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WASHINGTON Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., unveiled a litany of Democratic proposals to combat the Islamic State on Monday, following President Barack Obama's address to the country Sunday night. Among the proposals that will be incorporated into a comprehensive bill was the creation of an "ISIS czar," or one point person in the federal government to coordinate the response to the terrorist group. According to a Reid aide, the bill includes 12 main components aimed at foreign and domestic policies. "Senate Democrats support President Obama's plan to fight ISIS and protect America," Reid said on the Senate floor. He later added, "We also know that we can do more to fight terrorists." According to the aide, the foreign policy components of the bill would involve an ISIS czar; new sanctions against institutions that "knowingly facilitate financial transactions with ISIS"; a new "stabilization fund" aimed at helping Jordan and Lebanon deal with the flow of Syrian refugees; confirming Adam Szubin as treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes; improving intelligence sharing among allies; and developing a "comprehensive strategy" against ISIS propaganda. On the home front, the Democrats' proposal includes reforming the visa waiver program; prohibiting those listed on the suspected terrorist "no-fly" list from buying guns; tougher vetting of airport workers; securing locations that host radiological material that could be used for a "dirty bomb"; creating a new Department of Homeland Security office focused solely on "homegrown extremism"; studying encryption technology; and providing grants to state and local law enforcement for active shooter response training. Last week at the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest outlined some of the personnel who are coordinating the administration's strategy. On Nov. 30, Earnest said Obama had recently elevated Rob Malley, the National Security Council's Middle East and North Africa coordinator, to serve as senior adviser to the president for the Counter-ISIL Campaign in Iraq and Syria and "will focus on ensuring full interagency coordination across all lines of effort." Earnest added that Malley's new position "will be complementary to and in partnership with Brett McGurk, who is the President's Special Envoy to the Counter-ISIL Campaign." Reid's proposal comes on the heels of Obama's address and Republican criticism that the president does not have a clear strategy to combat the Islamic State group. With lawmakers consumed by government funding negotiations and facing a Dec. 11 deadline, it does not appear likely that the Senate will be willing or able to consider the Democrats' proposal before the end of the year. The Democrats' floor leader did not address Obama's call for a new authorization of use of military force directed specifically at ISIS. (Niels Lesniewski contributed to this report.) | 5 | 97,700 | news |
Boston College head coach Jim Christian got several phone calls at 6:30 on Sunday morning from players who said they suffered the effects of food poisoning overnight and would be questionable for Sunday's game against UMass-Lowell. As it turns out, the news may be worse. MORE: Where does your team rank this week? As many as eight players were sickened and, according to a report , "confirmed to have E. coli." Dennis Clifford sat out Sunday's game, while Jerome Robinson, who was also stricken, managed to suit up and score a team-high 16 points. The school issued the following statement to Sporting News on Monday evening: "Boston College has confirmed that several BC students and student-athletes, including members of the BC men's basketball team, have reported to BC Health Services complaining of gastrointestinal symptoms. The common factor among the students is that they had all eaten at the Chipotle restaurant in Cleveland Circle. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been notified, and is working to determine if there is a link to the ongoing national outbreak of e-coli." Boston College medical staff circulated an email to student-athletes on Monday, advising them to avoid the popular restaurant. An email sent out earlier today to all the BC athletes. General population got one a couple hours later. pic.twitter.com/Ss0uQZdyMA Michael Sullivan (@SullyHeights) December 7, 2015 A spokesman for Chipotle told Sporting News that the restaurant chain was "looking into" the situation but had not received any reports of illness at any Massachusetts location as of Friday's Center for Disease Control report. Dozens of people who ate at Chipotle restaurants in nine states have reported falling ill since October. The restaurant chain has not yet been able to identify what is causing the often food-borne illness. PHOTOS: College basketball's cheerleaders E. coli symptoms typically subside on their own in five to 10 days, according to the Department of Public Health, though some individuals may need hospitalization to replenish fluids and electrolytes lost from persistent vomiting and diarrhea. The Eagles' next game is Wednesday at Providence. | 1 | 97,701 | sports |
Fantasy football rankings for Week 14: Wide receivers Week 14 fantasy football rankings: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Tight ends | Defenses | Kickers Here are our fantasy football wide receiver rankings for Week 14, featuring both Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant in the top 15. Check back for injury updates and analysis throughout the week to spot the best sleepers and values for your fantasy football playoffs and daily fantasy football contests. MORE: Best waiver wire pickups for Week 14 1 Antonio Brown, Steelers Steelers at Bengals Unstoppable. 2 Odell Beckham Jr., Giants Giants at Dolphins The Dolphins won't have an answer for OBJ. 3 DeAndre Hopkins, Texans Texans vs. Patriots 4 Mike Evans, Buccaneers Buccaneers vs. Saints The Saints pass D was already a joke, and now New Orleans may be missing Delvin Breaux (hamstring), the lone playmaker in the secondary. Evans could come up huge this weekend. 5 A.J. Green, Bengals Bengals vs. Steelers The Steelers D will give up huge pass plays, and Green burned them for 11-118-TD in Week 8. 6 Sammy Watkins, Bills Bills at Eagles Watkins has rolled up 267 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games, and the Eagles are allowing the most fantasy points to WRs. Enjoy! 7 Alshon Jeffery, Bears Bears vs. Redskins Despite last week's bust, we love Jeffery in a great matchup against the Redskins, who allow the eighth-most fantasy points to WRs. Jay Cutler will force him the ball, especially around the red zone. 8 Julio Jones, Falcons Falcons at Panthers Jones has a date with Panthers CB Josh Norman. It'll be tough, but Jones still has top-10 upside. 9 Allen Robinson, Jaguars Jaguars vs. Colts A-Rob blew up last week with Allen Hurns out. Though Hurns is expected back this week, we still love Robinson against the Colts, who are allowing the third-most fantasy points to WRs. Vontae Davis isn't a major concern. 10 Brandon Marshall, Jets Jets vs. Titans Marshall has 131 yards in back to back games, five straight games with a touchdown and six total scores in that stretch. The Titans, who are allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to WRs, won't show much resistance. 11 Demaryius Thomas, Broncos Broncos vs. Raiders Thomas finally showed good chemistry with Brock Osweiler last week, catching all six of his targets for 61 yards and a TD. That seems repeatable against the Raiders' No. 28 pass D. 12 Calvin Johnson, Lions Lions at Rams The Rams are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to WRs, and the Lions are too quick to go away from Megatron when the going gets tough. 13 Dez Bryant, Cowboys Cowboys at Packers Bryant isn't his dominant self with Matt Cassel under center. 14 Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals Cardinals vs. Vikings 15 Martavis Bryant, Steelers Steelers at Bengals It just takes one play for Bryant to pay off in fantasy leagues. He's matchup-proof, but needs to see enough targets between Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton. 16 Brandin Cooks, Saints Saints at Buccaneers 17 Jeremy Maclin, Chiefs Chiefs at Raiders 18 Danny Amendola, Patriots Patriots at Texans 19 Randall Cobb, Packers Packers vs. Cowboys 20 Jarvis Landry, Dolphins Dolphins vs. Giants Landry has a great shot to bounce back from last week's dud in Monday night's matchup against the Giants' league-worst pass D. Don't give up on him. 21 DeSean Jackson, Redskins Redskins at Bears 22 Eric Decker, Jets Jets vs. Titans 23 Doug Baldwin, Seahawks Seahawks at Ravens Baldwin has 24 catches for 433 yards and six touchdowns in the last four games, and the Ravens are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to WRs. Tyler Lockett is on the sleeper radar, too. 24 Michael Floyd, Cardinals Cardinals vs. Vikings 25 Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos Broncos vs. Raiders 26 T.Y. Hilton, Colts Colts at Jaguars Hilton is even more boom-or-bust than usual with Matt Hasselbeck under center. 27 Amari Cooper, Raiders Raiders at Broncos Not wild about Cooper's rematch against Broncos CB Aqib Talib. In Week 5 against Denver, Cooper caught just four passes for 47 yards. 28 Jordan Matthews, Eagles Eagles vs. Bills 29 Vincent Jackson, Bucs Buccaneers vs. Saints V-Jax is a great sleeper against the Saints, who have allowed a league-high 35 TD passes this season. He's a great bet to score. 30 Allen Hurns, Jaguars Jaguars vs. Colts Hurns is expected to return this week after missing a game with a concussion. It's a great matchup, but we're a little leery of Hurns taking a clear backseat to Allen Robinson, who exploded in his absence last week. Still a great WR3 with upside, though. 31 Anquan Boldin, 49ers 49ers at Browns We're expecting a bounce-back game from the veteran against the Browns, who are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to WRs. Boldin is still seeing a ton of targets. 32 Michael Crabtree, Raiders Raiders at Broncos Crabtree also has a tough matchup against Denver's No. 1 pass D, which is allowing the fewest fantasy points to WRs. In Week 5 against Denver, Crab caught just four passes for 54 yards. 33 John Brown, Cardinals Cardinals vs. Vikings 34 Golden Tate, Lions Lions at Rams Tate is still fine for PPR purposes, but his ceiling is low against the Rams, who are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to WRs. 35 Dorial Green-Beckham, Titans Titans at Jets Whether we trust DGB this week depends solely on whether Darrelle Revis (concussion) is active or not, because he would likely shadow the big rookie. If Revis is out, Green-Beckham is a nice WR3 sleeper. 36 Tavon Austin, Rams Rams vs. Lions 37 Best of the rest 37. DeVante Parker, Dolphins vs. Giants 38. Marvin Jones, Bengals vs. Steelers 39. Travis Benjamin, Browns vs. 49ers 40. Willie Snead, Saints at Buccaneers 41. Stevie Johnson, Chargers at Chiefs 42. Davante Adams, Packers vs. Cowboys 43. Brandon LaFell, Patriots at Texans 44. James Jones, Packers vs. Cowboys 45. Donte Moncrief, Colts at Jaguars 46. Robert Woods, Bills at Eagles 47. Cecil Shorts III, Texans vs. Patriots 48. Ted Ginn Jr., Panthers vs. Falcons 49. Pierre Garcon, Redskins at Bears 50. Rueben Randle, Giants at Dolphins 51. Stefon Diggs, Vikings at Cardinals 52. Kamar Aiken, Ravens vs. Seahawks MORE: Week 14 fantasy football rankings: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Tight ends | Defenses | Kickers | 1 | 97,702 | sports |
Over the weekend, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton publicly berated tech companies for not doing enough to combat ISIS, giving Silicon Valley a taste of what's to come in the heated election cycle. Eric Schmidt, Google's former CEO and executive chairman of its parent Alphabet, penned a cloaked response to Clinton and other politicians in a New York Times opinion piece on Monday . The column leads with praise for the wonders of the global Web, before admitting it can be used for egregious harm. "Ever since there's been fire, there's been arson," he writes. What he does not write are the words "encryption" or "backdoor" a tacit signal that the Internet giant is holding firm in its position against mounting political pressure. Tech giants, like Google and Facebook, have said they are willing to scrub content from social media accounts and videos if they promote terrorism or violence. But they've stopped short of acquiescing to the other rising political demand : That the companies shut down encrypted messages and open up a backdoor passage for governments to track user information. Schmidt, long a proponent of radical openness on the Web and an opponent of backdoor access, offers some conciliatory language. He mentions some unnamed "tools" that should be built to sift out "hate and harassment" on social media sites and videos (without mentioning Google's YouTube). In short, if there's bad content, we should ditch it: We should build tools to help de-escalate tensions on social media sort of like spell-checkers, but for hate and harassment. We should target social accounts for terrorist groups like the Islamic State, and remove videos before they spread, or help those countering terrorist messages to find their voice. Without this type of leadership from government, from citizens, from tech companies, the Internet could become a vehicle for further disaggregation of poorly built societies, and the empowerment of the wrong people, and the wrong voices. But his argument dances around the pivotal question. Schmidt doesn't make it clear how Internet companies or governments determine what to "spell-check" or who should spell check. Earlier, in the same paragraph, he makes a claim that seems to contradict the one above: Authoritarian governments tell their citizens that censorship is necessary for stability. It's our responsibility to demonstrate that stability and free expression go hand in hand. As Internet middleman, YouTube has had troubles in the past navigating the choppy waters of whether to remove content. On its site, it describes its policy about hate speech this way: "There is a fine line between what is and what is not considered to be hate speech. For instance, it is generally okay to criticize a nation-state, but not okay to post malicious hateful comments about a group of people solely based on their race." The video site requires its users to flag flagrant content. This isn't a simple issue. With terrorism set to be the central focus of the Presidential election, it's not one that tech companies can shake off. Schmidt's final line that the onus is on the collective "us" to build an Internet "free from coercion and conformity" reads like a plea from Silicon Valley to Washington, D.C. | 5 | 97,703 | news |
If you've ever wondered how many Kickstarter projects fail to make good on their promises, the company finally has a number: 9 percent. Through an independent survey developed by "a scholar from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania," Kickstarter says it's learned a lot about where campaigns go bad. Over 500,000 backers participated, and Kickstarter insists it "had no influence over its findings." The main takeaways could be seen as positive or pretty bad, depending on what you expect from Kickstarter's model. "Project backers should expect a failure rate of around 1-in-10 projects, and to receive a refund 13 percent of the time," Professor Ethan Mollick wrote in his analysis. The survey found that 9 percent of Kickstarter projects failed to deliver rewards; 8 percent of overall dollars pledged were directed at failed projects; and 7 percent of backers never got their chosen reward. Projects that raise under $1,000 fail most frequently But on the whole, the numbers show that most campaigns actually do work out, with 65 percent of backers agreeing that their reward was delivered as promised on time. "Ultimately, there does not seem to be a systematic problem associated with failure (or fraud) on Kickstarter, and the vast majority of projects do seem to deliver," Mollick wrote. Recent high profile fumbles like the Coolest Cooler aren't a good look, and even board games have proved a challenge . But it's actually projects that raise under $1,000 which fail most often, hovering between 10 and 15 percent. And once a Kickstarter creator fails to follow through, there's really no regaining trust for future projects; just 19 percent of backers say they'd give creators a second chance. For its part, Kickstarter finds these numbers tolerable. "Is a 9 percent failure rate reasonable for a community of people trying to bring creative projects to life? We think so, but we also understand that the risk of failure may deter some people from participating," the company said. "We respect that. We want everyone to understand exactly how Kickstarter works that it's not a store, and that amid creativity and innovation there is risk and failure." Kickstarter's successes have included Pebble, Tile, feature films, and the revival of Reading Rainbow , but make no mistake: pledging your money is a gamble, and when a project doesn't pan out, there's no guarantee you'll get it back. Failed projects provided a refund only 13 percent of the time, per the survey's results. At least the FTC's on your side . | 5 | 97,704 | news |
The smartphones listed below were culled from our cell phone Ratings because their camera performances were simply the best. They might not surpass the image quality of an SLR or even the top point-and-shoots but you can't beat them for portability and sharing options. And they're getting better all the time at taking photos. These days, you can count on cell phones to have higher-resolution sensors (12 megapixels or more) to produce sharper cropped or enlarged prints, optical image stabilizers to help minimize the blurriness from a shaky hand, and video cameras that can capture spur-of-the-moment action with high-definition clarity, too. 7 Best Smartphone Cameras When we took an up-close look at our Ratings, these phones rose to the top for camera performance: Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Nexus 6 Motorola Moto X Pure Edition Samsung Galaxy Note 4 LG G4 Apple iPhone 6s Plus Apple iPhone 6s Stunning Still Images The Nexus 6 aced our still-image-quality tests, which evaluate resolution, dynamic range, color accuracy, and visual noise, even without the higher resolution sensors of some rivals. But don't just write the other phones off. In fact, the LG G4 and iPhone 6s Plus excelled at taking low-light shots. Video Stars All of these smartphones took videos good enough to upload to Youtube or Facebook. They can also record at a resolution (2160x3840) high enough to feed an Ultra HD TV. But the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 took slightly better HD video (1080p), the most common form, under daylight and indoor conditions. The Motorola Pure and iPhone 6s models had trouble focusing on subjects in low light. Selfie 'Shticks' Selfie-taking may be chided as an obnoxious habit, but it's a habit many of us can't seem to break. And these phones all have a feature or two that can help you make the most of . . . yourself. The LG G4's 8-megapixel front-facing camera has the highest resolution in our batch, enough to capture almost every nook and cranny of your hopefully smiling face. The Samsungs, Motorola, and Apples have wide-angle selfie cameras, which can come in handy when trying to squeeze more people and scenery into your shots. And if vanity seizes you in the dark, the Motorola Pure's front camera has its own LED flash. The Apples and LG have the next best thing: Their displays light up briefly to simulate a flash. These models also make the act of taking a selfie more convenient. For instance, the LGs and Samsungs let you use hand gestures or voice commands like "say cheese" or "smile" to snap a photo. The Samsungs also have a mode that enables you to snap a selfie using the rear camera. More from Consumer Reports: Top headphones for $200 or less How to get a stronger Wi-Fi signal 8 sweet reward-card deals Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S. | 5 | 97,705 | news |
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco filed grievances against their respective teams over service time manipulation, according to Yahoo!. Bryant and Franco allege their teams kept them in the minor leagues long enough to keep their service time from accumulating even though they were ready for the major leagues and thus pushed back the time when they will be eligible for free agency by a a year. For Bryant, he opened the 2015 season in the minors despite leading the Cactus League in home runs in 2015. The Cubs said Mike Olt won the position and that Bryant needed to work on his defense. But when Olt got hurt, Bryant was called up and made his MLB debut on April 17. He finished the season with 171 days of service time and won the National League Rookie of the Year honors. A full year of service is 172 days. For Franco, he finished two days shy of 172 days. Like Bryant, he started the season in the minors and wasn't recalled up to the majors until May 15 three days after the Phillies optioned third baseman Cody Asche to the minors. Teams have been taking advantage of this service-time loophole for many years. It's now becoming an issue that likely will be discussed thoroughly before the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2016. | 1 | 97,706 | sports |
Resource producers led a global rout in equities and the currencies of commodity-producing nations plunged as fresh signs of a slowdown in China rekindled a selloff in crude oil and industrial metals. U.S. stocks followed declines in Europe and Asia after China's slowing trade intensified concern over the scope of the nation's slowdown. U.S. crude extended a 2009 low and Brent slid below $40 a barrel for the first time in almost seven years, while iron ore fell to a historic low. The yuan closed at a four-year low. "The roof has caved in," said Michael Hewson, the London-based chief market analyst at CMC Markets Plc. "Iron ore is at decade lows, copper looks soft, crude oil prices look soft, platinum prices look soft. What's the catalyst that's going to prompt the rebound? At the moment there isn't one." China's imports slumped for a record 13th straight month, exacerbating the drag on other nations as the world's second- largest economy demands fewer raw materials. The rout in oil and metals is clouding the prospects for recoveries in the U.S. and Europe as capital spending wanes and inflation holds below central-bank targets. The weak China data rekindled worry the slowdown there will spread -- a concern that precipitated the summer rout on global financial markets. Stocks The MSCI All Country World Index fell 1.1 percent at 9:44 a.m. New York time, leaving it 3.9 percent lower for the year. Bloomberg's gauge of mining companies around the world dropped 3.3 percent and is down 36 percent in 2015. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 0.8 percent following a 0.7 percent retreat Monday. The gauge has slipped 1 percent in December and is headed for the lowest close in two months. Canada's S&P/TSX Index dropped 0.8 percent, leaving the resource-rich gauge poised to close at a two-year low. Miners led the Stoxx Europe 600 Index 1.6 percent lower. Anglo American Plc dropped 12 percent after suspending dividends for the second half of 2015 and next year. BHP Billiton Ltd. retreated 6 percent and Rio Tinto Plc lost 6.8 percent. MSCI's Asia-Pacific gauge slid 1.2 percent. A gauge of Asia-Pacific energy shares retreated 3.9 percent to the lowest level since Oct. 1. Japan's Topix index dropped 1 percent. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.9 percent, with sub-indexes of energy and raw-materials producers sliding at least 3.4 percent. Emerging Markets The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell for a fifth day, dropping 1.6 percent as all 10 industry groups declined. Benchmark gauges in China, Thailand, Egypt and Poland fell more than more than 1.8 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index of equities slid 1.9 percent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell for a fourth day and the Hang Seng China Enterprises gauge retreated 1.4 percent. "Sentiment has turned pretty negative," said Jackson Wong, associate director at Huarong International Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong. "Everyone is trying to get out because everyone is afraid of a bigger downtrend from now on." Currencies The euro climbed with the yen as the slide in commodities and renewed concern about China's economy spurred demand for haven assets. Europe's 19-nation shared currency added 0.4 percent to $1.0882 and the yen strengthened 0.4 percent to 122.87 per dollar. The yuan fell 0.14 percent to 6.4172 a dollar, the lowest finish since August 2011, China Foreign Exchange Trade System prices show. The currency has fallen for five straight weeks. Malaysia's ringgit and South Korea's won declined, leading a gauge of 20 emerging-market currencies to a record-low. The ringgit dropped 1.1 percent against the dollar. The New Straits Times cited Prime Minister Najib Razak as saying the government faced a 30 billion-ringgit ($7 billion) shortfall in 2016 due to a slump in oil prices. Bonds The yield on 10-year Australian debt dropped 12 basis points to 2.84 percent, the sharpest decline since July. Aussie bonds are joining a rally in U.S. and German debt driven by the decline in oil prices, said Hideaki Kuriki, a bond investor at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management in Tokyo. The company has $54.1 billion in assets. "Inflation will stay at a low level all over the world," he said. Treasuries rose, with 30-year yields dropping two basis points to 2.94 percent. Yields on Japanese bonds due in a decade were 1 1/2 basis point lower at 0.315 percent. The U.S. is selling $24 billion of three-year notes, part of a combined $58 billion of bond offerings this week. Bets the Federal Reserve will end the era of near-zero borrowing costs at its Dec. 16 meeting have climbed to 78 percent, with better-than-expected payrolls data Friday evidence the U.S. economy is probably strong enough to withstand higher rates. Norway's krone weakened to the lowest level versus Sweden's krona in 23 years. It fell as much as 2.4 percent to 0.9634 krona, the least since November 1992. The cost of insuring corporate debt reached a three-week high. The Markit iTraxx Europe Index of credit-default swaps on investment-grade companies was at 73 basis points. The junk- rated Markit iTraxx Europe Crossover Index was at 298 basis points. Commodities Oil fell again after dropping to a six-year low Monday following the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' decision to all but abandon any limits on its production. West Texas Intermediate crude lost 2.1 percent to $36.85. Industrial metals declined as the exports in China, the world's largest consumer of raw materials, fell for a fifth month. Nickel dropped 2.5 percent to $8,545 a metric ton while zinc lost 1.8 percent and copper declined 0.6 percent. Platinum eked out a 0.3 percent gain after sliding 2.8 percent on Monday. Iron ore fell to a record low as producers press on with expansions to cut costs and defend market share and demand from the largest consumer China slows. Ore with 62 percent content delivered to Qingdao sank 1.1 percent to $38.65 a dry ton, a record low in daily prices compiled by Metal Bulletin Ltd. dating back to May 2009. The raw material peaked at $191.70 in 2011. | 3 | 97,707 | finance |
Consider this your bucket list for the holiday season. Consider this your bucket list for the holiday season. 1) Mail a letter to Santa. Because kids aren't the only ones wishing for some Christmas magic. Learn more at USPS's Letters to Santa program . 2) Hang mistletoe in every doorway. Forget the fact that it looks pretty! We'll take any excuse we can to cover our loved ones in kisses-even if it embarrasses the kids. 3) Video chat with an out-of-town friend or relative. Take a few minutes to wish a faraway friend or family member a very merry Christmas. 4) Find a fun way to display your holiday cards. Say goodbye to holiday paper clutter by displaying the season's greetings in a creative way. See our 13 favorite ways to display holiday cards . 5) Make your own holiday tree trimmings. Put your family's own touch on your Christmas tree by crafting decorations together. See our favorite ideas for DIY ornaments . 6) Go sledding or ice-skating. What better way to spend Christmas afternoon? 7) Decorate a gingerbread house. Bonus points if you can make it with a country-style design ! 8) Host a cookie-baking party. Nothing beats the scent of freshly baked Christmas cookies wafting out of your oven! Check out our favorite Christmas cookie recipes to get started. 9) Make a DIY gift for a past or present teacher. These holiday-scented potpourri jars are the perfect gift for a teacher that wishes Christmas would last all year. Get the tutorial at Nest of Posies . 10) Sip on homemade hot cocoa. The season wouldn't be complete without a steaming mug of hot cocoa in your hand. Upgrade your hot chocolate with our 16 festive twists on the classic cold weather drink . 11) Roast marshmallows in the fireplace for homemade s'mores. S'mores aren't just for campfires! Take advantage of being stuck indoors on a snowy day by getting a fire going. 12) Deliver homemade holiday treats to someone unexpected. Whether it's the cashier at your local Kroger or Walmart, they're sure to love a delivery of Christmas treats. Check out our best ideas for homemade food gifts . 13) Watch a holiday favorite. It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, Love Actually-there are so many classic Christmas movies, so little time. 14) Write a holiday greeting to someone in the armed forces. Remind those who can't be with their families during the holidays that someone is thinking of them. Learn how to get involved at the Red Cross . 15) Visit a tree-lighting ceremony. There's no better way to kick off the holidays than by attending a small town tree-lighting ceremony. 16) Surprise the neighbors with Christmas carols. Download free sheet music , round up a ground up friends, bundle up, and hit the streets! 17) Donate a toy to a local drive. Donate something-whether it's money to a favorite charity, or toys, coats, and food to a local drive, it's what the season of giving is all about. 18) Read a holiday classic before bed. Break out your childhood copy of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and gather around the fireplace with the family. 19) Serve a meal at a local homeless shelter. Because giving back to your community is the greatest way to celebrate the holidays. 20) Cut paper snowflakes to hang in your bedroom window. When the weather outside is frightful, make your home that much more delightful. 21) Pull out sleeping bags and have a family slumber party under the tree. Because nothing is more magical than staring up at the twinkling lights of your Christmas tree, snuggled inside a sleeping bag. 22) Check out a local production of "The Nutcracker." Even though you've seen it dozens of times before, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy always makes you feel like a kid again. 23) Open one small gift on Christmas Eve. Wrap up matching Christmas PJs for your family, and let them open the gifts on Christmas Eve so they'll look extra festive in the morning. 24) Take a family drive to see the neighborhood holiday decorations. Pile in the car, and go on a nighttime tour of your town, decked out in holiday lights and decorations. 25) Christmas Bucket List Download or pin a complete checklist of our 25 essential Christmas activities. | 4 | 97,708 | lifestyle |
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Monday that Democrats will be unveiling new legislation to tackle the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), including formally creating an "ISIS czar." "Beginning today, Senate Democrats will unveil a series of proposals to take the fight to ISIS while enhancing the protection of Americans here at home," the Democratic leader said. The Nevada senator added that those proposals will include creating an "ISIS czar," as well as pressuring Republicans to move other stalled national security nominees including Adam Szubin's nomination to be under secretary for terrorism and financial crimes at the Treasury Department. "One person who is fully empowered and unified the federal government's efforts in fighting ISIS. We did it with ebola, we certainly can do it with the scourge that is facing this country, ISIS," he added, outlining what the "czar" position would entail. Democrats will also push for new sanctions against the terrorist organization aimed at squeezing the group's ability to get money. "ISIS runs its reign of terror in Iraq and Syria through exhortation, oil sales and theft," Reid said. "Our legislation imposes new sanctions and they are tough, including a cutoff of the United States international financing system if people knowingly facilitate financial transactions with ISIS." The wide-ranging legislation which is expected to be introduced Tuesday would also include provisions bolstering intelligence sharing with allies, reforms to the Visa Waiver Program, a push to help European countries screen migrants, a requirement that the administration to hand over a plan to secure "dirty bomb" materials, and a "stabilization fund" that would help Syrian refugees stay in countries in the region including in Jordan and Lebanon. Reid added that "these are just a few of the components of our plan to degrade and destroy ISIS. We're equally committed to thwarting terrorism here at home." The Democratic proposal is also expected to include legislation from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would block a suspected or known terrorist from buying a gun. That proposal, however, has gotten pushback from Republicans, who argue that the move would strip Americans of their constitutional rights. Instead, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) tried to attach an amendment to an ObamaCare repeal bill that would have allowed the attorney general to delay suspected terrorists from getting a gun for up to 72 hours as they try to get a court to approve blocking the sale of the firearm. Reid's remarks come a day after President Obama delivered a rare Oval Office address amid growing concern about the threat posed by Islamic extremist groups. | 5 | 97,709 | news |
