show, the sources said, GM's production target for the Bolt is relatively modest, at about 25,000-30,000 cars a year. Last year, GM sold 18,800 Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric cars. The Volt, priced from around $35,000, uses a small gasoline engine to increase range. Related Link: Research the 2015 Chevrolet Volt The Bolt is expected to go on sale in early 2017 and will have a range between charges of more than 200 miles. The Bolt will compete with a similar car, the Model 3, planned by Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) in calendar 2017, as well as the Nissan Leaf, which sold just over 30,000 last year. The Bolt and a companion model for GM's Opel subsidiary in Europe will be assembled at GM's plant in Orion Township, the sources said. The factory now makes the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano and has been operating at well below capacity as small-car sales have suffered from falling gasoline prices. The Bolt is being developed on GM's Gamma global small-car platform, according to the sources. The same basic set of components will provide the base for the next-generation Sonic, also due in late 2016, they said. A GM spokesman declined to comment. (Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit, editing by G Crosse and David Gregorio)
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autos
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Crispy yet succulent, this home-made chicken pastilla with filo pastry and aromatic chicken filling is simple to make at home.
| 0 | 9,621 |
foodanddrink
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French archaeologists protesting the privatisation of their profession gave visitors free entry to the renowned Louvre museum in Paris Thursday. Around 100 protesters blocked the ticketing area for around four hours in the afternoon, said union member Fabrice Marty. Visitors, who normally pay 12 euros ($13) to see the Louvre's collection of masterpieces, were therefore allowed to enter the museum for free, he said. A sign posted on a ticket counter window read: "Free entrance offered by the archaeologists". The protesters denounced "the threats to the protection of archaeological heritage sites." "For more than 10 years, the privatisation and commercialisation of this sector has led to a catastrophic situation," said a group of unions in a statement. They focused on a sector called "preventive archaeology," which helps protect ancient sites, and which was opened up to competition from private companies in 2003. A spokesman for the culture ministry said it was "astonished" the protesters had allowed the Louvre to "suffer the consequences" of their demonstration and was in talks with the unions over the issue. The Louvre, one of the most popular attractions in the French capital, is also the most visited museum in the world, receiving 9.3 million visitors in 2014.
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travel
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Four losses in a row have the fans in Austin a bit concerned. Find out what Campus Insiders' basketball analyst Digger Phelps believes Rick Barnes' squad must do to turn around its season and secure a bid into the NCAA tournament.
| 1 | 9,623 |
sports
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An electrical goods store in Kampala has become an unlikely contemporary art space for a group of young artists in Uganda who are looking for new ways to get their work noticed
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news
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NEW YORK NBC News anchor Brian Williams found himself the story Thursday, his credibility seriously threatened because he claimed falsely that he had been in a helicopter hit by a grenade during the Iraq war. NBC News officials would not say whether their top on-air personality would face disciplinary action. The "Nightly News" anchor for just over a decade, Williams had become an online punching bag overnight. Tweets with the hashtag #BrianWilliamsMemories joked that he blew up the Death Star, saved someone from a polar bear and flew with Wonder Woman in her invisible helicopter. Photoshopped pictures showed Williams reporting from the moon, and riding shotgun with O.J. Simpson in his Ford Bronco. "How could you expect anyone who served in the military to ever see this guy onscreen again and not feel contempt? How could you expect anyone to believe he or the broadcast he leads has any credibility?" wrote critic David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun. Williams apologized Wednesday for telling the story a week earlier during a "Nightly News" tribute to a veteran he had befriended during a 2003 reporting trip to Iraq. Before expressing his regrets on the air, Williams did so online and in an interview with the newspaper Stars & Stripes. He speculated online that constant viewing of video showing him inspecting the damaged helicopter "and the fog of memory over 12 years, made me conflate the two, and I apologize." His story had morphed through the years. Shortly after the incident, Williams had described on NBC how he was traveling in a group of helicopters forced down in the Iraq desert. On the ground, he learned the Chinook in front of him "had almost been blown out of the sky"; he showed a photo of the aircraft with a gash from a rocket-propelled grenade. The NBC crew and military officials accompanying them spent three days in the desert, kept aground by a sandstorm. But in a 2008 blog post, Williams said that his helicopter had come under fire from what appeared to be Iraqi farmers with RPGs. He said a helicopter in front of his had been hit. Then, in a 2013 appearance on David Letterman's "Late Show," Williams said that two of the four helicopters he was traveling with had been hit by ground fire, "including the one I was in." "No kidding?" Letterman interjected. Williams described making a quick, hard landing in the middle of the desert. "I have to treat you now with renewed respect," Letterman said. "That's a tremendous story." Williams' story was first questioned in posts to the "Nightly News" Facebook page. It's a touchy topic: Members of the military who are wounded or who come under enemy fire consider themselves members of a special kind of brotherhood and don't like people who try to intrude, said retired U.S. Army Col. Pete Mansoor, a professor of military history at Ohio State University. "It smacks of stolen valor," Mansoor said an offense that Williams specifically denied in his online apology. Rich Krell, who piloted the helicopter Williams was flying in that day, told CNN Thursday that there were three helicopters in formation, not four. Although the helicopter in front of Williams was hit by the grenade, Krell said that all three aircraft were hit by small arms fire. He seemed to take Williams' account in stride. "After a while, with combat stories, you just go 'whatever,'" Krell said. Many people have embellished war stories, in the local tavern or on a national stage. During the 2008 campaign, Hillary Clinton was derided for saying she came under sniper fire when, as first lady, she arrived at a military base in Bosnia. Her representatives said she had misspoken. Williams' immediate issue is whether or not people believe his apology, a particular problem in an industry where credibility is crucial. "It's pretty difficult to believe," Mansoor said. "I remember every time I was under fire in Iraq, especially if your vehicle is an aircraft that's been hit. That's something that gets seared into your memory for all time." The New York Daily News labeled his apology a fake. "So what if it was 12 years ago," wrote TV editor Don Kaplan. "I remember getting hit in the head with a rock by a kid in the third grade." Williams has an out-sized image at NBC News: the blue-collar Jersey guy and witty celebrity who "slow jams" the news with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight" show. He hasn't had credibility problems before and he consistently leads in the ratings, making him an outlier at a network where the "Today" show and "Meet the Press" have slipped from their lofty perch as rating champions. It's up to NBC News President Deborah Turness to decide whether Williams will be punished in any way. She has the reputations of both her most well-known personality and the news division as a whole to consider. "I feel a little let down and I imagine that's where a lot of the (online) anger is coming from," said Jason Maloni, a crisis public relations expert at Levick Strategic Communications and a regular "Nightly News" viewer. He isn't sure whether NBC should sanction Williams, but he doesn't want to see the anchor in a war zone anytime soon. Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun wrote that if credibility means anything to NBC News, Williams should be out of his job by the end of the week. But Jane Hall, a communications professor at American University, said she believed Williams' apology should be accepted. "It seems to me to be an honest mistake of conflating the two accounts," Hall said. "I don't think he has been known as anything other than a straight shooter."
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entertainment
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On Wednesday, CeCe Jefferson, a 6-2, 275 pound, 5-star defensive end, committed to play at the University of Florida in a televised press conference. As of Thursday afternoon, however, Jefferson, from Baker County High School (Glen Saint Mary, Fla.) and the prized recruit of Jim McElwain's first recruiting class at Florida, had yet to submit his Letter of Intent to the school, and if his father, Leo Jefferson, has any say in the matter, he never will. "You tell the Gainesville Sun that he isn't going to fax it in," Leo Jefferson told Sun reporter Zach Abolverdi. "I won't let him." Leo Jefferson later tweeted he was concerned about coaching changes on the Gators staff. On Thursday it was reported that Terrell Williams, who had joined Florida as their defensive line coach a month ago, was leaving to take the same position with the Miami Dolphins. Other schools Jefferson was considering before his announcement were Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi.
| 1 | 9,626 |
sports
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Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. who are granted temporary deportation relief under President Barack Obama's executive action will be able to get federal tax credits and refunds they earned while working illegally, the New York Post reported. Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen told the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday that newly authorized immigrants will be eligible to claim tax breaks and retroactive benefits dating back three years after receiving their Social Security numbers. "The program allows you to file for earned income tax credits," the Post quoted Koskinen as saying. "In terms of whether you can do that retroactively, the normal statutes of limitations would apply as to when you can file an amended return." Koskinen said only qualified workers who had previously filed tax returns can claim earned income tax credits. Newly authorized workers who have not filed tax returns are ineligible for credits and refunds, the New York Post said. A Republican committee member, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said allowing qualified workers to collect retroactive benefits "undermines congressional policy of not rewarding those for working illegally in the United States," according to the Post. Koskinen reportedly said he did not believe the IRS would revisit its interpretation of the earned income tax credit, which is the only tax program tangled in the immigration-reform debate. The earned income tax credit puts tax refunds in the pockets of working individuals and families. The program is targeted at low- and moderate-income households, particularly those with children. However, Obama has proposed expanding access to the credit to more low-wage childless workers, according to the Detroit Free Press . This tax season, the maximum credit is worth as much as $6,242 for those with three children earning no more than $53,267, according to the New York Post. Nearly 28 million people received $66 billion via the program last year, the Detroit Free Press reported. Obama used his executive authority to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in November. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in January that between 2 million and 2.5 million people will have received approval to stay in the U.S. by 2017.
| 3 | 9,627 |
finance
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Only the truly beauty-obsessed would consult celestial bodies before stocking their medicine cabinet. Which is precisely why we did it. Here, the perfect beauty product for every sign. Aquarius (January 20 to February 18) Aquarians are often misunderstood and labeled as eccentrics. Odds are, they're just ahead of their time. Ruled by Uranus, the planet of inventiveness and rebellion, Water Bearers are easily bored and always ready to get next-level. You were probably the first of your friends to dye your hair mermaid blue; it's only fitting that you should be first in line for the facial defuzzing trend. In Japan, kao sori (literally "shaved face") spa treatments are popular for eradicating peach fuzz. Stateside, CoverGirl UltraSmooth Hair Smoothing Foundation ($17) gives the same effect without the razor the lightweight formula lays downy hairs flat and hides them with a blurring effect. Pisces (February 19 to March 20) A water sign represented by twin fish (the Mary Kate and Ashley of the sea), your thoughts and actions are fluid. You've weathered many storms, so riding life's waves up and down has never been a problem. While your opinions may drift with the tides, your healing nature stays resilient. Resilient and well-hydrated, like your skin ought to be. Bathe skin in moisture with Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Sérum ($110), which has moisturizing hyaluronic acid and Camellia Alba PFA, and antioxidant Blue Ginger PFA. Virtually weightless but very powerful, a few drops rejuvenate parched skin. Aries (March 20 to April 20) As the first sign in the zodiac, you're accustomed to getting plenty of attention. Not surprising for a fire sign that leaps headfirst into new trends (reverse ombré hair) and out-there treatments (one word: vajacial). This year, Jupiter will stoke your creative flames and reverse your beauty rut. Rams like to start things, but finish them? Not so much. Whether you wear barely-there makeup or bright aqua gel liner, remember to follow through and clean it all off before bed. Try Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Cloths ($39). Saturated with natural herbs, amino acids and white birch sap, the organic cotton towelettes remove even waterproof makeup without a hint of residue. Taurus (April 20 to May 20) Bulls are ruled by sensuous Venus, the planet of beauty, romance and shaving your legs before going out for cocktails with the girls (just in case). You know what you like, and don't often veer from your opinions once you've made up your mind. Ask anyone your stance on French manicures has never wavered. Along with a secret love of rom-coms, reliability is your thing. You have a no-nonsense policy when it comes to beauty products they'd better work, and they'd better last. A misting of Kerastase Résistance Force Architecte Laque Noire ($37) hair spray sets any style, no matter how humid it is. Gemini (May 21 to June 20) Inquisitive and adventurous, the mind of a Gemini moves 100 miles per hour. The Twins are the James Francos of the zodiac: they never seem to run out of energy, they keep their friends snorting with laughter and they're always up for something new. Snail slime facial? Sure. Over-the-top nail art? Why not. As a mutable sign, change doesn't freak you out. One day, you've got a classic half-moon manicure; the next, glitter-encrusted stiletto claws. (When the boss is out of office, natch.) If you need a quick change, textured Butter London Glitter Scrubbers ($12) remove stubborn glitter before your morning meeting. Cancer (June 21 to July 22) Describing Crabs as sensitive is a little tricky, since they tend to take things personally. Ruled by the moon, Cancers are known for mood swings and a fondness for kicking back on the couch during Netflix binges. But you can't spend your whole life hiding at home in footie pajamas. To put your best face forward, start with Charlotte Tilbury WonderGlow Instant Soft-Focus Beauty Flash ($100). Like la Luna, it illuminates by stealing the sun's UV light and reflecting it on the skin. (Over time, peptides smooth wrinkles and boost collagen, too.) Use it in the morning after moisturizing; during the day, tap it on over makeup to refresh your look. Leo (July 23 to August 22) You're not the center of the universe, Leo. However, your sign is ruled by the sun, the leader of our planetary clique (it's not called a solar system for nothing), and that's close enough. The glam update to Lorac's popular Unzipped palette of neutral shadows suits your fabulosity just fine. Lorac Unzipped Gold Eye Shadow Palette ($42) has 10 gold-tinged shimmers and flattering mattes for spotlight-loving Leos, and a mini Behind the Scenes Primer to set them. Swipe a radiant golden-beige color on the lids and define the lash lines in matte brown powder applied with a damp brush. Virgo (August 23 to September 22) Virgos are known for being extremely organized and a little bit obsessive. (Alphabetizing your medicine cabinet, then turning each bottle so the label faces forward who does that?) All we're saying is, you're not exactly laid back. This year's challenge is to ditch the metaphorical magnifying glass and stay focused on the big picture. You can't control every aspect of your life, but a weekly Fig+Yarrow Black Clay Mask ($18) can help manage your skin. Virgos love a good list, so here are some of the key ingredients: pore-opening black clay, activated charcoal for drawing out oil and gunk and naturally antiseptic palmarosa to keep oil levels in check. Libra (September 23 to October 22) Nothing infuriates a Libra like injustice except for blotchy skin or uneven eyeliner wings. You're charming and diplomatic when you need to be, which will come in handy during this year's planetary retrogrades. Instead of fueling drama, you have a knack for creating harmony. The key is not getting so wrapped up in moderating others that you forget to take care of yourself. Balance testy skin with Lancôme Visionnaire LR 2412 4% CX Advanced Skin Corrector ($79, available in March). Used regularly, anti-agers exfoliating LHA, collagen-stimulating Vitamin CG and tiny Jasmonite molecules that bind to water and oil take off years. Light diffusers and smoothing silicone elastomers leave skin glowing and velvety right away. Scorpio (October 23 to November 21) Scorpios are the most intense of the zodiac's 12 signs. Imagine Beyoncé in full Queen B mode, dance-stomping onstage in sequined hot pants and platform heels. That's you, running the world. Ruled by powerful Pluto, you have almost too much potential and you can use that energy for good or evil. With a felt tip liquid liner pen like NARS Eyeliner Stylo in Atlantic Blue ($27), a dark ocean-floor shade, it's easy to express the best of both sides. Flick the liner out from the outer lash lines for flirty Audrey Hepburn wings or draw exaggerated cat-eyes, it's your world. Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21) As fearless as Katniss Everdeen, Archers are the zodiac's wanderlusters and jet-setters. Your Instagram feed looks like one of those slideshows called, "100 Places to See Before You Die." With your ruling planet Jupiter in your ninth house until summer's end, you're crackling with energy and your bags are packed. Tuck an inspirational perfume into your bag for on-the-go aromatherapy (even if you're only going as far as the office). Maison Martin Margiela Replica Beach Walk ($125) perfume a mix of coconut milk, lemon and pink pepper comes in a travel-friendly rollerball and recalls a whiff of ocean air. Capricorn (December 22 to January 19) Anyone who underestimates you is in for a huge surprise, Capricorn. Ambitious and driven, your sign is ruled by Saturn's tough-love approach you're no stranger to focus and discipline. Oh-so-serious Goats do sometimes forget to have a good time, though. Balancing hard-won goals with flights of fancy is simple once you set your new intentions. Take Dior Kingdom of Colors ($80) palette for spring 2015, a pretty arrangement of pearly highlighter, coral blush, aqua and black liners, iridescent gloss, coral gloss and pink lipstick. Your challenge: How many looks can you eke out of one palette?
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It's a fact we probably don't need to tell you, but weddings come with a lot of planning . As in, color-coded binders, "pass that bottle of wine" amounts of planning. Because of this reality, we realize many brides are tempted to just "wing it" when it comes time to prepare for the honeymoon . Who needs an intricate packing list when you're already up to your eyeballs in seating arrangements, right? We get it. So, to make your life easier, we thought it would be handy to offer seven tips to streamline and optimize your packing process. 1. Choose a Color Scheme Whether its bright and cheery or subdued neutrals, stick to a united color scheme to allow for as much mixing and matching as possible. Luggage real estate is precious. 2. Think Versatile Include your most versatile items like that sundress that works both day and night, or the sweater you'll style 10 different ways. 3. Reach for Wrinkle Resistant Wrinkle resistant microfibers like Lycra, nylon, spandex, and tencel are a honeymooner's best friend. 4. Roll with It If microfibers aren't your thing, avoid wrinkling your clothes by laying dresses and blouses flat, and rolling sweaters and pants. 5. Stuff Smartly Think outside the box when it comes to luggage space. Bringing a clutch? Stuff it with jewelry . Boots? Fill those puppies up with socks. Leave no ounce of space unstuffed and yes, you may refer to yourself as "The MacGyver of Luggage." 6. Bring a Spare Bag We're not naming names, but a lot of us around here like to shop . A lot. We may have a problem. If you also fall into this category, and anticipate you'll be buying some souvenirs, pack an extra duffel. You never know how many have-to-have-it items you'll find best to be prepared. 7. Prepare for the Worst There are few things worse than an airline losing your (oh-so-carefully-curated) luggage. Unfortunately, it's not an unheard of circumstance. Prepare for the worst case scenario by bringing necessary toiletries, a change of clothes and valuables in your carry-on .
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2007 Apple was the very embodiment of secrecy. If you didn't have an Apple employee badge, you probably had no idea what was coming next. Unless you're a Senator from Illinois with damned good odds of becoming the President of the United States, that is. Then you get to play with the iPhone before the rest of the world. David Axelrod, chief campaign advisor to Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign, is writing a memoir of his time in politics. He briefly touches on a meeting between Obama and Steve Jobs, and 9to5Mac found a quote : In 2007, Obama got a sneak peek at the iPhone during a private meeting with Apple's Steve Jobs. "If it were legal, I would buy a boatload of Apple stock. This thing is going to be really big," Obama said after the meeting. The iPhone has changed a lot since then, of course. The iPhone of 2007 was 2G only, and with not a single (native) third-party app beyond what Apple provided. But the foundation for the many iPhones that followed was there and Barack Obama liked it. For reference: around the time Barack Obama was half-joking that he wished he could invest, Apple stock (adjusted for recent stock splits and what not) was around $14. Today, it's worth a bit over 8x that.
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news
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Nearly 20 years after its release, Ginuwine's hit 'Pony' is enjoying newfound popularity online thanks to being included in the 'Magic Mike XXL' trailer. Mike Janela (@mikejanela) has more.
