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The early '90s found Keanu Reeves trying to escape his Bill and Ted success with more artistic and often more serious films, to mixed results. One standout failure was Much Ado About Nothing, which involved Reeves trying his hand at Shakespearean comedy. Reeves actually had a little bit of faux-Shakespearean success in 1991's My Own Private Idaho, but it was a medley of genres and the part relied on Reeves' particular brand of dull-eyed handsomeness. In Much Ado About Nothing, Reeves was cast as the the evil brother of Denzel Washington's good-natured prince. It is a funny film, but Reeves' couldn't accomplish villainous menace or actual humor. The film got good reviews, but not Reeves, whose performance earned him aGolden Raspberry that highest of bad acting honors. | 8 | 97,300 | video |
Community members gathered on Sunday at a makeshift memorial near the location where two suspects were gunned down after killing 14 people in San Bernardino. (Dec. 6) | 8 | 97,301 | video |
Folks in Denver and Chicago express their views on the San Bernandino shooting. | 8 | 97,302 | video |
Ads pop up and play automatically, daring readers to shut them down with feats of fine motor control. The ads commandeer the screen. They expand and contract. They cover the text and refuse to budge. And then there is the dreaded X the one that invites you to close the ad yet seems impervious to repeated clicks of the cursor or the jabs and thrusts of even the most powerful fingers. (Perhaps you have tried a hammer?) Sometimes the ads dance and move across the screen, forcing the user into a hot pursuit of the X. "How many times have you hit the X and it doesn't work?" said Tony Weisman, the chief executive of the digital agency DigitasLBi North America. "Now it's just a cruel joke." Sign Up For NYT Now's Morning Briefing Newsletter Online advertisers and consumers have tried to outmaneuver each other since the early days of the web with sellers continually finding ways to prolong engagement with ads and users trying equally hard to avoid them. But the cat-and-mouse game has reached a critical point, especially as devices have gotten smaller: Ads have become so annoying, consumers and industry executives say, that they could sink the Internet if they were not also helping support it. "Ads are getting more pervasive and more difficult to easily get past," Mr. Weisman said. "We are just destroying the user experience." On desktop computers, ads have turned web pages into mazes. A recent visit to Salon.com, for example, meant fending off expanding banner ads and navigating video ads that played automatically. Sponsored posts and animated display ads filled each page. On tablets and smartphones, the problem is more acute. Ads dominate the smaller screens, and many ads are not formatted correctly because of out-of-date technical language. The X button can be so tiny that clicking it requires a fair amount of luck. Industry executives often cite a 2012 report that said up to 50 percent of advertising clicks on mobile were accidental. Annoying ads have become problematic for Anthony Martin, a 32-year-old consultant for a project management firm who sat in Bryant Park on a recent Monday afternoon, iPhone 6 in hand. He had moved to New York not long ago, he said, and was using a smartphone app to determine the best subway routes. But as soon as the app loads, ads take over his screen first a banner ad on the bottom, then a full-screen ad. No amount of desperate jabbing does the trick. "Sometimes I miss a stop," he said. "Especially with fat fingers." Industry executives say it is quite likely that publishers and mobile developers are deliberately building ads that are hard to escape or shut down. "The ones that are incredibly invasive are designed to be that way," said Brian Gleason, the global chief executive of Xaxis , a media and technology company owned by the advertising giant WPP. Mike Pilawski, vice president for product at Vungle , which builds and serves mobile video ads, says some advertisers ask Vungle to make the whole screen clickable at the end of the ad not just the X or other specific buttons which would make the ad difficult to close. He says Vungle refuses to do that, but it does design ads with X buttons in the top left instead of the usual top right. The switch confounds some users, though he insists that is not the intent. Bad web ads have deep roots. According to Ethan Zuckerman, who helped invent the pop-up ad in the 1990s, those behind the early Internet turned to advertising out of necessity. "There were so few people online, and the Internet was so new, and everybody still thought it was a fad," he said. "It would have been hard to convince anybody to put money down." Pop-up ads were intended to give advertisers a way to separate their message from the web page. (This became especially important, Mr. Zuckerman's story goes, when a car company became upset after it bought a banner ad on a page about anal sex.) Advertisers soon began tracking web users and serving them targeted ads. Later, companies like Rocket Fuel and Rubicon Project started selling technologies that automated this process, which eventually helped decrease the price of online ads. But cheap online ads squeezed publishers, who responded by cramming more aggressive ad formats onto their sites to secure enough revenue to stay alive. During this time, the technical language that publishers used to build their sites became more advanced, allowing them to design highly creative, interactive ad formats far beyond flashing banner ads and static pop-up windows. Many publishers have shifted to HTML5 the latest language for coding web pages which helps them create new ad formats like expanding banners that push the page's contents downward from the top. Online readers end up caught in the middle, forced to withstand a constant stream of intrusive ads. Making matters worse, the ads and the technology behind them are bogging down the web. The worst ads load so slowly that they use up data plans and sap battery life. Ghostery , which makes a plug-in that identifies and blocks online tracking tools, reported 76 trackers on Boston.com 's home page one day last month, with names like Datalogix, LiveRail and NetSeer. (The New York Times had 39 on the same day.) "The publishers have been forced into situations where they will allow much more than they used to," said Mr. Gleason, of Xaxis. On The Atlantic's site last month, for example, a full-page video ad for the aircraft manufacturer Airbus played automatically, looped repeatedly and required readers to "Scroll down to continue to The Atlantic." Some ad executives wondered if the ad aimed, apparently, at the elite few who are in the market for planes was placed in error. A spokeswoman for The Atlantic, however, dismissed the possibility, writing in an email that the ad was sold directly and was intended "to reach The Atlantic's large and highly influential audience." Matt Sussberg, vice president for sales at Salon, said in an emailed statement that the site was trying different ad formats to meet the needs of readers as well as advertisers. "We've been working on creative ad solutions for our clients as a way to fund the incredible journalism that we provide on a daily basis," he said. "Salon is balancing the needs of our users with the needs of our clients. We are always tweaking the ad solutions we offer." Many web users are willing to put up with the ads to get the content they want or to find and buy the merchandise they are seeking. Ads do serve a purpose beyond just stoking frustration. But many consumers are fighting back. A rising number are installing ad blockers on both desktop and mobile. In September, Apple enabled ad blocking apps in its new mobile operating system, iOS 9, and many soared to the top of its App Store chart. Google blocks Flash ads on its Chrome browser. Most industry executives recognize that bombarding consumers with intrusive ads is potentially undermining the business model that supports much of the web. Larry Page, chief executive of Alphabet, Google's parent company, recently said the industry needed to produce ads that were "less annoying" and "quicker to load" and many publishers are now reconsidering their advertising models. Eleanor Cleverly, the general manager of Boston.com , said the site was reducing the number of display ads on its pages and adding more native ads and sponsored articles. It has already started stripping away ads on its mobile site. But for Boston.com and many other publishers simply doing away with ads is not a viable solution. "If we're going to offer our editorial news reporting for free, we're going to have some sort of sponsor for that," Ms. Cleverly said. Still, she added, "I don't think begging a reader to keep ads on the page is any conversation we can start." | 3 | 97,303 | finance |
The Hurricanes beat the Coyotes 5-4 on Sunday. Justin Faulk scored the go-ahead goal after Martin Hanzel committed a penalty. Kris Versteeg had a ridiculous spin-o-rama goal. | 1 | 97,304 | sports |
Every Sunday night, GOLF.com conducts an e-mail roundtable with writers from Sports Illustrated and Golf Magazine. Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below. 1. Tiger Woods gave the most revealing interview of his career when he sat down with Lorne Rubenstein for a TIME.com piece , which was published last week. What was the most surprising or illuminating thing you learned? Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated ( @AlanShipnuck ) : That Tiger has a lot of friends in the media he has dinner with. I queried every scribe I know - many who have been covering Woods since the 1990s - and not one has ever eaten a meal with him. But on the whole it was an interesting interview. Cameron Morfit, senior writer, GOLF Magazine ( @CameronMorfit ): I'm surprised he views his Navy Seal physical toughness negatively as well as positively. He always prided himself on that trait, but seems to realize those Ws in which he played through pain led to his current problems. Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Lorne asked Woods about where he finds peace. Woods's answer: "I would have to say that, probably, my only peace has been in between the ropes and hitting the shots." An impressive and obviously truthful answer, but one that will present challenges for him for the rest of his life, because those opportunities, to really get lost in the cocoon of competition, will become fewer and fewer. SIGN UP: More golf news, exclusive stories and insider analysis Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated ( @GaryVanSickle ) : That Tiger has a lot of friends in the media and has gone to countless dinners with them. I'm guessing he meant Golf Channel media. And I'm not counting Notah Begay as media yet. Brendan Mohler, assistant editor, GOLF.com ( @bmohler09 ): That this interview happened at all I think teaches us a lot about who Tiger Woods currently is. He's let down his guard in what seems to be an attempt to come to terms with the inevitable end of his career. Woods himself appears to be trying to figure out just who he is after golf is taken away as a major factor in his life. I think the following admission is the most telling thing Woods has ever said: "My only peace has been in between the ropes and hitting the shots." 2. In a span of a couple of days last week we heard from Tiger during a somber press conference in which he indicated that he has started to come to terms with his mortality and then again in the lengthy TIME interview. What do you make of this new, more candid version of Woods? SHIPNUCK: It's a welcome change, Tiger accepting the obvious instead of mouthing tired platitudes about being *this* close or saying he's playing to win when he's having trouble breaking 80. I see all of this as Tiger recognizing that he has a lot of fence-mending to do with the public if he wants to transition into a beloved elder statesman in the game, as his hero Nicklaus has done. MORFIT: Tiger has had a lot of time to reflect, and the holidays are a time for that anyway. What stood out for me is Tiger insisting he was never all-consumed with winning 18 or 19 majors to tie or break Nicklaus's record. To me that looks like a guy who's already trying to spin his career narrative, in case it really is over. Sad. BAMBERGER: Growing up. A cynic would say he's being cooperative because now he has to be, with his game and career in tatters. But I don't think that's it. I just think he's maturing. VAN SICKLE: I'm looking forward to him being this candid on a regular basis, if that's what is going to happen. Look, he's had a lot happen and he was asked a lot of what-if stuff and he tried to answer as best he could but he just doesn't know. I'm not opposed to defining "I don't know" as more candid but it's a step in the right direction. We've got a lot of mileage with Tiger not being candid at all to forget before I can get too excited. But I like it so far. MOHLER: I think Woods has realized that he needs to take on a different public persona now that he can't simply rely on his ability and excellent record to describe who he is. As more of a spectator now than someone who constantly contends, he needs to appeal to fans in a different way. His television commentary during the Hero World Challenge was brilliant; I'd love for him to spend more time in the broadcast booth. 3. Bubba Watson tied the course record at the Hero World Challenge on Saturday (until Justin Rose broke it on Sunday) and wrapped up the title on Sunday, beating runner-up Patrick Reed by three. With two green jackets to his name and mind-bending talent, why doesn't Bubba get mentioned in the same breath at Jordan, Jason and Rory? SHIPNUCK: Partly because he lacks the same week-to-week consistency, but Bubba says that's his goal going forward, to be in contention more regularly. I wouldn't bet against the guy - his talent is truly awe-inspiring, and ever so slowly he's figuring out the rest of it. MORFIT: Bubba has overachieved, in my opinion. To borrow a line from Tiger last week, anything else is just gravy. Keep in mind this is a guy who didn't win in college or on the Web.com, and who dislikes crowds. BAMBERGER: Because he's so weird. VAN SICKLE: Bubba didn't get mentioned because he didn't contend in a major and Jordan Spieth blotted out the sun with his Grand Slam chase. Between him and Jason Day's finish and Rory's ankle, Bubba couldn't buy a headline. Pretty much like Chris Christie or Mike Huckabee. MOHLER: Bubba's record deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as guys like Jason, Rory and Jordan, but he may be the streakiest player of the bunch. And unlike the other three, Bubba's actions during bad days on the golf course call attention to his game for the wrong reasons. At his best, Bubba is as exciting to watch as anyone playing right now, but he creates a polarity among fans that's unmatched by the "Big 3." 4. A new PGA Tour rule will require players to add at least one new event to their schedules that they did not play in during the previous four seasons. This new policy, which will be put in place in 2016-17, won't apply to players who compete in 25 or more official events during the current or previous season. Sensible rule? Or too much policing? SHIPNUCK: It doesn't go far enough. When he was the most famous human on Earth, Michael Jordan had to visit every NBA arena every year, no matter how small the market or crappy the team. PGA Tour fans deserve better - if a tournament is played under the Tour's aegis, it should have many if not most of the biggest names, every time. The solution is for the Tour to trim a lot of the fat from its schedule; I'd much prefer 25 great tournaments a year to the current bloated schedule where so many weeks lack headliners. MORFIT: Seems like a good rule. The stars can make or break tournaments; this was especially true in the Tiger era. Just look at what happened to the great International (RIP) outside Denver. BAMBERGER: A good idea in theory but terrible in practice. Yes, it will be good to see some of the other events get support. But the whole premise of the PGA Tour is pure, pure capitalism, for the players trying to keep their playing privileges and for the Tour events trying to get the best fields possible. You want better players? Offer a better purse, a better course, better practice facilities, better hotels. This is a socialist nod that is not in the spirit of what the Tour at its core represents. VAN SICKLE: It's a sensible rule considering the millions that sponsors are asked to dole out. Some players will be inconvenienced, perhaps, so hey, play your 25 and go where you want. Easy solution. It's a rule that is long overdue. MOHLER: Very sensible. On the surface this rule may seem like too much involvement on the Tour's behalf in a player's roster of events. But there's hardly any incentive for players to compete in events that they normally don't, and that deprives fans in certain areas and hurts events with weaker markets. Hopefully this will lead to fans seeing the game's top players competing more often in events like the Northern Trust (Riviera) or AT&T Pro-Am (Pebble Beach), or those hosted at classic courses that get lost among the PGA Tour's endless schedule. 5. Sports Illustrated will announce its Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 14. Jordan Spieth is one of the 12 finalists, among the likes of Steph Curry, Serena Williams and American Pharaoh. Make the case for Spieth. SHIPNUCK: He had one of the best seasons of all time, and he did it with tremendous class, sportsmanship and good cheer. He has become the apple-cheeked face of an entire sport, at the tender age of 22. In fact, this is one of the rare times Spieth's youth might work against him: I can imagine our brain-trust is thinking they'll have plenty of other opportunities to give it to Spieth and may snub him this time around, when there are lots of other strong candidates. MORFIT: He was THE story in sports as he went for his third straight major at the Open in July. That isn't easy to do. He thrilled when he won (a lot) and even when he finished 2nd or T4, as at St. Andrews. He dominated at Augusta like Tiger did in '97. He was superb from beginning to end and was so good it hardly mattered that Tiger was way off and Rory was laid up with a bad ankle. That's not easy to do, either. BAMBERGER: I can't do better than Josh Sens did on GOLF.com. I refer you to it. But Spieth should absolutely get it, for what he did on the course, for how he carries himself off the course and for his generous spirit. A true sportsman. VAN SICKLE: Nobody galvanized their sport in 2015 the way Jordan Spieth did, and he was not a name the country knew before 2015. He's a household name now and he nearly did something that only Tiger Woods had done in modern times--win three straight majors. It didn't happen but he was close. Who else changed their sport? Only Jordan. MOHLER: No golfer has won the honor since Tiger's three-major season in 2000, but, Woods also won the award in 1996 after winning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors, his third consecutive U.S. Amateur, the NCAA title and low-am honors at the British Open. Spieth's 2015 was bigger than that, but I'm afraid his competition (Serena, the KC Royals, the triple-crown winning American Pharaoh) is too tough to beat. 6. Discouraged that his ball was in a poorly raked bunker and that he had to lay up on the 18th hole of the Nedbank Challenge on Saturday, Henrik Stenson picked up his bag and slammed it to the ground. What's the angriest reaction you've seen from a Tour pro? SHIPNUCK: Stenson has a bunch of them! But Tiger is my choice, and it came in private at the 2000 American Express Championship. He was bidding to join Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead as the only players in history to win 10 or more times in a season. But on Valderrama's absurd 17th hole he hit it in the water three rounds out of four, including Sunday, when he made double bogey there and then a bogey at 18, costing him a chance at victory. Afterward I followed Woods into the locker room - I was the only person there except for his agent, Mark Steinberg. Now, keep in mind this is 2000, the greatest season in golf history. But Woods was so steamed he took off his golf shoe and started wailing on his bag. Five or six times, as hard as he could. I couldn't believe how violent it was. Or that he cared that much. But that's Tiger. MORFIT: Well, we saw two pretty good fits this year in Rory and John Daly flinging clubs into the water. But as far as pure anger no one was hotter than Keegan Bradley and Miguel Angel Jimenez at the WGC-Match Play. That was bizarre. BAMBERGER: Oh, I've seen a lot. At the Spanish Open, years ago, a fine Argentine player, Armando Saavedra, missed a shorty and slapped himself so hard across his own face he left a mark. VAN SICKLE: I've seen helicopters galore and drop-kicked clubs. While it wasn't the angriest, nothing beat Woody Austin hitting himself over the head with his putter. I can't remember if it bent badly or broke but it was funny because it was caught on video and every one of us has thought about doing just that. Some of us did, some of us didn't. It was a genuine golf moment. MOHLER: Woody Austin has orchestrated some of the best tantrums on Tour, but the most memorable came at the 1997 Verizon Heritage. This is the only instance I can remember of a golfer breaking a golf club on his head , and for that reason deserves to be re-lived. The Tour Confidential roundtable continues Monday on our new weekly show hosted by Jessica Marksbury. Tweet her your questions @Jess_Marksbury . | 1 | 97,305 | sports |
USA TODAY Sports' Nicole Auerbach examines the four teams who will compete for the national championship. | 1 | 97,306 | sports |
For the second time in three weeks, the pregame show for the top series on primetime television had an interruption to its programming schedule. Of course, there's quite the difference between a NASCAR rain delay and a speech from the President of the United States in the Oval Office. The timing of President Obama's speech wasn't an accident 8 PM ET Sunday evening, arguably a time when the maximum number of people are in front of their televisions. Naturally, all the networks broke in, even NBC. Interestingly enough, the President concluded his remarks before the SNF game began. The White House knew that if he went much longer than 15 min, the networks would've gotten antsy, especially NBC https://t.co/nPRpueoabk Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 7, 2015 I know this will shock you, but there were a number of people who were appalled that the President of the United States would dare to interrupt their regularly scheduled football programming. There were also people appalled at the appalled people. Then there were people making jokes. Instead of feeling sorry for humanity, let's focus on the jokes. This is Twitter. This is America. As always, these are Real Tweets from Real People… OBAMA: Finally, when you use Draft Kings next week, use the promo code "POTUS" and get a discount on entry fees. Scott Brooks (@Scotty_Brooks) December 7, 2015 @realDonaldTrump Obama is going to show us his Fanduel team and brag to us that he started Cam Newton and Allen Robinson. Alan Marks (@AlanInRaleigh) December 7, 2015 Would have enjoyed it if Obama then hit us with a "Are you ready for some football" at the end of that speech. Hepp (@aaronhepp80) December 7, 2015 If Obama cuts into Sunday night football, I'm voting for trump. Samuel Adams (@samueladams97) December 7, 2015 All I could think while watching Obama: "We interrupt this public affairs program to bring you a football game." pic.twitter.com/tzmfBC2mq9 Brian Murphy (@Spokes_Murphy) December 7, 2015 If Obama cared about America, he would have done his address at NBC halftime in place of the weekly Costas scolding we normally get. TremendousSkullet (@STLSlowMo) December 7, 2015 NBC went straight from Obama on ISIS to Pittsburgh football stadium, where a dog was jumping rope. That's what makes America exceptional. michaelscherer (@michaelscherer) December 7, 2015 The NFL is the most powerful entity in sports and entertainment and consistently produces the highest ratings on television…. but not even Roger Goodell and the shield are bigger than the POTUS. Let's just be glad the President didn't wait till halftime and try to fit his message inside Hines Ward's 30 seconds of airtime. | 1 | 97,307 | sports |
Asian share markets bounced on Monday after Wall Street welcomed an upbeat U.S. jobs report that suggested the world's biggest economy was well placed to handle an expected first increase in interest rates in almost a decade. Oil prices were near their lowest since 2009 in the wake of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' decision to keep production high despite depressed demand. Brent was last down 15 cents at $42.85 a barrel, while U.S. crude lost 42 cents to $39.55. Stocks had no such problems and Japan's Nikkei climbed 1.2 percent in early trade. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.2 percent while Australian stocks added 1.2 percent. This week, the focus will switch to a bevy of Chinese data which are expected to show a sluggish economy. Trade figures are due on Tuesday, followed by inflation on Wednesday and industrial output and retail sales on Saturday. On Wall Street, the Dow had rallied 2.12 percent on Friday, while the S&P 500 gained 2.05 percent and the Nasdaq 2.08 percent. The gains followed a U.S. payrolls report that showed employers hired 211,000 people in November while even greater numbers joined the workforce. All but one of the primary dealers polled by Reuters expect the Federal Reserve will hike next week [FED/R], while futures markets imply around an 80 percent probability. Yet extreme market positioning and a lack of liquidity led to some counterintuitive moves, with the dollar ending the week lower while Treasury yields actually fell. "So while the Fed's decision is shaping as somewhat of a done deal, how the market reacts to a Fed hike still contains an element of uncertainty," said David Cannington, a senior economist at ANZ. "The logical reaction - a stronger U.S. dollar and modestly higher U.S. interest rates - may not be what transpires, at least not initially." Indeed, currency markets were still reeling from last week's savage rally in the euro which saw its biggest one-day rise in more than six years. So swift was the move that dealers suspect many investors were unable to exit their short positions and were now hoping desperately for a pullback to sell into. Yet that in turn gave other speculators reason to keep the euro from falling, perhaps why the single currency suffered only limited losses on the U.S. jobs report. On Monday, the euro was holding at $1.0878, off last week's $1.0980 peak but still far above the $1.0538 low. The dollar fared better on the yen, up at 123.24 from as low as 122.44 on Friday. Against a basket of major currencies, the dollar was steady at 98.316. (Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Shri Navaratnam) | 3 | 97,308 | finance |
Former U.S. airman Jack DeTour, 92, and Japanese fighter pilot Shiro Wakita, 88, sworn enemies during World War Two, together poured whiskey from a battered canteen into Pearl Harbor on Sunday to commemorate the 1941 attack on the U.S. naval base. As the sun rose over the USS Arizona Memorial, the two former enemy pilots joined the "Blackened Canteen" service on the eve of the 74th anniversary of the Dec. 7 attack, which took 2,403 lives and drew the United States into World War Two. Standing side by side after meeting for the first time ever, retired Air Force Colonel DeTour and former Imperial Japanese Navy Zero Pilot Wakita together gripped the war-torn U.S. military-issue metal canteen and poured whiskey into the watery grave of the U.S. Navy ship sunk by Japanese bombers. Now a symbol of friendship, the scorched war relic was recovered in 1945 in Shizuoka, Japan after two B-29 U.S. bombers collided overhead. The 23 Americans killed were buried alongside Japanese citizens who died in the bombing raid. Found among the wreckage was the blackened canteen, filled with whiskey, and it was kept in Japan to remember loved ones lost. Since the 1980s, Japanese residents have regularly brought it to Pearl Harbor for the ceremony aimed at maintaining peace. "To know we have this friendship is great. It's fantastic," said DeTour, who wore a purple flower lei over his dark suit. DeTour now lives in Honolulu and was a young man from Oregon when he joined the military in 1942. There were no Pearl Harbor survivors among the World War Two veterans attending this year's canteen ceremony, said Gary Meyers, spokesman for the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. The last surviving officer from the USS Arizona, Joseph Langdell, died on Feb. 4 in California at age 100. An internment service for Langdell, who was a 27-year-old ensign sleeping in quarters on shore when the surprise attack was launched, will take place at Pearl Harbor on Monday. At the canteen ceremony, Dr. Hiroya Sugano, director of the Zero Fighter Admirers' Club, said he keeps the canteen in his possession and carries it to the ceremony each year because it is a powerful symbol. "The blackened canteen is an inspiration for peace," said Sugano. (Writing by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Andrew Hay) | 5 | 97,309 | news |
