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Powerful Typhoon Koppu has hit the northern Philippines, battering the coast with powerful winds that forecasters warned could last up to three days. About 6,500 people were evacuated from their homes and taken to safer ground just before the typhoon struck, the civil defence office said. The eye of Koppu struck the remote coastal town of Casiguran, 215km northeast of Manila around 4am on Sunday (20:00 GMT Saturday) with gusts of up to 210 km/h, the state weather service said. "It is nearly stationary.... We hope it will leave the country soon," Alexander Pama, head of the government's National Disaster Risk Reduction Council said over DZBB radio. Local radio stations said the typhoon downed trees and power pylons in Aurora province including Casiguran as well as nearby Isabela province and that power was cut in those areas. Pama said landslides and overflowing rivers caused by intense rains dumped by Koppu had cut several roads across the region, made up of mountainous areas with farmland along river valleys. Because of another nearby weather system, officials fear the typhoon could linger for days on the main island of Luzon, home to about half the country's 100 million people. Al Jazeera weather presenter Richard Angwin said the storm had the potential to dump a huge amount of rain. "Koppu will become very slow moving after making landfall. It is expected to maintain its circulation, albeit as a weaker tropical storm, for the following 48 to 60 hours," Angwin said. READ MORE: Typhoon Koppu bears down on Philippines "This will allow huge amounts of rain to fall. Computer models predict accumulations of 600mm across quite a wide area of central northern Luzon. "Over the more mountainous areas that total could rise to 900 to 1,000mm. For comparison, London has an annual rainfall total of just under 600mm." Although the storm will not directly hit the capital, Manila, the weather service has warned it is so huge that even the southern regions were likely to be affected by strong winds and rain. The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms each year, many of them deadly. | 5 | 96,400 | news |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. USC entered this weekend unranked, under duress and under its fourth head coach in four years. Notre Dame entered ranked 14th and still rankled by an embarrassing 35-point loss to the Trojans last season. The rivals met again Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium their 87th encounter the Trojans five days removed from the removal of coach Steve Sarkisian, who reportedly showed up to a meeting Sunday with alcohol on his breath. USC interim coach Clay Helton, in his second such stint in the role, and the Trojans left South Bend 41-31 losers against the Irish. But not without seeing a game full of tricks and treats. "We came in and said we were going to fire every bullet," Helton said. RELATED: USC AD Haden leaves sideline after feeling lightheaded The treats included a pair of one-play, 75-yard scoring drives one for each team. First came Notre Dame's, on a pass from DeShone Kizer to Will Fuller in the first quarter. The second treat included a trick, when JuJu Smith-Schuster caught a receiver-to-receiver prayer from Jalen Greene to pull USC within seven with 5 minutes, 41 seconds left in the second. Then there was Corey Robinson's diving, 10-yard scoring catch with 9:06 left that landed Notre Dame a 38-31 lead upon Robinson's landing. That treat was preceded by a trick at the hands of Torii Hunter Jr., who turned a lateral into a 35-yard completion to Alize Jones to set up the score. Can't forget the "wow" interception that landed in the hands of Notre Dame defensive back KeiVarae Russell with 8:18 left and Russell wearing USC receiver like a drape. That eventually led to a 32-yard Justin Yoon field goal and a 41-31 advantage for Notre Dame. Max Redfield followed with a "wow" interception of his own after Russell's deflection found him with just more than five minutes left. "Just your normal, everyday Notre Dame-USC football game, I guess," Irish coach Brian Kelly said. "If you like offensive football, it certainly had that tonight. "(The Irish) turned some question marks into exclamation points. I thought KeiVarae Russell's interception was huge." Kelly's name has popped up in speculation as Helton's eventual successor, rumors he called "a lot of noise." Besides, Kelly has enough to worry about with his current team, which allowed a touchdown on its opponent's first drive for the third straight game and entered the half tied 24-24 with the Trojans after leading 24-10. Notre Dame was nearly a year removed from a 49-14 loss in Los Angeles that helped orchestrate Malik Zaire's move from backup quarterback to starter, ahead of Everett Golson. Golson is gone now, at Florida State. Zaire, too on the sideline with a season-ending ankle injury he suffered at Virginia. In Zaire's place was Kizer, who was 15-for-24 for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his fifth start. Three of Kizer's completions found Fuller, who had 131 yards to complement his touchdown. C.J. Prosise ran for 143 more in his fifth 100-plus yard game this season. USC quarterback Cody Kessler was back, though. He torched the Irish last year when he for 372 yards and six touchdowns. This time around, Kessler, coming off a 156-yard, two-interception showing during a loss to Washington, was 30-for-46 for 365 yards and two touchdowns. And two more interceptions. "We remember last year," Kelly said last week. "We want to perform a whole lot better." The Irish had to if they hoped to stay in the conversation for the College Football Playoff. And so they did. | 1 | 96,401 | sports |
Israel and the United States have resumed talks on future defence aid that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended in protest at the Iran nuclear deal, the Israeli ambassador to Washington said on Sunday. The allies had been looking to agree on a 10-year aid package to extend the current U.S. grants to Israel worth $3 billion annually, which are due to expire in 2017. But Netanyahu froze negotiations ahead of the July deal reached between Iran and world powers, which Israel deems insufficiently stringent. "With the nuclear deal now moving ahead, Israel is also moving ahead, hoping to forge a common policy with the United states to address the continuing dangers posed by Iran," Ambassador Ron Dermer said in a Facebook post. "Discussions over a new Memorandum of Understanding between Israel and the United States, which had been on hold for some time, resumed this past week in Washington," he said, using a term for the defence-aid agreement. Before the suspension, the two sides were close to a new package of grants worth $3.6 billion to $3.7 billion a year, U.S. and Israeli officials have said. They have predicted that the amount could rise further as Israel argues that it needs more aid to off-set a likely windfall for Iran in sanctions relief which might be used to finance anti-Israel guerrillas. The top U.S. military officer, Marine General Joseph Dunford, arrived in Israel on Saturday for a visit that Dermer said would include defence-aid discussions. He added that Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, visiting Washington later this month, would pursue those talks, as would Netanyahu when he meets U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House on Nov. 9. "Israel hopes that the discussions we are now engaged in will culminate in a long-term agreement that will dramatically upgrade Israel's ability to defend itself by itself against any threat and enable Israel to address the enormous challenges we now face in the region," Dermer said. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Richard Pullin) | 5 | 96,402 | news |
North Korea on Sunday rejected fresh talks over its nuclear programme, dismissing overtures from the US and South Korea and calling instead for a peace treaty with its neighbour. US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-Hye on Friday said they were ready to engage with Pyongyang if the country agreed to give up its nuclear weapons. But the North's foreign ministry said any negotiations on its nuclear programme were off the table until a truce signed at the end of the Korean conflict in 1953 is replaced by a full peace treaty. "No issue in which the countries concerned including the US are interested can be settled unless a peace treaty is concluded before anything else," it said in a statement released on state media. "If the US insists on its hostile policy, it will only see the DPRK's limitless bolstering of nuclear deterrence and the growth of its revolutionary armed forces," it added, using another name for North Korea. North and South Korea remain technically at war under a truce signed to end the 1950-53 Korean War, and the two came to the brink of armed conflict this summer until a deal was sealed in August. Tensions are still running high, however, and Pyongyang has threatened to conduct a fourth nuclear test as part of a weapons and missile program that it has pursued despite international sanctions. The secretive country has long claimed it has technology capable of launching nuclear bombs at distant enemies, but experts question if it has acquired the sophisticated expertise needed to produce such weapons. In a huge military parade this month the North displayed what it claimed were long-range ballistic missiles loaded with miniaturised nuclear warheads, though analysts said they could be mere mock-ups. Speaking after his meeting with Park in Washington, Obama said if the North is willing to curb its nuclear programme, "I think it's fair to say we will be right there at the table". But the North's foreign ministry said the only way to stop the "escalating tension" along the Korean peninsula from turning into "all-out-war" was with a full treaty "to put a definite end to the evil cycle of escalating confrontation and tension." | 5 | 96,403 | news |
Dangers found around the home cause thousands of unintentional injuries and deaths each year, especially for older adults ages 61 or older. Slips, trips, and falls cause the majority of fatal and nonfatal injuries among the elderly. As we age, lower body strength, eyesight, and balance can deteriorate, making older people more susceptible than others to injury. These injuries can have the worst outcomes for this demographic of people. According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 20 percent and 30 percent of falls among adults ages 65 and older result in hip fractures, head lacerations and head trauma. These injuries can make it more difficult for older adults to live independently. Although these injuries are the result of accidents, the experts at HealthGrove believe that it is important to be aware of the most dangerous products for the elderly (classified for this study as those ages 61 and up). Using the most up-to-date data on product injuries from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission , HealthGrove used annual injury reports from 1997 to 2014 to create a list of the most dangerous products for the elderly. Note, while porches, flooring and showers are virtually unavoidable home fixtures, it's important that people know which commonplace products cause the most injuries to aging Americans. 20. Non-Power Tools Power tools aren't the only tools threatening the elderly. In America, an average of 18,340 annual injuries to older adults ages 61 and older are caused by non-power tools. 19. Porches and Balconies With time, the surfaces of porches and balconies can erode and become uneven or jagged, making them a trip, slip, and fall hazard. Porch and balcony-related injuries cause an average of 19,096 injuries for older adults in the U.S. each year. 18. Cycling They say once you learn how to ride a bicycle, you will never forget. Although this might be true, cycling causes an average of 19,450 to older adults annually. As balance and eyesight weaken, cycling on two wheels can be hazardous. 17. Footwear Surprisingly, one of the most dangerous products to the elderly is on their feet. Each year an average of 19,552 footwear-related injuries occur to adults ages 61 or older in America. 16. Plastic Containers The plastic containers that you store your leftovers in might appear harmless, but data proves otherwise. Plastic containers, including plastic bottles, jars, bags and wrapping products, cause an average of 20,552 injuries to older adults in the U.S. annually. 15. Walls and Ceilings Walls and ceilings are hard to avoid. An average of 28,750 reported injuries to older adults are caused by walls and ceilings each year. When balance is compromised, a quick slip can cause your head to collide with the wall, causing serious injury. 14. Garden Tools (Excl. Lawn Mowers) Gardening is a pastime many older adults enjoy, but gardening might be more dangerous than one would think. An average of 29,743 gardening-related injuries affect older adults in the U.S. each year. 13. Ladders and Step Stools Ladders and step stools are dangerous to anyone, but especially to older adults whose balance and eyesight might be compromised. Step stools and ladders cause an average of 30,210 injuries to the elderly each year in the U.S. Note: Our data source changed its product categorization scheme in January 2003, resulting in the spike seen in the visualization. 12. Doors (Excl. Garage Doors) We all have slammed our hands in a door at least once. Each year, doors cause an average of 34,167 injuries to older adults. Note: Our data source changed its product categorization scheme in January 2003, resulting in the spike seen in the visualization. 11. Toilets Toilets might appear harmless, but they actually inflict an average of 34,263 injuries to the elderly each year. Older adults are more susceptible to leg weakness and sitting down on a toilet can be extremely difficult. It is important that you set up handlebars next to the toilet for support in homes with aging adults. 10. Knives If you cook, you likely work with sharp knives on a daily basis. Older adults fall victim to an average of 35,341 knife-related injuries each year in the U.S. 9. Power Tools It goes without saying that power tools can be dangerous, especially to those with poor eyesight and coordination. Power tools cause an average of 36,978 injuries to older adults each year in the U.S. 8. Showers and Bathtubs When surfaces become wet, they become slippery. Shower and bathtubs cause an average of 51,252 injuries to the elderly each year in America. Make sure that you have rugs outside of your shower to prevent falling on the way out. 7. Crutches, Canes and Walkers Crutches, canes and walkers are known to help with balance, not cause injury. But these walking aids must be used correctly, and can cause falls and slips if they are not. Each year in the U.S., crutches, canes and walkers are responsible for an average of 55,731 injuries to older adults. 6. Wheelchairs As leg strength deteriorates, wheelchairs become a necessity. Whether it's transfers in an out of the chair, tips and falls, collision accidents, or component failures, an average of 62,999 wheelchair-related injuries occur to the elderly in the U.S. each year. 5. Furniture (Excl. Beds and Chairs) The fifth-most-dangerous product on this list in terms of annual injuries to older adults is furniture, with 67,119 average reported incidents. Furniture, excluding beds and chairs, includes but is not limited to desks, dressers, tables, and chests, can get in the way if you are not looking where you are going. 4. Chairs and Couches Recliners, rocking chairs, folding chairs, stools and couches are responsible for an average of 81,452 injuries to older adults each year in America. A lack of balance might be the cause of injuries in stools and rocking chairs, causing falls and tumbles. Note: Our data source changed its product categorization scheme in January 2003, resulting in the spike seen in the visualization. 3. Beds As leg strength weakens, it becomes increasingly difficult to get in and out of bed. An average of 99,763 injuries to older adults in the U.S. occur each year from beds. Note: Our data source changed its product categorization scheme in January 2003, resulting in the spike seen in the visualization. 2. Stairs Falling down a flight of stairs can cause serious injuries, some even fatal. An average of 187,130 stair-related injuries occur to older adults ages 61 and over each year in America. It is important to make use of handles and wear socks or shoes with a grip when going up or down a flight of stairs. 1. Carpets, Rugs and Other Flooring Carpets, rugs and other flooring are the most dangerous products to older adults in America, causing an annual average of 385,063 injuries. Slipping, tripping and falling are common for older adults. It is important to use a walker or a wheelchair if balance is failing and it is becoming difficult to walk. More on MSN 12 hospitals you might want to avoid Video: Dangerous fashion trends | 7 | 96,404 | health |
Developer Ronnie Chan told FORBES that the mainland Chinese real estate market was showing signs of life last September. He was right. The billionaire real estate mogul said the mainland market really topped out in 2004, hit a mini-crisis that American investors thought would be a full blown housing crisis, and now it is steady. "You're see a maturing of the mainland real estate market. It's about working out the excesses and there are huge excesses," he says about housing oversupply, especially in the second and third tier cities. "But prices are rising to an acceptable level. It's not a bad scene at all. To the contrary, the residential real estate market in particular is doing well," he said. Here's the latest data from one of the country's hottest markets: Shanghai home mortgages grew to a three-year high in September thanks to the residential market Chan spoke about. According to data from the People's Bank of Chinahanghai banks lent 21.89 billion yuan ($3.45 billion) in new mortgages last month, more than 10 times the amount in the same month last year and up 1 billion yuan from August. September mortgage deals are at their highest level in three years. The loan amount rose monthly in the third quarter due to higher capital costs and rising home prices. Mortgage growth is not booming, by the way. It is still in line with overall home sales, which have been improving since the second quarter of the year. According to the Shanghai Statistics Bureau, home sales from January to August rose 18.8% from a year ago, rebounding from their 20% drop in January and February. China-watchers could use some good news. And while everyone expects slowing growth to continue, a weaker housing market would compound the already lackluster growth in the Chinese economy. Investors are keen on watching housing, and non-performing loans at Chinese banks, to the extent they can get any reliable data on them. China hit the skids in June, when a massive stock market bubble exploded within 24 hours after the MSCI indexes rejected the inclusion of the A-shares in its massive MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The Deutsche Bank China A-Shares fund (ASHR) is down over 33% since that day, compared to a 10% drop in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Top 10 Destinations For Chinese Globe Trotters | 3 | 96,405 | finance |
Mike Evans clearly loves Johnny Manziel. It makes sense, since the two starred at Texas A&M during their college days. But those days are over. Manziel is currently the backup quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, while Evans is a second-year wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But that doesn't mean Evans won't support his friend whenever he gets the chance. He showed up in College Station, Texas on Saturday for Texas A&M's game against Alabama. And he was wearing a Manziel jersey. There's Mike Evans in his Manziel jersey. #12thMan pic.twitter.com/ewdiZ8jt25 Colin Deaver (@KAGS_Colin) October 17, 2015 Notice something? Yeah, that's a Browns jersey. Is it a big deal? Maybe not for most people, but some Buccaneers fans might have a problem with it. But Evans is thinking about his friend first. A friend who was back in the news on Friday when it was revealed that he had been pulled over by the police earlier in the week. | 1 | 96,406 | sports |
YouTube's gearing up to reveal some of the programming it's funding on October 21st during an event in Los Angeles, according to Recode . These new programs will reportedly feature a handful of its biggest stars, and Recode's sources said that at least some of the content will only be accessible to future subscription customers. A new report published by The Wall Street Journal indicates that the service has just welcomed much bigger players, though. If it's true, then YouTube has been able to convince Time Warner Inc.'s Turner cable unit, 21st Century Fox's Fox Sports, A+E Networks Inc. and Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal to add some of their shows to the $10-per-month service. It's also currently negotiating with Walt Disney Co. Some of the companies apparently weren't thrilled to sign the deal, as they believe they should get a bigger cut than ordinary YouTubers due to being bigger brands. (The WSJ noted that the creators that signed up to be part of the subscription offering will collectively get 55 percent of the revenue it generates.) However, YouTube allegedly threatened to cut them off entirely, even from the free version of the website, if they don't participate. A previous Recode report claimed the 2-in-1 subscription option could be launched as soon as late October. That lines up with the upcoming event in LA, though YouTube hasn't confirmed anything yet. The Wall Street Journal , Recode | 3 | 96,407 | finance |
ANN ARBOR, Mich. This is sport of a thousand moving parts; technique and force working together. It is a sport of early mornings spent in weight rooms and countless nights of film study to prepare for 12 Saturdays of perfections. It is a sport of nerves and emotions and controversial referee calls and inexplicable coaching decisions, and most of the time it is pure chaos. And somewhere in between, we find reasons to put all of that madness in a tidy box, to label coaches and players for being one thing or another, to create narratives about what teams are or aren't. But then you watch Michigan State 27, Michigan 23 and you realize there are times none of that stuff means anything at all. You wonder whether college football is ever a thing we can fully wrap our arms around and whether there's really any point in explaining what we just watched because there is nothing that can do it justice. College football happened Saturday night at Michigan Stadium, in all of its glory and folly and heart-pounding tension. It happened as Michigan's hair-on-fire defense brilliantly stopped Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook on three consecutive passes to seemingly win the game. It happened as Michigan punter Blake O'Neill needing to do nothing more than get off a punt with 10 seconds left, or just fall on the ball if somehow the worst happened mishandled a snap. It happened as Michigan State swarmed him, scooping up the fumble, taking it toward the goal line. And it happened as Michigan State safety Jalen Watts-Jackson got a block, fell into the corner of end zone and broke his hip all in one glorious, painful, miraculous play. And at the end, it was simply college football. It is the best. It is the worst. "It's crazy," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "It's crazy." *** Michigan State is 7-0 and ranked No. 4 and very much able to achieve all of its goals. Lucky? Sure. The Spartans only got to this point because Oregon's Vernon Adams overthrew a wide open receiver and Rutgers spiked the ball on fourth down and a kid from Australia who has been a very good punter for Michigan screwed up in the worst way someone can screw up. But is there something more at play for Michigan State, a program that is 30-3 since the start of 2013 with all kinds of close games and crazy comebacks? And would you blame Michigan State at this point for believing that? "The Spartans prevailed," defensive end Shilique Calhoun said. "The game's not over until there's no time on the clock. I didn't think it was over when the punt team went out there. Anything is possible." And though you can go on and on about the winning culture Dantonio has built and the never-say-die attitude the Spartans carry onto the field and the toughness of quarterback Connor Cook every bit of which is true today doesn't feel like the day for narratives. Sometimes, chaos wins. Sometimes, a kid just messes up. Sometimes, a game is remembered for a play that should have been incidental to the outcome but, in the span of 10 seconds, became everything. Sometimes a team wins that doesn't lead until there's 0:00 on the clock. "Our guys played big in the big game and overcame so much, calls that were made, calls that weren't made," Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. "They just kept fighting and overcame so much in the ballgame and ultimately played winning football. And then what do you say about the last play? It was unfortunate." *** There are theoretically dozens of things Michigan could have done to prevent disaster in that situation. Had Harbaugh put a running back in and told him to run around for two or three seconds, then chuck the ball as far as he could, it would have at worst left Michigan State a few seconds to try a Hail Mary. But in the end, this was a routine play and Michigan had, for all intents and purposes, won the game. It had stopped Michigan State on two drives with 6:41 remaining and 1:47 left, survived a physical battle filled with controversial penalties and announced its arrival as a Big Ten contender. All the Wolverines needed was four clean snaps around the 50-yard line and this college football season was going to be turned on its head, with Michigan as the team to beat in the Big Ten and Michigan State's best chance at a dream season ruined forever. "Obviously we were hoping to get the ball back and maybe get a lateral play and score," Cook said. Even if Michigan State had blocked the punt, the number of things that would have had to go right from there was improbable. The Spartans do not have a reliable long-distance field goal kicker. They would have, at most, one offensive play. "You think it's done," Dantonio said. "Then life is flipped upside down." Dantonio, like most of his players, saw only the low snap and the ball bouncing and then a crowd of green and blue. There was no time to process what was happening, no time to react. He thought, for a moment, that maybe Watts-Jackson would go down with a second remaining to set up a field goal. Then he saw the clock had run out and prayed for the end zone. "It honestly felt like a dream," Cook said. "You're just looking for someone to celebrate with, to find someone to run over and hug. Everyone was just mind-blown." With Harbaugh at Michigan and Dantonio bringing the Spartans to an elite level, this is going to be a beautiful and bloody rivalry. But there will be no escaping what happened here Saturday, the same way every Auburn-Alabama game will be framed by the Kick Six and Cal-Stanford by a band on the field. This ending was every bit their equal, every bit as mystical, every bit as jaw-dropping. Michigan State won and Michigan lost, even though everything that had happened for the first 59:50 of the game suggested it would be the opposite. But every now and then college football makes fools out of common sense and justice. That's when this sport is at its most painful. That's when it's at its most beautiful. | 1 | 96,408 | sports |