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Once upon a time, sugar might have been simple. Now it's anything but. Sugar isn't sugar anymore--it's turbinado sugar, superfine sugar, coconut sugar. Is it too much? Actually, it's not enough--this is the best time for sugar fiends, as all of these varities have unique flavors, textures and personalities. You just have to know what those traits are and how to best exploit them. Which is exactly what we break down in this definitive sugar buying guide. Granulated Sugar The most refined and common sugar. It's made from removing the juices of sugar beets or sugar cane, which are then processed to remove the molasses. Superfine suga r is a subset of granulated sugar that's best used in recipes where sugar needs to dissolve quickly. Dark Brown Sugar and Light Brown Sugar Brown sugar is refined white sugar with molasses added back in. Dark brown sugar has more molasses than the light variety, which accounts for the color differences. They can be used interchangeably, though dark brown sugar has a stronger molasses flavor. Confectioner's Sugar More commonly known as powdered sugar, confectioner's sugar is granulated sugar that's been ground into a powder. Cornstarch is often added to prevent clumps from forming. Because it dissolves easily, it's favored for icings, frostings, and whipped cream. Caster Sugar Caster sugar is very, very fine and dissolves quickly, which makes it perfect for cocktails, meringues, or frostings. Turbinado Sugar Turbinado sugar is slightly refined raw cane sugar. It has a caramel-like flavor, which makes it a good choice for baked goods and beverages. It's especially great for sprinkling on top of baked goods to get a sugary, crunchy exterior. Demerara Sugar Another minimally-refined raw cane sugar that's usually used to sweeten beverages. The crystals are larger--and lighter in color--than turbinado sugar, which makes demerara a good candidate for sprinkling on baked goods. Muscovado Sugar Sticky and sandy, muscavado is similar to brown sugar except it comes from unrefined sugar that hasn't had the molasses removed. It can be used in place of brown sugar, but be careful--it has a much stronger flavor. Muscavado is perhaps best suited to barbecue and other sauces. Cane Sugar As the name suggests, cane sugar comes solely from sugarcane. It is a natural combination of sugar and molasses without any refining or added flavors, so many people prefer it for baking over brown sugar. Coconut Sugar Coconut sugar (also called coconut palm sugar) is made from the sap of the coconut plant. It has an earthy flavor and pairs especially well with baked goods containing chocolate. Palm Sugar Palm sugar comes from the nectar of the sugar palm tree. It's flavor is most similar to coconut sugar but with smoky caramel notes. Date Sugar Date sugar is made from dehydrated ground dates and can be used as an alternative to brown sugar. Pearl Sugar If you've ever had a Scandinavian cinnamon roll or other pastry, you may have noticed the large, white sugar crystals on top. This is pearl sugar (also called coarse or decorating sugar) and it's only used for topping since it doesn't melt away at high temperatures. Sanding Sugar Also moderately heat resistant, sanding sugar is only used for topping baked goods since the crystals are fairly large and often dyed a myriad of colors. Maple Sugar Maple sugar is made from the sap of the maple tree and can be used the same way you would use regular sugar. It tastes amazing on buttered toast, in oatmeal, or in shortbread cookies.
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It is past time to update copyright laws for music licensing, which are woefully out of sync with how Americans listen to music these days, according to a long-awaited report Thursday from the U.S. Copyright Office. The 245-page report offers ten pages of recommendations for how existing copyright law over music licensing should be updated to better reflect how people listen to music now. "From a copyright perspective, we are trying to deliver bits and bytes through a Victrola," the report concludes. "But the costs of failing to update our outmoded licensing methods are escalating." By itself, the report doesn't do much. But it could be used as a basis for legislation that could change how much artists, songwriters and music labels receive for their music as well as the amount radio stations and music streaming services are required to pay. The current system is a hodgepodge of rules that makes little sense to rational people. Songwriters get paid different royalties than the people who perform their songs. Payments differ according to where the songs are played, whether on AM/FM radio or digital music services. Artists and songwriters get a different fee for music sold in stores. Among the recommendations: Government licensing processes should aspire to treat like uses of music alike. Require AM/FM radio stations to pay performance fees to recording artists like satellite and Internet radio stations. Close a loophole that allows digital streaming services to avoid paying royalties on songs recorded before 1972. Consolidate all rate-setting activities within the Copyright Royalty Board, instead of having some rates set by federal district courts (thanks to decades-old industry consent decrees with the Justice Department). The U.S. Copyright Office can't actually change the current system but it generally advises Congress on how to update existing copyright laws. Last year lawmakers debated two music licensing bills, one that would close a loophole that lets digital streaming services air music recorded before 1972 for free and another that would make it easier for songwriters to negotiate for higher royalties. Neither went anywhere, however, as industry groups on all sides of the debate bickered over the details as they have in past years. Current House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va, has indicated willingness to tackle the issue again this year. A House Judiciary Committee aide said Thursday they are looking at the report "and reactions to it" as part of their ongoing review about how to update the copyright laws. Industry reaction to the report was mixed, as expected. ASCAP, which represents songwriters and publishers, said the report "underscore[s] yet again the inefficiency of the current system for music fans and creators alike." The Recording Industry of America said the Copyright Office had given the industry a "lot to digest and reflect upon" but agreed that "reform is necessary to develop new revenue streams for all creators." The National Association of Broadcasters, meanwhile, wasn't keen on the idea of paying more to artists and released a statement that, "as it has for decades, the Copyright Office proposes music licensing recommendations looking only through the lens of copyright owners." Finally, Pandora agreed with the other parties that said the system was outdated. In a statement, the Internet radio service said it is open to paying royalties on those pre-1972 songs as long as it's on a "technology-neutral approach that affords libraries, music services and consumers the same rights and responsibilities that are enjoyed with respect to all other sound recordings."
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Fitness expert Jake Dupree shares three backside-boosting exercises you can do from the comfort of your home!
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health
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NEW YORK Handle it, InStyle. Kerry Washington took to social media late Wednesday to gush about her March cover for the magazine, but her skin tone in an image she posted on Instagram and Twitter appeared significantly lighter than in real life. The difference wasn't lost on dozens of commenters, while others were as "THRILLED" as the "Scandal" star. Wrote one sad fan: "Glad you made the cover kerry, but this isn't right. I'm sorry. It's not. Don't let them do that to you." Another chimed in: "Why is she white in this picture." Some negative comments were later removed. The magazine said in a statement Thursday that it, too, fielded complaints from people concerned that Washington's skin was deliberately lightened. "While we did not digitally lighten Kerry's skin tone, our cover lighting has likely contributed to this concern. We understand that this has resulted in disappointment and hurt. We are listening, and the feedback has been valuable. We are committed to ensuring that this experience has a positive influence on the ways in which we present all women going forward," the magazine said. The InStyle cover has Washington brightly lit in a white, shoulder-baring dress, hands on hips and hair wind-swept. Washington later tweeted the magazine's explanation in full, adding: "Beautiful statement. Thank u 4 opening this convo. It's an important 1 that needs to be had." The Olivia Pope actress isn't a newcomer to cover controversy. Lucky magazine took some Photoshop heat for a Kerry cover also declared unrecognizable by some in 2013. Additionally, the cosmetics giant L'Oreal was accused of "whitening" Beyonce's skin tone in a several magazine ads dating to 2008.
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entertainment
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ISIS is using social media to find new recruits inside the U.S. to join in their jihad, according to the FBI. CNN's Pamela Brown reports.
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Oregon officials are warning early morning joggers and park visitors in the state capital Salem to watch out for an owl who has an affinity for hats after at least four people were attacked in a month. No one was seriously hurt in any of the incidents, but Brad Hilliard, 36, was one of at least two joggers to have lost headgear in a brush with the bird. "It was kind of amazing how it just swooped down and grabbed my hat like that," Hilliard told Reuters of how he became the acquisitive avian's latest victim early one morning this week. "It just pulled it right off my head like it was nothing!" Keith Keever, the city's parks superintendent, said officials had never heard of a case like it before. Members of the Audubon Society, a bird conservancy group, a say the bird is a barred owl and believe that just one owl is the culprit, Keever said, and that it could be more aggressive because it is nesting season. Originally from the east coast and first seen in Oregon, Washington and California in the 1970s, barred owls have been blamed for pushing out the endangered northern spotted owl. The bird in question has targeted runners near Bush's Pasture Park, where signs now warn people to avoid jogging before dawn or, jokingly, to consider putting on a hard hat. Hilliard said he has been back a couple of times this week to look for his cap. "It hasn't turned up yet," he said. "I just assume it's being used in a nest!" (Reporting by Shelby Sebens; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)
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SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) The family of a Seahawks fan who died after the Super Bowl says he would have enjoyed the dig at the team they put in the last line of his obituary: ''We blame the Seahawks lousy play call for Mike's untimely death.'' The obituary for Michael Vedvik appeared Thursday in The Spokesman-Review (http://bit.ly/1DjeuPR ). His wife, Stephanie, says he would have found the line hilarious. The 53-year-old Kent man actually didn't see the game. He recorded it, intending to watch later, and went to sleep not feeling well, thinking it was indigestion or stress. He died in bed after a heart attack. His brother-in-law added the line about Seattle's unsuccessful last play to the obituary and Stephanie Vedvik approved. Mike Vedvik's funeral will be Saturday at Mount Spokane Church in Mead. --- Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
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Valentines' Day has a pretty extensive history, and if you're looking for some fun V-day dinner conversation, there are a few facts about the tradition you may want to know. Krystin Goodwin (@krystingoodwin) has the rest.
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lifestyle
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(For more credit columns, click on TOP CM.) (Bloomberg) -- Singapore's Temasek Holdings Pte has told Standard & Poor's in 29 pages why it shouldn't mess with the state-owned investor's AAA rating. Temasek, which managed S$223 billion ($166 billion) of assets as of last March, said the rating firm's proposed new rules for grading investment holding companies lump Singapore with riskier nations such as Greece and Jamaica, according to a Feb. 2 response to the changes. S&P's new criteria take into account the firms' lack of direct ownership of assets, the challenges they face when selling in illiquid markets and volatility of assets they hold. Part of S&P's proposal groups Singapore, which has had a AAA rating for 20 years, alongside Greece, a nation that may run out of cash this month. While Temasek would probably still enjoy the government's top-grade overall rating, a weaker risk profile would be unwelcome at the company which has been considering offering bonds to individuals in Singapore. "A triple-A credit rating is a rare thing in today's markets, and there is a prestige element to it," Veljko Fotak, an assistant professor of finance and managerial economics at the University at Buffalo, New York, said in a Feb. 5 e-mail. "Any chink in that armor, even if only in the stand-alone, rather than overall, rating, could have image consequences." Temasek dollar bonds due 2019 yielded 39 basis points more than U.S. Treasuries on Thursday and its credit-default swaps were at 38.7, compared with 35.5 for Australia. Four Baskets S&P in November published proposed new criteria for assessing credit risk at investment holding companies, or IHCs, defined as firms holding equity stakes across at least three sectors. The ratings company asked for feedback from affected parties by Jan. 30. The new framework grades IHCs' asset liquidity by splitting their main countries of operation into four baskets, based on a 30-year history of those nations' share market swings, according to Temasek. Singapore falls into the third basket with markets including Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus. The measure should instead "be assessed based on the number of days needed to divest assets" on those exchanges, said Temasek. "With its statement, Temasek is indirectly defending the standing of Singapore as a financial center," Sven Behrendt, a managing director at Geneva-based GeoEconomica, which researches sovereign wealth funds, said in a Feb. 4 phone interview. "It's understandable to me that Temasek doesn't want the country to be put in the same category as Greece, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago." Asia, America Temasek had 31 percent of its assets in Singapore as of March 31, according to its last annual report published in July. Investments in the rest of Asia stood at 41 percent and those in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand at 24 percent. About 70 percent of its assets were listed. The firm's biggest holdings include a 52 percent stake in Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., valued at $25 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show. It owns a 6 percent stake in China Construction Bank Corp., valued at $11.6 billion, and 29 percent of DBS Group Holdings Ltd., valued at $10.4 billion. "S&P regularly requests comments from market participants on proposed changes to its methodologies and assumptions," Bertrand Jabouley, the Singapore-based S&P analyst who follows Temasek, said in a Feb. 5 e-mail. "The objective of this proposed criteria is to help the market better understand key risk drivers for investment holding companies, enhance global comparability of our ratings and improve transparency." Stephen Forshaw, a spokesman for Temasek, declined to comment beyond the company's statement when contacted by e-mail. Riskier Basket Under the criteria, S&P also assumes that firms such as Temasek operate in a "moderately high risk" industry. That puts IHCs in a basket riskier than pharmaceutical and oil and gas companies, said Temasek. S&P has downgraded 18 energy firms this year in North America as lower oil prices curb their cash flows and ability to pay debt, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The proposed industry classification could see a capping of IHCs' so-called anchor ratings, which help determine stand-alone scores, at levels that don't reflect the individual firms' ability to pay debt, according to Temasek. "In our view, classifying IHCs as a uniform, homogeneous industry is not meaningful," Temasek said in the statement. "A company should be assessed objectively, based on its individual credit quality, without being constrained by any cap." S&P assigns an "extremely high likelihood of extraordinary government support" to Temasek, which means the investment firm's corporate score would reflect Singapore's AAA rating even if its stand-alone grade dropped. Surprise Easing The city's economy grew an annualized 1.6 percent in the three months to Dec. 31 from the previous quarter, less than analysts estimated, after its manufacturing industry weakened with slowing growth in China. The country unexpectedly eased monetary policy last month, allowing the Singapore dollar to drop 1.5 percent versus the greenback this year. Temasek said in January 2014 it was looking at ways to offer bonds to individual investors in Singapore. Issuing fixed- income products will provide an "alternative investment opportunity" for investors seeking stable returns with lower risks, the company said in a statement that month. S&P's proposed new criteria for IHCs "is part of a bigger focus on how to evaluate liquidity risk as it has been deteriorating across the world," Jean-Charles Sambor, Singapore-based Asia Pacific director of the Institute of International Finance, said by phone Feb. 4. "It's healthy that rating companies and firms such as Temasek are having a public discussion about these issues." Top Stories:TOP To contact the reporters on this story: Christopher Langner in Singapore at [email protected]; Klaus Wille in Singapore at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Katrina Nicholas at [email protected]; Sandy Hendry at [email protected] Chris Bourke, Sandy Hendry
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finance
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Jarrod Uthoff and Iowa snapped a brief losing streak in style, by handing Michigan its most lopsided home loss in over four years. Uthoff had 16 points and nine rebounds, and the Hawkeyes scored the final 12 points of the first half en route to a 72-54 victory over the Wolverines on Thursday night. Michigan had not been beaten this badly at home since a 23-point loss to Purdue on Dec. 28, 2010. Iowa snapped a three-game skid. ''We were just clicking. We were playing as one,'' Uthoff said. ''There was a couple moments when they made a run, and the crowd started getting into it. ... There's so many big plays that just kept us going.'' Iowa (14-8, 5-4 Big Ten) led 31-21 and halftime and extended that margin early in the second. A 3-pointer by Aubrey Dawkins brought Michigan within nine with 8:07 remaining, but Uthoff answered with a 3 that started a 12-2 run that gave Iowa a 64-45 advantage. The Wolverines, playing without injured guards Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton, did not score for the final 6:58 of the first half. Dawkins led Michigan with 16 points, but the Wolverines (13-10, 6-5) continue to be plagued by extended scoring droughts. They were held without a point in overtime in a loss at Michigan State on Sunday, and they never really threatened Iowa after the Hawkeyes built a comfortable lead. ''I think you have to go back quite a few years to see a game like that played at Crisler,'' Michigan coach John Beilein said. ''You have to give a lot of credit to Iowa. They were terrific.'' Mike Gesell scored 14 points for the Hawkeyes, and Aaron White added 13. Iowa shot 63 percent from the field. Adam Woodbury scored 11 points, and Peter Jok contributed 10. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 11 points for Michigan, and Spike Albrecht added 10. It was those two who helped the Wolverines nearly upset the Spartans over the weekend, but they didn't produce quite as much against Iowa, and Zak Irvin was held to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting. The Wolverines have faced an uphill climb to make the NCAA tournament, and this loss leaves them with an even more daunting task. Michigan's next two games are on the road against Indiana and Illinois, and then the Wolverines host Michigan State and Ohio State. Iowa is by no means assured an NCAA berth either, but the Hawkeyes have road wins this season over North Carolina, Ohio State, Minnesota and now Michigan. ----- TIP-INS Iowa: The Hawkeyes outrebounded Michigan 33-17. Michigan: The Wolverines were outscored 42-16 in the paint. EFFECTIVE ZONE Michigan has had some success with zone defense this season, but it was Iowa's zone that helped swing this game after the Wolverines looked comfortable offensively in the early going. ''We got some consecutive stops in that sequence, and we got some run-outs,'' Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery said. ''The defense was good, and consequently the offense was good. They were cooking pretty good against our man. ... So we made the change, and it was very effective.'' Beilein said it's hard for his team to excel in any phase of the game when the Wolverines are having to try so many different things. ''I run out of practice time,'' he said. ''We're just grasping for straws right now, trying to find - that's probably the poor word. We're just searching really, really hard to find the best way for us to play as a team, and then you have to change that a little bit for the next opponent, because they're all different.'' T'D UP White was called for two technical fouls less than two minutes apart in the second half. The second was for hanging on the rim after a dunk that put Iowa up 46-28. Hanging on the rim is a Class B technical, and White was not ejected. UP NEXT Iowa plays at No. 17 Maryland on Sunday. Michigan plays at Indiana on Sunday.
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sports
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- David Backes and the St. Louis Blues have goalie Jake Allen to thank for extending their point streak to a franchise-best 13 straight games. Though the Blues were far from perfect, Allen was unbeatable in stopping 23 shots in a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. "We're not going to put a bow on it and send it to anybody. But we're going to take the two points," Backes said. "We had phenomenal goaltending once again that kept us in the game long enough for where we were able to capitalize on a few chances." Dmitrij Jaskin scored on a wraparound late in the second period, and Vladimir Tarasenko tapped in Backes' pass in the third period for St. Louis, which improved its run to 12-0-1. Jaden Schwartz added an empty-netter as the Blues won their seventh straight. Allen did the grunt work in preserving the shutout, his third this season and fourth of his career. First, he got his left pad out to stop former Blues teammate Chris Stewart on a breakaway with 7:32 left in the second period. Stewart was foiled again on a one-timer 3:45 into the third period. Some three minutes later, Allen stopped Brian Flynn on two chances during a short-handed breakaway. "I was just trying to wait him out as long as I could and got a stick on it," Allen said of Flynn's chances. "We've had our moments where we've not been at our best. But that's where other guys step up and fill a role." Allen carried the load against the Sabres, as St. Louis (34-13-4) won its seventh straight and moved into a tie with Nashville atop the Central Division standings. St. Louis' 13-game point streak is the NHL's longest since the Boston Bruins went 15-0-1 last March, according to STATS. With the NHL's worst record, the Sabres (15-34-3) understood the missed opportunities were what cost them against one of the NHL's elite. "We've got to dig deep to get those," forward Tyler Ennis said. "A lot of shoulda, coulda, woulda, but it wasn't enough." The Sabres were shut out for the ninth time this season -- one short of matching a franchise high. And they failed to build off the momentum of a 3-2 win at Montreal on Tuesday, when Buffalo snapped a team-worst 14-game skid. "We have to play for a full 60 (minutes) if we want to have success," added defenseman Tyler Myers. "We shot ourselves in the foot tonight." The only goal the Blues needed came off a faceoff to the left of the Sabres' net. Patrik Berglund won the draw, and teammate Ty Rattie pushed the puck back to the blue line where defenseman Chris Butler's slap shot sailed wide of the left post. Jaskin pounced on the puck and immediately came out the other end to wrap it around the post and in off of goalie Jhonas Enroth's skate with 1:56 left in the second period. It was a tough goal to give up for Enroth, who had otherwise been the difference in keeping the game scoreless. In the first period, Enroth kicked out his left pad to stop Paul Stastny, who was set up alone in the slot. Seven minutes into the second period, Enroth was quick with his glove to stop Backes' hard, rising snap shot on a partial break up the right side. Enroth had no chance on Tarasenko's goal with 5:38 remaining. Backes drove up the left side and flipped a pass over a diving Sabres defender to Tarasenko, who popped it in the open side and score in his third straight game. NOTES: Blues coach Ken Hitchcock won his 691st career game to move one behind Dick Irvin, who is fourth on the NHL career coaching list. ... Blues linemates Alexander Steen (nine goals), Backes (eight) and T.J. Oshie (eight) entered having combined for 25 goals in their past 13. That was one more than the Sabres had scored in previous 15. ... Buffalo has dropped six straight at home, dating to a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Dec. 27.