NEENAH, Wis. An attorney says the man killed during a standoff at a motorcycle shop in Wisconsin was a hostage who died while fleeing the gunman. Milwaukee lawyer Cole J. White, who says he is representing the family, on Sunday identified the dead man as 60-year-old Michael Funk of Neenah. White says he got the identification from state authorities and from Funk's wife. Police say officers fired at a man who did not drop a weapon after leaving the building, but that he also may have been shot at from inside the building. Police have not announced the name of the man. Shots were reported at Eagle Nation Cycles in Neenah Saturday, along with a report that hostages had been taken. A man was taken into custody after hours of negotiations. | 5 | 97,310 | news |
Cheyenne Woods, the niece of 14-time major champion Tiger Woods, was among 20 players to qualify for the 2016 LPGA Tour after Sunday's final round of the five-day qualifying event. Woods, 25, shared 11th last year at the event to qualify for the LPGA, but made only eight of 17 cuts this year in her rookie LPGA campaign to finish 125th on the money list, her best finish a share of 24th at Phoenix. By sharing 13th this year on six-under par 354 after a closing 69, she will have another chance to keep her card based on prize money next year. "Congrats to @Cheyenne_Woods for getting her LPGA tour card today," tweeted Tiger Woods. Woods is on good form, sharing second at the Women's Indian Open in a recent Ladies European Tour event. China's Feng Simin won the event with an 18-under 342 for 90 holes. There was a playoff for the final two spots available between three players who finished 90 holes on 356. China's Yan Jing and Thailand's Benyapa Niphatsophon qualified while American Christine Song missed out. | 1 | 97,311 | sports |
With the introduction of Doomsday in the latest trailer for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, fans are wondering if the end of superman is near. Spoiler alert: It is incredibly unlikely that they will kill Superman in this film. Henry Cavill is already listed as one of the stars of Justice League Part One, which will start filming fairly soon and will follow Wonder Woman on DC's release slate. The odds are very low that, while introducing and setting up the rest of the League, Warner Bros. will want to spend time trying to figure out how to revive a Superman left dead at the end of Batman V Superman. Another reason against the death of Superman is that it is too early to kill him. Superman's death at the hands of villain Doomsday in comic book storyline The Death of Superman happened after developing the DC Universe and characters. | 8 | 97,312 | video |
If you've watched any NFL games this year, you probably know Cam Newton likes to give touchdown balls to young fans in the stands. Well, two game officials in the Panthers-Saints game two! tried to deny a young fan that experience by keeping the ball away from Newton after he threw a 13-yard touchdown to Ted Ginn Jr.! MORE: 5 reasons why Cam Newton should be MVP | Cam Newton celebrations LMAO THE REF JUST DISSED #CamNewton #Panthers pic.twitter.com/eKVHn9Fq7H DJ HEER (@JovanHeer) December 6, 2015 It wasn't the first time someone has tried to stop Newton from making a fan's day. The Packers' Julius Peppers also stopped Newton from giving a ball to a child in the stands. But Newton in much the same way he treats defenders refused to let them keep him from his mission. MORE: Cam Newton stays in the game after taking blow to the head An all-around nice move by Newton. | 1 | 97,313 | sports |
The Mavericks defeated the Wizards 116-104 on Sunday night. Wesley Matthews tied his career-high with 36 points, making 10 three-pointers, while John Wall went for 28 points and 10 assists. | 1 | 97,314 | sports |
Obama says ISIL wants us to see the war on terror as a war between America and Islam. | 8 | 97,315 | video |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Golden State's first game against the Nets went down to the wire, and the rematch seemed headed the same way. With one of his electrifying flurries, Stephen Curry changed things in a hurry. BOX SCORE: WARRIORS 114, NETS 98 Curry scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter and the Warriors ran their NBA-record start to 22-0 by beating Brooklyn 114-98 on Sunday night. Coming off consecutive 40-point games, Curry was having a relatively quiet and even puzzling night -- he missed his first three free throws -- before helping the Warriors regain control against a team that nearly beat them this season and looked capable of finishing the job this time. "Just trying to see if I could get some room and figure out a way to impact the game," Curry said, "and things started to click." They sure did, as Curry scored 11 points and threw a lob for Festus Ezeli's slam during a 15-4 run to close the third. "That's what great players can do. Plus, he has a great team," Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. "He doesn't have to go out there and do it all the time. Last night he had 44. Two nights ago when they were in Charlotte he had 43. When he needs to he can and when he doesn't need to he takes a backseat to those guys." Draymond Green added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Klay Thompson scored 21 for the Warriors, who won their 26th in a row overall in the regular season, one behind the 2012-13 Miami Heat for the second-longest streak in NBA history. Down 75-70 with 3:10 left in the third, the Warriors were soon ahead 96-85 early in the fourth. "It's one of our biggest strengths, is that we're never out of a game and we're always one little run away from putting a game away," coach Luke Walton said. The Warriors equaled another NBA record, tying the 1969-70 New York Knicks for the best road start at 12-0. They visit Indiana on Tuesday. Thaddeus Young had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Brook Lopez scored 18 for the Nets, who had their four-game home winning streak snapped. Lopez missed from point-blank range at the regulation buzzer on Nov. 14 and the Warriors beat the Nets in overtime at home. Walton said the Warriors let the Nets have too good a start in that one, when Brooklyn scored 36 points in the first quarter. This time, Golden State bolted to a 9-0 lead and the only reason its 30-16 advantage after one wasn't bigger was because the Warriors were just 5 for 14 at the free throw line -- with Curry missing all three. But with a season-best 38 points on 78 percent shooting in the second period, the Nets trimmed it to 57-54 at halftime, then moved ahead in the third. Ezeli had 12 points and Leandro Barbosa 11 off the bench. TIP-INS Warriors: C Andrew Bogut was back in the starting lineup after missing Saturday's victory at Toronto with back spasms. ... Walton said starting forward Harrison Barnes is improving from a sprained left ankle. "They said he looks better, he's slowly getting better, and we'll look forward to getting him back out there to help us win," Walton said. Nets: With owner Mikhail Prokhorov in attendance, the team opened a six-game homestand, its longest since moving to Brooklyn in 2012. The Nets' last longer one was seven games in February and March 2011. ... Nets rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson missed the game with a sprained right ankle. Bojan Bogdanovic started in his place. MORE HISTORY AWAITS Curry made a 3-pointer in his 86th consecutive road game during the regular season and can match the NBA record Rashard Lewis set from 2007-09 with one Tuesday. FROM THE CRIB TO THE COURT Hollins said he has known Walton since he was a baby. Hollins was a former teammate of Bill Walton, Luke's father, in Portland. "I love Lionel. He was the best," Luke Walton said. "Him and his family used to come down and stay at my dad's San Diego house and we'd hang out with his kids, and now it's kind of fun to be coaching against him on the other side." UP NEXT Warriors: At Indiana on Tuesday. Nets: Host Houston on Tuesday. | 1 | 97,316 | sports |
NEW ORLEANS You never really know exactly when something that is either completely absurd, ridiculously unpredictable or just flat-out weird is going to go down at any given NFL venue. That's the world we live in. Even happens in Foxborough, Mass. So it's no wonder that the Mercedes-Benz Superdome must have felt like a giant-sized Panther trap for the only undefeated team left in the league. Forget the records. The New Orleans Saints, four-and-whatever, clearly had something to play for on Sunday they could rain on the Carolina Panthers' parade, like a good division rival would. It almost happened. BOX SCORE: PANTHERS 41, SAINTS 38 VIDEO: Panthers-Saints highlights The Saints jumped to a 14-zip lead, and the inexplicable stuff piled up with the breaks not flowing Carolina's way. An iffy Jonathan Stewart fumble in a pileup (wasn't his knee down?) was run back for a touchdown. A questionable Greg Olsen catch was ruled a fumble. A Graham Gano extra point was blocked and returned the other way for a two-point conversion the first time that's happened since the NFL instituted those extra-long extra points last offseason. Hardly typical. But this would not be the place (incidentally, the Panthers' 16-game regular-season winning streak began here year ago Monday) where Carolina's streak bit the dust. The Panthers are 12-0 now, surviving with a 41-38 gut-check victory. "You see examples of this all over the league," Panthers center Ryan Kalil told USA TODAY Sports as the music blared in an energetic visitor's locker room. "Each and every week, it doesn't matter, regardless of what the records are. "We've been on the other side. Even when you're out and you're not in the hunt for the division, you're fighting for your job, fighting for next year. You're fighting for a lot of things. It's not like college football. Teams don't just lay down." It takes a lot more than a few bad breaks, three giveaways and two dropped touchdowns by Ted Ginn Jr., to keep a (potentially) great team down. It's still a bit early to call them a team of destiny. But the Panthers, who clinched the NFC South title before kickoff after the Atlanta Falcons lost in Tampa Bay, are surely going places. Now, with quarterback Cam Newton adding to his MVP checklist by engineering an 11-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes, capped by a 15-yard TD strike to Jerricho Cotchery with 65 seconds left, they have discovered another way to get there. "We haven't won a game like this," said safety Roman Harper, a former Saint. "We haven't won a game with a last-minute drive. It's always been the defense, with a last stop. To find another way just builds more confidence." One thing that has been evident all season was again apparent as their undefeated status twisted in the Dome: The Panthers are nothing if not gritty and resilient. They can win games consistently and defeat adversity, too. The time came to prove it all again. Sure, you're undefeated, but what have you done lately? It was getting late when Saints tailback Mark Ingram blasted into the end zone from 9 yards out for yet another go-ahead touchdown, putting the Saints up 38-34 with 5:21 left. To keep their streak and status intact, the Panthers needed one more big rally. Newton seemingly lives for these moments. That's been part of his M.O. for some time. When the game is on the line, he puts on his cape and goes to work. "I told Cam a little while ago, 'I've seen this, I've read this book before,' " said Harper, who was on the other side with the Saints in 2013, Week 16, when Newton shook off a shaky performance to lead the last-minute TD drive that beat New Orleans to capture the first of what is now three consecutive division titles for Carolina. "That last drive, man," Harper added, "I saw him take it to the next level." Make-or-break time came on fourth-and-4 from the Panthers' 46, with 2½ minutes left. The NFL's best multi-dimensional threat broke out of the pocket and appeared to be headed around left end for a race to the sticks. Then Newton pulled up. His soft lob to Olsen was good for 14 yards and a first down. Or was it? Replays showed that while the star tight end snagged the low pass with two hands, the nose of the football hit the turf. After a review, though, referee Brad Allen ruled it a catch. Finally, Carolina caught a break. In the nick of time. Four plays later, Newton hit Cotchery for the throw that held up as the game-winner after a desperate fourth-down heave from Saints quarterback Drew Brees to Brandon Cooks fell incomplete. That was close. But here's to sweating it out. The best teams find a lot of ways to win, and it may not always look pretty. The Panthers sure have that down pat. "This lets us know we can win any way," Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly told USA TODAY Sports. "We've been up and figured out how to win. We've been down and come back to win. We have a sense in knowing what we can do." Still, there's much room for improvement. No need to trumpet the pursuit of a perfect season. "We played terrible," Harper said. "We've got a lot of mistakes to get cleaned up." Good for them. They may have a perfect record, but there's still an edge to be gained in realizing that they are far from perfect. *** Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell | 1 | 97,317 | sports |
No. 9 North Carolina beat up on Davidson, 98-65 on Sunday night. Joel James got it done on both ends of the floor for the Heels, while Marcus Paige had 13 points. | 1 | 97,318 | sports |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Titans are grateful they play the Jacksonville Jaguars at least once a year in Music City. Marcus Mariota scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 87-yard run midway through a wild fourth quarter, and the Titans edged the Jaguars 42-39 on Sunday to snap the NFL's longest home skid at 11 games. The Titans (3-9) had not won on their own field since Oct. 12, 2014, when a blocked field goal helped them beat these very same Jaguars, 16-14. That was their lone home victory last season. The teams combined for many more points Sunday, scoring six touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone, tying for the second-most TDs in a fourth quarter since 1940, according to STATS. "You got to start somewhere to put your foot down and draw the line and say enough's enough," Titans interim coach Mike Mularkey said. "Was it today? We'll see. I'd like to think it is." BOX SCORE: TITANS 42, JAGUARS 39 WATCH: Jaguars-Titans highlights The Jaguars (4-8) failed to sweep Tennessee yet again, something they haven't managed in this AFC South rivalry since 2005. Blake Bortles threw for 322 yards and five touchdowns -- three to Allen Robinson, who had 10 catches for 153 yards. Bortles set a franchise record for most TD passes in a season in the loss. "I'd definitely rather win," Bortles said. "I'd like to set the franchise record for wins, that's for sure." Even with the high-scoring final quarter, the Jaguars cost themselves when Jason Myers missed two extra points. They also had a pass batted down on a 2-point conversion attempt. Jacksonville had one last chance. But Da'Norris Searcy and Karl Klug sacked Bortles on fourth-and-4 with 2:02 left at the Tennessee 6. "I'm just glad we pulled out a close game," Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright said. "We've been in close games all season, and haven't been able to pull it out, but today we did." Mariota kneeled down to end the game and start a long-awaited celebration as the Titans topped their win total of last season, when going 2-14 earned them the right to draft Mariota out of Oregon. The rookie quarterback finished with 112 yards rushing, becoming the first Tennessee player to run for at least 100 yards since Chris Johnson on Dec. 29, 2013. The Heisman Trophy winner also threw for three touchdowns and 268 yards, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 250 yards, run for more than 100 and throw TD passes in a game. Titans rookie wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham had his best day as a pro with five catches for 119 yards. Mariota completed the only pass he threw in the third quarter but was sacked three times, including once when he tripped. Yet he opened the fourth period with a 47-yard TD pass to Green-Beckham, who bounced off Jaguars safety Sergio Brown and ran for the score. That was just the first in a crazy stretch when these teams traded TDs; only Chicago and Detroit combined for more fourth-quarter TDs with seven on Sept. 30, 2007. Bortles threw for three himself in the quarter. Jacksonville went up 32-28 on his 9-yard pass to Julius Thomas after Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith sacked Mariota and stripped the rookie of the ball. The Titans, who had lost three of four games they led in the fourth quarter this season, answered by scoring twice in a 44-second span to take back the lead for good. Mariota broke loose on third-and-7 with the Titans backed up at their 13. He weaved his way upfield with Wright delivering the final block. Then when a snap sailed over Bortles' head, Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard recovered and ran 3 yards for a TD. Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said they brought seven trying to disrupt Mariota, who found a seam. "Then it was a foot race," Bradley said. NOTES: Mariota's 87-yard TD run was the third longest by a quarterback dating back to 1940. Terrelle Pryor had a 93-yard run in 2013 for Oakland against Pittsburgh and Colin Kaepernick had a 90-yarder for San Francisco against San Diego in 2014. ... Mariota also became the third rookie to throw three TDs in four games, joining Peyton Manning (four in 1998) and Butch Songin (five in 1960). ... Robinson became the Jaguars' first 1,000-yard receiver in a season since Jimmy Smith in 2005. ... Jaguars CB Davon House set a career high with his third interception this season. | 1 | 97,319 | sports |
BERLIN Volkswagen AG said Sunday that its chief executive, chairman and top shareholders are in Qatar for talks with one of the company's core investors, the Qatar Investment Authority, amid reports that the Qataris are calling for sweeping changes in the German car maker's management. Volkswagen is portraying the talks as a routine introductory visit by Chief Executive Matthias Müller and Supervisory Board Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch, who assumed their posts in September. They are joined by Wolfgang Porsche and Hans Michel Piëch, representatives of the Porsche-Piëch clan that controls Volkswagen, according to a person familiar with the matter. "This is a normal introductory visit by the new management to one of the company's most important partners, one of its most important shareholders," Eric Felber, a Volkswagen spokesman, said. Separately, Volkswagen confirmed that it has closed a deal for a €20 billion unsecured revolving credit facility with a consortium of 13 banks led by Citibank Global Markets and UniCredit Bank. A person close to the German car maker said the company wanted to assure it had access to funds, but has no specific plans now to tap the financing. Germany's weekly Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported Sunday that Qatar is seeking to weaken the influence of the worker representatives on the board and in the company's daily operations. Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, and Hussain Ali Al-Abdulla, vice chairman of Qatar Holding LLC, represent Qatar on Volkswagen's supervisory board. Bild also said Qatar is calling on Volkswagen to push back against an erosion of demand for its diesel cars with a major initiative to push electric-powered cars in the U.S. The sharp decline in Volkswagen's share price since the emissions deception was disclosed on Sept. 18 has cost the company's shareholders billions. Qatar holds about 17% of Volkswagen's voting stock. The Qatar Investment Authority didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Under German law, which grants workers wide-ranging co-determination rights at major corporations, the labor representatives, including union functionaries, have half of the 20 seats on the company's supervisory board. The works council, a body that represents workers inside the company but has no collective bargaining powers, has considerable influence over strategic decisions. Volkswagen denied that the meeting with the Qataris was about labor issues. "Neither the works council nor co-determination are on the agenda," Mr. Felber said. Volkswagen's works council didn't respond to a request for comment. The talks in Qatar come amid growing frustration among Volkswagen's outside shareholders with what is perceived as the slow pace of the company's inquiry into who was responsible for years of deceiving environmental regulators about tailpipe emissions on its diesel-powered cars. U.S. authorities in September disclosed that Volkswagen installed software on some diesel models of its cars in order to cheat on emissions testing. Volkswagen later admitted that nearly 11 million cars world-wide contained the software. Several investors, including Union Investment, one of Germany's biggest investment funds, and Nordea, the Swedish investment fund, have criticized Volkswagen's management. They and other investors have questioned whether veterans such as Mr. Müller and Mr. Pötsch are suited to change Volkswagen's corporate culture to ensure that such a deception never repeats itself. Until September, Mr. Müller was CEO of Porsche AG, the sports car maker owned by Volkswagen. Mr. Pötsch, a native Austrian with close ties to the Porsche-Piech clan, served as Volkswagen's finance chief since 2002 until September, when he was appointed chairman in the wake of the emissions crisis. Write to William Boston at [email protected] | 3 | 97,320 | finance |
Reports indicate FIFA President Sepp Blatter is being investigated by the FBI over the $100 million ISL bribes scandal. Laura Britt has more on the investigation. | 1 | 97,321 | sports |
Asian stocks traded higher on Monday, after a solid U.S. jobs report sent U.S. equities soaring on Friday. Nonfarm payrolls data showed the U.S. economy created 211,000 jobs for November, beating market expectations. It is likely to have been the final sign for the Federal Reserve that conditions are right for a hike in interest rates in December. Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital, said in a note that despite the solid jobs number for November, the imminent Fed rate hike is expected to be modest. "The hike when it comes will be a sign of how the U.S. has recovered since the GFC [global financial crisis]; and that subsequent rate hikes will likely be gradual and tied to progress in lifting inflation back towards the Fed's target." Oil prices will remain in focus after U.S. crude futures once again dipped below the $40-mark. In Asian trade, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures traded at 46 cents or 1.15 percent lower at $39.51. The internationally traded Brent was down 20 cents or 0.47 percent at $42.80. Last Friday in Vienna, OPEC left its production levels unchanged for the third year in a row despite a global supply glut. U.S. markets closed last Friday 2 percent higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) was up 370 points or 2.12 percent at 17,848. The S&P 500 (.SPX) was up 42 points or 2 percent at 2,092 and the Nasdaq (.IXIC) was up 105 points or 2 percent at 5,142. Chinese markets traded higher in the morning session, ahead of a deluge of economic data due this week such as trade numbers, consumer and producer price indexes, industrial production and retail sales. The Shanghai Composite (.SSEC) index was up 11 points or 0.31 percent at 3,536. The smaller Shenzhen Composite was up 24 points or 1 percent at 2,256. Away from the mainland, Hong Kong's Hang Seng (.HSI) index was up 68 points or 0.31 percent at 22,304. Finance stocks weighed, with brokerages trading lower between 0.6 and 2 percent. Banking stocks were also in the red. Shares in Citic Resources (1205-HK) were down 2.35 percent after the company issued a profit warning, saying it expected a substantial net loss in 2015 due to lower oil prices and decline in sales of commodity-related assets. Its sister company Citic Securities (30-SZ) reported on Sunday that it was not able to contact two of its top executives. Reuters reported Citic said it could not reach its most senior investment bankers Jun Chen and Jianlin Yan. Business site Caixin had reported on Friday the bankers were detained, though it was not clear why. Shares in Citic Securities were down 2.3 percent. In Hong Kong, Bank of Jinzhou made its IPO trading debut, becoming the second Chinese bank to do so in as many weeks. It stock traded at HK$4.69 ($0.61) during market open. The Japanese and South Korean markets were back in the green, ahead of key economic data due this week. Japan will release its latest update of third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data, the broadest measure of economic health, and machinery orders while the Bank of Korea will announce its monetary policy decision later this week. The Nikkei 225 (.N225) was up 236 points or 1.2 percent to 19,740 while the Topix traded 15 points or 1 percent higher at 1,589. The yen traded flat against the dollar (JPY=) at 123.14. Export stocks saw a boost in morning trade, with shares in the like of Toyota (7203.T-JP) , Sony (6758.T-JP) , Sharp (6753.T-JP) , and Canon (7751.T-JP) trading between 0.52 and 1.5 percent higher. Other blue chip stocks also traded higher. Takata (7312.T-JP) shares were down near 1.8 percent after Japan's transport ministry last Friday ordered car-makers to phase out the use of Takata air bag inflators by mid-2018. Large numbers of vehicles were recalled in the U.S. and elsewhere due to faulty Takata-made airbags that resulted in passenger injuries and some deaths. The Seoul Kospi (.KS11) was flat, up 1 point or 0.07 percent at 1,976. Blue chip stocks were mostly up, with shares in steel manufacturer Posco (549-KR) up 0.88 percent, and Kepco up 0.73 percent. Samsung Electronics (593'A-KR) pared early gains and traded flat. Shares in SK Hynix (66-KR) also fell 0.64 percent. The Australian market was back in positive territory after shedding three weeks' worth of gains last Friday. Monday's open was boosted by strong performances in banking and resources stocks but the market lost momentum, weighed by low commodity and base metal prices. The main ASX 200 (.AXJO) index traded 14 points or 0.27 percent higher at 5,167 in afternoon trade. Banking stocks traded between 0.3 and 0.9 percent higher as a result of improved investor confidence, after trimming early morning gains. Resources producers also pared back early gains. Shares in Rio Tinto (RIO-AU) and BHP Billiton (BHP-AU) , Australia's two biggest miners, traded mixed. Rio Tinto was down 0.25 percent while BHP Billiton was up 0.6 percent. Some iron ore producers felt the effects of prices dropping to a decade low of $39.40 a tonne. After opening in the green, shares in Fortescue (FMG-AU) was down 1.32 percent, BC Iron (BCI-AU) was down 4.55 percent. Atlas Iron (AGO-AU) continued to trade 2.78 percent higher while Mount Gibson (MGX-AU) was up 1.4 percent. Gold producers saw significant boost to their stocks after prices soared last week. Spot gold traded near the $1,082-mark after the nonfarm payroll data reaffirmed the market's belief for a December rate hike. Evan Lucas, market strategist at spreadbetter IG, said, "Gold has had an amazing week, up 2.65 percent. What's even more amazing was the snap back on Friday after the NFP surging 2.25 percent, which was in conjunction with the USD surge. It was a complete market miss-match; the logical conclusion is short-covering of the heavily short gold paper trade. The positioning in the US bond market and USD suggest this move in Australia won't last long." Shares in Newcrest (NCM-AU) was up 3.05 percent, Evolution Mining (EVN-AU) up 4.34 percent, and Alacer Gold (ASR-CA) seeing an uptick of 1.87 percent. Oil stocks, on the other hand, saw declines after U.S. oil prices fell into the sub-$40 region. Shares in Santos (STO-AU) saw heavy losses of over 8 percent in morning trade. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook . --- Watch: We'll finally get Fed hike over with: Investor | 3 | 97,322 | finance |