Powerful Typhoon Koppu hit the northern Philippines early Sunday, the country's weather agency said, battering the coast with powerful winds that forecasters warned could last up to three days. About 6,500 people were evacuated from their homes and taken to safer ground just before the typhoon struck, the civil defence office said. The eye of Koppu struck the remote coastal town of Casiguran, 215 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of Manila around 4:00 am (2000 GMT Sunday) with gusts of up to 210 kilometres an hour, the state weather service said. "It is nearly stationary.... We hope it will leave the country soon," Alexander Pama, head of the government's National Disaster Risk Reduction Council said over DZBB radio. Local radio stations said the typhoon downed trees and power pylons in Aurora province including Casiguran as well as nearby Isabela province and that power was cut in those areas. Pama said landslides and overflowing rivers caused by intense rains dumped by Koppu had cut several roads across the region, made up of mountainous areas with farmland along river valleys. Because of another nearby weather system, officials fear the typhoon could linger for days on the main island of Luzon, home to about half the country's 100 million people. Although the storm will not directly hit the capital, Manila, the weather service has warned it is so huge that even the southern regions were likely to be affected by strong winds and rain. The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms each year, many of them deadly. | 5 | 96,409 | news |
Michigan State beat rival Michigan 27-23 at The Big House. Michigan State returned a muffed punt for a touchdown as time expired. | 1 | 96,410 | sports |
Rafael Benitez has praised Cristiano Ronaldo's attitude after his goal against Levante made him offically Real Madrid's all-time top scorer | 1 | 96,411 | sports |
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie has been suspended without pay for three games for charging and interference on the Anaheim Ducks' Simon Despres. Barrie had a hearing Saturday with the NHL's Department of Player Safety over the incident that occurred at the 11:30 mark of the second period during Friday night's game between the Avalanche and Ducks. Barrie's feet left the ice when he made the high hit on Despres against the boards. Despres left the game with an upper-body injury and did not return. Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said after the team's practice on Saturday that Despres "felt off" and would be re-evaluated on Monday. Barrie will forfeit $41,935. 47 in salary. He will be eligible to return to the Avalanche lineup in Oct. 27 against the Florida Panthers. | 1 | 96,412 | sports |
In an interview with the Sunday newspaper "Welt am Sonntag," Wendt insisted that tough measures - like the construction of a fence along the border with Austria - were vital for the country "to carry out serious border controls." He said the move would trigger a chain reaction in other European countries which have seen hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and elsewhere flood over their borders. "If we close our borders in this way, Austria will also close the border with Slovenia. That's exactly the effect we need," Wendt, the chairman of the German Police Union (DPolG), is quoted as saying. He voiced support Germany's plans to create temporary migrant transit zones along its border, which would see people filtered according to their likelihood of gaining asylum. But he said that would only work with a frontier sealed by a new fence. The transit zone concept has been criticized by one of the German chancellor's main coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), as inhumane and impossible to implement. Wendt's comments condtradict the German government's fierce condemnation of a similar 3.5 meter (11.5 foot) fence built by Hungary, along its 175 kilometer (108 mile) border with Serbia, to keep irregular migrants out. The structure, which was finished last month, was accompanied by new draconian measures to punish anyone who tried to cross the frontier. In a warning to Chancellor Angela Merkel, Wendt said Germany was facing "social unrest" due to the large number of migrants entering the country. "Our internal (law and) order is at risk...Someone needs to pull the emergency brake now," he cautioned. Germany expects more than 800,000 people to apply for asylum this year and has recently toughened its regulations surrounding the asylum process. But Merkel has ruled out placing limits on the number of refugees taken in, adding that she was convinced the country could cope. The southern German state of Bavaria, which has been inundated with refugees crossing from Austria, has threatened legal action against the Federal government, adding that it may consider sending migrants back across the border. | 5 | 96,413 | news |
Voting got underway at 9am local time (0700 GMT) on Sunday, in the first parliamentary election since the previous assembly was dissolved in June 2012 in the midst of the country's four-year political crisis. The poll to elect the 596 member lower House of Representatives, which has been delayed several times, is being staged in two phases between October 17 and December 2. Critics of President Adbul Fattah el-Sissi, who was elected following the toppling of Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, say the vote is dominated by his supporters. Most of the more than 5,000 candidates back him, which has led several opposition parties to boycott the polls. The main parties in the race are: "For the Love of Egypt," a coalition of 10 liberal parties, staunchly backing el-Sissi's administration and the "Egyptian Front," a secular bloc associated with the former regime of deposed president Hosni Mubarak, which also backs el-Sissi. The Muslim Brotherhood, which dominated the last assembly until it was dissolved by a court ruling, has been labeled a "terrorist organization" and banned from participating. The openly pro-Sissi Salafist Al-Nur party which backed Morsi's ouster is the only Islamist party standing. President's power bolstered Of the 596 lawmakers being elected, 448 are standing as independents, 120 are on party lists, and 28 will be presidential appointees. Around 27 million people in 14 of Egypt's 27 provinces will vote in the first phase over the next two days. Any run-off in the first phase will be contested on October 27-28. The second phase in the remaining provinces will start November 21, with more than 28 million eligible voters. Analysts say most Egyptians are tired of the political turmoil since the fall of Mubarak's regime and the ouster of Morsi, who was the country's first freely elected leader. Amid fears of a low turnout, el-Sissi, who won a landslide victory in May 2014, made a televised appeal on Saturday for Egyptians to vote. mm/se (AFP, dpa) | 5 | 96,414 | news |
Aurelio de Laurentiis claims Napoli is on the same level as Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. De Laurentiis, who became president in 2004 with Napoli banished to the third-tier because of bankruptcy, has overseen an upturn in fortunes during his reign at the helm, with the club now topping the Serie A table. The 66-year-old has praised the impact coach Maurizio Sarri, with the Naples side leapfrogging Inter into first place with a 2-1 home win Monday. "We are the leaders thanks to Sarri," De Laurentiis said in quotes attributed to Repubblica. "He came across some difficulties at the start of the season but now the players who take to the pitch are perfect. "Of course I hope to win all the time, so at Christmas it could be that we will have more points than the [team] second in the standings." Napoli is leading the charge at home and in Europe, with Sarri's men already through to the last 32 of the Europa League with a game to spare due to their 100 per cent record. De Laurentiis believes Napoli's form this season proves they are amongst Europe's elite teams and highlighted the tough road they were forced to take. "I picked up at the Naples court failures [bankruptcy], and now we are the 15th team in the world. On the same level as Real Madrid and Barcelona," he added. "But these teams, as well as those governed by Russian oligarchs and Arab sheikhs, have many millions to invest and to smooth out deficits. We, on the contrary, we respect the timely financial fair play advocated by Michel Platini." | 1 | 96,415 | sports |
MEXICO CITY (AP) Several people who were wrongly detained and allegedly tortured by Mexican police have been released after spending years in custody, human rights groups said Thursday. The releases involved four people who were arrested in 2012 and 2013 in cities along the border with the United States and accused of crimes of which they were ultimately absolved. They all walked free Wednesday. Amnesty International said in a statement that the cases offer "hope for justice in countless similar cases of people tortured and detained unfairly." Three of those freed were Cristel Pina, Eduardo Estrada and Leonardo de la O, who were detained in August 2013 in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, and accused of belonging to an extortion ring, according to two Mexican advocacy groups, the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez and the Paso del Norte human rights centers. While in custody they were allegedly tortured physically and psychologically by police, and Pina in particular was subjected to sexual abuse, the groups said. "Cristel's case reflects the systematic pattern of sexual torture faced by Mexican women who are detained by security forces. ... We consider it of utmost importance that the use of torture as a method of investigation is condemned," the centers said. Pina, Estrada and de la O were absolved by a judge Nov. 9 and are now seeking punishment for those who tortured them. Amnesty International's statement said Pina was beaten and tortured into giving a videotaped confession. It also cited the case of Adrian Vasquez, a bus driver who was arrested over three years ago and accused of being a drug trafficker. He, too, was allegedly tortured by police, and was freed from a prison near Tijuana, across the border from San Diego. "The fact that judges in different states of the country can strike down shaky accusations based on torture shows us that there is some hope for justice in other cases," said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty's Americas director. Phone calls seeking comment from the Public Safety Department in Baja California state, which is home to Tijuana, and the State Prosecutor's Office in Chihuahua, which is home to Ciudad Juarez, went unanswered Thursday night. | 5 | 96,416 | news |
To whom much is given, much is expected. Those exact words came out of the mouth of Jahlil Okafor as we sat alone in the Young High School gymnasium 20 months ago after a basketball practice. Before Okafor led his high school team to the IHSA Class 4A title, before he won an NCAA tournament championship at Duke and before he went to the 76ers with the No. 3 pick of the 2015 NBA draft. Since he was a 14-year-old basketball prodigy offered a scholarship to DePaul, Okafor always understood that not only was his body bigger than most other players' but his burden was too. "I can handle it," Okafor said that day in March 2014. "I feel like I'm representing Chicago every time I go on the court." Few homegrown athletes have represented the city any better than Okafor, which makes the 7-footer's recent run of bad behavior all the more baffling and out of character. The 76ers suspended Okafor two games for his involvement in a fight outside a Boston nightclub, an incident that followed another late-night confrontation last month with a man carrying a gun and a separate speeding incident when he was clocked driving 108 mph. Given the gravity of the latest situation - the man Okafor allegedly hit has threatened a lawsuit, according to TMZ Sports - the 76ers have received criticism in Philadelphia for not applying more tough love with their 19-year-old franchise player. Okafor also experienced his first bout with major-market ridicule as the tabloid front-page headline of the Philadelphia Daily News over his photo screamed: "Rocky of the Year." Of all the people Okafor disappointed, friends and family say the list starts with himself. 76ers coach Brett Brown reported that Okafor "is ashamed." Not surprisingly, Okafor tweeted comments last Sunday along the same lines. "I am 100 percent focused on my responsibility to the League, my teammates and fans," Okafor said on his Twitter account. "I own my choices both personally and now publicly ... I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else ever could and I'm not proud of some of my decisions." That didn't sound like a statement a lawyer or publicist crafted 140 characters at a time. It sounded humble and sincere, which beats defiant and angry any day. It sounded like the earnest teenager Chicago would recognize, not the out-of-control bar-hopper depicted in the TMZ video. "He's just embarrassed because this is not who he is," said Chinyere Okafor-Conley, Okafor's aunt who is the principal at Jensen Miller Scholastic Academy. Okafor-Conley helped raised Jahlil with her brother, Chucky, Jahlil's father, after his mother died when he was 9. "Anybody who knows Jahlil knows he is a champion and he's human and has overcome bigger and more difficult obstacles than this," Okafor-Conley said. "It's unfortunate. If you took Jahlil's name off the reports you'd have what's pretty typical of a 19-year-old college student. That still doesn't excuse it." Nobody excuses Okafor for putting himself in those predicaments or blames the 76ers' 0-18 start for fueling any off-the-court frustration. Nobody who has known Okafor since his ascent to stardom began - present company included - expects this to become a trend either. "It clearly isn't indicative of his character," Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said. "It's a youthful indiscretion, a learning experience. A lot of young kids go through this but the difference is they don't do it in the public eye. It's incredibly difficult to navigate." If a mature rookie like Okafor can struggle navigating the NBA, it might be worth re-examining the merits of Commissioner Adam Silver's idea of mandating two years of college basketball - a debate for another day. As for whether Okafor's conduct ever crossed the line at Young, Slaughter started answering before I finished asking the question. "Never," Slaughter said. "He was a model person and ferocious basketball player." Another fairly accomplished former coach of Okafor's was even more effusive. "Jah is one of the great kids ever ... ever, ever, ever," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He apologized. He is being punished. He is one of the most loving, good kids who ever happened on this Earth. He did a couple of stupid things. OK, knock him, suspend him, let's move on. That kid is a special human being." The reaction of NBA players suggested people around the league agree, and not just because Okafor averages 17 points and eight rebounds per game. Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was among several offering to reach out and share his own experiences as a youngster who "had to learn the hard way" about making smart choices. "There comes a time you sit down with yourself, have some 'me' time and figure out what you want out of your life and career," Anthony said in New York. Kobe Bryant, who exchanged a postgame hug with Okafor after the 76ers beat the Lakers for their first victory of the season, echoed Anthony's advice more succinctly. "Just stay focused on the game," Bryant urged Okafor. The game needs more Okafors. But, first, Okafor must remember his responsibility to the game - something he always has embraced. [email protected] | 1 | 96,417 | sports |
LOS ANGELES Steve Alford barely mentioned last year's 39-point drubbing by Kentucky and showed no video of it in preparing UCLA for the rematch. The memory was already seared in the minds of the players who endured the humiliation. The coach's main message was a boxing analogy: "If you want to play it, we got to come to fight." The Bruins came out punching and landed a knockout blow, upsetting the Wildcats 87-77 on Thursday night for their first victory over a No. 1 team since 2003. BOX SCORE: BRUINS 87, WILDCATS 77 "This win is very, very special just because of what happened last year," Alford said. "Not only were they the number one team in the country, we had seven points in the (first) half last year." Thomas Welsh led five Bruins in double figures with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton added 15 points each, Tony Parker had 11 and Aaron Holiday 10 for the Bruins (5-3), who led all but 30 seconds of the game and shot 53 percent from the field. They last beat a No. 1 team on March 13, 2003, defeating Arizona 96-89 in overtime. "We knew nobody in the world thought we were going to win this game," the younger Alford said. "I heard a lot this week about trying to keep it competitive and so I'm glad we did that." Some fans dashed onto the court to celebrate at the buzzer, but the majority were held back by security. "The fans were absolutely incredible and we couldn't have won without them," Bryce Alford said. Isaiah Briscoe led Kentucky (7-1) with 20 points. Jamal Murray added 17 and Derek Willis 11. The Wildcats had five players in foul trouble, including Alex Poythress, who fouled out with four points with under 10 minutes left. They lost a regular-season game for the first time since March 8, 2014, at Florida. Kentucky shot its worst of the season at 38 percent, and never made a big run. "Playing at Kentucky, that's what you get. We get the other team's best," Wildcats coach John Calipari said. "We walk into another team's arena, it's the best crowd in the world. We did not meet that challenge. Neither did I as a coach. I thought we were more prepared than we were, and we weren't." The result was a dramatic turnaround from last December, when the Wildcats opened the game in Chicago with a 24-0 run and led 41-7 at halftime. This time, the Bruins dominated from the start, going on a 9-0 run after Kentucky scored the game's first basket. They ran off 10 straight points later in the half, when the Bruins shot 50 percent and led by 11. UCLA opened the second half with a 17-10 spurt to build its largest lead of 15. Welsh and Parker, who both had two points in the first half, scored six points each. "We can't just win off talent," Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis said. "Taking one early is going to help this team because sometimes we come out and we're not playing too hard. The guys are going to know we can lose. Nobody wants to have this feeling again." The Wildcats couldn't get their offense in gear, appearing to try to do too much in a desperate bid to reduce their double-digit deficit. They got within single digits just once -- early in the second half. Willis' three-point play got them to 67-57 before consecutive baskets by Hamilton and Welsh pushed UCLA's lead to 71-57. The Wildcats lost starting forward Marcus Lee, who sustained a head injury in the first half and didn't return. "It must have been a pretty good blow," Calipari said. The Bruins led 37-29 at halftime after holding the Wildcats to their worst first-half shooting percentage (37.5) of the season. Kentucky missed 10 of its last 13 shots. Skal Labissiere's lone basket of the half left Kentucky trailing 22-21. The Bruins closed the half on a 17-8 run, including 10 straight that produced their largest lead of 11. TIP-INS Kentucky: It was the Wildcats' first visit to Pauley Pavilion. Kentucky played UCLA in LA in 1951 and `61 before Pauley was built. ... The Wildcats are No. 2 behind UCLA with eight national titles. ... They lost to UCLA for the first time since the 2006 Maui Invitational. ... They still lead the all-time series 7-5. UCLA: Hall of Famers Jerry West and Oscar Robertson sat together... Shaquille O'Neal was on hand. ... The arena's seats were covered with gold T-shirts proclaiming UCLA's record 11 national championships, the last of which they won 20 years ago. ... As part of the home-and-home series, the Bruins will play for the first time at Rupp Arena next December. ... Thursday marked the 50th anniversary of the first official game at Pauley, with the Bruins beating Ohio State 92-66. Mike Warren, who played in that game, served as honorary captain Thursday. ... Other Bruins greats on hand were Jamaal Wilkes, Baron Davis, Toby Bailey and Luc Mbah a Moute, and on the women's side Ann Meyers-Drysdale and Denise Curry. FLYING IN THE LANE UCLA freshman Prince Ali came flying through the lane and dunked one-handed in the second half, drawing a foul and completing a three-point play. "I try to look at Prince and Baron Davis is in the background going absolutely nuts," Bryce Alford said. Holiday added, "That gave us a lot of energy, the crowd got into it." OUCH Ulis was playing for the first time since last Friday, when he left a game against South Florida with a hyper-extended right elbow. He didn't play in Monday's 12-point win over Illinois State. "It hurts. It doesn't really matter," he said. "I tried to come out and play, give it my all." He finished with nine points and a game-high nine assists. UP NEXT Kentucky hosts Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday. UCLA hosts Long Beach State on Sunday. | 1 | 96,418 | sports |
Ephraim Salaam and Shawne Merriman discuss the injury epidemic in the NFL and why they are happening at such an alarming rate this season. | 1 | 96,419 | sports |
Hail Aaron. Hail Rodgers-to-Rodgers. The Motor City Miracle. Whatever it's nicknamed, it was an instant classic provided by Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night at Ford Field. Rodgers unleashed one of the greatest throws in NFL history, a 61-yard Hail Mary moonshot to tight end Richard Rodgers on the final untimed play of the game as the Packers beat the Lions, 27-23, wiping out a 20-0 third-quarter deficit. He threw the ball from his own 36 and a leaping Richard Rodgers caught it 4 yards deep into the end zone, making it a 68-yard thriller. And that's not taking account the very high trajectory Rodgers put on the throw. "It's the most amazing game of my life," a completely out-of-breath Rodgers said on CBS after getting pooped running down the field to celebrate. The game appeared to be over several times. Green Bay, which had lost four of its last five games after opening the season 6-0, was down by 20 points early in the third quarter and still trailed 23-21 on Rodgers' 17-yard TD run with 3:04 remaining. When the Lions couldn't run out the clock, the Packers got one last chance with 23 seconds left at their own 21 with no timeouts left. After two incompletions, six seconds were all that was left. The Packers called the only play they could: The razzle dazzle throwback lateral play that never works. Rodgers threw 19 yards down the left side to James Jones, who threw back 16 yards to Richard Rodgers, who threw back to Aaron Rodgers at the Packers 24. He was brought down by defensive end Dean Taylor for no gain and the game appeared to be over as time expired. But Taylor's right hand was ruled to have grabbed Rodgers' facemask and the Lions were penalized 15 yards. Replays showed Taylor's hand appeared to brush Rodgers' facemask, but it wasn't blatant. No time was left on the clock, but by rule the game could not end on a defensive penalty, giving Rodgers, who has one of the strongest arms in the league, one more chance. On television, Phil Simms said Rodgers could reach the end zone if he could get out of the pocket and get a running start into his throw. That's exactly what happened. Rodgers avoided the Lions' pass rush, sprinted out to his right, got the momentum of a running start and lofted the ball very high and very far. Richard Rodgers, a 6-4 tight end, had box-out position in front of a bunch of Lions defenders and Packers receivers. "I felt good it was going to be in the end zone," Aaron Rodgers said. Richard Rodgers went up for the ball and it landed softly in his hands. Aaron Rodgers didn't see Richard Rodgers until the last second. By then, all he was thinking was, "Catch it. You got to catch it. When he caught it, I just blanked out. It's the greatest feeling I've had on the field in a long time. It's the greatest game I've been a part of since the Super Bowl." Richard Rodgers had 60 catches in two seasons coming into the game. He had eight for 146 yards against the Lions. His father, Richard Sr., is an assistant coach for the Panthers and, like his son, played for Cal. Richard Sr. threw two of the five laterals playing for Cal on the game-winning play in the wild victory over Stanford in 1982 when the band ran onto the field. There was no confusion about whether it was a catch. There was no confusion about whether he came down with the ball. It was just an incredible throw, a remarkable catch and one of the greatest endings in NFL history except, of course, for the Lions. It also marked the third consecutive NFL game to end with a touchdown on the final play. Sunday night's game between the Broncos Patriots ended with an overtime touchdown and Monday's game between the Browns and Ravens ended with a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. The Packers are now 8-4 and the pressure is back on the Vikings, who lead the NFC North at 8-3. The Lions were trying to become the first team to start the season 0-5 and make the playoffs, having fought to get to 4-7 entering Thursday. But now their playoff chances are all but over. There had been a lot of questions about what was wrong with Rodgers during the Packers slump. It turned out nothing was wrong. He turned 32 on Wednesday and he gave himself a nice birthday present. "What a great game to be a part of," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We needed a win like that." They got it, too, thanks to Hail Aaron. | 1 | 96,420 | sports |
Quinton Howden and Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the Panthers 2-1 win over the Predators Thursday. The Panthers have now won four straight games. | 1 | 96,421 | sports |
The scoreboard at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is being replaced with a new video board, meaning the old one had to go, which it did in dramatic fashion. | 1 | 96,422 | sports |
Check out the top plays from the ice on Thursday, including Pekka Rinne's save, T.J. Oshie's goal and Patrick Kane's pass. | 1 | 96,423 | sports |
