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NBA League Pass Alert: Kristaps Porzingis, meet Dirk Nowitzki Welcome to League Pass Alert, a weekly selection of the most notable, interesting games not on national television. Last week, the Jazz and Pacers played one of the season's most exciting games, Golden State pushed to 22-0 (including Stephen Curry's insane third quarter in Charlotte) and Kobe Bryant turned back the clock with a 31 point performance. MORE: Porzingis an East All-Star? Who else? | And who joins Kobe on the West? | NBA scout breaks down the best rookies This week, NBA League Pass will feature Nowitzki-Porzingis I, the Warriors looking to continue their winning streak and a trio of big Oklahoma City games. 1 Monday, Dec. 7 Washington Wizards at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET In many ways, the Heat have been what the Wizards were expected to be: a team with strong continuity that charged out of the gate looking to challenge the Cavs for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards do not have a natural counter for Chris Bosh's versatility but John Wall should be able to get wherever he wants on the floor. Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET Dirk Nowitzki vs. Kristaps Porzingis is all a League Pass aficionado should need to hear. Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET Karl-Anthony Towns faces one of the league's most athletic centers in DeAndre Jordan. Depending on who the Clippers can play, they may have trouble finding someone to handle Andrew Wiggins on the offensive end. NATIONAL GAME Boston Celtics at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV 2 Tuesday, Dec. 8 Portland Trail Blazers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET This game would look very different if the Cavs had their full complement of guards but their depleted arsenal makes this a more interesting one-off game. Matthew Dellavedova will likely spend quality time guarding Damian Lillard while Al-Farouq Aminu can bolster his credentials with a solid performance on LeBron. Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET While time has taken some of the luster off this rivalry, this still has the potential to be a fascinating game. Tony Allen on Kevin Durant has been must-see TV for years now. NATIONAL GAMES Golden State Warriors at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. ET, NBA TV 3 Wednesday, Dec. 9 Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m. ET Charlotte's new-found floor spacing has become even more prevalent in Al Jefferson's absence and could make them better suited to cause problems for Miami. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would normally take the Dwyane Wade assignment, but Steve Clifford will have to adjust in his absence. Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m. ET Compelling matchups all around the court but especially in the backcourt. James Harden and the Rockets are getting closer to being on track but the Wizards have the firepower to exploit any defensive lapses. San Antonio Spurs at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m. ET A potentially fun game between two teams playing well right now. The Spurs have been cruising in the Warriors' wake hype-wise but are outscoring opponents by 10 points per game while the Raptors have nice wins over Cleveland, Indiana and Oklahoma City. NATIONAL GAMES Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN 4 Thursday, Dec. 10 Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET Many will think this makes it on because of the lottery implications but it could be a worthwhile game as well. Brett Brown will have to decide how to apportion Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor's minutes when Brook Lopez is on the floor and the Nets will have to figure out the best way to contain Robert Covington. Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m. ET Another Thursday where arguably the most watchable game airs on League Pass. Plenty of star power with compelling matchups all over the floor from Russell Westbrook vs. Jeff Teague to Paul Millsap vs. Serge Ibaka. NATIONAL GAMES Los Angeles Clippers at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m. ET, TNT New York Knicks at Sacramento Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT 5 Friday, Dec. 11 Friday, Dec. 11 Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. ET Orlando had an under the radar 5 game winning streak over the last few weeks and have played substantially better since staggering Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo's minutes. The Cavs have scuffled a little after a strong start but still possess a collection of talent Orlando will have trouble containing. Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET (Game of the Week) Boston has played strong teams well again this season and Marcus Smart has the physical tools to do a nice job on Stephen Curry. If Brad Stevens can figure out how to best utilize his myriad options, the Celtics could make this a game worth watching to the end. Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET Even though it is not the first time back in Salt Lake City since last season's deadline trade, an Enes Kanter return game makes the list. Due to Gobert's knee injury, we could see former teammates Kanter and Derrick Favors go at it on both ends and the Jazz have some interesting defenders to put on Kevin Durant. NATIONAL GAMES Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN 6 Saturday, Dec. 12 Indiana Pacers at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. ET Paul George has continued his great stretch and will need to have a strong performance because the Drummond/Jackson pick and roll should be in full force here. If Frank Vogel can maximize his team's advantage when Detroit's starters are off the floor, the Pacers can pick up a significant road win. New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m. ET Beating the Cavs last week showed that the Pelicans are getting back to their normal selves, helped by the return of Tyreke Evans. The Bulls have a series of potential stoppers for Chicago native Anthony Davis and Taj Gibson may stand the best chance of handling AD. Golden State Warriors at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:30 p.m. ET The Bucks have not played defense as well this season but they may be the Eastern Conference team best suited to slowing down Golden State's remarkable offense considering their insane length. That said, Milwaukee will need to score to keep the Warriors out of transition and that could prove challenging. NATIONAL GAME San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV 7 Sunday, Dec. 13 Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns, 3:30 p.m. ET Tyson Chandler is not the athlete he was in his prime but his knowledge and length make him a tough matchup for current Rookie of the Year favorite Karl-Anthony Towns. If the Suns want to establish themselves as playoff contenders in the West, they will need to handle big swingmen like Andrew Wiggins. Memphis Grizzlies at Miami Heat, 6 p.m. ET Mario Chalmers' first game back in Miami also marks a notable test for Memphis' collection of big men. The Heat can play more traditional with Bosh and Whiteside but can also stretch the floor with smaller lineups. Hopefully we get some extended periods of Tony Allen defending Dwyane Wade. | 1 | 97,900 | sports |
DALLAS Oil prices have been lower for longer than expected. Now, with OPEC's decision to keep pumping at current levels, analysts expect oil to remain relatively cheap well into 2016 and maybe longer. That, of course, is good news for consumers and fuel-guzzling industries like airlines, but oil producers are being squeezed and thousands of workers in the oil patch have been laid off. The price of a barrel of oil fell Monday to $37.65, a nearly seven-year low. Energy stocks, from giants Exxon and Chevron down to independent producers, took a beating. What's causing the upheaval? Simply put, supply and demand are out of synch, and that's causing ripples across economies, creating winners and losers. ROBUST SUPPLY, SO-SO DEMAND U.S. oil production rose from 5 million barrels a day in 2008 to an estimated 9.3 million barrels a day in 2015. That unexpected surge, coupled with OPEC's unwillingness to cut production, left the world awash in oil and sank prices. Supply is outpacing demand by about 1.4 million barrels a day, according to Judith Dwarkin, chief economist at ITG Investment Research. Meanwhile, economic growth has been slower than expected, undercutting demand for energy. China's economy has slowed, Japan is in recession, and Europe continues to struggle. The U.S. economy is growing, but more-efficient cars have blunted the need for more fuel. The U.S. government predicts U.S. production will drop 6 percent next year as oil companies curtail unprofitable projects. Globally, "it could take well into 2017 to work off the surplus inventory," Dwarkin said. HEYDAY FOR CONSUMERS Motorists see the effect of cheaper crude every time they fill up. According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline on Monday was $2.03 and should soon drop below $2 for the first time since 2009. Gas is already below $2 at nearly two-thirds of the nation's 130,000 gas stations, according to the price-watching site GasBuddy.com. A gallon of diesel is more than $1 cheaper than at this time last year, benefiting shippers. Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for Oil Price Information Service, says the nationwide average could drop as low as $1.75, before turning around in the spring, possibly going as high as $2.75 in time for driving season. All that pocket change and low interest rates are leading many consumers to splurge on new cars, particularly bigger ones. SUV sales have jumped 45 percent since November 2012, when gas was around $3.63 a gallon. But car-buying in key oil states has tailed off, according to IHS Automotive. New vehicle registrations in Texas and North Dakota rose just slightly this year through September, after outpacing the nationwide growth in the boom oil years. Saving on gasoline could improve shoppers' holiday spirit. Cheaper gas "frees up money that could be spent elsewhere, so that's a plus for holiday shopping," said Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics at Moody's Analytics. Cheap oil also translates to lower heating bills. The average household using heating oil will spend $1,360 this year, $493 less than last winter, according to the EIA. Big airlines such as American, United and Delta burn billions of gallons of jet fuel every year, and savings from cheaper fuel are helping them post record profits. Thanks to cheaper fuel, travelers are seeing a slight drop in average airfares after five straight years of fares rising faster than inflation. PRODUCERS FEEL THE PAIN Oil companies, their employees, and their subcontractors are feeling the pinch from lower prices. Profits are down at the majors such as Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp., but independents are suffering more. "Exxon is not going to go out of business even if oil goes down to $10," said Fadel Gheit, an energy analyst for Oppenheimer. But many smaller independents will be forced to consolidate because they can't handle the higher costs of acquiring acreage, expensive drilling technology and declining fields in the U.S., he said. "It can't get any bleaker." According to government figures released Friday, the energy and mining sector that's mostly oil and gas exploration and production has lost 122,300 jobs in the last year. Paychecks for those still employed are smaller: Average wages in the energy industry have fallen 1.5 percent at a time when other workers are earning slightly more than they did a year ago. On Monday, the NYSE ARCA Oil and Gas index dropped nearly 4 percent. Exxon and Chevron fell more than 2 percent, while smaller oil companies suffered steeper losses. GOVERNMENTS FEEL PINCH Several energy-producing states, such as Alaska, mapped out budgets based on oil at $50 to $60. Their plans are crumbling now that crude prices are around $40. Natural gas prices also are down sharply and the future for coal looks bleak. In North Dakota, overall revenues are 7.5 percent lower than were expected for the two-year budget cycle that began July 1. Overseas, collapsing oil prices have undercut exports and the economy in Venezuela, leading to shortages of goods and contributing to the ruling socialist party's defeat in legislative elections Sunday. In Russia, the government budgeted its spending on $50 crude. Its oil-dependent economy is expected to shrink 3.4 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. On Monday, the ruble fell 1.3 percent against the dollar to a three-month low. ___ AP Writers Tom Krisher an Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Ben Neary in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Christopher Rugaber and Josh Boak in Washington, Joshua Goodman in Caracas, Venezuela, and Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report. | 3 | 97,901 | finance |
There's been little improvement in the country's food accessibility in recent years, and that's bad news for millions of Americans. America's top 75 food retailers led by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Costco, Target and Safeway opened more than 10,000 new locations between 2011 and the first quarter of 2015, according to an analysis published Monday by The Associated Press . But when the AP stripped away convenience stores and dollar stores that don't usually provide fresh meal options, it found that only a little over 250 new supermarkets cropped up in the country's expansive food deserts, which held more than 18 million U.S. citizens as of 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture . Federal agencies define a food desert as a community that doesn't have sufficient access to fresh, healthy and affordable food typically provided by a supermarket or grocery store. At least 500 people or 33 percent of a region's population must live more than a mile from the nearest supermarket or grocery store for census tracts to be considered food deserts. For non-metro regions, that distance benchmark is extended to 10 miles. Such communities are also generally low-income, with poverty rates of at least 20 percent of the overall population or "a median family income at or below 80 percent of the area median family income," according to the USDA. Though food deserts are prevalent in the Mid-Atlantic and the South, the USDA projects that large swathes of the Midwest and West Coast also struggle to meet Americans' food accessibility needs. "Efforts to encourage Americans to improve their diets and to eat more nutritious foods presume that a wide variety of these foods are accessible to everyone. But, for some Americans and in some communities, access to healthy foods may be limited," said a 2012 USDA report, which found that nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population lived in a low-income area more than a mile from a supermarket, based on 2006-2010 census data. About 2 percent of the population lived more than a mile from the nearest grocer and didn't have a car or other vehicle on hand, the report said. That only 250 new options have popped up across the country's food deserts over the last several years is disconcerting, and comes on top of the fact that a group of grocers and retailers back in 2011 vowed to open or expand more than 1,500 stores to "serve communities throughout the country that currently do not have access to fresh produce and other healthy foods," according to the White House . That initiative, which is known as the Partnership for a Healthier America and is spearheaded by first lady Michelle Obama, was largely expected to meet its goals by mid-2016 . But Wal-Mart is one of the only partners to have completed its stated mission from more than four years ago. Walgreens, The Fresh Grocer, SuperValu and Calhoun Foods are among other partners who haven't yet hit their benchmarks, according to the AP's analysis. Research into the precise economic costs associated with America's food deserts is limited, in part because store locations are impacted primarily by supply and demand dynamics. Stores will set up shop in regions where they'll turn a profit, so it's hard to justify setting up a major grocery chain in a small town with an existing competitor only a mile or two away. It's also a tricky business to quantify, considering store counts are constantly in flux. Each time a grocer opens up for the first time or shuts down for good , a given region's status shifts. But those who lose out are ultimately the millions of Americans whose shopping is restricted by distance and time. A study published in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review suggested "lower-income shoppers must travel further and/or have fewer shopping options than do higher-income shoppers." That means more gas costs and more vehicular mileage for desert-dwellers, and fewer shopping options generally equates to less intense pricing competition for local stores, which could allow grocers to boost prices or offer products of poorer quality. "If a number of food stores are relatively close by, competition on price, quality and other store attributes is likely to be greater, and consumers are likely to benefit," the 2012 USDA report said. "If a store is the only one nearby, there is likely to be less competition on these attributes." Other research suggests healthier food options are typically limited in low-income regions, as a team of Yale University professors concluded after a regional supermarket analysis that "lower-income neighborhoods (compared to those in higher-income neighborhoods) stock fewer healthier varieties of foods and have fresh produce of much lower quality." Food desert residents thus face both geographic and selection limitations, which could push consumers toward less healthy fare. The first lady's initiative is aiming to improve the accessibility of nutritious and affordable meals, but as 2016 approaches, there's still a lot of work to do. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report | 5 | 97,902 | news |
When the series entitled Rambo: New Blood was first announced as being in development for FOX, reports claimed that Stallone was heavily involved in the project's creation, and would serve as an executive producer. That film presented John Rambo as a shell-shocked vet, pushed to the edge by a needlessly aggressive lawman. a rep for the action legend, who says that his client won't be involved in the series "in any way at all."FOX's development deal is said to have been negotiated under the pretense that the actor would be involved in some capacity. With the recent success of Creed, Stallone is likely to have his pick of what to make next, and resurrecting another of his storied franchises seems like a logical move. | 8 | 97,903 | video |
Two former central bank chiefs and a former British prime minister will sit on a new board to advise Pimco Investment Management Co on economic, political and strategic developments, the bond investing firm said on Monday. The Pimco Global Advisory Board includes Ben Bernanke, who chaired the U.S. Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014 and was named a senior Pimco adviser in April, and Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank from 2003 to 2011. It also includes Gordon Brown, the U.K. prime minister from 2007 to 2010; Ng Kok Song, who was group chief investment officer of the Government of Singapore Investment Corp sovereign wealth fund from 2007 to 2013; and Anne-Marie Slaughter, president of the think tank New America and a former U.S. Department of State policy director. Pimco, a unit of Allianz SE (ALVG.DE), had about $1.47 trillion of assets under management as of Sept. 30. The firm said the board will meet several times a year at its Newport Beach, California, office and elsewhere, and attend an annual forum for the firm's portfolio managers and analysts. Dan Ivascyn, Pimco's group chief investment officer, said in a statement that the board's insights "will be a valuable input to our investment process." Pimco has struggled with more than two years of outflows from its flagship Total Return Fund, although the fund has outperformed about 85 percent of its peers this year according to Morningstar Inc. Other funds have had inflows. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler) | 3 | 97,904 | finance |
Global PC sales are still falling, and will likely remain on the decline through 2016, a market tracker said Monday. The research firm IDC said it expects worldwide personal computer sales to slide 10.1 percent in 2015 and predicted a 3.1 percent drop for 2016, which would be a fifth consecutive down year. The market is "expected to stabilize by the end of 2016 and grow slightly" in the following three years, helped by replacement of older machines, IDC said. The market suffered a 2.1 percent drop in 2014 after a 9.8 percent slump the prior year and a four percent dip in 2012. PC sales have been hit by a variety of factors including a shift to mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. Over the past year, a strong dollar and economic and political turmoil in parts of the world. But over time, consumers and enterprises will eventually need to upgrade their PCs and adopt the new Windows 10 operating system. "Despite the substantial shift in spending and usage models from PCs toward tablets and phones in recent years, very few people are giving up on their PC -- they are just making it last longer," said Loren Loverde, an IDC analyst. Microsoft recently dropped technical support for Windows XP and will likely do so in the near future for Windows 7, which will force many users to upgrade. "The free upgrade to Windows 10 enables some users to postpone an upgrade a little, but not indefinitely," Loverde said. "Some consumers will use a free OS upgrade to delay a new PC purchase and test the transition to Windows 10. However, the experience of those customers may serve to highlight what they are missing by stretching the life of an older PC, and we expect they will ultimately purchase a new device." | 3 | 97,905 | finance |
Jim Cramer is struggling to explain the amazing run that Acuity Brands (AYI) , the big lighting conglomerate, has had recently. It's a company that barely anyone has heard of and provides not more than indoor and outdoor lighting solutions but with a stock that has been absolutely unstoppable in the past 3 years. Since the beginning of 2015, Acuity has rallied more than 60 percent. Back in 2008 this company was almost exclusively an old fashioned lighting provider; it didn't even sell LED-based products. But in 2013, the stock started to roar and hasn't stopped since. Cramer used this stock as an example that even the most boring companies out there can transform themselves into something exciting. Acuity has gone from being an old-school lighting play, to a cutting edge innovator with a growing role in the Internet of things (IoT) revolution and LED lighting. "I think it has more room to run, because when a stock goes from the prosaic to the proprietary, good things tend to happen for many years to come," Cramer said. Stocks were brought down by a startling decline incrude oil (@LCO.1) on Monday, leading Jim Cramer to wonder if fossil fuels are the next tobacco stocks. While the " Mad Money " host has always regarded lower oil prices as being a positive impact for consumers, the reality is they are having a horrendous impact on the stock market. There have been huge declines in the master limited partnership space, a group that has been known for its large distributions. Cramer thinks this is partly because there is a sense that the group is finished with OPEC, even trying to cut down production, and also because the stock of pipeline company Kinder Morgan (KMI) has been falling apart. "Lower oil prices aren't helping the market, as they should. Instead they are hurting it because so many individuals are panicking out of both the bad stocks, and the good ones," Cramer said. (Tweet This) Cramer recommended for investors to allow the selling to occur, until it stops. Then it will be safe enough to pull the trigger on high-quality stocks at bargain prices. At a time when most of the retail group is in a world of pain, Jim Cramer found two remaining retail stores that took Wall Street by surprise when they reported blowout quarters in the past few weeks. After getting pounded along with the market in the third quarter, dollar store chains Dollar Tree (DLTR) and Dollar General (DG) have been roaring lately. "I think this is one part of retail that still has a lot of upside," the " Mad Money " host said. Cramer's reasoning took into consideration the recent tremendous job growth in the economy. While there may be a growing employment number, wages are not increasing. Thus, consumers are still feeling cash-strapped due to stagnant wages, increasing health care costs and the rising cost of rent. In short, there is a large group of consumers that still feel like they can only afford to shop at places that feature terrific bargains, like Dollar Tree and Dollar General. If history is any guide, then Jim Cramer thinks Chipotle (CMG) could have a long way to go to restore investor confidence in its stock. An e-coli outbreak caused November same-store sales to plunge an incredible 16 percent, and the negative publicity could prompt further declines of 8 to 11 percent this quarter. But looking back in history, Cramer thinks it could be longer. The last big e-coli outbreak occurred with Taco Bell in 2006. The company saw a 5 percent decrease in same-store sales once onions were identified as the source of the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immediately pulled the onions from Taco Bell's menu, but until things were completely under control the stock had an additional 11 percent decline in the next quarter followed by a 7 percent decline and a 6 percent decline in the two quarters following. "These numbers from Chipotle are obviously much worse, which is a little surprising given the brand loyalty that Chipotle has versus Taco Bell, but it makes sense given the company's inability to get control over the situation," the " Mad Money " host said. This past May, information technology services vendor Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) announced it would break itself up into two publicly traded companies one to serve commercial clients, and another that would exclusively serve the U.S. government. But are these companies worth owning? Cramer weighed in. "I have to tackle this issue because I can tell you Wall Street sure isn't. There is like nothing written about these companies of any real value, so here we go," the "Mad Money" host said. After doing his research, Cramer found that while its CEO Mike Lawrie has done a fantastic job turning around CSC, he thinks the ship as pretty much sailed for this company and investors have already missed the move in the stock. "At this point, CSC has plucked all of the low-hanging fruit and I think it will be much harder for them to grow going forward," Cramer said. For those investors looking for a commercial IT outsourcing play, Cramer recommended Accenture. As for CSRA, Cramer agreed that it could have some upside but thinks investors should only buy it if they believe the Federal government will ramp up on its non-defense spending in the future. In the Lightning Round, Cramer gave his take on a few caller favorite stocks: Trinity Industries: "No, no, no. We are not going to touch anything involving trains, which are doing quite poorly in this country right now." JetBlue Airways: "All of the airlines are going higher because now we know that oil has taken another step down that we didn't count on." | 3 | 97,906 | finance |