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sports
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For 12 years, Martin Pistorius say he was trapped inside his own body fully conscious while physically in a vegetative state. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports.
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Clive Davis says he's been in touch with Whitney Houston's family and is praying for her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. Davis, who was Houston's mentor, said in an interview Thursday that he's offered his support and prayers, "and they're so grateful." "Of course it's heartbreaking to see the family go through this pain once again," Davis said at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where Houston died in 2012 and where he will hold his pre-Grammy gala Saturday. Police said the 21-year-old daughter of Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown was taken to a hospital last week after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub in a suburban Atlanta town house. A statement from the Houston family this week said she was fighting for her life. "They just ask that the public respect their privacy," Davis added. Davis introduced Houston to the music industry more than two decades ago at his annual pre-Grammy soiree. He guided the big-voiced singer's illustrious career. Houston was found unresponsive in a bathtub on Feb. 11, 2012, and died at age 48. Authorities found a dozen prescription drug bottles in her Beverly Hills Hotel suite and concluded that she accidentally drowned, although heart disease and cocaine use were listed as contributing factors.
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entertainment
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What will they fry next? Texas may be known as the king of fried foods at its popular annual state fair, but Florida is certainly catching up. This year's Florida State Fair in Tampa, which starts February 4 and lasts almost two weeks, offers a plethora of activities, drinks, and fried food, including the highly-anticipated funnel cake cheeseburger. The burger is a standard bacon cheeseburger, topped with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles, and nestled between two sugar-dusted funnel cake "buns." In addition to this monster mash-up of a burger with a carnival treat, the state fair will feature the two other "people's choice" burgers which were voted on over the past couple of months: a Parmesan-crusted burger coated with a potato chip/Parmesan cheese mixture, then twice-fried and until crispy. The burger is then topped with bacon and mayonnaise-parmesan sauce and torched until melted, according to Yahoo News. The runner-up of the crazy burger contest was the jalapeño-crusted burger: another twice-fried burger patty coated with a corn chip-jalapeño mix, then topped with shredded Mexican-style cheese (melted with a kitchen torch), guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. All three of these really sound like a mouthful. Are you ready? ]]>
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foodanddrink
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SAN FRANCISCO LinkedIn maintained its perfect record of pleasant financial surprises as the online professional networking service extended its reach during the fourth quarter and added more tools to help connect salespeople with potential customers. The results announced Thursday marked the 15th consecutive quarter that LinkedIn's earnings and revenue have exceeded analysts' projections since the Mountain View, California, company went public in May 2011. The streak has been driven in part by LinkedIn's cautious approach in the financial forecasts it releases every three months. Many analysts suspect management deliberately sets a low bar so it's easier to clear. The suspected gamesmanship has prompted some analysts to boost their predictions above LinkedIn's projections yet the company has still managed to top those numbers every quarter so far. It's a habit that investors love. After hitting a new peak during Thursday's regular trading, LinkedIn's stock surged another $19.83, or nearly 8 percent, to $257.80 in extended trading. Not even the latest chapter in LinkedIn's history of uninspiring guidance could dampen the enthusiasm. The company's first-quarter predictions envision adjusted earnings of 53 cents per share on revenue of about $620 million, falling shy of adjusted earnings of 55 cents per share on revenue of $646 million predicted by analysts, according to FactSet. LinkedIn Corp. earned $3 million, or 2 cents per share, during the final three months of last year. That represented a 21 percent decrease from $3.8 million, or 3 cents per share, in the same 2013 period. If not for certain accounting items, LinkedIn said it would have earned 61 cents per share. That figure exceeded the average estimate of 53 cents per share among analysts surveyed by FactSet. Fourth-quarter revenue climbed 44 percent from the previous year to $643 million about $26 million above analysts' projections. LinkedIn Corp. ended December with 347 million users who had posted their work histories on the service, a gain of 15 million from September. More people clocked into LinkedIn, too, and spent more time perusing the career advice shared on its site. A monthly average of 93 million people visited LinkedIn during the fourth quarter, up from 90 million in the third quarter. That trend is a positive sign because it helps LinkedIn gather more insights about its users and sell advertising. Unlike most Internet services, LinkedIn generates most of its revenue from additional features, tools and access that it sells to other companies and headhunters on the prowl for talented workers. LinkedIn also has recently started to do more to help companies generate more sales of their products and services. The newest product, called "Sales Navigator," is attracting more subscribers than LinkedIn anticipated so far, though management didn't reveal any specific numbers about its growth. LinkedIn believes Navigator can become an indispensable tool in an estimated $10 billion market for sales tips and introductions. _____ Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on LNKD at http://www.zacks.com/ap/LNKD _____ Keywords: LinkedIn, Earnings Report, Priority Earnings
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news
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With signing day behind us, it's time to focus on prospects for 2016. Here's a look at the top 20 players in next year's graduating class. Rashan Gary Paramus (N.J.) Catholic DT Gary had a big junior season, and that came even with him playing a bit out of position at defensive end. His combination of power, speed, burst, ability to play low and be physical is amazing. He is an elite athlete who is still learning how to use his hands, and while he has a nice rip move, cleaning up his technique is the next step for him. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Keion Joyner Haverlock (N.C.) - LB Long and athletic outside linebacker who can chase the ball down. Can outrun many linebackers and he plays with violence. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Shavar Manuel Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy - DL A versatile defensive lineman who can be an end or tackle. Strong and one that can set the edge or get up the field to pressure the quarterback. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Derrick Brown Buford (Ga.) Lanier - DT What a year it was for Brown. He added 20-plus pounds, played quicker, showed more aggression, and he is now considered one of the best in the country. Gets off the ball well and he lived in the backfield in 2014. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Greg Little Allen (Tex.) - OT Little is one of the more polished offensive tackles to come out of the Lone Star State in recent memory. He is already a two-time All-Midlands selection, helping to protect stud quarterback Kyler Murray. His solid play up front has helped Allen High capture three straight state championships. As a prospect he could be a true left tackle and matched up well against some of the top defensive ends the state has produced in recent years such as Myles Garrett an Solomon Thomas amongst others. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Nicholas Bosa Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas - DE Better than his brother Joey Bosa who stars at Ohio State? Some think so at this stage. Very strong and he is very advanced technically. Can win with power and speed. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Shea Patterson Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist Academy - QB Like a pitching machine at times as a passer. Throws with great accuracy, a compact delivery, and more athletic than some may think before seeing him in action. He strives to be the best in all he does. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Saivion Smith - Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy - CB Defensive back with ability to be a big corner or free safety. What Smith does is track the ball and make plays on it. He has great length, loose hips, and big-play ability. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Caleb Kelly Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West - OLB Kelly is one of those rare outside linebackers that can rush the passer, be strong against the run and drop back in to coverage. He has a great frame and as he continues to fill out and gains strength, he'll become an even more physical player. He's a high-level athlete who roams around like a safety but projects as an ideal weakside 'backer at the next level. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Rashard Lawrence Monroe (La.) Neville - DT One you want to build your defense around from the inside out. A big, wide, powerful body in the middle that can anchor a defensive front. Just overpowers the players in front of him and flashes quickness that is so impressive, too. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Lyndell Wilson Montgomery (Ala.) Carver - OLB Wilson is bigtime. He flies around the field, he plays sideline to sideline, and he brings pop when he makes a tackle. Wilson quickly dissects a play and goes directly to the football. He is athletic like Rashaan Evans, the top prospect in Alabama a year ago. It will like come down to Alabama and Auburn. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Breland Brandt Los Angeles (Calif.) Windward - DE Brandt plays a standup rush end spot for Windward, with the occasional drop into pass coverage, but his main job is to get after the quarterback. He also plays tight end and will play that throughout his high school career. But defense is his future. He's fluid in coverage and active around the ball, so dropping in to coverage won't be a problem for him. When it comes to rushing the passer, his quickness and speed will be his biggest asset. He's still somewhat on the slight side, but looks to easily be able to add 25-30 pounds and potentially grow into a defensive end in a 4-3 while being a 3-4 outside linebacker. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Kareem Walker Wayne (N.J.) De Paul Catholic - RB Walker runs well between the tackles and is explosive through the hole. He runs with a low center of gravity and is difficult to bring down on first contact. He can get to the edge but needs to improve on finding the hole when the play isn't blocked well in front of him. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Kendell Jones Killeen (Tex.) Shoemaker - DT Jones is an absolute monster of a figure in the middle of a high school defensive front. He plays nose in Shoemaker's odd-front scheme, so he does a lot of space-eating and block-occupying to free up Shoemaker's linebackers, including Texas State-bound Kerry Walker and UTSA-bound Diamon Cannon. Jones is a little stiff right now, but continued physical development should help him add more flexibility and agility to a frame that is as elite as elite gets. Jones has a limitless ceiling. He's a bull in the middle and can toss an opposing lineman to the ground with one arm in the rare event that he's engaged one-on-one. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Tyler Vaughns La Puente (Calif.) Bishop Amat - WR Vaughns is a tremendous two-way athlete with the ability to play multiple positions in college. He's a very talented receiver prospect but can also play corner or safety at the next level. He's a high-level athlete with great hands and body control, is a smooth, polished route runner and shows a nice burst down the field. He'll routinely jump over defensive backs on fade routes and is already very good in red-zone situations. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Ed Alexander Hammond (La.) St. Thomas Aquinas - DT Alexander is one of those interior defensive linemen that just happens to be one of the best athletes on the team. He is agile at his size, and he gets vertical in a hurry. He had 15 sacks as a sophomore and practically lived in the backfield. He has a strong base and is very disruptive up front. Former LSU commitment, but has decided to go through the recruiting process. LSU still considered the leader. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Nate Craig Tampa (Fla.) Catholic - WR This kid is a gazelle and on the field he runs like a deer. Craig won't run the fastest 40 in the country, but between the lines he shows great speed and deep speed. Craig is strong and can be a physical wide receiver. He can get in and out of his breaks quickly and effortlessly. He's smooth and deceptive. He has good hands. In fact, this is one area that we have seen his game really improve this off-season. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Ben Bredeson Hartland (Wisc.) Arrowhead - G He has excellent technique. He has good footwork, a good base, and can bend and move like you want offensive linemen to. The main question with him, to us, is how does he grow the next two years? Does he, currently just about 6-foot-4/6-foot-5, grow into a tackle or is he more of a guard? Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Ed Oliver Houston (Tex.) Westfield - DT Out on the field, Oliver is just a terror. He uses a combination of speed and power to blow past offensive linemen. Not just a gap-plugging defender, he can put an abundance of pressure on an offensive backfield. He plays low and wins the leverage battle. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016. Devin Duvernay Sachse (Tex.) - WR Duvernay is a wide receiver who is a valuable weapon in any offense. He plays mostly out of the slot and has the ability to take the underneath pass and turn it in to a big gain in a flash. He has the moves and the athleticism to make defenders miss, but the most special quality about his game is his burst and top-end speed. In pads he is one of the fastest guys in the country. Additionally, he can make plays vertically down the field. Full list of the top 100 prospects for 2016.
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sports
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Jimmie Johnson sheds light on Jeff Gordon's last year.
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sports
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Tiger Woods lasted just 12 holes before withdrawing due to back pain from the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
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sports
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The 2015 Oscar nominations boast lots of family-friendly films. From the hilarious animated action of The Lego Movie to Boyhood's intense coming-of-age story, there seems to be a pick for every age. If you're looking for a nominee for your next family movie night, here are four of our top-rated picks.
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video
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With more than 100 confirmed cases of measles in the United States so far this year, many of which have been linked to the Disneyland outbreak in December, the importance of vaccines can't be understated. Politicians and doctors have weighed in, several pushing back on exemption loopholes that exist in many states. Some took an even stronger stance, like Patsy Stinchfield, director of Pediatric Infectious Disease Services at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, who told The Huffington Post that vaccines should be as nonnegotiable as seat belts. But is this viewpoint really so radical? Historically speaking, no. These five larger-than-life historical figures were adamant defenders of public health, vaccination and inoculation, the precursor to the vaccines developed by English doctor Edward Jenner in 1796. Inoculation is the grisly but effective process of infecting an individual with fluid from the smallpox pustules of a mildly infected person. Sounds gross, but given the choice between immunity and contracting a deadly disease, the public health benefits of inoculation (and later, vaccination) are more clear today than ever. Meet the the original vaccine crusaders. 1. Benjamin Franklin Inoculations were controversial in the 1700s, and Benjamin Franklin chose not to inoculate his young son, a decision he never forgave himself for after his son died of smallpox. Franklin would go on to write pro-inoculation pamphlets explaining the process in simple terms so that anyone could understand it. In his autobiography he describes his son's death: In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen. 2. Roald Dahl Roald Dahl's 7-year-old daughter, Olivia, died of measles in 1962, before an effective vaccine for the disease had been developed. Twenty-four years later, he penned an open letter to parents entitled "Measles: A Dangerous Illness," describing the tragic death of his daughter and urging parents to vaccinate their own children. There is today something that parents can do to make sure that this sort of tragedy does not happen to a child of theirs. They can insist that their child is immunized against measles. I was unable to do that for Olivia in 1962 because in those days a reliable measles vaccine had not been discovered. Today a good and safe vaccine is available to every family and all you have to do is to ask your doctor to administer it. 3. George Washington Founding Father George Washington was an early advocate for the power of herd immunity. As smallpox ripped through Boston and plagued the Continental Army -- Washington was losing more men to smallpox than to battle during the first year of the Revolutionary War -- he lobbied for mass inoculation of his troops, a highly unpopular decision at the time. In a letter to John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, he wrote: The small pox has made such Head in every Quarter that I find it impossible to keep it from spreading thro' the whole Army in the natural way. I have therefore determined, not only to innoculate all the Troops now here, that have not had it, but shall order Docr Shippen to innoculate the Recruits as fast as they come in to Philadelphia. They will lose no time, because they will go thro' the disorder while their cloathing Arms and accoutrements are getting ready. Washington initiated troop-wide inoculation without waiting for consent from Congress, and smallpox rates within his troops plummeted, falling from 17 percent to 1 percent. Washington's crucial pro-inoculation push would later be considered a decisive factor in the outcome of the war. 4. Thomas Jefferson In addition to writing the Declaration of Independence, the third president of the United States was an enthusiastic public health pioneer, who declared that vaccination was one of the nation's primary public health missions. In this letter to Edward Jenner, who discovered that the cowpox virus could help protect humans from smallpox, Jefferson writes glowingly of Jenner's work: You have erased from the calendar of human afflictions one of its greatest. Yours is the comfortable reflection that mankind can never forget that you have lived; future nations will know by history only that the loathsome smallpox existed, and by you has been extirpated. Accept the most fervent wishes for your health and happiness, and assurances of the greatest respect and consideration. 5. Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt's husband FDR famously suffered from polio, and the couple worked tirelessly to raise money and awareness for the disease, including founding the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. The foundation would eventually evolve into the March of Dimes, and the resulting contributions funded research to develop a vaccine for polio. FDR never lived to see the vaccine, but Eleanor wrote about it in her syndicated newspaper column in 1958: No vaccine is, of course, 100 percent effective. Some individuals will not react to the Salk vaccine, but by and large the drop in crippling paralysis since children have been vaccinated with it has proved the vaccine almost 99 percent effective. Now there is enough vaccine for everyone, and over and over again the doctors who spoke at the Warm Springs ceremony stressed the fact that everyone should be inoculated with it... Fathers and mothers should not fail to get their inoculations, because in many cases it is harder to retrain a crippled older person to a new life than it is to retrain a crippled child.
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news
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Tiger Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open while playing the 12th hole of his round after his back gave him trouble. "It tightened up during the suspensions and it never loosened back up again," said Woods, alluding to fog delays before the round began. "It just got progressively tighter. " … It's frustrating that it started shutting down like that. I was ready to go. I had a good warm up session." Woods said the pain started while he was standing on the putting green waiting out the fog. "Then I got cold standing out there and everything started deactivating again. It's frustrating that I just can't stay active. That's just the way it is. "We usually don't have to wait like this back home practicing. You can keep going and going. My glutes are shutting off and they don't activate." Seeming a bit uncomfortable the entire round, Woods was taken by golf cart into the clubhouse without finishing the 12th hole. His last hole was a double-bogey on No. 2, the 11th hole of the day for him. Woods got off to a late start due to the fog and this was Woods' first competitive round since shooting 82 in the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open last Friday and missing the cut. Woods, who has won 79 PGA Tour titles and 14 majors, has been struggling with injuries the past few years and is in the process of changing his swing. Once one of the best short game players, Woods has seen his chipping prowess disappear and become a liability in his game. The mentally sturdy Woods has admitted that the chipping woes have gotten into his head. "When I have to hit shots, I've got to shape shots, I'm caught right dead in between," said Woods on Wednesday. "They are so polar opposites, the movement patterns, that when I do half of one or half of the other, it's pretty bad. It certainly is a process...It's tough. I want to get this. I want to be ready come Augusta and the rest of the majors, but we still got some work to do." He did chip in on No. 11 (his second hole of the day) Thursday to give himself some early confidence. But he was up and down during the round. After a birdie on No. 1, he followed with a double-bogey on No. 2. Woods, who has won 79 PGA Tour titles and 14 majors has been struggling with injuries the past few years and is in the process of changing his swing. Once one of the best short game players, Woods has seen his chipping prowess disappear and become a liability in his game. The mentally sturdy Woods has admitted that the chipping woes has gotten into his head. "When I have to hit shots, I've got to shape shots, I'm caught right dead in between," said Woods, who has fallen to No. 56 in the world. "They are so polar opposites, the movement patterns, that when I do half of one or half of the other, it's pretty bad. It certainly is a process...It's tough. I want to get this. I want to be ready come Augusta and the rest of the majors, but we still got some work to do." He did chip in on No. 11 (he second hole of the day) Thursday to give himself some earlier confidence. But he was up and down earlier. After a birdie on No. 1, he followed with a double-bogey on No. 2.