Asian shares slipped while the euro retained lavish gains on Friday, a day after its biggest one-day surge in nearly seven years as the European Central Bank's stimulus package fell well short of markets' high expectations. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.2 percent while Japan's Nikkei (.N225) dropped 1.5 percent. On Thursday, Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 stock index (.SPX) had its biggest one-day percentage decline since Sept. 28, dropping 1.4 percent. The pan-European stock index of FTSEurofirst 300 (.FTEU3) shed 3.3 percent, the biggest fall since Aug. 24. The drama started after the ECB cut its deposit rate deeper into negative territory and extended its asset buying by six months. Its rate cut of 0.10 percentage point, to -0.30 percent, was smaller than a 0.15 to 0.20 percentage point cut many traders expected. The central bank did not increase the amount of government bonds it buys while the six-month extension of the program was perceived as bare minimum, given traders looked for an extension of one year or even making it an open-ended plan. "It's like doing so much sweet talking before your marriage that you set it up to be a big disappointment," said Norihiro Fujito, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities. The package sent traders scrambling to unwind short euro positions which they had built since late October when the ECB chief Mario Draghi said there would be another round of stimulus measures. The euro (EUR=) jumped 3.1 percent on Thursday, posting its biggest single-day gain since March 2009. The common currency last traded at $1.0920, down 0.2 percent from late U.S. levels but still near its one-month high of $1.0981 hit on Thursday. That took the dollar's index against a basket of six major currencies down to a one-month low of 97.591 (.DXY) (=USD). The euro's rebound also helped to lift other currencies against the dollar, with European currencies outperforming. The British pound rose 1.2 percent to $1.5144 (GBP=D4) while the Swiss franc gained 2.4 percent against the dollar to 0.9981 franc to the dollar (CHF=). The yen gained 0.6 percent to 122.65 per dollar (JPY=). Global bond yields shot up, with the 10-year U.S. notes yield (US10YT=RR) rising to as high as 2.347 percent from 2.178 percent. The yield on 10-year German Bunds (DE10YT=TWEB) jumped about 20 basis points to 0.666 percent from 0.474 percent on Wednesday, the biggest jump since late April. Investors are now focused on U.S. jobs data, which is likely to cement expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates later this month, barring surprisingly weak readings. [ECONUS] Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, speaking before Congress' Joint Economic Committee on Thursday, said the United States may be "close to the point at which we should be raising" rates. She also said the U.S. economy needs to add fewer than 100,000 jobs a month to cover new entrants to the workforce, perhaps setting an implicit floor for jobs growth that policymakers want to see. That would be a fairly low bar given that economists' median forecast was 200,000, when even the most conservative forecast in a Reuters poll of more than 100 economists was 150,000. U.S. money market futures (0#FF:) hardly budged after the ECB, pricing in about a 75 percent chance of a rate hike this month and possibly two more rate hikes next year. Also attracting investor attention was the OPEC meeting later on Friday. Crude oil prices rose about 3 percent on the eve of the meeting, as traders who although expecting no cuts in OPEC production hedged their positions. Brent crude futures rose to $43.84 per barrel (LCOc1), having bounced back from Wednesday's three-month low of $42.43. Precious metals also rebounded, with gold rising 0.8 percent on Thursday after hitting a near six-year low of $1,045.80 per ounce earlier in the day. In early Friday trade, it last stood at $1,064.30 (XAU=), up slightly on the day and is on course to post its first weekly gains in seven weeks. (Reporting by Hideyuki Sano; Editing by Eric Meijer) | 3 | 96,424 | finance |
The Senators beat the Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime on Thursday behind two goals from Mike Hoffman. Patrick Kane extended his point streak to 21 straight games in the loss. | 1 | 96,425 | sports |
When it comes to eye candy, 2015 has treated us well. And we mean really well. Jamie Dornan delivered a hefty dose of handsome pretty early in the year by giving us sexy moments galore in Fifty Shades of Grey. Joe Manganiello, on the other hand, starred in Magic Mike XXL, gifting the world with more than enough biceps to go around. On the small screen, Jussie Smollett heated things up on Empire, and as luck would have it, he's just as hot offscreen, too. And how can we forget Chris Hemsworth's string of handsome photoshoots, which stretch all the way into December? If you're looking for even more hotness, we're just warming up - pun intended. Keep reading to see all the guys who were amping up the sex appeal this year, and don't forget to vote in the poll at the end. Chris Hemsworth Charlie Hunnam Jamie Dornan Idris Elba Channing Tatum Drake Nick Jonas Joe Manganiello Jussie Smollett Scott Eastwood | 6 | 96,426 | entertainment |
The Snowstorm in flight. National University of Singapore The day approaches, slowly but surely, when we can all sail gracefully over the full moon, a la Elliott and E.T. In the mean time, we have the latest experimental personal helicopter from Singapore. A team of students at the National University of Singapore took a year to build the Snowstorm, a copter prototype capable of carrying a single pilot weighing up to 70 kilograms for up to five minutes. The copter was created under the university's FrogWorks program, which engages students in the study and creation of clean leisurecraft. It's not designed for transportation. Rather, the team envisions it being used in, say, an indoor leisure centre, where riders can experience the joy of flight in a safer environment. "A common trope in popular science fiction is the projection of humans flying on our own -- think the Jetsons, or even Back to the Future. NUS' Snowstorm shows that a personal flying machine is a very real possibility, primarily as a means to fulfill our dreams of flying within a recreational setting," said Dr Joerg Weigl, one of two supervisors of the project. The team first built and tested a one-sixth scale prototype before starting work on the full-scale copter. Snowstorm is built around on a large, lightweight aluminium and carbon fibre hexagonal frame with Teflon ropes, which supports 24 motors. Each of these motors drives a 76 centimetre-diameter, 2.2kW propeller. The pilot's seat at the centre of the configuration has a five-point safety harness and is supported by six legs tipped with inflatable balls to cushion landing. The pilot can control thrust, pitch, yaw and roll, and a number of presets make the craft easy to use for new flyers, with settings for altitude hold, loiter and position. A ground switch can also bring the craft to landing if the pilot loses control for any reason. "Recent advances in motors and battery technology has made it possible for us to literally take to the skies," said Associate Professor Martin Henz, who also supervised the project. "The NUS team will continue to fine-tune Snowstorm, working on mechanical safety measures, propeller and motor configurations, and control software and hardware to achieve the high levels of safety, simplicity and performance required for recreational use by the general public." | 5 | 96,427 | news |
San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan spoke during a press conference on Thursday night about the victims of the attack at the Inland Regional Center on Wednesday that left 14 people dead and 21 others injured. | 8 | 96,428 | video |
The Avalanche topped the Rangers 2-1 Thursday behind goals from Matt Duchene and Chris Wagner. Erik Johnson took a skate to the face in the second period but returned to the ice in the win. | 1 | 96,429 | sports |
The Heat beat the Thunder 97-95 on Thursday. Dwyane Wade led Miami with 28 points and set up Hassan Whiteside for an alley-oop. | 1 | 96,430 | sports |
A U.S. judge has rejected a bid by air bag manufacturer Takata Corp (7312.T) and automaker Honda Motor Co(7267.T) to toss out a class-action lawsuit on behalf of millions of owners with potentially faulty airbag inflators, even as the firms are moving to quickly settle death claims. The Japanese companies have agreed to undisclosed settlements for six of eight deaths linked to ruptured inflators as U.S. prosecutors ramp up a probe of the ruptures and whether regulators were misled. Four settlements have been reached in recent months. Litigation arising from four of the six U.S. deaths has been settled, Honda spokesman Chris Martin said. Court records show a fifth U.S. death - in September 2014 in California - has also been settled. Honda has been working to settle claims quickly, Martin said. "Honda has worked in good faith to quickly resolve the concerns of those families," he said. Honda, Takata and other automakers will continue to face a class-action suit filed on behalf of millions of owners that alleges Takata and the automakers violated anti-racketeering laws because of a ruling on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno in Miami. Since 2008, at least 19.2 million U.S. vehicles have been recalled for inflators that can rupture. The suit claims millions of car owners overpaid for vehicles with faulty airbags and the recalls reduced the value of those vehicles. "Honda looks forward to the opportunity to properly challenge plaintiffs' claims," Honda's Martin said. He said the automaker is confident that the racketeering claim will be dismissed. Takata declined to comment on the ruling. The airbag manufacturer has bolstered its legal team. Lanny Breuer, a partner at Covington & Burling LLP who served as U.S. assistant attorney general overseeing the criminal division from 2009-2013, said in a court filing in November that he was representing Takata in the civil lawsuit. The previously unreported civil settlements cover five airbag deaths in the United States - including two reported inflator deaths this year in Texas and Louisiana - and a 2014 incident in Malaysia in which a pregnant woman was killed and her baby subsequently died. Judge Moreno approved that settlement on Nov. 20. U.S. prosecutors have conducted interviews with Takata and Honda employees in both Japan and the United States, two people briefed on the matter told Reuters. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit declined to comment. Martin declined to say if executives have been interviewed but said "Honda is actively cooperating with the DOJ investigation of Takata." A federal grand jury has subpoenaed documents from Takata, but Honda said it has not received a grand jury subpoena. Honda has confirmed seven airbag deaths since 2009. An inflator is also suspected in the 2013 death of a California man in a 2002 Acura TL. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Dan Grebler) | 3 | 96,431 | finance |
YORK, S.C. A South Carolina woman who hid her pregnancy and buried her newborn son in her backyard after he died has pleaded guilty to unlawful neglect of a child. Local news media outlets report 37-year-old Tara Lynn Ostrowski pleaded guilty on Thursday. She was sentenced to three years of probation, preceded by at least 60 days of inpatient drug treatment. York County Chief Public Defender Harry Dest said Ostrowski hid her pregnancy out of fear. He said she had been abused by her husband for seven years, and that her plan had been to find a safe haven for the baby. The news reports say Ostrowski gave birth in a bathroom. The baby died minutes later. A coroner ruled the death a homicide. The baby tested positive for hydrocodone and methamphetamine. | 5 | 96,432 | news |
UCLA upset No. 1 Kentucky 87-77 on Thursday. Bryce Alford scored 15 points for the Bruins and Prince Ali threw down a big dunk in the victory. | 1 | 96,433 | sports |
On an especially fine Wednesday night in the NBA, Stephen Curry honored his father and Kobe Bryant bade a gallant farewell to the nation's capital. The box scores revealed big, exciting nights for both players, delivering what the people wanted to see. What a shallow tale they tell. As Bryant staggers to the finish line, revealing only flickers of his greatness, Curry is changing how the NBA game is played and doing it within the privacy of the Warriors' unstoppable attack. Bryant was once that iridescent figure, a player of such all-encompassing ability, the comparisons to Michael Jordan weren't so terribly far off. Bryant could crush teams on the scoreboard and destroy their will, just as Curry has done during the Warriors' 20-0 start. But like ships passing in the night, these two men have little connection. A torch is being passed, as we speak. The game's greatest pure scorer sees his successor in clear view. Not to discount LeBron James or anyone else, but in Jordan's wake, Bryant came to represent the NBA's otherworldly. He scored 81 points one night, had four nights in the 60s, racked up three straight games with at least 50. Lakers teammate Robert Horry summed up the league's reaction after Kobe dropped 56 on Memphis in 2002, saying, "Words can't describe what that cat did tonight." That's pretty close to what people in Charlotte were saying Wednesday night when Curry poured in 28 points in the third quarter and sat out the fourth with 40. "I've never seen a player like him in all my years in the NBA," Warriors broadcaster Jim Barnett said on the air. "He is going to spawn a new generation of shooters. They're going to break down the analytics, go frame-by-frame with the video, and kids who are now 10, 11, 12 years old are going to start trying to emulate him. It's something that is revolutionary." Kobe didn't start a revolution; he merely carried on the great Jordan tradition, at the time believed to be impossible. Curry is entirely something new, and Barnett's "frame by frame" comment cut to the heart. There are times when Curry's dribbling virtuosity behind the back, between the legs, standard crossover, both hands must be viewed in slow motion, multiple times, to be comprehended. Perhaps Pete Maravich handled the ball that well, decades ago. The Harlem Globetrotters have unveiled several astonishing ballhandlers over the years. Add Curry's quick release, deadly accuracy and the ability to create his shot at any spot on the floor, and … yes, that's a revolution. It might be a while before anyone falls in line, and here's the biggest reason: Curry displays the strongest, softest, more reliable off-hand in the game's history. Right-handed kids (seasoned pros, for that matter) could work on the adjustment for years without coming close to Curry's left. Neither Jordan nor Bryant could fathom such a thing. Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas had that off-hand brilliance, but no not like this. A lot of teams, notably the Houston Rockets, have parlayed advanced analytics into an on-court approach built around dunks and three-pointers. In that sense, the Warriors' long-range onslaught is nothing new, but it took an NBA championship, with Curry leading the way, to overwhelm the skeptics. People now wonder if there's any room left in the NBA for post-up centers, mid-range shooters, big-man frontcourts or anything that characterized the league in Jordan's time. On top of it all, Curry is just about the nicest, most down-to-earth superstar anyone can remember in any sport. And the two ships quietly pass. Bryant, radically self-obsessed to the point of having precious few friends, has been a fierce-minded loner since the age of 8, when his father's career took him from Europe to Philadelphia and Kobe was, in his words, "a little Italian kid." If you ever heard of an NBA player working especially hard to recover from injury, chances are that Kobe worked twice as hard but his determination has cost the Lakers dearly. His career essentially ended in a game against the Warriors at Staples Center in April 2013, when he went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon, but he refused to acknowledge it. Since then, it's been nothing but bad news: long recovery, knee injury, recovery, shoulder surgery and recovery, not to mention the franchise-suffocating burden of his two-year, $48.5 million contract. Blinded by Kobe's ticket-selling appeal, the Lakers have enabled him at every turn. But why would any elite free agent go anywhere near this team with a sadly depleted roster and Bryant whenever he could get on the court demanding the ball for yet another contested three-point shot in isolation? "It's been painful for me to watch him," Jerry West told Reuters. "It bothers me. A lot of people will remember him for how he's playing now. I won't." To watch Kobe now is to witness free throws clanking off the front rim and the dreadful procession of three-point shots only rarely hitting the mark (22 percent). There's nothing noble about the spectacle, and it came as a relief to everyone when he surrendered to reality and announced his retirement. Suddenly, there is clarity. He speaks eloquently, as he always did, about then and now. He'll have his nights, like the 31-point effort against Washington. People can catch a final glimpse, and if they've been around, they'll remember how savagely he dunked on people, how he owned the mid-range game, how his textbook fundamentals gave him such a decisive edge, how he closed games with the fury of an electrical storm, and how he knew he was the best, openly savoring every conquest. It was all so wonderful back then. These days, people might watch Kobe but they will watch the Warriors. They wouldn't dare turn away. Nothing stirs the soul like revolution. Bruce Jenkins is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: Bruce_Jenkins1 | 1 | 96,434 | sports |
One of the strongest reminders that we have entered the (ever-lengthening) holiday season is that first scent of evergreen. But while the smell of fir, pine, or spruce may be one of the most familiar parts of Christmastime, there are plenty of things about the beloved conifers that may not be so well-known. From surprising early holiday practices to current research being conducted to build a better tree, here are some lesser-known facts of these features of the holidays. 1. THE EARLY CHURCH DID NOT LIKE THEM. Evergreen trees used to be seen as hedonistic, pagan symbols that had no place in connection with a religious celebration. As far back as 1647, preacher Johann Conrad Dannhauer of the Strasbourg Cathedral criticized trees as "child's play" that were getting more attention "than the word of God and the holy rites." In the U.S., puritan governor William Bradford railed against the tree's " pagan mockery ." The trees' connection with the celebration of the winter solstice, which generally fell on December 21 or 22, was seen as antithetical to a proper Christian gathering. But as the tradition persisted, church leaders decided that if they couldn't beat the decorated trees, they would co-opt them as part of their own Christmas celebration. 2. IN SOME HOMES, TREES WERE HUNG. In southwest Germany during the 17th and 18th centuries, it was popular, particularly among the lower classes, to hang smaller trees from the ceiling or rafters. This allowed for a flashy display, but kept the goodies in the tree out of the reach of children. Some families even hung the tree upside-down, since "pointing the root toward heaven was supposed to imbue the tree with divine powers," according to Bernd Brunner in his book Inventing the Christmas Tree . In other German households, "Christmas pyramids" built of wood and covered with evergreen branches and candles would serve as the centerpiece of celebrations. 3. A PRINCE IS CREDITED WITH POPULARIZING THEM IN AMERICA. England's Prince Albert is credited with helping bring the Christmas tree from his native Germany to the English-speaking world, making it a well-publicized tradition in the royal household of his wife, Queen Victoria. Godey's Lady's Book editor Sarah Josepha Hale one of the main advocates for a national Thanksgiving holiday played an important role in promoting Christmas trees in the U.S. when her magazine published an illustration of the British royal family with their tree in 1850. She edited out Victoria's crown jewels, Albert's mustache and sash, and any reference to who the family were, transforming the picture from a piece of royal marketing to a paragon of middle-class, American, Christmas celebration. Albert would remain associated with the Christmas tree for years. Following his death on December 14, 1861, English families living in New York City reportedly draped their trees in black in honor of his memory. 4. THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE MARKET LAUNCHED IN 1851. One thing slowing the adoption of Christmas trees was the burden most families faced of having to find and chop down their own trees. That began to change in 1851, when an enterprising logger from New York's Catskill Mountains loaded dozens of fir and spruce trees from his land (usually used for barrel-making), and hauled them down to New York City's Washington Market. The harvested trees, ready to set in a living room and decorate, sold out fast and kicked off the practice of Christmas tree farms, which quickly proliferated throughout the country. 5. GIFTS USED TO GO IN THE TREE, NOT UNDER IT. In its first decades in the U.S., Christmas trees held gifts in their branches more often than under them. Typical 1870s reports describe a "monster Christmas tree despoiled of its pendent treasures of candy, dolls, and toys of all descriptions" and a " mammoth Christmas-tree literally covered with pendent treasures." Often these gifts included fruit, cakes, and candy that children would just pluck directly from the tree and enjoy. 6. THEY CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. From their earliest days, Christmas trees have been fire hazards. Before electric lights were introduced, many families set open candles on their trees to illuminate them, which meant that each Christmas morning, the newspapers included stories of homes going up in flames when the branches ignited. Even when families abandoned the obvious hazard of open flames on the trees, the conifers could still cause major trouble once they dried out. In Philadelphia in 1878, Christmas trees caused two fires on the same street, first when a gas jet ignited a tree in a brownstone, then later that day when a dressmaker's in-store tree went up . Today, trees can still pose a hazard if they are allowed to dry out. 7. NEW YORK'S BIG TREE DIDN'T USED TO BE IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER. Getty Images While Rockefeller Center and Christmas trees go hand-in-hand, NYC used to hold its big citywide celebration in Madison Square Park. Beginning in 1912, it was this location where thousands would gather to watch the lighting of the "Tree of Light" (as it was called, rather than "Christmas tree"). The party shifted to midtown Manhattan in 1933, where it has been ever since. 8. GERMANS DON'T CALL IT A TANNENBAUM . The most famous song about a Christmas tree may be "O Tannenbaum," but in German, the word tannenbaum just refers to a general fir tree. The actual German word for "Christmas tree" is usually weihnachtsbaum , which would probably have made for a less catchy song. 9. THEY ARE BIG BUSINESS. Some 25 30 million Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. every year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association , making it about a $1 billion industry . The trees are grown at almost 15,000 farms in all 50 states, though the biggest producers are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington. 10. RESEARCHERS ARE BUILDING A BETTER TREE. All those pine needles that accumulate below the tree each day may soon be a thing of the past. Washington State University plant pathologist Gary Chastagner, also known as "Mr. Christmas Tree," is currently leading a five-year, $1.3 million research project partly aimed at helping Christmas trees retain their needles for longer. Chastagner and a team of researchers are collecting tree samples from farms throughout the country, testing which are the most resistant to root rot and have the strongest needle retention, then sourcing those for seeds to plant the next crop of Christmas trees. If the team succeeds, your tree may last into the spring. 11. THEY ARE VERY THIRSTY. Each day, Christmas trees need a minimum of one quart of water per inch of diameter at their base. That's far more water than many tree stands on the market are able to hold. In a test of 30 tree stands, Chastagner found that only two could contain enough water for all the tree sizes they were supposed to hold. About a quarter of them couldn't even accommodate the hydration needs of the smallest tree they could hold. (In 2007, Chastagner tested whether Christmas trees could be hydrated with an I.V. drip , but that worked even less effectively than a traditional tree stand.) | 4 | 96,435 | lifestyle |
More than 100,000 Dodge Darts are being recalled because oil can leak into a brake part that can fail. Seven accidents are blamed for the problem, Fiat Chrysler Automobilies reports. Two injuries resulted. The problem affects 105,458 Darts from the 2013 and 2014 Darts. The compacts have potentially faulty vacuum-tube assemblies in the brakes systems. If they fail, it could potentially affect the power-brake capabilities. It is limited to Darts with 2-liter and 2.4-liter engines. The automaker says the problem causing the recall may be preceded by a pop or a sound consistent with a vacuum leak. Also, Fiat Chrysler says customers who have a hard-pedal feeling should contact their dealers. | 3 | 96,436 | finance |
U.S. job growth likely remained solid in November in a show of the economy's resilience, which could pave the way for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this month for the first time in nearly a decade. A Reuters survey of economists forecast nonfarm payrolls rising 200,000, adding to the 271,000 jobs created in October. The unemployment rate is expected to hold at a 7-1/2-year low of 5 percent. It is in a range many Fed officials see as consistent with full employment and has dropped seven-tenths of a percentage point this year. "The employment report will give the Fed confidence to begin raising rates in December. It will have to be a disaster for the Fed to delay until 2016," said Ryan Sweet, senior economist at Moody's Analytics in Westchester, Pennsylvania. The Labor Department's closely watched jobs report will be released on Friday at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT). Fed Chair Janet Yellen struck an upbeat note on the economy when she testified before lawmakers on Thursday, describing how it had largely met the criteria the U.S. central bank has set for the Fed's first rate hike since June 2006. Yellen said the economy needs to create just under 100,000 jobs a month to keep up with growth in the working age population. The Fed's policy-setting committee will meet on Dec. 15-16. "We believe the hurdle for dissuading the Fed from action at this time is extremely high," said Michelle Girard, chief economist at RBS in Stamford, Connecticut. DIMINISHING SLACK Another month of strong job gains would allay fears the economy had hit a soft patch, after reports showing tepid consumer spending in October and a slowdown in services industry growth in November. Manufacturing contracted in November for the first time in three years. Though wage growth likely slowed last month, economists say that would mostly be payback for October's outsized gains, which were driven by a calendar quirk. Anecdotal evidence, as well as data on labor-related costs, suggest that tightening job market conditions are starting to put upward pressure on wages. Average hourly earnings are forecast rising 0.2 percent after increasing 0.4 percent in October. That would lower the year-on-year reading to 2.3 percent from 2.5 percent. "Wage growth finally appears to be firming after showing few signs of progress even as slack declined quickly," said David Mericle, an economist at Goldman Sachs in New York. Other labor market measures that Fed officials are eyeing as they consider lifting the benchmark overnight interest rate from near zero are expected to have held steady last month. But the labor force participation rate, or the share of working-age Americans who are employed or at least looking for a job, likely rose from a near 38-year low of 62.4 percent. Employment gains in November were likely broad-based, though manufacturing and mining probably lost more jobs. Manufacturing has been crippled by a strong dollar, efforts by businesses to reduce bloated inventory and spending cuts by energy companies scaling back well drilling and exploration in response to sharply lower oil prices. Mining employment has already declined by 109,000 since reaching a peak in December 2014. Oilfield services provider Schlumberger (SLB.N) this week announced another round of job cuts in addition to 20,000 layoffs already reported this year. The company said it expected the slowdown in drilling activity to continue in 2016. Further gains are expected in construction payrolls. The services sector will likely account for the bulk of the increase in employment, but retail and courier payrolls are a wild card as company are now starting their holiday hiring a bit earlier than in prior years. (Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by James Dalgleish) --- Watch: Markets expected a 'shock and awe' ECB approach: CBA | 3 | 96,437 | finance |
In this edition of the 120 Mixtape, people dance in a dust tornado and a weightlifter breaks a ridiculous record. | 1 | 96,438 | sports |
Watch the ten best plays from Thursday night's action in the NBA. | 1 | 96,439 | sports |