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. When it came time to pick his starting quarterback last summer, Bills coach Rex Ryan insisted Tyrod Taylor was just as effective a passer as he was a runner. Some three months later, and with Buffalo in jeopardy of fading out of the AFC playoff race, Taylor put his dual-threat ability on display by staring down the Houston Texans and their J.J. Watt-led defense. The first-year starter threw three touchdown passes -- including a 40-yarder to Charles Clay with 1:53 left -- and scored another rushing to secure a 30-21 victory Sunday. "I think he's legit," Ryan said afterward. "I think he's real. And people are starting to realize that." BOX SCORE: BILLS 30, TEXANS 21 WATCH: Bills-Texans highlights Taylor completed 11 of 21 attempts for 211 yards, was sacked just once and added 28 yards rushing. He showed little fear in throwing into double coverage, completing a pair of 53-yard passes to Sammy Watkins. And Taylor played with poise in finding Clay running down the field wide open for the game-deciding touchdown. That score came after the Bills' offense sputtered -- five punts and Dan Carpenter's missed field goal -- on its first six drives of the second half. Facing second-and-7, Taylor found Clay running alone over the middle as both Texans defenders shaded their coverage toward backup tight end Matthew Mulligan along the right sideline. "He just keeps on getting better and better," said Ryan, who held his breath when seeing Clay open. "I was just, please don't miss the layup." The Bills (6-6), who never trailed, snapped a two-game skid and gained ground in the playoff picture by beating a Texans team that entered ahead of them in the standings. Houston dropped to 6-6 and had a four-game winning streak snapped. "What I told the team was, `Look, we have to do better,'" coach Bill O'Brien said. "It starts with me. We've got to do a better job. But we've got to quickly turn the page." The Texans defense sagged and its Watt-led pass rush was rendered ineffective by several misdirections and running back LeSean McCoy's ability to beat defenders to the sideline. The Bills managed 390 yards against a defense that had given up an average of 250 over its past four games. And Watt was essentially left grabbing at air. Entering the game with an NFL-leading 13 1/2 sacks, Watt was limited to four tackles, and had his one sack negated by offsetting penalties. Watt acknowledged Taylor's scrambling ability made it difficult to catch him. "A little bit," Watt said. "We just need to play better. We need to execute better. We need to do our jobs better." The Texans' offense also lacked consistency. Brian Hoyer finished 26 of 44 for 293 yards with three touchdowns but was unable to deliver in the clutch. Hoyer threw four consecutive incompletions on the Texans' drive after Clay's touchdown. The Bills took over and Carpenter secured the win with a 36-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining. Carpenter otherwise struggled, missing a 50-yard field goal attempt and an extra point. McCoy had 112 yards rushing. Watkins had 109 yards receiving and a touchdown. Taylor signed with the Bills as a free agent in March after spending his first four NFL seasons as Joe Flacco's backup in Baltimore. Taylor is 6-4 and already holds several team records. He set a single-game mark for quarterbacks with 76 yards rushing in a 14-13 win over Tennessee on Oct. 11. Against the Texans, Taylor extended his streak to 187 attempts without an interception and broke the franchise record of 175 that was set by Drew Bledsoe in 2002. He has combined for 15 touchdowns -- including two rushing -- with one interception and one last fumble in his past eight starts. "He is our leader. He is our quarterback," Watkins said. "He is just getting better every week with leading this team." NOTES: Bills CBs Stephon Gilmore and Ron Brooks did not return after hurting their shoulders. Ryan had no immediate update on their status. ... Texans RG Brandon Brooks was expected to rejoin the team for its flight home after spending much of the day in the hospital. O'Brien said Brooks was transported to the hospital after feeling ill. ... Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins had five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. | 1 | 97,323 | sports |
College Football Playoff committee chairman Jeff Long joined Campus Insiders' Shae Peppler following the announcement of the top four teams in college football. Long discussed Michigan State's jump to the No. 3 ranking and the impact of matchups for how the committee selects playoff teams. | 1 | 97,324 | sports |
A falling Australian dollar has many consequences, and one of the most easily understood is an increase in tourism. A weak Australian dollar means that tourists get more bang for their buck when they come here, and means we can't buy as much from overseas which, theoretically, discourages Australians from leaving home. However, I believe this is a myth. In theory, a weaker currency is bad news for Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT), which assists travellers with bookings and offers overseas travel packages including insurance, car hire, and so on. It should result in fewer bookings and less appetite for overseas travel. Before I explain why I believe that is incorrect, here's a quick look at currency rates from the past 10 years for reference. 1 Australian Dollar (AUD) buys: in 2006 five years ago Right now Great Britain Pound (GBP) £0.40 £0.62 £0.49 United States Dollar (USD) $0.75 $0.94 $0.73 Euro (EUR) ?0.59 ?0.73 ?0.67 source: Yahoo Finance These are taken at arbitrary points in time and currency values have fluctuated widely between the points listed here. However, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that outbound passenger movement numbers are pretty independent of currency movements. In fact, the number of outbound passengers has doubled in the past 10 years. The price of travel becomes less relevant if the number of residents wanting to travel overseas is growing. More than a quarter of Australian residents were born overseas as of 2014. Furthermore, the majority of passengers don't even go to the US, UK, or Europe. New Zealand was the top destination in 2014-2015, with the US at #3 and UK at #4. The remainder of the top ten was rounded out by south-east Asian nations, with the Eurozone not even making the list. This means that movements in the value of the AUD against the GBP, EUR or USD are unlikely to have a significant impact on total outbound travellers, and thus total demand for Flight Centre's services. Additionally, overseas travel is a question of value which takes into account many more factors than just currency. Most outbound travellers are headed to Asia, where they enjoy substantially cheaper costs on food and accommodation that generally remain great value even if sharp currency movements are factored in. Additionally, Australian wages are very high compared to the rest of the world, which helps keep relative costs down. An estimated 59% of departures in 2014-2015 (58% in 2004-2005) were for holidays, followed by visiting friends and family at 24%, and business at 9%. Business passengers generally must travel regardless of cost, and this means that Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) is unlikely to have its underlying business affected by currency movements. Other holiday and travel providers like Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) and Mantra Group Ltd (ASX: MTR) are also unlikely to see significant changes in customer behaviour. Note that reported revenues and profits might be affected by currency movements, but the underlying businesses in terms of pricing and customer demand are unlikely to be significantly impeded. Foolish takeaway All of the companies listed above are attractive businesses, but my pick would be Flight Centre thanks to its diverse international footprint, sound balance sheet, rapidly evolving product offering and extensive partnerships with tourist businesses worldwide. Flight Centre now offers many packaged deals for prices that can't be matched by individuals planning their own holiday, and I believe this and a wide geographic footprint (enhancing cross-selling) will help to underpin demand long into the future. | 3 | 97,325 | finance |
NEW YORK At a rally featuring speeches by nearly a dozen lawmakers, the loudest message of all was delivered by a 9-year-old boy who didn't say a word. Jack McNamara, a fourth grader, held a sign that read "Don't let other dads die!!! I miss my Dad, FDNY Firefighter John F. McNamara," words that were surrounded by hearts, American flags and a call for a fully funded renewal of the Zadroga Act, legislation that provides health benefits for first responders who grew ill after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The World Trade Center Health Program, which provides health monitoring and treatment for first responders, expired this fall but has enough funding to operate into next year. The victim's compensation fund expires Oct. 1. "This is not a random health epidemic," said U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who stood with other New York elected officials Sunday at a rally near the new One World Trade Center. "This is a group of men and women dying because they chose to serve on 9/11. Those chose to do the right thing. They sacrificed for us." The Zadroga Act, named after a responder who died after working at Ground Zero, first became law in 2010 after a debate over the bill's cost. Proponents are seeking the law's permanent extension in part because some illnesses may not manifest until years later, after the statute of limitations for worker's compensation or certain state laws may have run out. House and Senate Republicans have generally been supportive of the program but have opposed its permanent extension due to concerns about its cost approximately $7 billion and because they say they want the chance to periodically review it. Sen. Charles Schumer said Sunday that Democrats thought the law would be part of a five-year, $305 billion transportation bill passed last week but it was excluded at the last moment. He called on lawmakers to renew it this week before Congress goes out of session for the holidays. "These final days of the session will be days of horse-trading," said Schumer, who was flanked by Mayor Bill de Blasio, several members of Congress and many first responders. "But let me tell you something: We don't trade the lives of our first responders for anything. How dare you trade the lives of our first responders for your little political gain?" Schumer urged Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, both Republicans, to act this week. Neither man's office immediately returned requests for comment. Firefighter John F. McNamara spent about 500 hours at Ground Zero looking for his fallen brethren. He died in 2009 after suffering from colon cancer. He was 44. | 5 | 97,326 | news |
Josh McDaniels had a cup of coffee as an NFL head coach. He's had a smorgasbord comparatively in two stints working as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator. But that won't stop him from at least listening to offers from other NFL teams that would love to scoop him up and give him a second chance , according to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, who said McDaniels "will be open to speaking to teams this offseason." "McDaniels is not averse to interviewing with teams, and undoubtedly there will be a bevy of requests in January," La Canfora wrote. "Contrary to a prevailing perception, he is not wedded to the idea of staying in New England to eventually take over for Bill Belichick (though it is a distinct possibility the situation unfolds in that manner)." La Canfora added that McDaniels will be picky about taking any other potential job after a difficult first stint coaching the , but "should a team have an organizational approach, structure and plan for winning that appeals to him, some close to McDaniels believe he would strongly consider a position. "The fact that some teams that will make changes already have potential franchise quarterbacks in place (like Tennessee, where an interim coach is already in place, and Indianapolis, where Chuck Pagano has been coaching for his job since Week 1) could make this a year in which McDaniels does in fact leave New England." While it's far from a forgone conclusion that McDaniels will leave quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick in New England, La Canfora also wrote that McDaniels is expected to "engage in multiple interviews during the bye week should the Patriots retain one of the top two seeds in the AFC." Only time will tell if McDaniels has had his fill in Foxboro. | 1 | 97,327 | sports |
CHICAGO Want the good news first, or the bad news? The good? Sunday's 26-20 49ers' overtime win over the Bears dramatically changes the picture, greatly increasing the chances that coach Jim Tomsula will get another crack at it next season, and so (maybe) will quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the rescue puppy of NFL quarterbacks. The bad news? Same as the good news. BOX SCORE: 49ERS 26, BEARS 20, OT WATCH: 49ers-Bears highlights Admit it, a lot of you 49ers' fans: You've been secretly (or openly) hoping for a full, continuing pratfall down the stretch. The 49ers came into the game 3-8 and on a two-game losing streak. Had the season ended with seven straight losses, Trent Baalke and Jed York would have been compelled to admit that their grand experiment of turning their team over to Tomsula and Gabbert was a dismal failure. But winning at least a game or two of the last five would allow Baalke and York to tell themselves they've got a team on the rise. There's still time for different scenarios to play out, but Sunday's win broke up the momentum of the runaway fire-Tomsula freight train. As the sun set on this toddling town Sunday night, the sun seemed to be coming up on a new 49ers' day. Never mind that had Bears' kicker Robbie Gould been able to dink home that 36-yard field-goal attempt, and an earlier short one, on a mild and windless day in the Windy City, Tomsula would be trying to explain why his team can't win on the road (0-5 this season coming in), can't pass deep, can't pick Torrey Smith out of a police lineup, can't run against a run-friendly defense, and can't stop a Bears' offense on a day when coach John Fox seemed to lose faith in his quarterback. Instead, Tomsula's IQ shot up 45 points in three hours 10 points in the overtime alone. Coming in, it looked like Tomsula's best strategy for this game was to ask his players not to eat Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. Actually, good call. The dough and anchovies can really catch up to you in overtime, and that's when the 49ers kicked it into gear. The preliminary four quarters were not splendid football. The game was such a non-thrilling head-clanger that all the fans in Soldier Field were forced to undergo concussion protocol after the game. The 49ers came in to the game, and the overtime, perched on the ledge of disaster. A loss here, even an honorable overtime loss, would have been crushing to the players, and to York and Baalke. All the pregame talk was how the Bears, after several dismal seasons, are relevant and revitalized under Fox and his two stellar, brilliant coordinators, Vic Fangio on defense and Adam Gase on offense. Remember them? Fangio departed the 49ers after last season when he was bypassed for the head job. Gase was also rejected for the 49ers' head job, maybe in part because he wouldn't accept Tomsula as his defensive coordinator. Here in the Midwest, Fangio and Gase were being saluted as San Francisco's (or Santa Clara's) gift to Chicago, as wonderful a gift as that statue France gave to the USA back in the day. Then what happens? Gase's offense puts up a measly 20 points in five quarters against a team that had been outscored on the road by an average score of 35-14. And Fangio's defense can't stop a non-Kaepernick-ish quarterback from zooming 44 yards up the gut for the game-tying touchdown, and can't prevent a seemingly forgotten wide receiver (Smith) from snookering the entire Bears' backfield into blown coverage on the game-winning 71-yard bomb from Gabbert. In the end, Fangio's defense gave up four touchdowns to the league's 32-ranked offense, and Gase's offense couldn't do much against the league's No. 29 defense. Here's what changed Sunday, and remember, this isn't chiseled in granite, because the 49ers' fans can revert to Chicken Little mode at any time: The 49ers have a new self-image. They carried a lot of emotional baggage Sunday, into the game and right up to overtime, and it wound up looking like Louis Vuitton. Tomsula and his assistants, who have looked overmatched at times this season, now look like guys who can keep their players focused, who can play a crafty chess game, like throwing underneath passes all day to set up the killer deep bomb. And Tomsula himself, rather than looking like a desperate cheerleader with his pom-poms on fire, comes off as a feel-good leader who can push the right emotional and spiritual buttons on his team. When the 49ers were down 20-13 with 3½ minutes left in regulation and Tomsula put his arm on Gabbert's shoulder and told him, "Have fun," well that plays pretty well right now. Fact is, 4-8 never looked so good. Unless you were rooting for 3-9. Scott Ostler is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @scottostler | 1 | 97,328 | sports |
The Lakers were blown out by the Pistons 111-91 Sunday. Lakers SG Nick Young was ejected for shoving Anthony Tolliver after being fouled. | 1 | 97,329 | sports |
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Eight days ago, the New England Patriots had a chance at an unbeaten season. Now they're trying to recover from their first back-to-back losses in more than three years. BOX SCORE: EAGLES 35, PATRIOTS 28 Najee Goode scored on a blocked punt, Malcolm Jenkins returned an interception 99 yards for another touchdown and the Philadelphia Eagles held on for an improbable 35-28 victory over the Patriots on Sunday. Darren Sproles returned a punt 83 yards for the Eagles' second special teams touchdown, giving Philadelphia a 21-point lead before the Patriots came charging back. Tom Brady threw for a touchdown to make it a two-score game and then, after an onside kick, ran it in from the 1-yard line to cut it to seven points with 3 minutes left. New England's second onside kick failed, but the Patriots (10-2) forced a third-down fumble to give Brady one more chance. The comeback fell short when Brady's passes bounced out of his receivers' hands. Losers of three in a row, the Eagles (5-7) had given up 45 points apiece in consecutive weeks heading into the game against the defending NFL champions and their Super Bowl MVP quarterback. Now it's the Patriots on a losing streak -- their first back-to-back, regular-season losses since 2012. After falling behind 14-0, Philadelphia scored five touchdowns in a row -- two on special teams, one on defense and two on offense. Then the Patriots rallied. After scoring twice but failing to convert a second onside kick, the Patriots got the ball back anyway when Jamie Collins stripped the ball from Kenjon Barner on third down. But the final drive stalled when the New England receivers dropped several passes. Darren Sproles had 66 yards rushing, 34 receiving and 115 more on punt returns -- including an 83-yard touchdown that made it 28-14 with 4:18 left in the third quarter. After missing the previous two games with a concussion and left shoulder injury, Sam Bradford completed 14 of 24 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. But the Eagles won this one with defense and special teams. Just eight days removed from talk of an undefeated season, the Patriots' injuries began to take their toll. Brady was without tight end Rob Gronkowski, top receiver Julian Edelman and No. 1 running back Dion James, and playing behind a reshuffled offensive line that couldn't protect him. The Patriots took a 7-0 lead on a 4-yard pass from Brady to James White on the first play of the second quarter and made it 14-0 when Brady hit Danny Amendola from 11 yards with about 5 minutes left in the half. But the Patriots, who possess in Stephen Gostkowski one of the best kickers in the league, decided on the ensuing kickoff to have special teams specialist Nate Ebner drop-kick the ball off. The ball floated behind the first line of defenders, where Seyi Ajirotutu fielded it at his 41. It took eight plays for the Eagles to go 59 yards, with Bradford connecting with Zach Ertz from the 5 to make it 14-7. After stopping Philadelphia's two-minute offense and forcing a punt, the Patriots took over at their 13 and picked up a quick first down. But Brady was sacked and New England stalled at their 38 with 15 seconds remaining. Ryan Allen's punt was blocked by Chris Maragos. Goode scooped it up and ran it 24 yards for the touchdown to send the teams into the break tied 14-all. Brady had thrown just four interceptions all season -- and had never in his career been picked off by the Eagles. But he was charged with one when Jenkins grabbed a deflection and gave the Eagles a 21-14 lead midway through the third quarter. When the Patriots were forced to punt on their next possession, Sproles broke free for an 83-yard touchdown. The Patriots moved the ball thanks to a direct-snap, end-around pass to Brady that gained 36 yards -- his first reception since 2001. But on the next play, Brady lobbed the ball into the end zone and it was picked off by Byron Maxwell. Bradford led the Eagles on a 12-play drive to make it 35-14 on a 10-yard pass to Jordan Matthews. Only then did New England rally. Brady made it a 14-point game on a 14-yard pass to Scott Chandler, then the Patriots recovered an onside kick. Brady's 1-yard sneak with 3 minutes left made it 35-28. The ensuing onside kick attempt went out of bounds, and Philadelphia ran the clock down to just over 1 minute. On third down, with a chance to run off all but 20 seconds left on the clock, Barner fumbled. | 1 | 97,330 | sports |
There are no guarantees among this week's top fantasy football waiver wire pickups , but there are plenty of opportunities for savvy fantasy owners to add an impactful player for the playoffs. Titans rookies David Cobb and Dorial Green-Beckham were both finally involved in the game plan; Bucs TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins finally returned to action; Dolphins rookie DeVante Parker had another impressive game; and James White did his best Dion Lewis impersonation in come-back mode against the Eagles. There's potential there, but let's take a look at three who we think could be the best fantasy football pickups to snatch off the waiver wire for the stretch run. MORE: All Week 14 waiver-wire pickups | SN Fantasy Best fantasy football waiver wire pickups, Week 13 James White, RB, Patriots. With the Patriots playing from behind against Philly, White racked up 10 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Sure, the Pats aren't likely to be trailing like that very often, but we saw Dion Lewis light up box scores in that role earlier this season. White might not be as elusive as Lewis, but he's in a great spot to succeed down the stretch, especially in PPR leagues. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Titans. Could this be the big breakout we've been waiting for from the big rookie? DGB caught five of his six targets for 119 yards and a touchdown in the Titans' 42-39 win against the Jaguars. Sure, it was the Jaguars' generous pass D, but it's good to see the 6-5 Green-Beckham earning the trust of Titans QB Marcus Mariota (who also deserves a pickup if he's still sitting on your waiver wire). DGB could be a force for a wide receiving corps devoid of play-makers right now, and could be a sneaky play next week if the Jets are still missing Darrelle Revis. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Buccaneers. ASJ finally returned from a shoulder injury in Week 13 after missing every game since Week 2. He only caught three of six targets for 31 yards Sunday against the Falcons, but you know the 6-5 tight end is going to be a "big" part of the Bucs' passing attack going forward. Considering the state of the TE rankings right now, ASJ should be stashed simply for his touchdown potential. | 1 | 97,331 | sports |
COLUMBUS, Ohio Is it possible to be both bold and pragmatic? To take risks and minimize the fallout? To find that elusive balance, the sweet spot between imagination and strength, between creativity and workrate, that we're all looking for in one way or another? That was the challenge facing Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter entering 2015, and it was an achievement realized in full on Sunday when his team won its first MLS Cup title with a 2-1 victory here against the Columbus Crew. And while soccer is a team game, the linchpins of Portland's championship could be found in the balance personified by two new players: midfielder Darlington Nagbe and defender Nat Borchers. Wait, new players? Nagbe isn't new to Portland, of course, but he might as well have been an entirely new addition to the team after Porter switched him to a central midfield role from the flank in midseason. That was bold and risky, not least because Portland was now sacrificing a more defensive-minded player in that role. And it came, too, after Porter had entered the season talking about how much more pragmatic he had become in an effort to improve the defense that had leaked 52 goals in 2014. The pragmatic side of Porter had brought in Borchers, a solid MLS veteran who knew how to win big games in this league. That made Portland's defense better, but the key to taking the Timbers to an even higher level was the risky tactical switch of Nagbe, which unlocked game-changing results from the potential he had often shown. • WATCH: Timbers jump out to 2 0 lead seven minutes into MLS Cup final Porter decided it was possible to be both bold and pragmatic. "I've found when you're building the layers on your team, a lot of times you get one lightbulb on and the other one goes off," he said in a quiet moment in the Champagne-soaked locker room after the game. "But to get the layers built, you've got to almost focus on that side of things. We've really had to emphasize the defensive side as a team, with the personnel changes and we probably did it to a fault. Even though we were generating chances, I'm not sure they were quality, and I'm not sure the players felt as free as they needed to be." Nagbe was one of them. Not even Porter, who had coached Nagbe at the University of Akron, had been able to figure out the best way to use his talents, special talents on the ball that are hard to find in this league, in this country. "Darlington is pretty special," said Porter on Sunday. "I don't tell people publicly, but he's like a son to me. I'm really proud of him, because there was a time when I'm like, 'Does he want to make the next step?' It's like father-son, right? 'It's time. You have to make the next step. You've got world-class talent, but you've got to figure out the player you want to be.' But with that I thought: I've got to find a role for him." Nagbe's father, Joe, had played the No. 8 position, the box-to-box role, in his days with Liberia's national team. And Darlington had told Porter that his father's message was "just don't lose the ball." Porter said he understood that, but Nagbe's talent also required him to use it, to take risks. Nagbe became that player in the central midfield for Portland, swashbuckling his way through the middle at certain times, deploying a deft first touch to create space at others, and even providing smart defensive work and positioning at others. • STRAUS: How Portland GM Wilkinson build an MLS Cup winner If Porter had a model for Nagbe's role, he said, he wanted him to become something like Paul Scholes, the Manchester United and England No. 8. And on Sunday, Porter sent Nagbe a text message before the game with one of his favorite quotes, from the Spanish and Barcelona legend Xavi: *"The one who has the ball is the master of the game." If you get on the ball today, you'll be the master of the game.* Indeed, Nagbe played a big role in creating the game-winning goal in the seventh minute. And while he had fewer rushes forward as the Timbers protected their lead, there were solid defensive moments and those occasional gorgeous first touches on the ball that he can conjure. "Special touches," Borchers called them, "that first touch that Darlington makes that puts him in space that gets it by the defensive pressure and makes us able to get our line up." Being in the center "allows me to get different looks on the field," Nagbe said. "Being on the wings gave me the same look almost every time. Being in the middle was good for me and the team." It's hard to imagine things going much better for Nagbe lately. His emergence has been the key to Portland's championship, and he earned rave reviews from U.S. national team coaches and teammates for the way he trained during his first stint with the national team last month. "This kid, I don't think anybody knows just how good he is," said Porter. "The national team tasted it. I always said, 'Get this guy in training and they'll be like holy s---.' You know when Diego Valeri is saying Nagbe is our best player, that says something, you know what I mean? If you ask anybody on our team they'll say he's our best player, because he's special on the ball." But it was the acquisition of Borchers that allowed Porter to become more pragmatic at the beginning and later set the stage for the Nagbe risk. Portland conceded 13 fewer goals in the regular season this year as Borchers and Liam Ridgewell became one of the league's best central defense partnerships. On Sunday, they anchored a defensive unit that shut down an explosive Columbus outfit for the final 73 minutes of the game. You could make persuasive arguments for both Nagbe and Borchers as the most outstanding player of the 2015 MLS playoffs. Borchers was solid throughout and made some signature plays, like his late-game block in the box against Dallas and his late goal in the first leg of that series that gave Portland a 3-1 advantage. Nagbe, too, influenced every postseason game on the ball, and his defensive help was a pleasant surprise. The sense of possibility right now with Nagbe is energizing and even a little bit overwhelming. But that's what he always wanted. And as he wore a wide smile in the championship locker room on Sunday, Nagbe revealed something else too. "For me, the best part hasn't happened yet. I'm going home and we're having a son this week." Wednesday is the expected due date. It'll be a fun week in Portland. | 1 | 97,332 | sports |