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sports
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Crows, we know, are among the more brilliant animals urbanites: They've got a pocket dictionary's worth of language calls, can use tools, and can pick out your face in a crowd (just hope they don't poop there). A crow could be, in some ways, more clever than a three-year-old kid. But another, decidedly less-revered city bird may also register on the human-toddler scale of intelligence: According to a study published this week, pigeons can categorize and "name" objects, using a learning process that might be similar to the one young children go through. A team of University of Iowa psychologists showed laboratory pigeons 128 digital images of objects from 16 categories (baby, dog, flower, hat, and phone, to name a few). Encouraged by a food bowl, the birds pecked to choose one of two different symbols at the bottom of a touch screen, one correctly representing the object's category and the other incorrectly. The birds quickly grasped that task, then replicated what they had learned using new photos from all of the categories. In a way, these pigeons were absorbing a vocabulary. University of Iowa psychologist and study author Bob McMurray a cognitive psychologist who mostly studies humans connects the results to how children learn words. "Children are confronted with an immense task of learning thousands of words without a lot of background knowledge to go on," he told the university. "For a long time, people thought that such learning is special to humans." Though more research is needed to support this cognitive connection, classifying objects isn't the only thing pigeons are known to do with surprising accuracy. The homing birds have succeeded at counting, distinguishing between live and recorded footage of themselves, and at grasping cause and effect at a rate of 90 percent accuracy. Also, at getting that banana about as quickly as a chimp:
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finance
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Not since Shark Week have sharks received so much attention from Hollywood. First Katy Perry dances with the fish at the Super Bowl halftime show, and now Rihanna is swimming with them for a sexy Harper's Bazaar photo shoot.
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video
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The best beauty advice is often kind of amazingly duh. I recently had a duh moment when talking to Jeannette Graf, a clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, about how you should be putting on your eye cream. "The best way to put on an eye cream is to tap it in with your fourth finger. You want light pressure," Graf said. Pretty standard stuff there, but then she hit me with this: "I like to start on the inner aspect of the brow and go around the entire eye area." My response? "Wait, what? The brow?" Graf then explained the importance of this with a mic-drop-worthy argument. "Everyone just covers the crow's-feet, and I don't understand why, because the 'eye area' [referred to on the eye-cream packaging] is the entire upper brow, outer crow's-feet, and under the eye. You've got to put something under your brow bone. That area can get crepey and loose and wrinkled, so you want to keep everything as firm as you can." Um, wow. Of course you do. Once she mentioned this, I pulled up my memory files on all of the eye-cream enthusiasts I know. They all focus on undereye bags and darkness or crinkly creases. Perhaps that's because they're all still young and are not thinking about that brow droop quite yet.
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lifestyle
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The measles outbreak at Disneyland has reignited the debate about whether parents should be required to vaccinate their kids. Does the government have the right to tell parents they must inject their children with a cocktail of dead or weakened disease germs in order to stave off deadly infectious diseases like the measles, mumps, and rubella? Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky threw gasoline on the already heated debate when he recently spoke with CNBC. "I've heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines," he said. "I'm not arguing vaccines are a bad idea, I think they're a good thing. But I think the parent should have some input the state doesn't own your children, parents own their children and it is an issue of freedom." Parents may have the freedom to ignore science and refuse to get their kids vaccinated, but scientists don't have the freedom to publish false and misleading scientific findings in highly regarded medical journals. Yet, that's exactly what Andrew Wakefield did. He was a surgeon and medical researcher that published the infamous and now discredited study that linked vaccine injections to autism. "The United Kingdom doesn't export much these days," says Brian Deer, an investigative journalist for The Sunday Times of London and the man that exposed the faulty science behind Wakefield's study. "But one of the things it has exported twice has been scares over vaccines." Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Deer says that Londoners "exported" a scare over the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine to the United States something that he calls a "complete red herring." And then in 1998, Wakefield's research became something of a bombshell study. Parents of autistic children felt they finally had a scientific explanation as to why their kids had suddenly changed their behavior. But researchers who tried to replicate the study continually failed to find a link between vaccines and autism. "Because you have so many parents out there looking for answers and rushing to look at their children's medical records, when someone comes along and says, 'Well, could it have been a vaccine?,' you get this explosive mix," says Deer. When Wakefield's study reached the media, hysteria quickly set in. But it would later be revealed that Wakefield was working directly for a team crafting a $56 million lawsuit that was seeking to link the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. As skepticism regarding Wakefield's claims continued to mount, things finally came to an end after a 2004 investigation by Deer found that Wakefield did not disclose he was being funded through solicitors seeking evidence to use against vaccine manufacturers. "The British General Medical Council, who took away his license to practice medicine, found him guilty of four counts of dishonesty involving his research," says Deer. "[That included] a dishonest description of the children enrolled in it." The editor of The Lancet, the medical journal where Wakefield's research was originally published, retracted Wakefield's paper, calling it "the most appalling catalog and litany of some of the most terrible behavior in any research." The editors of the British Medical Journal also described Wakefield's research as an "elaborate fraud." "All of [those comments] followed the most detailed and evidence-based investigations in the history of medicine," says Deer. Deer theorizes that one of the reasons the vaccine myth has been able to prevail throughout the years is because of the internet. "People like that can find each other," says Deer of the so-called "anti-vaxxers." "It's like the people who believe that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States or that the U.S. government is responsible for the World Trade Center collapsing. What you have in this particular case is a number of people who claim that [the anti-vaccine movement] has been scientifically verified when, in fact, it hasn't." Deer says that despite a lack of science, anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist have been able to cut through the debate because politicians like Sen. Rand Paul validate their stances for the sake of libertarianism. Additionally, Deer argues that those that reject the scientific community are doing it out of stubbornness. "There are people for whom it is important to believe that they are smarter than doctors," he says. "That's not a left or right thing it's quite often a class thing. In the United Kingdom, we found that in the more affluent areas that vaccine rates declined. And we saw tremendous measles outbreaks across the United Kingdom as a result of this vaccine scare. And indeed we know that you will see much worse outbreaks than you're getting you ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to measles outbreaks in the United States." This story is based on an interview that appeared on the news show The Takeaway.
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Greedy agents and international smugglers have become common figures in the saga of Cuban baseball players who defected in hopes of reaching the major leagues. Now into that sphere step a renowned artist and several countrymen looking to share the benefits of life outside the Communist island. Williams Carmona, whose surrealist paintings have been exhibited in museums from New York to Paris to Madrid, is part of a group of Cuban exiles that helped pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez and shortstop Dainer Moreira leave the Cuban team that's playing in the Caribbean Series. Both players walked out of the team hotel Tuesday night, and Carmona said they're in a safe place he would not identify. He said they might address the news media once the tournament is over. "They're doing very well,'' Carmona, 47, said in Spanish. "Obviously, many of the players who get to this point aspire to get to the big leagues, and they do as well. We're going to help them as much as we can.'' But it won't be by brokering a contract. Carmona said he and his cohorts what he calls "the Cuban community'' will provide the players food, lodging, economic support and advice on how to adjust to their new lives, whether it be in this U.S. territory or elsewhere. Most Cuban defectors seek to establish residency in a third country so they can gain free agency and negotiate the most lucrative deal possible. El Nuevo Herald in Miami reported that rapper Jay Z's agency, Roc Nation Sports, has been in touch with Gutierrez, who is regarded as the better prospect of the two. That's outside the purview of Carmona's group. "We're not doing this for any kind of business purposes,'' said Carmona, a Havana native who left for good at 19 and has been living in Puerto Rico since 1992. "This is a human cause first and also motivated by us being compatriots. If they later hook up with an agent or anything like that, that's up to them. They can decide on their own.'' Gutierrez, 19, was the Serie Nacional rookie of the year in 2013-14 and performed well in November's Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico, where the Cuban squad swept to the gold medal. The 6-1, 172-pound right-hander can reach the low 90s with his fastball and has room for improvement, making him an intriguing prospect. Moreira, 30, is a .314 career hitter with virtually no power who played eight seasons in the Cuban league, the last two with Matanzas. Though he was one of the 16 reinforcements the Cuban entry of Pinar del Rio added for the Caribbean Series, he's not regarded as one of the league's elite players or a high-level prospect. Carmona would not detail the mechanics of how they defected or his exact involvement, but he said the contact with the players happened spontaneously at the ballpark. That has been the approach on other occasions, he added. In June, Carmona helped eight Cuban ballet dancers leave their troupe in Puerto Rico and arranged flights to Miami for most of them. In 2012, he was involved in the defection of five Cuban basketball players, also in Puerto Rico. "You talk to them and say, 'How are things going? What's up? Are you going to stay?' '' Carmona said. "You kind of joke around, but if they say something like, 'Let's see. I wish,' we'd go, 'Really? We could pick you up. No problem.' You raise it kiddingly, but that way we've had about six guys stay here. They realize we're there supporting the Cuban team and that we have their best interests in mind.'' Perhaps, but making a life-altering decision based on a casual contact at the ballpark carries significant risk. Then again, Cuban players eager to try their fortune in professional sports have been taking those chances for years, with varied results. Last season, 19 natives of Cuba made the opening-day rosters of major league teams five were named All-Stars and outfielder Rusney Castillo debuted with the Boston Red Sox in September after signing a $72.5 million deal. But Paul Minoff, a South Florida-based lawyer who represents Texas Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin, pointed out that many Cuban hopefuls wind up left to their own devices after failing to fulfill their big-league dreams. Martin did receive a $15.5 million contract from the Rangers, but before that he and his family were held captive and he had to pay $1.3 million to his smugglers, Minoff said. "For every Leonys, there are 10 guys who are lucky if they make $1 million,'' Minoff said. "You don't hear much about the guys who don't make it. "You also don't hear about the ones who are left behind when their smugglers decide they're not worth anything to them. They may be in Haiti, and they have no papers, they can't go back to Cuba and they have no marketable skills. They're literally left with the clothes on their back.'' Carmona said the Cuban community in Puerto Rico is so eager to help new exiles he can easily raise $20,000 for a cause in one day. The intent is to give them a head start so they can seek their own opportunities, though, not to provide long-term aid. "One reason we help so many Cubans who get here is to show the (Castro) government that they're wrong,'' Carmona said. "In a country like this, they have every chance to succeed. In Cuba, they have every chance to fail.''
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CNN's Randi Kaye looks at examples that show why you should wear your seat belt on airplanes.
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CNN's Rene Marsh looks at the stories told by some of the survivors of the plane that crashed in Taiwan.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Hornets coach Steve Clifford walked into the locker room at halftime and bawled out his players, telling them they had played the first 24 minutes without purpose, particularly on defense. Deservedly so, said guard Gerald Henderson. "Yeah, I mean we just weren't trying," Henderson said. That changed in the second half. Henderson scored 27 points and the Hornets stepped up their defense after the break to beat the Washington Wizards for the second time this week, 94-87 on Thursday night. The Hornets gave up just 33 points after the break. They allowed 54 in the first half. BOX SCORE: HORNETS 94, WIZARDS 87 "We weren't in our spots," Henderson said of the first half. "We weren't helping each other and we didn't have any energy. So, in the second half we came out with more than that." Said Hornets guard Lance Stephenson: "It shows who is playing harder and who wanted it more -- and we showed that tonight." Henderson was 10 of 15 from the field as the Hornets beat the Wizards for the fifth straight time. Charlotte won at Washington on Monday night, 92-88. Brian Roberts had 12 points and provided a huge spark late in the third quarter after Charlotte fell behind by 11. Stephenson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jason Maxiell added 11 points apiece for the Hornets (22-27). Washington has lost five straight games, leaving coach Randy Wittman frustrated over his team's dual personality when it comes to the second half. "Take my quotes from the last four games -- it's a broken record," Wittman said. "Until we understand it, it's going to be like that. The same exact thing over and over again." Wittman was disappointed by his team's selfish play after the break and refusal to move the ball and find open shots. "For whatever reason, we take it upon ourselves to say, `This is a time for me,'" Wittman said. Paul Pierce scored 19 for the Wizards. John Wall had 15 points and 13 assists. Wizards guard Bradley Beal left in the first half after re-aggravating his right big toe and did not return. He had one point in 11 minutes and watched the game from the locker room in the second half. "We've got to get back to having fun and I think we have lost sight of that," Beal said. "We are too tight and we just need to be natural and play freely." Charlotte came into the game allowing the fewest points per game in the NBA since Jan. 1, and its defense proved to be the difference. The Hornets held the Wizards to 5-of-19 shooting in the fourth quarter. With the Hornets down 11 late in the third, Roberts hit a 3-pointer and a leaner off the glass to beat the buzzer and pull Charlotte within five. Stephenson tied it at 76 with 9:07 left on a drive down the lane. Al Jefferson, who had been quiet all game, then got into the flow, throwing down a rare putback slam -- only his seventh dunk of the season -- and scoring on an up-and-under move to give the Hornets the lead for good. Charlotte went 9 of 9 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. "The big adjustment was we tried harder in the second half, to be honest," Clifford said. Jefferson, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds Monday against the Wizards, was a non-factor most of the game thanks to Marcin Gortat's physical defense in the low post. But he was big in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with eight points and 10 rebounds. ------ TIP-INS Wizards: Kevin Seraphin was a late scratch with a sprained ankle. Hornets: Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis was introduced during the game and received a standing ovation for being chosen the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year. MAXIELL STRONG Maxiell had a career-high seven blocked shots. His big body and strength gave the Hornets a needed physical presence down low. Not known for his scoring, his 11 hustle points gave Charlotte a needed lift when Jefferson was struggling. But Maxiell knows his strength is defense. "You know an old guy like myself, it's not about how high you jump, it's about stopping the ball at the rim," Maxiell said. UP NEXT Wizards: Host Brooklyn on Saturday night. Hornets: At Philadelphia on Saturday night.
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Leah told you earlier this month that most women wash their pajamas only every 17 days . As if that weren't gross enough, there's now a Buzzfeed story that claims we don't wash our towels enough either. I'll let them tell you how often you should be washing your bath towels and your dish towels, but we need to discuss this washcloth situation. To be honest, I don't use a washcloth that often I'm guilty of relying heavily on cleansing wipes and micellar water but when I do, I don't usually put it immediately in the washing machine when I'm done. This could be problematic, Kelly A. Reynolds, Ph.D., an environmental health science professor at the University of Arizona, told Buzzfeed. "Washcloths typically become soaked and heavily soiled during use," she says. "When used to scrub skin, soils from makeup or dead skin cells can rapidly accumulate. Being wet and not just damp means there is a longer dry time. This lengthy condition of moisture creates the perfect environment for bacteria and mold to grow to unacceptable levels." Be honest, how often do you reuse your washcloths before, er, washing them? PS: Did you know there is a specific color washcloth you should use too?
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The St. Louis Blues are the NHL's hottest team because they finally made peace with the truth about who they are and how they have to play to be successful. "It just took us a while to find our identity this season," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. After losing six out of seven games from mid-December to Jan. 2, the Blues dialed back their reliance on their skill and revived their combative nature. The result has been an 11-0-1 record over the past 12 games. No team is grinding up the opposition as effectively as St. Louis. The Blues go into Sunday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks (12:30 p.m. ET, NBC) with an NHL-best +41 goal differential. "When you bring in different pieces, particularly scoring or playmaking pieces like we did, the tendency was to try to play like the new players we had coming in instead of asking the new players to use their skills to adapt to our style of play," Armstrong said. The Blues added big-name free agent Paul Stastny and signed Jori Lehtera in the offseason. Plus, Vladimir Tarasenko made another significant leap in his development. All three players have offensive sparkle in their game, and there was confusion about how to best use their strengths. "(Players) saw the line of (Jaden) Schwartz, Lehtera and Tarasenko just ripping up the NHL and they were a line that could make fancy plays, drop passes, and heel-to-toe saucer passes in tight and succeed," said former NHL goalie Darren Pang, the Blues' television analyst. "And it looked to me that other lines were trying to emulate that and got away from being the St. Louis Blues style of team." The Blues have restored their relentless, edgier style when they don't have the puck. "We weren't quite playing the way we need to play," Schwartz said. "Once you get on a roll, you get confidence and feeling good. It's not like we are winning games with a lead every time. We have had timely goals and late goals. Guys are feeling confident and good about themselves." The Blues rank second in the league in five-on-five play and fifth in goals against. Even with Lehtera out with a concussion and Patrik Berglund (shoulder) injured, the team ranks third in the NHL in goals per game (3.12). "We want to be a difficult team to defend against and hopefully to be a difficult team to play against," Armstrong said. Coach Ken Hitchcock's tradition is to have a team that knows how to passionately re-acquire the puck when it doesn't have it. "When I look at our roster," Armstrong said. "I see a lot of good players, but we don't have (Jonathan) Toews or (Patrick) Kane, or (Evgeni) Malkin, (Sidney) Crosby or (Alex) Ovechkin. We have the next (group) of players so what will make us strong is having three lines that are difficult to check." Another difference this season is the full commitment to Brian Elliott in net. Last season, the Blues acquired Ryan Miller and got eliminated in the first round. This season, it seems clear that the job belongs to Elliott, who is 16-5-2 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. He has been with the Blues for four seasons and finally might get his shot at being the no-questions-asked playoff goalie. "You would like for people who don't know Brian Elliott to wipe the slate clean," Pang said. "I think so many people go back in their memory bank and think of him as an Ottawa Senator or when he was in Colorado and had a tough half-year instead of looking at a guy who has reinvented himself." Elliott is 71-29-9 since joining the Blues in 2010-11. He is playing his best hockey this season since returning from a knee injury. "His numbers since he joined the Blues are the best in the NHL," Pang said. The Blues' latest challenge is dealing with the loss of Kevin Shattenkirk, the league's No. 2-scoring defenseman before he suffered an abdominal injury that will keep him out "week to week." "He's not gone for the season, so we know he will back, probably hungrier than ever," Armstrong said. "So we will rely on (Alex) Pietrangelo and (Jay) Bouwmeester to carry the load." The Blues also view the nationally televised game against the Blackhawks as a yardstick game. "There is a rivalry there," Schwartz said. " They put us out of the playoffs last year and it still doesn't sit well with us. We are definitely looking forward to that. It will be a big challenge, a big test."
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The trailer for the film "Fifty Shades of Grey" gets remade using Lego blocks and figures. Rough cut (no reporter narration).
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A stainless steel edition of Sony's Android Wear-powered smart watch is coming next month. It's a great looking metal band.
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Phoenix - An Arizona man is accusing hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs of punching him in the face at a Super Bowl party, sparking an investigation that may include police questioning the rapper, officials said Thursday. Steven Donaldson, 31, had berated Combs with expletives for not performing at one of the many star-studded parties during Super Bowl weekend, said Scottsdale police Sgt. Ben Hoster. Donaldson had believed the rapper was scheduled to perform at the party, Hoster said. Donaldson, a Phoenix-area resident, told investigators that after he was struck, a security officer threw him to the ground and then ejected him from the party. Donaldson, Combs or his agent could not immediately be reached for comment. Hoster said police were interviewing witnesses and plan to talk again with Donaldson to ask if he wishes to press charges. Donaldson had one red cheek and appeared intoxicated when officers responded to the call at 3 am Sunday, about 30 minutes after the alleged altercation, Hoster said, adding that Combs had left before officers arrived. Donaldson provided police with cellphone video he took that shows somebody who appears to be Combs approach, but Hoster said it ends before the 45-year-old rapper allegedly threw a punch. Police may question Combs, but Hoster said that depends on whether Donaldson wants to continue pressing the case. "If he changes his mind we're not going to reach out and bother Sean Combs," Hoster said. "We'll see."