WASHINGTON U.S. consumers borrowed more heavily for auto and student loans in October, taking out debt that helps them find jobs and commute to work. The Federal Reserve said Monday that consumer borrowing rose $16 billion in October to $3.5 trillion. But the pace of borrowing decelerated sharply from the $28.5 billion increase in September. Nearly all of the October gain came from the category that covers auto and student loans, while credit card borrowing edged up a mere $200 million. The increase suggests that more Americans are borrowing to improve their educational skills and upgrade their cars and trucks, instead of relying on debt to fund their daily shopping and emergency expenses. Many economists expect that consumer spending will be relatively healthy in the coming months because of strong job gains that have bolstered auto and home sales for much of 2015. Yet a struggling global economy has tempered U.S. growth as the year draws to an end. The Labor Department reported last week that employers added 211,000 jobs in November and 298,000 in October. The unemployment rate held steady at 5 percent last month. The report showed evidence that workers pushed to the sidelines during the Great Recession and sluggish six-year recovery are filtering back into the job market. The overall economy has advanced despite a waning global economy. A stronger dollar, slowing growth in China, a recession in Japan and a struggling Europe have been a drag on U.S. manufacturing, dampening overall growth. U.S. gross domestic product aided by consumer spending advanced at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the July-September quarter, down from a 3.9 percent rate in the prior quarter. The deceleration is expected to continue. The Atlanta Fed forecasts that growth will slip in the final three months of 2015 to an annual rate of 1.5 percent. The private forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers estimates that the rate will be 1.7 percent. | 3 | 97,710 | finance |
Test violates terms of Nuclear Deal | 5 | 97,711 | news |
Our top images from space in 2015. Our top images from space in 2015. A small section of the expanding remains of the Veil Nebula is seen in an image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope A small section of the expanding remains of the Veil Nebula, a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago. The entire nebula is 110 light-years across, covering six full moons on the sky as seen from Earth, and resides about 2,100 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Released September 24, 2015. An American flag is framed in the windows of the International Space Station An American flag is framed in the windows of the International Space Station. Photo taken by astronaut Kjell Lindgren and released November 11, 2015. NASA handout photo of the dancing lights of the aurora borealis as the sun emerges from behind the earth The dancing lights of the aurora borealis as the sun emerges from behind the earth in a photo taken by astronaut Scott Kelly from the International Space Station on August 15, 2015. Pluto photo from four images from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) combined with color data from the Ralph instrument A NASA photo of Pluto made from four images from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) combined with color data from the Ralph instrument in this enhanced color global view released on July 24, 2015. A meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower near Kraljevine on mountain Smetovi in the early morning A meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower near Kraljevine on mountain Smetovi in the early morning, August 12, 2015. A supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of our sun is seen in an undated NASA artist's concept illustration A supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of our sun is seen in a NASA artist's concept illustration. In this image, the supermassive black hole at the center is surrounded by matter flowing onto the black hole in what is termed an accretion disk. This disk forms as the dust and gas in the galaxy falls onto the hole, attracted by its gravity. Also shown is an outflowing jet of energetic particles, believed to be powered by the black hole's spin. Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly of the U.S. gestures after donning space suits at the Baikonur cosmodrome NASA astronaut Scott Kelly of the U.S. gestures after donning space suits at the Baikonur cosmodrome, March 27, 2015. An expanding shell of debris called SNR 0519-69.0 is seen after a massive star exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud An expanding shell of debris called SNR 0519-69.0 is left behind after a massive star exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. Multimillion degree gas is seen in X-rays from Chandra, in blue. The outer edge of the explosion (red) and stars in the field of view are seen in visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope. Image released January 23, 2015. An undated artist's rendering depicts a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the planet's upper atmosphere in this NASA handout An artist's rendering depicts a solar storm hitting Mars and stripping ions from the planet's upper atmosphere. Scientists have documented a solar storm blasting away Mars� atmosphere, an important clue in a long-standing mystery of how a planet that was once like Earth turned into a cold, dry desert. In March, NASA�s Mars-orbiting MAVEN spacecraft caught such a storm stripping away the planet�s atmosphere. Image released November 5, 2015. The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket launched by SpaceX on a cargo resupply service mission to the International Space Station, lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket launched by SpaceX on a cargo resupply service mission to the International Space Station, lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, January 10, 2015. A pink astral cloud appeared in the sky of Tucson after a NASA rocket launch from White Sands A pink astral cloud appeared in the sky of Tucson, Arizona, after a NASA rocket launch from White Sands, New Mexico, February 25, 2015. The unusual pink cloud was caused by a NASA research rocket launched to study the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere, scientists said. NASA handout photo of a stellar nursery located about 20,000 light-years from the planet earth in the constellation Carina A stellar nursery of about 3,000 stars called Westerlund 2, located about 20,000 light-years from the planet earth in the constellation Carina. Image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and released April 23, 2015. Scientists and guests cheer New Horizons spacecraft's flyby of Pluto at the Applied Physics Laboratory Scientists and guests cheer at the countdown as the spacecraft New Horizons approaches a flyby of Pluto, at NASA's Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, July 14, 2015. NASA image shows far side of the moon crossing between the DSCOVR spacecraft and Earth The far side of the moon, illuminated by the sun as it crosses between the DSCOVR spacecraft's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) camera and telescope, and the earth - one million miles away - July 16, 2015. Pluto and its moon Charon are pictured from about 6 million kilometers in this NASA handout photo Pluto (R) and its moon Charon are pictured from about 6 million kilometers, July 8, 2015. Photo taken by New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager. A mid-level solar flare is seen in an image from NASA?s Solar Dynamics Observatory A mid-level solar flare is seen in an image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on January 12, 2015. Harmful radiation from a solar flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel, according to NASA. The Nile is seen at night during a flyover of the International Space Station taken by Astronaut Scott Kelly The Nile is seen at night during a flyover of the International Space Station taken by Astronaut Scott Kelly on September 22, 2015. Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft is transported to its launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft is transported to its launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome, March 25, 2015. The Soyuz TMA-14M capsule with ISS crew members Barry Wilmore of the U.S., Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of Russia is seen above clouds as it descends before landing southeast of Dzhezkazgan The Soyuz TMA-14M capsule with International Space Station crew members Barry Wilmore of the U.S., Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of Russia as it descends beneath a parachute just before landing in central Kazakhstan, March 12, 2015. The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard suffers a catastrophic anomaly moments after launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, suffers a catastrophic anomaly moments after launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, October 28, 2014. The Cygnus spacecraft was filled with about 5,000 pounds of supplies slated for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. Image released November 4, 2015. The galaxy Messier 63 - nicknamed the Sunflower Galaxy - is seen in an undated image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope The galaxy Messier 63 - nicknamed the Sunflower Galaxy - in an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1779, the galaxy is about 27 million light-years away and belongs to the M51 Group. Image released September 11, 2015. The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket, launched by SpaceX and carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory Satellite, lifts off at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket, launched by SpaceX and carrying NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory Satellite, lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, February 11, 2015. Pluto's haze layer shows its blue color in this picture taken by NASA's New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera Pluto's haze layer shows its blue color in this picture taken by NASA's New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera released October 8, 2015. The high-altitude haze is thought to be similar in nature to that seen at Saturn's moon Titan. This image was generated by software that combines information from blue, red and near-infrared images to replicate the color a human eye would perceive as closely as possible. SLS five-segment Solid Rocket Motor undergoes a static test fire at the Orbital ATK facility in Promontory The SLS five-segment Solid Rocket Motor undergoes a static test fire at the Orbital ATK facility in Promontory, Utah, March 11, 2015. A beefed-up space shuttle solid rocket motor passed a two-minute test firing in Utah, a key milestone toward the debut flight of NASA's deep-space launcher in 2018, the U.S. space agency said. NASA handout photo of a white dwarf star that may have ripped apart a planet Researchers have found evidence that a white dwarf star may have ripped apart a planet as it came too close, as seen in this NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory image of a globular cluster designated as NGC 6388 released April 17, 2015. Using several telescopes, researchers have found evidence that a white dwarf star, the dense core of a star like the Sun that has run out of nuclear fuel may have ripped apart a planet as it came too close. The lights of Perth, Australia, and stars in the Milky Way are seen in this picture taken from the International Space Station The lights of Perth, Australia, (top) and the stars in the Milky Way are seen in this picture by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, taken from the International Space Station, August 20, 2015. Denmark's astronaut Mogensen is assisted by ground personnel after landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan (Zhezkazgan) Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen is assisted by ground personnel after landing near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, after returning from the International Space Station, September 12, 2015. The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket launched by SpaceX, on a cargo resupply service mission to the International Space Station, lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket launched by SpaceX, on a cargo resupply service mission to the International Space Station, lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, January 10, 2015. | 5 | 97,712 | news |
It's make-or-break time for NFL teams that are jockeying for playoff spots. These five teams broke their playoff chances with Week 13 losses, and it will be awfully hard to glue the pieces back together. Giants (5-7) (at MIA; CAR; at MIN; PHI) No team destroyed its playoff chances in more epic fashion than the Giants. The Giants blew a lead with less than two minutes left for the fifth time this season, falling 23-20 in overtime to the Jets. Considering the history of the NFL's two New York franchises, there was a good chance one of them would lose in a way that would be talked about. That's what happened to the Giants, who led 20-10 in the fourth quarter and decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 with 8:50 left in the game. Eli Manning's pass was intercepted, and that sparked the Jets' comeback. Had the Giants kicked a field goal, the Jets would have needed two touchdowns. Instead, they needed just a touchdown and a field goal to send the game into overtime. The Giants are looking up at two teams in the NFC East, a division that most likely will have just one playoff representative. Unless the Cowboys win tonight for the first time without Tony Romo, the Redskins will lead the division by themselves at 6-6. The Eagles also are 5-7 but hold the tiebreaker over the Giants because they beat them earlier in the year. It would be asking an awful lot for the Giants to win out considering their schedule the rest of the way. An 8-8 record could win the division, but tiebreakers would have to go their way. If the Giants don't make the playoffs, this loss might have destroyed not only their playoff chances but Tom Coughlin's job. Giants on pace for not only worst total defense in franchise history, but to become 1st team @NFL history to allow 300 pass yards per game. Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) December 7, 2015 Bears (5-7) (WAS; at MIN; at TB, DET) The Bears' 26-20, overtime loss to the 49ers not only hurt their playoff chances mathematically, it also showed why the Bears just don't belong in the playoffs. They took a late lead, but couldn't close the deal at home against the downtrodden 49ers (4-8). Ka'Deem Carey's first career touchdown with 3:39 left was countered by Blaine Gabbert's first career rushing touchdown. Gabbert tied the game by scampering 44 yards past Bears defenders who were just jogging along as if they had him on their fantasy team. Robbie Gould then missed a 36-yard field goal that would have won it, and Gabbert threw a 71-yard bomb to Torrey Smith to win the game in OT. The Seahawks (7-5) are the front-runner for the No. 6 seed, but the Bears could have joined a pack of 6-6 teams right behind them. Making matters worse for the Bears is their Week 3 loss at Seattle, giving the Seahawks the tiebreaker. It looks like the Bears' stunning Thanksgiving win at Green Bay will go to waste. Falcons (6-6) (at CAR; at JAX; CAR, NO) There was a time this season when the Falcons were 5-0, but that seems so long ago now that Steve Bartkowski might as well have been their quarterback. The Falcons' free fall to .500 is now complete after their 23-19 loss at Tampa Bay. It was the Falcons' fifth straight loss and their second loss to the Buccaneers (6-6), who now own the tiebreaker over them. Atlanta and Tampa Bay are the only two 6-6 teams in the NFC. They're a game behind the Seahawks in the race for the final wild-card spot, and the Seahawks could overtake the Vikings (8-4) after their 38-7 win Sunday at Minnesota. The Vikings are another team that would win a tiebreaker over the Falcons. So the Falcons could be in a position where they have to have a better record than both the Buccaneers and Vikings to make the playoffs. Good luck with that when you have two games against the unbeaten Panthers remaining on your schedule. Raiders (5-7) (at DEN; GB; SD; at KC) It looked like the future was now for the Raiders when they were 4-3 at the beginning of November. Since then, however, they've lost four of their last five including Sunday's 34-20 home loss to the Chiefs. The Raiders led 20-14 late in the third quarter, but Derek Carr threw three fourth-quarter interceptions and the Chiefs (7-5) capitalized to win their sixth game in a row. The Raiders could have tied the Chiefs with a win and been a game out of the final playoff spot. Instead, they're two games behind the AFC's three 7-5 teams. The Chiefs currently hold the No. 5 seed, the Jets are in the No. 6 slot and the Steelers are on the outside looking in based on tiebreakers. Between the Raiders and that 7-5 trio are the Bills and Texans, both 6-6, and the Raiders' remaining schedule is brutal. It's looking like a 13th straight year without a playoff berth in Oakland . #Raiders : at CHI, vs. DEN, at PIT, at DET and today vs. KC all winnable in the fourth quarter. Something to improve upon for next year. Joe Fortenbaugh (@JoeFortenbaugh) December 7, 2015 Jaguars (4-8) (IND, ATL, at NO, at HOU) Wait. The Jaguars had playoff chances? Yes, they did. But their 42-39 loss at Tennessee decreased those chances. Houston and Indianapolis, tied atop the AFC South at 6-6, both lost. The Jaguars could have lurked at a game behind with next week's home game against the Colts looming large. Now their path to the playoffs is a lot more challenging. The Jaguars hung around all afternoon and finally took a 32-28 lead over the Titans on Blake Bortles' nine-yard touchdown pass to Julius Thomas with 10 minutes left. Then they had the Titans backed up at their 13 on third down, but Marcus Mariota escaped pressure and ran 87 yards for a touchdown. The Titans increased their lead less than a minute later when a snap sailed over Bortles' head and Wesley Woodyard ran in the loose ball for a touchdown. It was a classic Jaguars moment, along with the two missed extra points by Jason Myers. The Jaguars' first playoff berth since 2007 still isn't out of the question, but they'll most likely have to win the rest of their games and do a lot of scoreboard watching. | 1 | 97,713 | sports |
A high school team in California won their conference in dramatic fashion, which is something they're used to doing. | 1 | 97,714 | sports |
This season Coca-Cola has your wrapping covered. Simply get one of their Holiday Cokes and unwrap it to create a bow! | 8 | 97,715 | video |
"It's not about vanity or rational decisions." | 8 | 97,716 | video |
LeBron James has signed a lifetime deal with US sporting goods giant Nike it was confirmed on Monday in what was described as the largest single athlete deal in the company's history. Nike confirmed the agreement -- believed to be the first lifetime deal in the company's 44-year history -- in a brief statement. "We can confirm that we have agreed to a lifetime relationship with LeBron that provides significant value to our business, brand and shareholders," Nike said. "We have already built a strong LeBron business over the past 12 years, and we see the potential for this to continue to grow throughout his playing career and beyond." No figures for the deal were available but a source familiar with the terms told ESPN it easily eclipsed the $300 million (277 million euros), 10-year deal Nike signed with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant. Nike has a longstanding partnership with Michael Jordan but has never announced a lifetime deal before. Sales of Nike's Air Jordan brand have exceeded $2.2 billion in sales since 1985. Nike, which signed James to a lucrative seven-year $90 million deal in 2003, has made 13 versions of LeBron's signature shoe, with annual sales expected to pass $400 million for 2015. According to Forbes.com, James is the sixth highest earning athlete in the world, raking in annual earnings of $64.8 million according to a list issued in June. The Cleveland Cavaliers star's net worth is estimated at around $300 million. | 1 | 97,717 | sports |
Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is out indefinitely with a non-displaced fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle, the team announced on Monday. Hollis-Jefferson sustained the injury during Saturday's practice. He is slated to undergo surgery later this week, which will establish a timetable for his return. • LEIBOWITZ: Inside Stephen Curry's eye-popping stats Hollis-Jefferson is averaging 5.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 19 games for his rookie season. He scored a season-high 13 points against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 20. He was drafted No. 23 in the 2015 NBA draft by the Trailblazers before being traded to the Nets in a four-player deal that sent Mason Plumlee and Pat Connaughton to Portland. - Christopher Chavez | 1 | 97,718 | sports |
GOLF's Jeff Ritter explains why Jordan Spieth should win Sports Illustrated's 2015 Sportsperson of the Year award. | 1 | 97,719 | sports |
Need a job? Not too particular about whether the company is profitable? Check out Tesla's website. The maker of electric cars and energy-storage devices had 1,656 job openings posted as of Monday afternoon. Among them: a radar engineer with one to three years of experience with automotive radar systems; a manager to establish a service operation in Mexico City; product specialists in cities from Amsterdam and Milan to Shanghai and Chengdu. After losing $1.88 billion since 2007, Tesla is piling on the personnel as it offers more models, builds the world's biggest battery factory and expands globally, including stores opening this week in Mexico City and Edinburgh. For the youngest publicly traded U.S. automaker, it's a race to grow without jeopardizing Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's push to turn cash-flow positive in next year's first quarter. "During 2016 Tesla will face a balancing act of funding its rapid growth aspirations and showing the market its ability to deliver profits," said Ben Kallo, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co. "Workforce expansion across all divisions is necessary" given all the tasks ahead in both the carmaking and battery businesses, he said. Since the end of 2010, the year of its initial public offering, Tesla's headcount has already grown 15-fold -- comparable to the increase in its enterprise value-- to more than 14,000. Five years ago, the Palo Alto, California-based company sold only one car, a limited edition Roadster, and only in the U.S. Now it sells two electric models on three continents and Tesla Energy, which offers stationary battery systems for home, business and utility use, is its own business unit. Of course, the nation's youngest publicly traded automaker is still a pipsqueak compared with giants such as General Motors Co., which had 216,000 employees at the end of 2014 to operate 10 automotive brands around the world as well as the OnStar telematics unit. Rapid hiring is typical for fast-growing companies. Tesla, which began delivering the first of its Model X SUVs in late September, says it will deliver at least 50,000 vehicles this year, including 17,000 to 19,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter. Autopilot Team At an October event marking the release of self-driving features that Tesla calls Autopilot, Musk said autonomy and electrification are the two "most profound innovations" in the auto industry. All Tesla cars shipped since the fourth quarter of 2014 are equipped with the combination of camera, radar and ultrasonic sensors that enable functions such as adaptive cruise control or automated lane-changing. That was when Musk said Tesla's headcount was more than 14,000. When asked the size of the Autopilot unit, Musk said it was a small team. "In terms of people just working on Autopilot software, it's maybe 50 people," Musk said at the October event. "In terms of those working on the Autopilot hardware suite, it's maybe a little bigger. Maybe 100 people, something like that? It will increase over time, but generally with software you can get amazing things done with small teams. And a small team will do much more radical improvements than a big team." Last month, Musk told his almost 3 million Twitter followers that he's building up the team to work on fully autonomous cars. "We are looking for hardcore software engineers. No prior experience with cars required," said Musk in a tweet. "Should mention that I will be interviewing people personally and Autopilot reports directly to me. This is a super high priority." With Apple Inc. said to be developing an electric vehicle, Google Inc. working on its self-driving car and startups like San Francisco-based Cruise Automation on the scene, automotive engineers of all kinds are in hot demand in Silicon Valley. But Tesla says it remains flooded with job applicants, with everyone at the company essentially acting as a recruiter for top talent. "In the last 14 months we've had 1.5 million applications from around the world," Arnnon Geshuri, Tesla's vice president of human resources, said in a phone interview. "People want to work here." Executive Hires To manage all of this growth, Tesla -- which doesn't have a chief operating officer -- is also adding seasoned executives. During last month's third-quarter earnings call with analysts, Musk announced the hiring of Jason Wheeler, formerly of Google, as chief financial officer to replace the retiring Deepak Ahuja and Jon McNeill, the former CEO of Enservio, as head of global sales and service. "I'm pretty excited about those two people joining the team, and we expect to have some additional announcements in the months to come as we add bench strength to the Tesla management team," said Musk. | 3 | 97,720 | finance |
They say good things come to those that wait and that patience is a virtue. If ever there were a poster boy for those sentiments, it would be Ken Cook of Sacramento, California. The 71-year-old retired Civil Engineer waited most of his life before getting a badass car: a 1962 Chevy Impala. And when he finally did, he did it right. No corners cut; no expenses spared. Cook had a vision and teamed up with Jason Walroth of Gearhead Garage to turn his dream into reality. "This is something I've wanted to do for a long time," explained Cook. "I've been a Chevy guy all my life. My first car was a '53 two-door sedan that I drove for I don't know how many years while I went to college and beyond. I grew up in a Chevy household so that made me partial to Chevys. The 1962 Impala has been a favorite model of mine ever since I graduated high school, which also happened to be in 1962. To me, it is one of the most classic body styles of all time." It's no surprise that when the time came to start the project, the first order of business was one of the most dreaded locating the vehicle. "There are cars all over the country, but I really didn't want to have to drive to Kansas City to look at a car. I was really hoping to find something locally. California is still kind of 'the place' to get decent cars, so I thought if I just bided my time a bit I'd find something close by," said Cook, displaying more of his signature patience. The universe rewarded him for his virtue. "A couple of weeks after I started my search, one popped up in the local car rag. I went out and looked at it, as did Jason. He gave it a thumbs-up, so I got it. It was in pretty good shape considering it was over half a century old." Speaking of the age of the car, Cook knew he was going to drive the car every day so he presented a challenge to Walroth and the team at Gearhead Garage. "I had a 2000 Lexus LS430 at the time, and when I first started talking to Jason at Gearhead Garage, I jokingly said, 'This is how I want the car to ride.' I knew it was a tall order to get a 60-plus-year-old car to ride that nice, but this was going to be my everyday driver, so it had to ride decently. It's not a show car or a car that I start up every other month. I drive it every day, every place, so it needed to be comfortable," Cook related of his design parameters. Being an engineer, his attention to detail, as well as his ideas, were quite grand. Luckily for him, Walroth is the same way. "This is the first specialty car I've ever had. After I got the car, I knew I wanted certain things done to it. I wanted a more modern instrument panel, better interior, and things like that. The car was fitted to me specifically, both in design and measurements. It was exactly the way I wanted it." The result of 18 months of hard work resulted in a one-of-a-kind 1962 Impala that turns heads. Coated in Ford Toreador Red, the car features a full Roadster Shop chassis with C6 Corvette spindles and double-adjustable coilovers up front and independent suspension out back. A 427-cubic-inch LS3 that has been significantly warmed over resides between the framerails. The engine's output is an estimated 580 horsepower with an equal amount of torque all with A/C and power steering. "I wanted a bigger engine than the 327 it came with. It was old and tired and had been rebuilt at least once," Cook explained of the genesis for his modern powerplant. "I wanted enough horsepower to know that, when I needed to get on the gas, it had it there. Jason recommended the LS since he's had good success with the transplants." A set of Hooker Super Comp headers feed into a Blake's Motorsports custom 2.5-inch exhaust featuring a MagnaFlow X-pipe, mufflers, and resonators. Power is sent back through a Tremec TKO 600 transmission and 11-inch Ram single-disc clutch to a Ford 9-inch centersection stuffed full of 3.73 gears and a Detroit Truetrac differential, giving the combo ideal street manners. Circle Racing billet Rallye wheels accent the car's looks, measuring 18x8 in front and 18x9.5 out back. Kore3 C6 Corvette brakes measuring 14 inches up front and 13 inches in back rein in the Impala in both city traffic and spirited jaunts. Inside the car, a modern dash was fitted in-house at Gearhead Garage, and full-power Lexus front seats were installed. "I started the build with a 4L80E automatic transmission; I'm 71 years old. When I first got the car, I was a few years younger, but my thinking was, 'I don't want to be horsing around with a clutch and changing the gears all the time,'" Cook laughed. "The more I drove it, the more the automatic didn't cut it. I got the yearning to shift gears myself. My first four cars were all manual transmission cars, but I had forgotten how much fun it could be." Once the car was "done," it was time for Gearhead Garage to tackle the really custom stuff for Cook. "I really enjoy playing some golf, and since this was set to be my daily driver, I had a special rack built that bolts into the trunk to hold my golf clubs. I never take them out of the car unless I'm using them." Golf isn't Cook's only hobby; he also enjoys pedaling about quite a bit. "I'm also pretty serious into cycling and I wanted to be able to carry my bike around. So again, Jason chopped up a bike rack to make it fit and welded it to the frame in the rear so that everything sits perfectly. My bike is different than most, so not only did Jason have to fit the mount onto the car, he had to fit the mount to the bike itself," relayed Cook. He also went a step further with it. "It all came out so well, I even had the bike frame painted to match the car." With such an extensive list of modifications, Cook is most proud of the fact that it still looks like a 1962 Impala. "If you look at the car, it looks almost original from the outside. The only real difference is that the mirrors are rectangular instead of round, to give me a better view. Then I added a third brake light. Other than those things, it looks like it did when it sat on the showroom floor in 1962," Cook said, as he recalled his high school dreams. "I also insisted on leaving the Chevy emblem in the middle of the back seat. It was a part of all the cars of the time, and I really wanted to keep that. Even with the modification of the rear seats that makes it more of a two-person seat, I feel like that feature helps the car keep some originality." With the car done and exactly how he wanted it, Cook is currently driving the wheels off of it, between heading to the clubhouse to get a few holes in, taking off to ride his custom bike, or even just running the day's errands. He says that thumbs up from other car guys follow wherever he goes and is incredibly quick to lavish praise on the team that turned his longtime dreams into a daily driven reality. "Jason and his team deserve the bulk of the credit. The work that they've done is incredible." Follow MSN Autos on Facebook | 9 | 97,721 | autos |
Steve Sarkisian sued the University of Southern California on Monday, alleging the school breached the football coach's contract and discriminated against him on the basis of a disability namely alcoholism when it fired him this fall. Sarkisian's attorneys also alleged wrongful termination and invasion of privacy in the complaint filed in Los Angeles County Court. Sarkisian contends he is owed at least $12.6 million left on his USC contract, along with other damages for "extreme mental anguish." "Instead of honoring the contract it made with Steve Sarkisian, USC kicked him to the curb," the lawsuit reads. The school responded sharply to Sarkisian's lawsuit later Monday. USC general counsel Carol Mauch Amir said the school is "profoundly disappointed" by Sarkisian's characterization of the circumstances around his termination. "Much of what is stated in the lawsuit filed today by Steve Sarkisian is patently untrue," Amir said. "The record will show that Mr. Sarkisian repeatedly denied to university officials that he had a problem with alcohol, never asked for time off to get help and resisted university efforts to provide him with help. The university made clear in writing that further incidents would result in termination, as it did." In the 31-page lawsuit, Sarkisian gives his first detailed public descriptions of the events surrounding his firing Oct. 12, five games into his second season in one of the highest-profile jobs in college football. The coach says he was fired by email, one day after athletic director Pat Haden put Sarkisian on a leave of absence when Haden said Sarkisian showed up to the school in no condition to work. Sarkisian claims he should have been allowed to seek treatment for alcoholism while keeping his job. The lawsuit describes Sarkisian's descent into alcohol dependency in steady detail, citing the extraordinary stress of the USC job combined with his wife's decision to file for divorce earlier this year. Sarkisian also says he has completed inpatient treatment and a detoxification program during more than 30 days in rehabilitation. He has stopped taking medications prescribed by a USC doctor, and is sleeping well "for the first time in over 20 years." "Steve Sarkisian was ready to return to work, both physically and emotionally and in time to coach USC's two remaining games of the regular season and any games beyond that," the lawsuit reads. "Unfortunately, there was no job waiting for him. Steve Sarkisian took responsibility for getting help for his disability. USC refuses to honor its responsibilities." Sarkisian was an assistant coach at USC under coach Pete Carroll during the 2000s, and he returned to the school as head coach in December 2013 after five years at Washington. Sarkisian's behavior was first scrutinized last August when he slurred his words and used profanity in a speech at a preseason pep rally. He claims he was affected by two light beers and two prescription medications for anxiety. The lawsuit says Sarkisian had no more issues with alcohol until a 17-12 upset loss on Oct. 8 to Washington. Sarkisian's "depression and anxiety worsened and his consumption of alcohol when he was not working increased," the lawsuit states. "That weekend, however, Steve Sarkisian began to finally come to grips with the fact that he had a problem with alcohol, needed serious help, and needed it now," the lawsuit states, citing Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia's decision to seek alcohol treatment a few days earlier as a factor in Sarkisian's decision. Sarkisian arrived at school Oct. 11 still feeling the effects of drinking heavily and sleeping poorly. The coach claims he wasn't drunk in a morning team meeting, but a combination of drinking, sleep deprivation and prescription medication made him "not appear to be normal." Sarkisian alleges Haden was unsupportive after the coach left the school that day before practice, claiming the athletic director "derisively yelled" at him over the phone before putting Sarkisian on leave and appointing Clay Helton as the Trojans' interim coach. "Unbelievable! Can't you even go back to the office to finish the day?" Haden said, according to the lawsuit. "No, I need to get help," Sarkisian replied, according to the lawsuit. "I'm not right." Sarkisian says he didn't learn he had been fired the next day until he stepped off a flight to an inpatient treatment facility, getting an email with an attached letter of termination. The coach claims Haden never asked Sarkisian if he had been drinking before the team meeting. "That is because Haden did not care what had happened or what the facts were," the lawsuit states. "Haden jumped at what he would later claim was 'cause' to fire Mr. Sarkisian and not pay him his rightful salary." Helton, a Trojans assistant since 2010, was named USC's permanent coach last week. After winning the Pac-12 South while going 5-3 under Helton, the Trojans will face Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30. USC has been hit with several lawsuits in recent years surrounding its football program, which only emerged in 2014 from several years on NCAA probation amid heavy sanctions for alleged misdeeds committed during Carroll's wildly successful tenure. Former players Brian Baucham, Morgan Breslin, Bryce Dixon, Armond Armstead and Stafon Johnson have all taken legal action against USC in recent years, alleging various mistreatments by the football program and the athletic department. | 1 | 97,722 | sports |