CARY, N.C. (AP) -- Raquel Rodriguez finished what she started. Rodriguez scored in the 72nd minute to lead Penn State to a 1-0 victory over Duke on Sunday in the NCAA women's soccer final. The Nittany Lions (22-3-2) won the first national title in program history three years after falling to North Carolina in the championship game. Rodriguez and fellow senior Mallory Weber, who assisted on her goal, were freshman starters in that match. "During the game, I was thinking about that first game, actually," Rodriguez said. "All I could think of was that I don't want that to happen again. Not today. It fueled us." Penn State outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 20-0 in six NCAA Tournament games and recorded shutouts in its final eight matches. The Nittany Lions allowed one goal or fewer in each of their last 23 games. "It means the world to you," Penn State coach Erica Walsh said. "To see these guys celebrate at the end of the game, to see these tears in their eyes and see how much it meant for them, that's the reason you don't sleep at night. It makes it all worth it because they're incredibly deserving." Duke (14-6-5) fell to 0-3 in College Cup finals, with losses to North Carolina in 1992 and Stanford in 2011. The Blue Devils were playing in the College Cup after missing the NCAA Tournament last season. Their match against Penn State was their third in a row against a No. 1 seed. "I'm just very proud of our effort, very proud of the commitment that our players had," Duke coach Robbie Church said. "The team has been hungry to be great all year, and they are great." Rodriguez scored when she took a feed from Weber across the box and blasted a left-footed shot into the lower right corner of the net. Weber had dribbled into the box, attracting three defenders before sending the ball to her left. Rodriguez gathered it and eluded Duke defender Morgan Reid before shooting the ball past goalkeeper EJ Proctor. It was another unforgettable moment for Rodriguez, who scored Costa Rica's first goal in the country's Women's World Cup debut earlier this year. "I couldn't be more grateful and happier," Rodriguez said. "It's another dream come true." Duke's most dangerous chance came in the eighth minute on a right-footed volley from Ashton Miller just outside the box that missed wide right. "I like what we did," Church said. "I just felt like we didn't have quite enough today." The Nittany Lions were able to generate a bit more pressure than their opponent, producing five corner kicks compared to zero for the Blue Devils. Goalie Britt Eckerstrom had three saves for the Nittany Lions, who ended the season with an 11-match winning streak. "We've worked for four years for this," Weber said. "To go out on this note and be the first team to win a national championship and be that senior class that's led them, it's indescribable. It's such a great feeling. It's such a high right now." | 1 | 97,333 | sports |
KANSAS CITY, Kan. A Detroit brother and sister vanished more than two years before they were found dead in a freezer in their home, and an 11-year-old Florida girl disappeared more than a year before she, too, turned up in a family freezer. And a 7-year-old Kansas boy hadn't been seen for more than a month before authorities found the gruesome remains of a child in a pigsty inside his family's barn. All of them were home-schooled, but despite their disappearances going unnoticed for so long, opposition from the government-wary home-schooling community means it's unlikely these states will start keeping closer tabs on home-schooled children. "It's largely a conservative thing, but even progressive home-schoolers tend to resist oversight," said Rachel Coleman, co-founder of the nonprofit Coalition for Responsible Home Education. "Part of it is because there is an assumption that parents always know what's best for their children." The most recent case, at a home near Kansas City, Kansas, is still being investigated and authorities said it could be weeks before they positively identify the child whose remains officers found in the barn. The officers were responding to a reported domestic disturbance at the home the day before Thanksgiving and were told of the 7-year-old's disappearance. His stepmother, Heather Jones, told The Associated Press that her husband, Michael A. Jones, abused her and their son, Adrian, and that she feared he was going to kill her and their six daughters because she found out he had killed the boy. Authorities haven't said when they believe the boy went missing, but they said they think he was abused between May 1 and Sept. 28. Michael Jones has been charged with child abuse, aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a firearm. No charges have been filed in connection with his son's disappearance or the discovery of the remains. He didn't have an attorney as of Friday, but his father has described him as a "caring and outstanding person" who wouldn't hurt a child. Such cases are horrific but they don't typically lead to new restrictions on home-schooling, which many parents see as their deeply personal right, said Rob Kunzman, director of the International Center for Home Education Research at Indiana University. "They oftentimes create a short-term effort to increase regulation in the state where it happens, but rarely does this result in increased regulation because of the influence of home-school advocacy groups," he said. Although the number of home-schooled students jumped nationwide to about 1.7 million between 2003 and 2012, they still represent just over 3 percent of all students, Coleman said, adding that the relatively low number plays into the general public's apathy toward home-schooling issues. For home-schoolers, the emotionally charged argument against additional oversight is that parents, not the government, know what's best for their children. "As many as two-thirds are home-schooling in part for religious reasons," Coleman said. "Part of that for conservative Christians is that God has given that child to the parents, not the state. The state doesn't own my child, God has entrusted my child to me." Eleven states do not require parents to notify state or local officials that their children will be home-schooled, while 10 states require parents to file a one-time notice when they first start home schooling, but nothing further, Coleman said. The other 29 states require parents to file an annual notice of home schooling. The information required to be included varies from state to state, with some requiring only the name of the home school and its administrator, while others require basic curriculum plans, student names and ages, and in some cases a copy of each student's birth certificate. Dr. Barbara Knox, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said research she and five other pediatricians conducted on the torture of children found that of the 28 young victims studied, nearly half were home-schooled and an additional 29 percent weren't allowed to attend school at all. "For over half, few individuals outside the abuser(s) knew of the child's existence," researchers wrote. "This social isolation typically involved preventing the child from attending school or daycare." Knox said she would like to see uniform home-schooling laws across the country that at least keep tabs on children with open or previous Child Protective Services cases who are removed from school to be home-schooled. For the 47 percent of children in her study who were removed from their schools to be home-schooled, it "appears to have been designed to further isolate the child and typically occurred after closure of a previously opened CPS case," the researchers wrote. Earlier this year, a Michigan lawmaker proposed creating a state registry of all home-schooled children after Stoni Ann Blair and Stephen Gage Berry were found in a freezer in their home. Investigators believe Stephen was 9 when he died in August 2012 and that Stoni was 13 when she died the following May. The measure by state Rep. Stephanie Chang, a Detroit Democrat, never made it out of committee. In response to Chang's proposal, a group called the Michigan Freedom Fund issued a news release blasting the lawmaker for concocting a big-government scheme "designed to force and frighten parents into enrolling their children in government schools and removing their freedom to decide how their children are educated_this time by accusing homeschool parents of being murderers-in-waiting." In Kansas, which sees itself as a local-control state, it's left up to parents to determine how to educate their children, said Denise Kahler, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education. "That's always been a big thing for us," she said. Rep. Ron Highland, a Wamego Republican who is chairman of the House Education Committee, said it's unlikely the Kansas Legislature will spend any time working to strengthen home-schooling rules. "We have to ask ourselves, 'what about personal responsibility?'" Highland said. "No matter how many layers of laws and regulations, some people are going to do some bad things. That's just a fact of life." Florida state Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, proposed changes in his state's home-school law after an 11-year-old girl who had been missing for more than a year was found in October in a freezer that her mother left at the home of family members. Steube and local leaders are working on legislation that would add an in-person check on some at-risk children by a certified teacher on either a semester or quarterly basis. Home-schoolers have lashed out at the proposal as unnecessary, The Bradenton Herald reported. | 5 | 97,334 | news |
Xia Lili, marketing chief at a privately-owned Shanghai software firm switched to flying with Spring Airlines after China's first low-cost carrier took off in 2010. Her company has since made it mandatory for staff to use budget airlines when available, and has cut its travel costs by a fifth. Xia and her colleagues are among an increasing number of Chinese who are fuelling fast growth in what is often called the "last" big market ripe for low-cost carrier penetration. Since late 2013, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has encouraged budget airlines as Beijing has seen how they have taken off elsewhere. Freeing up new routes for low-cost carriers also helps develop economic growth in western China. Low-cost carriers account for 7 percent of China's domestic air travel market, and that's expected to more than double by 2020, according to OAG, an aviation data and analytics company. China, the fastest growing major air travel market, has overall passenger volume of 392 million, rising at more than 10 percent a year, according to official data, and planemaker Airbus predicts it will leapfrog the United States as the world's largest domestic air traffic market within 10 years. "Low-cost travel has become a life style. Many of my colleagues would start chatting about how to get those 9 yuan ($1.41) or 99 yuan ($15.48) special offer tickets," Xia said. As Europe's pioneer no-frills airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet mature and move more upmarket, they are attracting business travelers as a way to stand out in the budget crowd. CUTTING COSTS China's four budget airlines offer sharply discounted air fares to full-service carriers. For example, West Air, a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines' parent HNA Group, offers a round trip from Chongqing to the popular southern resort of Sanya and a 3-night stay in a five-star hotel for just 999 yuan ($156), for bookings made well in advance. That compares with 770 yuan for the cheapest one-way ticket offered by full-service carriers, according to Ctrip.com. In Europe, the cheapest budget airline return ticket for a similar flight - from Luton in England to Barcelona - without accommodation, costs 98 pounds ($148) on cheapflights.co.uk. All of China's low-cost carriers, except newest entrant 9 Air, are profitable. Much of that is down to severe paring of their costs. At China United, flight attendants clean up inside the plane between flights. The airline has squeezed more seats into its fleet of Boeing 737 planes, and turned one of the jets into a flying billboard, advertising Huangguoshu waterfall, China's biggest, said executive vice president Zhang Lanhai. With money from the local government, China United passengers are offered big discounts on hotels and tours in the area. Spring Air, China's first and largest budget carrier, took out nearly all the light bulbs on the corridor to chairman Wang Zhenghua's office, and staff must turn off the lights when they leave for the day. (http://reut.rs/1IoBdz1) Both the chairman and president eat at the staff cafeteria, and flight attendants share hotel rooms on trips. The carrier on Thursday said it signed a $6.3 billion deal to buy 60 A320neo jets from Airbus to help it meet rising demand, tap new markets and improve fleet fuel efficiency. Spring Air has halved the size of the kitchen on some existing A320s to accommodate extra seats. NICHE ROUTES Attracted by the sector's growth potential, some state airlines have converted to low-cost carriers, and others are likely to follow suit. This year alone, China Eastern Airlines converted its China United unit into a budget carrier, and Juneyao Airlines set up a low-cost subsidiary in Guangzhou. West Air converted in 2013, and Lucky Air, another HNA carrier, is also going through that transition. China Southern Airlines is also considering setting up a budget subsidiary, executives told Reuters. The budget carriers have grown in part by flying routes that aren't covered by the bigger airlines. China United, for example, flies to nearly a dozen cities in Inner Mongolia, more than any other carrier including Air China, which even has a branch there, said Zhang. Because Inner Mongolia's transport network is still patchy, the quickest way to travel from one city to another is often to fly around 500 kms (311 miles) to Beijing with China United and connect there to a flight to the Inner Mongolian destination. "More and more people are doing this because it's faster and cheaper," said China United's Zhang. Spring Air, which also flies to popular Asian leisure destinations, started flights in late October to Dongyin, an oil-rich city in eastern China whose only connection to Shanghai was previously by a lengthy bus trip and then by high-speed rail. The maiden flight was packed, a company executive said. Frustrated at not having enough slots at Beijing International Airport, Spring Air offered passengers free high-speed rail tickets to Shijiazhuang airport nearly 300 kms away, where it has better slots and offers more flights. As more Chinese take to the skies, one challenge for the budget airlines is to manage passenger expectations. Air travel has always been seen as a mode of transport for the privileged in China, and some passengers have been unhappy about meals and leg-room or when asked to pay for luggage or in-flight drinks. But 9 Air's marketing chief Huang Hui says: "Some passengers who initially complained keep coming back." (Reporting by Fang Yan and Matthew Miller in BEIJING and Siva Govindasamy in SINGAPORE; Editing by Ian Geoghegan) | 3 | 97,335 | finance |
WACO, Texas (AP) -- Lester Medford stayed sitting on the floor, gritting his teeth and shaking both fists as Baylor teammates gathered around the point guard. Medford's 3-pointer from the left corner while being knocked down with the 42 seconds remaining was the game-winner for No. 25 Baylor in a 69-67 victory over No. 16 Vanderbilt on Sunday night. BOX SCORE: BAYLOR 69, VANDERBILT 67 "Ah, man, it was electric," said Taurean Prince, who scored a career-high 30 points. "Props to Al Freeman. ... I wanted the ball, but Al got in the lane and drew two, then fed Les in the corner." Prince had a couple of big spurts of his own, and the Bears (6-1) won their seventh straight game against the Southeastern Conference over four seasons. Rico Gathers had 10 points and 13 rebounds, becoming the school's career rebounding leader. Gathers fouled out while going for the rebound when Medford missed his free throw. But Nolan Cressler missed two free throws at the other end for Vanderbilt (6-2), and neither team scored again. The Commodores got off two shots in the final 4 seconds, including Cressler's baseline jumper after a rebound. "It felt like pulling teeth the whole night. I felt like I was asking for things the entire night that I wasn't getting," Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said. "We kind of got what we deserved. We should have won the game, but we didn't deserve to." Wade Baldwin had 19 points for the Commodores, but his foul on Medford was his fifth. Matthew Fisher-Davis had 11 points. The teams traded a pair of big runs after halftime in Baylor's first non-conference home game ever with both teams ranked. Fisher-Davis had a pair of 3-pointers and two assists in a 17-0 run over a 5-minute span in the second half. His later assist came on Baldwin's run-capping 3-pointer to put Vandy up 52-39. The Bears missed nine shots in a row before Prince hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to end their scoring drought. Prince had seven points as Baylor scored 13 in a row to get even, including his one-hander off the glass while falling down and his steal that led to a fadeaway jumper. It was 52-all when Ismail Wainright drove the baseline for a two-handed slam with 8:40 left. "We came out a little lackadaisical. That's something we have to get better at, we know that," Prince said. "We hit a 3 and that knocked it down to 10. From then on, the ball started rolling. We got three or four stops in a row on defense and capitalized on that." NO PAUPER Prince had 19 points in the first half, including a stretch of 10 consecutive points for the Bears in a span of 2 1-2 minutes to put them ahead. He had six in a row later in the half, getting fouled while making a layup after Medford's steal. The free throw made it 32-24, Baylor's biggest lead. BIG REBOUNDS Gathers' 920 rebounds break Brian Skinner's school record of 915. One was an impressive save before halftime after Baylor had already missed two inside shots. He managed to keep the dribble and stay in bounds before passing to Prince for a long 3. TIP-INS Vanderbilt: The Commodores made the first of three trips to Texas this season. They play Jan. 30 at Texas in the Big 12-SEC Challenge, then close their regular season March 5 at Texas A&M. Baylor: Prince's 30 points matched Oklahoma's Buddy Hield for the most by a Big 12 player this season. ... The Bears have played 52 consecutive games without allowing an opponent to reach 75 points. UP NEXT Vanderbilt: Hosts Dayton on Wednesday night. Baylor: Hosts Northwestern State on Tuesday night. | 1 | 97,336 | sports |
The Rangers beat the Senators 4-1 on Sunday. Derick Brassard scored twice, while Ryan McDonagh had a goal and two assists. Henrik Lundqvist also had an impressive save. | 1 | 97,337 | sports |
Cellphone video shows how police took down the suspect accused of stabbing three people in the London underground Saturday night. | 8 | 97,338 | video |
Justin Bieber apparently still has Selena Gomez on his mind. Just days after posting an old picture of himself with her, he shared yet another throwback image of the two on Instagram. Justin Bieber Shares Cuddly 'Throwback' Photo With Selena Gomez "Crazy throwback," Bieber captioned the photo, which shows him walking hand-in-hand with his ex around the time of the premiere of her movie Hotel Transylvania in September 2012. The couple reportedly dated on and off for three years before breaking up in 2014. Crazy throwback A photo posted by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Dec 5, 2015 at 11:25pm PST Bieber must have been in a nostalgic mood late on Saturday night (Dec. 5), as he also posted a throwback moment with Rihanna , circa 2011. He shared this memory along with the snapshot: "'Can I have your number please' -Justin 'Nah' -Rihanna." "Can I have your number please" -Justin "Nah" -Rihanna A photo posted by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Dec 5, 2015 at 11:05pm PST | 6 | 97,339 | entertainment |
Check out these Bills fans get crazy prior to Buffalo's matchup against the Texans in Sunday's 120 Mixtape. | 1 | 97,340 | sports |
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Brandon Marshall is fine with opposing players talking trash -- just don't get too personal. That's exactly what happen when the Jets' wide receiver got into a brief shoving match with Giants defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins, who made a comment about Marshall's significant other during Sunday's game. "I believe in trash talk and some guys get up for that, but some things are off limits," Marshall told reporters after the Jets' 23-20 overtime win. "He made a comment -- he said my 'girl' and he didn't know I was married. I don't care, there's not enough money on this earth for someone to disrespect my wife. I just tried to take it out in between the lines. I don't care about anything at that point." Neither Marshall nor Jenkins was flagged for the incident. They talked it out during the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter -- just before Marshall caught a touchdown to send the game into overtime. Marshall, whose relationship with his wife has had some rocky moments, called Jenkins a "good sport" because he took back his comments after realizing Marshall was married. "He thought maybe I had four or five girls or something. But I'm happily married to one woman," Marshall said. "I love my wife, Michi Marshall, and I will fight to the end for her. "So there you go, baby. He's 500 pounds and I went after him for you." | 1 | 97,341 | sports |
When the Rams were 4-3, many in St. Louis were thinking the playoffs were a possibility. But the Rams have since lost five straight following Sunday's 27-3 loss to the Cardinals and their coach doesn't know how to turn things around. Rams coach Jeff Fisher told reporters he's "out of answers" in response to questions about what has gone wrong with his team. After some doubted his team's effort during last week's 31-7 loss to the Bengals, Fisher told critics to kiss his ass. He had a completely different tone following the Rams' latest blowout defeat. MORE: Photos of Week 13's theatrics | Sunday's biggest surprises | Todd Gurley rams into rookie wall It's not just Fisher who is out of answers. The players were reportedly "numb" in the locker room after taking their home shellacking to the Cardinals, whom the Rams beat in Arizona on Oct. 4. That game was a sort of coming-out party for rookie running back Todd Gurley, who ran for 146 yards in the win. It was the first of four straight 100-yard games for Gurley, who has since been contained. Gurley had only 41 yards on nine carries on Sunday, but 34 of those yards were on one player. That comes a week after Gurley picked up just 19 yards on nine attempts against the Bengals. It's not just that the Rams are losing, it's that they're getting worse in Fisher's fourth season. The Rams have failed to score 20 points in any game during the five-game losing streak. They've only scored 10 points the last two weeks with Nick Foles running the offense. Foles was a quarterback hand-picked by Fisher and the Rams gave the former Eagles quarterback a two-year contract extension over the summer after acquiring him in March. Foles will again be benched for next week's game against the Lions. Foles went 15 of 35 for 146 yards and an interception against the Cardinals. He has 1,906 passing yards this season with only seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. MORE: St. Louis football fans stay away | Seahawks make a statement | Seattle doesn't need Jimmy Graham In 21 seasons as an NFL head coach, Fisher has just six winning seasons, with five 8-8 campaigns. The Rams won seven games in each of Fisher's first two seasons in St. Louis before dipping to 6-10 last year. While Fisher says he's not worried about his job security, he is securely on the hot seat, which got a little warmer on Sunday with the head coach admitting he doesn't know how to turn things around. | 1 | 97,342 | sports |
Italian striker Luca Toni has retired at 38. Francis Maxwell takes a look back at Toni's career. | 1 | 97,343 | sports |
President Barack Obama delivers a rare Oval Office address to the nation on his plan to defeat ISIS and terrorism. | 5 | 97,344 | news |
The Liga MX final is set with two of the league's strongest regular-season teams meeting in the final. Pumas fell 3-1 to Club America on Sunday but rode a strong 3-0 win in the first leg to secure a 4-3 aggregate win and move into the final. The top seed's victory was not without controversy, as both matches saw America go down to 10 and then nine men in the second half. Midfielder Javier Guemez was substituted from the first half after suffering an injury in an incident that didn't bring a card out of referee Jorge Isaac Lopez's pocket. X-rays later revealed the injury to be a fractured tibia that will keep Guemez from joining America at the Club World Cup next week, where the team will represent CONCACAF. In Sunday's other match, Tigres went to Toluca and topped the Red Devils, 2-0. After a scoreless first leg, Javier Aquino put Tigres on the board in the 69th minute and Damien Alvarez adding an insurance goal in the 83rd minute to put Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti's side into the final. The Mexican federation will confirm the dates for the final Monday but before the season set Thursday, Dec. 10, and Sunday, Dec. 13, as likely dates for the legs. Pumas, as the top seed, will host the second leg. | 1 | 97,345 | sports |
Theo Epstein is reportedly interested in trading for Padres RHP James Shields. If the Cubs can't land Shields, does Chicago need to go after a different starting pitcher? #120Talk | 1 | 97,346 | sports |
Tom Hanks is well-known for his dramatic work in acclaimed films like Saving Private Ryan and Castaway. But one of Hanks' best performances was in the romantic comedy You've Got Mail. Hanks got the chance to work opposite Dave Chappelle in this film and the two click fantastically. Chappelle's natural charisma and timing elevates Hanks' scenes as well. | 5 | 97,347 | news |
Both Clemson and Alabama are the higher-seeded teams in their College Football Playoff semis. Do you expect the pair to meet in the National Championship Game? | 1 | 97,348 | sports |
nging." | 1 | 97,349 | sports |
The women's national team was supposed to play at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, but canceled early Sunday morning over the condition of the turf. | 1 | 97,350 | sports |
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bears had just taken a late lead when San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula delivered the message to Blaine Gabbert. He told his quarterback to enjoy the moment. Gabbert owned it, instead. Gabbert threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith in overtime after running for the tying TD late in regulation, lifting the struggling 49ers to a 26-20 victory over the Bears on Sunday. BOX SCORE: 49ERS 26, BEARS 20 (OT) "You get opportunities like that," Tomsula said. "You got to enjoy them. That's why they play the game. All of these players in the NFL are amazing athletes. Amazing individuals. You get in a moment like that. Enjoy it. Savor it." Tomsula's pep talk came right after Chicago's Ka'Deem Carey ran for a touchdown in the closing minutes of regulation. Gabbert answered with a big TD run and then won it with that long pass in OT after the Bears' Robbie Gould missed a field goal at the end of regulation. "You really saw kind of the peaks and valleys of NFL football right there," Gabbert said. The Bears (5-7) had just gone three-and-out after forcing a punt by San Francisco to start the extra period. On the first play of the 49ers' second possession, Gabbert found a wide-open Smith along the left sideline, giving San Francisco (4-8) a surprising win over a team that had jumped into playoff contention. "It was set up by all the throws we had underneath early on in the game, all the runs we ran out of that formation," Gabbert said. "It worked perfectly. Torrey did a great job tracking the ball in the air and using his speed to outrun everybody." All that happened after a wild finish in regulation. The Bears took a 20-13 lead on Carey's 4-yard run with 3:32 left, only to let it disappear and then blow a chance to win the game as time expired. Gabbert scrambled 44 yards untouched through the middle for his first career touchdown run with 1:42 left, after some encouragement from Tomsula. If that wasn't bad enough for Chicago, the Bears wasted a huge opportunity after Deonte Thompson returned the kickoff 74 yards to the 28. The Bears had the ball at the 17 when they called on the usually reliable Gould, and at that point, linebacker NaVorro Bowman could sense the dread on the sideline. "We had this feeling a few games (where) we played well and fell a little short," he said. "That same kind of emotion and feeling came back. We're right there. And I think today showed what we've been trying to get to all the players -- just keep fighting no matter what's happening in the game." Gould, who missed a 40-yard attempt in the third quarter, booted a 36-yarder wide left as time expired. "I just got quick on both of them and rushed them, and hurried them," said Gould, who turned 34 Sunday. "They were both probably the worst kicks I've had all year." Gabbert, who took over for Colin Kaepernick last month, completed 18 of 32 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 75 yards and his score. Smith had two catches for 76 yards, and Jimmie Ward returned his first career interception for a touchdown, helping the 49ers snap a two-game losing streak and secure their first road win. They were 0-5 away from home. Chicago's Jay Cutler was 18 of 31 for 202 yards with that interception. Alshon Jeffery had 85 yards receiving and Matt Forte ran for 84 and a touchdown, but for the second time in three games, the Bears missed a chance to reach .500. They also fell to 1-5 at home. Chicago followed up a rare win at Green Bay on Thanksgiving with a gut-wrenching loss against a team both coordinators probably would have loved to beat. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and offensive coordinator Adam Gase interviewed for the 49ers' head coaching job that went to Tomsula following Jim Harbaugh's departure after last season. Gase wound up following Fox from Denver, and Fangio moved to Chicago after overseeing one of the league's top defenses the past four years in San Francisco. "Offensively we didn't play that great in Green Bay either," Cutler said. "That's kind of the facts. Today we didn't play exceptionally well either. Offensively we've got a lot of work to do. NOTES: 49ers LB Aaron Lynch left the game with a concussion in the third quarter. ... This was San Francisco's first regular-season win at Chicago since 1974. The 49ers did beat the Bears at Soldier Field in the conference championship game at the end of the 1988 season. ... The 49ers were 7 of 16 on third downs after going 0 for 9 against Arizona. --- AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL | 1 | 97,351 | sports |