Sweet, creamy deliciousness - pair this tea with a spicy dish and you're in for a treat. | 0 | 96,440 | foodanddrink |
Coming to Vienna straight from Paris from COP21 to OPEC is a bit like crossing Checkpoint Charlie guess from West to East Berlin at the height of the Cold War or, even more extreme, changing shirts from Manchester City to United. The two ideologies are extreme, opposing and prone to some serious clashes a couple of times a season. And while oil producers have been the unilateral superpower of energy supply and demand for over a century, the question now begs, do we finally have a game-changer? The problem for Saudi Arabia, long the free-spending global oil superpower, is that everyone is looking to it for some kind of overpowering reaction to current events and it seems clearer to me by the day that the Kingdom and its oil producing allies just don't have the arsenal to control the game anymore. In times gone by, a physical tweak in output would have huge, exponential effects on global oil prices. In fact, more often than not a verbal change to output policy would do the trick. Let's face it can anyone actually remember the last time OPEC actually produced what it said it was going to do so? No, me neither, and just to reiterate the point OPEC is still producing over a million barrels a day over its stated 30 million barrel taste. Anyway back to the groupie-like obsession with following every utterance of Saudi oil minister Ali Al-Naimi and his peers within OPEC. The truth is I have never understood how investors can put at stake billions of dollars on the utterances of ministers when they are often cryptic at best, designed to create opacity at worst. The Alan Greenspan school of "keeping them guessing" has been perfected here in Vienna after decades of fine-tuning. And yet we never learn, we are Pavlov's Dog and for some of us, it's our job to be so. Trying to interpret every morsel of information no matter how bare. Back to the changing landscape, and I am the first one to question the claims made at COP21 about the end of fossil fuels, the death of carbon and so on ... And yet it doesn't take a binary shift in consumption patterns, tax and regulation to put in jeopardy billions of dollars' worth of "future" investment in the oil industry. It's not today's supply and demand that is the real problem, despite the daily oversupply of oil at the moment of over a million barrels. It's the future balance that is key on both investment and consumption. The real problem for OPEC and BP and Exxon and all the others, including the shale upstarts, is the threat of COP21 creating a process whereby stranded assets in hydrocarbons are created, where, oil, coal and to a lesser degree gas, are unborneable and uninvestable. Bank of England governor Mark Carney and others have raised this concern. It's real and terrifying for long term oil investors and producers. If the International Energy Agency's predictions are correct, cumulative demand for oil could be lower by over 100 billion barrels over the next few decades and, as Barclays points out, this could mean $22 trillion of revenue for producers that will never be realised. $22trillion! In addition, to the COP threat, let's not forget the other major structural trends going on in oil supply. Shale has been seriously underestimated by OPEC and has not seen production fall off a cliff in response to the halving of crude prices. Yes, production is off its peak but by a fraction of what was expected to be the case at $40 per barrel. Plus the not small matter of the end of what was labelled the "supercycle" with China and the rest of emerging markets seeing a marked growth slowdown. Put them all together and you have a triumvirate of structural factors overwhelming the producers. Do we really believe a tweak in Saudi Arabian oil production and a tweak in the language at OPEC Friday is going to overcome these three major structural challenges? OPEC has proven more robust than many detractors had thought possible for decades but against the combination of the COP21 process, shale's stunning arrival and the end of the Supercycle, I for one question the ability to control things in quite the same way of old. Steve Sedgwick is co-anchor of "Squawk Box Europe" and is also CNBC's OPEC reporter. Follow him on Twitter @steve_sedgwick . Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook . --- Watch: 'OPEC doesn't want to be the sole circuitbreaker' | 3 | 96,441 | finance |
In the cold, clear waters at Boulders Beach in Cape Town, the African penguins are so relaxed they swim among humans and waddle past sunbathers on the sands | 8 | 96,442 | video |
A GROUP of doe-eyed sloths learn to climb by scaling and then swinging from the back of a rocking chair. Shot in May, this adorable footage was filmed by zoologist and broadcaster Lucy Cooke during a visit to the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica. The wildlife rehabilitation centre uses a rocking chair to help teach the orphaned baby sloths how to climb as the swaying motion is similar to a tree. Lucy, who has been called the 'Spielberg' of sloth documentaries, has released a calendar dedicated to the super cute mammals. Videographer / Director: Lucy Cooke Producer: Mark Hodge, Nick Johnson Editor: Joshua Douglas | 8 | 96,443 | video |
Before Bernie Madoff, before Charles Ponzi, there was George Graham Rice. For more than two decades, from the turn of the 20th Century to the Roaring 20's, Rice's illicit, sophisticated scams and hustles earned him a huge fortune and national notoriety. By 1925, Rice's net worth was estimated at around $100 million equivalent to almost $1.4 billion today. Racetrack tipster, stock swindler, and unreformed huckster, Rice was a master at taking your money and convincing you that the loss was your fault. Yet Rice, improbably, was for many a champion of the little guy. Rice would rail against the vast wealth of the then-rich and famous such as John D. Rockefeller the 1% of that time portraying himself as a friend to small-time investors even as he picked their pockets clean. Rice had a willing audience. Americans at the beginning of the 1900s were obsessed with get-rich-quick schemes, and Rice readily obliged. The stock market then was largely unregulated, and tailor-made for touts like Rice. His most lucrative scheme involved creating and promoting publicly traded gold-mining companies in the Western U.S., then selling shares to unsuspecting, unskilled investors rich and poor alike through seamy "bucket shop" brokerages under his control. Rice's propaganda and sales machine would then spring into action, pumping up the stock price and creating more demand for the shares and profit for Rice. Eventually the worthless mining company would be exposed and the shares would plunge. Rice, selling short, even made money on the way down. Such unscrupulous but successful stock manipulations tarred Rice as the "Jackal of Wall Street." How Rice robbed the public is the subject of author T. D. Thornton's fascinating new biography of Rice: "My Adventures with Your Money: George Graham Rice and the Golden Age of the Con Artist" (St. Martin's Press). In this edited telephone interview, Thornton explains how Rice's con game is still played today, and the tools you need to keep a swindler from taking your money. 1. In Rice's day 100 years ago, financial markets were largely unregulated and people weren't as educated. Were people easier marks back then? Thornton: When we read now about how easily people fell for some of Rice's scams, there's a sense of how something like that couldn't possibly happen today. The methods change, but confidence games by nature are cyclical. Sooner or later they revive, they're modernized, and they're used to trim some sucker. Low-level hustlers are still getting away with three-card monte. That game has not changed. You think you're going to put one over on that guy because you're smarter than them. But you're entering into a rigged encounter. In the Spanish Prisoner scam of the 1600s, a foreign dignitary solicits your financial assistance to get out of a nonexistent jail. Today the ruse often takes the form of a deposed Nigerian prince whose inheritance has been stolen. He needs to get to your bank account. The psychology, and the con artist mentality behind it, has been around for centuries. Take Bernie Madoff. His decades-long swindle was presented as a new scheme. But rewind that to 1920 and it's the same story as Charles Ponzi we'll deliver astronomical returns if you buy into it. Every time one of these scams comes along and rocks the nation, people think it's new and a product of our new era. That's not true. These are the same swindles refurbished to fit the times. And there's little possibility that there will be a shortage of marks for con games. 2. Why do scams sting otherwise smart people? People often don't want to hear the truth. These come-ons hit them in a place where they might be vulnerable. A key to Rice's success was that he realized the value of a well-told story. He would sell you the story. To facilitate getting his stories out there, he created his own news bureau to make up his own reports. The names of his sham securities were pretty much interchangeable: a mining stock, a "pump-and-dump" he would pump up the share price through fabricated stories and the promise of riches. Rice was the father of penny stocks. He realized that you can get a hook in people by promising them a better way of life. A lot of those people were not very well-educated so they were easier marks. Once he ratcheted the stock up, he would cash out. And once he learned to short the shares, he would make money as well. 'A good con artist can be on friendly terms with any individual in 15 minutes.' His game was to paint such an entrancing picture of the future that people would not think to check the facts in the present. When they came out with the Truth in Securities Act in 1933, the foundation for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Rice's name often came up. Twenty years before, there was no SEC, no specific laws against defrauding people. The feds had to come in the back door and get you for using the mail to defraud. Rice was very careful. When he did come under attack, he got the little investors on his side because he pretended to stand up for them and rail against the establishment. 3. How can an investor spot a con artist? A con artist is somebody who harnesses a person or the public trust for the sole purpose of using that trust against them, to separate them from their money. Con artists take their time to research potential victims and markets. You think that your contact is random. But he would have already been sizing you up. Rice, for example, had a direct-marketing list he called his "sucker list." A good con artist can be on friendly terms with any individual in 15 minutes. He'll find out your appetite for risk, how much money you have, and he'll do this in a conversational way, to find out if you had a shared desire to participate in a get-rich-quick swindle. The con artists bleed you dry. They'll dangle illicit riches in the form of a too-good-to-be-true proposition. They'll let you make a small teaser profit. It costs nothing to make up a stock tip. If they're right, and you make a small amount of money, that emboldens your confidence. 4. Aren't stock investors better protected nowadays from scammers? I would think they are in theory. But you can have all the layers of protection you want at a federal level people still bite on a too-good-to-be-true story. That's the fuel to keep these swindlers going. At the lofty heights of the stock market in the 1920s, nobody was thinking about the ride down. People who had no investing knowledge were investing in the stock market. Annual losses from stock swindling at the height of the Roaring '20s were measured in billions of dollars. 5. How can people sharpen their radar so they're not an easy target? If you keep hearing about some form of insider activity in the broader marketplace, it's going to make you suspicious. That opens the door for an iconoclast like Rice to gain a foothold. Here's this guy riding in on a white horse who is going to protect you. Rice was masking his own frauds with large denunciations of others. Take everything with a grain of salt. Question everything. Be a probing investor. One tool con artists like Rice use, which people use even in legitimate areas of business, is confusion. Rice would spell out this deal, and it was such a complicated deal. It's complicated, he'd say, because it's going to make money, and it's going to make money because it's complicated. As intelligent as we all like to think we are, we've all been in a position where someone explains an investment with confidence and charisma, and you can only ask someone so many times to explain something to you without looking foolish. We see that in the investment world today. Investments are pitched to people behind layers of complexity. If they pared it down in a fully explainable and understandable way, you'd probably run. Look at the underlying product, and not the story behind the product. The public demands to be mystified. People want those stories. When you tell somebody they can't see something, it makes them want it more. There's tremendous power in telling people that something is exclusive to them; people are fearful of missing out. Anything that is pressuring you to make the deal now is an obvious red flag. Until we can find a way to change people's fundamental human nature, you can only hope to make a dent in their awareness by educating them. That offer doesn't just randomly land in your inbox. There are reasons you're being targeted and you have to remain constantly vigilant. We all would like to get rich quick overnight. You have to resist the temptation to buy into that and raise your awareness. These technologies that we think are going to make our lives easier and ease our path to riches are being controlled by other people, and you just have to remain hyper-vigilant and hyper-skeptical. Uneducated investors don't know when to cut their losses and get out. --- Watch it again: Finding more money for Bernie Madoff victims | 5 | 96,444 | news |
CAIRO A firebomb attack on a nightclub in Cairo early Friday killed 16 people and wounded three others, authorities said. Police were looking for two young men who carried out the attack in the Agouza district because they were previously not allowed to enter the club, state news agency MENA reported. The Ministry of Interior, in a statement posted on its Facebook page, cited an unnamed official with its Security Information Center who said a preliminary investigation showed the attack happened after a dispute between the nightclub staff and some other people, who then threw Molotov cocktails at the entrance. Online video posted by newspaper Youm 7 showed thick black smoke pouring through the doorway of the El Sayad restaurant as onlookers milled outside unable to help. Flames were burning the inside of the building and charring the facade. The restaurant was on the ground floor of an apartment building. It was not immediately clear if the restaurant was also home to a nightclub. | 5 | 96,445 | news |
The San Francisco 49ers are shaking up their front office. Team president Paraag Marathe is being reassigned from his position , according to reports. CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco says Marathe, who became team president in 2014, will retain his title through the end of the NFL season but will lose some of the responsibilities. He is expected to do more work for the Sacramento Republic soccer team, though he reportedly will continue to work on the Niners' salary cap and contract negotiations. Though Maiocco presents the news as a reassignment for Marathe, the San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami says this is more like a firing. He adds that team COO Al Guido is likely to take on many of Marathe's duties. One reason Marathe reportedly is being reassigned is because the team believes he has been the source of some media leaks. An NFL source told me tonight that Marathe was being deposed as president in part because he is believed to be the source of many leaks. Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) December 4, 2015 Indeed, many of the 49ers' sagas have played out in the media, especially with all of the undercutting about Jim Harbaugh last year . Kawakami and Cam Inman added this in their article on the matter : "Marathe also developed contentious and distrustful relationships with some players and agents." This is major news for the 49ers. The team went from having poor results to being back on top of the NFC during Harbaugh's tenure as a head coach, to right back to being dysfunctional this season. Fan attendance is decreasing, performance is lacking, and the franchise needs to find a new quarterback. Meanwhile their brilliant idea to jettison Harbaugh in favor of their front office favorites has completely backfired. Fans are calling for Jed York to resign , but that is unlikely to happen. For now, they will have to settle for him taking away job duties from his right-hand man. | 1 | 96,446 | sports |
Sony has announced that it's buying Toshiba's image sensor business for 19 billion yen ($155 million). Plans to do so were first rumored in October , but Sony has now confirmed the price, with the transfer of Toshiba's fabrication plant, equipment, and employees set to be completed within the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. The facilities will operate under Sony's new wholly-owned subsidiary , the Sony Semiconductor Corporation, which will be dedicated primarily to the production of image sensors. (Although Toshiba's facilities also manufacture memory controllers as well.) Sony's image sensors are used in both the high-end camera and smartphone markets The move shows Sony continuing to double down on one of its few profitable areas. Not only is the company successful in the sensor market for high-end cameras, but its camera components have proved its only reliable method of profiting from the smartphone boom. Companies including Apple, Google, and Xiaomi all use Sony sensors in at least some of their products, giving the Japanese tech firm standing in the smartphone industry, even if its own devices don't sell as well . --- Watch: Sony PS4 Has Even More Processing Power | 3 | 96,447 | finance |
In news that's sure to mollify worrisome grandparents everywhere, it seems the average person across the globe is not only significantly less injury-prone but also less likely to die or become chronically disabled as a result of injury than they were a quarter-century ago. Researchers in the journal Injury Prevention published a study Thursday showing that the global health burden brought on by injuries has substantially declined from 1990 to 2013. Though nearly a billion people (973 million) sustained some sort of injury that needed medical attention in 2013, these injuries' overall effect on premature death and disability plummeted over 30 percent compared to 1990, the authors found. Similarly, the rate of injuries, whether caused by a car accident, fire, or self-harm, took a sharp plunge downwards as well. "The decline in rates for almost all injuries is so prominent that it warrants a general statement that the world is becoming a safer place to live in," they wrote. "However, the patterns vary widely by cause, age, sex, region and time and there are still large improvements that need to be made." A Life Measured To come to their conclusions, the researchers turned to data collected by the World Bank during their Global Burden of Diseases and Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, or GBD for short. Intended to be "the largest and most comprehensive effort to date to measure epidemiological levels and trends worldwide," the GBD study was first run in 1990, then in 2010, and now annually since 2013. With that extensive data on injuries from over a hundred countries, the researchers were then able to compare its toll on human health between 1990 and 2013, using a measure known as the disability-adjusted life year (DALY). The DALY combines two other commonly used measures, which respectively calculate premature mortality years of life lost (YLL) and the amount of healthy years lost to disability years of life lived with a disability (YLD). When taken as a whole, they saw a dramatic decline of 30 percent in the global DALY injury rate, after standardizing for age. The largest declines, however, were seen in higher income countries, with the least improved regions being Oceania (Australia and surrounding island nations), and West, central and southern sub-Saharan Africa. Different types of injury saw different declines as well, with road injuries (responsible for 29 percent of those seen in 2013) dropping 15 percent in its global DALY rate, while slips and falls, which have become more prevalent as people have lived longer on average, still fell 20 percent. Some of the largest decreases in health burden were seen for drownings, poisonings, and injuries caused by fire or heat. "The rate of decline was significant for 22 of our 26 cause-of-injury categories, including all the major ones," the researchers wrote. While the incidence rate of injuries did collectively decline, that decrease wasn't solely responsible for their lowered toll on human health. The fact that less people have died or become chronically disabled as a result of injury was likely "brought about by injury prevention measures reducing the severity of the injury sustained (eg, seat belts and helmets) or by improved access to better quality care after an injury (eg, trauma systems)," the authors explained. Interestingly, the global economic fallout that occurred around 2008 didn't appear to dampen the overall trend of reduction in injuries or DALYs caused by self-harm and suicides they do however remain the second leading cause of death among injuries. On the other side, while injuries caused by war or violence have declined as well, they will remain a substantial cause of long-lasting disability for those entering their later years. "The findings from the GBD are a valuable resource for countries to prioritise major contributors of injury deaths, incidence and/or DALYs and monitor progress over time," the authors concluded. "Changes over time can facilitate in raising hypotheses regarding the underlying causes." Source: Haagsma J, Graetz N, Bolliger I, et al.The global burden of injury: incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years and time trends from the Global Burden of Disease study 2013. Injury Prevention . 2015. | 4 | 96,448 | lifestyle |
The day oil markets have been waiting for has finally arrived. But despite reports suggesting Saudi Arabia could be ready to cut production in a bid to support prices at Friday's meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), analysts say no one should expect magnanimity from the group's largest producer. Oil prices rallied on Thursday amid a weaker dollar and a report by Energy Intelligence that suggested that Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the 12-member oil producing group, could be ready to make a formal proposal for OPEC output cuts -- as long as non-OPEC producers did the same. By Friday, however, those rumors had been widely dismissed and analysts said OPEC was unlikely to deviate from its production ceiling of 30 million barrels per day (bpd). It has often exceeded in recent months, despite a glut in global oil supply which has seen prices tumble from last June, from $114 a barrel to around $40 currently. The move by OPEC not to cut has been largely seen as a way for the group to maintain market share in the face of rivalry from U.S. shale oil producers who have higher-cost production. The strategy appears to have worked with many U.S. producers closing rigs, canceling projects and lowering production. As such, analysts did not foresee any major policy changes from Saudi Arabia which has always led the call to not cut despite the reluctance of poorer OPEC members such as Venezuela. "I think they (Saudi Arabia) have taken a more conciliatory stance to prevent a major fight at OPEC today but the substance remains the same: We're not cutting unless Mexico cuts, unless Russia cuts and certainly the Iranians have to do their fair share but they're saying, 'Don't hold us back, we're going to put an extra 500,000 barrels on the market'," Helima Croft, chief Commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets told CNBC Friday. "I think the Saudis want to appear like they are playing nice in the sandbox, that they're listening to all the views of the membership. I don't expect a real substance of change today," she said, warning that if Saudi did cut production today, a "wave" of U.S. shale oil production could return, flooding the market with yet more oil. Markets can ill-afford to see more oil come onto the market. As such, Johannes Benigni , chairman of JBC Energy, conceded that any OPEC cut could be "self-defeating" but he was bullish on prices rises in the medium-term. "The shale producers will come back when prices go higher but the question is by how much? The more that investment is reduced over the next three or four years the more the market is going to balance so in theory, we should see prices in the next half-year start to balance and then prices will go slowly up," he told CNBC in Vienna on Friday. As well as watching non-member competitors in the shale oil industry, Saudi Arabia is closely watching what neighboring producers are doing. The prospect of international sanctions being lifted on Iran and the country's oil industry coming back in force is looking increasingly likely. Iran has made no secret of the fact that it wants to produce 4 million barrels of oil per day by the end of 2016 -- and that the amount it produces is not up for discussion. Iran's oil minister, Bijan Zangeneh, said his country is not discussing its production after the lifting of sanctions. "It is our right and anyone cannot limit us to do it," he reportedly said in Vienna. Benigni said that Iran needed investment and would not come back with the large volumes as markets expected. Instead, he said the "wildcard" was Libya, a country whose oil production has been hit by internal conflict and political instability. "We don't know whether they will come back they could come any day," Benigni said. It is worth considering that while Saudi is an important part of the global energy mix roughly producing 10 million barrels per day out of the 90 million barrels consumed globally a day it alone cannot help to rebalance prices. Bill Farren-Price, chief executive of Petroleum Policy Intelligence, told CNBC Friday that now was not the time for cuts and understood why Saudi Arabia refused to be the swing producer able to quickly cut production to support prices -- yet again. "Saudi Arabia is not going to hand Iran market share on a plate, they want to see how fast Iran can come on back to the market." | 3 | 96,449 | finance |
Drew Barrymore's holiday card sparks rumors of a split between she and her husband of 3 years, Will Kopelman. Her two daughters are featured on the card, but her husband? Not so much! | 5 | 96,450 | news |
A researcher may have found the key to eliminating chronic pain by studying people who've never felt it. | 7 | 96,451 | health |
You probably ignore most of the mobile ads that pop up on your smartphone -- "Cookie Jam" may promise to be a engaging, fun experience but you're not going to hunt down the app to find out for yourself. Now you don't have to: starting today, Google will embed 60-second trials of smartphone apps directly into some of its mobile ads . It works a lot like PlayStation Now : Full versions of the apps run on virtual machines on remote servers and stream the full experience to the user's phone over the internet. It's not exactly what we expected when Google said it was working on streaming app trials, but it makes a lot of sense: "Try before your buy" is sort of a silver bullet for advertising. Google says it could also help reduce the number of unused apps lingering on user's smarpthones. If you already know it doesn't work for you, you're not going to download it just to "try it out." Ads featuring the short trials launch today. Come across one? Let us know what the experience was like in the comments section below! Techcrunch Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/04/google-crams-fully-functional-smartphone-apps-into-mobile-ads/ | 5 | 96,452 | news |