When the Raptors played the Warriors in Toronto, rap superstar Drake was spotted courtside while wearing some expensive sneakers. During Toronto's loss, Drake watched from the Air Canada Centre. He was rocking an expensive Nike collaboration: Eminem x Carhartt Air Jordan 4. According to SoleCollector.com , the average re-sale value on eBay last month was $$22,755. The Raptors fell to the Warriors, who earned their 21st consecutive victory, but Drake came out a winner in the style game. Drake wore Eminem's $23k Jordans to the Raptors game this weekend, but it did not help: https://t.co/A45JOJIavh pic.twitter.com/8gT84r4R3z Highsnobiety (@highsnobiety) December 6, 2015 (h/t Sole Collector ) | 1 | 97,723 | sports |
A strange thing happened after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots on Sunday: as Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin strode toward the locker room, he grabbed a beer from a waiting fan. This, it turns out, was payment for a bet the fan made with Barwin earlier in the game. "I go out to the field and warm up by myself early and some Patriots fans that these stadiums now have access where they're right up on the field and they were kind of messing with me," Barwin explained to CBS Philly . "Talking about how I wasn't going to get any sacks, we weren't going to win, blah, blah, blah. And I just said make sure you have a beer ready for me after we win." After the game, Barwin, who notched six tackles and two sacks, went looking for the Patriots fans. "And sure enough, we won and they had a Bud Light ready for me so I grabbed it on my way out." (via CBS Philly ) | 1 | 97,724 | sports |
Lamar Neagle has escaped the numbers game in Seattle. The Seattle Sounders traded the midfielder-forward to D.C. United for allocation money Monday, ending Neagle's third stint with the organization. The 28-year-old enjoyed a career year in 2014, recording nine goals and nine assists after scoring eight times the previous season. But Neagle was limited to four goals and two assists this past season, starting 23 of his 31 appearances. Neagle's playing time diminished following the midseason additions of Nelson Valdez and Andreas Ivanschitz, with the veteran not seeing the field in Seattle's three playoff games. | 1 | 97,725 | sports |
NOVATO, Calif. A cat that was missing for more than eight years has been reunited with her family thanks to a man who took her to an animal shelter. Marin Humane Society spokeswoman Lisa Bloch said Sunday that Rick Benson had been feeding the orange tabby near his shop in Novato for about two months until he decided to take the stray feline for a checkup at the animal shelter. Bloch says luckily the cat was micro-chipped and the shelter was able to contact her owners, Nancy and Stephen Payne, who reunited with Ginger on Wednesday. Bloch says Ginger was just a kitten when she ran away from her Novato home. She says reuniting a pet missing for eight years with their owners is a record for the organization. | 5 | 97,726 | news |
BEIRUT The U.S. military alleged Monday that Russian warplanes were responsible for an attack on a Syrian army position in eastern Syria, an airstrike that Syria blamed on the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State militant group in the country. The Syrian government issued a statement earlier in the day accusing coalition aircraft of carrying out the overnight attack in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour. The government said three Syrian soldiers were killed and 13 injured in the strike. It was the first such allegation by Syria since the U.S.-led air campaign against the Islamic State began in the country 14 months ago, and it sent tensions soaring in Syria's crowded skies. A U.S. military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said later in the day that the Pentagon is "certain" that a Russian warplane carried out the attack. There was no response to that assertion from either Syria or Russia. The finger-pointing illustrated the danger that a misunderstanding, mistake or misinformation could trigger a wider conflict as Russia and the United States lead rival air campaigns to combat the Islamic State. U.S. warplanes did conduct overnight strikes in the province of Deir al-Zour on Sunday, but the targets were oil wells at least 34 miles from Ayyash, the location the Syrian government said was hit, according to Col. Steve Warren, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. [ The White House insists its plan to fight ISIS is working ] Syria's Foreign Ministry called the attack on the army post an act of "heinous aggression." It said it sent letters of complaint to the U.N. secretary general and the U.N. Security Council, calling for the United Nations to take "urgent measures" to prevent a recurrence of such an incident. "The aggression on the military post hinders the efforts aiming to fight terrorism and reiterates that the U.S.-led coalition lacks seriousness and credibility in the fight against terrorism," the Foreign Ministry statement said. It said four coalition warplanes struck a Syrian army post with nine rockets late Sunday, killing three soldiers and injuring 13. The strike also destroyed three armored vehicles, four military vehicles, two heavy machine guns and a depot of arms and ammunition, the ministry said. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he could not confirm the information provided by the Syrian government. Most of the province of Deir al-Zour is controlled by the Islamic State, but the Syrian government has held onto a portion of the city of Deir al-Zour since the conflict began in March 2011. [ Obama vows to destroy ISIS ] British warplanes last week joined French and American aircraft in conducting strikes against the Islamic State in eastern Syria under the umbrella of the U.S.-led coalition. Russian warplanes, meanwhile, have been striking targets across Syria since late September, alongside the Syrian air force although the U.S. military says the Russian strikes mostly target opposition rebels and not the Islamic State. Opposition activists said eight civilians were killed in a strike carried out Monday on the Sukkari neighborhood in the rebel-held northern city of Aleppo by either Russian or Syrian planes. The victims were among dozens of people reported killed Monday across the country. Israel also occasionally carries out strikes against Syrian military facilities to prevent the transfer of weaponry to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia that is an ally of the Assad government, and Turkey has conducted a handful of strikes against Islamic State militants. So busy are the skies in some parts of the country that Syrians frequently do not know who is bombing them. An airstrike that killed 15 civilians over the weekend in Raqqa, the north-central city where the Islamic State is headquartered, was attributed to the U.S.-led coalition by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. But another activist group, Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, said the strike was carried out by Russian warplanes. "It's very confusing and hard to know" which airstrike is being carried out by which country "with all [these] warplanes and airstrikes above our heads," the group said on its Twitter account. Lamothe reported from Washington. Read more: These are the cruise missiles Russia just sent into Syria Why Russia is in Syria What a year of Islamic State terror looks like U.S. launches secret drone campaign to hunt Islamic State leaders in Syria | 5 | 97,727 | news |
Greece is under growing pressure over its handling of the migrant crisis -- but on Lesbos island, swift registration procedures are still seeing thousands of new arrivals packed off promptly to elsewhere in Europe. After revelations that two jihadists involved in the Paris terror attacks slipped into Europe through another Greekia island, posing as refugees, Athens has faced heavy scrutiny over its screening of more than 750,000 people who have landed on its shores this year. This week Yiannis Mouzalas, the minister in charge of migration, admitted "delays and failings" in Greece's handling of the influx and called on the European Union to activate a crisis mechanism that will allow it to claim emergency aid. Athens has faced growing criticism on border security from other European countries including Hungary and Slovakia, and has been forced to refute a report that its place in Europe's passport-free Schengen zone is in jeopardy. On Lesbos, the main European gateway for refugees and other migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere, officials systematically register and test arrivals to judge whether they are really from where they say they are -- but the process is quick and not especially detailed. "The first day, the coastguard asks your name, your nationality and your age," said Hamidullah, an Afghan. "The following day, you register at Moria (a refugee camp). The police take your fingerprints, photographs and ask some questions. This took no longer than five minutes." Hamidullah has no passport, merely a piece of paper stating his identity. Many others turn up with no papers at all. - 'The accent can't fool you' - At the Moria camp, one of five "hotspots" set up on Greek Aegean islands to register migrants, one police officer said the lack of identity documents was a major obstacle to testing the veracity of people's claims. "In many cases, the refugees say they lost their passport en route," said the officer, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The only way to verify their nationality is by interviewing them with the help of interpreters." An Afghan interviewer working at Moria, however, insisted the five-minute "nationality test" is effective. "The accent can't fool you," he said. "Precise questions are asked, like the name of politicians, or food delicacies of certain regions of the countries they declare as their countries of origin." - 'Stricter tests since Paris' - Officials struggling to cope with the situation on the ground on Lesbos are frustrated by the criticism being levied at Greece from abroad after the Paris attacks. "They blamed us for not managing to track down the two terrorists among the 776,000 people that have passed through Greece from the beginning of the year," said one police lieutenant, speaking on condition of anonymity. "How is it possible to track down a terrorist in the making, if he isn't being tracked by Interpol, if other European countries don't share their information, and if he's using a passport that is real but stolen?" Another policeman said, however, that "the tests have been more strict" since the Paris attacks, admitting: "Until the end of the summer, the order was to let the refugees pass through as quickly as possible." Greece has accepted the deployment of extra border guards from EU border agency Frontex, while it is seeking aid from the EU including 100,000 first aid kits, raincoats and sleeping bags, 1,500 tents and 100 portable toilets. For the mayor of Lesbos's main town Mytilene, Spyros Galinos, the migrant crisis is a Europe-wide problem and the EU as a whole has a responsibility to improve the situation. "Greece is a country in crisis," he said, pointing to "budget cuts, shortages of policemen and coastguards". "I have written several times to the European commissioners in order to ask for financial and logistical aid, and now they accuse us of not asking for help in time," he added. Migration minister Mouzalas has said Greece's request for emergency migrant aid was not made sooner because the government's exact requirements had not been assessed. But he, too, has said the EU is not blameless in the situation, saying the bloc failed to respond to a previous Greek request for an additional 1,600 police officers. | 5 | 97,728 | news |
British pop star Adele has been accused of plagiarism by Turkish music lovers, who say one of the tracks on her latest album is a rip-off of a song by an iconic Kurdish musician. Adele's Turkish critics say "Million Years Ago", track number nine on her album "25", bears an unmistakable resemblance to a tune by Ahmet Kaya called "Acılara Tutunmak" ("Clinging to Pain"), which was recorded in 1985. The song's release has created a storm on social media in Turkey, with some users accusing the 27-year performer of "stealing" the melancholic tune from Kaya, who died in France in exile 15 years ago. "Adele has stolen a song from us," one user named Esra Nur Aydogan wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture of a man hanging a Turkish flag on his balcony in protest. Kaya's wife, Gulten Kaya, also weighed in, saying it was unlikely a global star like Adele would do such a thing. "However, if she consciously did it, then it would be theft," she told Turkish daily Posta. Adele's third studio album has sold millions of copies in both Britain and the US, smashing records on either side of the Atlantic. | 6 | 97,729 | entertainment |
Keurig, the single-cup coffee machine maker, says it has agreed to be sold to private equity firm JAB Holding Co. for almost $14 billion. JAB Holding is offering $92 for each share of Keurig, a 78 percent premium from the stock's closing price of $51.70 on Friday. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year. JAB Holding will then add Keurig to its many coffee investments, including a controlling stake of Jacobs Douwe Egberts, the company behind Gevalia, Tassimo and other brands. Besides the machines, Keurig also sells coffee-filled K-cups that are used in the machines. | 3 | 97,730 | finance |
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge by gun rights activists to a Chicago suburb's ordinance banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, handing a victory to gun control advocates amid a fierce debate over the nation's firearms laws. The 2013 ordinance passed by the city of Highland Park, Illinois will remain in place. By opting not to hear an appeal of a lower-court ruling that upheld the measure, the justices declined to take up what would have been a high-profile gun rights case following a succession of mass shootings including the one last week in San Bernardino, California. The Highland Park measure bans various semi-automatic weapons, including well-known guns such as the AR-15 and AK-47, in addition to magazines holding more than 10 rounds of bullets. Two conservatives on the nine-member court, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, said the justices should have taken the case. Thomas wrote a six-page dissent in which he said that despite recent pro-gun rights rulings by the conservative-leaning high court, several lower courts "have upheld categorical bans on firearms that millions of Americans commonly own for lawful purposes." The U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, but there is a longstanding legal debate over its scope. Semi-automatic rifles are popular, with the vast majority of owners using them for lawful purposes, Thomas said. "Under our precedents, that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons," he said. Stephen Elrod, an attorney for Highland Park, said the ordinance in the affluent suburb north of Chicago was specifically crafted to ban only "unusual and dangerous" firearms. "The Second Amendment is not unlimited. The Supreme Court recognizes that there are certain categories of guns that do not fall within the protections of the Second Amendment," Elrod said. 'A SECOND-CLASS RIGHT' In April, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the challenge to Highland Park's ordinance. Thomas said the high court should have heard the appeal of that ruling in order to prevent that appeals court "from relegating the Second Amendment to a second-class right." The plaintiffs were gun owner Arie Friedman, a pediatrician, and the Illinois State Rifle Association. The National Rifle Association (NRA), the influential gun rights group, and 24 U.S. states urged the high court to hear the case. "It's only a matter of time before the Supreme Court takes a case, sets things straight, and properly subjects this and similar unconstitutional laws to renewed challenge," said Chuck Michel, a lawyer who filed a brief on behalf of the NRA. The Supreme Court has not taken up a major gun case since 2010. In the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller case, the court held for the first time that the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right to bear arms, but the ruling applied only to firearms kept in the home for self-defense. Two years later, in the case McDonald v. City of Chicago, the court held that the earlier ruling applied to the states. In defending the ban, Highland Park's lawyers noted that it was enacted "following a series of tragic mass shootings across the nation" including the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in which 20 young pupils and six adults were killed. They also noted that seven states, including California, Connecticut and New York, have similar laws. A federal appeals court in October upheld the core prohibition on assault weapons in the Connecticut and New York laws. A nationwide assault weapons ban law expired in 2004 when the bitterly divided U.S. Congress failed to renew it, with many Republicans opposing gun control measures. That federal law had barred the manufacture and sale of semi-automatic guns with military-style features as well as magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. In his speech to the nation on Sunday, President Barack Obama noted that the husband-and-wife shooters who killed 14 people in San Bernardino had stockpiled assault weapons and ammunition. Obama called for new limits on assault weapons. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) | 5 | 97,731 | news |
The country is drafting plans that would give citizens a basic income and, in theory, simplify the benefit system. | 8 | 97,732 | video |
Former NFL linebacker Andra Davis, who last played with the Buffalo Bills in 2011, made a good living during his 10-year playing career. That hardly means life has been easy for him. In an eye-opening feature from Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post , Davis spoke about his battles with depression after a shoulder injury in 2010 led to the downfall of his career. While Davis did not specifically mention concussions or any of the other head injuries we continue to learn more about, he did note that he gets frequent headaches and has contemplated suicide. "I've had a pistol in my hand," Davis said. "It wasn't because of finances. It wasn't because I didn't have anyone there to love and support me. I didn't know what was going on. I had headaches, my body hurt. I felt like nobody cared about me. I was like, 'Man, I don't really care if I'm here or not.'" Davis, 36, is more fortunate than a lot of former NFL players. He has a wife and three daughters who have stuck with him through the ups and downs of his career and post-playing days. Sometimes that isn't enough to stop disturbing thoughts from creeping in. "When you're playing, everybody loves you, everyone calls you, you're the savior, the next best thing," Davis said. "Then when you're done it's like, 'Who are you?' The party's over. The lights in the stadium are off." The entire feature is worth reading, as it gives you a player's glimpse into a life that many of us tend to envy. Depression and suicidal thoughts are all too common for football players, and we saw one former NFL quarterback nearly take his own life earlier this year. More players should be like Davis and discuss their problems openly. | 1 | 97,733 | sports |
Here comes a lot of things you wish you didn't want to hear from Mama June. The former Honey Boo Boo star, whose TLC show got axed after it was revealed that she was in a relationship with a convicted sex offender who had molested one of her children, recently opened up about the scandal that made her lose her job. Appearing on HuffPo Live, the 35-year-old said that she still talks to Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, who was sexually abused by Mama June's ex-boyfriend as a child, though their relationship is strained. "We don't talk every day, but we do talk." | 8 | 97,734 | video |
Make time for what matters. | 3 | 97,735 | finance |
Heroin traffickers linked to the abduction and disappearance of 43 students a year ago are battling over millions of dollars paid by Canadian mining giant Goldcorp to a village in Mexico's southern gold belt, leading to a wave of murders. As a signatory to a Conflict-Free Gold Standard drawn up by the World Gold Council industry group, Goldcorp commits to extracting the precious metal in a manner that "does not fuel unlawful armed conflict or contribute to serious human rights abuses." But residents of Carrizalillo in the impoverished state of Guerrero say the some $3 million a year in rent paid by Goldcorp for their land, which the mine is built on, is fuelling a bloody feud between two rival cartels. Village authorities say the company is not doing all it can to protect them. The violence highlights an ethical quagmire for industries operating in Mexico's drug badlands and raises questions of whether companies could do more to ensure safety for people connected to their operations. In response to Reuters' questions, Goldcorp said it has held numerous meetings with authorities to seek better security outside the mine's perimeters, in line with obligations under the standard. "Even though we can and do advocate with local authorities for the respect of human rights in the vicinity of our operations, we cannot take on the role of government," said Michael Harvey, Goldcorp's Latin America director for corporate affairs and security. Authorities describe a struggle between two gangs - "Guerreros Unidos" and "Los Rojos" - over the mineral wealth that has split Carrizalillo into two factions, fanning chaos. Each side accuses the other of supporting a rival cartel with the alleged backing of different state and federal security forces. At least 26 people have been killed since the feud escalated in mid-2014. Last month, within sight of Goldcorp's Los Filos pit in the green hills and scrub around Carrizalillo, the remains of at least eight alleged cartel victims were found in clandestine graves. Some homes in Carrizalillo are scarred with bullet holes and broken windows after a series of assaults in the past year, some involving dozens of masked men firing automatic weapons. "The wealth Carrizalillo generates is fought over by these two groups," Federal Police Commissioner Enrique Galindo told Reuters, adding that the mine's riches have exacerbated a struggle for control of drug trafficking routes. Villagers describe systematic extortion by both cartels. Initially, Los Rojos were dominant, "taxing" mine workers, contractors and the landowners that Goldcorp pays rent to, as well as exerting influence over mine unions, the village council and a landowners' cooperative paid by the mine, former residents say. Last year, Guerreros Unidos gunmen blasted into the village, killing four and terrorizing residents for months. That cartel's rule was ended by a crackdown in October 2014 and since then the factions have fought with a series of tit-for-tat killings. "They want to take advantage of the fact there is money in Carrizalillo. They want money that is ours," said Nelson Figueroa, who heads the village council since July. His faction blames Guerreros Unidos and villagers aligned with the gang for the bloodletting, with the backing of members of federal security forces. Other sources say a member of Figueroa's faction, Ricardo Lopez, the head of a cooperative that manages land revenues paid by Goldcorp, is aligned with Los Rojos. Lopez and Figueroa deny the claim. Members of the gangs - both former subsidiaries of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's powerful Sinaloa cartel - face U.S. charges of trafficking heroin from Guerrero, where poppy gum has replaced the famed "Acapulco Gold" marijuana as a top export. The Guerreros Unidos gang is the primary suspect in the disappearance and apparent murder of 43 students last year, although international experts differ with Mexican officials on the degree of involvement of state and federal authorities. The case drew international attention and fierce criticism of President Enrique Pena Nieto's government. It is less well-known that an hour's drive south from the city of Iguala, where the students were abducted, the cartels have turned their attention to gold. CONFLICT-FREE? Villagers welcome the wealth generated by the mine and have negotiated to maximize their benefits. Protests closed the mine for a month last year until Goldcorp agreed to more generous terms. Landholders say that under that May 2014 deal, Goldcorp pays the equivalent of 4 ounces of gold per hectare in rent to 175 landholders and a communal land fund - an estimated $3 million a year at today's prices. That is a small fortune in a village of around 1,000 people. Goldcorp declined to comment on payments. Under the conflict standard, drawn up in 2012 to help members comply with U.N. guidance on human rights, signatories commit to not making payments that fuel unlawful armed conflict or serious rights abuses. Goldcorp recognizes that Los Filos is operating in a "conflict-affected or high-risk" area. "The violence carries both a terrible human cost to the communities, and a financial cost to Goldcorp as we are obliged to invest in additional security for our operations and personnel," said Goldcorp's Harvey. "It is essential to protect the jobs provided by legitimate investment so as to give community members economic opportunities other than crime." Goldcorp's gold mining activities have been certified as conflict-free. Under the standard, companies operating in conflict zones must use their influence to avoid abuses by security forces and make them protect local populations. "It is not enough for a company to simply say 'there are risks but they are not our problem'," said Michael Gibb, who leads advocacy group Global Witness' conflict-minerals campaign. He said the standard was positive globally but some miners in conflict-zones are not transparent about risks and corrective actions. Last month, dozens of soldiers moved into Carrizalillo's winding streets to restore order but they soon left, leaving villagers fearful and seeking help from the mine and authorities. "We want them to provide more security. That's what we've always wanted, we don't want to live like this," said Figueroa. Another Canadian miner, Torex Gold Resources, operates in the same area of Guerrero but has taken a different approach. In September, it agreed to pay for police check posts and patrols in villages near its projects after violence including the kidnapping, and later release, of 12 locals in February. "The communities were vulnerable and in some ways the reason they have something to steal is because we're there," Torex CEO Fred Stanford told Reuters. "The activity we bring is disruptive to the fabric of their society and they've welcomed us in. We appreciate that and we can do our bit too to help them." Some Carrizalillo villagers say they want Goldcorp to fund police and military checkpoints and patrols along the short stretch of road between the heavily guarded mine and the unprotected village. In letters seen by Reuters, villagers wrote to Goldcorp and authorities on repeated occasions asking for security, including just two days after the Guerreros Unidos occupation last year. Goldcorp says it is doing as much as it can. "Goldcorp is very concerned with the level of violence in the communities surrounding the Filos mine. We continue to encourage the Mexican authorities to do their utmost to combat this violence," Harvey said. (Additional reporting by Susan Taylor in Toronto; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Kieran Murray) | 5 | 97,736 | news |
Suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter is reportedly under investigation by the FBI for his role in a multi-million dollar bribery scandal, with the intelligence service having a letter that appears to implicate Blatter in a scheme first exposed back in 2010. | 8 | 97,737 | video |
The Washington Nationals suspended Papelbon without pay at the end of the 2015 season. Papelbon is arguing he should be paid for the games he missed. | 1 | 97,738 | sports |
NEW ORLEANS -- Leave it to Cam Newton to put a new, multi-tasking twist on concussion protocol. The flamboyant Carolina Panthers quarterback underwent a concussion test Sunday after bolting to the locker room in the third quarter for a bathroom break. Or so the story goes. "I had to use the bathroom and I told the team doctors we could do the protocol in the back," Newton said after the 41-38 victory against the New Orleans Saints that kept the Panthers (12-0) unbeaten. It was a quick break. Newton, who absorbed a blow to the head on a scramble around right end to the 1-yard line, passed the test and never missed a snap. Still, the circumstances of his case and the flow of how the concussion protocol was conducted was a bit puzzling. After getting blasted by linebacker Michael Mauti, with TV replays showing a helmet-to-helmet collision, Newton remained in the game for three more plays before heading to the locker room. He finished the series with a sharp, 19-yard scoring strike to Ted Ginn, Jr. the second of his five TD passes on the day. During a climate with increased attention on the NFL's handling of head injuries, Newton's situation emerged after the protocol miserably failed St. Louis Rams quarterback Case Keenum in Week 11 and just hours after protocol came into question after a hit taken by Baltimore QB Matt Schaub. In Keenum's case, neither the Rams trainer, team doctors, nor an independent spotter deemed the situation serious enough to demand an immediate test. He was allowed to remain in the game at Baltimore for two more plays after having difficulty getting to his feet following a crunching hit that caused his head to hit the turf. A concussion was diagnosed after the game. Given the NFL environment, Newton knows why his first experience with the league's concussion protocol resonates. "It's a physical sport I mean it's not ballet," he said. "Football is a collision sport. But I'm fine, and I do not have a concussion. The referee (Brad Allen) did a tremendous job. Numerous times he kept asking me if I was alright. He kept looking at me in the eye to make sure I was focused. "I've been keeping up with things in the NFL, and guys having concussions especially the situation that happened in St. Louis. But hear me when I say, I do not have a concussion." Newton surely played like a man in good health. He passed for 331 yards and tied the career high he set two weeks ago with five TD passes. In a wild game that contained five lead changes in the second half, he was sharp at crunch time, leading the Panthers to an 11-play game-winning drive, capped by a 15-yard TD to Jerricho Cotchery. In a sense, the physical toll that Newton absorbed in addition to the blow to the head, he took a hard hit on the final drive that he said left his neck sore symbolized the experience of his team. The Panthers, who fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, scratched and clawed in rallying from a flurry of blows from the Saints. As for the hit that led to the concussion questions "like the days of the week, and how many turnovers we had in the game," Newton said the league MVP candidate had a theory. "I deserved to get hit," he said, lamenting that he didn't run aggressively toward the goal line because he didn't see Mauti pursuing him. In the end, though, he passed all of the critical tests on the field and in the bathroom. Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell | 1 | 97,739 | sports |