Can't wait for this year's Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl? Campus Insiders' Ray Crawford and Pete Fiutak offer their preview and predictions of the game between the Cougars and the Seminoles. | 1 | 97,352 | sports |
It's Sunday around 8 p.m. and your weekend high swiftly plummets into a spiral of anxieties about the day to come, starting with the tower of work you walked ran out on at 4:59 p.m. Friday. Sick of the Sunday Scaries, the people behind buzzy luxury shoe startup M.Gemi are giving fashion lovers something to actually look forward to at the start of the week. Namely, the release of at least one heart-stopping new shoe style every single Monday.Peep the site now and you'll scroll through sapphire-velvet smoking slippers; the almond-toe, stacked-heel bootie of your dreams; and the holy grail of sleek nude pumps. Basically, they're beautifully made designs you want to wear this second but aren't so trendy that you'll be over them in three months. "Unlike most companies who focus on seasons, it's all one continuous season at M.Gemi," says president, Cheryl Kaplan, of the brand's weekly offerings. "Too often, we've gone shopping for sandals in July only to find fall boots in every store. Our design and merchandising teams are in constant product development mode."In addition to its constantly refreshed product lineup, the company's partnerships with specialty factories in Italy where its shoes are handmade have allowed it to sell directly to consumers. Translation: The insane markups that keep other high-end designers' wares on our "someday" Pinterest boards don't apply. So it's no surprise that in the seven months since its launch, M.Gemi has caught the attention of major media outlets like Fast Company and Business Insider , as well as shoe obsessives and fashion insiders.Ahead, get an exclusive sneak peek of one of the four new styles launching December 7 at 10 a.m. (conveniently during your coffee break, right?), along with some of our faves that you can buy right now. Being stuck in front of a computer after an epic weekend just got way more exciting. The easiest way to escape the Monday blues? Getting your hands on these glossy red beauties. The Micino, available December 7 at M.Gemi . . A durable sole and lightly padded insole mean you can walk around all day in these. Plus, you'll rarely ever have to lace 'em up thanks to a hidden side zipper. M.Gemi The Morello, $298, available at M.Gemi . These instantly up the style factor of any outfit. Bonus points for the better-than-basic color. M.Gemi The Brezza, $248, available at M.Gemi . Try not to feel like Cinderella in these albeit a far more modern, empowered version of her. M.Gemi The Esatto, $248, available at M.Gemi . Even your legs will love the stretch panel on these keepers. Scuba elastic comfortably accommodates a wide range of calf sizes, and has an added slimming effect. M.Gemi The Vicino, $478, available at M.Gemi . Proof that suede and fringe can be so much more sophisticated than how they're repped on the festival grounds. M.Gemi The Alunno, $348, available at M.Gemi . We've got two words for you: Hidden Velcro. Perfection. M.Gemi The Cima, $278, available at M.Gemi . These are far from your dad's loafers, even if they were made by hand in a prestigious men's shoe factory. M.Gemi The Abito, $278, available at M.Gemi . Clean, minimal lines and a playful tassel make these the best of both worlds. M.Gemi The Onda, $348, available at M.Gemi . PSA: Glitter is the best neutral. Also, we're down with any smoking slipper that makes us feel like we're gazing at the galaxy. M.Gemi The Petalo, $198, available at M.Gemi . Think you don't have the feet for strappy or pointy pumps? The adjustable straps on this style make them ideal for both narrow and wider hooves. M.Gemi The Ponte, $248, available at M.Gemi . These Chelsea boots gone wild will give your everyday black booties a serious run for their money. M.Gemi The Avallo, $298, available at M.Gemi . | 4 | 97,353 | lifestyle |
ALBANY, Bahamas Armed with a two-shot lead at the day's start, and facing a soft course featuring five par-5s and with little breeze to contend with, Bubba Watson was going to be one tough pacesetter to run down. And on Sunday at the Hero World Challenge, no one did. Overpowering the Albany Golf Club and devouring the par-5s, the big-hitting lefty with the hot-pink driver ran away from 17 of the best players in the world en route to his second victory of the year and ninth of his career. Despite struggling with his golf swing at times, which left him fearful of hitting his bread-and-butter cut shot, Watson shot a final-round 6-under-par 66 to finish at 25 under and three clear of Patrick Reed (66). Rickie Fowler (64) finished four back in third and world No. 1 Jordan Spieth (67) came home in fourth five back. "The key for me was about staying focused, staying committed to my shots," said Watson, the No. 4 player in the world. "Even though I'm struggling a little bit, I was still in it. Even when I missed the fairways or missed the greens, I was still focused on what I had to do to not make a triple bogey or a double bogey. I tried to play safe as I could after I got in trouble and so that's what I did. And I made the putts." With fine touch around the greens and plenty of firepower off the tees, Watson didn't allow anyone closer than two shots all day as he birdied four of his first seven holes. From there, no one, try as they might, was going to catch him. Fowler, for instance, birdied seven of his first 10 holes and was thinking 59, but he never got closer than three shots. Spieth birdied four of his first seven holes but still couldn't get closer than three. Paul Casey, playing with Watson, birdied two of his first five and got steamrolled. Justin Rose shot a course-record 62 and still got beat by 12 shots. "Absolutely," Rose said when asked if he was thinking about the course record. "That's all I had to play for. I knew the only thing I can come out of the week with here would be bragging rights and have the course record." Watson can do some bragging himself. But Bubba being Bubba he's never had a swing coach or a mental coach he didn't think he could beat the course after playing it for the first time in Wednesday's pro-am, saying the wind would get him. His swing was out of whack, too, but he overcame both obstacles. "I have fears, I have issues, and I'm not afraid to admit it and I'm going to have good days and bad days," Watson said. "So I guess I've had nine good weeks out of all my years." And with the help of his wife, Angie, he overcame a huge obstacle just to get here. First, he withdrew from the tournament to spend time with his family. Then he got in as an alternate after Jason Day withdrew following the birth of his second child. And after Angie Watson got some last-minute paperwork done to secure a passport for the couple's daughter, the Watson clan landed in the Bahamas. "I guess I've got to thank Jason Day for backing out," Watson said. "I have to thank the U.S. government and passport office for getting Dakota a passport so we could be here. For us it's a good ride, a fun ride." Watson's ride continues to Thailand where he'll play this week. Then he'll pack it in for the year and start thinking about 2016. "I believe consistency's the biggest thing about this game," said Watson, who has nine wins worldwide for his career. "We've seen Tiger, we see Phil, you see Jim Furyk. I can keep naming names, but guys that have been up there every year and that's what I'm looking at, that's what I want to do. I want my name to be close to that leaderboard every tournament every year. "So people are always talking about Bubba Watson, about how consistent he is and how good he is. That's my whole focus right now is every year getting better and better." | 1 | 97,354 | sports |
Once the darling of investors, emerging markets have this year seen growth slip to lows not seen since the peak of the financial crisis and after much volatility across assets in the sector, they are not likely to return to favor any time soon. As the U.S. is widely expected to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade later this month, analysts are now trying to assess the fallout for EM, with the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) warning of further pain for the sector in 2016 that could exceed what was seen during the 2013 "taper tantrum". Following Friday's expectation-beating jobs report, which showed the U.S. economy generated 211,000 jobs in November, markets have priced in around an 80 percent chance of a rate increase when the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets later this month. "Weaker financial market conditions combined with an increased sensitivity to U.S. rates may heighten the risk of negative spill overs to emerging market economies (EMEs) when U.S. policy is normalized," the Switzerland-based BIS, which acts as a bank for central banks said in its quarterly review, published on Sunday. The BIS said that changes in the yield spreads on an emerging market economy (EME) bond index compared to the U.S. 10-year Treasury note actually point to greater risks for the sector now than in 2013, when bond yields shot higher after the Fed spooked markets by hinting that a tightening of U.S. monetary policy was about to take place. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. A combination of waning investor enthusiasm and cash outflows means that EM are set for their first net capital outflow in 27 years in 2015, according to the Institute for International Finance. Johan Jooste, chief investment officer at Swiss wealth manager, Azure Wealth said while he was not always convinced by fund flow data, he said if 2013 is anything to go buy, investors should at least follow the flows. "In terms of the flows sometimes those reports can be a reflection of where fund managers wish they were, rather than where they are or possibly their intentions of what they might be doing late," he told CNBC. "But what we learnt a year or two ago, certainly when the Fed was aggressive on the money side (which sparked the 2013 taper tantrum) was go where the money goes," he added. Weakness in emerging markets was seen perhaps more acutely in foreign exchange markets than in any other asset class as the culmination of slowing growth, a sell-off in commodities and expectations of Fed tightening fears gripped markets. The likes of the Brazilian real, the Turkish Lira and the Colombian peso all tumbled to record lows in September. "There have also been signs that EM local currency yields are increasingly sensitive to developments in the United States. The post-crisis era has been characterized by strong international spill overs from U.S. bond yields to emerging markets, even when those countries were at different stages of the business cycle. And this effect seems to have strengthened over time," the BIS added. | 3 | 97,355 | finance |
In the Chaoyang district of northeast Beijing, a nondescript wall covered in patriotic posters protects one of the city's most valuable treasures: a dirt field containing nothing but a few scattered trees. Last month the block sold for 3.3 billion yuan ($515 million), according to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources data, meaning the cost to the developer of each apartment built will be above the price at which nearby homes currently change hands, once a commitment to build a quota of affordable housing is factored in. "The flour is more expensive than the bread," said Guo Yi, market director at Yahao, a real estate consulting agency in Beijing, using a Chinese proverb to describe how undeveloped land in some prime locations has become more expensive than second-hand apartments. "We see increasing risks." Such speculative pressure underlines a growing distortion in China's housing market. While property prices in much of China are still falling, a rebound is under way in the biggest cities, bringing with it the return of land speculation that could stoke another bubble and widening the economic gap between "tier 1" centers and the rest. In the Chaoyang project, the winning developer, a joint venture between Poly Real Estate Group and Beijing Capital Development, agreed that more than half the housing on the site would be built under a government affordable housing scheme. The scheme aims to allow more of China's middle and lower income households to share the dream of owning their own home, but also makes the project more expensive for the developer. Analysts said the 41,964 sq meter (451,697 sq ft) plot equated to a maximum 117,498 sq meters (1,264,738 sq ft) of apartment space, meaning the developer was paying 28,086 yuan per sq meter, rising to more than 60,000 yuan per sq meter when the cost of building the affordable housing was included. At that price, the commercial housing to be built on the site would need to be sold for more than 100,000 yuan ($15,600) per sq meter, around triple the price of existing homes nearby, for the project to be profitable, analysts said. Another option would be to try to resell the plot at a profit. "It sounds crazy to me that prices could reach so high," said a woman surnamed Wang who lives in a nearby affordable housing project. "It just doesn't seem worth it to me." DIVERGENT TREND Beijing's buoyant land market typifies an emerging trend. Leading developers are buying new lots of land in major cities amid a backdrop of improved property sales and a loosening monetary environment. "Developers are making land grabs in big cities because everyone thinks first-tier cities are safe," said a senior official at a medium-sized listed property company in Beijing, who declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media. "We are worried about risks of overheating." On a nationwide basis, house prices posted their first annual rise in 14 months during October, a weighted average gain of 0.1 percent. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.2 percent, official data showed. Even a modest recovery in a sector that accounts for 15 percent of gross domestic product is a welcome boost for an economy heading for its weakest growth in 25 years. But the gains were largely concentrated in major cities, reflecting an increasingly unbalanced housing recovery. Prices in Shenzhen rose 39.9 percent in October from a year earlier, while the were up 10.9 percent in Shanghai, and 6.5 percent in Beijing. In monthly terms prices rose in only 27 of 70 cities, however. Local government revenue from land sales in China's 10 biggest cities rose 24 percent in October from a year earlier, a private survey showed. While there are ceilings on land prices, some local governments are auctioning land bundles - land and a commitment to build a set amount of affordable housing - that makes the cost of building non-social housing much higher. That has the effect of pushing up property prices in major cities, where demand is strong. But outside the top-tier cities, excess supply and a weaker economy are discouraging new construction and investment. The average residential land prices in first tier cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, reached 17,680 yuan per sq meter in the third quarter of this year, compared with 2,377 yuan in smaller third tier cities, according to data from China's land ministry. "Land is more expensive than second hand houses in some parts of Beijing, but not everywhere, because developers are confident that real estate prices in will continue to rise," said a property developer at one of China's state-owned enterprises. "I wouldn't say the Beijing property market is overheated, it's just warm." (Reporting by Xiaoyi Shao and Sue-Lin Wong; Additional reporting by Nate Taplin; Editing by John Mair and Alex Richardson) | 3 | 97,356 | finance |
New York Giants football player Odell Beckham Jr. is the Steph Curry of the NFL! The Giants receiver was at it again Sunday against the Jets with another of his signature, stickum-like, one-handed snags. In the spectacular play, Eli Manning sails a pass but it's no big deal as Beckham effortlessly reaches up to palm the rock with his right hand and reel it in. Beckham also scored a 72-yard touchdown in the same game. | 1 | 97,357 | sports |
Celebs without makeup: 2015 Instagram edition Check out all your favorite stars -- minus their usual makeup -- in these fresh-faced Instagram snapshots from 2015, starting with Demi Lovato. "#NMM is just what your skin needs after all that Halloween makeup!!! Show me your no makeup selfies!" the pop star captioned this photo she shared on Nov. 2, 2015. Keep reading for more... "Getting ready 👻👻👻" --Adriana Lima, who posted this makeup-free pic of herself wearing colored contact lenses as she got ready for Halloween on Oct. 31, 2015 "Rain is fallin, steal some covers" --Gigi Hadid, who posted this makeup-free selfie on Instagram on Oct. 29, 2015 Kylie Jenner showed off her natural freckles in this makeup-free selfie on Instagram on Dec. 5, 2015. "When you didn't realize that your new Supergirl t shirt came with a cape and that's all you have to wear at work" --Mayim Bialik, who posted this makeup-free selfie on Instagram on Oct. 28, 2015 "Sunshine" --Bella Hadid, who posted this fresh-faced photo on Instagram in the early morning of Oct. 17, 2015 "#AuNaturale #NoMakeup #NoFilter #NoWeave #washfacenobase #TransIsBeautiful" --Laverne Cox, who posted this photo of herself sans makeup on Oct. 16, 2015 "Bananas Please" --Ciara, who shared this clean-faced photo on Oct. 12, 2015 Kourtney Kardashian captioned this makeup-free Instagram selfie with a devilish emoji 😈 on Oct. 11, 2015. "Yes I am on the floor having a dog photo shoot hoping no one comes in" --Chrissy Teigen, who posted this makeup-free photo on Instagram on Sept. 13, 2015 "No filter" --Kylie Jenner, who posted this pic on Instagram on Oct. 27, 2015 "Fresh baby facededed...goodnight😘" --Zendaya, who posted this pic on Sept. 23, 2015 "Hi guys. So I don't want to come off as preachy AT ALL! But lately, when I post a pic of myself without makeup on @instagram, people hate- telling me I look dead or anemic or whatever! Over it! I struggled with my skin A LOT growing up. I had terrible acne throughout high school and college and finally got it under control in my mid 20's. I've learned that keeping it healthy and clear is mostly due to keeping it clean. I TRULY think the key to inner and outer beauty isn't about all the things we can buy to cover up our skin but how we can embrace our skin and keep it healthy. Clean skin is in. The more I keep it clean, the better condition it's in. And when you do decide to put a little makeup on ( I mean, we all do 😊 ) our skin is a pure foundation for it to live on! So goodbye haters! I'm gonna embrace my bare, colorless, pale and ghostly skin because I don't need to hide behind anything. I urge all you out there to not be afraid of showing that beautiful, bare face of yours to the world. Join me and tag all your clean skin selfies using the hashtag #OurCleanSkinIsIn Let's do this!!!" --Whitney Port, who shared this photo and message on Instagram on Sept. 16, 2015 "Getting ready to appear on HSN. The only thing I have on my skin is my Recapture Day Cream and Refocus Eye Serum.This is my first step everyday routine before applying make up. I personally recommend trying it for yourself. If you start now in just 4 weeks you will see smoother, firmer , younger looking skin in time for Thanksgiving! #hsn Tonight at 2:00 AM Eastern , 4:00 and 7:00 PM tomorrow. @brinkleybeauty #brinkleybeauty #BTS" --Christie Brinkley, who posted this photo on Instagram on Oct. 28, 2015 "Cloudy but no rain = perfect day to run outside! 1mi treadmill warm up, tabata arms and abs, finish up with a 3 mile run/lunge up the hills. I'm a sweaty mess, but fortunately I have sweet Penny to help get me cleaned up! Ew. #StayThePath #CALIAbyCarrie #NoMakeup #NoFilter #BeNice" -- Carrie Underwood who posted this pic in August 2015 "Good Morning 💋❤️" -- Heidi Klum, who posted this makeup-free selfie on Instagram in July 2015 "A little sun before heading to Mexico lindooooo today !!! ✈️are u packed @reesewitherspoon" --Sofia Vergara, who posted this pic on Instagram in June 2015 "Been in studio and been an absolute recluse/loser cc @diplo but a make up and alcohol free week plus help from some sweet juicing and food @livebeaming and sweet training @sapfit89 and I got some added freckles and I feel like this 👍"--Ellie Goulding, who shared this fresh-faced photo in June 2015 "Selfie lesson from @kaiagerber." --Cindy Crawford, who posted this pic with her daughter in May 2015 "It's always fun to wake up with your jewels on. Prickly but fun. Makes you feel serious. @ireneneuwirth I can't figure out how to take off. It's pretty serious about wanting to keep me." -January Jones, who posted this photo on Instagram on June 2, 2015 Kendall Jenner posted this Instagram photo of herself sans makeup on April 26, 2015. "Beauty comes from within 😉 my baby is sick heading to doctor 😢 been up most of the night NO MAKEUP NO CARES but my 👶" --Kim Zolciak, who posted this clean-faced photo on April 26, 2015 Eva Longoria posted this makeup-free photo on May 16, 2015. "I'm finally here ! SOOO jet lagged and feeling under the weather...BUT SO EXCITED ! And it's beautiful weather:) #cannes#alicewinocour#matthiasschoenaerts" --Diane Kruger, who shared this pic on May 15, 2015 "Love my early bday present from my ❤️❤️❤️@dazzlemira @galitlaibow @shanidarden#spoiledrotten @anitakojewelry 💎🔥" -- Jessica Alba posted on Instagram on April 25, 2015 "It's been an amazing Mother's Day weekend with my family down in Florida, I am so incredibly grateful to have such an amazing woman to call my best friend and mom" --Karlie Kloss posted on Instagram on May 12, 2015 "Yesterday I was working so hard in the studio I missed my #NMM picture!!! So here it is!! 😝#nomakeupmonday #devonnebydemi Do YOU Devonne???!!" Demi Lovato posted on Instagram on May 19, 2015 "We made it #lala" -- Molly Sims posted on May 15, 2015 "My fav sweat shirt" -- Selena Gomez posted on May 13, 2015 "When da squad wants you to go out but you already have plans…." -- Miley Cyrus posted on Instagram on May 23, 2015 "Gooooood morning Hong Kong! @amfar" --Gwyneth Paltrow, who posted on Instagram on March 13, 2015 "local single in your area @amyschumer call me 👭"--Sophia Bush, who posted on Instagram on April 6, 2015 "Time for sleepy sleepy...goodnight everybody.." --Jennifer Lopez, who posted on Instagram on March 6, 2015 "RUNRISE #trainingforahalfmarathon#evenonmybirthday" --Michelle Monaghan, who posted on Instagram on March 23, 2015 "Sorry that my #NoMakeupMonday pic is late!!! I've been touring and getting ready for TOUR!!! 😝😝😝 I'm so excited!!" --Demi Lovato, who posted on April 6, 2015 "Shameless after workout pic! I love feeling strong and sweaty after a good workout! Thanks to@amypurdygurl for my "Be Inspired" shirt! You got me through it girl!" --Julianne Hough, who posted on Instagram on March 26, 2015 "#werkingitout on #springbreak w @lauren_andersen💪💦💨"--Jessica Alba, who posted on Instagram on March 28, 2015 "Hated bangs, but I have baby hairs #natural." --Selena Gomez, who posted on Instagram on March 14, 2015 "Getting ready for hike #1 and staying hydrated w@minkak and @theranchmalibu. #herewego#sortascaredbutmostlyexcited cc: @muscularcalves" -- Mandy Moore, who posted on Instagram on Feb. 12, 2015 "I woke up like thissss (With a cat on me)" --Taylor Swift, who posted this photo on Instagram on March 5, 2015 "Under the sheets.... Ready to sleep.... Good night world ....." --Adriana Lima, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 15, 2015 "Yay 3:30 am wake up calls! Good morning! #iwokeuplikethis #noreally #imayregretthislater #frizzies #nofilter" --Jordin Sparks, who posted this photo on Instagram on March 22, 2015 Bar Refaeli posted this makeup-free selfie on Instagram on March 10, 2015. "Friday vibes and hair cuts" --Ashley Benson, who posted this photo on Instagram on March 13, 2015 Chelsea Kane posted this makeup-free selfie on Instagram on March 25, 2015. "Congrats to one of the most creative ladies I know.@mindyweiss I love u!!#babykeepsake" -- Jessica Simpson posted on Instagram on Feb. 6, 2015 "#forty" --Drew Barrymore, who posted this to Instagram on Feb. 22, 2015 "I don't know why I still look like a teenager sometimes..#Sky#nomakeup#thegoodolddays#" -- Diane Kruger posted on Feb. 17, 2015 "But this is me..." --Gabrielle Union, who posted this photo on Instagram on Feb. 4, 2015 "#spinning w mah @honest #homies @jamilvmoen @jennyberkley3 @tracydawnhall led by trainer @ccolewilliams #weworkitout #staymotivated #workhardplayhard" --Jessica Alba, who posted this photo on Instagram on Feb. 5 "Found some bomb fabrics in the souk #DUBAI @Houseofharlow1960 #inspirationiseverywhere" --Nicole Richie, who posted this photo on Instagram on Feb. 2, 2015 "Hot mess in the back seat of the car headed home from the Super Bowl. Grouchy, no makeup, bra hanging out, sun in my eyes (glad I have my Sunnies on) AND stuck in traffic from car accident. However grateful for a successful weekend and can't wait to see my 3 fur babies when I get home! #HappyMonday" --Gretchen Rossi, who posted this photo on Instagram on Feb. 2, 2015 "Happy birthday to my wonderful, incredible, beautiful wife, Portia." --Ellen Degeneres, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 31, 2015 "#NoMakeMonday!!! If you are part of our #DevonneByDemi family, send me your pics! www.DevonneByDemi.com #NMM" --Demi Lovato, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 26, 2015 "Warmin up. #sundance" --Kendra Wilkinson, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 26, 2015 "YIEW asked for it. Bored af selfie." --Miley Cyrus, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 23, 2015 "Basically I can't sleep without every single song I'm writing repeating endlessly, but I'm loving it again. Embracing the torture, as I'm assaulted by my own thoughts. Like a locust giving birth to earworms. Eeeeew!" --Lady Gaga, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 15, 2015 "@sanctionedjohnnygalecki and I working hard today. We need hair and makeup. Badly." --Kaley Cuoco, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 15, 2015 Ke$ha shared this makeup-free selfie on Instagram on Jan. 16, 2015. "A little no make up selfie getting my nails did" --Kim Kardashian, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 13, 2015 "I love that @kendalljenner is make up free and fabulous. And I apparently feel the need to be in faux fur, a hat and a cute amount of make up! Fabulous comes in all sorts of colors! #Chuuuuch" --Khloe Kardashian, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 13, 2015 "day-to-night. I nominate @amandadecadenet to share her most glamorous transformation. #GlamJan #sp @maxfactor" --Gwyneth Paltrow, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 6, 2015 Lea Michele shared this selfie on Instagram on Jan. 2, 2015. "#SpaTime in Vegas." --Paris Hilton, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 2, 2015 "Lazy Sunday" -- model Nadine Leopold, who posted this photo on her Instagram on Jan. 4, 2015 "you know it's gonna be a good Sunday when ya weaves out & u haven't put ur face on yet" --Kylie Jenner, who posted this photo on Instagram on Jan. 11, 2015 | 6 | 97,358 | entertainment |
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton gives a great lesson on dabbing for Erin Andrews. | 1 | 97,359 | sports |