HBO has released the first teaser trailer for season six of the channel's hit show "Game of Thrones." The teaser trailer is brief, but does hint to a possible return of one of the show's most popular characters, Jon Snow. Fans have been speculating about the character's future since the end of season five earlier this year, with HBO already teasing that he may return by releasing billboards featuring Snow. The trailer also features and is narrated by new cast member Max von Sydow, who will appear in the upcoming season as the Three-eyed Raven, and Bran Stark, played by British actor Isaac Hempstead Wright, who did not feature in season five. The sixth season of the show will premiere April 2016. Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxI8aPISq8I&feature=youtu.be | 6 | 96,453 | entertainment |
Representatives from Southeast Asian nations meet in the Thai capital for talks aimed at preventing another "boat people" crisis. Natasha Howitt reports. | 8 | 96,454 | video |
Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets, explains that Saudi Arabia will not cut oil production unless other countries cut production too. | 3 | 96,455 | finance |
In the US state of Missouri it's easy to buy a gun and hard to get an abortion. A new state bill filed on Dec. 1 proposes making the two equally difficult, according to the Missouri Times . (The bill should be available here but has been difficult to access online on Dec. 3). Among its requirements that mirror the state's restrictions on obtaining an abortion: Buyers must review alternatives to purchasing a firearm (including peaceful and nonviolent conflict resolution) and medical risks associated with firearms (including photographs of fatal firearm injuries) with the dealer, orally and in writing. At least 72 hours before attempting to buy a gun, prospective gun owners must meet with a licensed physician to discuss the risks of gun ownership, and obtain a written notice from the doctor. The gun must be purchased from a licensed gun dealer located at least 120 miles (193 kilometers) from the purchaser's legal residence. (That's the average distance women must travel in Missouri to obtain an abortion). Buyers must watch a half-hour video about fatal firearm injuries. Buyers must meet with two local faith leaders who have officiated (within the past year) a funeral for a young (under 18) gun violence victim, and with two families who have been victims of gun violence. On a weekend between 10 pm and 6 am, when gun violence victims are present, buyers must tour an emergency trauma center at the nearest qualified urban hospital, and get written verification from a doctor. Lawmaker Stacey Newman, a Democrat, proposed the bill to more or less make a point. Having served in state legislature since 2009 with a focus on preventing gun violence and defending women's reproductive rights she knows the bill is unlikely to get through the state's Republican-controlled legislature. But, she said, "If we truly insist that Missouri cares about 'all life,' then we must take immediate steps to address our major cities' rising rates of gun violence." Missouri ranks among the top five US states in rates of gun deaths, and ranks first in the US in toddlers shooting themselves or others. | 5 | 96,456 | news |
India were bowled out for 334 in their first innings on the second day of the fourth and final Test against South Africa in New Delhi on Friday. Ajinkya Rahane top-scored for the hosts with 127 while Kyle Abbott was the most successful bowler, taking five wickets for 40 runs. After resuming at 231-7, India moved on to 326-8 at lunch, with Ravichandran Ashwin unbeaten on 53 and Umesh Yadav batting on five. Rahane, 27, reached his fifth Test century and his first on home soil with a classic straight drive off paceman Kyle Abbott (3-39). The stylish right-hander, on 89 overnight, raised his arms in celebration before waving his bat towards cheering fans at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. No batsman had scored a century in an otherwise low-scoring series which India have sealed already after winning the first and third Tests. Rahane thrived on the Kotla track, which seemed to have evened out after offering inconsistent bounce and turn to bowlers on the opening day. Rahane's fine innings came to an end when he handed a straightforward catch to AB de Villiers in the covers off leg-spinner Imran Tahir. His 127 runs came off 215 balls and was studded with 11 fours and four sixes. Rahane exhibited crackling form in the morning session, lofting off-spinner Dane Piedt for two sixes in the same over, including one that sailed over the long-off fence. Rahane, who shared 98 runs with Ashwin, helped India steady the boat after they were reeling at 139-6 at one stage. Ashwin, the leading wicket-taker of the series with 24, showed his skill with the bat as well, reaching his sixth Test half-century with a six off Tahir. The prodigal Tahir, who was used for just seven overs on Thursday, has given away 59 runs from 14 overs so far while taking the prized wicket of Rahane. India 1st innings (overnight 231-7) M. Vijay c Amla b Piedt 12 S. Dhawan lbw b Piedt 33 C. Pujara b Abbott 14 V. Kohli c Vilas b Piedt 44 A. Rahane c de Villiers b Tahir 127 R. Sharma c Tahir b Piedt 1 W. Saha b Abbott 1 R. Jadeja c Elgar b Abbott 24 R. Ashwin c de Villiers b Abbott 56 U. Yadav not out 10 I. Sharma lbw b Abbott 0 Extras: (b8, w1, nb3) 12 Total (all out, 117.5 overs) 334 Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Vijay), 2-62 (Dhawan), 3-66 (Pujara), 4-136 (Kohli), 5-138 (Sharma), 6-139 (Saha), 7-198 (Jadeja), 8-296 (Rahane), 9-334 (Ashwin), 10-334 (Sharma) Bowling: Morkel 24-5-58-0 (nb1, w1), Abbott 24.5-7-40-5 (nb1), Piedt 38-6-117-4 (nb1), Tahir 16-2-66-1, Elgar 11-0-33-0, Duminy 4-0-12-0 Toss: India Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI) and Bruce Oxenford (AUS) TV umpire: C.K. Nandan (IND) Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL) | 1 | 96,457 | sports |
Amateur video of San Francisco police surrounding a suspected knifeman and gunning him down in a hail of bullets went viral on social media and provoked outrage. The short clip is the latest video posted online showing US police using what appears to be excessive force on suspects -- many of them black and often with lethal effect. The video, taken in broad daylight with a mobile phone by a passenger aboard a bus parked nearby, shows a man wearing a dark jacket walking and leaning against a wall as he is surrounded by at least seven police officers with their weapons drawn. The suspect waves his hands, then puts them briefly in his pocket. A knife is not visible in the footage. As the suspect slowly limps and continues to ignore commands from police, the officers open fire. The person taking the film dives away from the bus window so the footage ends, but about 20 gunshots can be heard ringing out. San Francisco police said that the dead suspect met the description given by witnesses of a person who had stabbed someone earlier that day. It was not clear when it happened. An officer had tracked him down and quickly called for backup. "The suspect was armed with a knife, believed to be the weapon used in the stabbing," police said in a statement. "As the suspect had already demonstrated that he was a danger to others by having stabbed an earlier victim, the officers could not allow him room to harm anyone else." Police said they ordered him to drop the knife "numerous times," but he failed to comply. They fired non-lethal bean bags -- used normally in crowd control -- at him and doused him with pepper spray. The man fell to one knee, but did not drop the knife and tried to walk away. An officer blocks him. "Still armed with the knife, the suspect moved towards that officer," police said. "At this point, fearing serious injury or death, officers fired their department-issued handguns at the suspect. The suspect was struck by the gunfire and fell to the ground." Police in the United States have come under intense criticism for using excessive force against suspects. Earlier this week Chicago's mayor fired the city police chief after a graphic video of a white officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times sparked a week of protests. | 5 | 96,458 | news |
WASHINGTON Donald Trump tapped a man to be a senior business adviser to his real-estate empire even after the man's past involvement in a major mafia-linked stock fraud scheme had become publicly known, according to Associated Press interviews and a review of court records. Portions of Trump's relationship with Felix Sater, a convicted felon and government informant, have been previously known. Trump worked with the company where Sater was an executive, Bayrock Group LLC, after it rented office space from the Trump Organization as early as 2003. Sater's criminal history was effectively unknown to the public at the time, because a judge kept the relevant court records secret and Sater altered his name. When Sater's criminal past and mafia links came to light in 2007, Trump distanced himself from Sater. But less than three years later, Trump renewed his ties with Sater. Sater presented business cards describing himself as a senior adviser to Donald Trump, and he had an office on the same floor as Trump's own office in New York's Trump Tower, The Associated Press learned through interviews and court records. Trump said during an AP interview on Wednesday that he recalled only bare details of Sater. "Felix Sater, boy, I have to even think about it," Trump said, referring questions about Sater to his staff. "I'm not that familiar with him." According to Trump lawyer Alan Garten, Sater's role was to prospect for high-end real estate deals for the Trump Organization. The arrangement lasted six months, Garten said. The revelation about Sater's role is significant because of its timing and directness, and marks the first time the Trump Organization has acknowledged publicly that Sater worked for Trump after the disclosures of Sater's criminal background. Trump has said that among his secrets of success is that he surrounds himself with the "best and most serious people" and with "people you can trust." Sater never had an employment agreement or formal contract with the Trump Organization and did not close any deals for Trump, Garten said. "He was trying to restart his life," Garten said. "I believe he was regretful of things that happened in the past." Trump did not know the details of Sater's cooperation with the government when Sater came in-house in 2010, Garten said. But Garten noted that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch praised Sater's cooperation with the federal government, when senators asked about him during her confirmation hearings early this year. She said Sater cooperated against his mafia stock fraud co-defendants and assisted the government on unspecified national security matters. "If Mr. Sater was good enough for the government to work with, I see no reason why he wasn't good enough for Mr. Trump," Garten said. He pleaded guilty in 1998 to one count of racketeering for his role in a $40 million stock fraud scheme involving the prominent Genovese and Bonanno crime families, according to court records. Prosecutors called the operation a pump-and-dump scheme, in which insiders manipulate the price of obscure stocks and then sell them to hapless investors at inflated prices. Five years earlier, a New York State court had sentenced Sater to more than a year in prison for stabbing a man in the face with a broken margarita glass. Sater declined to discuss his work with Trump. "Obviously a Donald-and-the-bad-guy piece is not interesting for me to participate in," Sater wrote in an email to AP. His lawyer, Robert Wolf, said information about Sater in public records and lawsuits obtained by the AP was defamatory. He credited Sater's stint as a government cooperator with potentially saving American military lives, although he did not provide details. Wolf told the AP to write about Sater's past "at your own risk" but did not cite specific concerns. After his 1998 racketeering conviction, Sater spent more than a decade as an informant on the mafia and on national security-related matters. Federal prosecutors kept even the existence of Sater's racketeering case out of publicly available court records for 14 years. During that time, Sater launched a luxury real estate development career. Sealed court records prevented potential customers or partners from learning about his past association with organized crime. Sater altered his name, to Satter, and became a top executive in Bayrock, a development firm that partnered with Trump on the Trump Soho high-rise hotel in Manhattan and other branded luxury real estate deals. Civil lawsuits have alleged that Bayrock engaged in a pattern of misconduct during Sater's tenure, sometimes involving potential Trump projects. Bayrock's attorney told AP the firm did not mislead anyone about Sater's past and denied any misconduct. The firm has not yet responded to a version of the complaint refiled in U.S. court last month. Trump's lawyer, Garten, said Trump had no knowledge of alleged improprieties at Bayrock or reason to believe that Sater was a major stakeholder in Bayrock's projects. Trump only learned of Sater's troubled past when The New York Times reported details in December 2007. In the article, Trump distanced himself from Sater, saying: "I didn't really know him very well." Garten said Trump had no further interactions with Sater at Bayrock following the revelations of his criminal history. But a new relationship was formed in 2010 when Trump offered Sater office space and a chance to round up new business possibilities for the Trump Organization. "The guy's been in business a long time, he's got a lot of contacts," Garten said of Sater. ___ Read the 2010 U.S. District Court complaint against Sater and others: http://apne.ws/1NrYEDo | 3 | 96,459 | finance |
This Friday, Denny Ramos is more excited than usual for payday. The 47-year-old autoworker just got a raise -- to $21 an hour, up from $17.86. Ramos works as a material handler at General Motors' Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan, moving parts to and from assembly lines that crank out the Cadillac CTS, ATS and Chevrolet Camaro models. Thanks to a newly approved contract between General Motors and the United Auto Workers union (UAW), Ramos is slated to earn $30 an hour by 2019. He's one of thousands due for a healthy pay bump under new labor deals finalized last month. The union inked similar contracts with Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, covering a total of 140,000 workers. "It's a contract with real gains for workers at a time when that's become rare," says Harley Shaiken , a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and auto industry labor expert. "The question in recent years has been: How much will you have to concede in contract talks? This turns that around." With U.S. car sales on track to top a sales record reached in 2000 , it's arguably the best time to be an American autoworker in over a decade. As recent federal jobs reports show, employment is growing steadily and industry outlook remains positive. Many workers await pay raises. And while freshly-minted contracts at the Big Three do not apply to parts suppliers or the non-union, largely foreign-owned automakers based in the South, the deals could exert upward wage pressure on both those groups, according to industry observers. Either way, the landscape has not appeared as friendly to labor since before the most recent economic crisis. Ramos lost his job as a sales representative during the last recession. In May 2012, he landed a job on GM's assembly line in Lansing Grand River. Just three years before he arrived, the company had gone bankrupt after receiving billions in federal aid. Back then, the plant was not yet producing the Chevy Camaro. And, most importantly for Ramos, GM was hiring new workers at a fraction of the cost of senior employees. "It's the automotive industry, so naturally I had some reservations, some concerns," says Ramos, who lives in Lansing and has uncles who worked for GM. "But I knew they would bounce back." His starting pay was $15.50 an hour. Some of the employees next to him -- doing the same work -- were earning around $30. The tiered wage system still exists at the Big Three, but it's slated to be phased out under the new union contracts. Over the next eight years, new workers will be hired at wages progressively closer to what so-called "traditional" employees earn. Current employees will see the pay gap gradually disappear in a shorter time -- for Ramos, it'll take four years. "At least now I know that I have a definitive road to get to the top level, and I'll be making the same amount as the guy next to me," Ramos says. "Although it's gonna take me longer than it took some of them, at least I know I have a road to get there." In the golden years of the UAW, the union's contracts with Detroit-based carmakers set wage and benefit standards for private sector employers across the United States -- not just for the auto manufacturing sector. That hasn't been the case for decades. But the new deals may well boost standards in other portions of the auto industry, according to Shaiken. "How much that standard will be applied elsewhere, we will see in the coming months and years," he says. Hundreds of thousands work for parts manufacturers that aren't covered by the contracts. Pay at these jobs tends to be lower than at the assembly plants: The former earn an average of $27.76 an hour, compared with $20.21 for the latter, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Others, meanwhile, are employed by foreign-owned automakers that have set up shop in the South, a region where labor costs are low, unions are rare, and the politicians tend to be more business-friendly. Famously, the UAW has failed to organize a single one of these sprawling assembly plants. Still, union drives persist at Nissan in Mississippi, Mercedes in Alabama, and Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the latter case, a small group of skilled trade workers are due to complete a vote on union representation Friday. The election comes more than a year after a larger group of the plant's hourly workforce voted against joining the UAW. Higher pay at the Big Three could lend a hand to these ongoing organizing drives by underlining what labor activists like to call the " union premium " -- the boost in wages and benefits workers typically receive from union representation. Under the new contracts, the gap in pay between unionized autoworkers in Michigan and non-union workers in Tennessee will likely widen over time. (Volkswagen did not provide an average wage for production workers in Chattanooga, but according to Glassdoor.com, assembly workers there make an average of $15.64 an hour.) | 3 | 96,460 | finance |
The laws of entropy are immutable, so the potential for chaos always exists. But for the most part, we have a fairly clear picture of how the college football playoff will take shape upon the conclusion of the upcoming championship weekend. No one would come right out and say so, but one spot is already reserved for Oklahoma, in the clubhouse with the outright Big 12 title in hand. Here's a look at Saturday's major conference finals and how their outcomes will affect the race for the other three slots in the semifinal Cotton and Orange Bowls. 8 p.m. ET in Indianapolis | FOX Playoff top 25 rankings: Iowa No. 4, Michigan State No. 5 This one's easy. Like last week's Bedlam showdown, this is in effect a quarterfinal. As Al Davis succinctly put it, just win, baby. It's impossible to envision a scenario in which the winner of this game is not among the four semifinalists. So which will it be? On paper as well as in person, these teams are constructed in similar fashion. Both teams have shown a remarkable ability to win close games. Against Big Ten competition, both teams have only three wins apiece by double digits. Both squads also have identical turnover margins of plus-14, so ball security would figure to be a priority. The defenses are built around solid linebacking units that don't give up many explosive plays. Josey Jewell and Cole Fisher lead the hit parade for the Hawkeyes, with Riley Bullough and Darien Harris doing much of the clean-up work for the Spartans. QB Connor Cook looked none the worse last week against Penn State after sitting out the Ohio State game with a shoulder injury, and he and WR Aaron Burbridge could provide MSU an edge in the long passing department. But Iowa TB Jordan Canzeri and his 5.48-yard average per carry could prove helpful in the clock-control area, especially if QB C.J. Beathard can provide some air cover. Data curated by PointAfter 8 p.m. ET in Charlotte | ABC Playoff top 25 rankings: Clemson No. 1, North Carolina No. 10 Here's where things get a little tricky. An undefeated Clemson would be a top-four lock and in the discussion for the overall No. 1 seed. But should the Tigers be upended by the surging Tar Heels, UNC's fate is far less certain. They might still need a few more dominoes to topple to reach the top four. Clemson, of course, would prefer to make that a non-issue. Another big game from QB Deshaun Watson would go a long way toward that end. The North Carolina defense has made huge improvements this season in terms of big plays, surrendering four fewer 10-plus-yard plays a game than in 2014. But Watson's dual-threat abilities, not to mention the support he gets from TB Wayne Gallman and WR Artavis Scott, make the Tigers' attack hard to shut down for long. The Tar Heels might be able to keep pace, however, if QB Marquise Williams continues his strong play. He's cut down on his mistakes since that disastrous opening loss to South Carolina, and TB Elijah Hood has provided consistent ground support. But Clemson DE Shaq Lawson and LB B.J. Goodson must be kept out of the UNC backfield. Data curated by PointAfter 4 p.m. ET in Atlanta | CBS Playoff top 25 rankings: Alabama No. 2, Florida No. 18 This is the least likely place for chaos to emerge, but a surprise upset by the Gators would lead to a whole lot of it. The committee would be unlikely to elevate Florida all the way to the top four despite its ownership of a conference title, and it would be difficult to justify leaving the Crimson Tide in without one. With that out of the way, however, Florida enters as a heavy underdog. This is due mainly to its recent offensive woes. Since the calendar turned to November, the Gators have scored a total of six offensive touchdowns in 16 regulation quarters. That isn't a recipe for success against LB Reggie Ragland and the rock-solid Crimson Tide front seven. Even if the Alabama offense starts slowly, as it has in recent outings, the constant pounding of TB Derrick Henry tends to produce big gains as the opposing defense wears down. An early strike by QB Jacob Coker to either WR Calvin Ridley or ArDarius Stewart could decide matters quickly, but the Gators do have a takeaway threat in CB Vernon Hargreaves. Data curated by PointAfter 7:45 p.m. ET in Santa Clara, Calif. | ESPN Playoff top 25 rankings: Stanford No. 7, USC No. 20 If you had told Cardinal fans before the season that their team would have a shot at winning one game for a trip to the Rose Bowl, they probably wouldn't have complained. It would take some unexpected events (see above) for Stanford to be named a semifinalist, as the twice-beaten Cardinal would be competing with at least one single-loss non-conference champion (Ohio State) and possibly two others (Clemson and/or Iowa). But the Cardinal must first handle the admittedly difficult task of beating the Trojans for a second time this season. USC made its share of plays in the first encounter, a 41-31 Stanford win on Sept. 19. But the Cardinal's rugged ground game was just rounding into form, and QB Kevin Hogan was also playing with more efficiency in the passing game. He's maintained that for the most part, and TB Christian McCaffrey has been a standout producer in all phases. LB Su'a Cravens is a steadying force on an injury-depleted USC defensive unit, but he'll have his hands full keeping all of Stanford's weapons contained. The Trojans can also put up a big score. QB Cody Kessler is a veteran himself, and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is a breakaway threat. But Kessler will have to contend with the Cardinal LB corps, featuring backfield disruptor Peter Kalambayi and steady stopper Blake Martinez. Data curated by PointAfter | 1 | 96,461 | sports |
U.S. stocks traded higher Friday as low oil prices weighed and investors eyed a solid jobs report. Energy fell nearly 1 percent in the open as the only decliner in the S&P 500. Consumer staples and utilities were the top two advancers. "Oil's certainly going to be the story right now. That's a massive move in WTI. ... The untold part of this story is that headline reflects no new oil coming into the market," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities. "OPEC actually saying what they're doing." Oil futures pared gains to turn lower on Friday after sources said OPEC had agreed to roll over its policy of maintaining crude production in order to retain market share and raise its output ceiling. U.S. crude briefly fell more than 3 percent to below the psychologically key $40 a barrel level. Check out CNBC's special report on energy around OPEC Earlier, futures edged higher after the 8:30 a.m., ET, November jobs report beat headline expectations with creation of 211,000 and showed an increase in wages and continued low unemployment, as expected. The number of jobs created in October and September were also revised higher. "The Fed goes in December but the path is shallow and you couldn't ask for anything more. It's almost like the Fed did this report themselves, but I know they didn't," said John Canally, investment strategist and economist at LPL Financial. Treasury yields traded in a range, spiking on the report before trading mostly lower. The U.S. dollar held higher above 98, while the euro held above $1.09. "I see the market saying to the Fed, 'we have to be sure what we're doing here. ... There's a lot going on right now between (ECB President Mario) Draghi and the Fed raising rates and the potential for global political news, not to mention Russia and Turkey, so I think you're going to see a bit of (volatility), and you're going to throw another variable into that?'" said Alan Rechtschaffen, financial advisor and senior vice president at UBS Wealth Management Americas. U.S. stocks closed sharply lower Thursday as investors weighed disappointment from the European Central Bank's policy decision and concern the Federal Reserve would hike rates while the economy is too weak. The euro had its largest one-day gain Thursday against the dollar since March 2009, topping $1.09. In the open, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 50 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,528, with Coca-Cola leading advancers and Chevron the greatest decliner. The S&P 500 traded up 6 points, or 0.3 percent, at 2,055, with consumer staples leading nine sectors higher and energy the only decliner. The Nasdaq composite traded up 6 points, or 0.12 percent, at 5,043. About seven stocks advanced for every six decliners on the New York Stock Exchange, with an exchange volume of 46 million and a composite volume of 117 million in the open. Crude oil futures for January delivery fell 99 cents to $40.09 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures jumped $10.20 to $1,071.30 an ounce as of 9:36 a.m. On tap this week: Friday OPEC meets in Vienna 10:15 a.m.: Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker welcoming remarks at policy forum 11:45 a.m.: ECB President Draghi at Economic Club of NY 3:45 p.m.: St. Louis Fed President James Bullard on policy challenges 4:10 p.m.: Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota on policy renormalization *Planner subject to change. | 3 | 96,462 | finance |