If the Dodgers acquire closer Aroldis Chapman, it is likely that they Los Angeles will trade current closer Kenley Jansen. We ask Danny Graves which closer he would rather have. | 1 | 97,907 | sports |
Singer Chris Brown gave an abused single mom an early Christmas present over the weekend when he handed her the keys to a new car. The "Fine China" singer visited the Boys & Girls Club in Hollywood on Saturday and presented domestic violence victim Jessica Roncalli and her three children with a new vehicle and toys for the holiday season. Brown wrote on Instagram, along with a picture of Roncalli and her new car, "The amount of strength this woman has is remarkable. I hope I could make their Christmas a great one. I hope the kids love all the toys and things I got for them. And for moms, I hope I could put a smile on this family's face." | 6 | 97,908 | entertainment |
Rucker Helping Kids and Youth to the Next Level is sponsoring its third annual Christmas gift drive to help underprivileged girls and boys have an enjoyable holiday. The nonprofit will pass out gifts at 10 a.m., Dec. 19 at Calvary Baptist Church, located at 6142 FM 78. Organizers are asking for unwrapped toys that include bicycles, electronic devices, skateboards and Playstation games. Clothing items needed include jackets, sweaters, school uniforms, socks, shoes, caps, mittens and gloves and new underwear. Donations can be left at the following drop off points: Carter-Taylor Williams Mortuary, 601 N. Center St., 210-227-7311; Garza Pharmacy, 311 Camden St., Suite 103, 210-225-4561 and Calvary Baptist Church, 210222-1541. For more information call 210-425-7112 or go online to www.ruckerhelpingkidsandyouth.org . [email protected] | 5 | 97,909 | news |
Jim Hamers talks about how his stage 4 cancer miraculously disappeared. | 7 | 97,910 | health |
Gwen Stefani turned 46 years old this year (yes, you read that correctly), officially solidifying her status among the small group of celebrities who just don't seem to age. We've followed Gwen's crazy transformation (or lack thereof) through the years, but when she wowed us with her Marilyn moment in March, we came to a realization - Gwen is killing it more than ever in 2015. To prove our point (and celebrate her existence), we're rounding up all of her casual outings from 2015 that may as well have been red carpet appearances. When She Leapt Right Off the Page of a Magazine, Pretty Much When Her Entire Denim Game Was On Point When It Was All Black, All the Time When She Casually Strolled Around Koreatown When She Went to Get Her Nails Done When She Ran Errands in West Hollywood When She Went to Church (and Took Us With Her) When She Successfully Melted at Least 1 Camera, Probably When She Stopped in on Her Acupuncturist When Everyone in Her Vicinity Needed to Avert Their Eyes | 6 | 97,911 | entertainment |
You probably own a stake in a gun manufacturer, whether you know it or not. Just take a look at your 401(k) plan. If you're in one managed by Vanguard, BlackRock, Fidelity or just about any other mutual fund group, you're most likely the owner of shares in the three primary publicly traded gun makers: Smith & Wesson; Sturm, Ruger & Company; and the Olin Corporation. If you own any of the broad index funds or even a target-date retirement fund, you've got a stake in the gun industry. Investments in gun makers, at least over the past five years, have performed well. Shares of Smith & Wesson are up nearly 400 percent since 2010. On Monday, shares of Smith & Wesson reached their highest price since 2007 after President Obama called for more gun control laws, leading investors to anticipate a rush of gun sales ahead of any restrictions. What if you own one of these 401(k) plans, but don't want to financially support gun makers? Is there anything you can do about it? There is a growing movement among public pension funds, public advocates and other organizations to help investors divest themselves of financial stakes in the gun and ammunition industry. A number of these initiatives began after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Conn., and have been reignited over the killings in San Bernardino, Calif. The perpetrators of last week's mass shooting bought a cache of guns and ammunition legally including a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 .223-caliber assault rifle and a Smith & Wesson handgun. Sign Up For The Your Money Newsletter The Campaign to Unload , for instance, is a group of more than 50 organizations across the country that are attacking the sources of funding for gun makers. It set up a website Unload Your 401(k) that allows users to look up their retirement plans to see if they have financial exposure to gun manufacturers. Snoop Dogg, the rapper, has endorsed the Campaign to Unload. " I'm unloading for my loved ones that I've lost," he said in a statement. "I'm going all in for gun-free investing." Just over the weekend, Letitia James, New York City's public advocate, took an even more unusual step. Hoping to cut off funding for gun makers, she sought to pressure TD Bank, which has provided $280 million in financing to Smith & Wesson, to cut its ties with the gun maker. "As we stare at the financial smoking gun that enables gun violence, inaction is not an option," Ms. James wrote in a letter to TD Bank. "If you want to do business with New York City, you can't be in bed with companies that manufacture the agents that kill our children and families." A spokeswoman for TD said, "We are deeply saddened by the events in San Bernardino and our sympathies go out to the individuals and their families affected by this tragedy. As a matter of corporate policy we do not comment on the nature and specifics of our relationships with our customers." Of course, gun manufacturers are legitimate businesses, as are the financial services companies that fund them. On Monday, in a dissenting opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas spoke to this in bemoaning the Supreme Court's refusal to hear a Second Amendment challenge to a Chicago suburb's ordinance that banned semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. "The overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use such rifles do so for lawful purposes, including self-defense and target shooting," Justice Thomas wrote . "Under our precedents, that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons." In attacking the gun industry, Ms. James is taking a page from other successful efforts to pressure "sin" industries like cigarettes and coal. While seeking divestments has long been popular, they have had little direct impact, according to studies, despite the headlines they often generate. But efforts to prevent banks and other financing sources from lending money to certain companies has been far more effective. For instance, as chronicled in this column earlier this year, a number of advocacy groups successfully ended the practice of mountaintop removal of coal in Appalachia, an environmentally devastating practice, by pressuring banks like Bank of America, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Credit Suisse to choke off funding, which they did over nearly a decade of pressure. Leah Gunn Barrett, executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence , who is involved in the Campaign to Unload, said this tactic could have an impact. "They are impervious to public polls," she said. "It is all about money for them." Last week, Stop Handgun Violence , a gun control organization based in Newton, Mass., also looked to use financial levers as it continued to wage its campaign against Remington Outdoor (formerly the Freedom Group), the gun manufacturer owned by Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm. One of the guns used in San Bernardino was a Bushmaster AR-15, a Remington Outdoor brand. After Sandy Hook, which also involved a Bushmaster rifle, several public pension funds that had money invested in Cerberus called on it to sell the company. Cerberus publicly pledged to sell, but after an unsuccessful auction, decided to maintain ownership while allowing investors to sell their stakes. Last spring, it bought out investors like the California State Teachers' Retirement System, but maintained ownership of the company. Privately, the firm told investors it would be unfair to sell the company at a huge loss for investors who didn't have a problem with owning a gun maker. Now, Stop Handgun Violence has urged Americans to boycott all companies owned by Cerberus, including Shaw's, Star Market, Safeway, Osco Drug and Steward Health Care. It's unclear how widespread the boycott will be or whether it will influence Cerberus's control of Remington Outdoor. A spokesman for Cerberus declined to comment. In 2013, after Sandy Hook, the firm made clear in a statement that it did not want to get involved in social or political issues. Instead, it saw its job as trying to make money for its investors. "As a firm, we are investors, not statesmen or policy makers," it said. "Our role is to make investments on behalf of our clients." It added: "It is not our role to take positions or attempt to shape or influence the gun policy debate." That stance is often the default position on Wall Street. It shouldn't be. | 3 | 97,912 | finance |
Which QB had the most impressive performance on Sunday in Week 13? Rick is going with Bills QB Tyrod Taylor. | 1 | 97,913 | sports |
Kourtney Kardashian shares a telling message on social media. The reality star is thinking of leaving her celebrity lifestyle behind | 6 | 97,914 | entertainment |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Rangers won the American League West this year even though their team ERA of 4.24 ranked 23rd in the majors and their lineup did not feature a hitter with more than 23 home runs. And it wasn't defense that carried Texas to the division title, as evidenced not only by the Rangers' meltdown in Game 5 of the division series in Toronto, but average to bad numbers depending whether you prefer advanced or traditional metrics. When predictions are made for 2016, Texas figures to be largely counted out. The Astros, a wild-card team that contended a year or two ahead of schedule, will be a year older. The Angels still have the best player in the American League in Mike Trout and money to build around him. The Mariners, fresh off a disappointing season, are reshaping themselves quickly under new GM Jerry Dipoto. MORE: The 10 highest-paid MLB players | The 13 worst December trades, ranked The Rangers, meanwhile, have few spots on their roster where they figure to make moves this winter. They could use a right-handed bat to replace Mike Napoli, and may think about looking for a catcher if they can upgrade over Robinson Chirinos, who hit 10 homers in 78 games in 2015. Like every team, Texas would not shy away from adding pitching depth, but there won't be a big addition to the rotation a year after Colby Lewis was the Rangers' only starter to log 200 innings. And there's the rub. It will not be Lewis at the top of the rotation in 2016. The Rangers will have a full season of Cole Hamels, still in his prime at 32, after the left-hander came over from the Phillies in a deadline trade and went 7-1 with a 3.66 ERA in 12 starts. "To have a guy at the front end of the rotation that we saw who he is, what he's about and what he's capable of down the stretch and even in the playoffs, this is a front-of-the-rotation type pitcher that you can count on, that gives a team a belief that every time he steps out there, you've got a chance to win a ballgame," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said Monday at the winter meetings. "I think it's very comforting to know we're going to have him from the very beginning. It's also very comforting to know we've got another one not too far in the distant future coming as well." MORE SPECTOR: Roberts right man to handle potential Chapman-Jansen drama That allusion to "another one" is Yu Darvish, who has 680 strikeouts in 545 1/3 major league innings since coming over from Japan in 2012 but missed the 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Banister would not put any innings expectations on Darvish for 2016, but the right-hander should be able to return in the first half of the season if all continues to go well with his rehab, which has thus far has. "He'll continue to rehab and get himself ready," Banister said. "When he's deemed ready, he'll be able to pitch for us." The Rangers went through the same process last year with Martin Perez, who returned after the All-Star break and struggled in his first three starts, but then posted a 3.38 ERA over 11 starts the rest of the season. Derek Holland who was out from April until August this year, also should be back for a full campaign. The quartet of Hamels, Darvish, Perez and Holland combined to start 36 of the Rangers' 162 games in 2015. It should be triple that for the defense of the division title, and whether or not that's enough to keep up with the rest of the West, it should mean that the Rangers can't be written off. MORE: Weiss says Rockies need to make own 'bold move' Further, the Astros are not the only team building from within with youth. Joey Gallo got a 36-game taste of the majors this year, hitting six home runs, and at age 22 figures to see more time at the big league level in 2016. Nomar Mazara played mostly in Double-A, but did post an .854 OPS in 20 games at Triple-A as a 20-year-old, and could push his way into the picture. About to turn 26, Patrick Kivlehan is older, but as a right-handed hitter who smacked 22 homers for Triple-A Tacoma, the first baseman/left fielder acquired from Seattle as the player to be named in the Leonys Martin trade fits the mold for what Texas wants as a Napoli replacement. "We're always looking to improve, and I think one of the greatest things you can create is some form of competition, and internal competition is your best," Banister said. "It allows players to sharpen each other." That can mean competition between players with little to no major league experience for the last spot on the roster, or players on the roster for playing time. It was notable that Banister shied away from expressing a desire for "established" players, noting that such players generally expect an everyday job. Texas doesn't really have those to give right now, and that's a good thing for the Rangers as they to defend a division title that few will expect them to keep. | 1 | 97,915 | sports |
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump called the media "scum" at a rally on Monday night, and singled out a reporter who was on the scene, calling her "third rate" and accusing her of lying about him. "The mainstream media want to surrender the Constitution," Trump declared at a rally in South Carolina. "These people back here are the worst," Trump said, pointing to a group of reporters on hand. "They are so dishonest…70 to 75 percent are absolutely dishonest. Absolute scum. Remember that. Scum. Scum. Totally dishonest people." Trump pointed to NBC reporter Katy Tur, who he accused of falsely reporting that he had once left a rally early. "She's back there, Little Katy," Trump said. "What a lie it was…what a lie it was for NBC to have written that. Total lies …a third rate reporter. Remember that. Third rate. Tur said over Twitter that some in the crowd were supportive of her during Trump's tirade. Awww. Women in the crowd are giving me sympathetic looks. Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) December 8, 2015 | 5 | 97,916 | news |
The Californian rockers whose gig became the scene of the bloodiest of the Paris attacks make an emotional return to the city. Paul Chapman reports. | 8 | 97,917 | video |
Chances are that you have a bottle of olive oil reserved for cooking, but drinking this kitchen staple can provide you with the same healthy benefits of this antioxidant-rich wonder - if not more. From a happier digestive system to banishing belly fat, here's why you should start and end every day with a tablespoon of olive oil. It helps fight breast cancer: A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that women who followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil had a relatively lower risk of breast cancer than those women who followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts or a diet that was lower in fat. If the Mediterranean diet is new to you, start with this guide of which foods to eat when adopting it into your lifestyle. Besides protecting against breast cancer, the diet has also been shown to slow the aging process and reduce the risk of stroke. It reduces the risk of heart disease: While it may seem counterintuitive that drinking olive oil can help protect the heart from disease, multiple studies confirm the claim to be true thanks to the MUFAs, or monounsaturated fats, olive oil contains - so much so that the FDA allows manufacturers to label olive oil with this health claim. The FDA recommends consuming just around two tablespoons per day to protect the heart. Just a note that olive oil should replace saturated fats in your diet rather than add to your current calorie intake. It encourages weight loss: The same good fats that protect the heart from disease can also aid you in achieving any weight-loss goals you may have. Not only have MUFAs been shown to help the body feel full, but they also target belly fat . Add olive oil to your list of flat-belly foods you should be eating. It helps with digestion: While there isn't a lot in the way of scientific research - just a few smaller studies - olive oil is widely (and successfully) used as a homeopathic remedy to help the digestive system and ease symptoms of constipation. Acting as a lubricant of sorts, drinking olive oil is said to help things move along better in the colon. | 7 | 97,918 | health |
Greg Monore scored the go-ahead layup to lead the Bucks to a 90-88 win over the Trail Blazers on Monday. Monroe had a double-double while Damian Lillard had 23 points and seven assists in the loss. | 1 | 97,919 | sports |
Pennsylvania landscape company owner Pat McCusker spotted some anti-police graffiti on an interstate overpass, and took it upon himself to switch up the message. | 8 | 97,920 | video |
Every franchise wants to avoid pressing the panic button, but five NFL teams are facing for must-win games during Week 14 of the 2015 season. In some cases, a loss doesn't completely eliminate a club's chances of reaching the playoffs. But other squads like the Oakland Raiders aren't so lucky. If they don't win this week, preparation for the NFL draft becomes the key focus. New York Jets Although the Jets are in decent position overall at 7-5, a potential wild card berth will likely be determined via the conference record tiebreaker and potentially common opponent winning percentages. The Kansas City Chiefs boast a 6-2 intra-AFC mark and have games remaining against the San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Browns, so New York probably won't catch them. However, while Todd Bowles' crew (5-4) holds a half-game edge on the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4) but lost to the Raiders, who Pittsburgh beat. The Jets need every AFC victory possible, especially with the New England Patriots looming in Week 16. On Sunday, New York hosts the 3-9 Tennessee Titans and must notch a victory against the inferior team. Otherwise the Steelers can afford an extra conference loss, which isn't good news for the Jets. Tampa Bay Buccaneers While it wouldn't be wise to hold out hopes for the Buccaneers, a win against the New Orleans Saints certainly would make things interesting. The Minnesota Vikings are clinging to a two-game advantage over No. 7 Tampa Bay in the NFC wild card standings. But, if they lose on Thursday to the Arizona Cardinals, the Vikings will be 5-4 in conference games. Tampa, on the other hand, would improve to 6-3 versus NFC foes. The Bucs would still need a little extra help in Weeks 15-17, but a loss to New Orleans drops Minnesota's magic number to two and allows the Seattle Seahawks to continue their playoff push unabated. At worst, a victory means the Bucs keep the pressure on Minnesota and Seattle. Perhaps that pressure would cause enough mistakes for Tampa to steal a place in the postseason. Without a win, we won't find out. Indianapolis Colts The AFC South features a pair of 6-6 teams at the top, but the Colts could seal the division crown by Week 15 with the proper two-game execution. And you guessed it, that means a win on Sunday. Besides, Indianapolis shouldn't lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars anyway on Sunday. I hear you, Jags fans, your team is better. It truly is. Nevertheless, the Colts have already toppled Jacksonville with Matt Hasselbeck under center and can officially eliminate the Jaguars. Owner Jim Irsay expects Andrew Luck to return in Week 15 (Week 16 at the latest), which could provide a chance for Indy to eliminate the Houston Texans. If the Patriots drop Houston to 6-7 on Sunday as expected, then the Colts would be 7-6. Since Indy knocked off the Texans also with Hasselbeck it would complete the two-game sweep and reach the playoffs. The Colts won't remember the 2015 regular season fondly, but having a chance to reach the Super Bowl is half the battle. Atlanta Falcons After ripping off five consecutive victories to open the year, the Falcons seemed destined for a playoff berth. They had plenty of favorable matchups remaining on the schedule. Entering Week 14, though, 6-6 Atlanta has fallen in five straight games, including a head-scratching loss to the San Francisco 49ers and a pair of shortcomings to the Bucs. The Falcons are in desperate need of a victory to spark a turnaround, but their opponent the 12-0 Carolina Panthers quite literally cannot be any better in the win column. Minnesota holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta, and the Seahawks are slowly flying away in the intra-conference winning percentage column. One more loss and the Falcons will lose their playoff wings in 2015. Oakland Raiders Some things are easier said than done. The Raiders briefly looked like a playoff contender but have dropped four of the last five games. If they don't win on Sunday, fans must officially bid the postseason farewell. Oakland stands at 5-7, two games behind in the AFC wild card picture. However, the team has already lost to a pair of 7-5 squads in the Chiefs and Steelers, so the Raiders are essentially three back. Unfortunately for Oakland, Week 14 brings a road matchup with the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos, who managed a 16-10 triumph over Derek Carr and Co. earlier this season. An eighth loss essentially eliminates the Raiders. Denver has three straight victories with Brock Osweiler under center. Oakland needs a win. | 1 | 97,921 | sports |
The number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria has more than doubled since last year to at least 27,000, a report by an intelligence consultancy said on Tuesday, highlighting the global dimension of the conflict. The figures, compiled by The Soufan Group, indicate that efforts by countries around the world to stem the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria and blunt the appeal of violent organisations such as the Islamic State group (IS) appear to have made little impact. "The foreign fighter phenomenon in Iraq and Syria is truly global," the New York-based security consultancy's report said. "The Islamic State has seen success beyond the dreams of other terrorist groups that now appear conventional and even old-fashioned, such as Al-Qaeda. "It has energised tens of thousands of people to join it, and inspired many more to support it." In all, between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters from 86 countries have travelled to Iraq and Syria, The Soufan Group said, compared to a figure of around 12,000 foreign fighters in Syria when it last published a similar study in June 2014. The largest number travelled to the two countries, across which IS controls a swathe of territory, from the Middle East and the Maghreb, with around 8,000 foreign fighters each. Around 5,000 made their way from Europe, with a further 4,700 from former Soviet republics. The Soufan Group added that between 20 and 30 percent of foreign fighters were returning to their home countries, creating major challenges for domestic security agencies as IS in particular looks to carry out an increasing number of attacks overseas. The IS group claimed responsibility for a massive attack in Paris last month that left 130 dead, and its fighters have been held responsible for violence in a litany of countries ranging from Iraq to Bangladesh. - 'Limited impact' - The threat of returning foreign fighters has sparked widespread debate, particularly in Western countries, many of which have criminalised travel to Syria to fight in the country's years-long conflict. In the wake of the Paris attacks, American lawmakers have also called into question a programme that allows Europeans to travel to the United States without a visa. But, according to The Soufan Group, the latest figures are "evidence that efforts to contain the flow of foreign recruits to extremist groups in Syria and Iraq have had limited impact". "As the Islamic State changes its focus from consolidating control of territory to attacking its foreign enemies in their own homelands, or their interests elsewhere, the profile of its foreign recruits will also change," it added. IS seized control of significant parts of Syria and Iraq last year, declaring a self-styled Islamic "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities. It has sought to recruit followers via social media, prompting growing alarm in the West, with the European Union launching a forum this month to bring together Internet giants like Google and Facebook as well as law enforcement agencies to combat online extremism. The Soufan Group noted, however, that "while the power of the Islamic State's social media outreach is undeniable, it appears more often to prepare the ground for persuasion, rather than to force the decision". "As hotbeds develop, recruitment through social media becomes less important than via direct human contact, as clusters of friends and neighbours persuade each other to travel separately or together to join the Islamic State. "Even if the Islamic State is a failing enterprise in steady decline, it will be able to influence the actions of its adherents, and it may become more dangerous as it dies." | 5 | 97,922 | news |