Verona striker Luca Toni has announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. The 38-year-old was the joint top scorer in Serie A last season, netting 22 league goals along with Inter's Mauro Icardi, having netted 20 in the previous campaign. This year, though, Toni only has one goal from seven appearances in the league and Verona is struggling badly at the bottom of the table with only six points from 15 games. "I think the time has come to stop," Toni said to Sky Italia. "I hope to celebrate it by keeping Verona safe in Serie A." Toni played the full 90 minutes in Verona's 1-0 home defeat to Empoli on Sunday. Prior to his move to Verona, Toni represented a total of 14 clubs including Bayern Munich and Juventus, while he won the World Cup with Italy in 2006. | 1 | 97,360 | sports |
Georginio Wijnaldum inspired Premier League struggler Newcastle United to a 2-0 win over in-form Liverpool at St James' Park. The Dutch midfielder played a pivotal role in breaking the deadlock when his 69th-minute shot forced Martin Skrtel to put through his own goal. BOX SCORE: NEWCASTLE 2, LIVERPOOL 0 Liverpool struggled for fluency throughout, despite coming into the match on the back of seven wins from eight outings in all competitions, although it was entitled to feel aggrieved when Alberto Moreno had a sensational volleyed equalizer ruled out for offside. Wijnaldum, who scored four when Newcastle beat Norwich City on home turf earlier in the campaign, made sure of the points in stoppage time as Jurgen Klopp's team streamed forwards in search of a late leveller. Christian Benteke spurned Liverpool's best chance from five yards around midway through the first half and it remains seventh having passed up the opportunity to draw level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham. Newcastle offered the ideal response for under-fire boss Steve McClaren following the 5-1 loss at Crystal Palace and it only remains inside the relegation zone on goal difference. Siem de Jong made his first Premier League start of the season for Newcastle in place of Ayoze Perez the only alteration to the XI that was humbled at Selhurst Park. Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge scored five of Liverpool's six goals in Wednesday's League Cup demolition of Southampton, but both strikers dropped to the bench as Jordon Ibe and Roberto Firmino supported Benteke in attack. The visitors forced a flurry of three corners during the opening minutes, although clear chances were hard to come by. Newcastle was still not fully attuned to Liverpool's set-piece threat when it failed to deal with Moreno's 21st-minute corner Joe Allen knocking down for Benteke to prod wastefully over from close range. Papiss Cisse managed to manufacture a fruitless penalty box scramble when he appeared to have a clear sight of goal before the match belatedly stirred on the stroke of halftime. Chancel Mbemba headed over from Cisse's flick-on and Ibe sent a venomous drive just over at the other end. Wijnaldum could not turn home Moussa Sissoko's low cross and the hosts were in the ascendency when the Dutchman saw his shot on the turn deflected wide after 55 minutes. Benteke's frustrations with a poor individual showing were clear when he and Firmino made way for Sturridge and Adam Lallana after the hour, but Klopp's double change did not turn the contest in his favor. Wijnaldum failed to control inside the Liverpool box, but his anticipation earned a touch of fortune in the game's pivotal moment, leaving Skrtel to reflect on a seventh own goal of his Premier League career. Moreno was every bit as unfortunate as his defensive colleague when the referee's assistant chalked off his sensation strike, before Sissoko fed Wijnaldum on the break to seal Klopp's second defeat in the English top flight. | 1 | 97,361 | sports |
President Barack Obama will deliver a rare Oval Office address on terror threats following the shootings in San Bernardino, California. | 8 | 97,362 | video |
Hundreds of people crowded into Manger Square to attend the annual lighting of the tree in the biblical West Bank city, heralding the Christmas holiday season. (Dec. 6) | 8 | 97,363 | video |
Hundreds of runners take part in a fun race dressed in Santa costumes at the Sydney Harbour to raise funds for sick, disadvantaged and special needs children in the spirit of the holiday season. | 5 | 97,364 | news |
Michigan State moved up two spots to No. 3 behind Clemson and Alabama in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday. The last regular-season rankings were released before the College Football Playoff selection committee revealed the field for the national semifinals. No. 1 Clemson received 59 first-place votes, No. 2 Alabama got nine, and Michigan State one from media panel. The Spartans, who were No. 2 early in the season, edged up after beating Iowa 16-13 in the Big Ten championship game. Oklahoma slipped one spot to No. 4. Stanford moved up two spots to No. 5 after winning the Pac-12 title and Iowa dropped two spots to sixth after its first loss of the season. Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina round out the top 10. --- AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org | 1 | 97,365 | sports |
Paying off a mortgage doesn't make sense for retirees under some circumstances. | 3 | 97,366 | finance |
Quentin Tarantino talked about the possibility of a Kill Bill 3. He said, "There definitely is a possibility… stop short of saying a probability. But there could be. For one reason in particular… Uma and me would have a really good time working together again." | 8 | 97,367 | video |
Even before baseball's winter meetings could commence, the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics locked down two of the top reliever options available, as the Orioles agreed to terms with Darren O'Day to a $31 million deal and the A's surprisingly guaranteed Ryan Madson $22 million over three years. Fox Sports and ESPN first reported the terms of those deals, which continue the trend of relievers receiving top dollar even if they're not necessarily guaranteed a closer role. The Baltimore Sun noted O'Day's pact is still pending a physical. O'Day spent most of the past two seasons setting up for Orioles closer Zach Britton, but the submarine-style right-hander has been dominant, as his walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) have been stellar - from 1.00 in 2013, to 0.88 and 0.93 the past two seasons. From 2014-2015, he had 53 saves or holds while getting tagged with just nine blown saves despite frequently entering games with runners in scoring position. His $31 million guarantee is just shy of the four-year, $36 million pact Andrew Miller signed with the Yankees after 2014. Miller, too, was not assured a closer role, but seized that job from Dellin Betances early in 2015. Madson, 35, was one of the game's great comeback stories in 2015, eventually pitching his way into a high-leverage role with the World Series champion Kansas City Royals after sitting out three seasons due to complications after multiple Tommy John surgeries. He pitched three scoreless innings in the World Series, two coming in late-inning Royals victories.In 68 regular season appearances, he posted a 2.13 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. | 1 | 97,368 | sports |
Plunging oil prices, turbulent domestic politics and a troubled domestic economy are all taking a toll on Saudi Arabia. Now add one more item to its list of potential woes: the link of the Saudi currency, the riyal (SAR=) , to the dollar. For roughly three decades, the world's largest oil producer has pegged its currency to the greenback. Yet with oil prices mired near $40 per barrel and a budget deficit looming, a few Saudi Arabia watchers have speculated that the kingdom could allow the riyal to float, as a way to alleviate some of the pressure on its domestic economy. Already, Saudi Arabia has been selling its reserves to plug a hole in its budget and shore up its flagging currency. That scenario is part of what Bank of America-Merrill Lynch recently referred to as a "black swan" event, whose implications could have far-reaching effects for the already whipsawed oil market. The combination of a strong U.S. dollar and weak oil prices has been toxic to the Saudi economy. BofA posited that oil's persistent weakness may tempt the Saudis to break its peg, which would flood markets with dollars and send crude even lower, to $25 per barrel. That could be the kiss of death for an economy where oil accounts for 90 percent of its exports and 40 percent of its growth, and spell more trouble for other commodity-linked emerging markets that have found themselves walloped by the commodity bear market. Such a scenario remains "highly unlikely but highly impactful," BofA said, given the growing pressures on the riyal, which languishes near a multi-year low in the forward market. Massive selling of its more than $700 billion FX war chest this year has underscored just how badly Saudi Arabia needs to offset the plunge in crude. Dollar reserves are "still high but have been falling at a relatively fast rate," BofA analysts wrote. As the bank sees it, the key choice for the country is either to "cut [oil] supply or de-peg the riyal." The former option is already on the table, as Saudi authorities recently softened its tone on the issue of cutting supply, and challenged other oil producing countries to do the same. So what are the chances the Saudis succumb to pressure and break a decades-old fixture break amid a global glut? Apparently, very low. Paul Gamble, senior director of sovereign credit at Fitch Ratings said that, for several reasons, the peg is safe. "There are ample reserves to support the peg and a very strong commitment to it," Gamble told CNBC. "Market pressure on the peg occurs at the time of sharp oil price movements, both down and up. And we do not foresee any prospect of a change to the peg." The country's vast oil wealth obscures a population whose poverty rate is estimated by some economists to be around a quarter of the population. With millions dependent on government spending, Paul Christopher, head global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, said that devaluation may even raise more problems than it solves. "Without the peg, a disorderly devaluation is likely (in the face of very low oil prices), and an ongoing depreciation would be in order, as oil prices come under additional pressure," Christopher said. "Such a dramatic and sustained depreciation would raise imported [food and medicine] costs sharply, and add to the Kingdom's already serious social strains." For those reasons, analysts such as Fitch's Gamble expects the country to post record fiscal deficits for the next two years at least, as Saudi authorities dole out large sums of cash on public welfare. The added spending is one reason why Fitch expects the domestic scene to remain "stable" and is holding its credit ratings steady. | 3 | 97,369 | finance |
The father of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook reportedly told Italian newspaper La Stampa that his son may have sympathized with ISIS. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more. | 8 | 97,370 | video |
Jay Glazer says Johnny Manziel may still have a future in Cleveland. | 1 | 97,371 | sports |
Pakistani security forces appeared to be trying to dampen down reporting this weekend on the background of Tashfeen Malik, who mounted an attack alongside her husband that killed 14 people in California. Three professors at Malik's university said they had been advised not to talk to the media, while men claiming to be from Pakistan's security agencies told reporters to drop their investigations into her background on pain of arrest. An official at the interior ministry later said this was due to a "misunderstanding." U.S. authorities are treating last Wednesday's mass shooting in San Bernardino as an "act of terrorism." Malik, 29, and husband Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, were killed two hours later in a shootout with police. The Iraq- and Syria-based Islamic State jihadist group has claimed the couple as its followers, although it has not said it was in contact with them or that it directed the attack. Malik was born in Pakistan but spent most of her life in Saudi Arabia before she came to the United States to marry her husband, a U.S. citizen. She had a degree in pharmacy from a university in Pakistan's central city of Multan. On Sunday, three professors at Bahauddin Zakariya University, which Malik attended, said they had been instructed by security agencies not to speak to reporters. One, who asked not to be named, said security officials visited the university on Saturday and removed records and pictures of Tashfeen. "She was a very reserved person, a very quiet girl, she kept to herself," the professor said. "I could have never imagined she was capable of something like this. And there was nothing on the surface to suggest she had such extremist tendencies." "I think this change in her mind, whenever it happened, must be very recent. The girl I remember ... she could not have the guts to do this." Another former professor said he did not remember her at all. "She was probably not someone who stood out, academically or otherwise," he said. UNSPECIFIED OFFENCES Men claiming to be from security agencies, but who refused to provide identification, also sought to discourage Reuters from further reporting on Malik's background, threatening journalists with arrest for unspecified offenses. "Whether you consider this a request or a dictation (order), I would advise you not to pursue this story," one said. Tim Craig, a reporter from the Washington Post, tweeted that police had prevented him from leaving his hotel in Multan. "I've lost track of how many different security/intel officials I've had to talk to, copy my passport, etc in past 17 hours - think 12 to 16," he tweeted. Reuters was eventually allowed to continue reporting with a police escort provided for security reasons. An interior ministry official later told Reuters the situation had been the result of a misunderstanding by over-enthusiastic local police. "This is not our policy. We have nothing to hide, and we want to facilitate journalists," the official, who did not wish to be named, said. Several security officials said the restrictions on the press were partly due to Pakistani fears that the country would be blamed for Malik's actions. "Pakistan has nothing to do with this but it will be used to malign Pakistan. So of course we have to care about how this is being seen and reported," one official said. On Sunday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said Pakistan was willing to give any assistance that the United States required to investigate Malik, and highlighted that she spent most of her life in Saudi Arabia. "Such acts of terrorism which take place across the world bring a bad name to Islam," he said. "You cannot blame the religion and the nation due to the personal actions of one person." (Additional reporting by Syed Raza Hassan in KARACHI; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Richard Balmforth) | 5 | 97,372 | news |
Villarreal moved up to fifth in La Liga thanks to Cedric Bakambu's second-half double as they came from a goal down to beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday. Jozabed's wonder strike had fired the visitors into a surprise lead just before the break. However, former Tottenham Hotspur striker Roberto Soldado teed up Bakambu to level and the Congolese's cool near post finish five minutes from time handed Villarreal just their second win in eight league games. Victory moves Villarreal to within just a point of Celta Vigo in fourth ahead of their clash with Real Madrid next weekend. Real Sociedad's revival since sacking former Manchester United manager David Moyes continued as they recovered from conceding an early to beat Eibar 2-1. Borja Baston put the visitors in front, but Imanol Agirretxe levelled before taking his tally for the season to 11 goals in 12 appearances with a last minute winner. Malaga moved out of the relegation zone on goal difference despite failing to take advantage of playing against 10 men for 70 minutes in a 0-0 draw away at Athletic Bilbao. Meanwhile, Sporting Gijon are now four points clear of the drop zone thanks to Antonio Sanabria's hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Las Palmas. | 1 | 97,373 | sports |
It really is a treat watching Odell Beckham Jr. every week, since it seems that every week he's making another ridiculous one-handed catch. He did it again against the Jets on Sunday. Last week, Beckham hauled a mesmerizing touchdown grab against the Redskins. Odell Beckham just doesn't stop:Full-extension, one-handed 22-yard catch. Ridiculous. #NYJvsNYG https://t.co/bMRmLrdoTm NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2015 Of course, that's not the grab that made Beckham famous. You've all seen that one . | 1 | 97,374 | sports |
"So far the United States' response has been tepid at best." | 8 | 97,375 | video |
California is one of the greatest crop producers in America and subsequently uses a vast amount of potentially harmful pesticides , some of which are harming children. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley asked a group of children exposed to pesticides to blow out a candle and found what was enough to categorize exposure damage with secondhand smoke exposure. The study , published in the journal Thorax , reveals the dangerous effects a family of pesticides, called organophosphates, has on young, developing lungs. "Researchers have described breathing problems in agricultural workers who are exposed to these pesticides, but these new findings are about children who live in an agricultural area where the organophosphates are being used," said the study's senior author Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health at the UC Berkeley, in a press release . "This is the first evidence suggesting that children exposed to organophosphates have poorer lung function." For the study, researchers analyzed urine samples from 279 children with decreased lung function. The samples were collected five times throughout the children's lives, from the time they were 6 months old up until they turned 5 years old. Each time they measured the amount of organophosphate in their urine, the child had an average of 8 percent less air function for every tenfold increase of the pesticide . The decreased lung function is comparable to a child inhaling their mother's secondhand smoke. What Are Organophosphates? Included in the agricultural bug killer family, organophosphates are a type of pesticide that's been used for decades. Originally, it was developed for chemical warfare because of its effectiveness to paralyze muscles and (in large amounts) kill humans similar to bugs. Previous research has linked childhood organophostate exposure with brain tumors, leukemia and lymphomas, and birth defects. Linking chronic exposure to poor lung function is relatively new and may help stimulate further research, possibly laying the groundwork for children's protection in the future. "The kids with higher pesticide exposure had lower breathing capacity," said study's lead author Rachel Raanan, who conducted the research while she was a postdoctoral scholar in Eskenazi's lab. "If the reduced lung function persists into adulthood, it could leave our participants at greater risk of developing respiratory problems like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)." Decreased lung function, especially early on in life, increases the risk of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Researchers believe reducing environmental exposure of pesticides during childhood is key to protecting a child from impaired breathing capacity. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention , COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes airflow blockage and breathing-related problems for more than 15 million Americans. However, based on evidence of impaired lung function, experts believe it's closer to 24 million . "This study adds exposure to organophosphate pesticides to the growing list of environmental exposures including air pollution, indoor cook stove smoke and environmental tobacco smoke that could be harmful to the developing lungs of children," Raanan said. "Given they are still used worldwide, we believe our findings deserve further attention." Source: Raanan R, Eskenazi B, Balmes J, et al. Thorax. 2015. | 7 | 97,376 | health |
What you say during your first day on the job doesn't just impact what your colleagues think about you it could also cause you to lose your job. "If you say something that's off, it sets the tone, and that could be the reason for you to be let go in your first three months," says J.T. O'Donnell, a career and workplace expert, founder of career-advice site CAREEREALISM.com , and author of " Careerealism: The Smart Approach to a Satisfying Career ." "It's natural to want to be liked to impress and fit in quickly," explains workplace-confidence expert Michelle Kerrigan . "However, many try too hard, and talk too much when they should be listening." Here are 17 things you should avoid saying, especially during your first day on the job: 'In my last job ...' No one likes a know-it-all. Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, etiquette and civility expert and author of " Don't Burp in the Boardroom, " suggests walking into the new job with energy, but she also recommends a splash of humility. "Not the timid, reserved definition, but with an attitude of learning not knowing-it-all." 'OMG, I LOVE that!' You're already hired there's no need to try too hard to get people to like you. While it's nice to know that people think you're personable or that you really "get" the company, Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and author of " Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job ," says this is a waste of energy you'll impress naturally by just being yourself. 'When do I get a raise?' "How about getting through the ninety-day probationary period first," Randall suggests. 'BTW, I have to leave early on Fridays.' "If you hadn't talked about that prior to joining, landing in the new job and suddenly dropping these kinds of bombs on them really shows a lack of communication and respect on your part," O'Donnell says. "They're expecting you to just come in and be there and be present, be eager, be ready and willing to learn." 'Hang on ... I'm just finishing up this HR paperwork.' On your first day, you'll likely be pulled in a thousand directions, Taylor says. But it's important you make yourself accessible to your new boss first and foremost, despite all the administrative distractions. "This is an important first impression you don't want to discount," she says. "Companies are not always as organized as they'd like when onboarding staff. You can easily get caught up with an HR professional, various managers, or coworkers or with a special assignment that keeps you from being available to the person who matters most." 'Who should I meet and who should I avoid around here?' A question like this is basically asking coworkers to gossip that's a career killer, Randall says. And one person's beef with another coworker is their business only and could have developed over matters you have no idea about. "Take time to meet and engage in small talk with each person in your department," Randall suggests. "Judge for yourself." 'That's not how I learned how to do it.' Keep the conversation positive, O'Donnell advises. Employers don't want to hear what you can't do they want to hear that you are open-minded and ready to learn to do it their way. "That can sometimes slip out because people want to be able to show their expertise and they think, 'That's why I got hired,'" O'Donnell explains. "But if you don't frame it properly, it can really sound negative and critical of the organization that's just hired you." 'What's the holiday party like? Do we get bonuses or a ham or something?' "You are the ham," Randall says. "Why don't you just wait and see when holiday time rolls around. By the way, what will you do if you go home empty-handed?" 'What d'ya have to do around here to get an upgrade on this company phone?' If your company phone isn't the newest or shiniest, chances are your coworkers' aren't either. Asking for an upgrade will undoubtedly alienate some people who will question if you think you deserve it more. "Learn to deal with what you are given. If the company is technology deficient, has older desks, chairs, or office décor, don't allow or use it to determine how you get the job done," Randall says. 'That makes no sense.' You may come across a way of doing things in your new company that you don't understand or agree with, but framing it this way makes you seem like a Negative Nancy or even worse just plain dumb. "Get some feedback before you make this automatic assumption," O'Donnell suggests. Instead of saying the policy doesn't make sense to you, ask why the company does it this way, the history behind it, and try to understand the policy from the organization's point of view. 'My prior boss was clueless.' Maybe your previous boss was an idiot. But negative complaints and comparisons are rarely welcomed, Kerrigan points out, and these kinds of statements can be harmful to your professional brand and how you're perceived. You're the one that's coming off as clueless. "Your brand is your trademark, and it's built by consistency good and bad," she says. "Once established as bad, it's hard to change perception. You need to build and maintain a positive brand to be memorable for the good." 'I'm so beat.' It's important to project high energy, Taylor says, especially in your early days on the job when your attitude and work ethic are most visible and under the microscope. 'No, thanks. I brought my lunch today.' 3 Turning down an opportunity to get lunch and bond with new coworkers or a boss seems standoffish, even if you did pack your lunch that day. 'I'd like to invite you all to my church this Sunday.' Unless it has something to do with your job, you might consider bringing the "never discuss politics or religion at the dinner table" rule to your desk as well. "These discussion aren't generally well received in a work environment," Randall says. "You may find coworkers shying away from you as Fridays approach." 'In my opinion ...' As a general rule of thumb, make "Ask, don't tell," your personal mantra for the day, O'Donnell suggests. Unless asked, it's better to keep your opinion to yourself and see what your employers have to say about things first. 'What's the employee discount like?!' Defer these kinds of questions to the policies and procedures manual, Randall says. "Inquiring and asking for perks is so 'me, me me' an unfavorable trait." 'Hey, working hard or hardly working?!' First of all, lame. Second of all, while you may see other coworkers ribbing each other and think it's fine to join in don't. "They earned that level of casualness with each other … you are not there yet," O'Donnell says. "In the beginning, even though it may feel a little buttoned-up for you, you've got to be respectful, you've got to be polite, you've got to prove to people that you're there to do a great job." | 3 | 97,377 | finance |