Automakers are close to setting an all-time record for annual auto sales in the United States. While Thanksgiving and the ensuing cold traditionally make November a slower month total light-duty vehicle sales reached 1.31 million, versus May's peak of 1.63 million there are enough weeks left in December to potentially end the year above the 17.35-million mark set in 2000. Most automakers saw only modest gains versus a year earlier, with the exception of Mazda (up 7 percent), Hyundai (12 percent), Jaguar Land Rover (55 percent), and Volvo (91 percent). We imagine Ford may be having second thoughts about selling the Premier Automotive Group. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook Volvo Hits Eight-Year Record Volvo's turbochargers (and superchargers) are starting to whip up some boost. The company's 6902 sales equaled the best November in eight years. The XC90 was Volvo's biggest seller at 2236 units, while the XC60 at 2077 was up 26 percent. The S80 nearly tripled to 449 cars, but with numbers like those, Volvo still has a long way to climb. The S80's replacement, the 2017 S90, just made its debut but won't reach dealerships until early summer. Research Volvo's Latest Models on MSN Autos Volkswagen in the Dumps We can't not mention Volkswagen, can we? Despite a late September stop-sale that blocked all 2.0-liter diesel models, Volkswagen finished October flat. But November, which forced dealers to block additional cars, revealed the true wounds. Total sales dropped 25 percent to 23,882 cars. If we add back Volkswagen's usual 25-percent TDI share, it should have at least matched last November's 31,726 cars. Every model suffered severe double-digit declines, except four that shot up: Eos (8 percent), GTI (14 percent), Tiguan (88 percent), and e-Golf (300 percent). The Golf and Passat were the worst, down 64 and 60 percent. Elsewhere in the VW Group, Audi reported its 59th consecutive monthly record, but sales weren't as high as they should have been given that 8 percent of last November's sales went to TDI models. Porsche, with only the Cayenne Diesel, can't really blame the diesel crisis for its 5-percent loss. Research Volkswagen's Latest Models on MSN Autos Honda Didn't Score Well, Either Really, it's Acura's fault. The luxury division, despite a 7-percent year-to-date gain, bombed in November with a 10-percent decline to 12,244 cars, mitigated only by a 7-percent bump for the new RDX compact SUV. The TLX sedan was down 30 percent and the flagship RLX sold only 120 copies (down 47 percent). Even the bestselling MDX was off by 22 percent to 4092 cars. Things went better at Honda, with Accord (up 1 percent), Civic (9 percent), and the new Pilot (19 percent) holding up the fort. But the CR-V (down 20 percent) and Fit (down 53 percent) had a disappointing month. The absence of a Ridgeline pickup, the slow death of the Insight and Civic hybrids, plus a sabbatical for the Accord hybrid, has hurt sales. Yet Honda's hybrid recluse, the CR-Z, jumped up 26 percent. Go figure that one out . Research Honda's Latest Models on MSN Autos Hyundai Put Up its Best November Over at the other H, there was a 12-percent rise marking Hyundai's best-ever November, with 60,007 cars sold. The weirdo three-door Veloster soared 70 percent (don't buyers know the B-pillars are misaligned?) to 2204 cars, while the handsomer Tucson jumped 55 percent (6906 cars). Among the more bread-and-butter models were the Elantra (up 26 percent) and Accent (up 44 percent). The rarely seen Azera was up all of 1 percent. Research Hyundai's Latest Models on MSN Autos Fiat-Chrysler Best in 15 Years Fiat-Chrysler's 175,974 sales and 3-percent year-over-year increase doesn't seem like much, except it was the automaker's (well, Chrysler's, anyway) best November since the industry's record-breaker from 2000. If you ignore Fiat, which continues to drag down total sales, and get past the weak month for Dodge (down 11 percent), it's Jeep, Jeep, and more Jeep. The Renegade's 7345 sales are fiery hot, and every Jeep was up in November. The bestselling Cherokee, at 17,426, was up by only 3 percent, while the aging Compass (up 19 percent) and Patriot (11 percent) continue to shock us given that there are newer deals in town. Jeep's momentum is likely to continue, but Fiat-Chrysler really needs to work on the Fiat side of the business. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook | 9 | 97,740 | autos |
VIDEO: Is it "just a bluff?" | 8 | 97,741 | video |
Prince William wasn't afraid to get his suit dirty on Monday when he met with Football for Peace ambassadors from schools in Birmingham, England. The father of Prince George and Princess Charlotte was photographed chatting with a group of kids and officials before taking a penalty kick against 13-year-old goalkeeper Dominik Rynkar. The fun stop is just one of many charity visits that Prince William plans to make during his day tour of Birmingham and the West Midlands. Keep reading to see more of the handsome royal's day, and then check out 12 British royal Christmas traditions that might surprise you. | 6 | 97,742 | entertainment |
The Panthers had the NFC South all wrapped up before their game with the Saints began. But the NFL's only undefeated team had a difficult time staying perfect. Cam Newton threw five touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a wild 41-38 shootout win over the Saints at the Superdome. The #Panthers are NFC South Champions. The journey is not over. There is work to be done. #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/5DScWPml8S Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 6, 2015 MORE: 5 reasons why Newton is your MVP | Sunday's biggest surprises | Um, NFC, Seattle left a message for you The Panthers were one of three NFL teams that could clinch a playoff spot Sunday, but were the only one to do so. Two more wins and the Panthers will lock up homefield advantage through the NFC playoffs. The Bengals and Patriots both had AFC playoff clinching scenarios on Sunday. The Bengals moved closer to wrapping up the AFC North with their 37-3 win over the Browns, but the Patriots suffered a 35-28 home loss to the Eagles. New England is still the prohibitive favorite in the AFC East, but the Patriots fell from first to third in the AFC, behind the Bengals and Broncos. Denver took over the No. 2 seed with a 17-3 win over the Chargers while the Bengals took over the top spot in the conference. The Broncos will play host to the Bengals on Dec. 28 in a game that could decide home field in the AFC. Injury report Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins was evaluated for a concussion when he took a helmet-to-helmet hit by his teammate T.J. McDonald in the first quarter against the Cardinals. Jenkins did return to the game and picked off a Carson Palmer pass in the second quarter of Sunday's 27-3 loss, but later took friendly fire again when he was hit by Rams safety Mark Barron. Browns receiver Travis Benjamin suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Sunday's 37-3 loss to the Bengals. Browns fullback Malcolm Johnson also left the game with a groin injury. MORE: Week 13's theatrics, displayed in dramatic images | Injuries most impacting 2015 The Vikings lost a pair of defensive starters when linebacker Anthony Barr (groin) and safety Harrison Smith (hamstring) both left Sunday's 38-7 loss to the Seahawks in the first half. Bills running back LeSean McCoy left Sunday's 30-21 win over the Texans to be evaluated for a concussion, but did return to the game and is expected to be OK. The Chargers saw both wide receiver Dontrelle Inman and cornerback Brandon Flowers carted off the field in the first quarter against the Broncos. Inman suffered a neck injury while Flowers had a knee injury. Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, filling in for an injured Andrew Luck, was pulled in the fourth quarter of a 45-10 loss to the Steelers because of a shoulder injury. Coach Chuck Pagano said after the game he expects Hasselbeck to be able to play Week 14. Mr. 1,000 Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 55 yards against the Rams on Sunday to give him 1,000 receptions for his career. He also went over 1,000 receiving yards for the seventh time in his 12-year career. "It's nice, but it's even better to have three consecutive seasons with 10 wins," Fitzgerald said. "That's really special. It was a great day. The personal stuff is all good. I've done all the personal stuff and that's great, but when the team is doing great, I feel like for my career to be fulfilled is a championship. Each win gets us closer." That's 1,000 career receptions for @LarryFitzgerald ! #AZvsSTL pic.twitter.com/7cKN9xQoLF Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 6, 2015 Highlight reel The Cardinals jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the Rams thanks to a beautiful catch by J.J. Nelson in the corner of the end zone. JJ Nelson. https://t.co/6D4SvOZkiX Woot and Wye NFL (@WootandWye) December 6, 2015 Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has giant hands made of glue. If you have any doubts, Beckham was at it again Sunday with another ridiculous one-handed grab against the Jets. The Giants also got a big play from another receiver with Dwayne Harris returning a punt 80 yards for a score, but the Giants eventually fell 23-20 in overtime. Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the 30-21 win over the Texans, but also ran 8 yards for a score. Titans receiver Dorial Green-Beckham had a big game in Tennessee's 42-39 win over the Jaguars. The rookie caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown after he bounced off an initial tackle attempt. A few minutes later, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, ran for an 87-yard touchdown with a nice block downfield by Titans receiver Kendall Wright. Mariota became the first player in NFL history with at least 250 passing yards and three touchdowns and over 100 rushing yards in the same game. The 49ers tied their game with the Bears on a 44-yard run by quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The Niners then won the game in overtime when Gabbert connected with Torrey Smith for a 71-yard touchdown. Mike Tolbert's 12-yard touchdown reception against the Saints was great, but the celebration by the Panthers fullback was even better. Malcolm Jenkins' 99-yard interception return for a touchdown was a catalyst in Philadelphia's 35-28 upset win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Sunday's games Bills 30, Texans 21 49ers 26, Bears 20, OT Bengals 37, Browns 3 Dolphins 15, Ravens 13 Seahawks 38, Vikings 7 Jets 23, Giants 20, OT Cardinals 27, Rams 3 Buccaneers 23, Falcons 19 Titans 42, Jaguars 39 Chiefs 34, Raiders 20 Broncos 17, Chargers 3 Eagles 35, Patriots 28 Panthers 41, Saints 38 Steelers 45, Colts 10 Monday's game Cowboys at Redskins, 8:30 p.m. ET | 1 | 97,743 | sports |
It's here! It's finally here! Behold, new footage from the upcoming season of "Game of Thrones." First the official poster featuring Jon Snow's bloody mug was released last month, and then HBO put together a teaser of some of the series' most defining moments. We've been waiting patiently for some unseen footage, and now we have HBO's "magical" end of the year video , featuring roughly four glorious seconds of Season 6. Take a look below. The "Game of Thrones" section starts at 2:15. 2015 has been magical. Here's what's coming to @HBO in 2016. https://t.co/FzdLPuDgYW?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000618 HBO (@HBO) December 7, 2015 In the three short clips featured in the video, we see a worse-for-wear Daenerys Targaryen (possibly a prisoner of the Dothraki?), Ramsay Bolton on horseback marching toward an unknown destination, and finally, Cersei Lannister sporting a shorter 'do, hugging her son Tommen. It is April yet? Also on HuffPost: | 6 | 97,744 | entertainment |
How to Get a Pic with Santa When Your Kid Won't Stop Screaming All you want is a super-cute photo of your child with Santa to commemorate Christmas 2015. But as soon as you arrive at the mall, the kid who was so delightful on the drive over is suddenly throwing the temper tantrum of the year. Here, seven rules that will help things go a heck of a lot more smoothly. Ask Around to Find the Best Santa Other moms will tell you: The process is much easier if you're dealing with a pro--not that gross guy at the Pathmark who is neither fat nor jolly. Never, Ever Forget the Snacks for the Line Bonus points if you can use them as a prop. Remember That the Right Distraction Can Go a Long Way Blow your kid's mind by bringing a funny book about Santa to read in the car ride over…right before she gets to meet Santa IRL. It's Fine if Your Kid Won't Sit on Santa's Lap Consider it your chance to get a little creative. To Calm Your Kids' Nerves, Keep Their Attention on You Maintain eye contact. If you're calm, they're calm. Give Them Something to Chew On A candy cane will keep their hands occupied. Plus, it's on theme. And If all else fails, let them scream Look, the photo will still turn out cute. | 4 | 97,745 | lifestyle |
Schools in Beijing are to close and outdoor construction to stop after the Chinese capital issued its first "red alert" over smog levels. | 8 | 97,746 | video |
Many Americans are stocking up on weapons after the country's worst mass shooting in three years. Gun retailers are reporting surging sales after gunmen in San Bernadino killed 14 people. Customers argue the handguns and rifles are for self-defense in the event of another attack. Ray Peters, the Manager of gun retailer and shooting range Range, Guns & Safes, says sales are booming for all stores, salesmen and distributors. Among their customers is Brandon Langley who practiced firing his AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle. Langley said of Wednesday's assault that had people been armed, there would have been no shooting victims except for the two attackers. | 3 | 97,747 | finance |
SEVEN years ago, the financial crisis sent our economy into a tailspin. Over five million people lost their homes. Nearly nine million lost their jobs. Nearly $13 trillion in household wealth was wiped out. Under President Obama, our economy has come a long way back. Our businesses have created more than 13 million jobs. People's savings are being restored. And we have tough new rules on the books, including the Dodd-Frank Act, that protect consumers and curb recklessness on Wall Street. But not everyone sees that as a good thing. Republicans, both in Congress and on the campaign trail, are dead-set on rolling back critical financial protections. Right now, Republicans in Congress are working to attach damaging deregulation riders to the must-pass spending bill. They're attempting to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They want to roll back common-sense efforts to prevent conflicts of interest by financial managers. And they're trying to undo constraints on risk at some of the largest and most complex financial institutions. President Obama and congressional Democrats should do everything they can to stop these efforts. But it's not enough simply to protect the progress we have made. As president, I would not only veto any legislation that would weaken financial reform, but I would also fight for tough new rules, stronger enforcement and more accountability that go well beyond Dodd-Frank. My comprehensive plan has already won praise from progressives like Sherrod Brown and Barney Frank. Here's what it would do. Sign Up For The Your Money Newsletter First, we need to further rein in major financial institutions. My plan proposes legislation that would impose a new risk fee on dozens of the biggest banks those with more than $50 billion in assets and other systemically important financial institutions to discourage the kind of hazardous behavior that could induce another crisis. I would also ensure that the federal government has and is prepared to use the authority and tools necessary to reorganize, downsize and ultimately break up any financial institution that is too large and risky to be managed effectively. No bank or financial firm should be too big to manage. My plan would strengthen the Volcker Rule by closing the loopholes that still allow banks to make speculative gambles with taxpayer-backed deposits. And I would fight to reinstate the rules governing risky credit swaps and derivatives at taxpayer-backed banks, which were repealed during last year's budget negotiations after a determined lobbying campaign by the banks. My plan also goes beyond the biggest banks to include the whole financial sector. Some have urged the return of a Depression-era rule called Glass-Steagall, which separated traditional banking from investment banking. But many of the firms that contributed to the crash in 2008, like A.I.G. and Lehman Brothers, weren't traditional banks, so Glass-Steagall wouldn't have limited their reckless behavior. Nor would restoring Glass-Steagall help contain other parts of the "shadow banking" sector, including certain activities of hedge funds, investment banks and other non-bank institutions. My plan would strengthen oversight of these activities, too increasing leverage and liquidity requirements for broker-dealers and imposing strict margin requirements on the kinds of short-term borrowing that also played a major role in spurring the financial crisis. We need to tackle excessive risk wherever it lurks, not just in the banks. Second, I would appoint tough, independent regulators and ensure that both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are independently funded as other critical regulators are now so that they can do their jobs without political interference. I would seek to impose a tax on harmful high-frequency trading, which makes markets less stable and less fair. And we need to reform stock market rules to ensure equal access to information, increase transparency and minimize conflicts of interest. Finally, executives need to be held more accountable. No one should be too big to jail. I would seek to extend the statute of limitations for major financial crimes to 10 years from five and enhance rewards for whistle-blowers. I would work to ensure that financial firms admit wrongdoing as part of settlements in instances of egregious misconduct, and increase transparency about the terms of settlement and the fines actually paid to the government. Fines should be more than just the cost of doing business to these companies they should be an effective disincentive for illegal behavior. And it shouldn't just be shareholders and taxpayers who feel the pain when banks make bad decisions; executives should have skin in the game. When a firm pays a fine, I would make sure that the penalty cuts into executives' bonuses, too. And I would fight to close the carried interest loophole that gives some fund managers billions of dollars in tax breaks: They should be taxed like every other citizen. Republicans may have decided to forget about the financial crisis that caused so much devastation but I haven't. The proper role of Wall Street is to help Main Street grow and prosper. When our financial sector works the right way, it helps families buy their first homes, entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses and hardworking Americans save for retirement. Rather than pursuing the kind of high-stakes speculation that devastated our economy before, Wall Street should focus on building an economy that creates good-paying jobs, rising incomes and sound investments so that more families can achieve the security of a middle-class life. | 3 | 97,748 | finance |
Your neighbors know you a little too intimately, and you don't even care. 1. You know that having sex is pretty much guaranteed to change your hairstyle. During the action, you don't waste an iota of attention making sure your hair still looks right. When you're having seriously good sex , thoughts about your appearance from whether your blowout is ruined to if your stomach looks flat generally go out the window. 2. And in the moment, you feel totally comfortable speaking up about what you want. If something isn't working for you, you have no problem asking your partner to switch it up or taking the initiative and doing it yourself. If you're having sex with an excellent listener, it's only up from there. Communication can be a surprisingly effective turn-on. 3. You don't let little things get in the way of your fun. The human body is weird and wonderful. When you put two of them together, things are bound to happen. If you topple off the bed or make a noise that would usually be embarrassing, neither of you freaks out. You feel relaxed enough to crack up, reposition yourselves if necessary, and get back to business. 4. Afterward, your neighbors may give you some weird looks. If you live in an apartment, that is. If you live in a house, that's called disturbing the peace. When a flimsy wall is the only thing separating you and your neighbors, they're bound to overhear you going at it. If you can't have raucous sex in your house, where can you do it? Make like Taylor and shake it off. 5. Also, you might ache in unexpected places. When you're suspicious the tightness in your arms is a result of the new position you tried last night, give yourself a high five. Sex-inflicted soreness is often a sign that you're experimenting instead of sticking to the same old routine. But don't feel pressure to pretzel yourself into acrobatic positions if that's not what you're into. No one wants to be fodder for an episode of Sex Sent Me to the ER . 6. Your internet history would raise some eyebrows. You like to do your research and learn from the mistakes of those who have gone down various sexual roads before you. Just make sure to switch off auto-fill so when your mom borrows your computer, she doesn't get "does strawberry lube actually taste like strawberries or is everything a lie" as a search suggestion. 7. Sometimes your partner is completely speechless. There is nothing more satisfying than having proof you would win first place at a sex talent show, if such a thing existed. Instead of being at a loss for words, your partner might also repeat something like, "That was incredible" while squeezing you so tightly it seems like they'll never let go. Consider it all validation that you are the sexual equivalent of a five-alarm fire. 8. You also always come away satisfied. Or almost always, because off days are allowed. No matter how much you wow the person you're in bed with, sex can't truly be great unless you're also having a blast. If that's the case, you both deserve a standing ovation. | 4 | 97,749 | lifestyle |
BERLIN A wild pig in Germany has decided to give up its "boaring" life leaving the forest to live with a small herd of cattle. Farmer Dirk Reese told the dpa news agency Monday the boar, which he nicknamed "Banana," has been living with the eight cattle for more than two months on his property north of Hamburg, not far from the Danish border. Reese says Banana has been effectively adopted by the cattle "He's fully integrated into the herd, which is fascinating." Reese says Banana has achieved something of a celebrity status in the area, so he's not worried that the boar's life in an open pasture might make it easy prey for a local hunter. He says that "this pig has a special status." | 5 | 97,750 | news |
The game of the weekend, on the football weekend of the season, didn't change Chip Kelly's mind about the pro game, or his place in it. If you can believe what this son of New England told me Sunday night from Foxboro, after a ridiculously unlikely and raise-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck win Philadelphia 35, New England 28 over the team he respects more than any other in America, he's entrenched. "I made a commitment to this organization when they hired me," Kelly told me, "and I will see it through." VIDEO: EAGLES-PATRIOTS HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO: TOP CATCHES FROM WEEK 13 Kelly, a pragmatist, knows he's not convincing anybody who's convinced he'd leave for the next perfect college job, where there will be four or five JV games on the schedule and he can go recruit the next Mariota. Or three of them. "I don't have to convince people I'm staying," he said. "I can't. Everyone says, 'He's a college guy.' It's going to take a while for people to look at the ticker across the bottom of the screen without my name on it for people to understand." To understand he's staying, he meant. In fairness to Kelly, I'm the one who brought these things up to him. He came to the phone to talk about this game, one of the strangest games of this or any season. Kelly knows no matter how long he coaches, and wherever the coaching road takes him, this breezy 52-degree Sunday will be an indelible memory. How often do you visit the toughest venue in the league, with your own squad severely wounded, and pull the upset of the year? Together, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have lost 15 regular-season games in Foxboro over 15 seasons. Together, Chip Kelly and the Eagles had embarrassed the franchise in the previous two games, giving up 45 points apiece to Tampa Bay and Detroit in succession, the two worst losses of Kelly's three seasons in Philly. • PATRIOTS' DAY TO FORGET: A face-plant game, no doubt, but the sky isn't falling in New England They did it by playing a complete game. In the span of 12 minutes mid-game, the Eagles scored 21 straight points, and it was how they scored them that was stunning on a 24-yard return of a blocked punt, on a 99-yard interception return of a tipped ball, and on a balletic 83-yard punt return. That made it 28-14. Then the quarterback Kelly committed to (overpaid for, all of the city would tell you), Sam Bradford, made the second-biggest throw of his shaky Philadelphia tenure: a 10-yard bullet, low and inside, to Jordan Matthews just out of the reach of Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, a ball only Matthews could catch. (Bradford's biggest throw: his overtime touchdown pass to Matthews to beat Dallas a month ago.) That made it 35-14, and within a few minutes, had Kelly looked up, he'd have seen more than a few Patriot fans walking to the exits, shocked at this impossible result. "I'm just really proud of my players," Kelly said. "I can't say enough about them. Our guys were great this week. Really, when we came out of Detroit, I still thought we had a good team. When we got the players together this week, I said to them, 'Sometimes you don't see what we see.' We saw a lot of good things, and those two games, I thought were uncharacteristic of the type of team we had." Those two games were Mark Sanchez starts, after a concussion and left shoulder injury kayoed Bradford for two-and-a-half games. New England would be Bradford's first game back. "When he went out," Kelly said, "Sam was really getting better. We traded for him for a reason. At the time he got hurt against Miami, he had a 118 quarterback rating. That's the kind of player we knew he was. Today, on the touchdown to Matthews, he showed it. And that conversion to Riley Cooper on third-and-11 … that was big. That's Sam." So now the Eagles have life. How much will be determined beginning tonight, with Dallas at division-leading Washington. The Eagles, 5-7, are tied with the Giants a half-game back of 5-6 Washington; Philadelphia has the next three games at home, starting with the grudge match of LeSean McCoy returning with 7-5 Buffalo on Sunday. Whether the Eagles can scratch out a playoff spot in a bad division, I'm sure there are many most, maybe in Philadelphia who have a love-hate relationship with Kelly. He came in as an offensive guru, a quarterback whisperer, and since Nick Foles had the season of his life in 2013, the Eagles have struggled at the position. Mightily. They may have to look for a quarterback again this offseason, when potential free agent Bradford could sign elsewhere. But the biggest mistake of all would be to lose Kelly. He's had some skirmishes with his players. That's because what he's done early hasn't resulted in a big winner, and hasn't resulted in a solution at quarterback. He's made some poor decisions the biggest of which was paying pedestrian corner Byron Maxwell like a star, continuing a long Eagle tradition of screwing up the secondary badly and needs an improved player personnel staff to take some of that heat off him. But he's the same smart guy Jeffrey Lurie waited for 35 months ago. He's 25-20. Not great, but not a debacle. For once, Philadelphians need to match the owner's patience. Remember how Lurie gave Andy Reid 14 years? He's certainly not going to look to move on from Kelly after three. Nor does Kelly have wanderlust. I still feel this strongly: Kelly's an imaginative coach with good ideas, and there's a good chance he's going to win big in Philadelphia. Sunday showed that, with this guy, miracles are possible. * * * A Playoff Glimpse What a day. The weekend that began with the longest successful Hail Mary in NFL history was punctuated Sunday night with the Steelers absolutely beating the stuffing out of the Colts, who haven't looked this bad since the Deflategate game. The Sunday game raised an interesting dilemma for the NFL: If the playoffs started today, one of the best teams in the league wouldn't be in them. Let's look at the matchups, complete with the TV schedule that I'm guessing at: SATURDAY, JAN. 9 Late afternoon: No. 5 Minnesota (8-4) at No. 4 Washington (5-6), NFC Night: No. 6 New York Jets (7-5) at No. 3 New England (10-2), AFC SUNDAY, JAN 10 Early afternoon: No. 5 Kansas City (7-5) at No. 4 Indianapolis (6-6), AFC Late afternoon: No. 6 Seattle (7-5) at No. 3 Green Bay (8-4), NFC Jets-Patriots, TV gold. Seahawks-Packers, TV platinum. But what is wrong with this picture? No Steelers. After watching Pittsburgh lay waste to the last month of its schedule the only scar was a 39-30 shootout with the Seahawks eight days ago in Seattle the Steelers are certainly one of the best 12 teams in the league. They're certainly one of the eight best. Maybe five. So let's see how they match up the rest of the way with their competitors for the two AFC wild-card spots: Kansas City (7-5): San Diego, at Baltimore, Cleveland, Oakland. New York Jets (7-5): Tennessee, at Dallas, New England, at Buffalo. Pittsburgh (7-5): at Cincinnati, Denver, at Baltimore, at Cleveland. I'm giving one of the spots to Kansas City. The Chiefs might go 4-0 against that schedule. Amazing that Kansas City could start this season 1-5 and finish 10-0. Could. To ensure a good shot at the second wild card (and with a three-game deficit in the AFC North, catching the Bengals seems impossible for Pittsburgh), the Steelers will probably have to go 3-1. Which means they'll have to win at Cincinnati or beat the fighting Osweilers at home. If they stay hot, the Chiefs and Steelers in the playoffs would be the best 5-6 seeds in the AFC since the Ravens and Jets made it with 12 and 11 wins, respectively, in 2010. And they would give a strong No. 3 seed like New England a very tough wild-card game, unlike most 6 versus 3 games. In the NFC, there's less drama, because Seattle and the second-place team in the North don't have much competition for the wild-cards. But watch Tampa Bay. The Bucs (6-6) have won three out of four, have swept Atlanta, and play sub-.500 teams the next three weeks. • Join our risk-free Week 14 FanDuel league. Double your entry fee or get refunded! New users only. Sponsored by FanDuel The other headlines from Sunday: • Carolina stayed unbeaten at 12-0. Good for them to have a scare in New Orleans and have to bring their second-half A game to beat Drew Brees. Carolina hosts fading Atlanta on Sunday, and history will be mindful if the Panthers travel to play the Giants with a 13-0 record. In 1998, the 13-0 Broncos were heavily favored over the Giants and backup quarterback Kent Graham, but the Giants shocked John Elway that day. I say the Panthers have an excellent shot to run the table. • 'WHY WE'RE UNDEFEATED': Veteran Panthers safety Roman Harper guest-writes for The MMQB. • Minnesota had a nightmare. The 38-7 home loss to Seattle was bad enough. Falling out of first place via tiebreaker with Green Bay was worse. Adrian Peterson grumbling about inactivity afterward wasn't great either. But how about this: The Vikings have a short week now and have to fly to Phoenix on Wednesday for a Thursday night game with the highest-scoring team in football on a four-game winning streak. • Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota willed their teams to fourth-quarter wins. There was this great debate about which of these quarterbacks, picked 1-2 last April, would be the franchise guy. Maybe both will be. Winston has a fire in him we might have missed in the run-up to the draft. Look at the third-and-19 scramble/dive late in the fourth quarter , his team down three. Winston got 20. The drive ended in a game-winning touchdown pass to Mike Evans. Mariota isn't as demonstrative, but do you have to be when you can run 87 yards for a touchdown, the way Mariota did in the fourth quarter in Nashville? Mariota doesn't have anything to play for now (Winston has a whisper of a playoff shot), but don't tell him that. Both of these guys are on the right track. • THE GREATEST QBS EVER! A measured look at how Winston and Mariota have performed as rookies • Osweiler is 3-0. The Broncos are playing good defense and Kubiak-ball. And it's hard to see how even a healthy Peyton Manning gets his job back when he's ready which may not happen at all, but it may happen in time for, say, the last two games of the season. In his three starts, Osweiler has thrown 95 passes over 38 drives … with only two interceptions. That's the efficiency his team needs. * * * Brandon Marshall is on his way to doing something extraordinary. Marshall was huge down the stretch in the Jets' 23-20 overtime conquest of the Giants. In the game, he caught the touchdown pass that sent the game to overtime, and became the first player in history to have 1,000 yards receiving in a season for four different teams. Of course, that doesn't happen unless you wear out your welcome in at least one or two of those places or, in Marshall's case, perhaps three. But to me, that's not the end of the story. Marshall, with even a moderately productive end of his season he'd have to average 35 receiving yards per game will become the first player to have a 1,200-yard receiving season with four different teams. A thousand is nice, a heck of an achievement; exceeding 1,200 for four teams means you've been the go-to guy for four teams that like to throw the ball. That's a huge compliment to the 31-year-old Marshall. "It's been an interesting career so far," he said, in the understatement of the weekend, over the phone after Sunday's win. "I usually wait till the end of the season to think about what I've accomplished. But I've had a lot of different quarterbacks, and I'm proud that I've been able to be productive with a lot of quarterbacks. "In Denver, I was immature and didn't understand everything about the game. In Miami, I fit in for a while, but they made the right decision trading me. Chicago, that was home for us [Marshall and his wife]. I feel like I should still be there. Sometimes I have bitterness about it. That's the place we called home. We loved it. But I've been really happy here. And at this point, I realize football's a platform for me to try to help bridge the gap for so many people on mental health issues. I know how important that part of my life is." Marshall, who behaved erratically for much of his Denver and Miami tenures, was diagnosed in 2011 with borderline personality disorder, an illness marked by mood swings, anger and depression. He became a spokesman for BPD and, over the past four years, an advocate for mental health awareness. He realizes that even though he didn't want to leave Chicago, being in the New York area is better for what he wants to do off the field. But he's got a while before his begins his next life presumably on TV, and working with some mental-health cause. He's playing so well now, at 31. About that 1,200-yard possibility … Look at the best year he had in each of his four stops: Denver, 2007: 1,325 yards Miami, 2011: 1,214 yards Chicago, 2012: 1,508 yards N.Y. Jets, 2015: 1,062 (with four games remaining) Marshall enjoys playing with Ryan Fitzpatrick because he says Fitzpatrick finds flaws in the other team from film study that many coaches and players don't see. "He's relentless with the voicemails, the texts, the video messages, and sometimes he'll just pull us aside on the practice field to tell us something he's learned," Marshall said. That happened the other day at practice. When the Giants were playing defense in the deep red zone, Marshall said, Fitzpatrick saw a tendency for them to leave receivers split far out in single coverage. So, Fitzpatrick told Marshall, If we get in a situation like that, we'll split you far to the left or right, to be sure there's only a corner on you and not a safety in support. So in the final minute of the fourth quarter, with the Jets down seven and at the Giants' nine-yard line, Marshall was dispatched to the far left of the formation. At the snap of the ball, he was singled by Prince Amukamara. Fitzgerald threw a jump ball into the end zone, and Marshall overpowered him for the ball. And the tying touchdown. "Game on the line, and it happened exactly the way he said it would happen, and we scored," Marshall said. Chemistry like that with a quarterback softens the blow of leaving a place you never wanted to leave. That, plus the fact the Jets are 7-5 and the Bears 5-7. It's been a good fall for Marshall, and it's not over. * * * Meet Christian McCaffrey. So I'm not much of a college football watcher in the fall; I'm usually writing, reporting or otherwise living on Saturdays. But I began to take notice of this 19-year-old true sophomore at Stanford, Christian McCaffrey, earlier this season, because he is the son of a former NFL receiver I'd covered some, Ed McCaffrey, and he was competing for playing time at Stanford with Barry Sanders' son, Barry Jr. And as the year went on, McCaffrey exploded. I had the chance last week to talk to him between classes and figured it'd be an interesting bit of the column this week, the week the Heisman Trophy winner is announced. Alabama running back Derrick Henry entered the final weekend the favorite for the award, and he did nothing to hurt his cause by rushing 44 times for 189 yards in the SEC title game Saturday. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson had an impressive ACC title game against North Carolina; he's in the running. And McCaffrey had a career night in Stanford's Pac-12 championship game victory over USC. Actually, it was multiple career nights. McCaffrey, 6-feet and 201 pounds, and from the Denver suburbs, runs about a 4.45 forty. Watching the game Saturday night (I made an exception), I saw that he's the kind of one-cut, upfield runner another Coloradoan, Mike Shanahan, preferred for his Broncos backs. He finds a crease and tries to wedge through it; if not, he's rarely tackled for a loss he'll take a yard or two, and eventually seems to figure he'll break free in space for a big gain. Against USC, he had the kind of night that could propel him into serious competition for the Heisman. He rushed for 207 yards and a touchdown. He caught four passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. He threw an 11-yard touchdown pass. He returned seven kicks/punts for 149 yards. That's 461 all-purpose yards, a Stanford record. His 3,496 all-purpose yards is more than 1,000 yards more than any other player in college football this year, and broke Barry Sanders' all-time record for all-purpose yards gained in one season, set a generation ago at Oklahoma State. (McCaffrey did it in two more games than Sanders played.) "There's nobody in the nation doing what he's doing," said Stanford coach David Shaw. Was the record night, and breaking Sanders' record, enough to win the Heisman? Voting closes today. We'll find out Saturday. "It's happened so fast," McCaffrey said the other day. "I honestly haven't had time to think about it. It is in the back of my mind. If I do think about it, I'm losing sight of what's important. But definitely it's a cool honor, to be even mentioned in that conversation. I wouldn't be in the discussion if we weren't winning games." He wouldn't politic for the award (wisely). He said playing in the NFL is his dream, but it's too early to think about when he might try to make that dream happen (also wisely). He'd first be able to enter the NFL Draft in 2017, after his third season of eligibility at Stanford. "One thing my dad has told me is make sure you're having fun remember why you're playing. And I do. I play because I love football so much. I've been playing since I was seven, and I haven't gotten sick of it yet. I can't imagine getting sick of it. I'm extremely thankful I get to play, and I get to play Division I football." Along the way, McCaffrey became a well-rounded person. "Stanford's such an easy place to love, and it will be a hard place to leave," McCaffrey said. "The weather, the facilities are so great. The people are great, and so smart. You might meet the next Einstein next to you in class. This is a school where we have to find our own way. We have to find our own tutors if we need them. There's not an easy class here. After practice, you better work hard [on homework] or you'll fall way behind. To me, that's one of the things that makes Stanford a great place." The class that's consuming him this semester is American Studies, focusing on the identity of America. "It's about what makes an American an American," he said. "Very wide-ranging feminism, diversity, religion in America." Currently, he said, he's writing a paper on the different views of success of Ben Franklin and 18th Century philosopher and theologian Jonathan Edwards. His books for the class include We Should All Be Feminists , by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and his subjects include Martin Luther King Jr. and 19th century Massachusetts poet and author Lucy Larcom. "A lot of times I'll be icing while I'm doing my reading," McCaffrey said. "You've got to get your work done." Those are good seeds to plant with future NFL employers and Heisman voters waiting until the deadline to file their ballots. * * * Sometimes the most important people are those you don't know. I was covering the New York Giants for Newsday in January 1987, at the Giants-Broncos Super Bowl in southern California, staying at the Giants' hotel in Costa Mesa. I always stayed on East Coast time, so I wandered down to the lobby just after 5 a.m. on Tuesday of Super Bowl week to find a cup of coffee and the newspapers. There was Bill Parcells in a far corner of the lobby with a white-haired man of 70 or so I'd seen around and knew to be a Parcells mentor. I introduced myself, and he shook my hand. "Mickey Corcoran," he said. Now, you don't find coaches in hotel lobbies anymore. Haven't for years. They go up and down the service elevators, usually with security or PR people. But a generation ago, football was a little simpler, and the Super Bowl not quite as garish. Every day of this week, Parcells and Corcoran his former high school basketball coach in New Jersey would sit for an hour or so, talking about the Broncos or the Giants or matchups or just whatever was happening in the world. Fun times. Corcoran died last week in northern New Jersey at 93. The mentor to many coaches, officials and students had 2,000 people cram into his wake. Vince Lombardi coached Corcoran in high school basketball in Englewood, N.J., and Corcoran went on to coach Parcells at River Dell High not far from where Parcells would coach the Giants to two Super Bowl victories. Corcoran was the connection between two Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches, and he was proud of it. Still shaken by Corcoran's loss, Parcells said Saturday: "He was everything to me. Everything. And the way I could pay him back for what he did for me was to include him. So he was with me a lot as a coach. To this day, he gave me the best advice I have ever received as a coach. And he kicked my ass when it needed to be kicked both as a player and as a coach." • FOREVER IN THE MOMENT: Bill Parcells reflects on the NFL journey that brought him to Canton The Giants lost in the 1985 playoffs to Chicago, 21-0, and Parcells took it hard. And petulantly. "We left the locker room and got on the bus for the airport. Mickey sat next to me. Didn't said a word. Got on the plane. Mickey sat next to me. Didn't say a word. Finally, we're over Pittsburgh, about an hour from landing in New Jersey. He taps me on the knee. He says, 'Hey, Parcells,' and I mean it he called me 'Parcells' he said, 'Hey, Parcells, you better find a way to beat these guys.' I just said, 'They're pretty good.' And then he said, 'No one's crying the blues for you, you know. You gotta figure it out.' And that snapped me out of it. I had to figure it out." The Giants won the Super Bowl the next season. Corcoran was in the lobby of the California hotel during the week, at practice in the afternoons, and on the sideline of the Rose Bowl for the game. When NFL Films showed Phil Simms coming off the field after one touchdown that day, Corcoran was one of the first to congratulate him. Now for the piece of coaching advice. "Eight seconds left in a state tournament basketball game, River Dell-Wayne Valley. There's a timeout. We're behind. We go to the sidelines, and he's thinking. Lotta moving parts here. We gotta go the length of the court to score. Finally, he says to me, 'Bill, I'm gonna get you the ball at the foul line, with your back to the basket. There'll be five seconds left.' That was it. Here's why that was the greatest piece of advice: He solved all my problems for me. He eliminated all the stuff that doesn't matter. I was going to have the ball in my hands with five seconds left and my back to the basket, and I had to figure out how to score from there. You don't know how important that is in coaching. I've told it to my coaches a thousand times over the years: 'Solve the problems for your players. That's your job.' That's the single most valuable thing I've ever been taught about coaching." Parcells got the ball with his back to the basket, by the way. He wheeled and took his man to the baseline and powered home a basket. But the make or miss wouldn't have mattered. Getting the ball at the foul line with time to score that mattered. Whether he made it wasn't the coach's doing. It was the player's. Finally, Parcells-Lombardi. "The story over the years, obviously, is that Vince Lombardi was pretty tough on his guys in practice," Parcells said. "Mickey told me that, no matter how tough Lombardi was on his players in practice, he'd do damage-control after practice, either coming off the field or in the locker room. He'd let his players know why he did things. So that's what I tried to do, and I passed it on too. When [former Giants fullback and Parcells protégé] Mo Carthon became a coach, he used to tell me, 'Time to do damage-control' after practices. You never want the athlete to feel mistreated. You always want him to understand why you're doing what you're doing." Mickey Corcoran, 1922-2015. * * * L.A. Update: Carson surges ahead. In the wake of last week's NFL meeting on the future of football in Los Angeles, and with the resolution of this soap opera five weeks away (let us pray), a few things I learned from people involved in the story: • The Carson proposal with either the Chargers and Raiders together, or the Chargers alone seems to have more momentum than Stan Kroenke's plan to move the Rams to a complex in Inglewood. Part of the sentiment for Carson is simple: The owners want to support the Spanos family and the Chargers, feeling they have done everything they can to make a new stadium work in San Diego for years. • The six-owner Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities (perhaps the NFL could name a Vice President of Committee Name Improvement) is likely to end up either 4-2 or 5-1 in favor of the Carson project, a source with knowledge of the committee's feelings told me. One asterisk there: The committee is likely to side with Carson as long as the new St. Louis stadium is rock-solid when it comes time to vote. If any of the six believe the St. Louis proposal is flawed, they could switch to Kroenke and Inglewood. • Neither site is close to having the 24 votes to approve one plan. • No one knows the outcome. The reason, essentially, is that there are still a few important factors up in the air. St. Louis aldermen are scheduled to vote this month to approve funding for a new stadium for the Rams; if they do, how can the NFL abandon a city that has twice in the past 20 years committed to build a downtown stadium for the league? One other recent headache: The Federal Aviation Administration believes the Inglewood stadium would interfere with radar for plane traffic at Los Angeles International Airport. Could that be fixed? The league is confident Kroenke's plan could be amended to address that. • THE NFL WANTS L.A., BUT IS IT A REQUITED LOVE? The MMQB sought out more than 100 Angelenos to take the temperature of the city's football fever • Robert Iger, the Disney CEO, has been a boon to the Carson project since he joined forces with the Chargers/Raiders last month. "He feels like a partner to people like Roger Goodell and Bob Kraft," said one source. Why shouldn't he? Disney is the parent of ESPN. ESPN has enriched the NFL with rights fees, signed off by Iger, for years. Snagging Iger was the right move. • One ownership source said he thinks Spanos, if he were in the Carson project alone with Iger, would probably have 24 votes to win the project now. Some owners view the Raiders as a drag on the Carson project, feeling the team brings little to the table. And some owners still seem to carry some enmity for the late Al Davis. • As for the league's ability to finalize the plan for Los Angeles at a series of meetings in Houston Jan. 12 and 13, that's no lock. It's probable, but not certain. • And as for Rams owner Stan Kroenke, should his dream of the Inglewood project die: No one knows what he'll do. I hear he's not interested in becoming the owner to move to London. But every other piece of speculation that he sells the Rams, that he keeps the Rams in a stadium he doesn't like, that he waits out the Bowlen family and buys the Broncos is all talk-show fodder. My best guess is he'd hang onto the team and become the biggest franchise free-agent in the coming few years. I keep hearing he doesn't like the new St. Louis stadium project. It could be an ugly shotgun marriage, or Kroenke refusing to go to the altar. • Last point: The one thing I heard a lot in the last few days is about what's best for the Chargers, and best for the Raiders, and to a much lesser degree what's best for the Rams. I haven't heard many people asking: What would be best for Los Angeles? Roger Goodell is on record, multiple times, saying the league will only go back to Los Angeles after the 21-year hiatus with what makes the most sense for Los Angeles and the NFL. Is solving bad stadium situations for the Chargers and Raiders the best thing for Los Angeles? Is two teams best for a market re-introducing a very high-cost sport for fans back into the local economy? NFL owners will be voting on a lot when the L.A. vote happens, with ramifications that will reverberate for years. * * * Quotes of the Week I "I mean, you all know who next." Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy, traded from Philadelphia (after some rancorous feelings toward coach Chip Kelly) to Buffalo in the off-season. The Eagles host the Bills on Sunday afternoon at 1. II "ME! ME! ME!" Mike Evans, Tampa Bay wide receiver, in the huddle late in the fourth quarter against Atlanta, when Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston asked his team, "Who wants a touchdown?" Evans, indeed, was the man to score the winning touchdown in the 23-19 win over Atlanta. III "There is a perception now that officiating is not very good. But the reality is that the officiating is very good. Our officials are averaging 4.3 mistakes per game. [The league averages about 160 plays per game.] When you think about those numbers ... the number of decisions our officials have to make before each play, during each play, after each play … We are talking about a very small number of mistakes. We're talking about a handful of plays that have happened in high-profile situations. Now those have been mistakes. We own them. We have to make the corrections to ensure they don't happen again. But we are talking about a handful of plays … They see it once, in real time, in full speed. And then we all get to evaluate them from multiple different angles, with high definition, slow-motion replay. So we understand where the standard is, and we are going to work to meet that standard. But our officials are very, very good at what they do." NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino, responding Friday to the torrent of criticism of NFL officiating this season. IV "I think Tevin [Coleman] has a chance to be a great running back, and I think the only thing that will hold him back is the turnovers. Anyone who has the ability that he has, the toughness he has I think he's going to have a hell of a career. But he has to fix the turnovers." Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, to Andrew Hirsh of the Falcons website, on the rookie back who lost three fumbles in his first 77 carries as a pro. V "How can you not be? How can you not be? You're a citizen of this country, and you have this circumstance that's taking place in our country and you just ask, 'Why?' And, 'How?' Where's the value of life? What do these statements mean? What in the world are we up against? We all wish it would stop and it wasn't a part of our world today, but unfortunately, it is." Giants coach Tom Coughlin, on the mass murder in San Bernardino, and whether it is affecting the players on the team. One of the Giants, safety Nat Behre, had a cousin who was among the 14 people murdered. * * * The Award Section OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK So many candidates. So many great performances over the weekend. I have two regrets: 1) Leaving out Sam Bradford; he was terrific when it mattered. 2) Jameis Winston was awfully good too. I thought five offensive days were better. Antonio Brown, wide receiver/punt-returner, Pittsburgh. With apologies to Ben Roethlisberger, who was spectacular Sunday night in the rout of the Colts, I'm giving Brown the edge here, for his diverse night in the 45-10 win over the severely outmanned Colts. Brown caught eight balls for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and he relieved the fumbly Jacoby Jones as punt returner and cavorted through the Colts for a 71-yard nightcap of a return touchdown. Lots of great receivers in football. Brown might be the most dangerous. Brandon Marshall, wide receiver, New York Jets. Players prefer to set records in the course of playing great and being important in a big victory. That was Marshall in the 23-20 overtime thriller over the Giants in their once-every-four-years game. Marshall became the first player in NFL history to have 1,000-yard receiving seasons with four different teams with his 12-catch (on 13 targets), 131-yard effort. His nine-yard touchdown grab from Ryan Fitzpatrick late in the fourth quarter sent the game to overtime. Marcus Mariota, quarterback, Tennessee. Mariota continued to show he's the Titans' long-term solution at the most important position. His 87-yard touchdown run, the longest run in the NFL this season, gave Tennessee a 35-32 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and he supplemented his 112-yard rushing game with a 20-of-29, three-touchdown game in the Titans' first win at home since midway in 2014. Mariota's the genuine item, if you didn't see it yet. Cam Newton, quarterback, Carolina. The Panthers' 41-38 win at New Orleans kept them unbeaten (12-0), and, in my opinion, catapulted Newton into the lead for the MVP award. Trailing 16-13 at the half, Newton ended 79-, 60-, 80- and 75-yard second-half drives with touchdown passes in a game that was extremely tough to finish. The Saints were the classic Drew Brees Saints; Newton had to be up for the duel, and he was: 28 of 41, 331 yards, five touchdowns, one pick, for a rating of 122.1. For the second time in 15 days, Newton threw for five touchdowns and Carolina needed every one of them this time. Russell Wilson, quarterback, Seattle. Wilson has played a lot of good games in his four-year NFL career. Sunday in Minnesota, I thought Wilson was a virtuoso. The numbers maybe didn't look like one of his best games 21 of 27, 274 yards, three touchdowns, no picks, 146.0 rating, 51 yards rushing but it was one of those games you had to watch to see Wilson's impact. Late in the third quarter, for instance, Wilson weaved and sprinted 53 yards for a touchdown that appeared to ice the victory. But Luke Willson was called for holding, and so the Seahawks had to come back and try again. Next snap: Wilson threw down the deep middle for Doug Baldwin, who had a step on the Viking secondary. Beautiful throw. Wilson was in total command in a 38-7 win. • Join our risk-free Week 14 FanDuel league. Double your entry fee or get refunded! New users only. Sponsored by FanDuel DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Malcolm Jenkins, safety, Philadelphia. To call the Eagles' secondary "embattled" entering this game would be an understatement. It's been a debacle all season. Not Sunday. In a 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter, Tom Brady threw into traffic at the goal line, and Jenkins pulled a popup out of the air and started running the other way. He kept going, and going, and going … 99 yards for the touchdown. The Eagles were up 21-14 and never trailed thereafter. Jenkins added seven tackles, two behind the line. SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Stephone Anthony, linebacker, New Orleans. Anthony became the first player in NFL history to score two points on the return of a missed extra point. This is the first season the defense has been permitted to score on a missed conversion attempt after touchdown. Think about it: This was a three-point swing in the game the one point Carolina didn't score as the PAT, and the two points New Orleans did. Instead of Carolina tying the game at 14 late in the second quarter, Anthony's long return gave the Saints a 16-13 lead going into halftime. And give an assist to veteran defensive tackle Kevin Williams for blocking the Graham Gano kick, making the two-point play possible. Anthony scored another touchdown on a first-quarter fumble return and added 10 tackles in a breakout game for the rookie. Chris Maragos, safety, Philadelphia. He was a part of two huge plays that were vital in the Eagles' stunner at New England. Maragos burst through the New England line to block a Ryan Allen punt late in the first half, setting up a touchdown return to tie it at the half. And late in the third quarter, Maragos made a smart obstruction that led to Darren Sproles finishing off an 83-yard punt return touchdown. Dwayne Harris, returner/wide receiver, New York Giants. Smart alignment by Giants special teams coach Tom Quinn, putting Harrison and Odell Beckham Jr., a magnet for attention, back in punt-return formation near the Giants' 20, split apart about hashmark-wide. Harris got the punt, and three Jets' pursuit players ran toward Beckham. Harris never handed it off nor made a serious move to fake it. He ran up the seam, and then the left sideline, and then the seam again, juking punter Ryan Quigley to the ground. Touchdown, for 80 yards. COACH OF THE WEEK Gary Kubiak, coach, Denver. This is not just a one-week award. It's for how Kubiak has handled the Peyton Manning shortcomings and injury (deftly), how he has trusted Brock Osweiler with a fairly full game plan in his three weeks at the helm, and how he has gotten the running game to come alive post-Peyton (170, 179 and 134 yards in the Broncos' 3-0 run post-Manning). Kubiak's steady hand has been just right for Denver, which finds itself ahead of New England in the AFC playoff race this morning. Surprisingly. GOAT OF THE WEEK Matt Ryan, quarterback, Atlanta. The Falcons have a problem. It's in-the-clutch Matt Ryan. The situation: Fourth quarter, 1:39 left, Tampa has just scored to go up 23-19. Falcons need an 80-yard drive. One timeout left. On first down, Ryan throws over the middle for Julio Jones and Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David picks it off. Ballgame. The Falcons have lost five in a row to fall almost all the way out of the playoff race, and they've lost those five games by 3, 1, 3, 10 and 4. Ryan, with seven picks in those five losses, has to play better late for the Falcons to have a chance to salvage the nightmare. Derek Carr, quarterback, Oakland. The Raiders led the hated Chiefs in the Black Hole 20-14 with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter Sunday, and Carr was driving Oakland to a bigger lead. Over the next nine minutes, however, Carr handed the Chiefs a resounding win in what could be the last Raiders-Chiefs game in Oakland. His first interception, by Josh Mauga, led to a two-yard touchdown drive. He second interception, by Marcus Peters, led to a 13-yard yard Chiefs touchdown drive. And Carr's third was returned for a touchdown by former Raider Tyvon Branch. Carr will have some great days for this franchise, and some great quarters. This fourth quarter will go down as one of his worst. * * * Stat of the Week Jeff Samardzija is 18-26 with three teams over the past two years, with a 3.96 ERA. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers might be the best two quarterbacks in football. In the past two seasons, they have thrown 125 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions, collectively. Guaranteed money in Samardzija's new Giants' contract, signed Saturday: $90 million. Guaranteed money in current Rodgers and Brady contracts, combined: $87 million. What is wrong with this picture? * * * Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me This is either a sign that receiving stats have gotten out of sight, and comparing eras is useless, or a sign that Marques Colston is one of the most under-appreciated players of this era: Colston has 702 receptions in his 10-year career with the Saints as Drew Brees' most consistent target. That is more receptions than 14 of 23 wide receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who have played since 1950. Colston has never played in a Pro Bowl. * * * Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week Finally made it to Bruce Park Grill in Greenwich, Conn., for pizza. I'm a pizza hound, like most Americans I know, and I'd been told since moving back to New York that I should take the train up to Greenwich one night and have one of the 10-inch pies at Bruce Park. It's an unassuming little bar with a few tables, a shuffleboard board game, a very limited beer menu, one red wine, and a takeout business that kept the place humming. I sat at the bar with my bride. She had the regular 10-inch pie with onion; I had the regular 10-inch pie, plain. One of the thinnest crusts I've had, similar to Star Tavern in my old neighborhood (Orange, N.J.). I liked the pizza; in fact I devoured it. But I wouldn't say it's an all-timer. The atmosphere, though, was tremendous, and we'll be back. * * * Tweets of the Week I If it would be traveling in basketball, it should be a catch in the NFL. https://t.co/DLrCONJmpf KC Joyner (@KCJoynerTFS) December 6, 2015 The football scientist, with this week's edition of, "Wish I'd thought of that." II Covered #Dolphins from 2000-02 and again since Oct. '12. Not sure ever seen parking lot so empty at this hour. Chris Perkins (@chrisperk) December 6, 2015 The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writer, 2 hours and 12 minutes before the Baltimore-Miami game Sunday. III This McCaffrey guy is real. He gonna beat SC by himself. Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) December 6, 2015 The former Golden Domer, while watching Stanford all-purpose back Christian McCaffrey roadgrade USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Saturday night. IV Steph curry is a make believe character... #beast Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) December 3, 2015 The Patriots wideout, shortly after Curry shredded Charlotte for 40 points and didn't even take the floor in the fourth quarter Wednesday night. * * * Ten Things I Think I Think 1. I think this is what I liked about Week 13: a. Martavis Bryant. The Steelers are so well-stocked at the receiver position, and Bryant is as big a difference-maker in his own way as Antonio Brown is in his. Bryant's 68-yard third-quarter touchdown catch-and-run from Ben Roethlisberger showed why he's so dangerous. You're just not catching him. b. The absolutely lovely touchdown pass, thrown to the perfect spot, from Sam Bradford to Jordan Matthews that put the Eagles up 21 in the fourth quarter at Foxboro. Maybe the best pass Bradford has thrown this year right where Matthews could catch it and Malcolm Butler couldn't touch it. c. The competitive nature of Sean Payton's team. With all the defensive weaknesses the Saints have, it's a tribute to Payton and Drew Brees, in particular, that they came so close to beating the best team in football. d. Ron Rivera. Terminally underappreciated. e. The where-did-that-come-from, 10-catch, three-touchdown game by Allen Robinson of the Jags. f. Ryan Fitzpatrick. The more I see him, the more I appreciate his mature approach to the game and his consistent production with a new group this year. g. Tremendous blitz pickup by rookie running back David Johnson on Arizona's first series, preventing a potentially violent sack on Carson Palmer. h. Great point by broadcaster John Lynch in Minnesota-Seattle: Jimmy Graham going out won't mean that the Seahawks will go away from the tight end. On their first scoring drive of the game, the Seahawks proved it. Russell Wilson went to Luke Willson for a nine-yard gain (good catch by Willson) and then screened to Wilson for a big gain. i. Harrison Smith opening the game for Minnesota by run-blitzing on first down and stopping Thomas Rawls of Seattle for a loss of one. Smart, instinctive moves by the Vikings' invaluable safety, who later left the game with a hamstring injury. • Join our risk-free Week 14 FanDuel league. Double your entry fee or get refunded! New users only. Sponsored by FanDuel j. Odell Beckham Jr. outdoes himself every week. k. Matt Forte does a better job of any back (including Adrian Peterson, I think) of making something out of nothing. l. Tampa Bay is better than Atlanta. m. Great call, Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey, with five seconds remaining in the first half, no timeouts left, ball at the Jaguars' one-yard line. Instead of kicking the field goal and taking the safe three points, Mularkey directed Antonio Andrews to burst up the middle and try for the touchdown. Which Andrews did. When your team's going nowhere, it's smart to take chance like that. n. Excellent decision by Lovie Smith to go for two after a touchdown that put the Bucs up 13-12 with three minutes left in the third quarter against Atlanta. Doesn't matter that the Bucs failed to convert; it's a smart call. o. Great note from Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer out of the Browns' locker room after another debacle, quoting Brian Hartline as declining substantive comment by saying, "I want to keep a job." p. LeSean McCoy, who carried 21 times for 112 yards, exactly the reason Buffalo traded for him. The Bills needed a ground-eater for a game in which Tyrod Taylor was going to be pressured consistently, and McCoy was just that on Sunday. q. Tyrod Taylor, by the way, is the second-most elusive quarterback in football. What a day he had evading the Texans. r. The first? Russell Wilson, who was marvelous making people miss in Minneapolis. s. Congratulations to Blaine Gabbert. Really. I mean, wouldn't it have been easy for Gabbert to slink out of football and decry the rotten luck he had getting picked by a terrible team in Jacksonville? Sure. But the 71-yard touchdown pass in overtime, on the road, to Torrey Smith, to beat the Bears … a great throw, on time, and how can you not be happy for a guy like Gabbert? He just went to work to fix his career and maybe he has. t. The likely thought running through Bill Belichick's mind in the fourth quarter of that debacle: This is this year's Kansas City game. I'll use it to max effectiveness with my team, the same way I used the loss to the Chiefs last year. Just a guess. • PATRIOTS' DAY TO FORGET: A face-plant game, no doubt, but the sky isn't falling in New England 2. I think this is what I didn't like about Week 13: a. Why cover Ted Ginn deep downfield with a linebacker, Saints? I mean, valiant game and all that. But that is a bad error, not covering a speed guy like Ginn with a corner. That touchdown put Carolina ahead for good in the fourth quarter. b. Good comment by FOX's Thom Brennaman, pointing out the Patriots, down by three touchdowns with just over six minutes left, took 23 seconds to run a play. c. Willie Colon, who is on IR with the Jets, with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in his civvies, yakking at Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of the Giants on the sidelines. That cannot happen. d. Tom Coughlin not kicking the field goal to give the Giants a 13-point lead late. I understand why he did it. I just don't agree with it. e. Matt Schaub in a nutshell, from Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk: Schaub has thrown a pick-six in six of his past nine games. f. Ridiculous call of the week: Vikings defensive end Brian Robison nearly sacked Russell Wilson, but Wilson never fell to the ground, so Wilson got up running, and Robison tackled Wilson a second time but not violently. And Robison got an unnecessary-roughness flag. Just a major overreaction by the officials there. g. The words "first-ballot Hall of Famer." If every player called a "first-ballot Hall of Famer" was indeed a first-ballot Hall of Famer, the Pro Football Hall of Fame would have 47 people enshrined every year. h. Chicago linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, with the blatant (and unnecessary) hold, negating a punt return for TD on the first punt of the Bears-Niners games. i. T.J. McDonald spearing/knocking teammate Janoris Jenkins out cold early against the Cards. Clearly he's not trying to nail Jenkins, but McDonald simply has to play smarter and less recklessly than that. j. Forty real-time minutes into the game against Seattle, Minnesota had run eight plays and gained three yards. k. Eddie Lacy. Really? Under fire because he's not playing well, and he ditches curfew the night before a must win? l. The stats probably don't support this opinion, but if I were a Packers fan I would be very nervous about Mason Crosby and a big January (or February) kick. m. Randall Cobb over the past nine games: averaging four catches and 46 yards per game, with a total of two touchdowns. n. Cobb and Davante Adams have zero 100-yard receiving games in the past 10 Green Bay games. o. Jay Cutler, with a pick-six that never, ever should have been thrown. p. The Giants and offensive line injuries, after losing starting tackle Ereck Flowers (leg) against the Jets. q. Eli Manning, throwing into double coverage at the goal line with a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. Actually, throwing into double coverage at the goal line in any situation would be silly, but this seemed especially so. r. Desmond Trufant's pass-interference call on an Atlanta interception on the crucial drive of the fourth quarter. s. You could drop-kick extra points more efficiently that Buffalo's Dan Carpenter kicks them regularly. He missed his fourth in 12 games Sunday. 