Facebook's Slingshot app missed its mark. So did Riff and Rooms. The social-networking giant has quietly curtailed its Creative Labs, the startup-like initiative that encouraged its employees to design innovative and unusual mobile software. Among the first casualties: Slingshot, an ephemeral messaging service that competed with Snapchat, and Rooms, a group messaging service. As of Monday, Slingshot, Rooms and Riff, an app that allowed users to create and share short videos based on a theme, have been pulled from app stores. The Menlo Park, California-based company has also removed the Web page for Creative Labs. A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed the apps had been removed, noting they hadn't been updated in some time. "Since their launches, we've incorporated elements of Slingshot, Riff and Rooms into the Facebook for iOS and Android apps," she added. Facebook is famous for its mantra "Move fast and break things." The company decided some of these initiatives had, in fact, failed to gain traction and is shutting them down. The move marks a turning point for Facebook's app ambitions as it focuses on other areas of innovation. It's still building artificial-intelligence technology, drones to beam Internet signals to far-flung parts of the world and virtual-reality goggles. The company has also been steadily adding features to its primary social-networking service, such as live streaming and 360-degree videos. Creative Labs was a two-year experiment that often drew inspiration from Facebook's famous "hackathons," binge-coding sessions where developers work together over a day or so to create a prototype app or service. One such app was Slingshot, which was conceived of two years ago by Joey Flynn and Rocky Smith, a designer and engineer respectively. Slingshot's team eventually grew to about 10 people. Slingshot allowed users to take a photo or video and then send it to friends. Those people then responded with their own photos or videos. Facebook signaled modest hopes for the Creative Labs apps from the start. The company told reporters it didn't expect its community of more than a billion people to sign up immediately, and Facebook didn't heavily promote them either. "We're not going to fly a flag about it," Flynn said at the time about Slingshot's launch. "We want it to start with a small group." Today, Slingshot isn't available on Apple's App Store or the Google Play store, though Facebook said the service still works for people who already have the app. Rooms, which is being shut down on December 23, is a group-messaging service that brought a modern spin to the chat rooms that were popular in the early days of the Internet. Users could log in anonymously -- no Facebook account required -- and post videos, photos or text. People joined chat rooms through an invitation that contained a QR code, similar to the way people can follow one another on Snapchat's messaging service. Rooms had been overseen by Josh Miller, the former head of the social network Branch, which Facebook bought last year. Miller joined the White House as director of product in September. Facebook said it will still experiment with new apps, and support initiatives like its Paper newsfeed-reading app in addition to others like Instagram's Hyperlapse video and Layouts photo editor. | 5 | 97,923 | news |
Flashing some interplanetary gold bling and sipping "space water" might sound far-fetched, but both could soon be reality, thanks to a new US law that legalizes cosmic mining. In a first, President Barack Obama signed legislation at the end of November that allows commercial extraction of minerals and other materials, including water, from asteroids and the moon. That could kick off an extraterrestrial gold rush, backed by a private aeronautics industry that is growing quickly and cutting the price of commercial space flight. The US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 says that any materials American individuals or companies find on an asteroid or the moon is theirs to keep and do with as they please. While the Space Act breaks with the concept that space should be shared by everyone on Earth for scientific research and exploration, it establishes the rights of investors to profit from their efforts, at least under US law. Christopher Johnson, a lawyer at the Secure World Foundation, which focuses on the long-term sustainable use of outer space, said the law sets the basis for the next century of activity in space. "Now it is permissible to interact with space. Exploring and using space's resources has begun," he said. The US move conjured visions of the great opening of the United States' Western frontier in the 19th century, which led to the California Gold Rush of 1849. But for the moment, the costs of pioneering the economic exploitation of space remain exorbitant and the risks high. Large companies are still studying their options, but smaller startups are impatient to get going, like Planetary Resources, launched in 2012 by Google co-founder Larry Page. "It has often been a question as to whether a commercial company will be able to go out and develop a resource," said Chris Lewicki, president of Planetary Resources, which bills itself as "The Asteroid Mining Company." But now, the Space Act "allows us to give assurances to our customers and investors as we build a resource business in space," Lewicki told AFP. "Since the passage of the law, we've been getting a lot of support messages and our current investors are very excited," he added. Meagan Crawford, vice president at another ambitious asteroid miner, Deep Space Industries, said that with the law's passage investors are no longer fretting that they are wasting their money. "This is absolutely a big win for us. We don't seem crazy any more. We don't have to work very hard to convince investors." According to NASA research, of some 1,500 asteroids within easy reach from Earth, possibly 10 percent have valuable mineral resources. Both companies see great possibilities in space: deposits of nickel, iron ore, gold and platinum that could support the space industry in the same way that the huge deposits of iron ore in the US upper midwest laid the foundations for the Detroit auto industry. But their first target is water frozen in substantial deposits on relatively close asteroids. The water's value, more than just to drink, is in providing hydrogen fuel for space vehicles. It could supply a refuelling station for the rockets, for instance, destined to explore Mars. And it could be used to refuel satellites in orbit. Lewicki says an in-space fueling station could save hundreds of millions of dollars in water transport costs. "If we can store that water there, we can refuel rockets, satellites -- it will be a huge opportunity. "You can refuel your rocket in orbit; that makes it easier to get it there, and cheaper." The first space prospecting missions could be launched from 2017, the companies say, and extracting minerals could begin as early as 2020. Deep Space Industries is planning the deployment of 25-32 kilogram (55-70 pound) mini-satellites to asteroids with good prospects to better assess their resources and bring back samples. For its part Planetary Resources has already identified asteroids for exploitation using space telescopes place in orbit last year. It plans to launch a small exploration satellite early next year, Lewicki said. The two companies estimate that the new space gold rush could need around $3 trillion dollars over the next 10-15 years. For that, they need global support for their operations, and need to begin pressing other governments to adopt laws similar to the US Space Act that will recognize a company's rights to any space mineral riches it can harvest. | 5 | 97,924 | news |
Some people just have that "it factor." They command attention whenever they walk into a room. But the truth is, they weren't born with a confident gene. Instead, their daily behaviors contribute to their self-assured personality. That's good news: It means anyone can adopt the habits confident people practice on a regular basis. Below are just some of the ways those with extra self-possession approach life differently than everyone else. 1. They're more productive. Confidence = hustle. Research suggests that confident people may be more productive because their can-do thoughts inspire real action . It's no wonder confident people seem to own the office. 2. Their body language helps boost their confidence. Studies show that how a person carries him or herself influences how he or she feels on the inside. A tall posture and even stretching can help people feel a surge of power -- and confident people take advantage of those little adjustments. 3. They aren't self-assured all the time. All people have their flaws, even people with the "it factor." The difference lies in recognizing those insecurities and carrying on with life despite them. Research shows self-acceptance is paramount to a happier life, but it's a habit many people rarely practice. Confident people aren't superhuman -- they just accept their imperfections wholeheartedly and live a happy life regardless. 4. They actively pursue success. "No" is simply not in a confident person's vocabulary, at least when it comes to success. Confidence is crucial when pursing a career , according to a study published in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology. The research found that more likely someone is able to picture themselves achieving their goal, the more likely they're going to be able to do it, Fast Company reported. 5. They channel their inner celebrity. A confident person's mantra is "I am Beyonce." OK, maybe that's just this author's, but regardless, there's power in celebrity. Research published in the journal Personal Relationships found that when people wrote down qualities they shared with their favorite celebrities of the same gender, they felt much more compelled to become their best selves. 6. They stick to their convictions. Confident people place trust in their own opinions -- but not without listening to others, of course. As confidence coach Susie Moore explained in a HuffPost blog, confident people hear all sides of an argument, but ultimately, they stick to what they feel is best. "Other people are well meaning and sometimes err on the side of caution ," she wrote. "Confident people listen to other people but do not let their difference of perspective take them off track." 7. They don't fear failure. All people have their setbacks. Confidence isn't doing everything right, it's pushing on even after being wrong. And sometimes that can pay off in more than just confidence: Research suggests that people who appear more self-assured are also seem more intelligent. 8. They're not afraid of being confident. Confident individuals don't shy away from asserting themselves, whether they're actually feeling comfortable or just faking it until they make it. As singer Demi Lovato's recent single so poignantly asks, "What's wrong with being confident?" The answer: Nothing at all. | 4 | 97,925 | lifestyle |
A boy's soccer team plays a tournament during a rainy day. One boy rests on the sidelines, while a player from the opposing team performs a trick as he sits out. Holding a ball, the opposing player does a flip as the ball escapes his hand and smacks the first boy in the face. He doubles over in pain. | 8 | 97,926 | video |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Headlined by David Price, the Blue Jays have lost six key players to free agency under a new team president and GM, but manager John Gibbons still thinks his team has the makeup to take another run at the AL East title in 2016. "It's never an easy transition when you bring new people in," Gibbons said at baseball's winter meetings. "It's not easy for us. It's not easy for them. But we can make that work. MORE: 13 worst December trades of all time, ranked | Greatest Blue Jays of all time "We've got a real good team, we think. We got a taste of it last year, and we want to repeat that. We think we've got the guys that can do it. Play good enough baseball, everything will be fine." In the wake of Price's departure to the Red Sox by way of a seven-year, $217 million contract, the Blue Jays have tried to fill the void with the acquisitions of pitchers J.A. Happ and Jesse Chavez, who will compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation with Drew Hutchinson and possibly Aaron Sanchez, should the Jays decide to move him out of the bullpen. With 20-year-old Roberto Osuna manning the closer role, Gibbons hinted that the Blue Jays could stand to use a veteran presence late in games. One name that was brought up was Yankees reliever Andrew Miller, who was rumored to be available this winter. "He would be a nice guy for us to get," Gibbons said about Miller. "But I don't see that happening. "You figure the Yankees are always laying in the weeds to do something. I'm sure they'll make some moves. But (Miller) got my attention." Instead, the Jays are interested in adding a utilityman capable of playing shortstop with the departure of Cliff Pennington in free agency. But the front office will have to keep one eye fixed down the road with the pending free agency of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion after next season. "You look at his production the last few years, it's really a bargain," Gibbons said of Encarnacion, whom the Red Sox reportedly are interested in to replace David Ortiz at DH. "There's a lot more money for Eddie to make before it's all said and done. As far as whether he tests the waters, who knows? I think he'll be excited about coming this year because we won last year and the fact that he will be a free agent." | 1 | 97,927 | sports |
PHILADELPHIA With Jerry Colangelo sitting courtside, the Philadelphia 76ers gave their new man in charge an up-close look at just how far away they are from becoming a competitive franchise. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard all sat out and the San Antonio Spurs still rolled past the Sixers, 119-68 on Monday night. LeMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 26 points and nine rebounds and Tony Parker scored 12 points. Coach Gregg Popovich rested Duncan and Ginoboli against the hapless Sixers and Leonard was ill. It's hard to imagine it would have been much worse for the Sixers had the trio played. "That's embarrassing," third-year coach Brett Brown said. The Sixers fell to 1-21 hours after Colangelo was named Philadelphia's chairman of basketball operations. Colangelo, the chairman of USA Basketball, would also serve as an adviser to team ownership. He had a front-row seat for the mess of a roster team president Sam Hinkie assembled over three seasons that rank among the worst in any era in professional sports. There are no quick fixes in Philadelphia. The 51-point loss was the fifth-worst in franchise history, according to STATS: Jan. 2, 1993: 154-98 at Sacramento, 56 points. March 6, 1993: 149-93 at Seattle, 56 points. Nov. 13, 2014: 123-70 at Dallas, 53 points. Feb. 27, 1992: 136-84, 52 points. Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas and Nerlens Noel each scored 13 points for the Sixers. Jahlil Okafor, back from a two-game suspension for his role in a Boston street fight, scored 10 points. Brown, a longtime Popovich assistant in San Antonio, brought Okafor off the bench because of an illness. "I'm going to push this game aside and that's really all I have to say about this game," Brown said. The Spurs led by 44 points at the end of three quarters and hit the 100-point mark with 10 minutes left in the game. "What's tough is, I know (Brown's) a hell of a coach," Popovich said. "But it's not a fair battle. Talent for talent, it's ridiculous." The Spurs just milled around the court during timeouts in the fourth quarter, nothing really to say with the game so far out of reach. Aldridge, Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson and Matt Bonner all started for the Spurs. Anderson failed to score in the first quarter and the Spurs still led 33-17. "Philly just doesn't have the firepower to get back," Popovich said. "The talent's just not there to get down like that and get back." The highlight came in the fourth quarter when San Antonio's deep, deep sub Boban Marjanovic received rousing ovations with each basket. He hit a jumper in the final minute that brought the crowd to their feet, and fans of both teams chanted his name as he sprinted off the court. Marjanovic scored 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting, well above his career high of six points set against Brooklyn in October. "There were a lot of Spurs fans in the arena," Parker said, laughing. The Spurs shot 62 percent (47 of 76) and made 21 of 25 free throws. The Sixers scored only 12 points in the second quarter and broke the 20-point mark in the third (23). "In this league, you can't have just young guys. You need veterans," Parker said. "I feel bad a little bit for Brownie." TIP-INS Spurs: The Spurs have won 15 of 17 games. ... The Spurs beat the Sixers for the 10th straight time. ... The Spurs had 52 points in the paint. 76ers: Allen Iverson attended the game and received a huge ovation when he was introduced on the big screen. ... Okafor had 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Spurs on Nov. 14. STUFF THE STAT SHEET All 12 Spurs who played scored. Jonathon Simmons scored 14 points off the bench. They routed the Sixers with only four 3-pointers and no player hit more than one. UP NEXT Spurs: At Toronto on Wednesday night. 76ers: At Brooklyn on Thursday night. | 1 | 97,928 | sports |
In this episode of mental_floss ' Big Questions, Craig answers a question from reader Margaret: "Why is there a joker in playing card decks?" Don't miss an episode subscribe here ! (Images provided by Shutterstock .) | 6 | 97,929 | entertainment |
If Nick Saban is mad at you, avoid him at all costs. After Alabama DB Tony Brown got flagged for a block in the back on a punt return near the end of the first half against Florida in the SEC Championship Game, Saban went ballistic. Take a look: | 1 | 97,930 | sports |
The Wizards beat the Heat 114-103 on Monday. John Wall scored 26 points and Bradley Beal added 21 to lead the Wizards. | 1 | 97,931 | sports |
DENVER Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford had every intention of attending this week's NHL Board of Governors meetings in Pebble Beach, Calif. He abruptly changed his mind Monday morning. "I was planning on it, made plans to be picked up early [Monday] but decided I'm going to Denver," Rutherford said. "This is a time I need to be close to the team." The roots of his urgency are obvious. With two losses in as many days, the Penguins sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, with a 14-10-2 record, one point behind the New Jersey Devils. If the season ended today, they would miss the playoffs. It's not early anymore, with nearly one-third of the season down. "We have to be more determined," Rutherford said. "You know, we're in games, we're playing, but we don't have that extra determination to get across the finish line. That's what we need." The Penguins were guilty of a painfully slow start Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. Sunday, against the Anaheim Ducks, it was a failure to execute and finish with more than one goal in a game with minimal scoring chances. On previous occasions, the Penguins peered squarely into the proverbial mirror, called out their effort and vowed to do right by the emblem on the front of their jersey. There have been a variety of problems all season, no doubt. The GM is particularly troubled by the starts. "It's consistency, but the one thing that I see most of all in this first part of the season is getting out, getting a good start in a game and keep going," Rutherford said. "It was obvious on Saturday. But it's been quite a few games for me. It's something that I don't like. It's something that has to change. Something I'm looking at real close." Asked whether the slow starts could possibly be logistical or a physical thing, he quickly said "no." "It's a mental thing. It's being motivated, and determined right from the start," Rutherford said. "Not wait and see how the other team is going to play. Play our game. Let somebody else figure out how we're going to play the game. Not us wait and see how they're going to play." The Penguins flew Monday to Denver, where they will try to salvage a .500 road trip with a fourth and final game of this western swing Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. The Penguins are top-heavy with skill, yet remain ranked 26th in the NHL in goals scored, at 2.31 per game. The power play, which has improved of late, is also 26th in the league. It's fair to argue the Penguins' respectable 2.3 goals-against per game ranked seventh is in large part thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury. Defenseman Kris Letang's absence, even if it turns out to be brief, has hurt. Rutherford said he remains intent on looking to add a top-four defenseman if he can. He did not rule out other changes. "Looking at everything, really. But I've said this from the start, we'd like to add another top-four defenseman," Rutherford said. "It's not easy to do. I'd like to get a little more puck movement from the back end, certainly create more offense, and it's something I'll continue to work on." Players have seen consistency problems. Center Matt Cullen did not like it Sunday, in particular how the Penguins managed the puck. "Our consistency as far as being smart with the puck and putting it in areas where we can go get it, instead of trying to go through everybody, I feel like we're giving up more than we should in an attempt to create offense," Cullen said. "I think we can create offense doing things the right way." Chris Kunitz, who has been productive in the past three games, said it well: "We've got to get to the winning way of how we want to play. These last two games weren't our best 60-minute efforts." Jenn Menendez: [email protected] and Twitter @JennMenendez. | 1 | 97,932 | sports |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- With Jerry Colangelo sitting courtside, the Philadelphia 76ers gave their new man in charge an up-close look at just how far away they are from becoming a competitive franchise. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard all sat out and the San Antonio Spurs still rolled past the Sixers, 119-68 on Monday night. BOX SCORE: SPURS 119, 76ERS 68 LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 26 points and nine rebounds and Tony Parker scored 12 points. Coach Gregg Popovich rested Duncan and Ginoboli against the hapless Sixers and Leonard was ill. It's hard to imagine it would have been much worse for the Sixers had the trio played. "That's embarrassing," third-year coach Brett Brown said. The Sixers fell to 1-21 hours after Colangelo was named Philadelphia's chairman of basketball operations. Colangelo, the chairman of USA Basketball, would also serve as an adviser to team ownership. He had a front-row seat for the mess of a roster team president Sam Hinkie assembled over three seasons that rank among the worst in any era in professional sports. There are no quick fixes in Philadelphia. The 51-point loss was the fifth-worst in franchise history, according to STATS: -- Jan. 2, 1993: 154-98 at Sacramento, 56 points. -- March 6, 1993: 149-93 at Seattle, 56 points. -- Nov. 13, 2014: 123-70 at Dallas, 53 points. -- Feb. 27, 1992: 136-84, 52 points. Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas and Nerlens Noel each scored 13 points for the Sixers. Jahlil Okafor, back from a two-game suspension for his role in a Boston street fight, scored 10 points. Brown, a longtime Popovich assistant in San Antonio, brought Okafor off the bench because of an illness. "I'm going to push this game aside and that's really all I have to say about this game," Brown said. The Spurs led by 44 points at the end of three quarters and hit the 100-point mark with 10 minutes left in the game. "What's tough is, I know (Brown's) a hell of a coach," Popovich said. "But it's not a fair battle. Talent for talent, it's ridiculous." The Spurs just milled around the court during timeouts in the fourth quarter, nothing really to say with the game so far out of reach. Aldridge, Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson and Matt Bonner all started for the Spurs. Anderson failed to score in the first quarter and the Spurs still led 33-17. "Philly just doesn't have the firepower to get back," Popovich said. "The talent's just not there to get down like that and get back." The highlight came in the fourth quarter when San Antonio's deep, deep sub Boban Marjanovic received rousing ovations with each basket. He hit a jumper in the final minute that brought the crowd to their feet, and fans -- of both teams -- chanted his name as he sprinted off the court. Marjanovic scored 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting, well above his career high of six points set against Brooklyn in October. "There were a lot of Spurs fans in the arena," Parker said, laughing. The Spurs shot 62 percent (47 of 76) and made 21 of 25 free throws. The Sixers scored only 12 points in the second quarter and broke the 20-point mark in the third (23). "In this league, you can't have just young guys. You need veterans," Parker said. "I feel bad a little bit for Brownie." TIP-INS Spurs: The Spurs have won 15 of 17 games. ... The Spurs beat the Sixers for the 10th straight time. ... The Spurs had 52 points in the paint. 76ers: Allen Iverson attended the game and received a huge ovation when he was introduced on the big screen. ... Okafor had 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Spurs on Nov. 14. STUFF THE STAT SHEET All 12 Spurs who played scored. Jonathon Simmons scored 14 points off the bench. They routed the Sixers with only four 3-pointers and no player hit more than one. UP NEXT Spurs: At Toronto on Wednesday night. 76ers: At Brooklyn on Thursday night. | 1 | 97,933 | sports |