Canada McDonald's has been shedding new light on its heavily-criticized food sourcing and processing practices, as it seeks to revive lagging sales.In the face of growing consumer demand for transparency. McDonald's chicken McDonald's has been shedding new light on its heavily-criticized food sourcing and processing practices, as it seeks to revive lagging sales. In the face of growing consumer demand for transparency, the Big Mac chain has launched marketing campaigns in the US , Canada , and Australia to answer consumer- submitted questions such as, "Are McDonald's eggs organic or free-range?" and "Does McDonald's import beef from other countries?" McDonald's has also addressed the rumored existence of "pink slime" in its meat and information about which egg dishes are cooked in the restaurant and which ones are pre-made and frozen. We have selected some of the most commonly asked questions and provided summaries of the company's responses. Are McDonald's eggs organic or free-range? "Our eggs are not organic, nor are they free-range; they are from caged hens," McDonald's Australia writes on its website . Caged hens produce the cheapest eggs, which helps keeps McDonald's prices low, the company says. "Our goal is to provide customers with great quality food at great value," the company's answer reads. "The cost of organic or free range eggs would raise the price of our food to a point that our customers may not feel they are receiving the value they've come to expect from us." In the U.S., however, McDonald's buys a "small amount" of cage-free eggs "as part of a scientific research project McDonald's is part of to better understand different hen housing systems," the company writes . "In the U.S., there is no consensus or firm scientific research on whether one type of housing system is better than the other, which leads to a lot of confusion," McDonald's USA adds. Why do McDonald's chicken nuggets contain an "anti-foaming" agent? "McDonald's frying oil contains a small amount of an additive called dimethlypolysiloxane, which helps prevent oil from foaming and spattering in our restaurants," McDonald's USA explains. Dimethylpolysiloxane is also used in some non-food products, such as putty, caulks, and cosmetics. For that reason, "there have been individuals who have erroneously claimed that these items are also in our food," the company explains. The company added that scientific names for ingredients can "sound scary" even if they are safe and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "For example, the salt you use to de-ice a driveway is a variation of the salt you use in the kitchen, however they are both sodium chloride," the company writes. Does McDonald's USA import beef from other countries? Most of the beef that McDonald's uses in its U.S. restaurants is raised domestically, "although we import a small percentage of our 100% beef from suppliers in Australia and New Zealand to supplement our U.S. purchases," the company says . All of the chicken served in McDonald's U.S. restaurants is raised domestically. Are McDonald's french fries made from 100% potatoes? McDonald's french fries are made from whole potatoes that are peeled, cut into french fries and then partially fried before they are packaged and shipped to the chain's restaurants. A video from McDonald's Canada explains the process in more detail. The video shows McDonald's potatoes being harvested from farms and then sent to a processing plant, where they are washed, peeled and cut. "Once the potatoes are cut, we push the strips to a blancher to remove the natural sugars from the strips," Mario Dupuis, the production manager for McCain, a fries supplier for McDonald's Canada, says in the video. "This will prevent some variation in our color once we re-cook the product. "Following the blanching process we add a a dextrose solution to have that nice even coat that we see in the restaurants. We also add an ingredient to our strips to make sure that we prevent the graying of our product throughout the process." Next, moisture is removed from the strips before they are fried, frozen, and packaged for shipping. Here are the ingredients in the fries, as listed on McDonald's website: Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor, citric acid), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintains color), salt. Once the fries arrive at the restaurants, they are prepared in vegetable oil (canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and dimethylpolysiloxane. Is McDonald's cheese 1% away from being plastic? "The major ingredient in our signature slices is natural cheese, so the plastic rumor is just a myth," says Nicole Thornton, a McDonald's crew member in Sydney, Australia, in a video . Other main ingredients include milk solids, butter and emulsifiers, which are additives used to improve the color and texture of processed foods. "If you are referring to the smoothness and flexibility of our cheese," Thornton explains, "that is obtained by blending heated cheeses and other ingredients with emulsifiers and then dispensing it onto a smooth chilled surface, just like some of the processed cheeses you'll find in the supermarket." The ingredients in McDonald's cheddar cheese slices, as listed on the company's website , are as follows: Milk, cream, water, cheese culture, sodium citrate, and 2% or less of salt, citric acid, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid (preservative), lactic acid, acetic acid, enzymes, sodium pyrophosphate, natural flavor, color added, and soy lecithin. Is there pig fat in the soft serve? This is one of the most commonly asked questions about McDonald's food in Australia, according to Jonathon Pitt, a McDonald's franchise owner in Queensland. "Absolutely, there is no pig fat in our soft serve or in our shakes, for that matter," Pitt says in a video on how the frozen yogurt is made. "The only animal products in our soft serve are the dairy ingredients themselves." That includes milk, cream, and milk solids. Sugar is added for sweetness and emulsifiers are used to keep the mixture from separating. "Vegetable gums are also used to give it a thick, smooth texture," Pitt says. "And finally, a little vanilla flavor is added." What parts of the chicken does McDonald's use? McDonald's does not use whole chickens in its poultry products. The company uses chicken thighs, breasts, tenders and skin for flavoring, according to McDonald's Canada. Are McDonald's eggs cooked fresh in the restaurant? Some of the eggs are cooked fresh, while others are pre-made. The eggs used for the Egg McMuffin are all freshly cracked right onto the grill in McDonald's restaurants, according to the company . The scrambled eggs and egg whites are also cooked in the restaurants, but they contain liquid eggs instead of freshly cracked eggs. The folded eggs and the egg that comes in McDonald's sausage burrito are pre-made in factories, then flash frozen and sent to restaurants, where the dishes are warmed before being served. Are McDonald's burgers fresh or frozen? McDonald's USA explains that the beef is ground, formed into patties and then flash frozen. "Flash freezing helps ensure the quality and flavor of our burgers when they are cooked in our restaurants," the company says. Does McDonald's meat contain added hormones? None of McDonald's chicken in the U.S. contains added hormones, as the use of hormones in poultry is banned by federal law. But the same can't be said for beef. "It is common U.S. cattle industry practice to use FDA-approved growth promotants, like naturally occurring or synthetic hormones, in animals being raised to produce beef," McDonald's USA writes. "McDonald's USA does not have any requirements beyond meeting all FDA regulations for use of growth promotants in cattle." How long are cooked eggs held in hot boxes after they are prepared? McDonald's Australia says eggs are held in a warming bin for no more than 20 minutes after cooking. "Like many restaurants, we prepare certain items beforehand, in order to serve our customers in a timely way," the company writes. "Our food is held at a food-safe holding temperature, in the case of eggs, 79°C, until needed for an order. However, we've become really good at anticipating peak times, and cook enough to meet demand. Your McMuffin is assembled only when you order it." How are McDonald's cheeseburgers made? The beef patties are formed from ground beef in a factory, then flash frozen and sent to McDonald's restaurants. Before they are served, the patties are seasoned with salt and pepper, then grilled for 40 seconds, according to a video from McDonald's Australia . Afterwards, they are placed inside a warming bin and held there until they are ready to be served. "We keep our cooked burgers hot for a maximum of 15 minutes, but we're usually so busy that they don't stay in there for very long," Katie Geoghan, a McDonald's crew member from Melbourne, says in the video. Is McDonald's beef grass fed? McDonald's doesn't guarantee that its beef is grass fed, though the company assumes at least some of its cattle spend time grazing before heading to a feed lot to be finished on grain. "Farming practices vary, but generally much of the cattle in the U.S., including the cattle we use for our beef, are grass fed for the first part of their lives," McDonald's USA writes . "When cattle enter feedlots in the latter part of their lives, they are provided a balanced diet that may include grains, grasses and mineral blends in their feed." Does McDonald's use so-called pink slime in its burgers? Widespread claims that McDonald's uses "pink slime" in its meat are a myth. The company says it removed the substance from its meat three years ago. "Lean finely textured beef treated with ammonia, what some individuals call 'pink slime' or select lean beef trimmings, is not used in our burgers. Any recent reports that it is are false," McDonald's USA writes . The so-called slime refers to lean beef trimmings what's left of the meat after all the choice cuts of beef are taken that is treated with ammonium hydroxide, creating the pink hue. Ammonium hydroxide is used to kill off bacteria, such as E. coli. The trimmings are banned from human consumption in the U.K., but the U.S. Department of Agriculture deems them safe for people to eat. Why doesn't McDonald's food rot? Stories about McDonald's hamburgers that last years before rotting are frequently cited as evidence that fast food is loaded with preservatives. McDonald's USA offers another explanation. "In the right environment, our burgers, fries and other menu items could decompose. The reason our food may appear not to decompose comes down to a matter of simple science. In order for decomposition to occur, you need certain conditions specifically moisture. Without sufficient moisture either in the food itself or the environment bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely. So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold or bacteria or decompose. Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results. Look closely, the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means 'the same as the day they were purchased.'" Dr. Keith Warriner , the program director at the University of Guelph's Department of Food Science and Quality Assurance gives a lengthier explanation that you can read here . What cuts of meet are used in McDonald's beef patties? McDonald's uses forequarter and hindquarter trimmings, as well as whole muscle cuts in its beef patties. McDonald's Australia explains in more detail: "Beef trimmings are portions of meat remaining after the preparation of the whole muscle cuts. Forequarter refers to the front half of a side of beef and hindquarter refers to the rear half.Whole muscle cuts, or primals as they are referred to in the industry, are defined portions of a side or beef (or carcase). Forequarter primals include the blade, brisket, chuck, and spencer roll, amongst others and the hindquarter includes primals such as the hind shank, silverside, thin flank and topside. The primals that may be included in our beef raw materials are usually from the forequarter, and typically include the chuck and the blade." Now that you know some key facts about McDonald's food ... Find out how McDonald's Chicken McNuggets are made » | 0 | 97,378 | foodanddrink |
Michigan State needed a miracle. Hail hog helped Alabama get here. A swat saved Oklahoma's season. Clemson turned away a late 2-point conversion that could have cost the Tigers their perfect record. A season filled with fantastic finishes helped shape the College Football Playoff, even if it led to a sleepy selection Sunday. COMPLETE BOWL SCHEDULE Top-seeded Clemson will play No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in the first College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year's Eve. No. 2 Alabama will play No. 3 Michigan State at the Cotton Bowl in the nightcap of the Dec. 31 doubleheader. No drama. No complaints. Nothing at all like the week-to-week mayhem -- with one once-in-a-lifetime-play after another -- that made the season memorable. In the end, the only real debate was how to rank the top four teams. Committee chairman Jeff Long said that the Tigers were the clear-cut top team in the final rankings. Long said bumping Michigan State past Oklahoma had nothing to do with avoiding the possibility of having the Sooners play close to home in the Dallas area. "We first get those top four teams, one, two, three and four, finished before we do anything else," Long said. And that was it for drama. A big difference from last season, when the committee had to choose from Ohio State, Baylor and TCU, and ticked off the Big 12 by jumping the Buckeyes past the Bears and Frogs in the final rankings. For the playoff teams, a series of season-saving moments and turning points have brought them two wins away from a national championship. ALABAMA The Crimson Tide lost to Ole Miss at home in late September, a game that left Alabama uneasy about its passing game and in need of help just to win the SEC West. To fix the offense, the Tide turned to Derrick Henry and let the 240-pound tailback shoulder the load. The junior had at least 22 carries against each of Alabama's remaining SEC opponents, including a whopping 90 in the last two games. Against Michigan State, it will be strength against strength. The Spartans rugged defensive line with Shilique Calhoun and Malik McDowell stuffed Ohio State and Iowa's running game. "They're going to give him the ball plenty of times," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "We're going to have to handle that." To fix its Ole Miss problem, Alabama got some help from Arkansas, which need a stunning bounce-pass lateral play to beat the Rebels in overtime and clear a path for the Tide to win the SEC. CLEMSON The Tigers tried to ease star quarterback Deshaun Watson into the 2015 season. The gifted dual-threat quarterback was coming off a major knee injury. Clemson coaches knew Watson's wheels would be a weapon, but it was one they didn't want to use until it was needed most -- like in the rain against Notre Dame. Watson ran for 16 times for 103 yards and a score in that 24-22 victory against the Irish in October, a win sealed when the Tigers defensive line stopped the Irish's tying 2-point attempt with 7 seconds left. Down the stretch Watson's running became an even bigger part of Clemson's offense. He surpassed 100 yards on the ground in four of the last five games. Making plays on the move will be critical for Watson against Eric Striker, Charles Tapper and an Oklahoma pass rush that produced 3.08 sacks per game (fifth-best in the nation). MICHIGAN STATE No team in the playoff stared down defeat as frequently as the Spartans, and no situation was as dire as the one Michigan faced at the Big House in mid-October. The Spartans turned a botched punt into a last-play, game-winning touchdown at Michigan. The play was dubbed Michigan State's Miracle, but in some ways it symbolized the Spartans' greatest traits. They seem to embrace adversity and delight in being the underdog. Those qualities should serve them well against an Alabama team that is favored by nine points, but has rarely been challenged deep into the fourth quarter. OKLAHOMA The result is even more puzzling now than it was back in October: Texas 24, Oklahoma 17. There was nothing complicated about what went wrong in Dallas. The Sooners did not play tough. They missed tackles and blocks. Instead of allowing that dud to define their season, quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Sooners went on a seven-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 364-136. Still, if not for Steven Parker slapping down TCU's 2-point conversion pass in the final seconds to preserve a 30-29 win in late November, the Sooners would not be here. Clemson's talented defensive line and improving offensive line will test the Sooners' toughness the way Texas did. ___ Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ___ Online: www.collegefootball.ap.org | 1 | 97,379 | sports |
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- There's an ongoing celebration at Clemson, and the latest shindig was Sunday's pizza party at Death Valley for about 20,000 of Dabo Swinney's new best friends. The coach had mentioned in passing nearly a month ago that if the Tigers earned a spot in the College Football Playoff he would have a pizza party when the final four teams were announced on Sunday. The comment took on a life of its own as the Tigers continued to win, and Swinney delivered with a little help from one of his program's sponsors - Papa John's, which donated the pizzas. ''I know I open my mouth sometimes,'' Swinney told the crowd, drawing laughs. ''But this is incredible.'' Swinney enjoyed the celebration. He had wide grin on his face most of the time, and raised both fists in the air, pumping them to the fans' applause when Clemson was announced as the top seed. Fans dressed in purple and orange filled half the lower bowl at 81,000-seat Memorial Stadium, many carrying a slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza. They cheered when the No. 1 Tigers (13-0) hit the field less than 12 hours after clinching their first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 2011 with a 45-37 win over North Carolina on Saturday night. Swinney got the pizza idea rolling before the first playoff rankings were announced when asked if Clemson would celebrate if the Tigers were included in the top four. ''The only poll that we're excited about is Dec. 6, and I promise you we'll have the biggest poll party you've seen,'' Swinney said at the time. ''We'll open up Death Valley and serve pizza to everybody.'' The Tigers will play in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31 against Big 12 Conference champion and fourth-seed Oklahoma (11-1). The winner of that contest will face either Southeastern Conference champion Alabama or Big Ten Conference winner Michigan State for the national championship. That preparation will start later. Right now, Swinney said it was all about celebrating the season his Tigers had. Clemson posted its first 13-0 season in history. It's undefeated at this point of the season for first time since 1981 when it went 12-0 in winning the national championship. The Tigers walked to the 50 yard line along the home sidelines where a table with the ACC trophy, alongside the trophy given the winner of the yearly Clemson-South Carolina rivalry game. More honors could be ahead for Clemson. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, the ACC player of the year and MVP of the championship game, is expected to be a Heisman Trophy finalist. Watson briefly flashed the Heisman pose - at Swinney's insistence - when he accepted his title game honor Saturday night. ''We were just having some fun,'' Watson said Sunday. A 6-foot-2 sophomore, Watson has insisted all season long that individual awards would follow if he focused on the team and helped the Tigers gain success. Watson had thrown for 30 touchdowns and run for 11 more this season. He finished with 420 yards of total offense, including a career best 131 yards rushing, in the win against the Tar Heels. ''The Heisman is not going to define me or who I am,'' Watson said. Watson was happy to see the fan turnout, both at the ACC title game in Charlotte, North Carolina where Clemson orange made up a bigger portion of the crowd than Carolina blue, and at Death Valley on a chilly morning after a long night. ''It shows you how this Clemson family is,'' Watson said. ''They always come out to support us and that's one of the reasons we won in Charlotte. It's a great time for all of us.'' | 1 | 97,380 | sports |
When David Bullock, a minister at Greater St. Matthew Church in Detroit, watches Ben Carson center stage at Republican presidential debates, he shakes his head. "He seems like a completely different Ben Carson," Bullock said. Carson "was a superstar" when Bullock was growing up, he said. He and his classmates made Carson the subject of Black History Month projects that celebrated Carson's rise from the same gritty Detroit streets where they lived to become one of the nation's leading neurosurgeons in the 1980s. African-American churches have a complicated relationship with Carson. They took a special interest in him, supporting his autobiography "Gifted Hands" and staging reenactments of his inspirational life story - contributing to his celebrity before he ever decided to enter the political arena. As a presidential candidate, however, Carson, a Seventh Day Adventist, has alarmed many in the black church with his incendiary remarks about guns, Muslims, and another hero, President Barack Obama. To some of those who grew up in the church idolizing him, the Carson who has emerged in the presidential race is a far diminished figure. His failure to capitalize on his longstanding relationship with African-American church leaders has potentially robbed Carson, who is sinking in national opinion polls, of a potential base of support in the runup to early nominating contests and, should he become the Republican nominee, the November 2016 election. Rev. Delman Coates, a pastor in Clinton, Maryland, said African-American churches have always had a special connection to Carson, who has credited much of his professional success to his Christian faith. In the past, Coates said he has used lessons from Carson's life in his own sermons. But now, Coates said, Carson's politics and some of his views have "tainted some of that reputation." Indeed, polls show that Carson's political ascent largely has been fueled by the support of white evangelicals, not African-American churchgoers, who historically align with the Democratic Party. That has made Carson at times an estranged figure from the men and women who grew up idolizing him. "I would not call him an African-American leader," said Coates, who was particularly bothered by Carson's suggestion that Muslims should be barred from seeking the presidency. "There's a difference between being an African-American voice and being a voice of African-Americans." "LORD, YOU BE THE NEUROSURGEON" Long before he entered political life, Carson raised his profile by speaking at churches and telling his story. His address at a Miami church in 2011 was emblematic of his message. Talking about his success as one of the nation's foremost pediatric neurosurgeon, Carson sermonized, "I realized it wasn't me after all. It was the Lord. That's when I said, 'Lord, you be the neurosurgeon, I'll be the hands.'" For Carson, trying to convince black pastors and their congregants that his values line up with theirs remains a significant challenge, even though African-American voters tend to have more conservative views on issues such as gay marriage and abortion than their white counterparts. In theory, states such as South Carolina and Michigan, which have so-called "open" primaries, black voters could cross party lines and vote for Carson without having to register as Republicans, a potentially hidden wellspring of support if he can tap into it. Armstrong Williams, a top advisor to Carson, conceded that the candidate has, at times, alienated some African-Americans with his rhetoric. "There are things that Dr. Carson has said in the past - equating Obamacare to slavery has not gone over well in that community," he said in an interview. But now "he's learned how to better communicate, better to speak the language and say it in a way that is not offensive." Black churchgoers will be willing to listen to Carson because of their shared history, Williams said. "They're willing to give him a second chance and a third time." Carson held a press conference in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Wednesday where he was endorsed by 20 national and local pastors, nearly half of whom were ministers of African-American churches. At the press conference, Bishop Ron Thomas, a black pastor at Reconciliation Apostolic Ministries in Las Vegas, Nevada, said he was backing Carson out of worry "that our country is really losing touch with God." But Thomas may be the exception. The more typical response to Carson's candidacy is that of Detroit's Jacqueline Galloway-Blake, who met Carson more than 20 years ago when he came to address her church in Inkster, Michigan. "I was in awe of him," she said. She doesn't feel that way now. When he likened Obamacare to slavery, Galloway-Blake said she was horrified. "It's disturbing to hear him," she said. STRUGGLE TO RECONCILE In Detroit and elsewhere, prominent African-American church leaders struggle to reconcile Carson the legend with Carson the politician, whose verbal missteps on the campaign trail have been well documented. Bishop Charles Ellis, who oversees the massive 4,000-seat Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, was quick to praise Carson's influence on a generation of African-American doctors. The Sunday School at Greater Grace once staged a reenactment of Carson's life story. But in his next breath, Ellis, a supporter of Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton, compared Carson to 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who was lampooned for some of her statements. "I also can understand how you can be very intelligent and very knowledgeable in one area, and be totally ignorant in another arena or area of life," Ellis said. "Politics is not for everybody." Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the Washington-based National Black Church Initiative, an African-American advocacy group, described Carson as having two personalities, that of the gentle physician and the second, a hyper-conservative political novice. He criticized Carson for being too passive on the issue of tensions between African-Americans and urban police departments. For Carson's supporters in the African-American faith community, it's made for an uphill battle. Rev. Altheresa Howard, a pastor of a church in Lancaster, South Carolina, has been trying to recruit other black ministers to back Carson, including several who attended Carson's press conference. Still, she added, "We still have a lot of work to do." (Reporting by Alana Wise and James Oliphant, editing by Ross Colvin) | 5 | 97,381 | news |
Serena Williams says playing in the International Premier Tennis League will help her shape up for next season. | 1 | 97,382 | sports |
The Clemson Tigers will face off against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl for a spot in the National Championship Game. Who do you like in the matchup? #120Talk | 1 | 97,383 | sports |
Robinson Cano said he's "100 percent happy" with the Seattle Mariners, despite rumblings to the contrary. Cano has been dogged by rumors that he's unhappy in Seattle and regretted leaving New York, but Cano told Christian Red of the New York Daily News that this was not the case. "I don't want to comment on that because I don't want to make a big deal about it. Whoever says that, I don't know why they say that," Cano said Saturday night, adding that he "can't wait" for 2016. Cano was hampered by injuries during 2015, including a stomach parasite, which may have had something to do with his decreased production. He said he's doing better now, but not completely. "My stomach is a little better. Not 100%, but I'm better," said Cano. Even if Cano wanted out, the remaining eight years and $192 million on his contract would make a trade difficult, particularly after a down year at the age of 33. That said, it remains an open question as to how Cano is perceived in Seattle, given that one of his former coaches absolutely ripped him last month. | 1 | 97,384 | sports |
Penn State women's soccer wins NCAA championship Duke Ashton Miller (4) and Penn State Raquel Rodriguez (11) head the ball. Penn State forward Raquel Rodriguez (11) scores a goal as Duke goalkeeper EJ Proctor (30) looks on in the second half. Penn State's Raquel Rodriguez (11) scores a goal in the second half. Penn State Emily Ogle (10) with the ball as Duke Cassie Pecht (11) defends. Duke Kayla McCoy (12) with the ball as Penn State Elizabeth Ball (7) and Mallory Weber (16) defend in the second half. Penn State goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom (28) stops the ball as helps defend and Duke Kayla McCoy (12) pressures. A view of the field prior to the NCAA women's soccer title game at WakeMed Soccer Park. Penn State forward Raquel Rodriguez (11) scores a goal as Duke Morgan Reid (24) defends in the second half. Penn State's Mallory Weber (16) and Duke Ashton Miller (4) fight for the ball in the second half. Penn State's Emily Ogle (10), Raquel Rodriguez (11), Elizabeth Ball (7) and Nickolette Driesse (23) celebrate at the end of the game. Penn State defeated Duke 1-0. Penn State players celebrate Duke players react to a loss at the end of the game. | 1 | 97,385 | sports |
WDSU medical editor Dr. Corey Hebert says be mindful of how long you keep skincare products. | 8 | 97,386 | video |