3. I think the saddest thing of the weekend was that Darrelle Revis (recovering from a concussion) didn't play for the Jets against the Giants, which means we may never see a matchup of Revis versus Odell Beckham Jr. Think of it: If Revis stays a Jet, the next time the Jets and Giants play (and I do not count preseason games, because they don't count, and both guys will play to protect themselves in August, as will all smart veterans) will be 2019, when Revis will be 34 and not the same player he is now and he's even fading a bit currently. Think of it: Giants and Jets play in the same building. They practice 21 miles apart. And two of the biggest stars in the league, and likely the biggest on their teams, will never get to face off. 4. I think that just illustrates the flaw in the NFL schedule: how regional rivalries get short shrift. I have proposed this before, but in my opinion, each team should play one team outside of its division every year as part of its regular schedule. Logically, you might say: My team doesn't have a logical regional rival. True. Every team is not going to have one. So you create them. It's natural to have New York-New York, Baltimore-Washington, San Francisco-Oakland (which could change depending on franchise movement), Kansas City-St. Louis (ditto), Atlanta-Jacksonville, Tampa Bay-Miami, Dallas-Houston, Cleveland-Detroit. Then you'd create some. And they become rivalry games over time. You think Denver-Oakland started as a big rivalry, or Dallas-Philly? They became rivalry games over time, with the teams playing each other every year. Seattle-Denver, or Minnesota-Denver, would become a good rivalry game over time. Some would be stretches. I get that. But it's too valuable for the teams that should play every year to ignore them just because every team, today, doesn't have a natural rival outside its division. 5. I think I've got a one-word reaction to the news that Coldplay's the headline act for Super Bowl 50 halftime: Meh. Nothing against Coldplay; I like the band. But it's a little lackluster for such a landmark game. 6. I think Mario Williams' comments about the Bills and the defense he's being forced to play (poor baby) are borderline disloyal. For someone getting a check of $950,000 per game from the Buffalo Bills, it strikes me as … cheesy. 7. I think it's going to be very interesting when Gleason, the documentary on Saints special-teamer Steve Gleason's four-year battle with ALS, is exposed to the wider world in January. Gleason was told last week that the documentary has been accepted for screening at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah next month, in the documentary competition. "The hope is that this film will be a catalyst for positive change and choices for those who face major challenges in life," Gleason said. "If there is a takeaway, we believe those who watch might think differently about life, love and family." Gleason had cameras follow him for much of the past four years, since he received his diagnosis, first to document a series of lessons he wanted to leave for his unborn son, because he wouldn't be able to be as active with his son as he wanted. The project morphed into some globetrotting, and then some living-with-ALS experiences. • STEVE GLEASON GOES DEEP: The New Orleans Saints hero, now battling ALS on all fronts, opens up about football's place in his life and whether he wants his son to play the game. 8. I think, week after week, I have more questions about Ryan Tannehill's ability to lead the Dolphins to greatness. Even with the win Sunday against Baltimore, he continues a very shaky season. 9. I think I will start a section next week with my weekly view of the MVP race. But at the three-quarter mark of the season, here's my top five right now, in order: • Cam Newton, QB, Carolina. • Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona. • Tom Brady, QB, New England. • Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati. • J.J. Watt, DL, Houston. 10. I think these are my non-NFL thoughts of the week: a. I often put favored stories here (I have a couple of them today, after this), and this week, my favorite story is an editorial , the first one placed on the front page of the New York Times in 95 years. In it, the paper's editorial board writes: "It is a moral outrage and a national disgrace that civilians can legally purchase weapons designed specifically to kill people with brutal speed and efficiency." The paper called for the combat rifles used in the San Bernardino attack to be "outlawed for civilian ownership." b. It is not good enough anymore, Washington, to be paralyzed by inaction over the continuing murders of innocents by anyone those on the fringes of society, those with some form of mental illness, or those who may have been emboldened by terrorist movements overseas such as ISIS. c. If you are running for public office, and you do nothing to stop the spread of these weapons, and I have a vote in whether you get elected or not, I will vote for your opponent. d. It isn't good enough anymore, gun advocates, to accuse those with common sense of being anti-second amendment if they're in favor of preventing regular citizens from owning the kind of semiautomatic rifles used in the San Bernardino killings. One of those weapons, an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, had been modified to add a high-capacity magazine so the shots could come out much faster, without pause. e. Stop with the murder-rates-are-down stats, with the they'd-find-a-way-to-kill-if-you-banned-these-guns arguments. Look at the sickness in our society. Stop pretending it isn't there, that it's normal to have a mass killing a week. f. I'm not much of a political animal at all. But sometimes we need to stand up for the future, and I feel strongly that now is one of those times. g. To those who say, "I read you for football; I wish you'd stick to football," this column is approximately 10,300 words long. The football is about 93 to 95 percent of that, weekly. There's plenty of football fodder. You're free to skip what you don't like. But I'm not going to stop writing about things I feel strongly about. h. Tremendous story by Eli Saslow of the Washington Post on one of the Oregon shooting victims, trying to live normally again. i. Saturday is the 100th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's birth. Party accordingly. j. Sports Story of the Week: Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal had an idea and executed it so well . Cohen went to watch Steph Curry warm up to see how many fans showed up (plenty) and what kind of show Curry would put on (an incredible one). Wrote Cohen: "Curry showed off his hypnotic dribbling skills, swished 3-pointer after 3-pointer and generally left a crowd of thousands of Warriors fans in slack-jawed awe. And then he went back to the locker room. The opening tipoff was still an hour away. This is the latest and maybe the most inconceivable example of the craziness surrounding the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player and its must-see attraction: Fans are now coming to Warriors games hours early just to watch Curry warm up." Great idea, great execution of it. Kevin Clark does a lot of the same for the WSJ with NFL stories. Just smart. k. NBA Stat of the Week: Curry scored 40 points against Charlotte Wednesday and took only 18 shots from the field. Well, you say: He must have taken a lot of foul shots. Nope. Four. Made them all. So Curry took 18 shots to score 36 points. Amazing, averaging 2.0 points per field-goal attempt. He made eight three-point shots and six garden-variety twos. When everyone in the arena knew he was going to be the offensive thrust, Curry missed a grand total of four shots. (Forgive me, because I am not an NBA devotee; this might be a dumb stat, but it blew me away.) l. There can't be a better athletic attraction in the country today. m. Golden State, 22-0. n. Golden State, 12-0 on the road. o. Coffeenerdness: The newest member of the Red Sox sounds like he understands the coffee culture in New England and it sounds like he may be switching from Starbucks to Dunkin Donuts. At his opening press conference Friday in Boston, David Price said: "I can start drinking Dunkin. Had some today." Either that or he's brown-nosing Dunkin. p. Beernerdness: No new ones this week. I'll make sure I make up for it next week. q. Regarding the Price of Price: As I said last week, I'm not a big fan of $31-million-a-year pitchers the year they turn 31, already with 1,500 major-league innings on their arm. But that's the baseball world, whether I like it or not. r. Price signed on Friday. That night, Zack Greinke beat him by $3.4 million a year. He'll get $34.4 million a year for six years in Arizona. I believe Tony LaRussa was involved in that, and Tony LaRussa was tired of looking up at the Dodgers and the Giants. s. Have a story about your favorite team's most crushing loss? In the wake of the Browns' Monday night loss last week and the Lions' Thursday night loss, The MMQB is looking for fans to tell the story of their team's worst loss for this week's Voice of the Fan column. Send your entry include the game and a short paragraph explaining why it was devastating to you to [email protected] . * * * Who I Like Tonight Washington 27, Dallas 16. For some quality pre-game reading this evening, peruse Robert Klemko's fine piece about the man vying to be your Washington quarterback of the future, Kirk Cousins. There's a cool story in there about the relationship between Cousins and Robert Griffin III, and another about Cousins' pursuit of perfection. Jury is still out on whether Cousins will be a great quarterback, but he's playing more like a man who can keep the wolves away from his door and win the job for 2016 and beyond assuming Washington GM Scot McCloughan can sign the looming free agent after the season. Now for the strange part of this evening: If, somehow, Dallas can spring the upset, the Cowboys will be one game out of the NFC East lead with four to play. I don't see a win tonight, and I don't see contention even if they find a way tonight because the remaining schedule includes trips to Green Bay and Buffalo, with the Jets and Washington at home. * * * The Adieu Haiku Don't know about you. But Pittsburgh's top five to me. Big Ben. Big trouble. • Question or comment? Email us at [email protected] . | 1 | 97,751 | sports |
Forty-three years (and counting) of professional golf hasn't kept Bernhard Langer from delivering a serious swing. Hank Haney demonstrates what older players can learn from Bernhard. | 1 | 97,752 | sports |
When Boeing rolls out its first 737 Max on Tuesday, the occasion will be marked by … not much. Perhaps that's because the new plane is still about two years away from first delivery to customers, and given Boeing's recent performance with the 787 Dreamliner, a little less hubbub and a lot more attention to detail may help calm skittish investors. Recent stories related to airlines looking at leasing older planes rather than placing orders for new ones have introduced a note of caution into bragging about the huge backlogs at Boeing and Airbus, its main rival. Boeing's order book shows 2,955 of the 737 Max planes in the backlog. Airbus, which launched its A320neo program several months before Boeing launched the 737 Max, has firm orders for around 4,400 A320neo jets at the end of November, according to aircraft tracking website pdxlight. The following chart tells the story: Worse, for Boeing, is that so far in 2015 the company has taken net new orders totaling 568 aircraft. The company plans to sell around 755 aircraft this year. That means unless Boeing has a spectacular December, the company's book-to-bill ratio will be less than one. Total firm orders for both single-aisle, narrow-body jets is 7,345, of which Airbus has nabbed 60% to Boeing's 40%. Not a particular surprise because Airbus has held the lead in narrow-body sales for years now while Boeing's advantage has come in the wide-body market. Airbus has just announced a production increase to 60 planes a month in 2019, and Boeing is currently mulling whether to match that. Boeing has said it will boost 737 production to 52 by 2018. And then there's the leasing story . With fuel prices at multiyear lows, more airlines may choose to lease and refurbish older planes rather than buy new ones. The new narrow-bodies from Boeing and Airbus have both been designed and built to be more fuel efficient. Since then, however, fuel costs have been halved and the calculus for buying new, more economical planes has changed. In an article at Leeham News, Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER), noted airlines saw an annual savings of about $1 million a year on an Airbus 320neo when fuel prices were double what they are now. But that's not what aircraft buyers primarily look at: [W]hen the airlines are looking out 12, 14 years, which is what they do when they take new aircraft, where fuel is today is not something they look at. … [A]irlines can't hedge themselves [and] of course no bank will write a derivative for the long-term for an airline to hedge fuel. The only way to do it ultimately is have the most fuel efficient assets out there. No one knows what fuel prices are going to be next month, let alone in 12 or 14 years. In the first decade of the 21st century, we could be reasonably sure that oil prices would rise over time. Some predictions had oil at $200 a barrel. That is no longer the case. The Saudi oil minister has said the world will never see $100 oil again . If Kelly is right, that should have little to no effect on sales of either Boeing or Airbus narrow-body jets. The first flight of the 737 Max is scheduled for early in 2016, and first delivery is set for the third quarter of 2017 to launch customer Southwest Airlines. | 3 | 97,753 | finance |
River cruises are one of the fastest-growing segments of the travel industry, the vacation choice for nearly half a million Americans in 2015 on European rivers alone. These sleek vessels that take fewer than 200 passengers offer an ideal way to explore several countries at a relaxed pace. But are they for you? Here are five myths, and the truth about them, to help you decide. 1. River cruises have limited itineraries and only sail on a few rivers in Europe. Get out your atlas, because this common belief simply isn't true. "Europe offers many dynamic and diverse rivers," says Richard Marnell, senior vice president of marketing for Viking Cruises , which is the world's largest river cruise provider and sails along 11 European rivers including the Danube, Rhine, Main, Moselle, Elbe, Dordogne, Garonne, Gironde, Saone, Rhone and Douro. Other companies reach even further around the globe. In 2016, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will offer 38 itineraries in 29 countries, including Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Egypt. Their ships will ply the waters of 20 different rivers, including the Rhone, Saone, Seine, Garonne, Dordogne, Gironde, Po, Danube, Rhine, Main, Moselle, Douro, Volga, Svir, Neva, Yangtze, Mekong, Tonle Sap, Ganges and the Nile. That's a lot of itineraries to choose from, and from just two companies in a competitive field that also includes Scenic , AMA Waterways , Avalon and Tauck . 2. A river cruise is really a vacation for sedentary travelers. That's a popular perception but it's far from the entire story. "River cruising is great for all experienced travelers, including those that live an active lifestyle," says Marnell of Viking. The line offers "a variety of active shore excursions in each port that range from walking tours to nature walks." Viking itineraries that go through Regensburg provide travelers with a walking tour through one of Germany's best-preserved medieval cities. Viking provides guests with an overview of all walking tours and grades them based on difficulty and length. They also have an onboard concierge to recommend additional activities, and help find jogging trails and bike paths. Other companies have a more active mandate for their guests, such as Uniworld, where "guests have the choice to be as active as they wish," says Guy Young, president of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. Each Uniworld ship offers a fully-equipped fitness center along with a certified wellness coach who provides personal training, including TRX, exercise and yoga classes. Onshore guests can participate in Uniworld's "Go Active" program with activities such as guided biking and hiking tours. "For example, (guests can) hike through UNESCO World Heritage Wachua Valley along the Danube with a naturalist who will share their knowledge about the local history, flora and fauna," Young points out. "Take a guided bike ride with a sports guide who will share their passion for biking along these timeless the river trails. For those who prefer to blaze their own trails, complimentary bicycles with helmets and Nordic walking sticks are available." 3. I'll get bored, because they don't offer all the diversions of an ocean-going cruise ship. Those who love river cruises claim that it's impossible to get bored on one of these cruises. On board a Uniworld ship, there are sun decks with life-size chessboards, heated swimming pools, cinemas, spas and fitness centers, libraries, boutiques, wine tastings, and a collection of complimentary movies in the staterooms. Young of Uniworld says that "guests are encouraged to get to know the destination that they're in and immerse (themselves) in the local life through tasting the beloved regional foods and visiting top attractions. On specific journeys, Uniworld offers a Village Day, which provides an up-close look at rural European and Russian towns and the chance to visit local homes and workshops and get an intimate view of modern village life." Other river cruise companies offer similar options to connect passengers with the locals in the countries they're passing through. Viking gives guests background information to make the local cultural offerings, from the history and art, to the food, music and architecture, more meaningful. Marnell notes Viking's "Culture Curriculum," which can include onboard demonstrations from "musicians from St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre on the Waterways of the Tsars itinerary, local traditional dancer performances, and culinary activities such as apple strudel-making workshops, and regional wine and cheese tastings." 4. My kids would be bored, because these cruises are aimed at retirees. There's some truth in this, and a reason that the ads for these cruises feature couples almost exclusively, most of them with a touch of silver in their hair. You won't find water slides, teen clubs or babysitters on board a typical river cruise. Marnell of Viking doesn't dispute this, but adds that while "Viking's onboard experience is not designed for young children, older kids who enjoy history, art, culture and exploration tend to enjoy the interactive onboard demonstrations." Uniworld takes this a few steps further and will offer 13 family departures in 2016. These cruises will feature additional activities and excursions that are designed specifically for families. These will include visits to castles, a guided tour of the dinosaur skeletons in Frankfurt's paleontological museum, and in a Venice, a treasure hunt as well as a glass blowing and mask making workshop. Okay, it's not a Caribbean beach barbecue by any means, but it is an attempt to reach out to curious teens. "On board," says Young of Uniworld, "kids can partake in French, German, Italian or Hungarian language classes, dessert making with the ship's pastry chef, hands-on craft workshops including making a Christmas Advent calendar and Venetian art. Additionally, all ships feature kid-friendly menus." 5. There are never any deals or discounts on this type of cruise. There may be river cruises aimed at viewers of Downton Abbey , but it's also the travel industry, so by definition there is always a chance of a deal or a discount. The sage advice is to keep your eyes open. Like ocean-going cruises, there are early booking deals worth watching for. Viking is currently offering an early booking discount with 2-for-1 cruise pricing, adding up to a savings of up to $2,000 per couple on 2016 departure dates for European itineraries. Uniworld is also offering an early booking savings of up to $1,600 per couple on a 2016 Europe River cruise. Customers that purchase cruise and airfare with Uniworld can save from $3,000 to $5,000 per couple on a varied selection of 2016 itineraries and departures. Free airfare is offered on select Italy and Russia cruise departures, and solo travelers can rejoice with waived or reduced single supplements on over 100 departures in 2016. | 2 | 97,754 | travel |
The Marlins are talking with the Dodgers and at least two other teams about a blockbuster trade involving Miami ace Jose Fernandez, ESPN.com reported , citing unidentified sources. Despite their consistent denial that they would trade a reportedly disgruntled Fernandez, the Marlins apparently would be willing to listen to offers for the right-hander although teams that have spoken to the Marlins told ESPN that Miami's asking price is so high that it might mean he would remain with the team. MORE: Biggest bargains in the free agent bin | Best and worst Hot Stove rumors "I don't know if they'll wind up trading him," an unidentified executive of one team that spoke with the Marlins told ESPN. "But if they do, I'm betting that's where he goes to the Dodgers." According to the report, the Marlins are asking for as many as five players for Fernandez, who returned to the Marlins' rotation in July from Tommy John surgery and was 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA in 11 starts. The Dodgers are looking for a frontline starter since Zack Greinke signed with the Diamondbacks, and Fernandez, 23, is attractive not only because of his talent but also because, though he's arbitration-eligible, he would be under club control through the 2018 season. A complicating factor: Fernandez insists that his agent, Scott Boras, will be involved in discussions about any innings limit he might have in 2016. Interestingly, there are indications, according to ESPN, that the D-backs are one of the other teams to inquire about Fernandez. | 1 | 97,755 | sports |
In up markets and down, there are always motivated sellers - those who want a quick or painless close, or just want to move the home. Incentives are common in buyers' markets to make a seller's home more desirable than their competition, but sellers also have to get creative in slower times of the year or in parts of town where homes don't move quickly. If you have a home to sell, and you think it might be a tough sale, consider offering buyers something to sweeten the pie. Here are a few ideas you might not have considered. You can either offer these out of the gate and advertise them as incentives, or keep them in your back pocket to use as a negotiation tool. Buy down their interest rate Most home buyers today need a mortgage to make a purchase. Banks typically offer buyers an interest rate based on the market at the time they apply. If they want to lock in an even lower rate, buyers can always pay an upfront fee, called a point. Paying upfront is called "buying down the rate," and sellers can do it for the buyer. If a bank offers a buyer three percent today on a 30-year fixed mortgage, the buyer (or seller) can pay one percent of the loan amount to get something like 2.75 percent. For buyers, this means lower monthly payments locked in for many years, which is more valuable than a small reduction in the purchase price. And the savings from, say, a five-percent price reduction built into a loan and amortized over 30 years won't come close to matching the monthly savings that buying down the rate will accomplish. Include furniture or window coverings Buying furniture and some finishes post-closing can be a huge hidden or soft cost to real estate. Owners who have renovated their home often chose furniture that matches the home's new look. Some homes show so well, buyers might want to purchase the house and all the furniture in it. If you have a home with custom furniture that might not fit so well in your new home, you might consider offering the furniture with the sale. In addition to helping sell the home, it might alleviate the future headache of trying to get rid of the furniture. Credit for non-recurring closing costs Buyers often come back to the seller after inspections and request repairs to the home. The wish list can include anything from patching roofing to replacing windows and repairing dry rot. Most sellers don't want the hassle of repairing these items. If not done right or to the buyers' specifications, the repairs can hold up the closing - or even haunt everyone post-closing. One way to incentivize buyers to continue with the purchase is simply to offer them a credit for non-recurring closing costs. This credit goes to the buyer as cash in their pockets at the closing. Many buyers ask for credits and may not do the repairs for months. It's better to give them cash and let them do as they see fit with it. Offer buyers' brokers higher commission Listing agents often market their properties to other agents who have buyers. While a good buyers' agent should advocate for all homes for their buyer, no matter the commission, sometimes a bonus brings some necessary awareness to a stale property. It's not uncommon for a seller to offer a half-percent or even one-percent bonus commission to the buyers' agent for a property that won't move. Agents make these offerings by interoffice communication and word of mouth in the community. (Don't forget, a good agent is well connected and keeps tabs on what's happening in the market.) Credit for "Close By" date A motivated seller might have a variety of reasons for wanting a quick closing, such as tax purposes or a deadline for a job transfer. Sometimes the consequences of the sale date justify offering a small bonus or credit to a potential buyer for meeting a closing date. For example, a seller may have claimed residence in another state, and faces a giant tax bill if they don't sell by a certain deadline. The tax liability may have larger consequences outside the real estate transaction. If a seller wants a quick closing, they should offer a credit to the buyer - and maybe even a bonus commission to the buyers' agent. For a buyer who rents and can be flexible, a quick closing is simple. Offering an incentive to do so would only be icing on the cake. Sellers can offer incentives and promote them in a number of ways - some more strategic than others. Putting incentives out there as part of your marketing will surely get buyers in the door. So if you're having a hard time selling or know up front that your home will be a tough sell, advertise the incentives implicitly. If you have a buyer, and you've come close to negotiating but are stuck, these incentives, pulled out at the eleventh hour, can help move the deal over the finish line. More from Zillow What to Do If Your Home Isn't Selling 5 Tips for First-Time Home Sellers Are You Really Ready to Sell Your Home? Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow. | 3 | 97,756 | finance |
You can visit a life-sized gingerbread bank in Philadelphia, courtesy of PNC. As Gillian Pensavalle (@GillianWithaG) explains, it's a trick to try to get you interested in the economy. | 3 | 97,757 | finance |
Will Kim Kardashian name her newborn son after her late father, Robert Kardashian? It's reported that it'll at least be chosen as his middle name. | 8 | 97,758 | video |
China's capital on Monday issued its first ever "red alert" for pollution, as the city government warned that Beijing would be shrouded in heavy smog from Tuesday until Thursday. China's leadership has vowed to crack down on environmental degradation, including the air pollution that blankets many major cities, following decades of unbridled economic growth. The move comes as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned a Paris summit of nearly 200 nations against a "climate catastrophe", urging governments to reach a strong deal to limit global warming. In an online statement, the Beijing city government ordered all outdoor construction work to stop on red alert days, besides urging schools to close. The notice, issued after days of heavy smog last week, also puts traffic restrictions on certain types of vehicles in the city of 22.5 million people. "Construction waste, excavation transport vehicles, cement trucks, gravel transport vehicles and other large-scale vehicles are prohibited from driving on roads," authorities said in the notice. The warning was an upgrade from an orange alert issued over the weekend, part of China's four-colour warning system that includes yellow and blue levels for less polluted conditions. Beijing residents took to the Internet to criticise authorities for not issuing a red alert during last week's episode of heavy smog, which exceeded hazardous levels on pollution indices. Environmental Protection Minister Chen Jining on Sunday vowed to punish agencies and officials for any failure to quickly implement a pollution emergency response plan, the state-run Global Times tabloid said. Chinese researchers have identified pollution as a major source of unrest around the country. The looming smog underscores the challenge facing the government as it battles pollution caused by the coal-burning power industry, and will raise questions at the Paris talks about its ability to clean up its economy and environment. (Reporting by Megha Rajagopalan, Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) | 5 | 97,759 | news |
The Kansas City Royals have agreed to a two-year deal with free-agent right-hander Chris Young, CBS Sports reports . Young, 36, went 11-6 with a 3.06 ERA in 34 games (18 starts) for the Royals in 2015. In the postseason, he was 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in four games (two starts). Over his 11-season major-league career, Young is 76-58 with a 3.69 ERA. It remains to be seen whether Young will start or relieve (or do both again) in 2016, but the Royals are expected to lose right-handed starter Johnny Cueto to free agency. | 1 | 97,760 | sports |
Keurig Green Mountain, which manufacturers coffee-makers and instant flavor pods, has agreed to a $13.9 billion sale to an investment group led by private-equity firm JAB Holding Co. The investment group includes companies that are backers of Jacobs Douwe Egberts, a global tea and coffee company formed in 2014 as the combination of the coffee franchises of Mondelez International and D.E Master Blenders. JAB said its partners in acquiring the publicly traded Keurig include Mondelez International, the maker of Oreos and Trident gum, and companies affiliated with BDT Capital Partners. JAB said it would operate Keurig as an independent subsidiary based in Waterbury, VT. The deal, which represents a price of $92 per share in cash, marks a 77.9% premium over Friday's closing price of Keurig shares. The stock soared 76% to $90.83 in pre-market trading Monday. The Coca-Cola Co., Keurig's largest shareholder, said it is backing the deal, which comes more than two months after the introduction of the Keurig KOLD system , which allows users to make carbonated drinks at home. Keurig has played a central role in disrupting the market for coffee brewed at home and the workplace. The company's pods are inserted into a tabletop Keurig machine and made into coffee, offering many different flavors. "Keurig Green Mountain represents a major step forward in the creation of our global coffee platform," JAB Chairman Bart Becht said in a statement. "It is a fantastic company that uniquely brings together premium coffee brands and new beverage dispensing technologies like the famous Keurig single serve machine." Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @ NathanBomey . | 3 | 97,761 | finance |
Venezuela's opposition party has taken control of the National Assembly from the socialist party, a first since the 1990s. But what's the next move? | 8 | 97,762 | video |
Government leaders are calling on the tech industry to help fight terrorism. What can tech giants do to combat terror groups? | 3 | 97,763 | finance |
Embrace the cold this winter, it may help you lose weight! Rob Smith (@robsmithonline) has all the info. | 8 | 97,764 | video |
Free-agent pitcher Mark Lowe has agreed on a two-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported Sunday. Lowe will serve as a set-up man for veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez, Crasnick reports. In 2015, Lowe pitched for a 1.96 ERA over 57 games with 46 holds for the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays. Discounting his first appearance with the Blue Jays after being traded, which was his worst outing all year, Lowe closed out the season in Toronto with a 2.50 ERA over 22 games. He earned a 4.39 ERA in this year's playoffs, allowing two runs in four ALCS appearances as the Blue Jays fell to the World Series champion Royals. • 2015 MLB Free-Agent Tracker The Tigers were reportedly interested in signing righthander Joakim Soria, but passed after Kansas City offered him a deal for three years and $25 million . The value of Lowe's contract has not been disclosed. - Erin Flynn | 1 | 97,765 | sports |
CNBC's Bob Pisani reports China installed a system-wide circuit breaker, and a crummy year for IPOs versus last year. | 3 | 97,766 | finance |
The 10-team Big 12 wants a conference title game, but it'll likely need at least 12 teams before the Big Ten will let that happen. | 1 | 97,767 | sports |
The New York Giants got a scare when quarterback Eli Manning went for X-rays after the team's 23-20 Week 13 loss to the New York Jets, but Manning later confirmed everything is fine. "I always get banged up a little bit, but yeah, I should be fine," Manning said, per NJ Advanced Media . "I did [get an X-ray], but everything's good. … Just to see if anything was broken, but all good." Manning did not confirm what body part he had the X-ray on, but it's no surprise that he got dinged up. Playing behind a makeshift offensive line that had just one player who started the season at his normal position, Manning took five quarterback hits and three sacks. Despite his recent struggles, Manning is on pace for 4,424 yards passing, 32 touchdowns and just fewer than 14 interceptions. These numbers would be very similar to his 2014 campaign where he racked up 4,410 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. | 1 | 97,768 | sports |