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten became the 12th player in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes Monday against the Washington Redskins. Witten recorded the catch from a Matt Cassel pass in the first quarter of the Monday night matchup. History is made!Jason Witten becomes the 12th player in NFL history with 1,000+ receptions. #DALvsWAS https://t.co/0WLxIHpwZY NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2015 Witten, who joins Tony Gonzalez as the second tight end in league history to reach the mark, told ESPN's Lisa Salters before the game that he would "just be honored to join that list." Witten entered Monday's game with 998 career catches, 649 of which came for 7,287 yards from injured quarterback Tony Romo. The 33-year-old, who is in the midst of his 13th NFL season, entered Monday's game as Dallas's leader in receptions and receiving yards with 55 and 508, respectively, this season. 1,000 is beyond incredible for a TE. There is a reason only 2 guys have done it. Congrats @JasonWitten . I have looked up to him since HS Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) December 8, 2015 A ten-time Pro Bowler and two-time first team All-Pro selection, Witten was selected by the Cowboys out of the University of Tennessee in the third round of the 2003 draft. • PRICE: No amount of pain can keep Jason Witten off the field | 1 | 97,934 | sports |
After confirming 139 cases of dengue fever, Hawaii's Department of Health is now warning residents and tourists to be aware. | 7 | 97,935 | health |
Kevin Garnett will turn 40 next May and is in the twilight of his illustrious NBA career. But we have evidence suggesting otherwise. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward apparently drank from the Fountain of Youth before Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, because in the third quarter, he did this : Kevin Garnett Dunked On Blake Griffin Then Talked A Massive Amount Of Trash pic.twitter.com/rgXfM4S4Lc gifdsports (@gifdsports) December 8, 2015 Garnett's monster slam is impressive enough, but the fact he threw it home over former NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Blake Griffin makes it even more awesome. Because he's KG, Garnett was hit with a technical foul for taunting after the play . Never change, Kevin. | 1 | 97,936 | sports |
The Trump campaign unashamedly backed his "ban all Muslims" policy , calling it a "reasonable precaution". In an interview with the Guardian, Sam Clovis, the national co-chair and senior policy adviser for the Trump campaign, said: "Our view there is nothing wrong with stepping back and taking a break. There's nothing wrong with doing that historically," he said. Related: Donald Trump calls to ban all Muslims from entering US Clovis said that while "it would be very easy to say we don't want any immigration from a predominantly Muslim country", he noted, "there are people who have tried to commit terrorist acts that come from EU countries" and that a broader approach was more appropriate. He said: "There is a crisis of confidence in America to a make sure we can keep this country safe" and this would allow the United States to "stop, take a break, have a look and make sure everything is cool". Clovis added that then "we can start again" to admit Muslims to the United States. The campaign adviser expressed confidence that it would be easy to determine if those seeking to enter the United States were Muslim because immigration officers could simply ask the question. "I don't think there is anything wrong about asking about religious affiliation," said Clovis. He noted you could use the person's name to determine their religion as well. Clovis said: "If they lie to you, that's a chance you take, but you have to have some semblance of background checks to verify this." Clovis also told the Guardian that his plan would allow for other countries to reciprocate. He noted that the US would have to cooperate with countries like "Britain, Germany, France and Denmark" to do this and said: "If we're putting a hiatus on people of certain religious affiliation to enter the country, we should expect some reciprocal desires as well." Related: Obama condemned Islamophobia in America. It's time Republicans did, too | Nihad Awad He had no time estimate for how long the "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" would take. Clovis said it would be "however long it would take for these departments and entities to come back and report to the American people that we have a sound system, good oversight and checks and balances and assurances from country of origin that we are looking at this thing". Clovis said the campaign had been "in the process of looking at this for some time" but the decision to release the plan today had come from the campaign's main office in New York. The 2014 Republican nominee for Iowa state treasurer, Clovis joined the Trump campaign in August after leaving the presidential campaign of former Texas governor Rick Perry. The Trump adviser is a prominent Iowa conservative activist who is also a college professor and occasional radio talk show host. | 5 | 97,937 | news |
Adele Adele has "never been happier". The 'Hello' hitmaker - who has three-year-old son Angelo with partner Simon Konecki - admits she found it tricky to write tracks for her latest album '25' because she "wasn't sad" anymore. Speaking on the TODAY Show, she said: "I've never been happier. And I've never been healthier. So I'm good. I found it impossible [to write songs] for a while. I didn't know what I wanted to write about ... What's wrong is, I wasn't sad. "'Hello' is just about reconnecting with everyone else and myself. From the other side, I couldn't get over my guilt of leaving my kid to go and write a record and stuff like that. So [it's] getting over that - getting on the other side of that. It was just, you know, it's in general, just hello to everyone." Meanwhile, the 27-year-old singer previously insisted she is "all right" because of her family. She shared: "Being in such an amazing relationship with someone that's so there for me and so loyal and is really part of my core now, that's what made me write about everything I've ever done, because I've got his love. "I know that sounds a bit like I'm trying to write a Hollywood movie but it's only because of him and because of our kid and stuff that I'm all right." | 6 | 97,938 | entertainment |
Kristin Cavallari's brother Michael has been missing for the last 11 days. He was last seen on a gas station surveillance tape and his car was fond abandoned in the Utah desert with the airbags deployed and engine still running. Authorities are still searching for Michael. | 8 | 97,939 | video |
If you're stumped on what to give your someone special, look to her idols for inspiration. Namely, Gigi Hadid, the style star who took 2015 by storm. From her sexy red carpet looks to her casual-cool street style, there's just something about Gigi that everyone can love. So, we rounded up 23 gifts inspired by the model of the moment - a collection of things she's already worn or might be right up her alley. Let's just say, if she were to write out a holiday list, we're pretty sure these picks would make the cut. Just scroll to shop away! Quay My Girl Cat-Eye Shades ($48) ONE by Hunter Bell Kelly Jumpsuit ($253) Rag & Bone Circle Crossbody ($550) BaubleBar Tassel Y Chain Necklace, 18" ($48) Sonix Girl Gang iPhone 6 / 6s Case ($35) C Label Alert and Aware Black Pointed Toe Booties ($49) Hanky Panky Princess Lace Open Bralette ($50) Elizabeth and James Scott Leather-Trimmed Suede Duffle Bag ($545) Outdoor Voices Running Sweats ($105) Christian Dior So Real Sunglasses ($545) Forever 21 Rhinestoned Choker ($16) Veda Jayne Classic Jacket ($946) Balmain Printed Cotton-Jersey Top ($285) She Made Me Crocheted Cotton Halterneck Bikini ($195) Self-Portrait Self-Portrait Panelled Dress ($650) Vince Camuto Front Zip Bomber Jacket ($128) adidas Superstar Leather Sneakers ($80) Nasty Gal Lavish Alice on the Fly Cape Jacket ($98) Sole Society Pavé Crystal Ear Cuffs ($35) ASOS Top in Rib Knit with Lace Up in Twist Yarn ($51) Vimmia Mantra Mesh-Insert Leggings ($119) Stuart Weitzman Lowland Over the Knee Boots ($798) Calvin Klein Modern Racerback Bralette ($24) | 4 | 97,940 | lifestyle |
Senior NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler joins CineSport's Noah Coslov to lay out the individual matchups that NFL scouts will be focused on during bowl season & what the Cowboys may do in round 1. | 1 | 97,941 | sports |
The St. Louis Rams fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti on Monday, one day after the team lost its fifth straight game and coach Jeff Fisher said he was "almost out of answers." "We thank Frank for his hard work and dedication over the last four years," Fisher said Monday. "We wish him the best moving forward." Assistant head coach Rob Boras takes over control of the offense after Cignetti's firing. Cignetti was in his first year as the Rams' offensive coordinator after spending the last three as the team's quarterbacks coach. St. Louis ranks 31st in total offense this season, and the passing offense remains last in the NFL. Quarterback Nick Foles, who was acquired in the offseason via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, was benched on Nov. 16 for Case Keenum. Foles returned to the starting lineup after Keenum suffered a concussion on Nov. 22 against the Baltimore Ravens, but the fourth-year signal-caller will resume his backup duties this week against the Detroit Lions, Fisher said. | 1 | 97,942 | sports |
The husband and wife who killed 14 people in last week's shooting rampage in California were both radicalized and "for quite some time," the FBI official in charge of the investigation said Monday. David Bowdich, the FBI's assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles field office, said investigators were still trying to determine how and by whom Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik were radicalized before the December 2 shooting. "But I will say this -- as the investigation has progressed, we have learned and believe that both subjects were radicalized and have been for quite some time," he said. The couple had taken target practice at Los Angeles-area shooting ranges, and once "within days" of the massacre, Bowdich told reporters. Farook and Malik left their baby daughter at home on Wednesday before heading to the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino east of Los Angeles, where some of Farook's colleagues had gathered for a year-end party. The couple opened fire, killing 14 and wounding 21 others. They were killed hours later in a wild firefight with police. | 5 | 97,943 | news |
LeBron James and Nike have agreed to a lifetime contract, the longest in the company's history. What does this tell you about LeBron's marketability? | 1 | 97,944 | sports |
The San Antonio Spurs have the second best record in the NBA at 17-4. Will they make it 15 wins in 17 games on Monday? | 1 | 97,945 | sports |
JJ Abrams wants fans to know that they don't have to wait through the credits for a surprise scene at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The director who usually keeps most of the big details to himself until his films hit the box office came right out and said that his next film will not have an end credits scene at a press conference over the weekend. Abrams said, " "All of the scenes are actually in the movie." | 6 | 97,946 | entertainment |
A Texas tax law could muddy U.S. oil inventory data through year-end, but the crude glut is not going away and is now showing up in an oversupply of diesel and other fuels. That's what weekly Department of Energy data showed Wednesday, with a surprise drawdown in U.S. crude stockpiles of 3.6 million barrels, the first decline in 11 weeks. Analysts had expected an increase, and it would be bullish for prices if inventories continue to go down. But there was also a surprise 5 million barrel rise in distillates, which are diesel and heating oil. That weighed on the market, which had initially rallied on the drawdown in crude. "It was a big drop in crude inventories on the Gulf Coast. It's destocking," said John Kilduff of Again Capital. "It's the Texas tax dodge kicking in." Analysts have been watching for signs that the oil industry will push barrels away from the state of Texas because at year-end companies are taxed on their inventories of crude. Analysts say it doesn't usually make much difference but this year, with so much oversupply in the market, it could mean more oil going to Cushing, Oklahoma, and also more inventory being kept at sea. The effect is temporary and will reverse, analysts said. Citigroup analysts wrote Wednesday that, "Stockpiles fell more than expected due to inventory management ahead of year-end for tax reasons. This is likely to be a feature of the U.S. data until the end of 2015, as the Gulf Coast region sharply draws down bloated crude inventories before year-end to minimize ad valorem taxes on mineral holdings." The analysts from Citi, in the report, also noted that the Gulf Coast region saw a massive 7.3 million barrel stock draw as imports fell 700,000 barrels a day. Stocks in Cushing rose by 400,000 barrels to 59.4 million barrels. Cushing is the physical hub for Nymex crude futures, and traders worry if it becomes oversupplied, surplus crude will potentially flood the market at fire sale prices.. "It makes sense. There's a bunch of extra tankers sitting in the Gulf," said Kilduff. "That's what caused the headline drop in inventories, was this Gulf Coast drop." The U.S. produced 9.16 million barrels a day of crude last week, slightly below the week earlier level, but total imports rose to 8.0 million barrels a day from 7.7 million barrels the week earlier West Texas Intermediate oil finished Wednesday's session down 35 cents at $37.16 per barrel, and heating oil, already under pressure from warm weather, fell 1.5 percent. "The distillate build was definitely a big factor determining whatever price support came from that nebulous crude oil stat," said Kilduff. He said gasoline demand was strong at 9.2 million barrels, up 1 pct from last year but distillate demand is down 1.2 percent. But Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, said he was skeptical the drawdown was mostly from the tax avoidance, since the barrels are taxed on Dec. 31, and it is early for the industry to be moving them. He said there were other reasons for the decline. "Some of it was due to fog in the Houston Ship Channel affecting delivery," said Lipow. | 3 | 97,947 | finance |
A letter written by a five-year-old girl to Father Christmas in the 1930s has been found up a chimney during renovation work at a house in Powys. In the note, found at Garthmyl Hall, Berriew, Christine Churchill, now 82, asks for "some nice toys" and a hymn book. The property's current owner Julia Pugh said she was humbled by the letter. The letter's author, Ms Churchill, said she was excited to see the letter again and "very touched" that Ms Pugh would want to keep it. "Today, if you don't get an iPhone [for your children] you're an awful person. | 8 | 97,948 | video |
Ice T and Coco are finally parents to a beautiful baby girl named Chanel. Coco couldn't be happier to be a mommy, she posted tons of pictures of baby Chanel on her Instagram and Chanel actually has her own Instagram account! She recently did her first photoshoot and she's obviously a pro just like her mom. | 8 | 97,949 | video |
Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and Jarden Corp. are in talks to combine, according to people familiar with the matter, in a deal that would unite makers of well-known consumer brands including Sharpie markers, Graco baby strollers and Mr. Coffee machines. The terms under discussion couldn't be learned, and it is possible the talks won't lead to a deal. Newell Rubbermaid is slightly larger, with a market capitalization of about $12 billion Monday afternoon, compared with Jarden's value of $10.5 billion. Based on a typical takeover premium, an acquisition of Jarden could value the company at $13 billion or more. The combined company would have around $14 billion in annual sales. Shares of Newell Rubbermaid rose 7.4% to $48.16 in New York trading Monday, while Jarden added 3.7% to $50.09. The gains came after The Wall Street Journal report. Both companies shares have surged in recent years as they have made a series of acquisitions that investors cheered amid a strengthening economy. They exemplify companies' yen for deals in a torrid period for mergers and acquisitions, with the total dollar value of takeovers at a record high in 2015. A sale of Jarden, based in Boca Raton, Fla., would be a capstone to a successful run by Martin Franklin, the serial acquirer who has built the company into a portfolio of more than 120 brands. They include Yankee Candle, Crock-Pot cookers, Aerobed inflatable mattresses, Rawlings baseball mitts and Sunbeam irons. An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com | 3 | 97,950 | finance |
WASHINGTON Congress and the White House are poised for a rare agreement in the fight against terrorism with legislation that would slap new travel restrictions on foreign visitors to the U.S. who have recently visited Syria, Iraq, Iran or Sudan. Though the bill was given added urgency after the terror attack in San Bernardino, Calif., the proposed changes to the 30-year-old visa waiver program would not stop visitors like San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik, the Pakistani-born woman who entered the U.S. under a separate fiancee visa program in 2014. Malik and her American-born husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, are responsible for the Wednesday attack that killed 14 people and injured 21. Malik and Farook were killed in a shootout with police hours after the attack. The House legislation, hammered out in private talks between the administration and congressional leaders after the Paris terror attacks last month, would ban visa-free entry of citizens from 38 countries, including most of Europe and several U.S. allies in Asia, if they report on a travel application that they have visited any of the four targeted countries since 2011. It would also require all 38 countries participating in the visa waiver program to share traveler information with the U.S. In the past, some countries have been slow to provide such information, U.S. officials complain, and under the bill, those countries could be kicked out of the program if they fail to comply. A vote in the House is set for Tuesday. "We should put in place stronger screening for those who come to America without a visa so that we can take a hard look at whether they've traveled to war zones," President Barack Obama said Sunday in a televised address from the Oval Office. "And we're working with members of both parties in Congress to do exactly that." Even backers of the legislation acknowledge it will not eliminate the risk of terrorists with ties to Islamic State or other militant groups entering the U.S. to launch attacks. "That terrorists are going to self-report is fantasy," said one congressional aide. "I would not put my faith and confidence in the self-reporting of bad guys. I would much more put it in the information sharing of our allies." The visa-waiver bill is one of the only areas of potential agreement between Obama and Congress as Washington struggles to respond to the shifting terror threat. While a robust bipartisan vote is expected in the House, one potential roadblock remains in the Senate: Powerful California Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants even tougher restrictions added to the visa waiver program. Feinstein's approach, drafted with Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., requires first-time visitors seeking to come to the U.S. under the visa waiver program to undergo biometric fingerprint and photograph screening at U.S. Embassies or Consulates in their home countries, rather than after they arrive at a port of entry in the United States. Critics say America's overseas facilities are not staffed up to handle the expected onslaught of visitors who would need such prescreening. They prefer the current process, in which the screening takes place after travelers arrive at U.S. Feinstein's proposal is being watched closely by the nation's tourism industry, which fears it may complicate or reduce travel to the United States. U.S. Travel Association President Roger Dow said in a statement the House bill's more limited approach would bring "thoughtful solutions that will enhance America's security," and it warned against "knee-jerk" restrictions that could harm tourism to the U.S. Also, while the House bill blocks visa-free travel for those who admit to visiting Iran and Sudan, Feinstein's Senate bill limits the restrictions to Syria and Iraq, and gives the Department of Homeland Security the ability to add countries to the restricted list. Exceptions to the travel restrictions are allowed in the House proposal for those citizens of visa waiver countries who visited the four countries while conducting government business or as part of the military. "Sen. Feinstein is encouraged by the consensus on strengthening the security of the visa waiver program and will work with her colleagues to get something signed into law," said an aide to the California senator who asked for anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations. The visa waiver changes may be attached to a must-pass spending bill to fund government operations that Congress is expected to approve by the end of the week to avoid a federal shutdown. | 5 | 97,951 | news |
American teens think Facebook has definitely lost its cool factor, but use it as much as ever. A survey released Monday by Forrester Research found 78 percent of US teenagers use Facebook, a figure unchanged from last year. That's more than any other "social" site except the video-sharing service YouTube, used by 80 percent of teens. The cool factor isn't there for the leading social network, Forrester found: 65 percent of online users ages 12 to 17 say Facebook is cool, far less than services such as YouTube (80 percent), Snapchat (79 percent) and Facebook-owned Instagram (78 percent). "Sure, young people don't think Facebook is cool -- but that doesn't mean they've stopped using it," the report said. Forrester analysts said Facebook "generates more hyper-usage than any other social site" adding that a third of teen Facebook users say they're on the site "all the time," far more than any other social site. "Facebook is a key way for young people to keep in touch with friends," they wrote. The report said the billion-plus member social network can be an important tool for marketers who want to connect with youth, but they need to finetune their approach with tools such as "social relationship marketing" to build brand awareness and loyalty. The research firm surveyed 4,485 teens ages 12 to 17 in April 2015. The margin of error was estimated at 1.5 percentage points. | 3 | 97,952 | finance |
A few years ago, now-retired NBA legend Ray Allen had an opportunity to play golf with President Barack Obama. Allen, however, turned down the opportunity. According to a recent story in New York Daily News , Obama was set to play at 10 A.M. and former NBA center Alonzo Mourning invited Allen to join. But Allen, who had a game for the Miami Heat later that day, denied the offer because he felt he needed to be at the team shoot-around in the morning. Allen said his teammates wanted him to join the POTUS for such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but Pat Riley and team administration was less keen on the idea. REALLY, RAY ALLEN? -- Basketball star declined invite to golf with President Obama. https://t.co/UwHyQipgPF pic.twitter.com/2pw2Xr0ZRP New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) December 5, 2015 "They were somewhat against it and obviously that's how the team side was. So I never ended up doing it," says Allen, via NY Daily News. When the Heat won the championship later that year, Obama reportedly joked with Allen about his denied invitation. The report also explains that Allen has since golfed with Obama "several times" -- including once as partners against 2015 NBA MVP Stephen Curry and his father, Dell Curry. "He's the president, he has presidential things that he has to deal with," said Allen. "It was interesting just having a conversation and realizing how normal and regular that he is." (h/t NY Daily News ) | 1 | 97,953 | sports |
Iran tested a new medium-range ballistic missile last month in a breach of two U.N. Security Council resolutions, two U.S. officials said on Monday. The officials, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said the test was held on Nov. 21. One of them said the missile traveled within Iranian territory. Fox News earlier on Monday on its website cited Western intelligence sources as saying the test was held near Chabahar, a port city near Iran's border with Pakistan. All ballistic missile tests by Iran are banned under a 2010 Security Council resolution that remains valid until a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers is implemented. Under that deal, reached on July 14, most sanctions on Iran will be lifted in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. According to a July 20 resolution endorsing that deal, Iran is still "called upon" to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. In October, the United States, Britain, France and Germany called for the Security Council's Iran sanctions committee to take action over a missile test by Tehran that month that they said violated U.N. sanctions. So far, no action has been taken by the committee. Several Security Council diplomats said on Monday that they had received no official notification of a new alleged violation of the U.N. missile sanctions against Iran since the October notification. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity. (Reporting by Timothy Ahmann, Philip Stewart and Mark Hosenball in Washington and Louis Charbonneau in New York; Editing by Eric Walsh, Jonathan Oatis and Ken Wills) | 5 | 97,954 | news |