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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush leads a tight field of potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates in New Hampshire, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a WMUR poll released Thursday found. Bush garnered 17 percent support among likely 2016 Republican primary voters in the state, while Walker took 12 percent. Walker has been the subject of increased media attention since a well-received speech in Iowa where he fired up the conservative base. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) all got 9 percent support in the poll. Doctor and conservative activist Ben Carson received 8 percent support. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) all polled below 5 percent. The poll is the first from the TV station since former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said he would not pursue a third run for the White House. It also comes as many of the potential candidates begin to build their campaign organizations. In the last few weeks, several likely candidates have announced the hiring of Republican operatives for their political committees. WMUR also surveyed the Democratic field, and found that Hillary Clinton remains the frontrunner among a group of possible candidates. She received 58 percent support, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) came in second with 14 percent. Warren has said repeatedly that she is not running. Clinton is said to be assembling a campaign apparatus of her own, though advisers reportedly disagree about when she will launch her campaign. The poll was conducted from January 22 to February 3 and has a margin-of-error of plus-or-minus 5.3 percent for Republicans and plus-or-minus 5.7 percent for Democrats. The sample size was 348 voters for Republicans and 297 Democratic voters. This story was updated at 8:45 p.m.
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MINNEAPOLIS The latest attempt by star running back Adrian Peterson to get back on the field will come in a federal courtroom. Attorneys for the NFL Players Association were scheduled to argue Friday for Peterson's reinstatement from a suspension levied by the league under its controversial personal conduct policy. The punishment, stemming from the child abuse case involving Peterson and one of his young sons, has widened the divide between the NFL and the NFLPA over player discipline. The effort on behalf of the Minnesota Vikings standout, who is suspended through at least April 15, is the legal equivalent of fourth-and-really-long. When Peterson's appeal was denied Dec. 12 by an arbitrator appointed by the league, the union sued. Its petition to overturn the decision contends that the suspension, guided by Commissioner Roger Goodell's enhanced punishments for players involved with domestic violence after the Ray Rice case, strayed from the collective bargaining agreement. It also says the decision is unfair and that arbitrator Harold Henderson was biased and exceeded his authority. "Courts are not impotent bystanders to miscarriages of arbitral justice," the NFLPA's lawyers wrote last week in reply to the NFL's request that U.S. District Judge David Doty toss out the case. Peterson and the union found a potentially friendly courtroom, given Doty's history of ruling in favor of players over three decades of refereeing the league's labor disputes. But he has not exclusively sided with the union, which has a difficult case to make. It acknowledged as much in the first sentence of the initial filing: "This Petition presents the Court with the rare Arbitration Award that must be set aside." Federal labor law typically prevents judges from trumping the arbitration process in collectively bargained workplaces. "I would go a step further than saying it's 'rare,'" said Justin Ellis, a management-side labor and employment lawyer for the Baltimore-based Miles and Stockbridge firm. "I would say it's incredibly rare for these decisions to be reversed. They've got some compelling arguments to make, but I do think they've got an uphill battle on this." Peterson, originally charged with felony child abuse, avoided the possibility of jail time by pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault for using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-year-old son. As part of a revamped personal conduct policy approved Dec. 10, Peterson essentially received a six-game unpaid suspension. But he played in only one game in the 2014 season, spending most of it on paid leave through a special exempt list controlled solely by Goodell while his case played out in Texas. Peterson's best hope for a court-ordered reinstatement might be retroactivity, Ellis said. The injuries he caused occurred in May and Goodell didn't announce the increased penalty until August. "There's something about that that doesn't feel right," Ellis said. In its Jan. 26 reply, the NFLPA wrote that the CBA "could not be clearer in expressly limiting" Goodell's disciplinary authority. But that's a matter of interpretation for Doty. "The CBA gives him pretty broad authority to discipline players," Ellis said. "Part of this is their own contract that's going to work against them with some of these arguments they want to make." Peterson's status with the Vikings has been complicated by the expiration date on the suspension. If they decided to keep him on his current contract, he would draw a $12.75 million salary in 2015 and carry a salary cap hit of $15.4 million that's by far the biggest of any running back in the league. With plenty of other needs to address on the roster, allocating that much money to that position is almost unfathomable for a team that hasn't hesitated to cut a veteran player despite popularity and production. The free agency and trading period begins March 10, just 11 days before Peterson's 30th birthday. That's also more than a month before the earliest he could be reinstated by Goodell, unless Doty were to beat him to it. The Vikings drafted Jerick McKinnon in the third round last season, and general manager Rick Spielman said last month he sees the rookie running back class this year being as deep as it's been in a while. Even if they weren't interested in signing a free agent to replace Peterson, they could also try to deal him for draft picks. Simply releasing Peterson would only count $2.4 million in dead money against the team's salary cap for 2015 and nothing thereafter, but letting him leave without any compensation would be a big blow to the organization. "He's going to play at a very high level when he comes back," Spielman said recently. "I don't know if there's a team in the NFL that wouldn't want Adrian Peterson on their football team." ___ Online: AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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We can hardly contain our excitement!
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His life was secure with a good job as an architectural engineer, but this lifelong Baltimorean decided to do something else. Ron Matz reports.
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After struggling for years as electronics shoppers shifted online, RadioShack filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, marking an ignominious end for the 94-year-old retailer that had sold the first mass-market computer. RadioShack, based in Fort Worth, Tx., will sell up to 2,400 of its U.S. stores to General Wireless, an affiliate of Standard General, a hedge fund that led a rescue loan for the retailer last year. General Wireless will then set up "stores within stores" at 1,750 of those locations for wireless network operator Sprint S. "This agreement would allow Sprint to grow branded distribution quickly and cost-effectively in prime locations," Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said in a statement. Under the terms of the deal, Sprint would effectively operate a "store within a RadioShack store", occupying about one-third of the retail space at each. Sprint employees will sell mobile devices and plans on all Sprint brands including Boost and Virgin Mobile. The rest of the retail outlets locations will be sold at bankruptcy auction. RadioShack, which filed for bankruptcy in Wilmington, Del., had been the pre-eminent electronics store for decades, selling CB radios and cables and connectors, but had trouble finding its niche in the smartphone era. In its most recent quarter , sales fell 16%, while its quarterly loss the 11th in a row swelled to $161.1 million from a loss of $135.9 million a year ago. RadioShack RSH said in its Chapter 11 filing that it had $1.2 billion of assets and $1.39 billion of debts. The company said that a lender group led by DW Partners has agreed to give it a $285 million loan to operate while in bankruptcy. The liquidation of Circuit City Stores in 2009 was expected to give other electronics retailers some breathing room, but Amazon.com AMZN kept eating away at their market share. For a link to the all court filings pertaining to the bankruptcy case, click here .
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finance
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The website greenercars.org, an outlet of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has just released its list of the "greenest" and "meanest" vehicles of 2015. To nobody's great surprise, the top-rated vehicles were predominantly electric and hybrid models. Among trucks, the 2015 Ford F-150 with the 2.7L EcoBoost V-6 received the highest rating among "standard pickups." Several other configurations of the F-150, Ram 1500, and Chevrolet Silverado ranked "above average" for the class. Interestingly, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel was not listed anywhere in the ratings, even though the truck currently leads in the fullsize truck category by EPA rating, with a 20 city, 28 highway rating, and the new EcoDiesel HFE model getting an even better 21/29 EPA rating. Related link: Research the Ford F-150 While we're obviously big fans of the 2015 F-150, having awarded it our 2015 Pickup Truck of the Year, we're somewhat surprised by the Ram EcoDiesel's omission. Likely tipping the scales in favor of the F-150 are its recyclability and an innovative program Ford has in conjunction with its aluminum suppliers to sort and recycle sheet aluminum at its stamping plant after the body panels are formed. While diesel vehicles have come under scrutiny by many in the regulatory and environmental communities for their elevated NOx and particulate emissions, a study recently published by the Health Effects Institute showed that current diesel models employing such emissions control technologies as selective-reduction NOX catalysts (SCR), diesel particulate filters (DPF), and diesel catalysts has resulted in emissions that were substantially cleaner than previous diesels. ACEEE claims that it looks at the total environmental impact of the vehicle over its lifecycle, including emissions, manufacturing, and type of fuel. Source: Ford, ACEEE
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More than 50 years after her death, Marilyn Monroe still captures public imagination, largely due to her immense sex appeal. The starlet's sexuality was a part of her image, her onscreen persona, and her personal life. And she had plenty to say on sex, relationships, and romance. After all, she was married and divorced three times. Let's look back at some of the blonde bombshell's most famous quotes on love, sex, and relationships. "The real lover is the man who can thrill you by touching your head or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space." "It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone." "Big breasts, big ass, big deal. Can't I be anything else?" Source: MGM "People had a habit of looking at me as if I were some kind of mirror instead of a person. They didn't see me, they saw their own lewd thoughts, then they white-masked themselves by calling me the lewd one." "Men who think that a woman's past love affairs lessen her love for them are usually stupid and weak." "A career is wonderful thing, but you can't snuggle up to it on a cold night." "If I'm going to be a symbol of something, I'd rather have it sex than some other things we've got symbols of." "I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot." "I'm very definitely a woman, and I enjoy it." Source: MGM "I've tried to change my ways, but the things that make me late are too strong, and too pleasing." "I have too many fantasies to be a housewife." "The public doesn't mind people living together without being married, providing they don't overdo it." "Before marriage, a girl has to make love to a man to hold him. After marriage, she has to hold him to make love to him." "Sex is part of nature. I go along with nature." Source: MGM "At 12 I looked like a girl of 17. My body was developed and shapely. But no one knew this but me. I still wore the blue dress and the blouse the orphanage provided." Photo Courtesy of Life.com
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Sports Weekly takes an in-depth look at each major league organization during the offseason, from the major leagues to the farm system. We start with teams with the worst records and move up. *** Brandon Moss has been the Cleveland Indians' one significant addition this offseason, but it's the gains made by the team's emerging stars that have the Indians increasingly on the radar as a contender in the rapidly improving American League Central. Rotation ace Corey Kluber is the reigning Cy Young Award winner, and left fielder Michael Brantley finished third in AL MVP voting. Even after watching them all season, manager Terry Francona wasn't sure if the new focal points of his team had caught the attention of the baseball world. "I was glad, because, leading up to the end of the season, I try to shy away from talking about that stuff as we're trying to compete for a spot in the playoffs," Francona says. "Then you start hearing about other guys in the league. I was a little disappointed. I was like, 'Man, why aren't they talking about Brantley?'" They were, and they were talking about Kluber, who edged out the more established Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners. "There's a reason Felix has a reputation," Francona says. "But Corey Kluber went toe-to-toe." And that's where the Indians like to think they are in a division that has been ruled by the Detroit Tigers four years running, that produced last year's AL pennant winner in the Kansas City Royals and that has one of the offseason's more aggressive teams in the Chicago White Sox. "I think pretty quickly this winter I shifted into how are we going to get better," Francona says. "Quickly I was like we need to start doing this, this and this." Adding Moss in a trade for second-base prospect Joe Wendle signals the Indians are at a point where creating roster depth is the next step. Depth and health should determine how close they are. Moss fits into the mix at outfield, first base and designated hitter. The only available spot in the outfield considering the presence of Brantley and center fielder Michael Bourn is in right, where David Murphy and Ryan Raburn shared last season. First base and DH belonged to Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana because Yan Gomes' play at catcher made Santana a backup there and Lonnie Chisenhall's breakthrough season at third base made Santana's possible move to that spot unnecessary. What seems like too many bodies really becomes necessary depth. "I hope it is, because then that means we've got guys that are healthy and producing," Francona says. "That would be the best situation if we have to try to feel like we've got to get guys in there, because that meant guys are healthy and they're hitting. That would be wonderful." But health is far from a guarantee. Swisher's season ended in August because of knee surgery. Moss had an operation to alleviate a hip issue that slowed him last year. Raburn is recovering from a similar procedure on a knee. Even second baseman Jason Kipnis, a former All-Star, slipped in a year marred by side and hamstring problems. Everyone is expected to be ready by opening day, but Francona understands he can't let their recoveries be overridden by the desire for progress in the standings. "Not knowing some of our health issues, now we have some flexibility," Francona says. But he also has legitimate stars now, too. *** POSITION-BY-POSITION (*prospect): Catcher: Gomes' progress has been one of the more significant developments as the Indians re-establish themselves as a consistent contender. It also reduces the time Santana is exposed to the wear and tear behind the plate. Cleveland is likely to keep Roberto Perez on the roster as a third catcher and further reduce the need for Santana there. The Indians also have veterans Adam Moore and Brett Hayes as insurance at Class AAA Columbus, but the most intriguing minor leaguer is Tony Wolters, who probably will be at Class AA Akron this season. Depth chart: Gomes, Santana, Perez, Moore, Hayes, *Wolters. First base: Nowhere else on the diamond is there more veteran flexibility for the Indians than here. Santana probably ends up with more games at the position during the course of the season, but Nick Swisher and Moss could see significant time as they mix in time at DH and in the outfield. Waiting at Class AAA are Jesus Aguilar and Jerry Sands, two players with impressive minor league numbers but little to show from brief exposure to the majors. The one real prospect in the minors is Bobby Bradley, but he's several years away. Depth chart: Santana, Moss, Swisher, *Aguilar, Sands. Second base: Despite an injury-plagued 2014, Kipnis has a firm hold on the position. Still, the Indians have plenty of depth. It's a position starting shortstop Jose Ramirez can handle, a proposition that could gain more importance in the next year or so when shortstop prospect Francisco Lindor is ready. Meanwhile, Mike Aviles will be on the big-league bench and fellow utility player Zach Walters probably will be waiting at Class AAA. Raburn also has second-base time in his background. Depth chart: Kipnis, Ramirez, Aviles, Walters, Raburn. Third base: Chisenhall's hold on the position was so tenuous a year ago the Indians were thinking of moving Santana there. Chisenhall had his best season, but he'll have to continue to fend off challengers. For now, Aviles is the one other third baseman on the roster. Raburn could fill in for a short period, but the interesting possibility is Giovanny Urshela, a solid prospect who could earn a look this year. Depth chart: Chisenhall, Aviles, *Urshela, Raburn Shortstop: Ramirez, 22, stepped in after the midseason trade of Asdrubal Cabrera and handled the job just fine. As solid a prospect and emerging player as he is, the job hardly is his going forward. Lurking on the verge of the majors is Lindor, the system's top prospect. Ramirez also can play second base, but Kipnis is under contract for at least five more seasons. Aviles is an adequate backup, regardless of who is starting, and Walters is a younger version of Aviles. Erik Gonzalez, probably starting this year at Class AA, is a prospect who would get more notice in another organization. Depth chart: Ramirez, *Lindor, Aviles, Walters,*Gonzalez. Left field : Brantley is emerging as the focal point of the Cleveland offense and, with a contract that locks him up at least through 2017, owns this position. Anyone else who plays left will strictly be a fill-in, though plenty of viable options are on the roster from the competition in right field Murphy, Moss and Raburn to Aviles and even Swisher, though he's pretty much only a first baseman at this point in his career. Depth chart: Brantley, Raburn, Murphy, Aviles, Moss. Center field: Michael Bourn has two years remaining on his contract, and before then the Indians will have interesting options at the position. For now, Bourn plays. If he can't, the next-best option is Brantley, who would move to center field and have someone from the bench replace him in left. The one fill-in available at Class AAA is Tyler Holt. After that, though, the organization has a string of legitimate prospects lined up at lower levels in the minors. Tyler Naquin is first in line and probably will be at Class AA this year, close enough for big-league consideration later in the season. Behind him are Cleveland's last two first-round draft picks: Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer. Depth chart: Bourn, Brantley, Holt, *Naquin, *Frazier, *Zimmer. Right field: The addition of Moss from the Oakland Athletics is an upgrade and creates a competition at a spot where the Murphy-Raburn platoon struggled last year, mostly thanks to a down year from Raburn. Moss and Murphy are lefties and neither is going to bump either of the other starting outfielders, though Moss could find time at first base. Aviles and Holt are backup options. Depth chart: Moss, Murphy, Raburn, Aviles, Holt. Designated hitter: Swisher's time on defense is dwindling as the Indians find ways to keep Santana and Gomes on the field and in the lineup. How much of the DH job will be Swisher's will depend on his production. Santana, Gomes and Moss also will spend time at DH, and Raburn can earn time if he has a solid offensive season. Depth chart: Swisher, Santana, Moss, Raburn, Gomes. Starting pitchers: Gavin Floyd is the one addition to fill out an otherwise returning rotation headed by Kluber. The second-half revival of Carlos Carrasco and the gradual emergence of one-time top prospect Trevor Bauer is turning this group into one of the team's strengths. Now Danny Salazar is in the fifth spot hoping he can rediscover consistency and return to the level he showed two years ago. Depth is not a problem with experienced options including Josh Tomlin and lefty T.J. House. Plus, Zach McAllister could be in the bullpen as a long man and spot starter. The best of the near-ready prospects are Cody Anderson and lefty Ryan Merritt, with Anderson slightly ahead in line to come to the majors. Both could help this year if needed. Depth chart: Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer, Floyd, Salazar, Tomlin, McAllister, House, *Anderson, *Merritt, Shaun Marcum, Michael Roth, Charles Brewer. Bullpen: Cody Allen took over the closing job, a major step in stabilizing a group of relievers with plenty of ability. Now, roles are settled, including that of Bryan Shaw, who is emerging as one of the league's more capable setup men. The Indians are flush with lefties, led by Marc Rzepczynski and Nick Hagadone. Kyle Crockett surged through Class AA and AAA to the majors last season and should be a third lefty in the Cleveland bullpen this year. Filling out the right-handed side could be more crucial. That's where Scott Atchison, 38, is counted on to keep producing. McAllister is more of a long man. Veterans Scott Downs, Bryan Price and Jeff Manship will be in camp, while C.C. Lee and Shawn Armstrong are among farmhands in the mix. Depth chart: Allen, Shaw, Rzepczynski, Hagadone, McAllister, Crockett, Armstrong, Price, Lee, Downs. *** PROSPECTS TO WATCH 1B Bobby Bradley: Drafted out of high school in the third round in June, he quickly made an impact in the rookie-level Arizona League, batting .361 with a 1.078 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS). Power bats are increasingly valuable, so Bradley's combination of serious pop and an advanced feel for the strike zone could launch him up the prospect lists, especially if he takes a significant step forward at Class A this year. Still, Bradley, 18, is probably several seasons away from Cleveland. SS Francisco Lindor: The emergence of Jose Ramirez last season after the trade of Asdrubal Cabrera meant the Indians didn't have to rush Lindor, a defensive marvel who certainly has enough offensive ability to be a significant major leaguer. Though it might seem sacrilegious to say so in this organization, Omar Vizquel's name often comes up in Lindor projections. No matter how well Ramirez does this year, holding back Lindor, 21, will become increasingly difficult. 3B Giovanny Urshela: He's steadily growing into a player the Indians can't ignore, and he's just about ready for a look at the major league level. Manager Terry Francona has lamented the level of defense his team played last season, and Urshela, 23, can help there. He has developed into a steady contact hitter, though he hasn't shown the power that's usually asked of a third baseman. But he's a good gap hitter who keeps his strikeout totals low. C Francisco Mejia: As a 19-year-old in the short-season New York-Penn League, he displayed all the tools that could make him an impact catcher on offense and defense. That's a long way from the majors, but it's rare to find an explosive offensive catcher who's not a candidate to be moved to another position because of his potential dominance handling pitchers and throwing out runners. He'll get his first shot at a full-season Class A league this year.