A firebomb attack on a nightclub in Cairo early Friday killed 16 people and wounded three others, authorities said. Police were looking for two young male suspects. Egypt's state news agency says they were previously not allowed to enter. (Dec. 4) | 8 | 96,463 | video |
From professional football player to speaker and financial coach, Chris Hogan has been a staple among personal finance experts. The money guru once worked as vice president of a mortgage company and later turned to helping people successfully manage their money. As a finalist in the 2015 GOBankingRates "Best Money Expert" competition held in collaboration with Ally Bank, Chris Hogan offers this money tip for 2016: "The best thing you can do for your finances is to create a plan. Think about what your financial goals are and create a plan to reach those goals. The necessity of a plan sounds simple, but it is the one thing that many people overlook when it comes to their money. And a dream without a plan is simply a wish." Follow these five steps to apply Hogan's 2016 money tip to your life. From identifying key financial goals to paying down low balance debts, you can get your finances on track. Read: 12 Influential Experts Give Their Top Money Tip for 2016 1. Identify Your Financial Goals Hogan said it best: Without a plan, your goals are a pipe dream. In 2016, consider what you would like to do for the next few years, and how you can manage your finances to make your dreams come true. Whether you're saving for a house or car, as soon as you start mapping out what's in store for the new year, you'll see how much money you'll need to save and what other steps you'll need to take to reach those goals. Hogan suggested you set deadlines, allowing you to see upcoming milestones. Just make sure the budget you have laid out allows you to succeed. 2. Set Up a Budget Budgeting is one of the most essential parts of any money plan, yet about two-thirds of Americans don't have one in place, according to a 2013 Gallup poll. One essential step to developing a budget is to write out your monthly income and expenses, like rent, mortgage, car insurance and groceries, and compare them. Knowing how much you're spending in each category will help you identify where you're overspending. Cutting costs in certain categories, Hogan said in an ABC interview, is like getting a raise: "When you begin to give spending limits, it's like you've given yourself a raise. You've now given yourself some money you can begin to save or attack debt [with]." 3. Tackle Small Debts First As an associate of Dave Ramsey, Hogan is well versed in helping people reduce their debt. He suggested attacking low-level debt first: "The little $200 Home Depot store credit card? Knock that thing out, pay it off and get it out of your life, and then move to the next card." By paying off low-balance debts, you free up money you can put toward an emergency fund or other debts. By tackling debts with high interest, you also save yourself the money you would have otherwise put toward interest. Just be careful that as you free up more money every month you don't start increasing spending. Read: 5 Easy Ways to Pay Off Debt Before the Holiday Season 4. Build Up an Emergency Fund One of the biggest elements of making a better money plan for 2016 is making room for an emergency fund . Hogan suggested opening a money market account, which can help your savings grow. "Once you get out of debt," he said, "you need three to six months of money, however much it takes you to run your household, tucked away in a money market account for that rainy day." If you're struggling to make ends meet, set up a jar in the kitchen or bedroom and dump your change in it at the end of each day. Over time that money can help you curb the cost of an unexpected repair or other emergency. 5. Save for Retirement Even When You're Behind Thirty-six percent of American workers have less than $1,000 in savings and investments, not including their primary residence or defined benefits like pensions, according to a survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Sixty percent have less than $25,000 saved for retirement. J.P. Morgan, however, advises you have at least $55,000 saved for retirement by age 40 if you make $50,000 per year. By 50, you should have $115,000 saved. Don't worry if you've fallen behind in retirement savings. Even if you can't hit retirement savings checkpoints laid out by wealth advisors, the more money you save now will help reduce your reliance on Social Security when you're older. "There's still time on the clock," Hogan said in a YouTube video. "We just have to get focused." He advised you look to build additional income streams. Related: Chris Hogan Explains the One Thing We All Get Wrong About Retirement Whether you tutor on the side or sell a unique skill you have, generating additional income specifically for retirement is a great way to catch up when you've fallen behind. As part of your money plan for 2016, look to eliminate small debts holding down your budget, establish spending goals and a small emergency fund, and start contributing to your retirement. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 5 Ways to Make a Better Plan for Your Money in 2016 --- Watch: 65% chance of a US recession: Pro | 3 | 96,464 | finance |
When we think about productivity and efficiency, we often overlook a necessary precursor: Happiness. Not only are happy employees 12 percent more productive , depressed mood kills motivation, energy, and focus. For those of us who have firsthand experience, stats are unnecessary. Happiness can be a struggle for everyone (especially given the social media highlight reels to which we compare our lives), but as I see all the time in my work as a therapist, men have some additional hurdles to jump through: 1. Men are less in touch with their emotions, so they don't always know what's causing them to feel "off" By the time some men come into my office, they're in a bad place. Like really freaking depressed. Why? They've grown up being told not be pussies, so they've disconnected from anything that resembles a feeling, and aren't willing to acknowledge they're dealing with something until they've virtually mapped out a suicide plan. I'm not kidding. An uncomfortable feeling is like a little crack in a car's windshield. While women are more likely to pay attention to this crack before it gets bigger than a quarter, men tend to ignore it and drive until the entire windshield is spidered. By the time they bring it in to get fixed, they have to get the whole windshield replaced, when they could have just had it repaired if they'd attended to it sooner. 2. Men make things worse by creating a whole other layer of sh*tty feelings for themselves Since men are socialized to be strong, and independent, they create what we therapists refer to as "secondary" feelings if they perceive themselves to be anything other than "detached and cool." I'll illustrate: Let's say Sad Jim is sad because he moved across the country for a new job and feels lonely and isolated. These are called primary feelings. They're normal and healthy reactions to life. Related: 4 Strategies to Regulate Your Emotions in Stressful Situations But instead of empathizing with these normal feelings, he judges himself for being sad. 'Cuz men are supposed to be independent and strong! He says, "Don't be a little Bitch" under his breath. Now Sad Jim not only feels sad and lonely, he feels shame for feeling sad and lonely. He's created another layer of feelings -- secondary feelings -- because he believes he shouldn't feel sad. Maybe he reacts to the shame by snapping at his new co-worker. Anger, after all, is a more "manly" and acceptable emotion than sadness, but now his new co-worker thinks he's an asshole, and Sad Jim is even more isolated. Secondary feelings aren't reserved for sadness or loneliness. I see clients feeling anxious about feeling anxious, embarrassed for feeling excited, ashamed for feeling angry, etc. 3. Men have less support following breakups You know this scenario: Sean and his long-term lady, Rachel, break up. No cheating, no domestics; they just stopped having sex and felt like roommates. Still, they'd lived together for three years, and moving into a studio wasn't exactly a walk in the park for Sean. Their first night living separately, Rachel is engulfed by four close friends. They spend the next three hours (read: months) listening to her process the breakup, empathizing with what she's going through. Sean, on the other hand, hits the bar with buddies, where he proceeds to down ALL the tequila shots and wakes up with a terrible headache and a strange woman next to him. He picks up his phone to a congratulatory text from his buddy "Ya Boy! Guess you're over it!" From here forward, if Sean feels lonely or misses Rachel, he tells himself to get over it. Even if he wanted to honor his grieving process and talk about it, research on this subject suggests that he may not feel comfortable talking to his friends . Rachel was his confidant for anything emotional, and he's obviously not going to share his feelings with her. 4. Men feel societal pressure, too Think women are the only ones feeling the pressure to fit a mold? Our men were raised on James Bond and compare themselves to pre-scandal(s) Tom Brady. They often feel inadequate compared with these super-humans, and even more so if they don't do CrossFit. Not only are men expected to earn six figures and have the demeanor of a womanizing secret agent, they're expected to have the physique of one, too. If that seems like an outdated notion of masculinity, consider this: the frequency of eating disorders in men have increased rapidly -- 27 percent since 2000 -- potentially a sign that men more and more frequently see themselves as failing to live up to an ideal. Related: 4 Communication Habits That Will Make You and Others Feel Good 5. Men think seeking help equates to failure as a man Men are less likely than women to seek help from health professionals for depression, substance abuse, physical disabilities and stressful life events. They subsequently experience a suicide rate ratio of 4:1 , compared with women, as well as a shorter lifespan ( there are other factors that contribute to this , such as higher-risk occupations, more risk-taking behaviors, and more homicides). Why? Men feel ashamed to ask for help. The same process that occurs when asking for directions to the nearest Popeye's also happens when making an appointment with a counselor. Real men do it themselves , they think. 6. Men are more likely to get messed up as a coping mechanism Men are more likely to turn to substances for solace, and are twice as likely as women to become alcoholics . One potential explanation is that it's a lot of self-medication for the crap we talked about earlier. While women are busy getting professional help and talking about their feelings with friends, men are turning to the bottle (or worse) to deal with their stress and sadness. Although women experience higher reported rates of depression, men's higher alcoholism rates are likely an unsuccessful coping strategy attempting to deal with similar depression stats (the 4:1 suicide ratio supports this hypothesis). Of course, this reinforces a vicious cycle, because the aftermath of getting boozy or high is wanting to hide in a dark place and fast-forward the day. So how do we fix it? It's actually pretty simple. We need to recognize that men are humans, too, and have emotions. I know, this isn't exactly earth-shattering news. But think about it: if we quit raising boys in the shaming, stigmatizing "Be a MAN" way we do currently, and start permitting them to actually have feelings, we're going to see: Happier men Happier people in relationships with the men Happier workplaces ( emotional intelligence increases productivity ) Lower rates of substance abuse Lower costs on the medical system (physical and mental health) And that, my friends, should get you excited. But not too excited… you don't wanna emasculate yourself. | 4 | 96,465 | lifestyle |
The self-styled Islamic State raises millions of dollars every single month, so how does the terrorist organisation manage to raise such huge sums? | 8 | 96,466 | video |
A Bridgeport, Ct., mother and daughter, both with the same name, were arrested Thursday in a rather bizzare attempted home invasion in Orange. Arrested were Peggy Curtiss, 55, of Wood Avenue, Bridgeport and her 35-year-old daughter, also named Peggy Curtiss, of East Main Street in Bridgeport. The younger Peggy was charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief, breach of peace, first-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and attempt to commit sixth-degree larceny. The older Peggy Curtis, who will be celebrating her 56th birthday in nine days, was charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree and attempt to commit sixth-degree larceny. Here's how Orange police described what they called a "thwarted home invasion." The story begins around 11 a.m. Thursday, when police received a 911 call from homeowners living in the 900 block of Orange Center Road about a person they did not know who entered their home. "At first, this person walked through an unlocked door and started walking around the house. She was escorted outside by the homeowners, but then attempted to force her way back in. When the homeowners would not let her come inside again, the arrestee, the younger Peggy Curtiss, picked up a decoration from the front lawn, used it to break a window, and crawled in," Orange police posted on their Facebook page . "The homeowners left the house at that point. The complainants suffered no physical harm during this incident. "Officers arrived shortly thereafter and surrounded the house. Officers found the arrestee's mother, the older Peggy Curtiss, outside the residence in the driveway. She was subsequently taken into custody and charged." The story doesn't end there. With the mom in custody - the older Peggy Curtiss - officers made entry and found the Peggy the younger Curtiss in an upstairs bathroom, but she refused to comply with officers' demands to leave the room. Since Peggy the younger refused to follow officers' orders, they used a Taser on her to take her into custody. Peggy the younger was given medical attention and ultimately charged in the "thwarted home invasion." The two Peggy Curtisses were released on $50,000 pending a court appearance. | 5 | 96,467 | news |
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Skilled-trades workers at the Volkswagen's lone U.S. plant on Friday voted to be represented by the United Auto Workers, marking the union's first victory at a foreign-owned automaker in the South. The workers who specialize in repairing and maintaining machinery and robots at the German automaker's factory in Chattanooga voted 108-44 to have the UAW negotiate collective bargaining agreements on their behalf. The vote comes nearly 20 months after the union was narrowly defeated in an election involving all hourly employees at the plant. The UAW has been thwarted for decades in its attempts to represent workers at outside of General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler. Volkswagen had objected to the new vote for the UAW to represent just the 162 skilled-trades workers, arguing that all 1,400 blue-collar workers should have a say over union issues. "We believe that a union of only maintenance employees fractures our workforce and does not take into account the overwhelming community of interest shared between our maintenance and production employees," the company said in a statement. The German automaker said it plans to appeal the ruling allowing the vote to the full National Labor Relations Board. Ray Curry, the director of the UAW's Southern region, said the overwhelming win should persuade Volkswagen to drop its legal challenge. "We urge Volkswagen to respect the decision of its employees and recognize the local union as the representative of the skilled trades unit," he said at a news conference punctuated by the beeping car and truck horns of celebrating union supporters. The American Council of Employees, a rival labor group at the Volkswagen plant, in a letter to workers before the vote criticized the move to organize the smaller group of workers. The group said the effort would serve to "subdivide maintenance workers with no concern for how this might negatively impact employees' long-term interests." The group also criticized the union for seeking the vote amid the automaker's efforts to cope with its diesel emissions cheating scandal that contributed to a 60 percent drop in sales of the Chattanooga-made Passat in November. "Volkswagen and our facility are in the midst of a crisis," the letter said. "We need unity now more than ever." Mike Cantrell, the president of UAW Local 42 in Chattanooga, said the vote was announced weeks before cheating revelations surfaced. "The timing of the skilled trades election is unrelated to the Volkswagen emissions scandal," he said. Volkswagen also argued that the formation of the small bargaining unit goes against its hopes of creating a German-style works council at the plant to represent both hourly and salaried employees. The union disagreed, saying the move by the skilled-trades workers was just a first step. "We have said from the beginning of Local 42 that there are multiple paths to reach collective bargaining," Cantrell said. "And we believe these paths will give all of us a voice at Volkswagen in due time." --- | 3 | 96,468 | finance |
In a day when it seems that the most "out there" baby names dominate the playground, some parents long for the simple, elegant names of the past. If you're inclined toward old-fashioned names for your bundle of joy, then look no further! We've compiled a comprehensive list of names from bygone eras - from the 1920s to the 1960s, these monikers were some of the most popular options for new babies. Don't you think it's time that retro names made a comeback? Retro Girl Names Starting With . . . A Adelaide, Alice, Arlene B Bernadette, Barbara, Beverly, Bernice, Beatrice, Billie, Bonnie, Betty C Carol, Catherine, Clara, Constance D Dolores, Dorothy, Doris, Darlene, Dot, Daisy E Edith, Evelyn, Eleanor, Edna, Eloise, Ethel, Esther, Elsie, Elaine F Frances, Florence G Gloria, Geraldine, Gladys, Gertrude, Grace, Gail H Hazel, Helen, Hedy I Irene, Ida, Ivy J Judith, Josephine, Joan, June, Joyce, Jo K Katherine, Kate, Kitty L Lois, Loretta, Lillian, Louise, Lorraine M Margaret, Marilyn, Mabel, Marjorie N Norma, Nanette O Octavia, Olive, Opal P Phyllis, Patsy, Peggy, Penelope, Phoebe, Polly, Posey, Prudence, Priscilla Q Queenie, Quinn R Ruby, Ruth, Rose, Rhea S Sue, Shirley, Sylvia, Sophia, Susan T Theresa, Tabitha U Ursula V Violet, Virginia W Wilma, Wanda, Winifred, Willa Retro Boy Names Starting With . . . A Alfred, Allen, Arthur, Albert, Alvin, Arnold B Bernard, Basil, Benedict, Benjamin C Clarence, Carl, Clifford, Charles, Cecil, Clyde D Dale, Dennis, Donald E Earl, Ernest, Eugene, Elmer, Edwin F Francis, Frederic G Glenn, Gerald H Howard, Henry, Harold, Herbert I Irving J Jack, James, John, Jeffrey, Jonas K Kenneth L Lee, Leonard, Lawrence, Louis, Leo, Lloyd, Leon, Lewis M Martin, Marvin, Michael, Murphy N Norman, Neil, Nathaniel O Oscar, Otis, Oliver, Orson, Oswald P Paul, Pierce, Peter Q Quincey, Quentin R Ray, Ronald, Robert, Roger, Roy, Ralph, Russell, Randall S Samuel, Stanley T Terrence, Theodore V Vernon, Victor, Vincent W Walter, Wilbur, Wayne, Willie, Warren | 4 | 96,469 | lifestyle |
Mount Etna, Europe's highest volcano, burst back to life on Thursday, spewing huge columns of fire into the sky. Rough Cut (no reporter narration). | 8 | 96,470 | video |
Sweatpants are basically the most comfortable pants ever, so why not rock them all. the. time? Just snag these celebs' styling tricks for making sweats look as cute as they are comfy. | 8 | 96,471 | video |
Friday is the one day of the year when you don't have to be blue to be a cookie monster. It's National Cookie Day, an unofficial but delicious celebration of the sweet snack. The observance was reportedly launched in the 1980s by the Blue Chip Cookie Co., and it's still going strong today. Get your weekend started early by scoring a free cookie at one of these stores offering deals Friday: • At Insomnia Cookies , get one free chocolate chunk cookie with any purchase. Delivery minimums still apply, but the deal runs through 3 a.m. • At Great American Cookies locations, you can nab a free regular chocolate chip cookie. • At Whole Foods stores, you can get up to three chocolate chip cookies for 25 cents each. This promotion extends through Tuesday. • At ROCS convenience stores , you can get a free cookie if you sing "Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell ROCS. Jingle bells play on National Cookie Day!" • At Food City stores, you can get a freshly baked in-store cookie for free and two dozen cookies for $5 through Tuesday . • At Hot Box Cookies in Columbia, Missouri, you can get two free chocolate cookies if you follow the company on social media. The deal runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. • At Christie Cookies in Nashville , you can get free cookies from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. • At the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City, DoubleTree by Hilton hotel elves will be giving out cookies to tourists from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. • In Baltimore, GalleyFoods is giving out free gourmet cookies starting at 1 p.m. All you have to do is request one through the iPhone app. • At any Canada Subway location, get a free cookie when you claim the offer on Facebook . Can't get there in person on Friday? There are at least three online retailers running deals that just happen to coincide with Friday's holiday: • On the Blue Chip Cookies website , specials and gift certificates are 12 percent off with the coupon Joyful15. • On the Cheryl's website, everything is 15 percent off with the promo code CHERYL15 through the end of the year. • On the Mrs. Fields website , shipping is only $5 with the code DECDEALS. | 0 | 96,472 | foodanddrink |
If you like your all-new Ford F-150 enough to cook, sleep, and go to the restroom in it, you can now do so within a Ford-branded trailer or bed-mounted camper. Ford has announced a partnership to peddle campers and trailers with aluminum body panels and Blue Oval logos. Because camping quality is Job 1. Ford's first factory-authorized campers, built by Indiana-based Livin' Lite, arrive next year in six configurations for both short- and long-bed trucks. The roomier travel trailers and toy haulers (a travel trailer with a separate cargo area in the rear) will be sold in 22- and 24-foot lengths. Ford says the designs are unique, with a front window and wheels inspired by the F-150's, plus leathers that look sort of like those on the mid-range Lariat. Later, the Ford name will be stuck on gooseneck trailers and shorter pop-up trailers. All in all, it's a licensing deal that'll net Ford more money and ties Livin' Lite's existing aluminum-bodied trailers to Ford's massive investment in the lightweight metal. Ford hasn't announced pricing, but the smallest of bed campers can cost as much as a new base F-150, and trailers can soar above King Ranch heights. We're more fans of stuff like the classic VW Westfalia pop-ups, but hey, those things don't necessarily fly in the NASCAR infields. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook | 9 | 96,473 | autos |
JOHANNESBURG A day after South Africa's top appeals court convicted Oscar Pistorius of murder, prosecutors on Friday pushed for the Olympian runner to appear in court as soon as possible so that a date can be set for his sentencing. Pistorius must appear in the North Gauteng High Court "as a matter of extreme urgency," and the court will determine any bail amount at that time, said Luvuyo Mfaku, spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority. The Pistorius family has said its legal team will advise it on legal options following the murder conviction of Pistorius, who shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp to death in 2013. On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a lower court's manslaughter conviction of the runner. Pistorius spent one year of a five-year sentence in jail for the lesser offense and then was put under house arrest at his uncle's mansion in Pretoria in October. Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the door of a toilet cubicle in his home early on Valentine's Day 2013. Prosecutors said he killed her after an argument; Pistorius said he killed her by mistake, thinking there was an intruder in the house. Justice Lorimer Eric Leach of the Supreme Court of Appeal said that regardless of who Pistorius said he thought was behind the door, he should have known someone could be killed if he fired. Under South African law, a person can be convicted of murder if he or she foresaw the possibility of someone dying through their actions and went ahead anyway. | 5 | 96,474 | news |