The 'basic income' plan will replace welfare. | 3 | 97,955 | finance |
More shuttle drivers who transport Facebook workers have joined the Teamsters and gotten a new contract. The seven drivers with WeDriveU , Inc., a corporate transportation provider based in Burlingame, Calif., shuttle Facebook employees to and from work. They will supplement the 90 or so drivers working for Loop Transportation, which has a contract with Facebook. Back in February, those drivers approved a contract negotiated between Loop and Teamsters Local 853 of San Leandro, Calif. WeDriveU recognized the Teamsters last week and the contract went into effect Monday, the union says. That brings to more than 450 shuttle drivers in Silicon Valley who have joined the Teamsters over the last 12 months or so. "This is another step in making extraordinary improvements to the working conditions and overall livelihoods of tech shuttle drivers," said Rome Aloise, International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 853 in a statement. "We are moving to bring drivers in the entire shuttle bus industry into the Teamsters Union so that there is a level playing field on costs and so that the richest companies in the world are assured of quality, experienced drivers for the valuable employees they service." Aloise said WeDriveU's agreement to work with the Teamsters "is an acknowledgment by the tech bus industry of the Teamsters' contracts and how we have influenced wages and benefits." Under the agreement, wages for the WeDriveU workers start at a minimum of $24.75, and a premium of 10% when working split shifts. They get 11 holidays, nine sick leave days, as well as fully paid health care for the first year and contributions toward defined contribution pension plan. Last month, nearly 200 shuttle drivers, who are employed by Compass Transportation of San Jose and transport employees of Apple, Yahoo, eBay and several other Silicon Valley companies, voted overwhelmingly to approve a similar contract. Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider | 3 | 97,956 | finance |
Carlo Ancelotti admitted he would be interested in managing Manchester United, should the job become available. Louis van Gaal is under contract until 2017 but the Dutchman has been criticized by United fans for the team's style of play. United - fourth in the Premier League but only three points off top spot - has labored to six goalless draws in all competitions this season following Saturday's stalemate with West Ham, leading to speculation the club's hierarchy could part with Van Gaal before his contract expires. Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has been linked with the job, while former Real Madrid coach Ancelotti has now thrown his hat into the ring as he eyes a return to the Premier League. "I will continue to wait," Ancelotti told The Independent. "If I don't find a club with a good project, I can wait. What will I do? Watching games, fishing, all these things. But let us see next summer. "I will not take a job in midseason, but I would like to work again next summer. Of course, for every manager, they would all think of managing Manchester United." This is not the first time Ancelotti has been linked to the Old Trafford post. The Italian was reportedly in contention to replace David Moyes in 2014, though he opted to remain in Madrid after winning the Champions League. The 56-year-old added: "I have no regrets about staying at Real because I really enjoyed Madrid. I would like to come back in a club with a good project, but, of course, one that is competitive. "When I went to PSG, it was a club with a really good project. They were not a club with a tradition like Milan or Madrid, but they wanted to grow and are still on this path now. But, the Premier League is the best in the sense of atmosphere, ambience. It is also competitive, so I would like to come back, especially for the atmosphere." | 1 | 97,957 | sports |
We've seen these supershot contests before but we've never seen one end like this. | 1 | 97,958 | sports |
Click through the slideshow above for the best- and worst-run states in America (ranked from best to worst). How well run is your state? Assessing a state's management quality is no simple task. The current economic climate and standard of living in any given state are not only the results of recent policy choices and developments, but may also be dependent on forces outside a state's control and, often, decisions made decades ago. For each of the past six years, 24/7 Wall St. has attempted to answer this question by surveying various characteristics of each state. To determine how well states are managed, we examine key financial ratios, as well as social and economic outcomes. This year, North Dakota is the best-run state in the country for the fourth consecutive year, while New Mexico replaced Illinois as the worst-run state. There is no comprehensive measure of a state government administration and how well or poorly it runs the state. Selecting appropriate criteria to compare the 50 states is difficult because there is so much variation among them. Some states are rich in natural resources, for example, while others rely on high-skilled sectors, such as technology and business services. Some depend disproportionately on one industry, while economies in other states are more balanced. Further, some states are more rural, while others are highly urbanized and densely populated. As a result, policy decisions that may work in one state might not work in another. For example, while taking on large amounts of debt to fund a state's spending is often fiscally irresponsible, wealthier states arguably benefit from higher debt levels they can use the extra funds to pay for public welfare services and are able to pay it back without much effort. Most of the conditions used to determine how well or poorly run a state is do not tend to fluctuate a great deal from year to year. Measures such as income, poverty, and violent crime rates do not usually change meaningfully from year to year. Still, the rank of some states changed significantly this year. Maine, West Virginia, and Alaska each regressed by at least 10 spots. Alaska, this year's 18th-best run state, was seventh-best last year. Meanwhile, four states improved by nearly 10 spots. Colorado improved from 17th-best to eighth-best. This year, a number of the best-run states have again benefited from an abundance of natural resources, although this can often manifest as an overreliance. North Dakota, Wyoming, and Texas are among the top 10 best-run states, and in all three, the mining industry which includes fossil fuel extraction is a major contributor to state GDP. Due in large part to the mining sector, North Dakota, Texas and Wyoming led the nation in real GDP growth in 2014. Alaska has utilized its oil wealth to build massive state reserves and to pay its residents an annual dividend. However, the state's position fell this year largely due to falling oil prices. Similarly, while North Dakota is the leader again this year, the mining industry has been subject to wild fluctuations. While some states' economic fortunes are closely tied to the rise and fall of individual industries, which are often outside their control, each state must make the best of its own situation. Governments, as stewards of their own economies, need to prepare for the worst, including the collapse of a vital industry. Good governance is about balancing tax collection and state expenditure in a way that provides essential services to residents without sacrificing a state's long-term fiscal health. Many of the best-run states in the country set money aside each year for emergencies. For example, Alaska's rainy day fund reserves set aside to be allocated in the event of unforeseen budget shortfalls are equal to 146.4% of its revenue, the highest such percentage of any state. While each state is different, states at both ends of the list share certain characteristics. For example, people living in the worst-run states tend to have lower standards of living. Violent crime and poverty rates are typically higher in these states, and the share of the population with at least a high school diploma tends to be lower than the national rate. The worst-run states also tend to have weak fiscal management, reflected by low pension funding, sparsely padded coffers, and poor credit ratings from Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's (S&P). Illinois, the second worst-run state in America, received lower ratings than any other state from both agencies. By contrast, the majority of the 10 best-run states have perfect ratings from both agencies. Unemployment rates are also relatively low in the nation's best-run states. North Dakota, the top-ranked state, has an unemployment rate of 2.8%, the lowest of all states. Six of the 10 best-run states have among the 10 lowest unemployment rates. Meanwhile, unemployment is much more prevalent in the worst-run states. Louisiana and New Mexico, both among the lowest-ranked states, have the nation's fifth- and second-highest unemployment rates, at 6.2% and 6.8%, respectively. More from 24/7 Wall St.: Worst States for Black Americans Beers Americans No Longer Drink 15 American Ghost Towns | 3 | 97,959 | finance |
The Knicks are 10-11 this season, in large part to the work of Kristaps Porzingis. Is Porzingis the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki? | 1 | 97,960 | sports |
And they've been suspended for their potty mouths, too. | 8 | 97,961 | video |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is taking his commitment to improving opportunities to play youth baseball and softball, especially in underserved areas, to the major leagues. Commissioner Rob Manfred named Ripken his special adviser on youth programs and outreach. Manfred made the announcement Monday at the first winter meetings of his tenure as head of MLB. "Cal has devoted much of his time since his great playing career finished to youth programs, developing youth programs, helping kids enjoy our game," Manfred said at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. "Cal will be involved in all aspects of our policy development in the youth area." Manfred has made it a priority to attract more young people to the game while giving them more opportunities to play it in all different environments. He started the Play Ball initiative and consolidated all youth programs under senior vice president Tony Reagins. Now Ripken has been added to the team. The former Baltimore Orioles shortstop will join the MLB Youth Programs Advisory Committee. The group's mandate is to evaluate and improve the quality of existing programs and identify new programs that can grow the sport. He also will represent the league at public events. "I've always wanted to help develop the kids and let them see the joy that baseball can provide. It's a wonderful, wonderful sport," Ripken said. "And I still think it's a little different than other sports. You don't have to be the biggest, strongest, and fastest. The skills involved in baseball doesn't discriminate on size, and it's wonderful to see a small kid step up and grab a bat and all of a sudden have great success." Since his retirement in 2001, Ripken has been heavily involved with youth baseball and softball, including building more than 50 youth development parks -- multipurpose fields that give kids safe places to play. Ripken Baseball hosts tournaments across the country. "We all care about the game. All of us that were lucky enough to play it for a living, we still want to give back to the game, but it seems like it is very segmented. We're all working kind of separately," Ripken said. "The commissioner's office has brought formality to it, and we can all pool our resources together and really have a much bigger and better effect." | 1 | 97,962 | sports |
This was probably the best moment in this young fella's life. | 1 | 97,963 | sports |
Talk of tighter gun control rules is giving a boost to gun stocks. Following the recent spate of mass shootings in California, Paris and other areas, firearms are back in the sights of politicians. That's stoking demand for guns by anyone who might want one and now fears they will get harder to obtain. Shares of three publicly traded stocks with the heaviest concentration on firearms -- Sturm, Ruger (RGR), Smith & Wesson (SWHC) and ammo maker Vista Outdoor (VSTO) -- have jumped 70% on average this year as investors think already-strong demand for guns could continue to increase as buyers rush to buy more. The gun companies' share growth has surpassed the 0.9% gain by the Standard & Poor's 500 this year. Just Monday, their shares rose an average of of 5.2% as the broad market fell. That comes one day after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio put out a statement that advocated for the stop of "the flow of both public pension funds and private U.S. dollars into the hands of gun manufacturers who make and market the assault weapons used by terrorists, criminals and the mentally ill." Investors are betting consumers afraid of new gun rules will load up now for fear that new, more restrictive rules will be passed. "The increased call for firearms laws, restrictions and regulations leads to the increased demand," for firearms, says Brian Ruttenbur, analyst at BB&T. Firearms sales are up 4.7% this year compared with the same period in 2014, Ruttenbur says, citing data from National Instant Criminal Background Check System for consumer background gun checks. More Americans had their backgrounds checked purchasing guns on Black Friday than any day on record, according to data released by the FBI. The criminal background system processed 185,345 requests on Nov. 27, one of the largest retail sales days in the country. Background checks for handguns are up 12.3% this year compared with the same period last year, Ruttenbur says. The majority of both Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger's business come from handguns, he says. The surge in demand this year is largely the result of 2014 being a soft year for gun sales. Gun sales weakened in 2014 following a massive jump in demand in 2013. The Dec. 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. sparked a rush to arm up ahead of new gun control rules, which never materialized. "Surges in firearms sales are driven by the perceived threat of governmental restrictions and regulations on firearms," Ruttenbur says. Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger are up 116% and 66% this year, respectively. These companies have been direct beneficiaries from exceptionally strong handgun demand. Analysts are especially bullish on demand for Smith & Wesson firearms. The company's revenue is expected to hit $613.7 million this calendar year, up 13% from last year, says S&P Capital IQ. Analysts are calling for revenue at Sturm, Ruger to drop 2.1% this calendar year, but bounce back 5.8% in calendar year 2016 to $563.7 million. That's not to say making money on gun-related stocks is a certainty. Shares of Olin (OLN), which has a number of chemicals businesses in addition to its Winchester gun unit, are down 16% this year. Cabela's (CAB), a retailer of a variety of outdoor gear, including guns, has seen its shares slide nearly 14%. Additionally, much of the money for gun-stock investors has already been made by investors who jumped in before events in California. For instance, Sturm, Ruger shares have been so strong that at $57.50 they've already blasted past the $53 price target investors have for the stock in 18 months. But no matter what, news related to the shootings only stokes a recovery in demand that was already occurring. "We continue to believe that the firearms industry is in the initial stages of a recovery in demand," Ruttenbur says. Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler | 3 | 97,964 | finance |
Changing your name is a right pain in the, well, you know. There's the DMV, Social Security, and the IRS, among other government agencies, to deal with. Get through all of those and you still have to convince your friends to use the new moniker. While Mercedes didn't have to deal with those government offices to change many of its vehicles' names in its recent nomenclature shift, its friends also known as its paying customers do have a few new nameplates to get used to. The GLS-class is one of them. Thankfully, Benz's naming changes largely make sense, unlike those of Infiniti. (We're supposed to be the experts and we still use the Japanese luxury brand's old designations to refer to its vehicles.) Benz's logic comes courtesy of aligning its SUVs with its core sedan lineup, so the GLK became the GLC (C-class), the ML became the GLE (E-class), and the GL became this model, the GLS (S-class). (The A-class-aligned GLA-class launched under the new naming convention.) The new GLS arrives in American dealerships in March, but don't fret if you can't tell much of a difference. Exterior changes from the GL-class it replaces are only slightly more obvious than the extra letter in its badge, and it's still the big ol' Benz capable of hauling seven people in three rows of seating or as much as 94 cubic feet of cargo. A slightly wider grille opening pushes the revised headlights toward the outer edges of the nose, while new LED taillights and a reworked rear bumper highlight the changes out back. Inside, the restyled interior now sports the company's COMAND touchpad that's proliferating across the Mercedes lineup. (More details on the changes are available here.) The top-spec non-AMG model is the GLS550, and according to one Mercedes display we saw at the launch event, it is "lavishly motorized" thanks to a 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8 putting out 449 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. From behind the wheel, this engine is sufficient in the same way that a gas-powered blender is. Yes, it's fun, but you rarely have a chance to use the available power. The lower-cost V-6s once again are the sweet spots of the lineup, and the diesel-powered GLS350d even gets a small power bump over its predecessor. The biggest changes concern the big SUV's mechanicals. All three non-AMG models now come with a new nine-speed automatic, which sports a wide, 9.17:1 ratio spread. In most driving modes (which number five or six depending on equipment), the transmission starts in second gear for smooth, cushy throttle tip-in; only Sport mode engages the shortest ratio. In the interest of efficiency, Benz engineers spent the last five years optimizing the four-planetary-gearset gearbox. It uses two pumps to generate the hydraulic pressure required for operation, with a mechanical pump working while the engine is turning and a second electric pump adding pressure when needed. The latter also allows for quick re-ignition during engine stop-start operation. In either of the gasoline-fueled models, the so-called 9G-tronic transmission goes unnoticed but in the best way possible. It never hunts for gears, and turbo lag is kept to a minimum. In the diesel, however, the transmission always seems as if it's in one gear higher than it should be, spinning the long-stroke V-6 at near idle. At that engine speed, it feels like full boost and therefore full power must pass a TSA security check before arriving. We loved the diesel GL-classes of yore not only because they were the entry point to the range, but also offered copious torque to make up for their lower horsepower figures. After our Alpine drive, however, we'd say it's the 362-hp twin-turbo V-6 of the GLS450 that seems to sit most squarely at the intersection of performance and value. The GLS's interior is quiet and serene, and the same can be said of driver feedback from the steering wheel and pedals. Like the GL450 of before, a soft brake pedal puts some unnecessary guesswork into deceleration and the steering wheel feels disconnected to what's happening at the road. But this is not to slam the vehicle, nor is it to say that, on their own, these are glaring errors among three-row luxury SUVs. Coupling the two together, however, makes us want for a little more tactility. Pricing isn't finalized but we're expecting 2017 GLS pricing to mirror the outgoing GL's, with the GLS350 diesel and GLS450 starting at less than $70,000. You should not, however, expect to see many V-6 GLSs on dealer lots wearing stickers for much below $90K, which is how much these wagons usually cost once entertainment screens, full-leather lining, dynamic anti-roll bars, two-speed transfer cases, and other big-ticket items are selected. The GLS550 should begin around $93,000, so it's already in its own stratosphere. Speaking of other stratospheres, we haven't forgotten about the Mercedes-AMG GLS63. The 577-hp (up 27 from the GL63) hot rod is the most like its predecessor on account of the fact that it carries over its older seven-speed automatic. Mercedes didn't have a drive-worthy example ready for us to sample, so we will have to wait until springtime to confirm that it can still rocket to 60 mph in less than five seconds. All in all, it seems the most significant new thing about the GLS is its name it drives as well, totes as much, and looks as upscale as the old GL-class. And that's fine with us. Specifications >VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door hatchback ESTIMATED BASE PRICES: GLS350d, $66,000; GLS450, $68,000; GLS550, $93,000; GLS63, $123,000 ENGINE TYPES: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve diesel 3.0-liter V-6, 255 hp, 457 lb-ft; twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter V-6, 362 hp, 369 lb-ft; twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve 4.7-liter V-8, 449 hp, 516 lb-ft; twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve 5.5-liter V-8, 577 hp, 561 lb-ft TRANSMISSIONS: 7-speed automatic with manual shifting mode, 9-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 121.1 in Length: 202.3 in Width: 76.1-78.0 in Height: 72.8 in Passenger volume: 148 cu ft Cargo volume: 16 cu ft Curb weight (C/D est): 5650-5950 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST): Zero to 60 mph: 4.7-7.4 sec Zero to 100 mph: 11.1-21.5 sec Standing ¼-mile: 13.1-15.6 sec Top speed: 130-155 mph FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST): EPA city/highway driving: 13-19/17-27 mpg Follow MSN Autos on Facebook | 9 | 97,965 | autos |
Bono has brought live music back to Paris. On Sunday, U2 played the first of two major concerts in the French capital that had been scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15, but were canceled in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks of Nov. 13. About 17,000 people attended the concert, which was held at the AccorHotels Arena, 2 miles southeast of the Bataclan, the venue in which 89 attendees of an Eagles of Death Metal concert were killed less than a month ago. The U2 concert was the first large-scale cultural event in Paris since the attacks, which left a total of 130 dead and hundreds of others wounded. Bono honored the strength of the French people at the concert with stirring words throughout the concert , according to Variety. "Tonight, we are all Parisians," he said, in French, at one point. "If you love liberty, then Paris is your hometown." The Eagles of Death Metal were rumored to be appearing alongside U2 at the concert, but Patti Smith performed instead. U2 will be performing another sold-out concert at the AccorHotels Arena on Monday evening. The show -- the last stop in the Irish band's Innocence and Experience tour -- will be broadcast on HBO at 9 p.m. EST . The Eagles of Death Metal announced on Monday that they were visiting Paris again, prompting speculation that they might join U2 for this second concert. The concert represented the latest in a series of events marking the resurgence of Paris after the attacks; on Friday, the first of the three cafes targeted in the assault reopened. Also on HuffPost: | 6 | 97,966 | entertainment |
A Los Angeles pet groomer is giving her fluffball customers the glamorous treatments they deserve. Jess Rona is the dog stylist behind @JessRonaGrooming. Her Instagram account boasts more than 54,000 followers, with good reason. Rona films slow-motion clips of her fluffy clients during baths, haircuts and blow-outs. But it's the music that really makes these 15-second clips: think classics (Dolly Parton and The Kinks) and contemporary (Father John Misty and Adele). Scrolling through her feed, you might even recognize some famous canine faces. | 4 | 97,967 | lifestyle |
It's official. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have named their son, Saint. | 8 | 97,968 | video |
Ronda Rousey opened up to ESPN The Magazine about her crushing defeat to Holly Holm and how it might be six months before she can eat an apple. | 8 | 97,969 | video |