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The mortality rate of African-Americans infected with HIV has dropped sharply in recent years and the gap between whites and blacks is narrowing, new figures show. A new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the death rate for blacks infected by the HIV virus dropped 28 percent from 2008 to 2012, a greater decrease than other races and ethnicities. The CDC gave no explanation for the drop, but various groups have launched vigorous information campaigns in recent years targeting high-risk groups. In 2012, the latest year for which data was available, blacks still had the highest death rate overall, with 20.5 percent, compared with 18.1 percent for whites and 13.9 percent for Hispanics or Latinos. Blacks are infected with HIV at higher rates than other groups. The CDC noted that African Americans living with HIV were less likely to get diagnosed, with 15 percent unaware of their infection in 2011, compared with 12 percent of whites. "Focusing prevention and care efforts on minority populations with a disproportionate HIV burden could lead to further reduction, if not elimination, of health disparities, such as higher mortality and help achieve the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy," the report said.
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By Janet Neumann A large new study suggests that people who have up to seven drinks a week in middle age have a lower risk of heart failure over the long term than those who abstain - though too much wine, beer or liquor could lead to an earlier death from other causes. The study authors cautioned that people with heart failure should avoid alcohol, and that their study does not mean that others should start drinking "with abandon." The results are based on observation over time, so they cannot prove that moderate drinking protects against heart failure, they added. "We don't know if alcohol is protective or if people who drink a little bit might do other things that might be contributing to their better health," said Dr. Scott Solomon of Harvard Medical School in Boston, the study's senior author. While previous research has shown a link between mild to moderate alcohol intake and lower risk of coronary heart disease, such as heart attacks, "what we didn't know was whether this would also extend to heart failure even in patients who did not have prior heart attacks," Solomon said. "We were concerned because there is some evidence that alcohol is toxic to the heart directly," he said. A moderate amount of alcohol is less than some people might expect - about seven drinks over the whole week. The study assumed that one drink contained 14 grams of alcohol, which is the amount in a little over five ounces of wine, 13 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of liquor. The researchers used data from the large and ongoing Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, following 14,629 adults who were 45 to 64 years old at the start of the study in 1987. People who didn't drink at all made up 61 percent of those included in the analysis, though 19 percent were former drinkers. About 25 percent of the study population drank up to seven drinks weekly, 8 percent averaged seven to 14 drinks a week, 3 percent had 14 to 21 drinks weekly and 3 percent drank 21 or more. Men who had up to 14 drinks weekly were 20 percent less likely than abstainers to develop heart failure and women who drank up to 7 glasses weekly were 16 percent less likely, according to the results in the European Heart Journal. "If we were giving a drug and doing this in a trial and showing that effect, people would say, okay that's a modest reduction," Solomon told Reuters Health. "It's simply not as robust for women," he said. "It could be women are smaller in general and so this might have to do to some degree with body size. But also other factors with gender in terms of how we metabolize alcohol," he added. A higher percentage of men and women developed heart failure if they were former drinkers compared to those who never drank. Men and women who drank 21 or more drinks weekly were also more likely to die from other causes than those who didn't drink that much. "The decision to stop drinking may not be random, it may be influenced by other factors that might be related to risk of illness," said Solomon, who also directs Noninvasive Cardiology and the Cardiac Imaging Core Laboratory and Clinical Trials Endpoints Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Showing that link between a low to moderate amount of alcohol and lower risk of heart failure (and not just heart attacks or stroke) is a "novel" finding, said Dr. Andrew J. Sauer at the Center for Heart Failure, Heart Transplantation, Mechanical Assistance at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "A lot of us in the heart failure community have been suggesting something similar for patients," said Sauer, who was not involved in the study. He pointed out that the researchers accounted for factors like age, education, body mass index, smoking, cholesterol and high blood pressure, which bolsters the suggestion that alcohol is what protected people from heart failure. But, the study did not show how often people were drinking daily or whether they might have even had seven drinks in one night, he said. Sauer also noted that many people pour seven or eight ounces of wine when they drink, and people who could stick to a truly moderate amount "are probably very disciplined" and might therefore have healthier lifestyles. "A little more alcohol in your diet is continuing to show up . . . as a potential protector for cardiovascular events," Sauer said. "But until there is a trial where people are randomized to abstaining or drinking low to moderate amounts, we'll never know for sure."
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When Syracuse announced it was instituting a self-imposed postseason ban for the men's basketball team this season, the university was playing for the future - on the court and with NCAA regulators. Its self-imposed ban is part of a common process now for schools trying to work through infractions, with mixed results in trying to minimize the impact of discipline to teams. Syracuse has a case pending before the NCAA Committee on Infractions that dates back more than seven years. The school initiated the case, which includes academics, when it self-reported potential athletic department violations to the NCAA in 2007. School officials said in Wednesday's announcement that none of the conduct occurred after 2012 and no current student-athlete is involved. ''The university has taken this matter seriously and worked with the NCAA for nearly eight years to investigate and address potential rules violations. The process has been exhaustive,'' University Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement. ''We have taken responsibility for past violations and worked hard to ensure they are not repeated.'' School officials said there are additional self-imposed penalties that won't be announced until the NCAA issues its final report. NCAA officials declined comment on Thursday. Other universities have had mixed results at satisfying the NCAA with their self-punishments. The Miami Hurricanes decided to penalize themselves after a rogue booster sparked an NCAA investigation that lasted more than two years. Nevin Shapiro's tales of extra benefit-giving landed him in prison for masterminding a $900 million Ponzi scheme. Shapiro became upset that those he spent lavishly on when he was a Hurricanes fan turned their collective backs when his criminal business dealings were exposed. Miami kept the football team from a bowl game in 2011, then both the ACC championship game and another bowl game in 2012. The school also imposed recruiting limitations on itself. When the NCAA finally ruled late in 2013, the two self-imposed postseason football bans were acknowledged and the Hurricanes did not have to miss another bowl trip. In the middle of the 2004-05 basketball season, then-athletic director Andy Geiger declared Ohio State would not play in the postseason to offset NCAA penalties stemming from allegations that fired coach Jim O'Brien paid players. O'Brien told his boss he loaned a recruit $6,000. Under first-year head coach Thad Matta, the Buckeyes upset unbeaten No. 1 Illinois in the last regular-season game and then were permitted to play in the Big Ten tournament, splitting two games before finishing 20-12. The NCAA imposed probation and erased references to the school's 1999 Final Four appearance. In a more infamous Ohio State scandal involving improper benefits and tattoos, the school took a postseason ban for 2012, vacated the 2010 season and went on NCAA probation. The school said at the time it would have received the penalties whether it volunteered for them or not. And in 2011 North Carolina vacated 16 football victories from the 2008 and 2009 seasons while also reducing three scholarships for three straight years as part of self-imposed penalties following an improper benefits and academic misconduct investigation. In March 2012, the NCAA tacked on a one-year postseason ban and additional scholarship reductions - with many of the violations centering on athletes receiving cash and gifts from people outside the program. The original academic violations centered on a tutor providing too much assistance on research papers to players, though the NCAA has since re-opened its case. Southern Mississippi is in a similar spot as Syracuse, self-imposing a postseason ban last month for the current basketball season because of an ongoing NCAA academic inquiry. The university said the program will not play in the Conference USA postseason tournament or make itself eligible for any other postseason tournament. For the Orange, it's a no-win for Rakeem Christmas, the lone senior on the team who's having a breakout season. While Syracuse has only eight scholarship players currently available to play due to injuries, coach Jim Boeheim has the top recruiting class in his 39 years as head coach inked for next year and big things are expected as he nears 1,000 career victories. If the NCAA agrees a one-year postseason ban is sufficient, the new recruits won't be affected. The last time Syracuse missed the postseason entirely was the 1992-93 season, when the team was also sanctioned by the NCAA. The Orange were allowed to play in the Big East Tournament that year. --- AP Sports Writers Tim Reynolds in Miami, Rusty Miller in Ohio, Aaron Beard in North Carolina and Ralph D. Russo in New York contributed.
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I was recently called an idiot on Facebook for my decision to not vaccinate my children. Well, the person didn't call me an idiot directly, but she made a blanket statement: "If you don't vaccinate your kids, you're an idiot." Four of my six children aren't vaccinated, so I guess this makes me an idiot, by her standards. The immunization debate has reached epic proportions and I believe most of this is fueled by the media. As you can imagine, I don't like to go around advertising our non-vaccinated status, even when the media wasn't in shark-frenzy mode. No one but my husband and I truly understand the circumstances surrounding our decision (which was incredibly hard to reach, I might add), and I don't feel the need to explain them to each and every person I come across. I've agonized long and hard over the decision not to vaccinate my kids. I made the choice to stop vaccinating my children 15 years ago. I was the mother of three little boys two toddlers and a newborn and a part-time mom to a 7-year-old stepson. My toddlers were vaccinated up to the age of 18 months, but I was still unsure about it all. My stepson had a severe reaction as a baby and developed seizures from it. He was put on anti-seizure medications for a short time after that. My first child had a strong reaction to his immunizations as well, and he was feverish and lethargic for hours after. It frightened me, but I pressed on, confident in what the CDC schedule decreed, and our pediatrician recommended. Doctors know everything, right? Things started to shift once I gave birth to my third child. As I snuggled my brand new little boy in my arms, the thought of subjecting his healthy body with an onslaught of foreign antibodies and questionable chemicals brought tears to my eyes. I had just experienced my first homebirth, and after having such a natural entry into the world, opting out of vaccines was the logical direction for my family. He didn't get sick and the earth kept spinning when we politely declined his immunizations at his well-visits with the pediatrician that first year. As I went on to give birth to three more children, I felt confident in my decision to not vaccinate. My kids are now ages 17, 16, 14, 12, 10 and 9 and they're healthy and happy. I'm not worried about the measles outbreak at Disneyland. We'll still visit the "happiest place on earth" and in fact, we visited the park just last week. As the vaccination debate has reached a fevered pitch due to the recent measles outbreak, I still stand by my decision. I'm not worried about the measles outbreak at Disneyland. We'll still visit the "happiest place on earth" and in fact, we visited the park just last week. I don't have a cavalier attitude toward measles, which I know is a highly contagious, viral respiratory disease. It spreads through breathing, coughing and sneezing, and causes a hallmark rash and fever, among other symptoms. I know there can be rare complications that can result in death. According to the California Department of Public Health , of the 59 cases of measles linked to exposure at Disneyland and the adjacent Disney California Adventure Park, six of those who contracted the virus had received the MMR vaccine five people had received two or more doses of the MMR vaccine, and one person had received one dose. This is one of the main reasons why my family decided to opt out although the CDC says the rate of efficacy for one dose of the MMR vaccine is 95 percent, and two doses of the vaccine is more than 99 percent, I'm still not convinced this is a risk I should take with my children's health given our experience with a few bad reactions in the past with my first-born and my stepson. Still, I'm tired of being called an idiot. I'm tired of people suggesting that I am uneducated on the subject of vaccines. I'm tired of people trying to segregate non-vaccinated children in school . I'm tired to people suggesting jail time for the decision to not vaccinate . I'm tired of people crying out to sue for legal damages if we don't vaccinate our children . I'm just plain tired. All of this smacks of forced medical tyranny. I'm a big proponent of live and let live. It's not about the greater good. It's about freedom and the right, for each of us, to make the best decision for the health and well-being of our own children. Still, taking the non-vaccinating road is a tough one. It's not fun when people accuse you of putting your own children in danger and endangering their children as well. The truth is, it's hard to make anyone understand your point of view. But you can't force someone to vaccinate their children not if they are concerned about vaccine reactions and question their safety. All I can do is be thankful that my children have grown up healthy and strong and that I stood by what I believed was best for my family.
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lifestyle
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Love is a gamble.
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video
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"Guys with pit bulls are good in bed."
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lifestyle
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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) -- The Ottawa Senators had plenty of chances. They just couldn't take advantage the way the Washington Capitals did. Alex Ovechkin scored the winning goal Thursday night as the Capitals defeated the Senators 2-1. Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for the Capitals as Braden Holtby picked up his 25th win of the season by stopping 25 shots. Kyle Turris scored the lone Ottawa goal, and Robin Lehner made 27 saves. "We had some great looks and the puck wouldn't go in for us," Senators captain Erik Karlsson said. "We need to score goals on the power play. That's one of the things that we've been struggling with." Trailing 2-1 to start the third period, the Senators did their best to score the equalizer but couldn't find a way to beat Holtby. "We got some good blocks from guys and some really good reads when they tried to go through the box with some seam passes," Washington's Brooks Orpik said. "Thought we were real sharp on it." Thursday's game was a milestone for defenseman Chris Phillips, who set the franchise record by playing in his 1,179th game to surpass Daniel Alfredsson. Alfredsson and former teammate Wade Redden were on hand for the occasion. "It was a great day, a great couple of days leading up to it," Phillips said. "It would have definitely been a little sweeter with a victory tonight." There was little excitement for the 16,543 on hand at Canadian Tire Centre in a scoreless first period. But Ovechkin made an impact early in the second as he drove Karlsson into the boards. Ottawa took exception to the play and it resulted in Bobby Ryan and Ovechkin each taking roughing minors. Turris opened the scoring midway through the second as Ottawa was rewarded for some solid work down low. Turris took a pass from Mark Stone and beat Holtby with a shot under the crossbar. It was Turris' first goal since Jan. 4. The lead was short-lived as the Capitals scored two unanswered goals 49 seconds apart. Kuznetsov tied the game by putting home a rebound, and soon after Ovechkin hit the puck out of midair to beat Lehner. "It's such a fine line between good teams and average teams in this league and it's just how consistent can you do things every shift, every game," Lehner said. "We're not doing it every shift so small details are hurting us." NOTES: D Mark Borowiecki and D Patrick Wiercioch were healthy scratches. G Craig Anderson and RW Alex Chiasson (lower body) are day to day for the Senators. ... C Michael Latta, LW Aaron Volpatti and D Cameron Schilling were healthy scratches for Washington.
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CLEVELAND (AP) -- Iman Shumpert softly played a harmonica in the locker room as his teammates dressed following a surprisingly easy victory. In one corner, LeBron James slipped on a tight black T-shirt with RWTW on the front. The initials stand for "Roll With The Winners." BOX SCORE: CAVALIERS 105, CLIPPERS 94 Right now, no team in the NBA is rolling like the Cavs. James scored 23 points, Kevin Love bounced back from a bad game with 24 and Cleveland pushed its winning streak to 12 games Thursday night with a 105-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, who also lost their composure. The Cavs built a 32-point lead in the third quarter, allowing James and Love, who scored a season-low five in his previous game, to sit out the fourth and rest for Friday's game at Indiana. With their longest winning streak since a franchise-best 13-gamer in 2010, the Cavs moved into first place in the Central Division. Cleveland was seven games behind Chicago when the streak began with a victory over the Lakers on Jan. 15. "Long-term," said James, "that's exactly how we want to play. A very, very good win for us." The Clippers were whistled for five technical fouls, including four in a contentious third quarter when they lost their California cool and forward Matt Barnes was ejected. Blake Griffin scored 16 and Jamal Crawford 13 for Los Angeles, whose subs made it respectable in the fourth by outscoring Cleveland's reserves 31-11. "We just got our butt kicked," said Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who considered pulling his starters at halftime. "It's on all of us. We have to do a better job. Clearly, I didn't do my job. We weren't prepared from the beginning. I thought when they jumped on us early it was over." On Jan. 16, the Cavs beat the Clippers 126-121 for the second win in their streak. Cleveland was a different team back then, "in disarray" as Rivers put it before the game. But the Cavs are now connecting at both ends of the floor, first-year coach David Blatt has his team's attention and Cleveland is looking every bit like an NBA title contender. The Clippers figured to be a strong test for the Cavaliers, but were no match as Cleveland won its eighth straight over a Western Conference team. "Certainly one of our better games," said Blatt, who was under fire last month. "Considering the opponent and considering the fact that we wanted to continue our momentum, this is one of our better games." The Cavs led by 23 at halftime and the Clippers began to unravel emotionally early in the third. Barnes was called for a technical for shoving Love, and seconds later, Chris Paul got a technical for something he said to referee Lauren Holtkamp. DeAndre Jordan was given a technical for taunting, and Barnes was sent to the locker room for muttering a choice word to official Eric Lewis. "We have to show better composure," said Paul, who was critical of Holtkamp. "This might not be for her." James and his teammates produced highlight-package plays in the first half, when the Cavs moved the ball well on offense, clamped down on defense and built a 65-42 lead. With a national TV audience watching, James drove down the lane for a two-handed slam and followed it up moments later with another strong layup. Cleveland's passing was superb, and Kyrie Irving, who made only one field goal, had the best assist of the first 24 minutes when he fed James for an alley-oop dunk to give the Cavaliers a 21-point lead. Love came out aggressively, scoring 10 points in the first 3 minutes and setting the tone. Blatt defended the forward, who has been criticized for not living up to expectations. "I got tired of everybody talking about Kevin Love," Blatt said. "There is nothing wrong with Kevin Love." ------ TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Rivers was called for a technical in the first quarter, triggering the Clippers' temper tantrums. "I got one early just trying to get our guys going," Rivers said. "I would have liked to have gotten two at that point. That would have been terrific." TIP-INS Clippers: Los Angeles has lost 12 of 13 in Cleveland and is just 3-17 all-time in Quicken Loans Arena. ... G J.J. Reddick sat out with back spasms. ... Los Angeles has four more games before the All-Star break and won't finish its road trip until Feb. 9 in Dallas. In total, the Clippers will travel 7,399 miles. ... Barnes is tied for the league lead with 11 technicals. Cavaliers: James had eight assists at halftime. ... Irving has been added to next week's All-Star Weekend 3-point shooting contest in New York. Irving won the event in 2013 at Houston. ... All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures. UP NEXT Clippers: At Toronto on Friday. Cavaliers: At Indiana on Friday.
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PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) -- Brooke Pancake shot a 6-under 67 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the suspended first round of the Bahamas LPGA Classic. Play was suspended for the day at 2:47 p.m. and more than inch of rain fell on Atlantis Resort's Ocean Club course. In May 2013, the inaugural event was reduced to three 12-hole rounds because of flooding. Playing in calmer morning conditions, Pancake birdied six of her first seven holes in her bogey-free round. ''I luckily got to get out early this morning,'' Pancake said. ''I gave myself a lot of birdie looks and I really took advantage of those.'' Second-ranked Inbee Park was tied for second with Natalie Gulbis and Brittany Lincicome. Gulbis is making her first start since having hip surgery in November. ''I hit it good,'' Gulbis said. ''It's been like any other getting ready for the season. I didn't play last week. I wasn't quite ready last week. I'm just happy to be back.'' Lincicome played in wind gusting around 20 mph. ''It was different out there,'' Lincicome said. ''Every time I was with a left-to-right wind, I either snap-hooked it way left or blocked it way right. But when the wind was right to left, I crushed it and I did really well.'' Lydia Ko, playing her first event since taking the No. 1 spot in the world ranking, was 1 under through eight holes. The 17-year-old New Zealander tied for second last week in the season-opening event in Florida, to break Tiger Woods' record as the youngest player to reach No. 1. ''We've still got 10 more holes and I know there are birdie opportunities,'' Ko said. ''The 18th is a par 5, too. We've just got to stay patient. Hopefully, I will make a couple more birdies down the stretch.'' Ko played in the rain for the first time since switching from glasses to contact lenses. ''They're good. No problems,'' Ko said. ''I was like, `Man, I've got nothing. There's nothing in my way.' I didn't mind the rain. It was a good test.'' Brooke Henderson opened with a 75 in her first LPGA Tour start as a professional. The 17-year-old Canadian won the Monday qualifying tournament to earn a spot in the field. She won a Suncoast Series event last week in Florida in her pro debut. Michelle Wie shot 76.