10 Ways Cars Are More Connected Now 10 Ways Cars Are More Connected Now The connected car is the next step in the march toward perpetual connectivity in the Internet of Things. With smart thermostats, smart light bulbs, smart refrigerators, and smart phones, it was just a matter of time before the car caught up. Here are 10 ways modern cars are more connected now than ever before. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook Transmission GPS The Rolls-Royce Ghost and the newest BMW 7 Series both have a connection to those nifty satellites responsible for the global positioning system, which helps supplement the transmission, among other things. What business does a GPS have in a gearbox? Well, to those passengers in such rarefied air as the Ghost and 7 Series, ride quality is valued highly, so when your car, specifically your transmission, knows what kind of road lies ahead, it can get those potentially rough downshifts out of the way before the turn, hill, or other change in the pavement. This is about smoothness, and on the most luxurious sedans of 2015, it's what you deserve. Read More: 10 tech-happy compact cars Headlights GPS Linking the headlights with the GPS system isn't just adding technology for the sake of technology, though it can look like it. Adding the ability to anticipate turns and swivel the lights to illuminate them before the driver begins to turn the wheel significantly enhances driver safety. Read More: 10 Cool Automotive Lighting Features Suspension GPS GPS for your suspension? It's used to raise and lower the suspension of your car based on location. The Tesla Model S with the optional Smart Air Suspension, for example, can raise the car to clear a steep driveway every time you come to it. Sure, it's easy enough to press a button and raise the vehicle, but when it knows to do it because you've arrived home? It's the little things. Love car tech? 11 apps that will change the way you drive Infotainment Internet Connections Anyone familiar with the modern smartphone knows that they work through the cellular network to bring you all the Internet has to offer. Getting a car with Internet connectivity enables many of the same uses, such as navigation directions (if you didn't pay for the dedicated system), up to date restaurant recommendations and locations, and even streaming media. But why invest in what is essentially a smartphone for your car? One big reason is automatic emergency notification. You can't call for help if your smartphone flies out of your hand or cupholder in a crash. Your vehicle can call automatically, helping get first responders to the scene as quickly as possible. Read More: 11 Car Features We Can't Live Without Infotainment OTA Software Ever had to drive to the dealer to get an update for your car's infotainment system? Maybe you've been affected by the issue. Maybe not. But it's kind of a hassle. Another big plus is the ability to push an update over the air (OTA for mobile devices aficionados) and make small revisions to the software without needing to step foot in the dealership. This could also be used to patch holes in the car's security, which will be more of a concern as cars become more connected. Read More: The Real Costs of Connectivity Hyundai Virtual Guide (The Owner's Manual) How about an app on your phone that can supplement your owner's manual? Hyundai has done just that with their Virtual Guide (currently only on the Sonata), which makes finding information much easier than searching through the paper owner's manual, often more than 300 pages long. Not only is the information easy to find, but if you use the augmented reality feature, you can also literally see the information displayed on an overlay of your actual engine bay or interior. The future is now. Research Hyundai's Latest Models on MSN Autos Car-to-Car Communication The ability to have communication between cars on the road has been talked about for years, but it appears Mercedes-Benz will be the first to make it a reality. The next E-Class is said to take advantage of the technology with the ability to report hazardous conditions in real time to the cloud, which other nearby vehicles (we're guessing just Mercedes vehicles at this point) can access to warn their drivers to be on the lookout. With the connected future, it's only a matter of time before car-to-car is all over the market. Research Mercedes-Benz's Latest Models on MSN Autos Smartphone Apps There's a good chance that the manufacturer of your vehicle offers a smartphone application and an even better chance that if they do, it can do all sorts of handy things. Particularly noteworthy is the ability to check the charge level of Motor Trend's long-term Kia Soul EV without going outside to the charger or the option to unlock it should I accidentally lock the keys inside. Read More: 15 of the Most Indulgent Vehicle Options Infotainment Apps Did you think apps were just for your smartphone? Thing again. Many automakers -- Lexus, for example -- build some compatibility with certain apps into their infotainment systems, which allows owners to use supported apps with a friendlier interface. The Lexus Enform app suite includes Pandora, Yelp, and a few others. Aftermarket OBDII Dongles Instead of keeping your vehicles locked down by manufacturer-handicapped systems, the aftermarket is bringing connectivity to your 1996 and later cars with an OBDII port. This allows companies to develop interfaces that can collect data with various aims, such as aiding in vehicle maintenance or helping drivers save money via a driving-style analysis. Most systems have a 3G data connection, but some are starting to come out with 4G LTE support, which points the way to a more modern experience. If you've got an older car, you don't have to miss out on the connected experience. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook | 9 | 96,475 | autos |
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif./WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating this week's massacre of 14 people by a married couple in California as an "act of terrorism," officials said on Friday, noting that the female shooter had pledged allegiance to a leader of the militant group Islamic State. Tashfeen Malik, 27, a native of Pakistan who lived in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years, and her U.S.-born husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, were killed in a shootout with police hours after the Wednesday attack during a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center social services agency in San Bernardino, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Los Angeles. If the investigation does prove that the attack was the work of people inspired by Islamist militants, it would be the deadliest such attack in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001. Malik had pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in an online post, David Bowdich, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Los Angeles office, said at a news conference. "Based on the information and the facts as we know them, we are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism," Bowdich said. Asked about a reported Facebook post by Malik on the day of the attack pledging loyalty to Islamic State, Bowdich said, "Yes, there was a pledge of allegiance." But a U.S. government official said there was no evidence that Islamic State even knew who the shooters were. Islamic State, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, took claim for the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris in which gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130. Farook family attorneys said there was no evidence that either suspect had been associated with any terrorist group. They said Farook was an isolated individual with few friends, and there was no evidence that either suspect had extremist views. The family was aware that Farook owned two handguns and said coworkers had made fun of his beard, the attorneys said. The family described Malik as a "caring, soft-spoken" housewife. NO SIGNS OF A CELL The couple had two assault-style rifles, two semi-automatic handguns, 6,100 rounds of ammunition and 12 pipe bombs in their home or with them when they were killed, officials said. "The investigation so far has delivered indications of radicalization by the killers and of potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations," Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey told reporters in Washington. "We have no indication that these killers are part of an organized larger group or form part of a cell. There is no indication that they are part of a network." Bowdich also said the FBI was examining crushed cellphones found near the shooting scene. The couple may have been planning an additional attack, he added. Farook, born in Illinois to Pakistani immigrant parents, worked as an inspector for the San Bernardino County Department of Environment Health, the agency whose holiday party he and Malik are accused of attacking on Wednesday. Investigators are looking into a report that Farook had an argument with a co-worker who denounced the "inherent dangers of Islam" prior to the shooting, a U.S. government source said. The couple's landlord in the town of Redlands opened their townhouse to media on Friday, leading to a flurry of reporters and camera crews surveying the scene. The landlord later asked media to leave. The FBI's search of the home turned up no evidence to suggest they had been working with any foreign militant group, a U.S. government source said. PROBE EXTENDS TO PAKISTAN Pakistani intelligence officials have contacted Malik's family in her homeland as part of the investigation, a family member said. "I only found out about this tragedy today when some intelligence officials contacted me to ask me about my links with Tashfeen," Malik's uncle, Javed Rabbani, said in an interview. "I had heard in the news that this tragedy had taken place but I could never even imagine that it would be someone from my family. Of course, we are in shock." He said his brother, Malik's father, had become considerably more conservative since moving with his family to Saudi Arabia a quarter century ago. Tashfeen Malik had not come to the attention of authorities while living in Saudi Arabia, according to a source close to the Saudi government. She had moved back to Pakistan five or six years ago to study pharmacy, Pakistani officials said. Christian Nwadike, who worked with Farook for five years, told CBS that his co-worker had been different since he returned from Saudi Arabia. "I think he married a terrorist," Nwadike said. Twenty-one people were wounded in the attack, the worst gun violence in the nation since the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Farook had not been under surveillance by the FBI or any other law enforcement agency, Bowdich said, adding that there was no evidence that additional threats lingered following the shooting. | 5 | 96,476 | news |
Stocks are lifting 1 percent after the better-than-expected jobs data. How the Fed might read the data, with Lindsey Piegza, Stifel fixed income chief economist, and David Kelly, JPMorgan Funds chief global strategist. | 3 | 96,477 | finance |
Dwyane Wade turned back the clock Thursday as the Heat outlasted the Thunder 97-95 in Miami. Wade scored a game-high 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists and held Russell Westbrook to a manageable 25 points. MORE: All-time Miami Heat players | Craig Sager does another epic interview with Gregg Popovich Things haven't been easy for Wade, 33, this season, but he has scored 58 points combined in his last two games. "My job is to come in every day and help this team win," Wade said on TNT. "I like to see our young guys come in and step up in a big way, which is something they did tonight." First-round pick Justise Winslow is one of those young guns and even though he was held to two points, he held Kevin Durant to 25 points and made life difficult for the 2014 league MVP. MORE: All-Star Game jerseys, in photos | Execs say Rondo might secure max deal Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was still stressed after the game, which featured 38 lead changes the second-most in the NBA in the past 10 seasons. "My stomach's in knots," Spoelstra said, via NBA.com . "These guys love it. They love it. This is what you play for. Thursday night, at home, in Miami. The guys don't even feel the type of anxiety or pressure that we do. It's excitement for them." Miami (11-6) has the talent to make a deep postseason run, but will need to keep veterans Wade and Chris Bosh fresh to extend its season into June. Here's what else happened around the NBA on Thursday: Raptors get caught looking ahead toward clash with Warriors In case you haven't heard, Stephen Curry and the undefeated Warriors are headed to Toronto on Saturday. It appears the Raptors (12-8) were fully aware when they took the floor Thursday against the Nuggets, a game they lost 106-105. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with a game-high 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting, but the Raptors got little from anyone else. The Raptors need to figure out their shooting woes if they're going to hand Golden State (20-0) its first loss of the season. Will Barton, a possible candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, led Denver with 22 points. Nuggets center Joffrey Lauvergne scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes. Highlights Westbrook throws one down with authority: Thunderous Throwdown ⚡️ #NBAVine ⚡️ https://t.co/oSPe8DYjOy NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2015 Durant got in on the act as well: OUCH KEVIN. #NBAVine https://t.co/tUI9AgMzRL NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2015 Raptors guard Kyle Lowry hit a half-court shot at the buzzer ... to lose by one: Review (Williams): if Lowry's made FG was released before time exp. in Q4, #DENatTOR . Ruling: Upheld, shot counts. https://t.co/dLYidG2f5f NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) December 4, 2015 It turns out Gregg Popovich can enjoy an interview: Pop enjoying Craig Sager, not particularly thrilled with the @spurs shooting %. #NBAVine https://t.co/ntbyK5TEPC NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2015 Stud of the Night Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting in a 103-83 win against the Grizzlies. Leonard made a career-high seven 3-pointers as he continues to lead the Spurs on both ends of the court. He also grabbed eight rebounds, made two steals and had a block. Dud of the Night Pacers star Paul George came into Thursday on fire, but he left Portland's court with just 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting. The poor outing also included five turnovers in a 123-111 loss to the Blazers. What's next (all times Eastern): Suns (8-11) at Wizards (7-9), 7 p.m.: Both teams have disappointed to start the season, but they can electrify a crown on any given night. Phoenix's backcourt duo of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe has been in top form. Cavaliers (13-5) at Pelicans (4-15), 9:30 p.m. (ESPN): This game may look like a mismatch when glancing at the records, but the Cavs are coming off a home loss to the Wizards and the Pelicans are starting to get healthy. Plus, who doesn't want to watch LeBron James and Kevin Love square off against Anthony Davis? | 1 | 96,478 | sports |
Japan and the US vowed Friday to press ahead with the construction of a new air base on strategic Okinawa, and pledged to speed up the return of some land on the island where pacifist sentiment runs high. The announcement came just two days after Tokyo pressured Okinawa in court to try and force its governor to support the controversial transfer of a US Marine air base from one part of the island to another. Takeshi Onaga, the governor, opposes the move and argues that the rest of Japan needs to share the burden of supporting the country's decades-long security alliance with close ally the United States. He wants the unpopular Futenma air base, located in a crowded urban area and widely seen as dangerous to residents, to move off the island entirely rather than to a more remote and environmentally delicate part as pushed for nearly 20 years by Tokyo and Washington. US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy said Friday that Washington backed the existing relocation scheme, and argued that the planned return of US base properties to Okinawa should ease its burden. "The US government remains committed to executing this entire plan at the earliest possible date," she said in a joint announcement with Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. "We look forward to working with the government of Japan to make that happen." Under the announced deal, some sections of land now used by US forces, including on Futenma, will be returned to Okinawa as early as in fiscal year 2017, which Japan's top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun reported was at least five years ahead of an earlier timeline. But the land covered under the announcement accounts for less than one percent of the Futenma facility, Kyodo News said. Suga, meanwhile, emphasised the importance of "our alliance being further strengthened through steady implementation" of the base relocation deal The Japanese government and Okinawa fought in an initial court hearing Wednesday where Tokyo is suing to reverse Onaga's decision to stop the government from building the new US base. Okinawa, the site of a bloody World War II battle between Japan and the US, is considered a strategic linchpin for the countries as they face China's increasing military might and the regional threat of North Korean missiles. Okinawa, which makes up less than one percent of Japan's total land area, is home to about 75 percent of US military bases in the country and more than half of the 47,000 American military personnel stationed in the country. Residents have complained for decades about noise, crimes, accidents and other problems associated with the American military presence. | 5 | 96,479 | news |
US President Barack Obama switches on the National Christmas Tree with some help from actress Reese Witherspoon and a host of musical talent inclding Fall Out Boy, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Aloe Blacc. | 8 | 96,480 | video |
Eight college students in Singapore have built a real personal flying machine. TC Newman (@PurpleTCNewman) lets you know whether we will all be flying around like the Jetsons. | 8 | 96,481 | video |
Trace Gallagher reports from San Bernardino, California | 8 | 96,482 | video |
If you ever had the joy of opening up your Christmas presents in the morning and revealed a dog. Then you know the joy that these kids are experiencing. If you haven't, then you can live vicariously through this video and these adorable kids getting the surprise of a lifetime. | 4 | 96,483 | lifestyle |
Memphis has hired Arizona State offensive coordinator Mike Norvell to replace Justin Fuente, a person with knowledge of the process told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the school had not yet released the information publicly. Norvell, 34, has coached under Todd Graham his entire career but has ties to the region, playing at Central Arkansas and growing up in Texas. Though Arizona State had a disappointing season at 6-6, he has overseen some of the Pac 12's most potent offenses since going there with Graham in 2012. | 1 | 96,484 | sports |
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Jordan Woodard matched his career-high with 24 points to help No. 6 Oklahoma beat Central Arkansas 111-68 on Thursday night. The Sooners (5-0) posted their highest point total since 1996. Woodard made five 3-pointers in a 2:25 stretch early in the second half. The junior had never even attempted more than five 3s in a game. Oklahoma made 11 of their 13 3-pointers in the second half. Buddy Hield scored 19 points, Isaiah Cousins had 16 and a career-high 11 rebounds and Khadeem Lattin added a career-high 12 points for the Sooners. Oklahoma held the Bears to 38 percent shooting. Jordan Howard scored 16 points, Derreck Brooks had 13 and Jake Zuilhof added 11 for Central Arkansas (1-6), which lost its third straight. Oklahoma got off to a slow start, and Central Arkansas led 7-6. The Sooners got it going after that, though. A fast break layup by Hield pushed Oklahoma's lead to 30-13, and the Sooners led 54-24 at halftime. Hield and Cousins both scored 11 points in the first half. Lattin scored 10 points in the first half, surpassing his previous career-high of eight. Oklahoma outrebounded the Bears 28-14 in the first half and outscored them 20-2 at the free throw line. The 54-point was the most points Oklahoma had scored in a half since scoring 59 in the first half against Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 29, 2013. Woodard's barrage put the game further out of reach. The last of his five 3s gave Oklahoma an 80-36 lead. TIP-INS Central Arkansas: Coach Russ Pennell is the school's all-time assist leader with 341 from 1982-84. ... Pennell was the interim coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury in 2013, and he led the team featuring Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner to the Western Conference Finals. He took the job at Central Arkansas last season and went 2-27. Oklahoma: Ryan Spangler got off to a hot start for the third straight game, scoring six points in the first 6:05 to help the Sooners take a 15-10 lead. He had 11 points in the first 6:39 two games ago against Incarnate Word, then scored 10 points in the first 7:13 against Wisconsin. UP NEXT Central Arkansas plays at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Oklahoma plays No. 8 Villanova on Monday at Pearl Harbor. --- Follow Cliff Brunt (at)CliffBruntAP. | 1 | 96,485 | sports |
DETROIT The Super Bowl tops them all, of course. That fourth-down pass to Randall Cobb that put the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs after the 2013 season was pretty special, too. Now add to the list this, the 61-yard Hail Mary that not only won Thursday's game for the Packers but might very well have saved their season, too. WATCH: Rodgers-to-Rodgers Hail Mary "It's the greatest feeling," Aaron Rodgers said, still grinning after the Packers' improbable rally from 20 points down to stun the Detroit Lions 27-23. "… You live for days like this, to be able to have a chance at the end and then have something miraculous happen." Miraculous doesn't begin to describe it. For the entire first half, the Packers were inept, with so many things going wrong that coach Mike McCarthy could have been forgiven for checking the bench for locusts and frogs. Before the first quarter was out, they were down 17 points to the Lions. Yes, the Lions, the team that started the year 1-7 and has had two winning seasons over the last 14 years. Already down two starters on the offensive line, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga, they lost another when Corey Linsley re-injured his ankle. The drops and inconsistencies that have plagued them during a rocky five-week stretch, they were on fully display, too. But the beauty of sports is how quickly things can change. One series, one play, one throw and a script can get rewritten. "This counts as one win," McCarthy said. "But it feels like more." The Packers went into training camp a trendy pick for the Super Bowl. Jordy Nelson's season-ending knee injury was a serious blow, but so long as they had Rodgers they had enough weapons to still make it work. It did for the first two months. Green Bay won its first six games and, with the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles struggling, the Packers were the team to beat. BOX SCORE: PACKERS 27, LIONS 23 And then the wheels came off. There was a loss to the Denver Broncos that was even uglier than the score indicated. Next, there was the loss at the Carolina Panthers that could be costly come January. And the slump was capped by a stunning upset at Lambeau Field by Detroit, which hadn't won in Green Bay since 1991. A victory over the Minnesota Vikings was supposed to get the Packers back in a rhythm. Four days later on Thanksgiving, they lost at home to the Chicago Bears, spoiling Brett Favre and Bart Starr's emotional return to Lambeau. Already a game behind Minnesota in the NFC North, a loss at Detroit would put them in playoff bubble territory, with nothing to indicate they'd be digging themselves out of the hole anytime soon. "We knew we just kind of needed to make one play," Rodgers said. "In those situations where you're really struggling on offense, there's sometimes just one play that kind of galvanizes the team and gets you going in the right direction." Rodgers said that play was tight end Richard Rodgers' 26-yard catch on third-and-10 midway through the quarter to extend what would be Green Bay's first scoring drive. But everyone knows it was that other long pass to Richard Rodgers. Getting the ball back with only 23 seconds left, there was time for three plays. The first two fell incomplete. The third looked like something one of the Rodgers had resurrected from the Cal playbook, with Aaron Rodgers connecting with James Jones, who lateraled to Richard Rodgers, who lateraled back to Aaron Rodgers. But then the Packers seemed to run out of plays and out of hope - until Lions defensive end Devin Taylor reached out and pulled Rodgers down by his facemask. Games can't end on penalties, so the Packers were gifted one last chance. With the ball at his own 39, Rodgers knew he needed to give his receivers time to get to the end zone. He scrambled to buy time, moved outside to his right and let then let fly. In the end zone scrum, Richard Rodgers a basketball player in high school outjumped everyone to snag the ball out of the air. "I bet the statistic was over 99% we weren't going to win that game," Aaron Rodgers said, grinning again. "Just takes a little miracle like that." Rodgers sprinted toward the end zone with his hands in the air while the Packers bench streamed onto the field. It's the kind of celebration you don't normally see in the regular season but, given that's likely as far as the Packers season would have gone without this win, it was understandable. "It's a division win," McCarthy said. "It's an important win." It doesn't fix the many problems the Packers have, of course. They are still wildly inconsistent offensively, as evidenced by the two halves Thursday. The receivers aren't getting open and they may as well be allergic to downfield. The running game is either feast or famine, and Eddie Lacy appears to be back in the doghouse again. The offensive line looks more like a MASH unit. But they have hope. Even better than that, they once again have a chance. Follow Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour . | 1 | 96,486 | sports |
While the holidays should be a season of cheer and goodwill, the mass consumerism can leave people feeling a little disenchanted. The ick factor gets even worse when you think about all the bloated corporate stockings you'll be stuffing with the presents you buy from companies that don't care about their employees, the community, or ethics. Thanks to Corporate Responsibility Magazine's annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens list , you can rest assured you're not supporting any corporate deviants by only shopping with companies that have the best reputations for doing good. Corporate Responsibility Magazine scores 1,000 of the largest public US companies based on more than 300 data points gathered from publicly available information related to corporate responsibility. It then tallies the total scores in each of seven categories like philanthropy, human rights, employee relations, and environmental and ranks the companies accordingly. Here are some of the top ranking companies you might shop with this year: 1. Microsoft The tech giant ranks No. 1 on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's overall list thanks to it's No. 2 environmental ranking and No. 1 rankings for human rights and philanthropy. "Microsoft recognizes that as a leading technology provider with global operations, our business can help to promote or be used to impede human rights," it says on the company's corporate citizenship page . "We accept the important responsibility we have to respect human rights and we aim to bring the power of technology to bear to promote respect for human rights throughout the world." 2. Hasbro The toy and board game maker ranks No. 2 overall and for human rights. According to its corporate social responsibility policy , the company is committed, among other things, to supporting children in need through community investments and requiring its suppliers and licensees to provide fair and safe working conditions for all workers. 3. The Gap The clothing company ranks No. 24 overall, with high marks for employee relations (No. 4) and human rights (No. 9). The company reports that in 2012 it began to review its initiatives, strategies, and partnerships with a focus on improving working conditions in its supply chain. "We took stock of what we have accomplished, where we have fallen short, and where we believe we must go," the report reads . 4. The Clorox Company The Clorox Company, which owns brands like Burt's Bees and Brita, ranks No. 37 on the list overall, but came in the top 10 (No. 9) for employee relations. The company's corporate responsibility efforts include workplace diversity. "At Clorox, we value and encourage differences. We've found that new ideas for growth bloom when employees have the freedom to express their unique points of view," the company reports . 5. Nike The athletic-wear company comes in at No. 38 overall, with decent marks across the board. It's strengths lie in corporate governance and employee relations. Corporate governance scores come from a CEO's total compensation, the percentage of board members that are independent, whether there are female members on board, and if the company regularly discloses the amount of corporate contributions it has undertaken. 6. Mattel The toy manufacturer ranks No. 25 for human rights and earns an overall score of No. 42. 7. Procter & Gamble The maker of Braun electric razors and Oral-B electric toothbrushes ranks No. 51 overall and pulls a rank of No. 31 for employee relations. Employee rankings on Glassdoor would appear to confirm the company's positive treatment of its people: Procter & Gamble receives a score of 4 out of 4 for benefits and 3.8 out of 4 overall. 8. PVH While the global apparel company that owns brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and IZOD ranks No. 77 overall, it comes in at the No. 2 spot for human rights. According to the company website , PVH met with more than 2,800 sourcing partners, suppliers, and associates in seven countries to introduce program updates that would affect more than 700,000 workers worldwide. 9. Target With an overall rank of No. 75, the popular retailer ranks No. 30 for employee relations and No. 35 for human rights. According to the retailer's career page , team members are often encouraged to innovate, and the employer earns a score of 3.2 out of 4 from employees on Glassdoor for benefits and its overall treatment of its people. 10. The Walt Disney Company With an overall rank of No. 32, The Walt Disney Company's score comes in large part from its No. 8 rank for employee relations. With approximately 166,000 global employees, the company received a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign on its 2015 Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality list. 11. Whirlpool Corporation The home appliances manufacturer and marketer of brands like Whirlpool, Maytag, and KitchenAid earned a rank of No. 79 overall, with its highest marks coming from its environmental rank of No. 48. Whirlpool positions itself as a company with an ongoing commitment to protecting the environment as part of its business operations. "We accept our responsibility to develop high-performance appliances that conserve the earth's resources and help homeowners do the same," its website reads. | 3 | 96,487 | finance |