We're pretty confident when we say that the things in the many, many gift guides we're publishing this year aren't just for women. We know plenty of non-women who'd get a kick out of an iPhone photography kit , a leather passport cover hell, even this eyeball massager . But for every bra set, pair of delicate earrings, and mascara we've put into a gift guide, this slideshow should give you ideas for those on your shopping list who prefer things on the other end of the spectrum.And trust us when we say there's something for everyone. We've got presents for your uncle, your brother, your father, and your half-cousin twice-removed in here and, lest we not forget, your S.O., your work bro, wingman, and best friend, who has an uncanny ability to pick the best spot for dinner. Click through to see what we've got on our lists, from a beard kit all the way to a diffuser that smells like sipping whiskey by the fire. At first glance, the best part about this bag might be that wool blend panel, but State Bags actually gives one backpack to an American child in need with every purchase. State Bags The Nevins Bag, $85, available at State Bags . . Chances are, the man you're buying for probably already has a black scarf (and maybe even a navy one), so why not add to his collection with a chill olive hue? Acne Studios Canada Oversized Brushed-Lambswool Scarf, $170, available at Mr. Porter . . A creative way to do a printed sweater that feels more modern than a typical Koos van den Akker knit. Iceberg Color Block Sweater, $431.23, available at Farfetch . . Meet the softest hoodie in the world. We're not kidding. Commes Des Garçons Play Sweatshirt, $290, available at Dover Street Market . . A grown-up ID bracelet that doesn't feel delicate. A.P.C. Small ID Bracelet, $95, available at A.P.C. . . Consider his winter break wardrobe sorted in one fell swoop. American Eagle Outfitters Lumberjack Onesie, $89.95 $67.46, available at American Eagle Outfitters . . Not all undies are created equally. These briefs contain Pima cotton, which is resistant to pilling, shrinking, and twisting. More importantly, it's just really freakin' soft. A pack of these is sure to be a favorite stocking stuffer for years to come. Parke & Ronen Solid Pima Cotton Brief, $28, available at Parke & Ronen . . Because every man needs one. DSTLD Standard Leather Belt, $45, available at DSTLD . . A beard kit that comes with compressed towelettes? Don't mind if we do. Prospector Co. Beard Kit, $48, available at J. Crew . . Every city man knows the magic of a good Chelsea boot. Here's one that won't break the bank. Hawkins McGill Suede Chelsea Boot, $89, available at Urban Outfitters . . Consider this jacket the hybrid of two style essentials a wool coat and a leather Perfecto. It's like killing two birds with one stone, but better. H&M Biker Jacket, $99, available at H&M . . For those monochrome suits that just need a tiny pick-me-up. Jimmy Lion Pack Meteo, $42, available at Jimmy Lion . . Let's be real: White sneakers these days can cost a fortune (we're talking in the several hundreds). So if you're ready for the luxury version of your tried-and-true, but you want to make it out of the holidays with more than pennies in your pocket, let this Michael Kors version be your saving grace. Michael Kors Jake Leather Sneaker, $198, available at Michael Kors . . Duh. Rag & Bone Standard Issue Beanie, $85, available at Rag & Bone . . Moleskine journals might not be the stocking stuffer he'd expect, but when they're as limited edition as this one with artwork from Le Petit Prince on the cover, writing inside makes note taking more like storytelling. Moleskine Le Petit Prince Weekly Notebook Planner, $20.95-$25.50, available at Moleskine . . Hey, your trainers don't always have to be for running. Pair these with an all-black ensemble for that pop. Nike Archive 84 Sneakers, $112.58, available at Farfetch . . Sunglasses made out of wood? We're down. Shwood Prescott Sunglasses, $159, available at Shwood . . At first glance, these boxer shorts might sound pricey, but hear us out the print is custom designed by buzzy artist John Derian. And you can find its matching pieces, here . Sleepy Jones Jasper Boxer Short, $52, available at Sleepy Jones . . It's cold out there, guys. And with 600-fill power down insulation in this jacket, warmth is just a zip away. Land's End Men's Hooded Down Jacket, $149, available at Land's End . . A coin pouch to keep all of those gift receipts in. Commes Des Garçons Super Fluorescent Small Zip Pouch, $105, available at Barneys New York . . SPONSORED An upgrade of the plaid shirt he's worn to your house for the past three Chrismukkahs. Levi's Sawtooth Western Shirt, $78, available at Levi's . Levi's Sawtooth Western Shirt, $78, available at Levi's . While we cannot confirm or deny the man you're gifting these to is indeed James Bond, we can affirm that this season, customizable collar stays are the new cufflinks. Owen and Fred Custom Brass Collar Stays, $45 (6), available at Owen and Fred . . No. 1 Dude. Enough said. MCMC Fragrances Dude No. 1 Candle, $48, available at Urban Outfitters . . A pair of Rag & Bone jeans will last a lifetime. Trust us when we say it's money well spent. Rag&Bone Fit 3 Jean, $210, available at Rag & Bone . . An Umano T-shirt is not just any T-shirt. The designs you'll find on them are designed by children in elementary schools all around the world. And for every one you buy, the brand donates a backpack full of school supplies to a child in need, guaranteed to make giving feel twice as good. Umano The Tinydancer T-shirt, $42, available at Umano . . Not your average sweatshirt. Todd Snyder x Champion Inside Out Sweatshirt in Salt & Pepper, $98, available at Todd Snyder . . This diffuser will not only look good on a bedside table, but it comes with " Cypriol oil, musk, and amber to deliver a deep fragrance reminiscent of smoky timber and crisp, hot tarmac." Tom Dixon Charcoal Scent Diffuser, $115, available at Mr. Porter . . Minibar not included. Makerskit Mason Cocktail Kit, $40, available at Urban Outfitters . . When it's time to upgrade from that bottle-opener gecko you bought him during spring break '06. Son Of A Sailor Leather Key Fob, $20, available at Zady . . A fedora like this at a price like that is kind of hard to beat. Zara Wide Brim Felt Hat, $39.90, available at Zara . . | 7 | 97,387 | health |
Watch highlights of St. John's 63-56 win over St. Francis Brooklyn. | 1 | 97,388 | sports |
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted Sunday on its annual award winners, recognizing George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road three times for Best Director, Best Production Design, and Best Cinematography. Other early selections included Michael Fassbender as Best Actor for his role in Steve Jobs, Michael Shannon as Best Supporting Actor for 99 Homes, and Alicia Vikander as Best Supporting Actress for Ex Machina . Anomalisa won for best animation, and Carol and Anomalisa composer Carter Burwell won for Best Score. While being cited by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association doesn't always correlate to Academy Awards success, the group has been bellwether in the past. Just last year, for instance, Richard Linklater's Boyhood was the big LAFCA winner, taking home four awards for best picture, best director, best actress, and best editing. Five out of 14 winners from last year's LAFCA Awards went on to win at the Oscars (including Patricia Arquette, who LAFCA picked as Best Actress for Boyhood but who won for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars). This year's LAFCA winners will be honored at an event in Los Angeles on Jan. 9. See the full list of winners below, and check back for updates as more awards are announced. Best Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road Runner up: Todd Haynes, Carol Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs Runner up: Geza Rohrig, Son of Saul Best Screenplay: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight Runner up: Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa Best Animation: Anomalisa Runner up: Inside Out Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina Runner up: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, 99 Homes Runner up: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies Best Documentary: Amy Runner up: The Look of Silence Best Cinematography: John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road Runner up: Edward Lachman, Carol Best Music Score: Carter Burwell, Anomalisa and Carol Runner up: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight Best Production Design: Colin Gibson, Mad Max: Fury Road Runner up: Judy Becker, Carol Best Editing: Hank Corwin, The Big Short Runner up: Margaret Sixel, Mad Max: Fury Roa d Career Achievement: Anne V. Coates, film editor | 6 | 97,389 | entertainment |
Clemson Football's Dabo Swinney addresses the crowd at the pizza party telling them to enjoy every second of it because the Tiger fans deserve it. Dabo says this "season of harvest" is just getting going! | 1 | 97,390 | sports |
Do your curious kids touch and taste everything in sight? Time to befriend your box of baking soda! Free of harsh chemicals, baking soda is an effective and kid-safe household product that can be used on everything from kitchen drains to diaper rashes. Here are nine ways to use this impressive natural cleaning product in your home. 1. Odor Remover Baking soda boasts incredible odor-eliminating powers. You can sprinkle it in shoes, cat boxes, ashtrays, and cloth diaper pails to neutralize stinky scents, or leave an open box in the fridge. Sharon G. also advises adding it to the wash: " Baking soda in your laundry will help get rid of smells." 2. Stain Remover Combined with vinegar , baking soda can pull stains out of everything from carpets to cloth diapers. Toni L. gives the following directions for using baking soda to remove stains : "Put a good amount of baking soda on the stain, then spray/sprinkle some white vinegar over the baking soda. It will go really bubbly and smell very strongly of vinegar. Put in the wash and ta-da! Stain gone." 3. Scouring Powder " Use baking soda to scrub like any scouring powder," advises Katherine C. "Unlike traditional scouring powders, baking soda doesn't scratch surfaces and is non-toxic. So scrub surfaces like kitchen counters with a sponge sprinkled with baking soda, then rinse the surface with either water or vinegar." 4. Stainless Steel Cleaner Why spend 20 minutes trying to remove burnt food from a pan when baking soda can do the work for you? As mother-of-three Sharon G. suggests: "Use vinegar and baking soda for stainless steel pots . . . Sprinkle the bottoms (inside bottoms) of the pans with baking soda, put on over the heat (stove), [and] pour on vinegar after a minute. This will lift any baked-on crud." 5. Drain Cleaner Moms like Jodi L. swear by baking soda and vinegar for freshening up kitchen drains: "To keep sink drains clean and odor free I periodically pour baking soda into the drain, then white distilled vinegar," she explains. "The foaming action cleans the pipes." 6. Coffee-Pot Cleaner " Baking soda is great for coffee pots ," Tabitha N. advises. To clean any lingering coffee residue, fill the water canister with a baking soda and water solution and run it, then rinse . . . easy! 7. Shampoo and Body Wash Baking soda is a natural alternative to chemical-laden shampoos and body washes. "I use it in my hair as part of my homemade-shampoo routine ," says mother-of-two Sonya M. And, she adds, "It makes a good face scrub." 8. Skin Soother So long itchy mosquito bites and rashes: in addition to its cleaning abilities, baking soda is a natural skin soother that moms use to treat itchy skin conditions ranging from bug bites and windburn to diaper rash and eczema . Pour baking soda in a warm bath, or as mother-of-three Krista H. suggests, " make a paste out of baking soda and water and apply it where [your child is] itchy." 9. Flower Saver Want to prevent cut flowers from quickly wilting? Katherine C. claims you can add a few days of freshness with a dash of baking soda: " Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase." | 4 | 97,391 | lifestyle |
Can't wait for this year's Capital One Orange Bowl? Campus Insiders' Ray Crawford and Pete Fiutak offer their preview and predictions of the game between the Tigers and the Sooners. | 1 | 97,392 | sports |
A wrap up of the day in sports Eagles hold on to drop the Patriots Eric Rowe (32) of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after an incomplete New England Patriots pass during the fourth quarter of a game on Sunday, in Foxboro, Mass. Chaos Thaddeus Young (30) of the Brooklyn Nets grapples for the ball with Draymond Green, left, and Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, in Brooklyn. It's in! Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) scores a goal on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) during the second period at Honda Center on Sunday, in Anahiem, CA. Chiefs on a roll Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith runs for a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, in Oakland, Calif. Not this time VCU Rams guard Korey Billbury, left, has his shot blocked by Florida State Seminoles center Boris Bojanovsky during a game on Sunday, in Atlanta. Flipping out San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jimmie Ward, left, dives to the end zone for a touchdown after intercepting a pass as Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler watches during the first half on Sunday, in Chicago. Scoring over Los Angeles Kings left wing Tanner Pearson, right, tries to score on Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop during the third period on Sunday, in Los Angeles. Battle for control Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley, left, and Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe battle for control of the ball in the first half on Sunday, in Memphis, Tenn. Winning run Lindsey Vonn of the United States after her run during the women's Super G race in the FIS alpine skiing World Cup at Lake Louise Ski Resort on Sunday, in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. Seeing double Brandon Marshall, top, of the New York Jets catches a touchdown late in the game against Prince Amukamara of the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, in East Rutherford, N.J. Long reach Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) prepares to shoot the ball in front of Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday, in Oklahoma City, OK. Net battle Edmonton Oilers forward Luke Gazdic (20) and Buffalo Sabres defensemen Cody Franson (46) battle in front of the Buffalo Sabres net during the third period at Rexall Place, on Sunday, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Just within reach Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) dives for an eight-yard touchdown run as Minnesota defenders try to bring him down in the first half on Sunday, in Minneapolis. Behind the back Dallas Mavericks guard Raymond Felton, right, passes the ball past Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple in the second half on Sunday, in Washington. Portland wins the MLS cup Portland Timbers defender/midfielder Rodney Wallace (22) hoists the MLS Cup championship trophy after defeating the Columbus Crew in the 2015 MLS Cup championship game at MAPFRE Stadium on Sunday. Triumphant Watson Tiger Woods, Pawan Munjal of Hero Motocycles and Bubba Watson pose with the trophy after Watson's three-stroke victory at the Hero World Challenge at Albany, The Bahamas on Sunday, in Nassau, Bahamas Tangled Jeff Skinner #53 of the Carolina Hurricanes and Oliver Ekman-Larsson #23 of the Arizona Coyotes battle for the puck during a NHL game at PNC Arena on Sunday, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The master entertainer John McEnroe celebrates victory in his Legends Exhibition singles match against Henri Leconte of France during day five of the Statoil Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday in London. Hall of Famer Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders former receiver Tim Brown poses with bust and wife Sherice Brown and mother Josephine Brown and children Timon Brown and Taylor Brown and Tamar Brown during halftime ceremony to receive his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ring during the NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum. Pouring it on Wide receiver Marvin Jones of the Cincinnati Bengals catches a touchdown pass while under pressure from cornerback Charles Gaines of the Cleveland Browns during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday, in Cleveland. Just shrug it off North Carolina players react near the end of a game against Davidson on Sunday, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Brown bag protest Cleveland Browns fans during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday, in Cleveland, OH. Sealing the deal Georginio Wijnaldum of Newcastle United, right, beats goalkeeper Simon Mignolet of Liverpool as he scores their second goal during an English Premier League game on Sunday in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Newcastle won 2-0. A golf shot from where? Kiradech Aphibarnrat, of Thailand, lines up his shot in the rough on the 14th hole during the final round of the Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club on Sunday in Sun City, South Africa. Sunset skiing Robin Duvillard of France competes during the FIS Nordic World Cup men's and women's cross country relay on Sunday in Lillehammer, Norway. No hope for the goalie Aytac Sulu (4) of Darmstadt scores his team's first goal against goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky of Frankfurt during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and SV Darmstadt 98 on Sunday in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Darmstadt won 1-0. Toppled Ryunosuke Haga of Japan throws Elmar Gasimov of Azerbaijan for ippon in the Men's 100kg preliminary at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Sunday, in Tokyo, Japan. Giving it a push From front, Steven Holcomb, Carlo Valdes, Adrian Adams and Samuel McGuffie of the U.S. compete in their first run of the four men's bob competition during the BMW IBSF Bob & Skeleton Worldcup at Veltins Eis-Arena on Sunday in Winterberg, Germany. Santa Fun Run Thousands of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes make their way on a 5-kilometer course during the annual Santa Fun Run on Sunday in Sydney. The Santa Fun Run was organized by Variety, an Australian charity that helps children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs. Crash landing Andreas Zampa of Slovakia crashes through a gate as he skis the course during the first run of the giant slalom at the 2015 Audi FIS Ski World Cup on Sunday, in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Curve ahead Wei Ma of china competes in the men 500m quaterfinal on day three of the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating 2015 Nagoya at the Nippon Gaishi Arena on Sunday, in Nagoya, Japan. Nosedive Loch Ard ridden by ridden by Miss S Gould falls at the last at Barbury Racecourse on Sunday, in Barbury, England. Taking aim Dorothea Wierer, center, of Italy, flanked by Germany's Franziska Preuss, left, and Miriam Goessner in action during the women's 10 km pursuit competition at the IBU Biathlon World Cup on Sunday in Ostersund, Sweden. In the firing line India's Cheteshwar Pujara jumps in the air as he fields as South Africa's captain Hashim Amla, right, bats on day four of their fourth and final test cricket match against South Africa on Sunday in New Delhi, India. | 1 | 97,393 | sports |
We love the Currys. What's not to love? Stephen wins championships. Ayesha throws down in the kitchen. Most importantly, they brought national treasure Riley Curry into the world. So why are people stirring up trouble for Ayesha? Steph can't lose on the court right now the Warriors are sitting pretty at 21-0. Ayesha, on the other hand, took a hit in the court of public opinion on Saturday. The hooper's wife, who is known for some of her fashion-forward style choices, voiced her opinion on today's trends and the lack of actual clothing involved. MORE: Predicting West All-Star team | Steph Curry in slo-mo is hypnotizing | Classic photos of Steph Curry Everyone's into barely wearing clothes these days huh? Not my style. I like to keep the good stuff covered up for the one who matters Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015 Just looking at the latest fashion trends. I'll take classy over trendy any day of the week. #saturdaynightinsight Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015 Her tweets quickly went viral, and while most people agreed with her, there were still plenty of detractors on the Internet. Imagine that. Some were mad about her "condescending" words or for her dramatic generalization. A few even called her out for her previous fashion choices. @ayeshacurry but? pic.twitter.com/22XHbh54a8 MAGESTY (@itsmagesty) December 6, 2015 (That tweet was later deleted.) The whole thing was blown out of proportion, according to Ayesha. She was just trying to voice her opinion … You know, like miliions of people do everyday on social media. and all I'm doing is sitting here reading a style weekly . You guys definitely entertain me that's for sure. Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015 Regardless of if you like my "style of clothes" or not (which I don't care) please do not tear women down and degrade them... Not cool peeps Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015 Of course, plenty of people had her back, including Khloe Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and Steph's little sister Sydel. I just love @ayeshacurry !!! Always staying true to you. My kind of lady. Blessings on blessings!!! Khloé (@khloekardashian) December 6, 2015 @ayeshacurry you got people writing articles on a Sunday christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) December 6, 2015 @ayeshacurry but more importantly, what are you gonna wear??? christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) December 6, 2015 It's sad that a woman who is a great wife, great mother, and making a name for herself is getting this beef just cause she wears clothes... Sydel Curry (@sydelcurry) December 6, 2015 Ayesha is entitled to her opinion and, unfortunately, the Internet is entitled to its opinion of her. If we can learn anything from this debacle, it's that Steph Curry married a woman with an excellent sense of humor. Okay, enough...Drpimplepopper posted a new video so I have to go and watch that and simultaneously make breakfast... in a snowsuit I guess Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) December 6, 2015 | 1 | 97,394 | sports |
France's far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen welcomed a "magnificent result" in the first round of regional polls on Sunday. She said the early estimates, which showed her party topping the poll with between 27.2 and 30.8 percent of the vote, proved the FN was "without contest the first party of France". | 5 | 97,395 | news |
Throughout 2015, Ford (NYSE: F) investors have been waiting for sales of the highly anticipated 2015 Ford F-150 to accelerate. Yet through October, Ford's sales for the full F-Series lineup had increased a measly 1.5% year over year. Meanwhile, across town, General Motors (NYSE: GM) grew sales of its two full-size pickups -- the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra -- 13.1% year over year through October. However, in November, Ford finally managed to regain some market share as sales of its F-Series trucks (and particularly the F-150) soared. Ford trucks gain momentum Ford sold 65,192 F-Series trucks in the U.S. last month, up 10.4% year over year. This was just the third double-digit increase in F-Series deliveries this year. F-Series retail sales rose 16% year over year, which is important because retail sales tend to be more profitable than fleet sales. Ford also logged the best ever November sales for the F-150 specifically. The Ford F-150 posted its best November sales performance ever. Photo: Ford Motor Company. The big F-Series sales gain was particularly impressive because a shift in the auto-sales calendar meant that there were only 23 selling days last month compared to 25 in November 2014. By contrast, Ford had benefited from an extra selling day in January and September, the other two months this year when it has posted double-digit F-Series growth. It was also notable that Ford gained a lot of market share from GM, its top rival. Combined sales of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra declined 5.8% year over year last month. In total, F-Series outsold GM's two full-size trucks by 6% in November. That's a big turnaround from the first 10 months of the year, when combined Silverado and Sierra deliveries outpaced F-Series sales by nearly 7%. Fiat Chrysler -- always a distant third in the truck market -- also lost share to Ford last month. It sold 36,407 Ram pickups in November, up just 1.5% year over year. Customers are paying up Ford's strong November pickup sales performance implies that it has finally overcome the initial disruption caused by the changeover to the aluminum-body 2015 Ford F-150. With supply catching up to demand, some investors were worried that Ford would need to offer bigger incentives to drive F-150 sales. That wasn't the case in November. Incentive spending across the company was flat year over year, and down by about $275 compared to October. Meanwhile, the F-Series average transaction price soared to a record $42,800 in November, up $2,700 year over year. The F-Series lineup is highly profitable for Ford under any circumstances. With customers opting for higher trim levels and more expensive options packages, it's even more lucrative. Can Ford keep up the momentum? As long as the housing market remains relatively strong, U.S. pickup demand should remain robust. Meanwhile, supply is no longer a major constraint on Ford's F-150 sales. As a result, Ford should be able to return to relatively consistent growth in the U.S. pickup market in 2016. On the other hand, investors shouldn't expect Ford to continue taking lots of market share from General Motors. GM's sales decline last month was at least partially caused by relatively tight inventory and a significant decrease in incentive spending. Furthermore, General Motors has redesigned both the Silverado and the Sierra for the 2016 model year. With both of the top truck manufacturers selling relatively fresh products next year, the competition could be quite fierce. Fortunately for both Ford and GM, there should be plenty of demand to go around. Special From The Motley Fool: The next billion-dollar iSecret There's a small company that's powering Apple's brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here . (Sponsored.) | 3 | 97,396 | finance |
NEWRY, Maine Santa and his helpers hit the ski slopes to spread some holiday cheer on Sunday. All told, a mob of 150 right jolly ol' elves hopped on skis and snowboards for the 16th annual Skiing Santas event at Sunday River ski resort. The event serves as a festive kickoff to the holiday season. "It's really fun because everyone is a little wild and crazy," said Catherine Bolender, 53, of Waterboro, who's been participating for about a dozen years. "It's a fun, festive event." Thom Bureau, a snowboarder, agreed that it's chaotic and unforgettable. "When you're on the chairlift, you look back as you're getting off, and the whole chairlift is full of Santas. It's kind of freaky, actually," he said. The event has become so popular that it's difficult to get a ticket. Brad and Heather Cope of Newton Falls, Ohio, said the online registration filled up in 4 minutes on Nov. 30. They said they were lucky to make the cut. "We were both on our computers at noon to make sure we got it," said Brad Cope, a former ski instructor who installs swimming pools. Heather is a Maine native and nurse practitioner. Resort officials say the event raised a little more than $3,000 for the Sunday River Community Fund, a local charity. Participants were required to donate at least $15 to the fund. In exchange, they were allowed to ski for free and to receive another lift ticket good through Dec. 18. | 5 | 97,397 | news |
LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (AP) -- Lindsey Vonn stepped into the starting gate at Lake Louise -- race over. These days, on this course, it almost seems that simple for the American standout. Vonn won a super-G on Sunday to complete a sweep of World Cup races at Lake Louise for the third time in her career. She finished in 1 minute, 19.79 seconds during an event in which Olympic and world slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin made her speed debut. Shiffrin finished a respectable 15th. The 31-year-old Vonn beat Tamara Tippler of Austria by 1.32 seconds. The margin of victory was the largest in a women's super-G since 1997, according to information provided by the U.S. Ski Team. Another Austrian, Cornelia Huetter, was third. "Whenever you win, period, let alone by over a second, it definitely gives you that little bit extra boost of confidence," said Vonn, who has 70 career World Cup victories. "I'm feeling great, and I know my super-G is good -- my downhill is pretty good -- so I feel like I'm in a good place for the next couple races." Vonn captured both downhill races over the weekend to help her earn the hat trick. Vonn also accomplished the feat at the Alberta resort in 2011 and '12. What's more, she has 14 downhill victories and four super-G wins at a place that's referred to as "Lake Lindsey" because of her dominance. "It was a big deal," Vonn said. "I feel like there were some people that doubted whether I could win today, and especially because Lara (Gut) had won the last couple races here in super-G." The Americans placed four racers in the top 20. Laurenne Ross was 12th, Shiffrin 15th and Stacey Cook 17th. "Mission accomplished," Shiffrin said about her speed debut. "In the back of my head I was thinking, `I'll get points, but maybe a top 15.' So, by holding in 15th, that's a really good day." Leading up to her venture into speed at Lake Louise, Shiffrin studied footage of races from the venue, no doubt taking in quite a few wins by Vonn. And while there were spots on the course where Shiffrin maybe turned too much or was a bit wide, all in all, a solid performance. "I felt like I carried some good speed," Shiffrin said. "What I hear is that I was pretty good on the flats, and that's probably a spot where everyone expected me to be slow. So I'm starting ahead of where I actually thought I would. I felt solid on the skis and it was really fun, to be honest." Vonn was certainly impressed. "I watched her run and I thought she did really well," Vonn said. "In general, she's such a technically sound skier and she has such a great feel for the snow. "I'm sure she's going to be a strong competitor here in the next couple races." | 1 | 97,398 | sports |
Tencent has built a profitable video game business by dominating China, the world's largest online games market. Now, it is looking to export some of its Chinese games to the U.S. and other overseas markets. | 5 | 97,399 | news |
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