Some foods play really well together. Take these 13 health boosting combos , for example. Their chemical compounds merge to create a turbo-charged nutritional symbiosis. It's a beautiful and tasty thing. Other foods, however, don't play so nice together we're talking combos that leave you bloated, send blood sugar levels soaring, and dampen the absorption of important nutrients. Here, six pairings to avoid if you want to feel your best: 1. Tea + milk "Black tea is rich in antioxidants that work to decrease inflammation that's linked to many chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes," says Rumsey. However, splashing even a little milk (cow or soy) into your cup short-circuits those benefits: "Milk proteins bind to antioxidants in tea and prevent them from being absorbed," she explains. What's more, milk doesn't even offer a calcium boost in this situation. "The caffeine in tea can decrease calcium absorption," says Rachel Meltzer Warren, RDN, author of The Smart Girl's Guide to Going Vegetarian. "If you really want to add something good to your tea, squeeze some lemon in there instead. It'll actually increase the amount of antioxidants that your body can absorb." 2. White bread + jam "Simple carbohydrates spike blood sugar the most," says Liz Weinandy, RD, MPH, a dietitian at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Put two or more together think white bread and jam or soda and French fries and you've got a recipe for disaster. "Your blood sugar goes up fast, and your body has to work very hard to bring it down by releasing insulin from the pancreas," explains Weinandy. Once that inevitable drop happens, your energy and mood can bottom out, leaving you tired and irritated. "In the long term, this process can eventually wear the pancreas down and create insulin resistance and diabetes," adds Weinandy. A smarter idea: Swap out those refined carbs for fiber-rich whole grains , which help to slow down digestion and keep you off the blood sugar roller coaster. 3. Salad + nonfat dressing "When you avoid fat on your salad, you put up a roadblock to your absorption of nutrients," says Meltzer Warren. In fact, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that carotenoids plant pigments linked to a reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration are more readily absorbed when paired with full-fat dressing as opposed to low-fat or fat-free varieties. But you don't need a heavy pour of ranch to reap the benefits splash greens with olive oil and vinegar and you're good to go. 4. Alcohol + caffeine You know the drill: You're drinking wine at dinner, start to yarn after a few glasses, and perk yourself up with a post-meal cappuccino. Bad idea. Why? The energy boost you get from caffeine can mask intoxication , so you underestimate how drunk you are. The same goes for directly mixing caffeine + booze (think vodka and Red Bull or coffee and Kahlua). Research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that people who combine caffeine and alcohol are at a greater risk of being in an accident than those who steer clear of the combo. 5. Lentils + red wine Red wines contain compounds called tannins. When tannins intermingle with plant-based sources of iron, like those found in lentils and soybeans, it seriously hinders your body's ability to absorb the mineral. This issue is particularly relevant to vegans and vegetarians , notes Rumsey: "Plant-based iron is already more difficult to absorb than meat-based iron," she says. "Add tannins to the mix and it's that much harder to get the iron you need." 6. Burgers + beer "Both are processed by the liver, and your body naturally prioritizes breaking down the alcohol first, since it recognizes alcohol as a toxin," says Rumsey. This leaves fat floating in your blood stream, where it can then be stored in fat tissue. Moreover, you'll feel especially gross afterward. "Fat causes food to digest more slowly, which is why a high-fat meal can leave you feeling stuffed and bloated long after you eat it," says Rumsey. More on MSN: 30 foods you should never eat after 30 | 7 | 97,970 | health |
Jessica Alba, Rachel Zoe, Tiffani Thiessen, and more celebrity moms had their cute kids in tow for Baby2Baby's annual holiday party in LA on Sunday. The Honest Company founder and her husband, Cash Warren, brought their two daughters, Honor and Haven, along for the fun and posed for a series of adorable family photos together - can you believe how grown up they've gotten? Stylist and designer Rachel also had her little ones, sons Skyler and Kaius, by her side for the event, which also brought out Modern Family's Julie Bowen and her twins and Tiffani and her baby boy, Holt, who was born in July. Keep reading to see all the stars at Baby2Baby's bash, then see how even more celebrities are getting a start on the holiday season. | 6 | 97,971 | entertainment |
Nicki Minaj spends $100,000 dollars bailing out her brother, Jelani Maraj, after he was arrested and charged for allegedly raping a 12-year-old. | 8 | 97,972 | video |
History was made recently for manufacturers of kit/replica products to allow low-volume "turn-key" production of their products to consumers. No longer would a customer have the only choice of building their replica at home or having a local dealer install the drivetrain to make the vehicle roadworthy. Now, thanks to H.R. 22, the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act," you can now order a turn-key vehicle fully legal and ready to roll on America's highways. President Obama signed into law the legislation that will permit low volume car manufacturers to produce turn-key replica vehicles for customers nationwide. The SEMA-supported provision was part of a larger, highway construction bill that was introduced by Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) in June 2015; legislation that SEMA has pursued since 2011. It received strong bi-partisan support and was inserted into the highway bill. "With this new law, Congress has demonstrated that it understands the importance of enabling U.S. companies to produce classic-themed vehicles that are virtually impossible to build under the current one-size-fits-all regulatory framework," said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. "This program will create auto sector jobs and meet consumer demand for cars that help preserve our American heritage." The low volume provision allows small automakers to construct up to 325 such replica cars a year, subject to federal regulatory oversight. Replica cars resemble production vehicles manufactured at least 25 years ago, which would include first generation classic Mustangs, even the majority of the Fox Mustang era for that matter. The U.S. currently has just one system for regulating automobiles, which was established in the 1960s and designed for companies that mass-produce millions of vehicles. The law recognizes the unique challenges faced by companies that produce a small number of custom cars. Classic cars on MSN Autos The measure establishes a separate regulatory structure within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for replica car manufacturers. The companies are required to register with NHTSA and EPA and submit annual reports on the vehicles they produce. The vehicles are required to meet current model year emissions standards, although companies are permitted to install engines from other EPA-certified vehicles to help achieve that requirement. "This law gives enthusiasts the opportunity to buy turn-key replica cars while preserving their option to build one from a kit," said SEMA Chairman of the Board Doug Evans. "It recognizes the unique circumstances associated with limited production replica vehicles, such as the 1932 Roadster and 1965 Cobra, which are primarily used in exhibitions, parades and occasional transportation. With enactment of this new law, kit car companies and SEMA member companies that supply equipment and components can take advantage of this unique opportunity." H.R. 22, the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act" SEC. 24405- Treatment of Low-Volume Manufacturers NHTSA Provisions EXEMPTION FROM VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS FOR LOW-VOLUME MANUFACTURERS • The Motor Vehicle Safety Act is amended to add an exemption for low volume manufacturers [49 U.S.C. § 30114] • A "low volume manufacturer" is a motor vehicle manufacturer whose annual worldwide production (including by a parent or subsidiary of the manufacturer) is not more than 5,000 motor vehicles each year. • A low volume manufacturer may construct and sell up to 325 replica vehicles in the U.S. each year. • A replica vehicle is a vehicle that resembles the body of another motor vehicle produced at least 25 years ago. The vehicle is subject to a license agreement for the intellectual property rights for the replicated vehicle from the original manufacturer, its successor/assignee or the current owner of the replicated vehicle's intellectual property rights. • Replica vehicles will be treated as an assemblage of automobile equipment and subject to any current motor vehicle equipment safety standards (lighting, tires, windshields, brake hoses, etc.). They are exempt from safety standards that apply to motor vehicles (roof crush, side impact, bumper standard, etc.). The exemption recognizes that it is impractical to apply current model year standards to vehicles designed decades ago (ex: 1930s roadster) or crash a vehicle when only a few are being produced. • Replica vehicles are exempt from the country of original labeling requirement, fuel economy ratings and the Monroney label requirement. • Replica vehicle manufacturers are required to register with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and file annual production reports. NHTSA has 90 days to approve or deny the registration application (and 30 more days if the application is incomplete). Once approved, a registration may be revoked if the company fails to comply with the program requirements or if NHTSA issues a finding of a safety-related defect which the company has not corrected. • A permanent label is to be affixed to the vehicle identifying the standards from which the vehicle is exempt and designating the model year that the vehicle replicates. NHTSA may require that the manufacturer provide a written notice of the exemption(s) to the dealer and first purchaser. • Aside from the provided exemptions, replica vehicle manufacturers will be treated as motor vehicle manufacturers subject to recordkeeping and defect/noncompliance notification and remedy requirements. • Replica vehicles are subject to state titling and registration laws and regulations. EPA Provisions VEHICLE EMISSION COMPLIANCE STANDARDS FOR LOW-VOLUME MOTOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS • Section 206(a) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7525(a)) is amended to allow the replica vehicle to be equipped with a motor vehicle engine (including all engine emissions control equipment) which is already covered by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certificate of conformity for the current model year in which the replica vehicle is produced. The replica vehicle will then be deemed emissions compliant. • The EPA will also deem the replica vehicle as being emissions compliant if the installed motor vehicle engine (including all engine emissions control equipment) has received an Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for the model year in which the replica vehicle is produced. • The replica vehicle manufacturer must install the engine in accordance with instructions provided by the engine manufacturer and self-certify the installation. • The replica vehicle manufacturer must affix emission control labels to the vehicle and provide the customer with emission control warranty information from the engine manufacturer, including where warranty repairs can be made, along with the EPA certificate of conformity number for the vehicle in which the engine was originally intended or the applicable CARB Executive Order (EO) number. • Replica vehicles are exempt from state-based emissions testing since the vehicles will have current model year engines. • Replica vehicle manufacturers are required to register with EPA and file annual production reports that include a description of the engine installed and the applicable vehicle certificate of conformity number or CARB EO number. • Except as otherwise provided, the replica vehicle manufacturer will be considered a vehicle manufacturer subject to applicable regulations, including being subject to civil penalties for compliance failures. NHTSA and the EPA will have 12 months after enactment to issue any necessary regulations to implement the law. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook | 9 | 97,973 | autos |
There could be some major changes coming to Byrd Stadium. University of Maryland president Wallace D. Loh on Monday announced in a letter to the campus community his recommendation that the Board of Regents change the name of the College Park football stadium to Maryland Stadium. MORE: Best photos from Week 14 of college football "This is a difficult and emotion-laden issue," Loh said. "Any outcome will likely please few." A former football player, Harry C. "Curley" Byrd, taught English and history and held the position of athletic director before serving as school president from 1935 until 1954. While Loh acknowledged the university should and will memorialize Byrd in one of the school's main libraries, he pointed out that the former president held racist and segregationist views. President Byrd is rightly regarded as "Father and Builder" of UMD over a 43-year career here, retiring in 1954. He dramatically increased enrollment, faculty, funding, and the size of the campus. He laid the foundation for today's achievements. He earned his place in our University's history. He was also an ardent proponent of racial segregation and discrimination. To many African-American alumni and students, "Byrd Stadium" the "front porch" of the institution, not the most important part of the educational house, but the most visible one conveys a racial message hidden in plain sight. The name stands as a vivid and painful reminder that a generation ago they were unwelcome on this campus. For them, this past is more than mere history. Their pursuit of inclusion and equal opportunity remains unfinished. Loh also announced the university will impose a five-year moratorium on changing honorific building names and launch a campuswide "Maryland Dialogues on Diversity and Community" program next semester to "align better our practices and policies with our 21st century moral and academic vision." The Board of Regents is scheduled to discuss changing the name of the stadium at its Friday meeting. Loh declined to comment on the proposal until then. | 1 | 97,974 | sports |
This monkey put on his winter clothes and went outside to enjoy some fun in the snow. | 8 | 97,975 | video |
Dozens of children die from being left in hot cars every year in the U.S. | 8 | 97,976 | video |
Social media companies like Facebook and Twitter are facing pressure to identify and shut down accounts that spread ISIS propaganda. WSJ's Shelby Holliday explains the challenges of regulating speech online. PHOTO: AP | 8 | 97,977 | video |
As announced in November, espnW has released their Impact 25 list, counting down the top women athletes and influencers in the world of sports. Each entry on the Impact 25 list is accompanied by an illustration by a Marvel Comics artist transforming the athlete or influencer into a superhero. The list is varied and includes recent cultural phenomena like Ronda Rousey, established icons like Serena Wiliiams, even Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Claire McCaskill, and Attorney General Loretta E. | 1 | 97,978 | sports |
Russian strikes likely killed Syrian regime troops in eastern Syria, an American official said Monday, despite widespread blame on the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group. Syria accused the coalition in a letter to the UN Security Council of targeting an army camp in Deir Ezzor province on Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding 13. But a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that "the presumption is it was the Russians" who led the strikes. "We do know that the Russians were active Sunday near Deir Ezzor," the official said. Russia began launching ferocious air strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's foes on September 30. The United States regularly accuses Russia of using less precise bombs than those employed by America. The strikes were carried out by 12 TU-22M3 Backfire bombers from Russia's Mozdok military base in North Ossetia, another official said. Coalition spokesman Colonel Steve Warren already reported the only strikes it carried out in the area on Sunday were on an oil wellhead some 35 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of the army base. "We've seen those Syrian reports but we did not conduct any strikes in that part of Deir Ezzor yesterday. So we see no evidence," Warren told AFP. The coalition has been bombarding the IS group for more than a year in Syria and neighboring Iraq, where the jihadists have declared a self-styled caliphate. | 5 | 97,979 | news |
It's not easy to leave your home country and start over somewhere new. For refugees resettling in Australia, app developers and other members of the tech community are doing their part to help. On Nov. 28 and 29, more than 50 tech developers, along with 30 people who came to Australia as refugees, joined forces at a hackathon in Liverpool, a suburb in Western Sydney, to create apps that would help refugee families integrate into Australian society. At the event, several people described the problems they'd faced when they first came to Australia, like finding employment and overcoming language and cultural barriers, Nicole Williamson, a tech startup investor who helped organize the hackathon, told The WorldPost Monday. Of the people at the event who'd come to Australia as refugees, most had arrived within the past five to 15 years, hailing from countries including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of the #hack4refugees mentors sharing their first hand experience as a refugee. pic.twitter.com/mj2x9kM7DB Jack Skinner'; -- (@developerjack) November 27, 2015 The hackathon participants designed 11 apps meant to help refugees find employment, mentors and local community programs. The apps include OurTable, a platform that allows locals to invite refugees to meals around the city, and DocLink, which helps refugees find low-cost doctors who practice nearby and speak their language. "I can't believe that some of the solutions respond to problems I had 15 years ago," said Michael Ascharsobi, a former Iraqi refugee who now works for Google, and who served as one of the event's judges. "That's crazy we haven't solved these problems yet." All the apps are currently in different stages of development, but Williamson hopes they will be ready for general release in mobile app stores in early 2016. She said that at first, the apps will only benefit refugees arriving in Sydney, but the team hopes to expand their reach throughout Australia and eventually around the world, depending on the apps' success. The apps will be free of charge to the refugees who download them. "We have no intention to make any money" out of the hackathon, Williamson said. #hack4refugees Day 1 #awesome thank you to all involved @techfugeesaust1 @SSI_tweets @annie_parker @NicoleWill100 pic.twitter.com/z3FS2s8cln Anne-Marie Elias (@ChiefDisrupter) November 28, 2015 Members of Australia's tech industry, including Williamson, and workers at various nonprofits decided to organize the event after a separate group of tech developers in London launched a hackathon in October to create apps for refugees arriving in the U.K. In the wake of Australia's September pledge to take in an extra 12,000 Iraqi and Syrian refugees , the organizers decided to focus the Sydney hackathon on helping refugees settle into Australia quickly and smoothly. "We're startup folks and we didn't want to wait around for governments" to devise programs to help refugees settle in, Williamson wrote. The Australian tech industry wanted to "show refugees that there's a wider community that actually gives a shit about them and how they settle here, and that want to make it as comfortable as we can," hackathon co-founder Anne-Marie Elias told the Australian entrepreneurship magazine StartupSmart prior to the event. The hackathon was such a success that Settlement Services Australia and the New South Wales Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors, two nonprofits that helped organize the event, said they want to run another hackathon specifically focused on helping refugee women and girls entering Australia, Williamson said. Since the onset of the European migrant and refugee crisis , the tech industry has stepped up its efforts to help refugees -- an especially important form of outreach since many people who flee their countries must rely heavily on their cell phones. In August, a Syrian refugee traveling across the Mediterranean on an overcrowded dinghy helped bring his fellow travelers and himself to safety by texting his location to friends and family around the world. In late September, German startup Memorado hosted a hackathon solely to create apps that would help refugees with their daily lives. And last month, the online Germany-based academy Kiron University began enrolling refugee students in a free, three-year university-level program through which they can earn universally accredited degrees. More on the refugee and migrant crisis - A Thousand Miles In Their Shoes - How You Can Help Refugees Stay Safe And Warm This Winter - Life On The Island At The Frontline Of The Refugee Crisis - How Europe's Tragic Refugee And Migrant Crisis Got So Dire - Humanizing the Refugee Crisis: It Matters Also on The WorldPost: | 5 | 97,980 | news |
The Calgary Hitmen's annual "Teddy Bear Toss" netted over 28,000 teddy bears for charity. Check out the scene from the event. | 1 | 97,981 | sports |
Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX.TO) (VRX.N) is reaching out to potential buyers for its specialty contact lens manufacturing division, Paragon Vision Sciences, amid scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, according to two people familiar with the matter. A sale of Paragon, which Valeant's Bausch & Lomb unit purchased earlier this year for an undisclosed sum, would deal a blow to the specialty pharmaceutical company's attempt to consolidate the market for gas permeable contact lenses, a type of rigid lens popular among people with keratoconus, a thinning disorder of the cornea, among other eye diseases. The FTC has been investigating Valeant for potentially cornering a portion of the lens market. It is unclear whether the process will result in a sale and the identity of the potential buyers is unknown. A spokesperson for Valeant said the company does not comment on market rumors or speculation and noted that Valeant is cooperating fully with the FTC. The FTC probe is one of several government reviews of Valeant's business, which is also under scrutiny from lawmakers over steep price increases on its pharmaceutical products and from investors over its recently-disclosed ties to a specialty pharmacy that accounted for a significant portion of its overall sales. Shares of Valeant have dropped more than 60 percent since it came under criticism for drug price hikes in September. The stock has regained ground more recently as the company sought to reassure investors it will put to rest questions about its practices. As Reuters previously reported, Valeant has been using market power obtained through the purchase of Paragon to raise prices for the raw materials used in contact lens manufacturing, known as buttons, in some cases by more than 100 percent. At the same time, Valeant had made attempts to buy up a significant portion of the laboratories that create finished lenses, which would position the company as the dominant player in the gas permeable lens space. Finished lens laboratories rely on buttons produced by Valeant as manufacturing inputs. In selling Paragon, Valeant would also lose its complete monopoly on a certain kind of gas permeable lens, known as an Ortho-K lens, which is worn overnight and treats myopia. Reuters previously reported that Valeant's control of the Ortho-K market was the primary focus of the FTC investigation. If Paragon were an independent company, it would control about half the market for Ortho-K lenses, according to two people familiar with the matter. Alongside the sale process, Valeant is taking another, less dramatic approach to placate the FTC by separating the operations of Paragon Vision Sciences from Valeant's other specialty contact lens manufacturer, Boston Products, according to people familiar with the matter and communications with laboratories reviewed by Reuters. The documents show that Valeant has been requesting that laboratories begin dealing with Paragon and Boston Products separately for billing purposes, reversing a previous attempt to consolidate the two companies into a single entity. Some of the laboratories had already responded to the price hikes by shifting their business to some of Valeant's competitors in the lens manufacturing space, such as Contamac. According to one of the sources familiar with the matter, who requested to remain anonymous, splitting Paragon from Boston Products could help at least one of them rebuild lost relationships with the laboratories by shifting the blame for price hikes to the other. Valeant has already partially retracted its price increases. "The only way for them to (recover sales) would be to blame the other for being the culprit of the flawed strategy," the source said. (Reporting by Carl O'Donnell; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Bernard Orr) | 3 | 97,982 | finance |
Crowdfunding is inherently risky for investors. But just how risky? As a campaign backer on Kickstarter, you are looking at about a one in 10 chance you will not get the reward you are promised when you invest in a project. That's according to an independent study . The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based crowdfunding platform commissioned a professor from the esteemed Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania to perform on the company's behalf. And according to an analysis of 47,188 randomly selected backers of successfully funded projects 9 percent of the time a Kickstarter campaign has reached its funding goal, the project creators did not deliver the reward that was promised. If the campaign fails to fulfill reward promises, then only about 13 percent of campaign backers were refunded their money. This is the first time Kickstarter has commissioned an outside source to publish such rates. The professor who authored the study had a pretty forgiving perspective on the fulfillment failure rate. "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," says Professor Ethan Mollick , who has a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, in Kickstarter's statement announcing the results of the research. Unsurprisingly, Kickstarter also says the fulfillment failure rate found by the study is appropriate. "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 says in the report. The goal of the report for Kickstarter is transparency. "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." The size of the project has a slight impact on whether or not backers will receive their awards, according to the research, which Professor Mollick also published . Among projects that raised less than $1,000, 13 percent failed to deliver rewards to the backers. The category of campaign also had a small impact on fulfillment success rates. Film, technology and food projects are more risky than music projects, according to the white paper. Those differences, however, could be due to the level in complexity associated with each project category. "It may be that film or technology products are aiming for more breakthrough products or are offering more complicated rewards (a completed movie or gadget, rather than a band t-shirt), and are thus at a higher risk of failure," says Mollick. Perhaps most noteworthy for the industry as a whole, however, was the non-finding that the demographics of the campaign founder had no bearing on the relative success of the campaign to deliver rewards. "There was no significant difference in failure rates between women and men, between highly educated and less educated creators, between teams and individual projects, between single or partnered creators, or between creators with children and those without," wrote Mollick in his paper analyzing the results. The data that Kickstarter and Mollick jointly released today is entirely reflective of those campaigns that have already reached their funding goal. The crowdfunding platform has long been transparent about what percentage of campaigns launch and do not ever reach their goals. Currently, almost 37 percent of projects that launch on Kickstarter do not reach their goal, and therefore funds are not dispersed. | 3 | 97,983 | finance |