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Jim Cramer wants investors to be ready next time Europe drops on a dime, especially because of Greece . If there is one thing the "Mad Money" host has learned speaking to CEOs lately, it's that Europe is coming back. Yes, that's right. Europe is making a comeback. "Think about yesterday's break, or at least try to remember what caused it. Some European central banker arguing with some Greek politician? That kerfuffle gave you a chance to pick up great American stocks at prices that were much cheaper than you otherwise would've gotten," said the "Mad Money" host. Cramer advised that the best deals are with U.S. companies that do a large amount of business in Europe, and are already doing well domestically. Stocks like Eaton (ETN) and Dow Chemical (DOW) both reported strong quarters and are good buys. Or evenGeneral Motors (GM) , which is flying quietly under the radar. He also recommended Alcoa (AA) , 3M (MMM) ,Honeywell (HON) and Cisco (CSCO) . The turnaround is here for the organic and natural food movement. Just a few years ago, shoppers who wanted to eat natural and organic food only really had Whole Foods (WFM) for shopping. However Jim Cramer thinks those days are now over and Hain Celestial (HAIN) is right in the center of this trend. Heck, even Wal-Mart (WMT) has gone organic! Hain reported earnings on Wednesday, and while the big picture remained strong for the company, the sales were a big below analyst estimates, and it did lower guidance as well. Cramer attributed the weakness largely to currency issues overseas. To find out where the company could be headed Cramer spoke with Irwin Simon, CEO of Hain Celestial Group. "The Super Bowl this past weekend was one of our biggest snacking seasons. Our snack business on consumption has been up over 30 percent," said Simon. Cramer is also seeing visionary stocks floating around out there that could represent tremendous investment opportunity. Those are the stocks that investors have to take a chance on, and either believes in the company's vision or not stocks like Under Armour (UA) . "Those who believe can make fortunes if they get it right. Non-believers make nothing. And those who bet against the believers? Well, they can lose their shirts," said the "Mad Money" host. This is what Cramer wants investors to think about when they invest in a visionary leader like Kevin Plank, the CEO and founder of Under Armour. Seriously, how the heck does this company even exist do people really need better t-shirts? "I'm warning you that you short Under Armour at your own peril. Go ahead, make Kevin Plank's day," said Cramer. Cramer is buying into this visionary. And if you're an investor who isn't a believer, at least stand on the sidelines and let the rest of the Cramericans gobble it up.p. Slow and steady wins the race, right? There is one semiconductor stock that has been doing a steady climb, and without much commotion. Integrated Device Technology (IDTI) is the maker of low-power high performance chips for niche markets, as well as next generation communications infrastructure, computing and consumer industries. The stock is up more than 20 percent in the past three months, and blew out the quarter when it reported on Monday with stronger than expected guidance for next quarter. Additionally, IDTI has developed a wireless cell phone charging solution that could explode further. Gone will be the days of standing next to an outlet just to get through the day with your phone! To find out more, Cramer spoke with Integrated Device Technology's CEO Greg Waters. "We are not only shipping this wireless charging technology to some of the big names in the industry, but it's just now starting to transition to from that early adopter phase to the growth phase. I think 2015 is the first year we started to see some real legs out of the industry in this," said Waters. Has the pain in the agriculture business finally gotten tired and worn out? Cramer has been wondering this since Agco Corporation (AGCO) reported some seriously awesome numbers on Tuesday, causing the stock to rise 9 percent in one day. Agco is the world's third largest marker and distributor of agricultural equipment. It announced a 9 percent dividend boost and a $500 million buyback, indicating that management thinks the stock is too cheap. Given the sensitive nature of the agricultural business, Cramer spoke with Agco's CEO Martin Richenhagen to find out if he also is seeing things get better in Europe. The CEO agreed, stating "I think that the U.K. , Scandinavia some parts of the Eastern countries like the baltic states are growing. We also invested a lot of money in engineering and man-power in Africa and we see that growing." In the Lightning Round, Cramer gave his take on a few caller favorites: TG Therapeutics (TGTX) : "I thought Weiss had game. I liked what I heard...do the work, I thought it sounded like a good company. I liked Weiss's work, I know he's a financial guy. So what?" Whiting Petroleum Corp (WLL) : "If you buy Whiting, you're in it just to speculate on a takeover. The stock has just upped 10 points in no time. I would prefer you to be in EOG (EOG) ."
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finance
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New MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says that he plans to have a conversation about letting Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame. Is it just a matter of time before Rose finally gets into Cooperstown?
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sports
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Of all the scenarios Louisville sophomore guard Terry Rozier imagined, having a breakout season with two-thirds of it left to play wasn't on the list. On the other hand, Rozier believed good things would result from seizing opportunities that are coming his way quite regularly lately. Rozier enters Saturday night's Atlantic Coast Conference showdown at third-ranked Virginia (20-1, 8-1) leading the No. 9 Cardinals (19-3, 7-2) and the league in scoring at 18.5 points per game. He's averaging a league-best 20.4 points in ACC contests and is second to teammate Chris Jones in steals at 2.1 per game. Louisville features preseason All-American Montrezl Harrell, but the versatile Rozier has quietly become Louisville's go-to guy with a 21-point average the past 15 games. ''I didn't go into the season thinking about leading the team in scoring, but I've put in a lot of work that I needed to progress,'' Rozier said. Even if Rozier's intention wasn't to be the high-scoring guard like Cardinals' All-American predecessor Russ Smith, he isn't shying away from the role or contact. In fact, his most impressive quality has been going into traffic for rebounds against taller opponents. Rozier's muscular 6-foot-1 frame has allowed him to absorb the pounding along with a mindset that bumps and bruises are part of the game. That attitude developed back in Youngstown, Ohio, where the industrial city's hard-edged personality was reflected on the basketball courts where anything he got meant going after it on both ends. ''With one goal, it was everybody for themselves and that's where the toughness came from,'' Rozier said. ''I've never been afraid to go against guys a little bit bigger than me.'' Rozier has carried that approach over to his Louisville career, but the difference now is that he tries to find teammates before doing it himself. ''Anything that coach (Rick Pitino) needs me to do, I'll get in there and do it,'' added Rozier, whose 5.5 boards per game are second to Harrell (9.2). ''It's something he emphasizes, and I make sure it happens for him.'' Rozier's whatever-it-takes philosophy was evident in last Saturday's overtime win against No. 13 North Carolina, when his first career double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds) helped Louisville overcome a double-digit second half deficit. He followed up with another 22-point effort in Tuesday night's win at Miami that came a day after being named ACC co-player of the week. That outing was also another example of Louisville's developing cohesion that will be needed against the league-leading Cavaliers. Cooperation has never been an issue between Rozier and Jones in their two seasons together, but the Cardinals' four consecutive wins since losing to Duke symbolize how quickly they've regrouped. Not surprisingly, Louisville's backcourt duo has done a lot to set the tone. ''I'm sure they're very good friends, but they really click together on the basketball court,'' Pitino said Thursday, noting one particular play against the Hurricanes where Jones made a diving steal and passed ahead to Rozier, who was fouled. ''Chris joked with Terry that he at least could have made the basket to get me the assist for all that. They've got great chemistry, they're a terrific backcourt.'' Sometimes compared to Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, Rozier scored a floater against the `Canes with a Wade-like fake and spin. He joked that ''it just happened'', but doing it down the road from Wade's home court only fuels speculation that Rozier might join him in the NBA next season. Pitino added that Rozier has a pro game and mentality, and some draft blogs have projected him as a first-round selection. Rozier plays down the talk, choosing to focus on a college career that has followed form in every way, albeit ahead of his timetable. ''I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it, because any kid thinks about that opportunity,'' Rozier said. ''It feels good but you always want to stay focused. Being a great basketball player means you want to be mature about the situation and focus on your current situation and for me, it's college basketball.''
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sports
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CNN's Phil Black travels to the front lines of the fight against ISIS and speaks with the Kurdish fighters who battle the terror group daily.
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video
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Meet Eve: she's darn smart, can make the process of finding new drugs a lot faster and cheaper -- and she costs around $1 million. That's because Eve is a robotic scientist developed by researchers from the Universities of Aberystwyth and Cambridge, the same team who created her predecessor (you guessed it) Adam back in 2009. Since Eve was created specifically to automate the early stages of drug design, she's capable of scanning over 10,000 compounds a day, whereas humans obviously wouldn't be able to process as many in the same timeframe. As Professor Ross King from the University of Manchester (which Eve calls home) said: "Every industry now benefits from automation and science is no exception. Bringing in machine learning to make this process intelligent -- rather than just a 'brute force' approach -- could greatly speed up scientific progress and potentially reap huge rewards." To be able to narrow down candidates (and keep costs at a minimum), though, she processes the compounds through a smart screening system that uses genetically engineered yeast to leave out anything toxic to human cells and choose only those that target diseases. In fact, that's what Eve did to find viable candidates for malaria drug in a recent test conducted by King and his colleagues. According to the journal they published in The Royal Society this February, Eve discovered that a compound once investigated as a potential anti-cancer drug can block DHFR, a molecule found in the malaria parasite. While some current malaria medicine already use compounds that can block that molecule, new strains continue to evolve, rendering those medications useless. The same situation applies to other tropical diseases, including African sleeping sickness and Chagas' disease. To wit, the industry is having a hard time finding new drugs fast enough, and Eve could eventually change that. The AI is still young, and she's bound to go through more upgrades before she gets to help out more scientists and companies. King believes her recent findings might end up being "more significant than just demonstrating a new approach to drug discovery," though. "Despite extensive efforts," he said, "no one has been able to find a new antimalarial that targets DHFR and is able to pass clinical trials." The Royal Society Publishing University of Cambridge
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news
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The Sabres were hardly competitive Thursday night against the Blues. St. Louis goalie Jake Allen didn't allow a goal and tallied 23 saves.
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sports
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Anaheim Ducks lost their captain Ryan Getzlaf to an injury just before faceoff in the NHL's toughest building this season. They made sure not to lose the game as well. Jakob Silfverberg scored two goals, and the Ducks took the top of the NHL standings for themselves by beating the Nashville Predators 5-2 Thursday night even with Getzlaf scratched after aggravating a lower-body injury in warmups. "A lot of guys will have to step up if you lose some of the key guys, and I think a lot of guys showed up tonight and played really well," Silfverberg said. "And winning here is tough, and we managed to do it tonight, which obviously (we) did great." Anaheim and Nashville came in tied with 72 points, though the Predators have a game in hand. The teams also have the league's winningest goalies with Pekka Rinne back in net for Nashville after missing three weeks with an injured knee. Frederik Andersen made 44 saves in tying Rinne with his 29th win. Sami Vatanen and Matt Beleskey scored a goal each as the Ducks started a five-game road trip in dominating fashion. Corey Perry got an empty-netter with 1:19 remaining. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said he learned late in warmups that Getzlaf wasn't feeling well, forcing him to scramble his lines. "We knew who we were playing and we knew temporarily what was at stake, and we knew it was a big game," Boudreau said. "So I knew we were all up for the game. It was just sort of something that throws everybody into a little, I wouldn't call it a quagmire, but it's something you say, `OK, you're playing with this guy, you're playing with that guy and you're playing with that guy.'" Colin Wilson and James Neal each scored for Nashville, which lost in regulation at home for only the third time this season. Nashville, which came in a league-best 20-2-1 at home, snapped a franchise-record eight-game winning streak at home. Rinne also was back in net for the first time since hurting his knee Jan. 13. The goalie was 10-0-1 in his 11 games before getting hurt. But Rinne looked rusty in his return. He stopped a shot from Silfverberg and the puck went off Rinne's stick, with Nashville defenseman Shea Weber next to him. The Ducks forward skated around both and scored short-handed on a backhander over a sprawling Rinne 1:52 into the game. Boudreau said that goal settled down the Ducks. Then Vatanen gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead in the Ducks' first five shots with his try deflecting past Rinne's glove. "Not the way that you want to start," Rinne said. "It's the first game since coming back, it's out of the way, and we can move on." It only got worse in the second period as the Predators were on the penalty kill for nearly four minutes to start the period, including two different 5-on-3s. Neal started the period in the box for a penalty late in the first, and the Predators killed off an interference call on Paul Gaustad and Rinne's delay of game when the puck went into the netting. After the second penalty expired, Beleskey scored on a wrister. Then Silfverberg scored his eighth of the season 43 seconds later for a 4-0 lead. That forced Nashville to take its timeout, with coach Peter Laviolette talking to Rinne. The goalie stayed in the game. "Staying in and battling like he did is only going to make him better," Laviolette said. "The work he got, he made some tremendous saves out there. Anybody that comes back, I think you have to kind of work through the process of being game ready, so the work was good for him tonight." The Predators avoided the shutout when Wilson scored his 17th from in front at 4:00 of the third, and Neal scored off the rebound of his shot at 15:53 on the power play. Laviolette pulled Rinne with about three minutes remaining, but Perry's goal sealed the win. Notes: Boudreau said he didn't know Getzlaf's status for Friday night's game at Washington. ... The Ducks now are 25-1-5 when scoring first and came in as one of only two NHL teams without a regulation loss when leading after the first period. Anaheim improved to 17-0-2. ... Silfverberg's short-handed goal was only the third allowed by Nashville this season.
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sports
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The Ford Focus RS is finally coming to America. It has only taken 15 years for a mega-performance Focus to make it to our shores. Was it worth the wait? Being a long-standing hot hatch fan, I've been dissecting and cogitating the details of the Mark III Focus RS like Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man." The first- and second-generation Focus RS, neither of them imported here, were both two-door hatchbacks with front-wheel drive. The newest RS is a four-door hatchback with all-wheel drive, both positive changes, as the less powerful Focus ST already feels like it has a bit too much torque running through the front wheels, and because I like the practicality and shape of a four-door hatchback. But what will these changes do to the -- pardon me -- focus of the Focus RS? This model always has been a bit hairy and hard-edged; it's not a car for everyone. Jost Capito, the former director of Ford's Global Performance Vehicles division, once likened the ST models to dolphins and the RS models to sharks. A Focus ST is already more aggressive and less refined than a Volkswagen Golf GTI. The Mark III Focus RS is obviously a competitor for the Subaru WRX STI and VW Golf R . The Golf R is in some ways more refined than VW's Focus ST rival, the GTI, and the WRX STI is not nearly as comfortable to live with day to day compared with either Golf model. The big question is: Where will the Focus RS fall on this refinement spectrum? I hope it has greater breadth of capability than hot Fords of the past. This car should be so balanced that it rewards the driver when pushed, loves being flogged within an inch of its life, and is still comfortable for a daily commute in all weather conditions and on rough roads like those in Michigan. In other words, I'm hoping for balance that falls between the WRX STI and the Golf R. Ford's latest all-wheel drive system is a step ahead of the Golf R's and WRX STI's and should help the Focus RS handle changing northern U.S. weather conditions. It can send up to 70 percent of its power to the rear wheels, and with two clutches on the rear axle, it can juggle up to 100 percent of available torque to either rear wheel. Ford engineers say their latest AWD setup "virtually eliminates understeer" and gives drivers "controlled oversteer drifts at the track." That's a good sign. Let's hope it performs as promised. Of course, this sort of control needs power. The Focus ST makes 252 hp. The Golf R has 292 hp, and the WRX STI puts out 305 hp. All Ford will reveal about its turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four is that it makes "well in excess of 315 hp" and will be the most powerful "standard" Focus RS to date. The Mark II Focus RS currently holds that record, at 301 hp. My guess for the new car is 340-350 hp. The hottest "special" Focus RS was the 345-hp Mark II RS 500. We'll see if Ford can trump the RS 500 straightaway, or will wait for an even crazier version of the Mark III Focus RS coming later. In any case, Ford beats VW and Subaru in the power department. Like the Shelby GT350, the RS comes standard with Michelin Pilot Super Sport performance summer tires. Optional track-focused Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, the same sticky rubber you'll find on the Shelby GT350R, Porsche 911 GT3, and Ferrari 458 Speciale, will be available in the U.S., Ford says. Both Michelin tire options on the Focus RS are the same size, at 235/35R-19. Forged wheels in a low-gloss black finish are optional, saving a little over 2 pounds per wheel versus the standard RS wheel. The WRX STI is fitted with 18-inch wheels, while the Golf R comes standard with 18-inch wheels, with a 19-inch setup offered as an option. The Golf R launches this year with VW's DSG dual-clutch gearbox, and a manual will be offered later in 2015. But like the WRX STI, the Ford only comes with a conventional, three-pedal six-speed manual. No complaints from me. Let the Golf R attract buyers who don't like to row their own ratios. Recaro seats hold you in place as you work that Focus RS gearbox. I'm eager to see how they fit. The optional Recaros in the less expensive Focus ST aren't great. They look cool but aren't comfortable for many body types; they're too aggressive and don't offer enough adjustment. U.S.-market Focus ST models are built just outside of Detroit, and their Recaro seats also come from a Michigan factory, so the European ST Recaros are slightly different. More details on the disparities between a U.S. and Euro Focus ST can be found here What's Not "World Car" About Fords . The good news is that because every Focus RS, no matter what country it's heading for, will be built in Germany, the kind of market-specific changes that often compromise a global car will be held to a minimum. More good news is that cars headed for the U.S. will get the latest Blackberry third-generation SYNC system, while Europe is stuck with the old Microsoft second-generation system. Ford will offer the RS with two Recaro seat options -- a part-leather sport seat standard and a more aggressive "shell" seat. But now the bad news: I've learned that the shell seats will not be offered in the U.S., no doubt the result of our crash-test standards. Let's hope Ford gets the base Recaro seats right on the RS. Ford did get the handbrake setup on the Focus RS right. A car like this needs a conventional manual handbrake, like a rally car and like the WRX STI. It's key for snow-driving fun. You know -- acting like a hooligan. Sadly, the Golf R is fitted with an electric parking brake, which is useless from a rally driving point of view. If you want a proper handbrake on a sporty Golf, you must downgrade to a GTI. What about price? The 2015 Subaru WRX STI starts at $35,290. The 2015 VW Golf R is $37,415 with the DSG gearbox. Figure a manual Golf R will cost about $36,500 when it comes to the U.S. for the 2016 model year. The Focus RS offers more performance potential than either the Subaru or the VW, but the Focus RS name isn't as strong or established as Golf R or WRX STI. I predict the Ford will start at about $36,000 and push to the $40,000 neighborhood if items such as heated seats, a heated steering wheel, Sony 10-speaker audio, a parking camera with parking sensors, navigation, and the optional wheels and tires are added. No matter what, I can't wait to learn more about the Focus RS at the Geneva Motor Show in March, drive the car likely very late this year (when production begins), and see it on U.S. roads in 2016.