Twitter is starting to put an even bigger emphasis on photos within your feed. After a change today, Twitter's web feed will now display full images, rather than cropping them into an awkwardly sized rectangle. This is phenomenal news for anyone who's regularly tweeted photos of people, only to have Twitter weirdly cut off their head and center an image on their chest or groin. On the other hand, you can expect power users to complain for the rest of the day about how you can now only see two tweets at the same time. The change to photos was announced this morning and appears to have already rolled out. In addition to shifting over to uncropped single images, Twitter is also changing up how it displays tweets with multiple attached photos. Those photos will now look a little bit more like a photo collection posted to Facebook, with the preview favoring one image and putting others off to the side. That way, there's at least one big and visible image, rather than having several tiny images you can't make out. | 5 | 97,769 | news |
Authorities arrest woman after baby was left near bike path in Southern California | 8 | 97,770 | video |
Russo and Steele has a unique Ferrari going up for auction next month in Scottsdale, AZ. The vehicle in question is a 1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 the fastest grand touring Prancing Horse of its day but fitted with a unique shark-nose front end. This one-of-a-kind Ferrari been comprehensively restored and has remained under American ownership since its creation. Chassis number 6,537 GT (with matching engine number) was delivered new by Ferrari's longtime North American importer Luigi Chinetti to John W. Mecom Jr. a Texas oil baron, founding owner of the New Orleans Saints, noted car collector, and racing enthusiast. The Series I coupe arrived in a rare combination four-speed overdrive transmission and rare quadruple headlights, in dark blue with tan leather interior. Mecom subsequently had it sent back to Italy and fitted with the new front end you see here. The coachbuilt 330 was subsequently sold to owners in Georgia and Kentucky, and along the way was repainted in metallic red. The car disappeared into storage for many years before re-emerging in 2007. It then underwent a comprehensive restoration at Ferrari of Washington, where it was stripped and refinished in the original blue. The process also saw the interior reupholstered, the brightwork replated, and the original Borrani wheels fitted with fresh rubber. It has now been consigned to Russo and Steele to be auctioned in Scottsdale at the end of January. Ferrari 330s generally sell for much less than their 250-series predecessors, fetching prices in the hundreds of thousands not millions. This particular auction house does not typically published pre-sale estimate figures, however when reached for comment by Autoblog , spokesman Darin Roberge revealed: "we expect this amazing, one of a kind automobile to cross six figures several times over." Follow MSN Autos on Facebook Highly Exotic, One Off 1965 Ferrari 330 GT "Shark Nose" with Important Ownership History to Cross the Block at Russo and Steele's 2016 Arizona Auction Event Scottsdale, Arizona (December 1st, 2015) Combining avant-garde Pininfarina styling with outstanding V-12 performance, Ferrari's 330 GT 2+2 was a comfortable 2+2 model and while following in the footsteps of the prior 250 GTE 2+2, the 330 GT 2+2 upped the ante on performance and set new standards for comfortable, high-speed motoring pleasure for up to four with its 50-millimeter wheelbase extension. While clearly an elegant and sophisticated road car, the taut Pininfarina-styled 330 GT 2+2 maintained a sporty air to match its Ferrari heritage. Crucially, it reaffirmed Ferrari's commitment to the elite Grand Touring market and the commercial viability of its road models to help bankroll the heavy costs of the Scuderia's many racing commitments during the 1960s. Launched in 1964, the 330 GT 2+2 featured the Tipo 209 Colombo-derived V-12 engine, enlarged to 4.0 liters providing top-speed potential of more than 150 mph, making it the fastest road-ready Ferrari of the day and certainly its fastest 2+2. Said to be one of Enzo Ferrari's favorite models, just over a thousand 330 GT 2+2s were built along two distinct series between 1964 and 1967. Numbered 6537 GT, this original Series I 330 GT 2+2 is a late-production 'Series I' example and particularly rare as one of an approximate 505 cars built with four headlamps and a 4-speed gearbox with overdrive. According to its documented history, 6537 GT was shipped to the USA and sold new via Luigi Chinetti Motors in Connecticut, finished in Dark Blue with Tan upholstery. Its first owner was none other than John W. Mecom Jr., the noted Houston oil businessman and founding owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL franchise. To motorsports enthusiasts, Mr. Mecom is well-known as a motorsports enthusiast and racing-team owner, whose Mecom Racing Team was active between 1967 in World Sportscar Racing, Formula One, and American Championship Car racing. In addition to racing successfully at the Bahamas Speed Weeks, the Mecom equipe campaigned some of the most famous racing cars of the era, including Ferrari 250 GTOs, Grand Sport Corvettes, and even the revolutionary Lola GT, which was soon redeveloped by Ford into the eventual Le Mans-winning GT40. Subsequent to Mecom's purchase, 6537 GT was sent to Italy for a new front-end design, including covered single headlamps and an angular frontal treatment with large split radiator-grille openings. An especially interesting detail was in the way the clear headlamp covers were fashioned, with an upper crease matching the precise upper edge of the car's front fenders. As an aside, Mr. Mecom appreciated bespoke Ferrari 330 GT 2+2s, as evidenced by his ownership during the 1980s of 7979 GT, the Carrozzeria Sports Cars (Drogo)-modified "Golden Car," which was recently restored to its period form and sold to a new caretaker at auction in mid-2014. The car offered here next passed from Mecom in 1969 to another owner resident in Georgia, who in turn sold it to Richard Kirzinger of Kentucky. By this time, the car was now finished in Metallic Red but retained its Tan interior. During his tenure with the car, Kirzinger displayed 6537 GT at Ferrari Club of America (FCA) events in Georgia before placing the fascinating car into long-term storage, with it hidden from view until it re-emerged in 2007, with mileage stated at 43,555 miles. A new owner acquired the car that year and submitted it for restoration at Ferrari of Washington in Sterling, Virginia. Among the items addressed, 6537 was given a complete bare-metal refinish in blue, a complete new leather interior was fitted, and the vehicle's mechanical systems were completely recommissioned. The chrome brightwork, including the custom front bumper accompanying the vehicle, was replated as well. Importantly, the engine number matches the car's VIN. In addition to an original Chinetti Motors case containing part of the vehicle's original owner's manual, the sale of 6537 GT includes copious receipts and a thumb drive containing photo-documentation for the recent restorative work. Riding on polished, original Borrani wire-spoke wheels equipped with a set of brand new tires, the offering of 6537 GT provides a truly exciting and rare opportunity for Ferrari connoisseurs to own a truly unique design statement, based on one of Ferrari's best V-12 GT cars of the 1960s and carrying fascinating history. Join Russo and Steele for their 16th annual automotive extravaganza in Scottsdale, Arizona and kick-off the 2016 collector-car calendar in fine style! Running January 27-31, 2016, the Scottsdale auction will showcase over 750 of only the most exclusive, most select and most diverse grouping of automobiles available anywhere in the world and continue their tradition of redefining collector-car auctions with their renowned "For Enthusiasts By Enthusiasts" TM philosophy. The five day event will take place between Scottsdale Road and Hayden Road just south of the North Loop 101 Freeway. Join in on all of the action as Russo and Steele puts the pedal to the metal in the epicenter of the world's foremost collector car event: Scottsdale this January! | 9 | 97,771 | autos |
Toast eaters, it's time to change your ways. A new study in the International Journal of Obesity shows that eating tons of protein in the morning think at least double what you're eating now can help you consume 400 fewer calories throughout the day and burn more fat over time. How much protein are we talking about here? The overweight young adults in the study who experienced the perk ate high-protein breakfasts with 350 calories and 35 g of protein that's the protein equivalent of almost 6 eggs for 12 weeks. Those who ate an average breakfast with about 13 g of protein or skipped the morning meal altogether didn't fare so well, eating 400 more calories throughout the day while experiencing more hunger and, overall, gaining more body fat. The likely reason for the high-protein perk? Improved glycemic control, says Heather Leidy, PhD, study author and assistant professor in the department of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri. Basically, these people had more stable blood sugar, which contributes to reduced desire to eat and improved body composition. But do you really need 35 g of protein to reap all those benefits? Fortunately, recent data suggests that a more doable range of 24 to 30 g of protein in the morning will have similar positive effects, says Leidy. Here are 3 delicious and speedy! ways to achieve just that: Omelet In A Mug: 30 g protein Spray a large mug with cooking spray. Add 2 to 3 whisked eggs; 2 oz sliced deli ham, chopped; 2 Tbsp diced bell pepper; and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and microwave on high for one minute. Stir and break up any large chunks with a fork, then cook again on high until eggs are set, about a minute. Top with a sprinkle of cheese. Protein-Boosted Overnight Oats: 24 g protein In a jar with a lid, combine ½ cup rolled oats, ¾ cup milk, 1 scoop whey protein (we like Source Organic Whey Protein Concentrate ), and toppings like blueberries, slivered almonds, and cinnamon. Mix well and store in the refrigerator, covered, overnight. Cottage Cheese Breakfast Parfait: 30 g protein In a mason jar or mug, layer ½ cup cottage cheese, 2 Tbsp berries, and 1 Tbsp chopped nuts. Repeat layers once, and top with a drizzle of honey. | 7 | 97,772 | health |
Pakistan Security officials have been closely monitoring a university in east Pakistan attended by Tashfeen Malik, the woman involved in last's week's mass shooting in California, because of concerns that Islamist militancy was taking hold there. Malik, a Pakistani, attended the sprawling Bahauddin Zakariya University to study pharmacy between 2007 and 2012. Officials said there was no evidence so far that she was radicalized at the university or had links to any particular militant group. Police and security officials on campus in the Punjabi city of Multan said intelligence officers had been stationed there to monitor the 35,000 students. A police officer said last month, police retrieved weapons from the men's dorms on campus, arrested three students and confiscated mobile phones and laptops from others. A second security official on campus, a police superintendent who also declined to be named, said that a few months ago the university received a letter claiming to be from a banned sectarian group threatening to massacre students. | 5 | 97,773 | news |
If you thought people who post "inspirational" quotes on social media are stupid, you're right! Rob Smith (@robsmithonline) has the findings behind the research to prove it. | 8 | 97,774 | video |
Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma announces her resignation after less than two years in office, saying there is a need for "new ideas" following a fallout within her centre-right party. | 8 | 97,775 | video |
Kobe Bryant appears content to make his farewell tour an exercise in self-indulgence, gorging himself on terrible shots and broken offensive sets. Lakers coach Byron Scott doesn't seem interested in forcing any changes on Bryant, asserting that he has earned the right to clank the Lakers into oblivion. That certainly has not helped the Lakers' win percentage, and it's not doing much for their future either developing their young talent is complicated when the offense is essentially standing around and watching Bryant do his thing, one last time. The shooting guard ranked third in NBA history in career points is shooting 29.6 percent from the field and taking 17.9 shots a game. MORE: Kobe's final season, in photos | 11 key road stops on the retirement tour While this looks like the script for the next four months, it's worth at least considering what Bryant might look like as an effective role player, even if he's unwilling to actually try it out. Shot selection The obvious place to start making Kobe more effective is with his shot attempts. There are 293 players with at least 50 field goal attempts this season. Bryant ranks 11th in attempts per game but 288th in percentage made. To be an effective role player, Kobe would need to dramatically reduce his offensive load, which would theoretically pay benefits for both him and his teammates. If he were taking fewer shots, he could be a lot more selective about the quality of the ones he does take. Fewer (and better) shots equate to a higher field goal percentage, more opportunities for his teammates and a better-spaced offense for his teammates to work in. MORE: Classic photos of Kobe throughout his career Kobe is attempting a career-high 9.0 3-pointers per 36 minutes, making just 21.8 percent. Taking more 3s usually is a positive for a perimeter player with declining athleticism. The problem is that he's taking an insanely difficult mix of 3s. By the NBA's player tracking statistics Kobe is taking 2.7 pull-up 3-pointers a game and making 17.4 percent of them. His catch-and-shoot 3-pointers have been unusually complicated as well. The average defender distance on all catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season is 6.5 feet, but for Bryant, that distance shrinks to 5.3 feet. By Krishna Narsu's KOBE shot selection metric , which includes shot distance, touch time and defender distance, Bryant has the ninth most difficult shot selection of any player in the league with at least 100 shot attempts this season. Defenders know Bryant is going to be aggressive with every opportunity he gets, so they do not give him room even off the ball. If Kobe could focus on catch-and-shoot chances and making sure he is open for them, the team's offensive ecosystem could helpfully slide into a healthier balance. Facilitation Among wing players this season, Bryant has the seventh-highest True Usage (a measure of usage that includes turnovers and scoring opportunities both for the player and that they create for their teammates). His Play-Making Usage (the percent of possessions that involve him creating an assist or potential assist) is an extremely low 8.4 percent, roughly the same as Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. If Kobe is going to drop the act of being a primary scorer and start playing like a complementary player, he'll need to start moving the ball like one. MORE: Kobe deserved a better finish from the Lakers' franchise At 2.97 seconds, the Lakers have the second-longest average touch time in the league this season. As you would expect, they also average the second-fewest passes per game a reflection of how stagnant their offense can be. Kobe's isolations are not solely responsible for the stagnation but they are surely setting the tone. His history of enormous shot totals throughout his career have somewhat masked the fact that he is a skilled passer. The problem has always been that he trusts his own skills more than his teammates' and thus his calculus on what's a better play holding the ball or moving it has always been a little skewed. Kobe's teammates actually have an effective field goal percentage of 68.1 percent on his potential assists, one of the highest marks of any wing in the league. But that number is somewhat inflated because he really only passes when a scoring opportunity for a teammate is obvious. It would be an enormous mental shift, but being a role player means keeping the ball moving, even if it's not an assist opportunity, just getting the ball from side to side, around the perimeter, into the post and back out. Bryant's job has always been to break the defense, and complementing his teammates now means just keeping the defense moving. Playing time Bryant has also had a stranglehold on the starting lineup, starting all 17 games he's played in this season. It would be a significant pride-swallowing, but moving to the bench could be a hugely positive movement for him and the team. According to estimates at Nylon Calculus , Kobe has played about 61.7 percent of his minutes against opponent lineups that have four or five starters on the floor. He has managed an effective field goal percentage of just 33.1 percent in those situations. Against bench-heavy lineups with two or fewer starters on the floor his effective field goal percentage jumps to 43.5 percent still less than ideal but vastly preferrable. Kobe is not the offensive player he once was, but lining him up against opposing second units is a great way to help buoy his efficiency. There is a space there for his isolations and post-ups to come against lesser defensive players and alongside teammates who need more offensive scaffolding to be successful. Starts are an ego-boosting statistic, but Bryant might be able to pump up the rest of his per game averages if he was willing to come off the bench. MORE: Kevin Durant is wrong about Kobe, the media and the future Take better shots, shoot less, move the ball and be flexible with your role these are all hypotheticals and fairly obvious ones at that. There is nothing groundbreaking in their design, and expecting them to happen is pretty silly. If historic levels of inaccuracy and inefficiency haven't changed his behavior to this point, it's hard to imagine anything is going to shove Kobe off course. Sacrificing like this would cut against the grain of Kobe's entire basketball id. He is an "Alpha" and if he's not that, he's nothing. Still, there are a few grains of sand left in the hourglass, and there is still time for Bryant to use his skills for something other than this cringe-worthy victory lap. | 1 | 97,776 | sports |
"Love don't cost a thing" - Nick Cannon Volunteer Together S.O. with a heart of gold? Find a local charity, like a soup kitchen or pet shelter, and volunteer for the day. Culture Shock While museums can have steep ticket prices, many have free or discounted days or hours during off times so you can get cultured on a budget. At Home Spa Create your own spa by drawing a bubble bath, lighting a few candles, and giving each other massages. Bonus points if you get him in a face mask. Hitting the Bases Head to a baseball game to cheer on your favorite team, nom on some hot dogs, and spend the day outside. Arcade Night All you need is quarters for an awesome time at an arcade. Make things more interesting by betting a round of drinks on the person who can win the most prizes. Sing It Karaoke is a *guaranteed* fun night, even if you can't hold a note to save your life. Stick to duets like 03 Bonnie and Clyde and What's My Name? for an extra hilarious time. Look Up When is the last time you lay down on the grass and stared at the stars? Grab a blanket and try to find your favorite constellations. P.S. If you need some guidance, you can download apps like Star Tracker. Brewery or Winery Tour Most local brewery or winery tours are free, and you'll leave with knowledge you can impress your friends plus hopefully some free sips drinks of booze. Favorite Activities Try out some or each other's favorite activities. Show him how to shoot a free throw and then he can demonstrate how to dominate at dominos. Attend a Reading Feel all the feels at a poetry reading, or try to find performances of works by your author by searching local book readings. Go Bowling Yes,the shoes are disgusting, but you'll have a great time with a little friendly competition. On the Water Get adventurous together and rent a kayak, canoe, or paddle boat at a local lake or beach. Rentals should be around $20, and you'll snap the most magnificent Instas. Find a Carnival Carnivals pop up all over town during the spring and summer. Find one near you and grab your guy (or girl!) for a few rides on the Ferris wheel and cotton candy. Cookie or Chocolate Factory Tour Go on a cookie or chocolate factory tour to pretend to pay attention when they explain how your favorite sweets are made, and actually pay attention when they hand out samples. Watch the Sunset Take a moment to decompress and relax by grabbing a bottle (or two) of wine and a date to watch the sunset. Sweat Together Working on your #fitnessgoals? Do some research to find classes with great first timer rates, or "consider joining" a gym and ask to try out their facilities. Pull Up to a Drive-In Movie All you need for this date is a tank of gas and your beau. Discover Dive Bars Switch up your weekend routine and head to a drive bar for a few rounds of darts and cheap drinks. Foreign Film Night Black and white foreign films are oh so romantic, and usually the tickets aren't $$$. Try Fruit Picking Is there any thing that says fall romance quite like couples apple picking? We didn't think so. Hit the Trails See if your boo can keep up on a hike. Plus, you'll be getting a workout in while you date. #efficiency Laugh it Out LOL together at a comedy club amateur night or improve show. Tickets can be as cheap as $5 win/win. Strategic Cooking Don't want to spend cash on going out to eat? Learn how to cook each other's favorite meal a skill that will likely come in handy for future special occasions. Like, any night ever. Concert Under the Stars Rock out at an outdoor concert. Discover an unknown band together, or find some nosebleed seats to enjoy an artist you already know. Go Mini Golfing Pretend that you're PGA champs on a putt putt course and see who can come closest to par. Find Local Art Local galleries tend to have public events when they get in new works. You'll get to mingle with interesting, artsy people, while also scoring some free wine. #Culture Eat Big For a feast on a budget, organize a potluck dinner as a double or triple date. Sneaky, no? Eat Out Picnicking in the park is an adorable and inexpensive classic. We're just excited to dress for the occasion. See a Psychic Get your futures told together at a psychic. Believer or not, you'll both find some predictions to laugh about. Cycle Time Rent bikes to work up a sweat together it can be as little as $20 for the whole day. Rock it Out Get physical at a rock-climbing wall. Race each other to the top, or practice your teamwork getting there. Either way, your arms will feel hella toned after. Skate Your Heart Out Throw back to the days of elementary school birthday parties and spend some time at the roller skating rink. You might be the oldest ones there, but that won't make wooshing past everyone else any less fun. Hit the Beach You + the bf + the sun + the ocean. Need we say more? Trivia Time Head to a bar's trivia night to see which of you know more random facts. Winners usually leave with a cash prize, meaning that you could actually make money on this date. Play Tourist It's easy to scoff at sightseers on your home turf, but have you been to all of the tourist destinations in your city? Play vacationers for the day and check out where the masses armed with cameras are heading. | 4 | 97,777 | lifestyle |
We finally know who is in, but who will win? With the College Football Playoff set, which team is the most likely champion? How this works The Predictalator uses current rosters and strength-of-schedule and efficiency-adjusted team and player stats (weighted slightly more toward recent games), to play every game 50,000 times before it's actually played. For this analysis, we are tracking how likely a team is to make it to and win the championship of the College Football Playoffs. The Most Likely Champion Is… Clemson, Alabama and Michigan State all won titles on college football's conference championship Saturday, but it's the team that didn't play that will win it all. Oklahoma is the No. 1 team in our Power Rankings . The Sooners have won seven straight including three in a row against ranked teams, two of which were on the road. Bob Stoops' team has the most efficient offense in the country. Oklahoma averages 543 yards and 45.8 points per game. After 50,000 simulations, the most likely National Champion is the Oklahoma Sooners . Oklahoma wins 44.6% of all the simulated tournaments. In the most likely National Championship game, the Sooners defeat Alabama 54.8% of the time by an average score of 29-28. Bob Stoops' teams have never lost to the Crimson Tide (in three previous meetings). Of the four teams in the playoff, Michigan State is the weakest. Sparty has four wins over teams that ranked in the top 12 (when they played) but Mark Dantonio's squad doesn't rank in our top ten. Another Big Ten team should be in and it isn't the Iowa Hawkeyes, the conference runner-up. Ohio State lost one game that cost them a shot at the Big Ten Championship and an opportunity to defend their crown. If the Buckeyes, who are the No. 4 team in our Power Rankings, switched places with Michigan State, Urban Meyer would have a 7.5% chance to win his fourth National Championship. In that hypothetical scenario, Oklahoma would still be the most likely champion. Based on the analysis, here is the projected College Football Playoff bracket: Semifinals No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma Oklahoma wins 69.2% of the time and by an average score of 36-29. No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State Alabama wins 82.6% of the time and by an average score of 30-18. National Championship No 2. Alabama vs. No. 3 Oklahoma Oklahoma wins 54.8% of the time and by an average score of 29-28. The likelihoods for each team to win the championship are 44.6% for Oklahoma, 40.3% for Alabama, 12.8% for Clemson and 2.3% for Michigan State. | 1 | 97,778 | sports |
By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude oil prices dipped further on Monday after OPEC failed to agree on output targets to reduce a bulging glut that has cut prices by more than 60 percent since June 2014. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries failed to agree on an oil production ceiling on Friday after a disagreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran meant that the group for the first time in decades didn't even mention an output quota, which previously stood at 30 million barrels per day (bpd). | 3 | 97,779 | finance |
Retirement is a transition into a new phase of life that requires changes to your finances and lifestyle. Here are some of the final preparations you should take care of in the months leading up to retirement. Take advantage of workplace retirement benefits. Your final few months on the job are your last chance to take advantage of workplace retirement benefits . This is a great time to tuck some extra money into a 401(k). Workers ages 50 and older can put as much as $24,000 in a 401(k) account in 2016. Also check to make sure that you are vested in your retirement account. If you aren't vested, you might get to keep only a portion of your employer's contributions to the retirement account, or perhaps even none at all. If you are close to becoming vested, sticking around a few extra months can be worth thousands of dollars in retirement money. Decide whether to roll over your 401(k). Consolidating your retirement accounts can make them easier to keep track of in retirement. Moving your money to an IRA also gives you a wider variety of investment options and sometimes lower fees. "With an IRA, you have essentially the whole world of investing to choose form, and it's going to provide a lot of flexibility for you," says Joe Pitzl, a certified financial planner for Pitzl Financial inArden Hills, Minnesota. However, if you leave your job between ages 55 and 59 1/2 (ages 50 to 59 1/2 for public safety employees), you might want to consider keeping your money in the 401(k) for a few more years. Penalty-free withdrawals from 401(k) accounts are allowed beginning at age 55 (age 50 for public safety employees) when the 401(k) is associated with a job you leave at that age or later. If you roll the money over to an IRA, you will have to wait until age 59 1/2 to avoid the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty on distributions. Set up new health insurance. If you're covered by a group health insurance plan through your job, it's important to secure new health insurance before leaving the company. If you're age 65 or older, you can sign up for Medicare. It's important to enroll in Medicare during the seven-month window around your 65th birthday to avoid permanently higher Medicare Part B premiums . "You should sign up as soon as you can, which is three months before you turn 65," says Ronald Kahan, a medical doctor and author of "Medicare Demystified: A Physician Helps Save You Time, Money, and Frustration." If you continue to work past age 65, sign up within eight months of leaving the job or group health coverage to avoid the penalty. If you plan to retire before age 65, look into purchasing health insurance through your state's health insurance exchange. Select an age to sign up for Social Security. One of the most important retirement decisions you will make is when to start Social Security benefits . Payments are permanently reduced if you claim payments before your full retirement age, which is 66 for people retiring in 2016. Retirement payouts increase if you delay claiming after your full retirement age up until age 70. "If you have two parents who have lived past 90, odds are you may want to consider delaying," says Samantha Fraelich-Rohe, a certified financial planner for IntegriGen Wealth Management in Rockville, Maryland. "If you have health issues, you may want to draw sooner." You can create a My Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount to get a personalized estimate of the amount you will receive if you sign up at various ages. Remember required minimum distributions. After age 70 1/2, you will be required to take annual withdrawals from your traditional retirement accounts. The penalty for missing a distribution is 50 percent of the amount that should have been withdrawn. Your first required minimum distribution is due by April 1 of the year after you reach 70 1/2. All subsequent distributions are due by Dec. 31 each year. However, you don't have to wait until your 70s to start taking distributions from your traditional 401(k)s and IRAs, and paying the resulting income tax bill. "You can accelerate withdrawals from the IRAs between now and age 70, which reduces the required minimum distributions later on in life," Pitzl says.And if you are still working for a company you don't own, you may be able to continue to delay distributions from the 401(k) associated with your current job. Income tax won't be due on most distributions from Roth accounts in retirement, which can help you to lower your annual tax bill. Plan out your first few weeks of retirement. A little relaxation is likely to be your first order of business. But it's also a good idea to start pondering a few longer term goals. You might like to volunteer or upgrade your personal garden. Maybe you want to take some classes or learn to paint. Spend a little time dreaming about the activities that will fill your days . "When you are retired you all of a sudden have a lot more free time than you did before," Fraelich-Rohe says. "The biggest adjustment is having a purpose." | 3 | 97,780 | finance |
Falling oil prices and a weak euro could make imported Christmas trees to the UK more than 10 percent cheaper although as Hayley Platt reports not all retailers are passing on the savings to customers. | 3 | 97,781 | finance |
VIDEO: It comes with a 15-seat movie theater. | 3 | 97,782 | finance |
Cheese covered in live maggots sounds pretty disgusting, right? Well, to some it's a delicacy called Casu Marzu. WTF is Casu Marzu? Casu Marzu, often called the world's most dangerous cheese, is an illegal cheese found in Sardinia, Italy, made from sheep's milk and infested with live maggots. Because of the obvious health implications, the European Union banned the cheese, however it is still available on the black market today. How is it made? The entire process takes a couple of months. First, traditional pecorino cheese is made by heating sheep's milk and letting it sit and cure for about three weeks. After that, the crust is cut off, making it inviting for flies to lay their eggs. The cheese is left in a dark hut for about two to three months so the fly eggs can hatch into larvae. As the larvae eat the rotting cheese, it passes through their bodies and the excretions give the cheese a distinct flavor and texture. The robust Casu Marzu flavor is said to taste akin to that of a ripe gorgonzola . But in reality, you're tasting larvae excrement. How is it eaten? The cheese is typically eaten when the maggots are still alive, as dead maggots are a sign that it has gone bad. (We're serious.) Since the maggots are alive and wiggling (and can jump to great heights when disturbed), diners need to be mindful of their eyes when eating the delicacy. It's important to note that when consuming the cheese, the maggots must be chewed and killed before swallowing, or else they can live in your body and rip holes through your intestines. The cheese is usually enjoyed on a moistened flat bread with a glass of strong red wine. Maggots and merlot anyone? When is it eaten? Casu Marzu has been a part of Sardinian culture for generations and is believed to be an aphrodisiac, often consumed at weddings and celebratory gatherings. YUM, right? Also on HuffPost: | 0 | 97,783 | foodanddrink |
A study by Penn State shows people who work out aren't too concerned about potentially ruining their progress at the bar. Mara Montalbano (@maramontalbano) explains. | 8 | 97,784 | video |