With its 2016 mid-cycle enhancement of the fourth-generation RAV4 that was introduced in 2013, Toyota has expanded the appeal of the range to both environmentalists and enthusiasts alike. For those whose mien leans green, there's the new RAV4 hybrid we recently reviewed; for those more interested in driving satisfaction, there's the machine shown here, the new RAV4 SE. While the SE gets all of the cosmetic updates enjoyed by the entire 2016 RAV4 lineup a higher hoodline, new headlights, simulated skid plates front and rear it also gets its own distinguishing touches. Those include a more aggressive-looking honeycomb insert in its grille, LED projector-beam headlights, unique 18-inch wheels, and a front "skid plate" that juts forward prominently like the lower lip of a giant, glossy carp. There's also a special S-Code paint design, which replaces the lower black bits with silver ones and can be combined with Super White, Black Sand Pearl, or Electric Storm Blue paint on the rest of the body panels. Inside, the SE gets contrasting stitching on its SofTex (artificial leather) seats and shifter. The seats themselves have slightly larger side bolsters as well as eight-way power adjustment and seat-position memory for the driver. The available interior color choices are Black and Black/Cinnamon combined with a black headliner and Gunmetal Gray trim. Sporty Is as . . . Such cosmetic touches are all well and good, but where, you might wonder, are the SE's performance upgrades? The energizer under the hood is the same 2AR-FE engine introduced in the last-generation RAV4 and used by every other member of the line except the hybrid. The transmission is also the shared six-speed automatic, but in the SE it comes with paddle shifters to facilitate manual gear selection. The biggest mechanical changes are in the suspension, which has been made more athletic all around, thanks to stiffer springs, larger anti-roll bars, and firmer damping. We're not talking Porsche 911 here, but compared with the regular RAV4, the difference is palpable. Experiencing the Difference On a brisk drive through one of Southern California's twisty mountain roads, the upgraded suspension provided excellent body and wheel control at high speeds and handled midcorner bumps very well, even when the body was heeled over. And the structure of the RAV4 felt very solid, never emitting any creaks or groans. Brake feel also is excellent, as it is in most current Toyotas, with a solid pedal and linear response. We're interested, however, to see whether stopping distances improve from our tests of the current generation once we get our gear onboard the 2016 models. Unfortunately, the same excellence in feel can't be found in the steering, which is a little sticky on-center and doesn't return very quickly on the highway. However, the stiffer suspension does help the SE turn-in more responsively than the standard models can manage. With no engine changes, there's no straight-line performance improvement. When we tested a current-generation 2013 RAV4 AWD with this engine, the car achieved zero to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 16.5 at 85 mph. That's not a rocket, but it's plenty quick enough to more than keep up with traffic. The SE's paddle shifters make it easy to keep this engine in its powerband, but the shifts are still on the lazy side, whether you are operating the transmission in manual mode or its automatic Eco or Sport modes. Otherwise, the SE is much like other RAVs. The new instrument cluster, with the information display between the speedometer and tachometer, looks good and is highly legible. And the higher dose of standard electronic features is appreciated. We're less sure about the mystery-fiber trim panels that adorn the doors and the center console. As in all RAV4s, rear-seat space looks good on paper with 46 cubic feet, but when you try the seat, you'll find the H-point is pretty low and that most folks' thighs don't contact the cushion. Luggage space, however, is very good, and the lift-over height is admirably low. Nobody builds a truly sporting entry in the compact-SUV segment at least outside of the luxury makers and the RAV4 SE is no exception. We'd say this model handles most similarly to the Mazda CX-5, which is our class favorite, but picking a winner between the two will require a direct comparison test. For those buyers who are in the Toyota family and want a compact SUV that performs with a bit more precision than most, the SE is a good choice. To get one, you will pay above-entry-level pricing, as the SE slots between the previous top two RAV4 trims XLE and Limited in the lineup. That means a base price of $30,165 for the front-drive version and $31,565 with all-wheel drive. For that price, you get a good level of feature content and creature comforts. Consider the improved road manners a worthwhile bonus. Specifications VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front- or 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback BASE PRICE: FWD, $30,165; AWD, $31,565 ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve 2.5-liter inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection Displacement: 152 cu in, 2494 cc Power: 176 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 172 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 104.7 in Length: 181.1 in Width: 72.6 in Height: 67.1 in Passenger volume: 101 102 cu ft Cargo volume: 38 cu ft Curb weight: 3500 3600 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST): Zero to 60 mph: 8.2 8.7 sec Standing ¼-mile: 16.5 16.7 sec Top speed: 120 mph FUEL ECONOMY: EPA city/highway driving: 22 23/29 30 mpg Follow MSN Autos on Facebook | 9 | 97,984 | autos |
2015 has already been a year where several songs have lead the Hot 100 for lengthy stays, and it looks like there is another long-running smash in Adele's "Hello". The song is on top of the singles chart for a sixth consecutive week , and it is likely that it's not going anywhere for a while. With 25 performing as well as it still is ( two weeks with at least a million copies sold surely proves that there has never been as popular an album as this, at least not in the beginning), expect to hear a lot more of "Hello". As has been the case since it was first released, Justin Bieber's "Sorry" is still in the runner up position, something it may be stuck with for some time. The track debuted behind Adele six weeks ago, and since then the British singer-songwriter has not relented the number one position. Bieber's former number one "What Do You Mean?" is just two spots down at number four this week. In between Bieber hits is Drake's "Hotline Bling", which has become a fan favorite in 2015, though it never got a chance to hit the top spot. The Weeknd's "The Hills", which lead the Hot 100 for the same number of weeks that Adele has (so far), is now at number five, proving that it is a serious smash. At number six this week is Shawn Mendes and his breakout smash "Stitches", while immediately behind him is another Bieber track, "Love Yourself". While not properly released as a single just yet, the track has become a favorite around the world. It debuted at number four a few weeks ago, helping give Bieber three simultaneous top five hits (something only three artists have ever done ). In the UK, "Yourself" recently just hit number one, pushing his other track "Sorry" down from the top spot. This made the pop star the first artist to replace himself in the penthouse since The Beatles five decades ago. Alessia Cara's "Here" rises from number ten to number eight, hitting a new peak. The song is the lead single from her debut album Know-It-All , which also hit the top ten a few weeks ago. Behind Cara is Meghan Trainor and John Legend's "Like I'm Going To Lose You", which is the third top ten hit from Trainor's debut album Title . The sole new entry in the top ten this week is Selena Gomez's "Same Old Love", which rises one spot to number ten. The track is the second official single from Gomez's Revival , which earlier this year became her second solo album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. The track , which follows the number five-peaking "Good For You", is her fourth to hit the upper reaches of the Hot 100. The timing of the song's ascension is a bit funny, as it appears that the pop singer is already prepping a third single, "Hands To Myself". Selena Gomez On The Red Carpet | 6 | 97,985 | entertainment |
J.P. Morgan is predicting the U.S. has a 76 percent chance of going through a recession in the next three years, which is perfectly normal. | 3 | 97,986 | finance |
After an emotional experience at her local Walmart, Paige Yore uploaded a YouTube video explaining why people should always treat customer service employees with respect. Now her video explaining the heartbreaking scene has been viewed over 12 million times on Facebook and moving up the charts on Reddit . There's just one issue. According to a Walmart representative, she made the whole thing up . On Friday, Yore says, she was standing in line at a Walmart in Pueblo, Colorado, when she noticed the cashier, who appeared to be a teenage boy, was having a difficult time and a customer was yelling at him for it. "I wondered what the hell happened to him this morning," Yore explains in the video."You know? Like, what made his day so bad?" The woman in front of her continued to berate the young man, until Yore finally had to say something in his defense. "Ma'am, maybe you should just step aside," Yore claims she said to the woman checking out ahead of her. "This young man is obviously having a bad day." According to Yore, the young man immediately started crying and came out from behind the register to hug her, explaining that his mother had committed suicide that morning and he was working to earn money to pay their rent and bills. "I have to work," Yore tearfully said the young man told her. "I don't even have a mom anymore." It's a totally heartbreaking scene, but a Walmart representative told local news KKTV they "could not verify" Yore's story. While they said Yore could be seen on security footage in the store, there is no visible hug like Yore described. The clerk says his mother is alive. Tech Insider reached out to Walmart regarding the video on Sunday afternoon. A management representative from the Pueblo Walmart had told TI that they were investigating the situation. Yore has not returned our multiple inquiries for comment and has since made her original YouTube video private. You can still see it in full on her Facebook page here . | 3 | 97,987 | finance |
Sure, the Orange and Cotton Bowls are can't miss TV, but what games are really worth circling on your schedule? Pete Fiutak reveals his top 5 can't miss bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff. | 1 | 97,988 | sports |
Sen. Marco Rubio vastly overstated the number of Americans on the federal government's various terrorist watchlists. He said there are "700,000 Americans on some watchlist," but the number is actually in the tens of thousands. Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida running for president, voted Dec. 3 against a Democratic-sponsored amendment that would have allowed the U.S. Attorney General to use the consolidated terrorist watchlist to deny a known or suspected terrorist from buying a weapon, if there is "a reasonable belief that the applicant may use a firearm in connection with terrorism." The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, failed 45-54, largely along party lines. Only one Republican voted for it, Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, and only one Democrat voted against it, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. CNN's " State of the Union " anchor Jake Tapper asked Rubio about his vote, noting that President Obama has called for Congress to prevent those on the terrorist no-fly list from legally obtaining guns. Rubio, Dec. 6 : If these were perfect lists, that would be one thing. But there are over 700,000 Americans on some watch list or another that would all be captured under this amendment the Democrats offered. And that's the problem. The vast there aren't 700,000 terrorists operating in America openly on watch lists. They include vast numbers of Americans who have names similar to someone we're looking for. Sometimes, you're only on that list because the FBI wants to talk to you about someone you know, not because you're a suspect. And, again, now your Second Amendment right is being impeded with. Tapper : I don't think it's accurate to say that a majority of them are on the list by accident, but let me . Rubio : A very significant number of people on those lists are on there because they have names similar to somebody else. My office deals with dozens of calls every year from people that are on no-fly lists or identified lists of watch lists. It's not just the no-fly lists. That's not just the no-fly lists. Tapper : So, these watch lists should just be these watch lists should just be ignored? Rubio : No, they shouldn't be ignored. But they shouldn't be used as a tool to impede 700,000 Americans or potential Americans people on that list from having access to be able to fully utilize their Second Amendment rights. There are many people on no-fly lists that are not terrorists, not just no-fly lists I apologize on any of these terror watch lists, because that amendment was not just limited to the no-fly list. That's not a perfect database. And it has a significant number of errors. The government maintains multiple terrorism lists. The largest is known as Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE. The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) maintains TIDE, which the nonpartisan Congressional Research Office in a 2013 report referred to as the government's "central repository" of international terrorists and suspected terrorists. CRS said "TIDE contained over 740,000 persons, most with multiple minor spelling variations of their names" as of December 2011. That number stood at 1.1 million as of December 2013, according to a NCTC fact sheet . However, only about 2.3 percent of the 1.1 million people on the consolidated watch list are American citizens or legal permanent residents. "U.S. Persons (including both citizens and legal permanent residents) account for about 25,000 of that total," the NCTC fact sheet says. The FBI's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) separately maintains the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), which is "commonly referred to as the Terrorist Watchlist," as TSC Director Christopher M. Piehota said in testimony on Sept. 18, 2014 before the House Homeland Security Committee. At the hearing, Piehota explained that the FBI's terrorist watchlist includes names of people drawn from the TIDE database and from the FBI's own surveillance of "domestic terrorists that may have connections to international terrorism." Piehota explained the process for how names are added to the official terrorist watchlist. Piehota, Sept. 18, 2014 : Federal departments and agencies submit nominations of known or suspected international terrorists to the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) for inclusion in NCTC's Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) database. NCTC reviews TIDE entries and transmits entries to TSC that include sufficient identifiers and are supported with information that meet the reasonable suspicion watchlisting standard described below. Similarly, the FBI collects, stores, and forwards information to the TSC relating to domestic terrorists that may have connections to international terrorism. During questioning, Piehota told the House committee that as of September 2014 there were 800,000 people on the terrorist watchlist. He did not say how many of them are U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents. However, the 2013 CRS report said that about 5 percent of those on the TSC's terrorist watchlist were U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents as of May 2010. If that percentage remains the same, then about 40,000 Americans were on the terrorist watchlist as of September 2014 far less than the 700,000 claimed by Rubio. We'd like to make one other point about the debate over barring terrorists from legally obtaining weapons. President Obama, in his Dec. 6 address to the nation on terrorism, called on Congress "to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun." But, as Rubio said, the Democratic amendment went further than just those on the no-fly list. Feinstein's office told us the amendment would have allowed the Attorney General to use three terrorist databases: TIDE, TSDB and the no-fly list. The no-fly list is a subset of TSDB (the terrorist watchlist). How many Americans are on the no-fly list? In his House testimony, Piehota said "[a]pproximately 0.8 percent of the overall TSDB population," which would be about 6,400 U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents. Rubio has a point that the terrorist watchlist is "not a perfect database." And he is right that the Democratic amendment would have covered far more Americans than just those on the no-fly list. But he's wrong when he says that "over 700,000 Americans on some watch list or another … would all be captured under this amendment the Democrats offered." The number is in the tens of thousands. | 5 | 97,989 | news |
Investors used the spike in volatility in mid-November to step in and buy consumer discretionary stocks as opposed to running away from the market, said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade. 'They were like firemen,' said Kinahan. 'While others were running from the fire, they ran into it and bought more things.' TD Ameritrade's Investor Movement Index (IMX) rose 1.9% in November to 4.9 compared to a .5% increase in the S&P 500. The IMX was positive for the second month in a row. The 52-week high for the IMX is 5.39 while its 52-week low is 4.63. Each month, TD Ameritrade pulls a sample from its client base of 6 million funded accounts that includes all accounts that completed a trade in the past month. The holdings and positions of this statistically significant sample are evaluated to calculate individual scores, and the median of those scores represents the monthly IMX. Retailers and consumer goods issuers continued to be popular net buys ahead of the holiday shopping season, according to TD Ameritrade. Online retailer Amazon (AMZN) garnered the most interest in the group, although Nike and Starbucks (SBUX) were also popular net buys. | 3 | 97,990 | finance |
One of the latest football officials arrested in Switzerland in the FIFA corruption probe, Juan Angel Napout, has decided not to contest his extradition to the United States, media in his native Paraguay reported Monday. Napout, the ex-president of South American confederation CONMEBOL and a vice president of FIFA, was arrested Thursday morning at a Zurich luxury hotel, one of 16 people named in a new indictment from US authorities investigating allegations of massive corruption at world football's governing body. Citing his Paraguayan lawyers, newspaper ABC Color reported on its website that Napout, 57, had agreed with his defense team -- a Boston-based law firm -- to accept immediate extradition to the United States. "Mr Napout has declined his right to a hearing before the Swiss authorities and agreed to be immediately extradited to the United States to directly confront the accusations before the US justice system," the defense team said in a statement quoted by the daily. "Since his election as CONMEBOL vice president in 2013 and president in 2014... Juan Angel Napout has dedicated himself to promoting and putting in place a policy of transparency and reform." Napout was arrested alongside fellow FIFA vice president Alfredo Hawit of Honduras. FIFA on Friday suspended both officials for 90 days. Both are accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes in return for selling marketing rights for regional tournaments and World Cup qualifying matches. | 1 | 97,991 | sports |
Former University of Southern California head football coach Steve Sarkisian, who was fired by the school in October after athletic director Pat Haden said Sarkisian was "not healthy," has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against USC. Sarkisian wants his job back and seeks in excess of $30 million in damages. Sarkisian charges that USC violated multiple areas of law, including those that protect employees from employer discrimination on the basis of disability and those that protect contractual obligations. Sarkisian's complaint asserts that he is legally disabled due to being an alcoholic. Sarkisian is correct that alcohol is a recognized disability under the law. He is also correct that he may have been entitled to workplace accommodations from USC as a result of his disability. As explained below, however, USC will assert that the university fully complied with the law in its employment relationship with Sarkisian and that his demands for accommodations exceeded what ought to be considered "reasonable" under the law. Assessing Sarkisian's legal arguments Legal protections for disabled employees constitute a complicated and not always predictable area of law. Sarkisian's complaint cites California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), which is a very similar law to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). FEHA provides that employers cannot discriminate against employees with disabilities that limit a major life activity, which includes day-to-day activities like walking and working a job. Employees with such disabilities are considered qualified employees and are entitled to "reasonable" accommodations from their employers. Courts usually find that a proposed or demanded accommodation becomes unreasonable when it substantially disrupts the employer's business practice or requires an alteration of the essential functions of a job. (For more on how the disability law regulates teams and leagues, see my recent Pepperdine Law Review article, " Do You Believe He Can Fly? ") Provided qualified employees are able to perform the essential functions of a job and so long as those employees are not currently abusing alcohol or drugs, the law protects alcoholics and drug addicts from employer discrimination. In other words, employers can't fire employees because those employees have the status of an alcoholic or drug addict. Yet employers typically can fire qualified employees if those employees are actively abusing alcohol and drugs. Consequently, although Sarkisian's status as an alcoholic is protected by the ADA, the more that his drinking interfered with his work, the harder it will be for him to prevail in the lawsuit. It has been alleged and not (yet) proven that Sarkisian may have been intoxicated during games, practices and while on team flights. Sarkisian's complaint asserts that on one occasion, the Salute to Troy prep rally on August 15, 2015, he only appeared intoxicated because of the interactive effect of having digested medication for anxiety and consumed slightly over two beers. His complaint also highlights his coaching success and the alleged absence of complaints by USC officials about his health and competence. Sarkisian, moreover, charges that efforts by USC to address his problems with anxiety, depression and alcohol were geared towards having him meet with USC sports psychologist Robin Scholefield who has a Ph.D in clinical psychology but, as Sarkisian stresses, "is not a medical doctor nor is she an expert in addiction." Sarkisian further contends that Scholofield recommended additional medication and that he "maybe take a few days off" rather than extensive rehabilitation that he believed was necessary. Taken together, Sarkisian insists USC acted unreasonably in addressing his health issues. USC's likely legal strategy to combat Sarkisian's lawsuit In response to Sarkisian's lawsuit, watch for USC to portray Sarkisian's retelling of purported facts to contain a combination of fictitious declarations and gross exaggerations. Keep in mind that the allegations contained in Sarkisian's complaint are only allegations at this point. USC has surely anticipated that Sarkisian might file a lawsuit and has undoubtedly begun compiling all relevant records. These records include emails, handwritten notes and statements from university officials that portray USC as treating Sarkisian in a reasonable and caring way and that describe Sarkisian as irresponsible and incompetent. These records would almost certainly contradict some aspects of Sarkisian's account. One likely discrepancy concerns whether the school would have consented to Sarkisian taking time off. While Sarkisian's complaint portrays USC as denying him an opportunity to seek treatment, USC appeared to allow him to take an indefinite leave of absence prior to firing him. USC will also be poised to argue that the kinds of accommodations that would enable a head football coach at a major program to perform his work duties while struggling with alcohol would so radically transform the essential functions of the job of head coach that they could not be considered "reasonable" under the law. For instance, although a leave of absence is normally considered a reasonable accommodation under FEHA, USC might contend that it would not be reasonable in this particular circumstance. This university could assert that if gave Sarkisian substantial time off, such a move would have prevented Sarkisian from performing vital job functions. Those functions include recruiting coveted high school football players, spending time with boosters and prominent alums and raising money for the university. On the other hand, watch for Sarkisian to respond that interim coach Clay Helton could have performed all or at least some of those duties while Sarkisian received necessary treatment. USC could also use Sarkisian's depiction of the job as USC head coach as "tremendously stressful even under the best of circumstances" and one that necessitated 100+ hour workweeks against him. Sarkisian's portrayal of the job seems to acknowledge that it requires a person who is uniquely fit physically and psychologically. This is particularly important given that USC must provide a safe environment for student-athletes, a legal requirement that seems incompatible with a coach actively abusing alcohol. As explained above, the more the accommodations would have necessitated a transformation of the job as head coach and imposed an undue burden on USC, the weaker the claim for Sarkisian. In addition, USC will assert that it acted within the boundaries of contract law in firing Sarkisian "for cause." A "for cause" firing is one where the employer does not pay some or all of the remainder of a contract because the employee has violated a significant term of the contract. Sarkisian's contract dictated that if USC fired him without cause before Dec. 1, 2015, it owed him a liquidated damages figure of $11.25 million. USC will surely argue that it fired him with cause because he was unable to perform the essential functions of the job. Both sides have reason to reach an out-of-court settlement and probably will While Sarkisian's lawsuit could prove explosive if it ever gets to trial, chances are slim it ever does so. It is far more likely the parties will reach a settlement out of court long before a trial. Approximately 90% of civil lawsuits reach a settlement before trial. Also, each side here has clear reasons to settle. Sarkisian is only 41 and should have decades left in his coaching career. He surely knows that he will find it harder to land another coaching job while he has a pending lawsuit against USC. Other schools will be wary in considering him a coaching candidate at the same time he is engaged in a high-profile lawsuit against another school. For its part, USC does not want Sarkisian to remain a cloud over the school's football program and its new coach, Helton. USC might also be worried about the possibility of pretrial discovery uncovering damaging information about the school. For example, if evidence surfaces that USC knew that Sarkisian was drunk while supervising student-athletes, those student-athletes or their parents could threaten legal action against USC. The NCAA could also investigate. Michael McCann is a Massachusetts attorney and the founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. McCann is also the distinguished visiting Hall of Fame Professor of Law at Mississippi College School of Law and he teaches "Intellectual Property Law in Sports" in the Oregon Law Sports Law Institute. | 1 | 97,992 | sports |