(Bloomberg) -- Richard Branson is finding a new use for an old Virgin Atlantic jumbo jetliner: to fling rockets to orbit. Virgin Galactic, the commercial space company founded by the billionaire, plans to send small rockets inflight from the Boeing 747-400 nicknamed "Cosmic Girl" that it purchased from Branson's airline. Branson is among the entrepreneurs vying to shake up the $6 billion commercial launch business known for years-long waits to loft $200 million satellites. Instead of firing large boosters from conventional pads, the new rocketeers are working to loft smaller craft from planes and remote locations in Texas or the South Pacific. "Air launch enables us to provide rapid, responsive service to our satellite customers on a schedule set by their business and operational needs, rather than the constraints of national launch ranges," George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic's chief executive officer, said in a statement Thursday. The commercial jet replaces WhiteKnightTwo, a twin-hulled carrier vehicle that will still be used to hoist a suborbital tourist craft. Virgin's SpaceShipTwo venture has been grounded since a training accident killed a pilot last year. Instead, Virgin's LauncherOne rocket will be mounted under the 747's left wing, adjacent to a position used by other jumbos to ferry a fifth engine, the company said. The spacecraft's payload has been doubled to ferry 200-kilogram (440-pound) payloads to orbit for less than $10 million. Newcomers like Virgin Galactic have the potential to slash prices in a field attuned to government contracts and dominated by traditional aerospace powers like United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin Corp. venture, and Europe's Arianespace SA, according to Marco Caceres, director of space studies for Fairfax, Virginia-based consultant Teal Group. To contact the reporter on this story: Julie Johnsson in Chicago at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edward Dufner at [email protected] Bruce Rule, John Lear --- Watch other video on related company: Virgin Atlantic CEO: Focus on essence of innovation | 3 | 96,488 | finance |
A man and his young son play golf in the house. The man acts as the tee, holding the ball on the pin in his mouth. His son works on his swing. He holds the golf club steady and takes a huge swing. His calculations are off because he hits his father's head instead of the ball. | 4 | 96,489 | lifestyle |
The Wild shut out the Maple Leafs 1-0 Thursday. Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves and record his fourth shutout of the season in the win. | 1 | 96,490 | sports |
As we enter the final month of the 2015 NFL Season, here are 15 storylines to keep an eye on the rest of the way. Will Jeff Fisher Be Out in St. Louis? With the amount of talent on the defensive side of the ball, and the addition of Nick Foles and Todd Gurley, the Rams were supposed to be a sleeper pick to contend for a playoff spot in the NFC. Instead Fisher's team sits at 4-7, Foles has been absolutely terrible, and the defense underachieved. The talent seems to be there, but the team may need a new head coach to send a different message. Who Wins the NFC East? Although we are entering Week 13 and the Cowboys sit at 3-8, they are only two games behind the division-leading Redskins. It'll be interesting to see if one of the four teams can get hot or if we'll have another 7-9 division winner. Which Team Wins the AFC South? After both teams started the season off horribly, the Texans and Colts have both hit their stride. The month of December will determine which team represents the AFC South in the playoffs. While I love what Matt Hasselbeck has done for the Colts, I trust J.J. Watt and the Texans' defense a little bit more. Will Mike Pettine Return to Cleveland? At this point, you'd have to think the answer is no. But then again, this is the Browns we are talking about. With the lack of talent on the roster, I would expect owner Jimmy Haslam to clean house and bring in an entire new front office and coaching staff. Will J.J. Watt Win Back-to-Back Defensive Player of the Year Awards? Watt leads the NFL in sacks with 13.5 through eleven games. In the last month, Watt and the Texans' defense has put the team on its back and currently has them sitting in the AFC's second Wild Card spot. Is This It for Peyton Manning? After partially tearing the plantar fascia in his left foot, Manning was replaced by Brock Osweiler. He's now led the Broncos to two straight wins. If Osweiler continues to play well, there's no way Gary Kubiak will go back to Manning, healthy or not. With Manning unlikely to move on to another team next season, he could very well call it quits. Does Chip Kelly Keep His Job? Although the Eagles sit at 4-7, they are only one game out of the NFC East lead. If Kelly can somehow lead his team to the playoffs, then he will definitely keep his job. If not, it could very well be up in the air. What Happens With Greg Hardy? Early in the season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was talking about giving a long-term extension to Hardy following the season. As the season wore on, and Hardy began to draw more negative attention, the rhetoric changed from the Cowboys' camp. If Hardy doesn't get an extension from Jones, I'm not sure he'll get one from any other team. Who Wins NFL Rookie of the Year? It seems to be a three-horse race between Amari Cooper, Todd Gurley and Jameis Winston. If Winston somehow leads the Buccaneers to the playoffs, he has to get the award. If not, I would lean towards Amari Cooper, who is having one of the best rookie receiving seasons ever. Can Adrian Peterson Break 2,000 Yards? Through 11 games, Peterson has rushed for 1,164 yards on 237 carries. That means he would have to average just north of 167 yards rushing per game over the last five weeks. It sounds like an impossible task, but Peterson is the type of guy that can do it. Can Julio Jones Break Marvin Harrison's Record for Receptions in a Season? Jones has 94 receptions, which means he needs 50 receptions to break Harrison's record of 143 set in 2002 in the next five weeks. It's certainly within reach, especially with Matt Ryan's tunnel vision for his No. 1 receiver. Will Johnny Manziel Return to Cleveland? With his blatant ignorance for authority with the Browns, it seems likely that Manziel will be traded during the offseason. It will be interesting to see which teams would be willing to trade for the former first-round pick considering his off-the-field struggles. Who Wins the NFL MVP, Cam Newton, Tom Brady or Someone Else? Newton and Brady have set themselves apart as the two favorites to win the NFL MVP award. The last month will have a major impact over which quarterback will win it, or if another candidate will enter the race. How Will Injuries Affect the New England Patriots? The Patriots dodged a bullet with Rob Gronkowski avoiding a serious knee injury last week, but the receiving corps as a whole is depleted. Gronkowski will likely miss a couple weeks, Danny Amendola is questionable for Week 13 and Julian Edelman is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. At some point, you'd think the Patriots would begin to feel the affects. Then again, they do have Tom Brady. Can the Carolina Panthers Run the Table? With the Panthers sitting at 11-0, the question of whether they can run the table becomes more and more prominent with every victory. The Panthers have the Saints, Giants, Buccaneers and two games against the Falcons remaining in the regular season, that's certainly not murderer's row. The real question will be how successful can the Panthers be in the playoffs? | 1 | 96,491 | sports |
Leaning over a table in what looked like the basement of a YMCA, Donald Trump signed copies of his latest contribution to the human race, Crippled America, for 90 monotonous minutes. The event began at 7:30pm, exclusively hosted at LiveSigning.com, where the entry price was a $25 signed copy of the book. Throughout the hellish broadcast, riddled with the sounds of Trump's sharpie pressed against glossy paper and the low hum of an air conditioner | 8 | 96,492 | video |
We have the latest reaction to the Packers last-second victory against he Lions on Thursday. | 1 | 96,493 | sports |
A man is determined to prove that he can fit into a cardboard box. He starts by holding the sides of the box while a woman helps him out. He jumps into the box. Instead of fitting, he creates a giant rip in the sides. He falls over and face plants into a couch. | 8 | 96,494 | video |
Moments after the Green Bay Packers stunned the Detroit Lions 27-23 , quarterback Aaron Rodgers was given a chance to sum up what just occured. "This is the most amazing game of my life," Rodgers told CBS' Tracy Wolfson. Rodgers, who was given an untimed down after a facemask call, heaved the ball into the end zone and tight end Richard Rodgers was able to haul it in. "I blacked out," the quarterback said. "I don't know what happened." | 1 | 96,495 | sports |
With the Atlanta Braves in rebuilding mode, it's likely they will look to trade their most valuable assets for the right return. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons has already been dealt, but two that fit that same mold are first baseman Freddie Freeman and starter Shelby Miller. Braves GM John Coppolella has denied the trade rumors surrounding Freeman . Miller, however, appears to be on the table -- if a team matches the Braves' asking price. The New York Yankees reportedly aren't one of those teams. A "person with knowledge of the situation" has informed the New York Post that the Braves and Yanks have discussed Miller, but that was early: "The Braves talked to the Yankees before they moved [Andrelton] Simmons. It wasn't a good fit then, and it remains that way if the Yankees aren't going to include some of those prospects.'' "Those prospects" refer to the team's three highly-valued youngsters in Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino. As the Post goes on to note, if he is dealt, Miller's two likely landing spots are either with the Chicago Cubs or Arizona Diamondbacks. The two teams could certainly benefit from a pitcher of Miller's caliber -- moreso the D-backs, who will rely on Patrick Corbin and...not much else at the top of the rotation. Reports have previously stated that the Braves covet Jorge Soler of the Cubs and A.J. Pollock with Arizona. Miller had an awful 6-17 record in 2015, but carried a 3.02 ERA and 3.45 FIP. In games that the Braves scored 0-2 runs, Miller maintained a 2.91 ERA. He has started at least 31 games in each of the last three seasons. The 25-year-old Texas native is under club control through 2018. | 1 | 96,496 | sports |
If it feels like the Seahawks defense isn't as dominant this season as it was a year ago, feel free to trust your instinct. Statistically, the group lags behind in virtually every statistical category compared to last season, when it was the tops in the NFL in points allowed, yards allowed and passing yards allowed. But the latest group still ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in yards per game (324.9, fourth), pass yards per game (232, ninth), rush yards per game (92.9, fifth), and points per game (20.2, eighth). It's not like they've been terrible. The core of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril is still in tact and healthy. All were present for the back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl. Much of the blame for the overall drop-off has been directed at the Legion of Boom. The Seahawks have struggled to cover tight ends (see Carolina's Greg Olsen, Cincinnati's Tyler Eifert and San Francisco's Vance McDonald). Chancellor sat out the first two games. They lost both. Cornerback Cary Williams, the biggest off-season signing, has struggled. Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the LOB allowed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to throw for 456 yards -- most ever by a Seahawks opponent -- but they also had four interceptions (two came from backup quarterback Landry Jones) in a 39-30 win at Centurylink Field. On Thursday, defensive coordinator Kris Richard said the defense can limit explosive plays if it trusts the scheme. The Seahawks primarily work out of a Cover 3 zone. It's a basic defense, but it's success is contingent on how well players move in conjunction.When one player shifts, the others are supposed to shift. Each move is coordinated. "Really we can fix the issue if we just get back to being disciplined and to where we're supposed to be on the football field," Richard said. "We got to make sure we do a great job of staying on the reservation. We can not go rogue." "I think it's just human nature at it's best," he added of the struggles to stay disciplined. "If we were perfect out there in football nobody would score any points... it comes back to how long we can maintain our discipline and keep the integrity of the defense." The Seahawks don't blitz often -- partly because they can generate pressure with their front four. According to Football Outsiders , they're actually blitzing less through 11 games (22.2 percent) than they did last season (26.6 percent), but causing about the same amount of pressure. It begs the question: why the overall drop-off? For one, the Seahawks have faced some of the NFL's best teams/quarterback in Carolina's Cam Newton, Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, Arizona's quarterback Carson Palmer and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers. The offense, sans the past two weeks, struggled to keep the defense off the field late in games. But it's not like they shut down Niners quarterback Blaine Gabbert last month. "If there's no trust, there's no accountability, ability, we can't contain a quarterback," free safety Earl Thomas said. "Everybody has a set job, especially in this defense. We're playing a single safety high, eight men in a box, and everybody has a set role." Williams, after being signed to a three-year, $18 million contract this offseason, was benched in the third quarter of 20-3 win over the Niners. He has yet to regain his spot after struggling to learn the step-kick taught to members of the Seahawks secondary. He wasn't on the Seahawks active roster against the Steelers. Asked Wednesday if he'll be active against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Carroll said "we'll have to wait and see." "He's battling right now. He's still a part of our group," Richard said. "There's nothing guaranteed for anyone. We all understand that. He's battling right now to essentially seize his spot back. He's come back out here with a great attitude, locked back in, focused back in, so everybody's competing." DeShawn Shead started last week in his place, defending four passes and making 10 tackles. He will start again next Sunday when the Seattle faces the NFC-North leading Vikings. "I thought he played really well," Richard said. "For a guy who went out there his first time, he knew a target was going to be on his back... He had four pass breakups in it. That's remarkable." Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news . Contact sports reporter Adam Lewis at adam [email protected] or @AdamLewisPI . | 1 | 96,497 | sports |
Everyone knows Kobe is one of the best to ever play, but did you know even opposing team's owners let him have full run of the facilities? Way too long for 140 characters, but here's the Kobe story Dwyane Wade told me: This was last month, the night before the Heat hosted the Lakers here in Miami. Wade decided to stop by the arena and get in a soak in the cold tub. He goes through the Heat's locker room area, back over to the training room, and who is already just sitting there in the tub...Kobe Bryant. Wade told me in the 13 years he's played for the Heat, he's never ever seen Pat Riley let an opposing player into the inner sanctum like that, using the team's facilities, and that frankly, he was shocked. Of course, that's the respect that Kobe has earned, and the two old friends had a great, long talk. At the end of it, Kobe asked Dwyane if his sons were coming to the game the next night. Dwyane said no, as it was a school night, and Kobe said, 'you know what, bring them, I think it's going to be my last time here.' Dwyane brought the boys, they got a lifetime memory after the game taking pictures with Kobe, and the Wade family got a little sneak-preview of Kobe's retirement announcement before anyone else. Perhaps more interesting than getting to run around American Airlines Arena, Kobe knew weeks ago he was done and he took time out to give Dwyane Wade's kids a moment they'll never forget. Maybe the Black Mamba's heart is bigger than we thought. | 1 | 96,498 | sports |
CENTRAL, S.C. Dressed in jeans, a flannel shirt and a camouflage baseball cap, Danny Ford drove an all-terrain vehicle from behind his house toward a herd of cows. They greeted the 67-year-old former Clemson football coach with a chorus of moos. "They're hungry," Ford said with a drawl as thick as his protruding belly, and he might as well have been appraising not just the cows but the ravenous Tigers Clemson Tigers, that is. Ford whet their collective appetite 34 years ago when he led Clemson to its first and only national championship. Now, with Clemson ranked No. 1 in the polls for the first time since Ford's team won the 1981 national title, the coach remains a symbol of glory and something of a mystery. At 33, he became the youngest football coach to win a national championship. At 50, he was out of football. On most college football Saturdays over the last 17 years, Ford has been on his 174-acre farm that is home to about 140 cows, 10 horses and three dogs. "I don't know how many cats, possum, rabbits, squirrel and deer," he said, "but we got some of them, too." On some Saturdays, Ford listens to Clemson games on the radio while on his all-terrain vehicle, Bobcat loader or tractor. This year, with Clemson at 12-0 and poised for a spot in the College Football Playoff with a win Saturday vs. North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, Ford's mind has wandered during the games from life on the farm to life on the sidelines. "You naturally think, 'What if I was there,' " Ford told USA TODAY Sports. "You're always thinking if you're going to get back in, whether you do or you don't. You always wonder what it would be like. "Would I have liked to have coached another 10 years? Sure. Another 20? Sure, if we'd still be winning." Few programs were winning like Clemson was under Ford. From 1979 to 1989, his teams went 96-29-4, won five ACC titles and looked in position to compete for another national championship. Then Ford lost a power struggle with Clemson's administration and, with the football program facing NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations for the second time in Ford's 11-year coaching tenure, he stepped down. In those 11 years, Ford had the third-best winning percentage among active coaches, behind Nebraska's Tom Osborne and Penn State's Joe Paterno, and was on pace to rank among the all-time greats. "He would have been right there at the top," said Grant Teaff, the retired Baylor football coach who later became executive director of the American Football Coaches Association. "He would've come away as one of our very most successful coaches." Teaff is among those who note that Ford was never directly implicated in the NCAA rules infractions. And lingering suspicions did not keep Ford from becoming head coach at Arkansas in 1993, when the school hoped he could work his magic as Arkansas had recently joined the Southeastern Conference. It turns out feeding cows, fixing fences and collecting firewood would've been much easier. Ford was 26-30-1 in five seasons at Arkansas before being fired in 1997 and returning to the farm, but Teaff remained a Ford backer. "On several occasions I told athletic directors that one of the guys that should be really looked at seriously is Danny Ford," Teaff said. "I had often wondered about" why Ford never returned to coaching. Teaff is not alone. These days it's hard to know if even Danny Ford knows for sure. During a recent breakfast at a Waffle House a short drive between his farm and Clemson, Ford dug into biscuits and gravy, powered through sausage and eggs and chewed up present-day college football. He expressed disbelief that Missouri football players, with the backing of their coach no less, would boycott until the school president resigned. Or that a star player Ford did not want to identify could publicly criticize his coaches and not be disciplined. "He wouldn't have the pleasure to play again if I was coaching," Ford said. "We'd have his equipment out of the room before then." He also griped about shoddy blocking and tackling, lamented coaches who overstayed their welcomes and suggested maybe high-paid coaches should be forced to retire after 25 years. If he had been coaching rather than on his farm for the past 17 years? "I'd probably have been dead by now," he said. This year Ford got a pacemaker and stint for an artery that was 85% blocked, he said. That hasn't sidelined him on the farm, where Ford works up to six hours a day, but as far as coaching goes … "It's a young person's occupation. The cows can't talk to you like players do," he said with a grin. Though Ford spends a good portion of his day talking with his buddies about college football, maybe the game has passed him by. But how did 17 years pass by before he reached this point? Ford acknowledged one potential factor was the NCAA violations. Less than a year after Clemson won the national title, the NCAA banned the football program from TV appearances and bowl games for two years and took away 20 scholarships sanctions for recruiting violations that took place between 1977 and 1982. The NCAA put the program back on probation again in 1990 the penalty for 14 rules violations, ranging from cash payments to players of $50-$150 to improper recruiting techniques. Two weeks after the NCAA charged Clemson with the second set of recruiting violations, Ford resigned. Ford said it was fair to assume certain schools refused to consider him as a candidate because of the rules violations. But almost as quickly, he added, "I had other opportunities to coach, and that's all I'll say." Ford played offensive tackle for legendary Bear Bryant at Alabama from 1967-69 but had another love. After realizing he wasn't good enough for the NFL, Ford took a job as a graduate assistant under Bryant. If not on the practice field or in the football office, odds were he was at a cattle sale. Growing up, Ford's family dabbled in farming. They kept chickens in the backyard and occasionally slaughtered hogs and enjoyed visiting an uncle's farm, where Ford's dad kept a few cows. Years later, Ford went to cattle sales and watched, surveying the heifers like a football coach scouting receivers and running backs. Ford figured his future was in football, especially after he got the head coaching job at Clemson at 31. But soon after, he secured a farm from the university with the promise of extra land for every year he stayed at Clemson. Fittingly, the farm sits on Refuge Road. Because while Ford enjoys mingling, whether at church, a Clemson tailgate or a speaking engagement, he takes refuge on the 174-acre farm. His roots deepened during the first two years after he resigned in January 1990. But when Arkansas called in 1992 and asked him to join the football staff as a consultant, which led to the head coaching job the next year, Ford left his cows to be cared for by a friend who agreed to live on the farm. As the years passed, Ford said it became more difficult to leave the farm. It's one reason he made an unusual, if not desperate, offer. In November 1998, Ford saw an opening. Clemson was 2-8 heading into the season finale when coach Tommy West was fired. Max Lennon, the ex-Clemson president and Ford nemesis, was gone. Ford consulted some close friends and acted. He publicly expressed interest in the job and said he'd coach the team for free. "For what Clemson had done for me, I would try to return the favor and help them in any way I could help them. That was my thinking in that situation," Ford said. He never heard from school officials. Over the years, Ford said, he spoke to three schools about the possibility of becoming their head football coach. He declined to go into details, but one situation is undeniable. In November 2004, he got a call from Terry Holland, then athletics director at East Carolina. Holland and Ford had been friends for more than two decades, but this was about business. Holland asked Ford if he'd consider coaching the Pirates. The school had just forced the resignation of John Thompson, who won three games in two seasons. Thompson would remain for the season's final two games, but Holland wanted to get started with the search for a new coach. So began talks with Ford. "We thought it was a long shot, but we thought it was at least worth exploring," Holland told USA TODAY Sports. "He seemed to fit East Carolina in terms of the kind of school we are and the kind of football program we wanted as well." But did a return to the college football life fit Ford? Deborah Ford suggested the strain of being a coach's wife particularly the wife of a coach expected to win championships and one who had contended with NCAA investigations became intolerable. Too much pressure. Too little privacy. And Danny Ford said taking a head coaching job without the support of his wife would have been untenable. "That was an issue," Holland said of Ford's family concerns. While Deborah can't recall the timing, she said she did reach a point when she supported her husband's return to coaching. Holland said that after two weeks he assumed Ford wasn't interested. And, of course, that's when he got a call from Ford, who was expressing serious interest. But a few days earlier, Holland quietly offered the job to Skip Holtz, son of legendary coach Lou Holtz, after giving up on Ford. "We called Danny and talked to him a long time before we ever even started talking to Skip," Holland said. "But he just wasn't quite willing to commit himself so we started looking at other folks and interviewed Skip and really liked him and felt like he could do the job here." Holtz accepted the job and guided East Carolina two Conference USA titles, four bowl games and a 38-27 record in five seasons before he left for South Florida. "It turned out well," Holland said. "But I still always wonder what would've happened if Danny had" taken the job. In a quiet moment on his farm, Ford said, "I've learned there are more things in life than being a football coach, and a lot of people never learn that." | 1 | 96,499 | sports |
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