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autos
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Newark, NJ - A Lady Gaga's first producer and former boyfriend owes the Hollywood songwriter who discovered her $7.3 million after he promised to split profits with her, a federal judge has ruled, upholding a jury's verdict. US District court Judge Jose Linares ruled Wednesday against producer Rob Fusari's argument to reduce the amount the jury awarded last year to Wendy Starland. Starland testified during the trial that Fusari, based in Parsippany, had asked her to find an "edgy, bold, confident, charismatic" performer and "someone that you can't take your eyes off of." She brought back Lady Gaga after spotting her during a New York City performance in 2006, when she was simply Stefani Germanotta. Lady Gaga said in a deposition in 2011 that she believed Fusari and Starland, a singer and songwriter who wrote songs with her, had a verbal agreement to split their share from her career. "My understanding was that Wendy and him had initially agreed upon 50/50 perhaps before Wendy ever found me, and after I was signed to Rob and made music, Rob began to change his mind," said Lady Gaga, whose hits have included "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance." Fusari, a Grammy Award-winning producer whose credits include work for Beyonce, Whitney Houston and Will Smith, previously sued Lady Gaga for $35 million in court in New York, but that lawsuit was dropped.
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entertainment
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The stone spheres of Costa Rica are one of the strangest mysteries in archaeology. CNN's Jonathan Mann reports.
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news
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The popular picture taking tool is causing controversy at some museums. CBS2's Weijia Jiang explains.
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travel
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No matter the size of the chore whether it's spot cleaning or wiping down all the kitchen countertops the solution you need may very well be something you have on hand...in your kitchen. That's right: The makings of an all-natural clean home start with ingredients you may have picked up for family mealtime. So, open up your cupboard doors and take stock: How many of these cleaners are hiding in your pantry? Club Soda Club soda, isn't just a delicious drink, it's also a fantastic stain lifter. Pour it on fabric and blot don't rub to lift the stain. Because it's odorless and safe to drink, you won't have to worry about chemical fumes or leaving it out when kids are around. Vodka If you don't spring for Grey Goose, cleaning with vodka is a frugal and effective practice. Vodka is a natural disinfectant, and, as long as you're not knocking back shots, it's completely nontoxic too. For best results, wipe down your marble and granite countertops with a clean sponge. Related: 10 "Sober" Alternative Uses for Alcohol at Home Vinegar Vinegar is so versatile that it can clean everything from toilets and showers to windows and floors. Add a few citrus peels, and vinegar can cut kitchen grease even faster and leave behind a fresh scent . Simply let lemon or orange peels soak in 1 quart of white vinegar for two weeks. Then strain, pour into a spray bottle, and use anywhere you like. Related: 10 Handy Household Uses for Vinegar Baking Soda You've seen fizzy bombs for baths, right? Well, you can make a cleansing fizzy for your toilet , too. All you need is 1 1/3 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup citric acid, and 90 drops of essential oil. Mold the mixture in an ice cube tray, and allow to dry. To use, simply drop in the bowl and, once the bubbles stop, scrub as usual. Related: 10 Ingenious Home Uses for Baking Soda Cream of Tartar Depending on whom you ask and on the particular copper object tarnish is either a beautiful patina or an unwanted layer of corrosion. Should you fall into the latter camp and wish to remove the tarnish, it's easy. Simply make a copper cleaner by mixing cream of tartar with half as much lemon juice; it works almost immediately. Related: How To Clean Copper Black Tea Got some worse-for-wear garden tools on hand? Renew them by submerging the steel parts completely in strong black tea. Start by filling a large bucket with hot water, add the tea and let it steep, and then put in the tools for a few hours. When you return, wear gloves as you wipe the tools down with a clean rag. Rust and caked-on dirt should fall away easily, leaving your trowel, hand rake, and pruners in near-pristine condition. Related: Power Up Your Cleaning Routine with... Caffeine? Coarse Salt More than just a go-to seasoning, salt also works quite effectively as a cleaning agent . It absorbs oil and grease well, making it ideal for kitchen cleaning. Just sprinkle a pinch on fresh spills in the oven soon after they've cooled, and then wipe away. Or, combine it with baking soda and dish soap, and you get a basic scrub that's potent enough to tackle tough grime on most appliances. Related: 10 Unexpected Uses for Table Salt Bread The next time one of your party guests accidentally drops a glass on the floor, skip the broom and grab the bread. Dampen a slice, then dab it on the visible glass fragments and all over the floor where the piece shattered. Even the smaller shards will cling to the bread. Aluminum Foil When combined with the right ingredients, aluminum foil can help you polish tarnished silverware for easiest-ever shine. In a foil-lined glass dish (or aluminum baking dish), add 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon sea salt, then slowly pour in 1/2 cup white vinegar, followed by 1 cup boiling water. Drop in silver pieces for 30 seconds to a minute at a time; remove carefully using tongs, then buff with a rag. Related: How To Polish Silver Vanilla Extract A bit of vanilla extract can be the answer when your microwave's in need of a refresher . Fill a microwave-save bowl with 2 cups water and a few drops of vanilla, and nuke it on high for a minute. Remove the solution, wipe down the inside, and enjoy the sweet smell.
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lifestyle
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It's not often a team can build a 19 point lead, then choke away said lead and trail in the game... then build another 19 point lead. That's exactly what Portland did tonight as they embarrassed Phoenix with two huge runs in a 108-87 blowout win. The Suns have played a lot of close games recently. This wasn't one of them. The Trail Blazers (34-16) blitzed the Suns 108-87 even though they didn't play very well for a good portion of the game. Sporadic play was still more than enough for a Suns team that had one of its worst games of the season. The Suns tied a season low with 87 points, which was sadly set just five days ago. The 21 point blowout was also Phoenix's fourth biggest margin of defeat. The Suns (28-23) finish a parlous eight game stretch with a 3-5 record and have surrendered most of their lead over the New Orleans Pelicans (26-23) and Oklahoma City Thunder (25-24). To add injury to insult, Alex Len left the game in the third quarter with an injury to his right ankle. It was one of those nights. Recap: First Quarter: The Suns got off to a shaky start, but Goran Dragic finally broke the lid off the basket with a three pointer a little over two minutes into the game. The two teams combined to make just 4-21 from the field in the early going. It was part defense and part putrescence. Alex Len, who's second in the league in total personal fouls , picked up two in less than six minutes and sauntered off to the bench. Alex had been giving LaMarcus Aldridge fits with his size in the early going, so it was deliciously Len-like to pick up a couple silly fouls. Aldridge hit two free throws on the shooting foul he baited Len into and then proceeded to score on the next possession after Len sat. Nine minutes into the quarter the Suns had nine points, six turnovers and were 4-14 from the field. Phoenix was blessed to only be down nine points (18-9). Damian Lillard had a couple uncontested layups and Meyers Leonard ran free through the lane for a dunk as Portland gained a 16-6 edge in points in the paint in the quarter. Gerald Green made a surprising return from banishment and threw down a savage breakaway dunk shortly after subbing in. He scored another bucket late in the quarter to help the Suns get all the way up to 15 for the period. The Suns played 12 minutes of bad basketball. Score: Blazers 27, Suns 15 Second Quarter: The TNT broadcast chimed in on the Alex Len foul situation, panning to him on the bench during a dead ball where the officials were looking at a potential clear path foul against the Suns (it wasn't one). They seemed to agree with my stance that he should foul less. Portland scored the first seven points of the second quarter to stretch their lead to 19 (34-15) before Brandan Wright caught an alley-oop dunk. The Suns started to make a push against the Blazers' bench and Green cut the lead to 12 with a transition three. Phoenix was trying to creep even closer, but Markieff Morris whiffed on a wide open dunk. Rachel Nichols also came on to fill in the nation on the Suns' embarrassing technical foul situation. At least it's not just a sectarian story. Shortly after listening to an expatiation on why the Suns weren't getting any calls because they complain too much I looked over and saw that Portland only committed three fouls in the first half. Three. Lots of feel good topics of discussion. Unfortunately, those were quite a bit more interesting than the vapid brand of basketball being played. Portland was nearly as bad as the Suns, with neither team north of 36% from the field in the first half. The Suns closed the first half down by 11, which would normally be within striking range... but might be around the team's total points in the third quarter. Score: Blazers 46, Suns 35 Third Quarter: Eric Bledsoe hit a couple free throws to start the period that gave him more points (7) than turnovers (5). That's something. As poorly as the Sun had played, a corner three from P.J. Tucker and a couple fast break layups cut the deficit to six points. Len caught a pass from Bledsoe in transition and threw down a fierce dunk, but was fouled by Robin Lopez and went to the ground clutching his right angle in obvious pain. Len was able to shoot his free throws, but the Suns fouled immediately and Alex limped off the court back to the locker room. The Suns continued to chip away, extending to a 15-4 run and cutting the Blazers lead to just two points (54-52). Damian Lillard (0-5) and his teammates were obscenely amiss from long distance, letting the Suns hang around by making just 2-22 three pointers. Phoenix finally climbed all the way back up the hill to take its first lead (63-62) since it was 5-4 in the first quarter. It was short lived, though, as Nicolas Batum hit just the third triple for the Blazers to put them back on top. Still, a fiery effort from Phoenix had them right back in the mix. Score: Blazers 66, Suns 65 Fourth Quarter: Of course Portland reeled off six straight points to start the quarter. Phoenix regained their equanimity, however, and kept Portland from pulling away early in the period. The size of Lopez was giving the Suns fits. Rolo scored two buckets right at the rim that gave him a double double (11 points, 12 rebounds) and put the Blazers back up eight. Moments later it was back up to 13 (88-75). It looked like there wouldn't be a close finish after all. The Suns couldn't make a push the rest of the way and went down without so much as a whimper. After trailing by 19 in the first half the Suns came all the way back to take the lead, just to go back down by 19 at the end of the game. Phoenix somehow managed to give up 42 points in the period before the humiliation finally ended. It was kind of like they got their ass kicked twice. Final Score: Blazers 108, Suns 87 ---------- Player of the Game: Nicolas Batum was solid with 20 points and seven assists, but I'm going to go with Rolo for old time's sake. Lopez had 11 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks while providing a much needed presence on both ends of the court. He's a key piece of the Trail Blazer puzzle. The Good: I'm still working on this part. The Bad: The first quarter. The Suns shot 7-21 from the field and compounded the punitive effects of their abysmal shooting by committing eight turnovers. It was a small miracle they weren't down by 20 by the end of the period. The fourth quarter. Really? 42 points? Alex Len picked up two cheap fouls in less than six minutes and sat the rest of the half. Yes, he's still very young... but he's also second in the league in total personal fouls... many of the silly/stupid variety. The Ugly: The timeout after Len's injury was much needed, because it afforded me the opportunity to clean up after I soiled myself. It was encouraging that Len limped back to the locker room without assistance, but the words Len and ankle injury should never be written or spoken in the same sentence. Hopefully the x-rays are clean. Final Thought(s): The Suns are now 2-5 in their last seven games and haven't looked like a team that is prepared to make a push for the playoffs. This cruel eight game stretch had already been mentioned as a litmus test in advance, one that the Suns failed. Unfortunately, in a tight race like this there is a huge difference between 4-4 and 3-5. This doesn't adumbrate auspiciously for the Suns, since they close out the season with six of its last eight games on the road against the Blazers, Warriors, Hawks, Mavericks, Pelicans and Spurs. Good luck with that. The Suns need to shake this one off, because tomorrow they take on the Utah Jazz in Phoenix on a back to back. The Suns have just three games before the All-Star break, which will give them a chance to regroup.
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sports
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Saudi Arabia's move to slash the price it charges in Asia for its oil this week to the lowest in more than a decade is the latest aggressive action by Gulf states to defend market share in the world's top oil consuming region. A price war between producers has raged since Saudi Arabia and its Gulf OPEC allies last November chose to keep their taps open in a bid for market share over price, sending oil prices down more than a third to under $50 a barrel in just two months. Since then, Gulf producers - including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - have steadily increased shipments to Asia, helped by low production costs that allow aggressive discounts, at the expense of West African and Latin American supplies. Middle East exports to China, by far the region's biggest importer, increased 2.5 percent to around 3.8 million barrels per day (bpd) between December and January, with the market share improving to 53.9 percent from 52.2 percent in December, according to estimates by Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts. "The Gulf states seem to be in this for the long haul. I think they will continue to make their crude competitive regardless of what happens in the market," said Richard Gorry, managing director of energy consultancy JBC Asia. Saudi exports to China rose by 13 percent in January from the previous month, as the Asian country took advantage of low prices to stockpile, Reuters data shows. Oil prices began tumbling in June 2014 when traders reacted to rising output around the world at a time of slowing demand, though have staged a partial recovery from six-year lows last week. The increase in shipments has come mostly at the expense of producers such as Nigeria, Angola and Venezuela - and to a lesser extent Colombia and Brazil - which in recent years have boosted exports to Asia after U.S. import requirements were curbed by the shale boom. Shipments from West Africa to China fell around 6 percent in January, while those from Latin America dipped 9 percent, the data shows. Saudi Arabia cut its monthly oil prices on Thursday for Asian buyers to the lowest in at least 12 years, while raising prices to Europe and the United States. Asia is the only major consuming region in which the Gulf dominates supplies. In Europe, Russia is the biggest supplier while the shale boom has sharply reduced U.S. import needs. (Editing by Henning Gloystein and Ed Davies)
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finance
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New York - Over a January weekend in 2010, Amy Pascal made one of the most audacious decisions of her long tenure as Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair, a nine-year run that has come to a tumultuous end. When "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi voiced his unhappiness with plans for a fourth installment of the $2.5 billion franchise Pascal had shepherded, she abruptly changed course, ordering up one of the fastest reboots in blockbuster history. "I wasn't troubled by it," Pascal matter-of-factly said at the time. "The Amazing Spider-Man," with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, would hit theaters less than five years after "Spider-Man 3." The episode epitomisd Pascal's boldness, a trait that served her well as the most powerful female executive force in the industry, a studio head widely respected for championing women filmmakers (like Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers), producing ambitious awards-winners ("The Social Network"), churning out sharp comedies ("21 Jump Street") and creating some major blockbusters ("Skyfall"). But that same daring also contributed to her undoing. "The Interview," the film that provoked the North Korean hacking attack that precipitate Pascal's departure, was the kind of adventurous, star-driven film she loved to make, the kind other, less colorful executives would have surely balked at. On Thursday, Sony announced that Pascal will step down in May, transitioning to a new production venture at the studio with a four-year contract. Pascal's contract was due for renewal in March, and her ouster was possible, maybe even likely (the "Spider-man" turnaround, for one, has underperformed and franchise-making is everything in studio-land). But the timing was obvious enough. Coming just a few months after the massive hack hit Sony, Pascal's exit is the final blow in the messy fallout of the "Interview" scandal kicked off by hacker threats and fueled by embarrassing email leaks. It turned Pascal into a tabloid figure, tailed by TMZ cameras and pleading for forgiveness for racial remarks in emails in which she joked about President Obama's presumed taste in movies. "In recent months, SPE faced some unprecedented challenges, and I am grateful for Amy's resilience and grace during this period," said Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton, who for now becomes the temporary film production head. Conjecture immediately began swirling at who may succeed Pascal, a Sony executive for nearly 20 years. The parent company in Japan, which has struggled in recent years, may look to shake up its movie business, or it could promote from within. There are several strong candidates already on Sony's Culver City lot. Among them: Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrade, TriStar Pictures head Tom Rothman (head of Fox until 2012), former DreamWorks executive Michael De Luca; and Jeff Robinov, the former Warner Bros. chief whose production company Studio 8 resides at Sony. No matter who gets the job, a new studio head will have to: Set a plan for "Spider-man" (Sony most recently postponed a third installment to instead ready a "Sinister Six" spinoff for next year). Decide on the fate of Angelina Jolie's costly "Cleopatra." Sort out the studio's relationship with producer Scott Rudin (who famously tussled with Pascal in leaked emails over his Steve Jobs film). Sony Pictures will finance Pascal's new production company for four years and retain all distribution rights worldwide. "I have always wanted to be a producer," said Pascal in a statement. "Michael (Lynton) and I have been talking about this transition for quite some time and I am grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to pursue my long-held dream." Though the hacking scandal surely contributed, some viewed Pascal's departure as inevitable more because some of her biggest releases ("White House Down," Will Smith's "After Earth") have struggled in recent years, and because time inevitably catches up to all studio heads. "The fact that she's lasted this long is a small miracle," said David Poland, editor of MovieCityNews.com. He called her tenure "extraordinary," praising it for its diversity, from women-themed films to ScreenGem's horror releases. Under Pascal's watch, Sony Pictures has amassed over $46 billion in global theatrical box-office revenue and 315 Academy Award nominations. But Pascal's ways have sometimes seemed outdated, as Sony struggled to build new franchises. The unspectacular $202.8 million domestic gross for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" caused considerable consternation. "And The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" failed to spawn sequels. Poland noted that many longtime standbys for Pascal (Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Cameron Crowe) have either moved on or faded in popularity. "Her base, the power that she had in terms of filmmakers, kind of thinned out," he said. Still, Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Capital Securities in Tokyo where Sony Corp. is based, believes Pascal's future is bright. "She's a woman of many talents," Thong said. "She has great relationships that are valuable to Sony in the future." "Shake-ups are tough but sometimes they're necessary," said Paul Dergarabedian of box office tracker Rentrak. "This might open the door for a really tremendous future for the company." The future of the corporatized movie studios, though, appears to be increasingly risk-adverse management, overseeing the careful global rollouts of franchises. Perhaps the only things that could have saved Pascal were a few more superheroes besides the web-slinger."
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entertainment
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The International Cricket Council vowed on Friday to clamp down on live betting to try to ensure a corruption-free World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Anyone caught breaking the rules will be barred from the whole tournament, which starts on February 14. Live betting or "pitch-siding" involves gamblers at sports events gaining an upper hand on other punters by taking advantage of the short time-lag, usually a matter of seconds, between play and live international broadcasts on television. Sir Ronnie Flanagan, head of the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit, said the issue went far deeper than a few clever people getting one over on betting shops. "I think the risk is that this feeds into a wider and more sophisticated network of illegal betting, often in the Indian sub-continent," he said. Gambling is mostly illegal in India, but betting on cricket matches thrives through networks of underground bookies. "Facilitating people to either bet on events which are then known events or in terms of illegal bookmakers adjusting their odds to know they should be shortening the odds on something ... I think that's where it is a risk of being some sort of minor contagion." At least three examples of pitch-siding have been reported during the southern hemisphere summer, with one man thrown out of two T20 Big Bash League games and another ejected from the first match of the ODI series against India. Flanagan, a former British chief constable, said the ICC was sharing information with the New Zealand and Australian governments as well as state administrations. He urged players to be wary of criminals who might seek to take advantage. "In our line of work, we too often meet and know that there are rotten people out there, criminal people out there, who will do all in their power to get at players and others of influence within the game," Flanagan said. "They will trick them, they will coerce them, they will try and attract them. "They are almost like paedophiles in how they attempt to groom people into ultimately attempting to do what suits their nefarious intentions in terms of illegal betting and other elements of criminality." The Indian Premier League 2013 season was mired in controversy after police launched legal proceedings against several officials and cricketers for illegal betting and spot-fixing.
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sports
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Today's Matt Lauer flew out to Seattle to interview Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. But the conversation sounded less like an interview and more like a therapy session. Lauer opened the interview by telling Carroll he thought it was the worst play call he's ever seen and that he felt heartbroken for him. Carroll handled it well, but Lauer set the gloomy tone early.
| 1 | 9,699 |
sports
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