Manny Pacquiao plans to announce his final opponent on truTV Friday, his promoter Bob Arum says. ESPN's Dan Rafael tweeted about the plans for the Pacquiao announcement. Rafael seemed to think that the plans for the announcement hinted that Pacquiao would be facing Timothy Bradley for a third time: Arum told me Manny's foe will be announced Fri on truTV's #boxing telecast. That seems to mean it's Bradley (a boadcaster on tru cards). Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) December 7, 2015 However, Rafael later noted that Terence Crawford, who is also in the mix to fight Pacquiao, will be present for the announcement as well. I'm told Crawford supposed to also be in PR for truTV card because he'll be there on vacation. He or Bradley is leaving disappoionted. Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) December 7, 2015 Why is the announcement occurring on Friday on truTV? Arum's Top Rank Boxing has a Friday night primetime boxing series he's looking to promote, so this is a great opportunity to do so. If Crawford and Bradley will both be there for the announcement, it's unlikely one of them will not be part of it. Perhaps Arum will be announcing two fights one involving Pacquiao and either Bradley or Crawford, and another involving the left out fighter against Amir Khan. Either way, Arum certainly has our attention now as we definitely want to hear whom Pac-Man will be facing. And the fight on truTV won't be bad, either it's Nonito Donaire against Felix Verdejo . For the record, Pacquiao, 36, has told Arum that with his focus shifted to politics, this will be his last fight . Manny sure could use the money from this last fight in case that lawsuit for his disappointing show with Floyd Mayweather goes through . | 1 | 97,993 | sports |
The alleged perpetrators of the bribery scheme at the center of the expanding U.S. investigation into Fifa are marketing executives and soccer officials from across South and Central America. But an important chapter in the development of that scheme took place not only on U.S. soil but in a U.S. court, where several of the alleged co-conspirators made use of the best American lawyers money could buy, including the former chief legal counsel of the NBA. The role played by a U.S. court and American attorneys, which hasn't been previously reported, began when a Brazilian marketing company called Traffic Sports got into a contractual dispute with soccer officials whom it had allegedly bribed, including several of the most powerful figures in the game. The contract between them reviewed by the Wall Street Journal specified that legal disputes would be resolved in U.S. courts. On two occasions, Traffic filed suit in Florida state court in Miami against certain business partners. Much of the evidence in the criminal case comes from the testimony of the founder of Traffic, 72-year-old Jose Hawilla. A former soccer journalist in Brazil, Mr. Hawilla is now a star witness for U.S. prosecutors. Hawilla has pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and paid in excess of $25 million in restitution. Hawilla, who is free on bail, could not be reached for comment. Federal officials have declined to say even what country he is living in. The 240-page indictment released Thursday by U.S. prosecutors names 16 soccer officials on charges of racketeering and bribery, to add to the 14 other soccer officials named in a May indictment citing the same charges. About half of the bribery schemes alleged in the indictment involved Traffic. For more than two decades, Traffic bought from South America's soccer confederation, known as CONMEBOL, the right to sell sponsorships and television rights for Copa America, a quadrennial football championship wildly popular in South America. Prosecutors allege that several officials who control the tournament, some of them also members of Fifa's executive committee, sold Traffic the rights to market Copa America at a price far below market value. In exchange for that low price, several officials who controlled the tournament demanded from Hawilla tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks and bribes during the past 25 years, prosecutors say. Traffic held contracts to sell marketing rights to various soccer events large and small across South and Central America. When the future of its rights to matches involving Honduras' national team fell into dispute in 2006, Traffic filed suit in state court in Miami. Ultimately, Traffic lost that case to the Hondura soccer federation, which successfully argued that the contract did not give Traffic the right to extend the agreement unilaterally. Last week, federal prosecutors indicted two longtime Honduran soccer officials for allegedly taking bribes in exchange for approving sponsorship and media contracts. The two Honduran officials couldn't be reached for comment. For Traffic, the stakes in the Honduras case were low. But in 2011, the company was threatened with the loss of 80% of its revenue when a Traffic competitor suddenly began selling marketing rights to the 2015 Copa America. Upon investigating, Traffic discovered that despite the bribes it allegedly had paid to CONMEBOL--the governing body had in fact awarded the 2015 rights to a Traffic competitor. In a suit filed in Florida state court in Miami in November 2011, Traffic argued that the contract that had granted it marketing rights to all recent tournaments also awarded it the right to extend the contract into the next decade. In the suit, it argued that CONMEBOL had awarded the 2015 rights to a Traffic competitor "in flagrant and indefensible disregard of Traffic's exclusive rights." The suit was filed on Traffic's behalf by Jeffrey A. Mishkin, the lead sports attorney at the New York law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The biography of Mishkin on the firm's site notes that he has represented the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, in addition to having served as chief legal counsel for the National Basketball Association. "Mr. Mishkin has participated in every major legal decision that has affected the NBA in the past 35 years," it says. Mishkin and a spokesman for Skadden Arps declined to be interviewed for this article. A lawyer close to another party to that litigation said he didn't know the contract in dispute was allegedly built upon an exchange of bribes. The contract between Traffic and Conmebol called for Traffic to pay a total of $46 million for the exclusive marketing rights to three consecutive Copa America tournaments. For the 2011 tournament, the contract called for Traffic to pay $15 million in exchange for all the revenue it could generate from sponsorship and advertising. That revenue likely reached $150 million, according to court documents and industry experts. In its suit against CONMEBOL, Traffic called the 2011 Copa America the most-watched sporting event in the world that year. For that large an event, Traffic's $15 million fee was relatively low, said Christopher Renner, chief executive of Helios Partners, a financial consultant for international sports. More unusual, he said, was the lack of any provision for CONMEBOL to receive a share of revenue after Traffic had recovered its $15 million and other costs. Typically, any revenue achieved above costs would be split 50/50, Mr. Renner said. Traffic, which has pleaded guilty to racketeering charges through Hawilla, declined to comment. U.S. prosecutors allege that Traffic reaped huge profits from the contract and redistributed them to officials of CONMEBOL in the form of bribes and kickbacks. The Traffic suit against CONMEBOL never went to trial. In early 2013, about a year after the suit was filed, the parties told their attorneys and the court that they had reached a settlement. According to federal prosecutors, Traffic and its adversaries had devised a settlement that included what prosecutors call one of the largest bribery schemes in the history of international sports. The agreement called for Traffic and two rival marketing firms to form a joint venture and to share the marketing rights to the 2015, 2019 and 2023 Copa America tournaments. In exchange for those rights, the two firms would pay CONMEBOL $300 million, according to the federal indictment. Not specified in the contract but decided in private was that the three firms would pay more than $100 million in bribes to officials of CONMEBOL and other soccer organizations, the federal indictment says. U.S. prosecutors have indicted principals of the two rival marketing firms Hugo Jinkis of Full Play and Alejandro Burzaco of Torneos. Both have declined comment. Last month, Burzaco pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering and agreed to forfeit more than $22.6 million. Jinkis has gone to court in Argentina to fight extradition. Write to Matthew Futterman at [email protected] | 1 | 97,994 | sports |
NEW YORK The NFL Players Association told a federal appeals court Monday that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was making a "sweeping grab for power" in the "Deflategate" controversy and a judge was right to reject his handling of the scandal. Lawyers for the union made the claim in papers filed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. A three-judge panel will hear oral arguments in March before issuing a decision weeks or months afterward. The appeals court is hearing the National Football League's appeal of a judge's ruling that nullified the league's four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The union said Goodell ignored the collectively bargained agreement between the league and the union when he upheld the suspension in July. "It is a sweeping grab for power that is contrary to collectively bargained penalties," union lawyers wrote. They said the league has for decades provided all players with hundreds of pages defining league policies including conduct detrimental to the game, with some penalties collectively bargained. Under "equipment violations," the union said, the league provides notice in bold, italicized type that "First offenses will result in fines." The union has asked the court to uphold the decision issued by Judge Richard Berman just before the season began. Berman said the league's discipline of Brady was based on "several significant legal deficiencies," including that it failed to adequately provide notice that a lengthy suspension could result from deflating footballs. Union lawyers noted that the NFL's investigation of deflated balls at January's AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts reached a conclusion only that it was "more probable than not" that two Patriots ball handling employees deliberately released air from Patriots game balls. The Patriots won, 45-7. Goodell affirmed Brady's suspension in July, concluding Brady conspired with his team's ball handlers to underinflate balls and then obstructed the probe, including by destroying his cell phone. The union said no player in NFL history has previously been suspended for obstructing an NFL investigation, so Brady had no notice of that. League lawyers did not immediately comment, though they said in papers filed with the 2nd Circuit in October that Berman ignored decades of legal precedents and approached the case through a "fundamentally flawed" analysis, refusing to accept Goodell's view of the facts. "The district court egregiously overstepped the bounds of its proper role," the NFL said. "Where lower courts have committed a similar error, appellate courts have not hesitated to reverse. The court should do so here." ------ This story has been corrected to show that Brady was accused of underinflating, not overinflating, footballs. | 1 | 97,995 | sports |
The Heisman Trophy finalists have been announced: Alabama RB Derrick Henry, Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey, and Clemson QB Deshaun Watson. But who else deserved to be in the mix? Everyone's entire body of work is in, save for Navy QB Keenan Reynolds, who still has Army left on the schedule this weekend. It's time to dive into three months of data before casting ballots and determining who'll be immortalized as the 81st Heisman Trophy winner. And while handicapping the race is far easier now that championship weekend is over, there's no consensus in which direction the vote will go. As a quick refresher on the process, there'll be 929 total, comprised of 870 media votes evenly distributed throughout six geographic regions, 58 former winners and a fan vote. MORE: Click for the latest bowl preview and prediction videos Heisman trophy rankings 7. The field There's tremendous equity in finishing in the top 10 of the Heisman vote, and a slew of players will be jockeying to be this year's Tevin Coleman or Bryce Petty. Reynolds is going to get recognition for a record-setting career and for leading Navy into the Top 25 for the first time in over a decade. QB Luke Falk is the reason Washington State was the Pac-12's biggest surprise of 2015. Baylor's Corey Coleman finished quietly, but was far and away the game's best wide receiver. TCU QB Trevone Boykin was special before throwing four picks against Oklahoma State and then getting injured a week later. And how will voters handle LSU Leonard Fournette, clearly a premier player, but one that fell off the radar following a 31-yard effort versus Alabama a month ago? 6. RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State In a different year, such as 2013 or 2014, Cook probably wins the award. Really, the only reason Cook won't win the Heisman is because this happened to be the season that the Seminoles weren't in national title contention and took a backseat to Clemson in the ACC. Makes no sense, true, but it's a fact. In the year of the running back, it could be argued convincingly that no one was better than Cook. He didn't have nearly the same support as, say, Derrick Henry, yet still rushed for 1,658 yards and 18 scores on only 211 carries. Cook had to carry the FSU offense, while injured at times, highlighted by a 222-yard, two-score effort to beat Miami on a night he was suffering from a bad hamstring. 5. RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State That debacle against Michigan State on Nov. 21 didn't just cost the Buckeyes their perfect season. In all likelihood, it also derailed Elliott's hopes of winning the Heisman. Oh, Elliott will get plenty of well-deserved love, particularly from Midwest voters who understand why he railed on the staff for not feeding him against the Spartans. When No. 15 was used properly, he was unstoppable, rushing for at least 100 yards in every other game. And his totals, 1,672 yards and 19 scores, stack up with anyone. However, even after torching a stout Michigan D for 214 yards and two scores in a validation effort to end the season, the Michigan State game was so visible that it'll be tough to overcome. 4. QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma The Sooners are all the rage these days. And no individual in Norman is benefiting more from the increased exposure than the team's quarterback. You can't mention Oklahoma's second-half surge without bringing up Mayfield. The two are inseparable. The quarterback has been the face of a team that's overcome a nasty loss to Texas on Oct. 10 to reel off seven straight wins and earn a certain playoff berth. Mayfield possesses the requisite numbers, 3,809 total yards and 42 total touchdowns, to win the award. However, he also has that intangible 'it' factor, which has helped spark his team, and which will not be lost on those casting ballots. 3. QB, Deshaun Watson, Clemson Watson did about all he could to improve his Heisman chances Saturday night in Charlotte. But will it be enough in the year of the running back in college football? At a minimum, Watson has earned a trip to New York City by leading his Tigers to an ACC title and a perfect season. Plus, he's a slight favorite to be the highest ranked quarterback ahead of Mayfield, especially since he had the luxury of one final game on the most important weekend for voters. Watson was the offensive catalyst in Saturday's 45-37 win, accounting for 420 yards and five scores to snap Carolina's 11-game winning streak. In just his second year on campus, he's already one of the game's most polished passers and leaders. 2. RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford If anyone is going to leapfrog Derrick Henry on the final weekend, it's McCaffrey, who delivered an epic and most timely night to lead the Cardinal to a Pac-12 clincher over USC. As far as statements go, McCaffrey made one of the best lasting impressions in Heisman history in Santa Clara. The sophomore smashed Barry Sanders' single-season all-purpose record in grand style, showcasing every imaginable angle of his repertoire. Downgraded a bit after Stanford fell to Oregon three weeks ago, McCaffrey erupted for 461 total yards, while accounting for touchdowns as a runner, a passer and a receiver. And for a change, his exploits occurred in primetime, so no excuses for East Coasters who've missed many of his games this fall. 1. RB Derrick Henry, Alabama Spoiler alert … in all likelihood, everyone else is competing for third place behind Henry and McCaffrey this week. There are plenty of good choices for the Heisman this season. There exists a wide range of options in terms of positions and geographic locations. But none of those options will appear on more ballots than Henry, who has been the closest thing to a shoe-in since going for 210 yards and three scores in the head-to-head battle with then-favorite Leonard Fournette. Henry has been a horse all year long, breaking the SEC single-season rushing record on a team that wasn't all that talented elsewhere on offense. And he delivered in every big moment in 2015, including another workmanlike 189 yards and a score to lead Bama to Saturday's conference title over Florida. | 1 | 97,996 | sports |
Russian prosecutors on Monday launched a probe into opposition television channel Dozhd for alleged "extremism" amid an intensifying crackdown on independent media outlets. Dozhd's owner Natalia Sindeyeva said on Facebook that local prosecutors had ordered the station to submit to checks on whether it was complying with anti-extremism legislation, as well as licensing and labour laws. The notice, dated Friday, said the channel was being checked at the request of unnamed "citizens" but did not say what programming was deemed "extremist". Under Russian law, media outlets accused of broadcasting or publishing content that is deemed to incite or justify extremism can face a fine of up to one million rubles ($14,500). The channel has been ordered to produce a number of legal documents as well as accounting records. The network's studio meanwhile was checked for compliance with fire safety regulations, said presenter Maria Makeyeva. "I don't think prosecutors waited for some kind of request (to launch the probe)," Makeyeva told the Open Russia pro-democracy foundation, suggesting they were following official instructions. Representatives of Russia's dwindling number of liberal-leaning media outlets were indignant at the probe, saying it upped pressure on the last independent voices in the country. "It is clear that the probe against Dozhd is absolutely political in nature," Alexey Venediktov, the editor-in-chief of the liberal Ekho Moskvy radio station, wrote on Twitter. Dozhd, which gives airtime to opponents of President Vladimir Putin, has had previous run-ins with authorities. Last year the channel was forced out of its headquarters, and had to temporarily move into a cramped apartment belonging to a staff member. Dozhd lost 80 percent of its 15-million-strong audience in January 2014 after major cable providers dropped the station from their packages. The ostensible reason was a poll run by the station asking whether Leningrad (modern-day Saint Petersburg) should have surrendered to Nazi Germany during World War II rather than hold out under siege for nearly two and a half years. | 5 | 97,997 | news |
An American deported from Uganda last week to face charges of running an international counterfeiting scheme appeared briefly in federal court in Pittsburgh today, where a magistrate appointed a lawyer for him and ordered him detained pending a hearing. Ryan Gustafson, 28, is accused of running a counterfeiting ring from Uganda in 2013 and 2014. He had been on trial in Uganda on counterfeiting charges, but authorities there stopped the proceedings and decided to deport him to the U.S. last Thursday. He arrived in Pittsburgh on Friday night. Gustafson was charged by complaint in December 2014 and then indicted in April along with three confederates in Las Vegas, Seattle and Bethlehem, Pa. Federal prosecutors said he was the ringleader of an organizatoin that shipped bogus bills to associates in Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas and Washington. The Secret Service said Gustafson circulated more than $1.4 million in fake money in Uganda and the U.S. Locally, the scheme involved Joe Graziano, a former Bank of New York employee who bought a latte at an Oakland coffee shop with a fake $100 bill. Graziano, who was one of Gustafson's customers, is in federal prison for several fraud schemes, including embezzling several million dollars from his employer. U.S. Magistrate Judge Maureen Kelly appointed attorney Stephen Misko to represent Gustafson, who faces a detention hearing Thursday. | 5 | 97,998 | news |
Tiger Woods has had some excellent things to say as of late, from the TIME.com interview with Lorne Rubenstein to his television commentary during the Hero World Challenge, a tournament he hosts. And now, an interview with Global Golf Post has produced the 14-time major winner's latest and greatest nugget. Ron Green Jr.'s column on Woods features some interesting anecdotes from a weekend spent driving around Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas , host site of Woods' event. Included is the following quote after an exchange between Woods and Jordan Spieth, in which Woods asks Spieth if he hit a 5-iron off the tee on the par-3 eighth hole. Spieth responds by holding up four fingers. "He's a more athletic Jim Furyk," Woods then says of the reigning Masters and U.S. Open champ. The quote opens up the debate over exactly what Woods meant, but it seems likely that he was referring to the somewhat boring consistency that describes Spieth's game. We do know that the comparison was made out of admiration, as Green writes , "Woods respects how Spieth plays, understanding his strengths and playing to them." Sign up for more golf news, exclusive stories and insider analysis Furyk, 45, has been a professional golfer longer than Spieth has been alive. He's amassed a record that includes 17 PGA Tour victories, one of which came at the 2003 U.S. Open. However, the two are marked by certain similarities, at least in the eyes of Woods. | 1 | 97,999 | sports |
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