During the recession of 2008 and for a long time afterward, moving dropped off the map, especially for people who were retiring. For some years after the recession began, according to the Brookings Institution, both Florida and Nevada actually suffered out migration not because so many people were moving out of these states, but because nobody was moving in. For half a decade retirees stayed close to home. They couldn't sell their house, so they couldn't move. Many people were forced to retire early, which meant their finances were even more stressed. Many baby boomers also still had kids in school, and so they didn't want to move anyway. But now things have changed. Moving is back in style. In addition to new retirees, there is a backlog of people who retired a few years ago who now want to move out of big expensive states and into warmer, less expensive states . The traditional retirement havens in Florida and Arizona still pull in many retirees. Last year the Phoenix metropolitan area topped the list of cities gaining population among people 55 and older. Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville were in the top ten. But the Carolinas are also drawing their share of retirees, and a lot of retiring baby boomers are setting off for smaller cities like Nashville or Austin. Here are the five main reasons retired people are now moving: They can finally sell their house. The real estate market suffered a historic slump during the Great Recession, and it has been slow to make a comeback. But now both sales and prices have returned to more normal levels, meaning people in California and the Northeast and even in the Midwest to a lesser degree can finally sell their homes. Fewer people are underwater on their mortgage, which means they have more equity, while mortgage rates are still low and credit is easier to obtain. Their stock portfolios have recovered. Baby boomers were not only frozen in place for half a decade, but they suffered huge losses in their savings and retirement nest eggs, which made them more cautious and less likely to pull up stakes and start a new life. Now that markets are back near historic highs, baby boomers are flush with more funds to use for down payments, moving costs and all the other expenses that go along with starting a new life. It's expensive to live in California and the Northeast. Although many states have slowed the rate of increase on real estate taxes New York, for example, instituted a 2 percent cap taxes are still high and going higher, even if at a slower pace. Retirees move to get away from high taxes . But there's also the high cost of insurance, entertainment, heating and all the other necessities of living in the north . I t's cold. Global warming may have brought a marginal rise in temperatures worldwide, but that's cold comfort for those who see the outside thermometer stuck at 20 degrees. The unusually cold and snowy winters of the past two years only add to the motivation of retirees to find a more comfortable lifestyle in a warmer climate. A desire for healthier lifestyles also prompts people to seek out a climate where they can hike and bike and play outdoor sports all year round. They're going to move anyway, so they might as well go someplace nicer. Many boomers are moving not to retire, but to take advantage of late-in-life job opportunities. They have been downsized from their full-time careers, and are now looking at lower paying, but also lower pressure jobs outside major metropolitan areas. Along with low-powered jobs or part-time positions, they're looking forward to gaining more leisure time and paying less "overhead" for their lifestyle. The countertrend. Despite the fact that more people are moving, the majority of retirees still age in place. So don't feel left out if you want to stay in your old neighborhood and live near your children and grandchildren. And then there is one countertrend. While most retirees head south, there are some who turn north. Northern states from Maine to Washington are losing population among those age 55 and over. But four states New Hampshire, Vermont, Idaho and Oregon are appealing enough to actually gain population among people 55 and over. | 3 | 97,785 | finance |
Alex Ferguson warned Jose Mourinho on Monday that football is a high-risk industry, but backed him to find a solution at misfiring Chelsea. Speaking at an event in London, the former Manchester United manager suggested Mourinho is a good leader but is struggling to come to grips with his first period, including a home defeat to promoted Bournemouth at the weekend, their eighth defeat in 15 Premier League games. "If you look at his whole career there has been nothing but a rise all of the time so for the first time in his life he has had to deal with bad publicity, adversity and that is a challenge for him," Ferguson said. "I watched the match on Saturday and they could have won by a few goals, but they lost," added Ferguson, who enjoyed great success during his 27-year spell in Manchester. "Football today is such a big financial industry, the television deal is (worth) billions, there is the press involvement, there is pressure from their own fans, it is a very high risk industry today," warned the Scot. "The sort of average time a manager lasts now is a year throughout the whole country and that is not a big time." Three Premier League sides, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Sunderland, have changed managers so far this season and while Mourinho signed a new four-year deal in August, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is notoriously impatient. Ferguson, however, feels Mourinho can dig deep and turn Chelsea's fortunes around despite their poor form. "I know the guy and I know the work he has done in football and I can't see it lasting long, I can't see it." Chelsea face Mourinho's former club Porto away on Wednesday for their final Champions League Group G tie. With Dynamo Kiev expected to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv, a victory would see Chelsea advance as group winners and a draw in second. Defeat, though, would see the Blues fall into the Europa League. | 1 | 97,786 | sports |
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. New Virginia football coach Bronco Mendenhall plans to rebuild the Cavaliers football program through accountability, discipline and effort. Mendenhall, who has coached the past 11 seasons at BYU, said Virginia is one of the few schools he would have left Provo for when he was introduced on Monday. He said Virginia that the importance he and his wife place on education is part of the reason he took the job at Virginia, which is routinely ranked among the top public institutions in the country. "If the value of education is something that is the core of what and who we are, where else would you go, especially when you can consider your growth and opportunity and a challenge?" he said. Mendenhall has compiled a 99-42 record at BYU, and has guided the Cougars to a bowl game each year. The Cougars are one of just 11 programs to have a bowl streak that long, and Mendenhall will coach BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah on Dec. 19. He replaces Mike London, who resigned after six seasons with a 27-46 record that included just one bowl appearance. Mendenhall said had Virginia not been willing to let him finish the season with his team in Utah, it would have been a "deal-breaker." He agreed to a five-year contract that starts at $3.25 million. Virginia's men's athletic programs won the Capital One Cup with the best overall record in the country last season, winning national championships in soccer, tennis and baseball. "When I look at all the other sports and how well they do, I don't think it's a valid argument to say it can't be done or won't continue to be done at that level in football," Mendenhall said. "That was intriguing to me." He met with the team earlier on Monday, and came away with mixed reviews. "I love challenge. After visiting with the team today, it became very clear that that's what this team needs, and I think for the most part wants," he said. "We'll find that out once the challenge starts, but I think that what they do want. I think they're hungry for success and I believe I specialize in accountability and discipline and effort. "I'm an effort-based coach. I love more than anything guys that try hard." Mendenhall said the Cavaliers' improvement will have to include upgrades in the program infrastructure, including the addition of a football specific building to show that the school is serious about finding success. | 1 | 97,787 | sports |
There are a number of qualities that make a car suited for a long road trip. First, you should really just want to drive the car. We've tackled Power Tour in late-model crossovers and SUVs, and the route and scenery make it fun. However, if you're driving something that looks good and sounds even better, any road will do. We tried to make this a top 10 list, but we couldn't limit ourselves to so few. There are too many cars and too many highways to be that picky. Of the cars we've driven and photographed over the past few years, here are our choices along with their classic-car counterparts (and vice versa). Dodge Viper Contrary to popular belief, Vipers are excellent drivers' cars. While some may think they are a handful on a race course (if you don't know what you're doing), they actually make one heck of a grand-touring car on the highway. They soak up bumps remarkably well and their wide tires glide over potholes narrower tires would fall into. Initially, the interior feels a little tight. That feeling soon gives way as you melt into the seats and it becomes a 640hp, V10 cocoon eating up the open road. Sure, it has a short fuel range, but road trips aren't all about being behind the wheel you've got to get out and get beef jerky and beverages and, besides, you can't admire the gorgeous sheetmetal when you're driving. Pros: Torque, driving feel, torque, gorgeous styling, and torque. Cons: No place to put the cooler. Research the Dodge Viper Classic Counterpart: Cobra Daytona Coupe This is the Viper's granddad. If Dodge could have called its V10-powered roadster a Cobra, they would have, and the hardtop Vipers have always shown some resemblance to the Daytona Coupe, the Cobra that Peter Brock somehow managed to make even more beautiful with a more streamlined body. Of course, you can't drive an original Daytona Coupe they're priceless. Peter Brock told us himself that the Factory Five version is as good as it gets when it comes to replicas. That's good enough for us. Sixth-Gen Camaro SS The HOT ROD staff had racked up more than 4,000 miles in the sixth-generation Camaro SS before they even went on sale. We've driven them in Michigan, New York, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and they handled deserts, mountains, rain, and snow with ease. We even talked with their engineers and learned what makes them tick . Rev-matching six-speed or the quick-shifting 8L90, it's hard to go wrong when they're both behind the 455hp LT1. Pros: Great handling, excellent ride quality, seats are awesome, great value. Cons: Needs more gutsy exhaust. Research the Chevrolet Camaro Classic Counterpart: First-Gen Camaro A vintage Camaro with plenty of power that's ready to cannonball cross-country? That would be the Crusher . After getting an LS7 swap, the Crusher made its way back from Indianapolis through snow without issue. Now it's faster than it has ever been. Shelby Mustang You'd be hard pressed to come up with a car that's got a more loyal following than Mustang. Throw in the Carroll Shelby mystique and you've got a car that will start a conversation at every stoplight and gas station from Long Beach to Long Island. We'd pick Jay Brown's SOHC-powered Shelby clone. It's Drag Week proven and runs 8s on the strip . Pros: Big-block-powered ponycars are practically built for eating up the open road. Cons: Real Shelby Mustangs are expensive. Modern Counterpart: Shelby GT500 Super Snake More powerful than any factory Mustang from the 1960s, these late-model Shelby Mustangs are the rightful heir to the legendary throne. We can't afford one of these, either. Research the Ford Mustang Mach 40 Built by Eckert's Rod and Custom in 2012 , the Mach 40 is a one-off creation that uses a Ford GT V8 engine and driveline inside a one-off, mid-engine Mustang fastback body. No trailer queen, the car competed in the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational, despite the fact that the body was hand-formed. Pros: Engaging cockpit, amazing handling. Cons: It's literally one of a kind, so driving it would be nerve-wracking. Modern Counterpart: Ford GT Prices for Ford's 100th-anniversary GT are still holding strong, a testament to the style and craftsmanship of the limited-production supercar. With a thriving aftermarket of forced induction, they dominate standing-mile competitions and send exotics packing. Hellcat Challenger The largest of the current crop of pony cars gets a bad rap for its curb weight and size, likely from those who have never driven one. Its suspension is capable and its drivetrain is tough as nails. We had a chance to drive a Hellcat across the country and around town, and the 707hp beast is perfectly mild-mannered when you want it to be and its size makes it the most comfortable modern ponycar for long-distance drives , especially for tall occupants. The real road-trip crime in the Challenger line is that Ma Mopar hasn't seen fit to offer a convertible. Research the Dodge Challenger Classic Counterpart: E-body Challenger Obviously, the current Challenger draws heavily from the 1970 and 1971 Challenger, and for good reason; they're arguably the best-looking Mopar that isn't a 1969 Charger. You don't have to recreate Vanishing Point to enjoy taking one on the open road. We especially like this garage-built 1971 Challenger with its honkin' 526ci Hemi. The Moredoor Some people call sedans parts cars, but we've featured a few that we'd definitely welcome into our garage. Mike Martin's 1965 LeMans uses low-buck parts to come out with a great-handling car that fits the whole crew. Pros: Extra room for copilots, often the lowest entry point for a classic, all the aftermarket suspension parts still work. Cons: Not as cool as a wagon. Modern Counterpart: Hellcat Charger Lots of space (even for rear-seat passengers), a comfortable cabin, and 707 hp that can deliver low-11-second quarter-mile times without any drama . What's not to love? The only gripe anyone might have is that there's no manual available. On the other hand, the TorqueFlite eight-speed is so good you won't miss it too much. Research the Dodge Charger Modern Three-Pedal Counterpart: Chevrolet SS If you need four doors and a manual transmission, the Australian-sourced SS has got you covered. You can enjoy a great interior that's perfect for long drives and blending into the crowd, but with one press of the traction control you can let your inner hoon take over (on a closed course, naturally). The newest one even has magnetic ride control like the Corvette and Camaro. Research the Chevrolet SS Any V8, Fullsize Convertible Whether it's a Galaxie , a Bonneville, or a Fury, big, V8 convertibles were made to go long distance and do it in style. Their long wheelbases make for a smooth ride, and the view from the driver seat is tough to beat. With no top in the way, everything from the horizon up to the stars is yours to see. Pros: Wind in your hair, room for all your gear, and every seat has a great view. Cons: Soft tops don't provide much security to valuables inside. Modern Counterpart: Nothing. Sadly, there aren't really any big drop-top cruisers this side of a Bentley. If Cadillac produces the Ciel, count us in. Wagon It can vary by model, but for the most part, we feel that the hierarchy of car models tends to go like this: hardtop coupe/convertible > two-door wagon > two-door posts > four-door wagon > four-door sedan. Therefore Nomads and two-door Chevelle wagons trump Vista Cruisers, which all beat the lowly four-door sedan. Lingenfelter's Vista Cruiser has a supercharged LS3, RideTech suspension, and we dig the green paint. Pros: Rear-facing third-row seats for awkward staring contests with tailgaters. Cons: Lots of glass means it can heat up inside like a greenhouse. Modern Counterpart: Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Yeah, wagons are practical. You can haul four adults and tons of luggage with ease. They also look pretty damn cool. In the Cadillac's case, we think it's the best-looking CTS of its generation. The Magnetic Ride Control is a nice bonus, although we're more interested in the 556hp LSA V8. Research the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon Fullsize 4WD Truck Trucks and SUVs have replaced station wagons in many respects. They're roomy, they can tow, and unlike your average muscle car, you can take them off the beaten path and explore without worry. Pros: Allow for off-road excursions on your road trip. Cons: Other than being extremely commonplace, there's not much to complain about in a modern truck. Classic Counterpart: Vintage 4x4 This 1972 K10 is one of our favorite 4WD trucks of all time. They got all the details right. The commanding seating position would be useful on the highway, even if it's a bit too nice to thrash off road. A Hot Rod Our very own Thom Taylor prefers 1932 roadsters for insane cross-country jaunts, but any hot rod will do. It doesn't have to be Pontiac-powered , but it would be a lot cooler if it was. Pros: You likely won't see anything like it on the road. Cons: You also won't find replacement parts for your beam suspension, so sort it out thoroughly before hitting the road. Modern Counterpart: Factory Five 1933 Hot Rod This is the HOT ROD edition and it has a supercharged Coyote 5.0L that proved itself road-trip worthy on Power Tour 2014. It has a fantastic chassis and, believe it or not, it's roomy for two people. Your Beater You know the one, the project car that you've had for ages and haven't really gotten around to wrenching on? If you plan a road trip, it gives you an excuse to quit procrastinating and fix all of those nagging issues that keep your pile from being a daily driver. Cons: Your beater will find new and interesting ways to break down. Pros: By the end of the trip, you could have a reliable driver and you'll surely have a story. Modern Counterpart: Rental Car You might think that these are the worst cars to take on a road trip. You'd be half right. They're typically front-wheel-drive, underpowered, and bottom-of-the-barrel models, yet even the cramped driver seat of a Soulsucker EX ( pictured ) has a better view of the open road than your couch. If there's no way to get your heap up and running, the rental-car option is always there. Bonus: Rentals are surprisingly nimble off-road, and someone else will clean out the stray sunflower-seed shells and rogue French fries. | 9 | 97,788 | autos |
Theyâll be putty in your hands. | 4 | 97,789 | lifestyle |
The Seattle Seahawks throttled the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, using a suffocating performance against Adrian Peterson and four sacks of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to shut out the Minnesota offense. Bridgewater, a second-year starter, threw for just 118 yards on 28 attempts. The Seahawks hit him seven times, and all those shots might have took a toll on the young quarterback's psyche. "He was so scared," said linebacker Bruce Irvin, via Mike Silver of NFL.com . "Teddy's a really good quarterback, and he's going to do some big things in this league. But we had him (rattled)." Once Peterson (18 yards rushing) was taken away in the first half, the Seahawks feasted on the Vikings offensive line. Rookie Frank Clark had two sacks on Bridgewater, while Irvin and defensive end Michael Bennett provided the other two. Sunday continued a troubling trend for the Vikings, who are as one-dimensional on offense as any team in football. When Peterson doesn't rush for at least 98 yards this season, the Vikings are averaging just 11.8 points per game. Minnesota is also 1-4 in those five games. Bridgewater's development as a quarterback looks to be stunted. Not only are the Vikings leaning heavily on Peterson to move the offense, but when Bridgewater is asked to throw, his offensive line is rarely up to the task. The result has been 34 sacks and dozens of other hits on Minnesota's tough but slender quarterback. Several times on Sunday, Bridgewater took a vicious hit and was slow getting up. He never stays down, but all those hits add up in one way or another. It's clear Bridgewater is becoming quicker to check down, likely because he knows his offensive line can't keep pass-rushers off him for long. Either the ball comes out, or he's going to take another nasty hit. In a sense, Bridgewater is playing scared. Could anyone blame him? He's been asked to bail the Vikings out of impossible situations behind one of the NFL's worst offensive lines. Against Seattle's furious front seven on Sunday, Bridgewater was set up for failure. And plenty of pain. | 1 | 97,790 | sports |
College Football Playoff final rankings: Spartans jump to No. 3, will play Alabama in semifinal After Saturday's conference title games played out as predicted, the biggest question left was how the four teams would be seeded. Clemson and Alabama were the top two and Michigan State climbed to No. 3. HAYES: Sooners have best chance LINEMAKERS: Playoff lines That means Clemson will play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl and Alabama meets Michigan State in the other semifinal in the Cotton Bowl. The complete rankings: 1 Clemson Record: 13-0 Last week: 1 Best wins: Def. North Caolina 45-37 (ACC title), Def. Notre Dame 24-22, def. Florida State 23-13 Lost to: No one MORE: Five things about ACC title game 2 Alabama Record: 12-1 Last week: 2 Best wins: Def. Florida 29-15, Def. LSU 30-16 Lost to: Ole Miss MORE: 5 things about Bama's win 3 Michigan State Record: 12-1 Last week: 5 Best wins: Def. Iowa 16-13 (Big Ten title), Def. Ohio State 17-14; def. Michigan 27-23 Lost to: Nebraska MORE: Five things we learned 4 Oklahoma Record: 11-1 Last week: 3 Best wins: Def. Baylor 44-34, def. Oklahoma State 58-23 Lost to: Texas MORE: What we learned about Oklahoma 5 Iowa Record: 12-1 Last week: 4 Best win: Def. Northwestern 40-10 Lost to: Michigan State (Big Ten title game) MORE: Top 10 Hawkeyes of all-time 6 Stanford Record: 11-2 Last week: 7 Best wins: Def. USC 41-22 (Pac-12 title), Def. Notre Dame 38-36 Lost to: Northwestern, Oregon MORE: Five things from Stanford's win 7 Ohio State Record: 11-1 Last week: 6 Best win: Def. Michigan 42-13 Lost to: Michigan State MORE: Ohio State finally plays like champions 8 Notre Dame Record: 10-2 Last week: 8 Best win: Def. USC 41-31 Lost to: Clemson, Stanford Toughest remaining game: Regular season complete MORE: Top 10 Notre Dame players of all time 9 Florida State Record: 10-2 Last week: 9 Best win: Def. Florida 27-2 Lost to: Georgia Tech, Clemson Toughest remaining game: Regular season complete MORE: Top 10 Seminoles of all time 10 North Carolina Record: 11-2 Last week: 10 Best win: Def. Miami 59-21 Lost to: Clemson (ACC title game), South Carolina MORE: Fedora says penalty call was wrong 11 Nos. 11-25 11. TCU (10-2) 12. Ole Miss (9-3) 13. Northwestern (10-2) 14. Michigan (9-3) 15. Oregon (9-3) 16. Oklahoma State (10-2) 17. Baylor (9-3) 18. Houston (12-1) 19. Florida (10-3) 20. LSU (8-3) 21. Navy (9-2) 22. Utah (9-3) 23. Tennessee (8-4) 24. Temple (10-3) 25. USC (8-5) | 1 | 97,791 | sports |
Aside from building a coal-fired power station, the thing that activates your brain's climate-guilt gland the fastest is taking a luxurious bath. Unfortunately, using a shower isn't that much better for the planet, which is why Dutch startup Hamwells has built the ultimate in eco-washing facilities. The company is showing off its first-generation e-Shower here at TechCrunch Disrupt , and the device does for showers what Dyson did for vacuum cleaners : makes it an object of desire. There's just one downside, and that's how much you're going to have to spend to own one. The biggest difference between the e-Shower and its brethren (aside from the fact that there's an extra E in the name) is that it recycles water. As opposed to a regular shower, the unit hoovers up the liquid that pools in the bottom of the shower tray, filters it, warms it back up and pumps it out the top again. According to the company's Eric van Duin, the same droplet will be cycled through up to seven times before being discarded, with only 15 liters of fresh hot water being added to each cycle. That translates to an 80 percent reduction in gas or electricity use and a 90 percent reduction in the amount of water used. It works by drawing up the water from the dray and passing it through a solid filter that sits just above the plughole. From there, it's run under a UV filter that should kill any lingering bacteria and other such aqueous nasties before being mixed with up to 1.5 liters of fresh hot water to being it back up to temperature. In terms of servicing, the only thing that you'll have to do is run a bottle of diluted vinegar through the pipes once a year to clean out any accumulated limescale, as well as rinse out the filter at the bottom of the tray every now and again, The technology doesn't stop there, either, since the whole front panel of the device is also a Bluetooth speaker. Simply connect your phone to the unit before you get in and you'll be able to enjoy the morning radio or Spotify playlist of your choice. Four buttons on the side of the display will also let you activate / deactivate the shower, also letting you have granular control of the water temperature. The companion app for iOS / Android also does the usual things that such services offer, like letting you gamify your showering and make you feel smug about how much money you'll save each morning. Of course, you'll have to feel smug about the money you're saving, because this device will cost you a pretty penny: €2,950 ($3,190). The firm promises that you'll make that money back after around five years, but that's a lot of shower compared to what you can pick up in your local branch of Lowe's. That, unfortunately, doesn't stop me from wanting one, although I'll have to wait until I win big on the tables before I pick one up. If you aren't troubled by that sort of money, then you can pre-order one now for shipping next June. | 5 | 97,792 | news |
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday that most oil smuggled by the Islamic State group goes through Turkey, joining a chorus of countries linking it with the jihadists' financing. During a meeting with Germany's visiting foreign minister, Abadi stressed the "importance of stopping oil smuggling by (IS) terrorist gangs, the majority of which is smuggled via Turkey," a statement from his office said. Relations with Ankara have improved since Abadi took office in 2014, but tensions remain over issues including the Syrian civil war, and more recently a row over a Turkish military deployment in northern Iraq. It is the latest in a series of accusations linking Turkey and oil smuggling by IS, which overran large parts of Iraq last year and also holds major territory in neighbouring Syria. Russia accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of involvement in the IS oil trade, to which he responded that Russia was in fact involved. Iranian media then picked up Russia's claims, prompting Erdogan to lash out at his Iranian counterpart. And Mohsen Rezaie, secretary of Iran's Expediency Council, said Iranian military advisors on the ground in Iraq and Syria had images of IS oil trucks going to Turkey. The US has meanwhile said that IS oil smuggling through Turkey is not significant, prompting Moscow to accuse Washington of a cover-up. Iran and Russia are open backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, while Turkey supports rebels seeking his overthrow and the US has also called for him to leave power, but is more directly concerned with IS. Baghdad has close ties to Iran and is viewed as sympathetic to Assad, and various Iraqi militia groups have fought in Syria on his behalf, but Iraq has sought to avoid publicly taking sides in the conflict. In recent days, Baghdad has accused Ankara of sending troops to northern Iraq, where Turkey has been training anti-IS forces, without its knowledge or approval and demanded they be withdrawn. | 5 | 97,793 | news |
Former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian has filed a lawsuit against the school for $30 million after the way he was fired by the Trojans. | 1 | 97,794 | sports |
You're hard on your feet, likely taking at least 8,000 steps a day. ( Find out how to make that 10,000 .) And let's be honest, how much TLC do you really give them except for an occasional pedicure? It's time to start paying more attention. Begin here: We asked podiatrists what you can do to keep your feet in top condition. Consider their advice a step in the right direction. Don't go barefoot in a public shower. You've heard it before, but it's worth repeating: Gym showers and locker-room floors are a big-time breeding ground for the fungus that causes athlete's foot , so be sure to wear flip flops or water shoes, says Casey Ann Pidich, DPM, an associate at Big Apple Foot & Ankle Care in New York City. Take extra care drying your feet too, working the towel in between your toes. By the same token, if you book a pedicure grab the first appointment of the day when the tubs are likely to be the cleanest. (Here are the 10 worst germ hot spots that you touch everyday .) Your feet can clue you in to your overall health. For example, if the hair on your toes suddenly disappears and the skin on your feet gets thinner or shiner, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) poor circulation caused by a buildup of plaque in the leg arteries may be to blame, says Amanda Meszaros, DPM, a podiatrist in Oberlin, OH. PAD is a major red flag for heart problems or a stroke since clogged arteries in the legs are usually associated with blockages elsewhere in the body. Also look out for extremely dry skin and foot ulcers that don't heal; they may be triggered by undiagnosed diabetes since high blood glucose levels decrease sweat and oil production, points out Meszaros. Pointy pumps are the worst. Shoes that push the big toe into smaller toes set you up for bunions, bumps that form over the bone at the base of the big toe, says Pidich. The skin overlying the bunion may become red, irritated, and swollen, making walking painful . Your ideal high heels: ones with a wide toe box and heels under two inches. The length of your toes is a big deal. If your second toe is longer than your first toe (that's the case for an estimated 20 to 30% of Americans), you're at increased risk for bunions, hammer toes (ones that are bent downward), and even back problems due to how you distribute pressure throughout your body, says Robert F. Weiss, DPM, director of the Foot & Ankle Institute at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. "All the weight should push off your first toe, but when the second one is longer, it rolls and flattens, causing all kind of foot problems," he explains. If you do have this condition (called Morton's Toe), talk to your podiatrist about the best kind of footwear for the shape of your feet, since ill-fitting shoes make the condition worse. Toenail fungus is so stubborn. If your toenails have started to discolor or are becoming thicker and more brittle, chances are fungus is to blame. "While nails clear up in time by taking antifungal pills, your risk of a reoccurrence is high so I recommend a topical cream to help prevent it," says Timothy Swartz, DPM, chief of podiatry of Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic region. Keeping your foot dry and changing out of sweaty socks can help prevent the fungus, which thrives in warm, moist environments and can invade your skin through tiny cuts or the small separation between the nail and nail bed, from rearing its ugly head in the first place. It's not your imagination: your feet really are getting bigger. Even if you didn't put on weight, chances are you went up at least a half-size in the last decade. Feet become both longer and wider as you age because the tendons and ligaments that link tiny bones lose elasticity. Get your feet measured at least once a year so you know your true size, suggests Dr. Swartz. Wearing shoes that don't fit properly can cause more than discomfort it can create or accelerate a bunion or cause blisters, among other issues. Diabetics need to take special care of their feet. If you have diabetes , check your feet daily for blisters, cuts, redness, and ulcers. If wounds are neglected you might get an infection, which could lead to serious consequences, including amputation. It's not rare: Every year, more than 70,000 Americans with diabetes lose a foot. "Diabetics who lose a foot have a 50 percent chance of dying within five years," warns Bradley A. Levitt, DPM, a podiatrist in Virginia Beach. If you keep spraining your ankle, you're not a klutz. Some people are just genetically pre-disposed to weak ankles, says Dr. Swartz. Strengthen your injury-prone ankles with these 3 moves . You might not be lacing your sneakers right. If you have high arches and get redness and pain on the top of your feet, skip the 2 middle holes in your lacing and loop them vertically on the sides of your shoes instead, suggests podiatrists at The Center for Podiatric Care and Sports Medicine in New York City. You'll lose a little stability but what you gain in comfort will make it worthwhile. Use deodorant down there. Yep, the same kind of roll-on that you apply to your armpits can help prevent the foul smells caused by the sweat glands in your feet. More on MSN 7 Gross Things That Can Happen to Your Body at the Gym 15 Tips For Taking Control of Stress | 7 | 97,795 | health |
USA TODAY Sports' Lindsay H. Jones offers perspective on the biggest story lines from Week 13 and whether it's time to panic moving forward. | 1 | 97,796 | sports |
After departing Bath Iron Works in Maine and navigating down the Kennebec River, the Navy's latest and largest destroyer is headed out to sea for trials Accompanied by tugboats after being put into the drink, more than 200 shipbuilders, sailors, and locals gathered to watch the 600-foot and 15,000-pound USS Zumwalt steam off into service. Bath Iron Works will be testing the ship's performance and making tweaks this winter. Their goal is to deliver the craft to the Navy sometime next year. | 8 | 97,797 | video |
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Monday that he would soon announce changes to the national alert system to warn the public about terrorism risks. The changes come amid fresh concerns about terrorism in the United States after last Wednesday's shooting in San Bernardino, California, although they were not specifically prompted by it. President Barack Obama has called the shooting, in which 14 people were killed, an act of terrorism. Johnson proposed revising the alert system after five U.S. service members in Chattanooga, Tennessee, were killed in July in a shooting that has also been investigated as terrorism. "We need to get ... to a new system with an intermediate level," Johnson said at a security forum on Monday, adding he planned to outline specific changes in the coming days. The National Terrorism Advisory System is triggered by specific, credible information on a possible threat. The NTAS in 2011 replaced a color-coded alert system, but Johnson said more changes were needed. "We need a system that adequately informs the public about what we are seeing," Johnson said. Johnson said the NTAS system had such a high bar for alerts that the government never used it. Security officials need to do a better job of informing the public about global terrorist threats and providing guidance, he added. A DHS official said later that the move will involve changes to the existing NTAS system but not be a new system. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Frances Kerry) | 5 | 97,798 | news |
Keith Urban's father lost his long battle with cancer on December 5th, and the country music star has released a statement giving thanks to everyone who has sent him love and support in this difficult time. | 8 | 97,799 | video |
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