MPW Insider is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for: What is the biggest mistake you see new hires make? is written by Dawn Zier, president and CEO of Nutrisystem.

When I became CEO of Nutrisystem, everyone there was — as far as I was concerned — a new hire. I was tasked with turning around the iconic brand and it became clear fairly quickly that employees were divided on how to move forward. Some were “all-in” and personally invested in delivering results and adapting to strategic shifts. While others took a “wait and see” approach.

That to me this is the single biggest mistake any new hire can make, whether you’re truly new to the company or whether your organization finds itself in new, unchartered times (if it hasn’t happened yet, you probably just haven’t worked there long enough) – stop waiting. Waiting for instructions. Waiting for guidance. Waiting for proof.

Learning the ins and outs of a new environment can be tricky. As a junior person, take extra care to learn about the whole company, not just the area you work in. This will give you invaluable context and range. As part of the onboarding process (whether it’s formally structured or not), make a particular point of meeting people across all departments. They often end up being go-to people down the road. As a senior executive, this stage is equally important. Meet with all levels across the company to find out what’s really going on.

See also: How to Get the Respect You Deserve at Work

Whatever your level, time is not on your side and no amount of research is an effective substitute for hitting the ground running and collaboratively working through things. Until then, you’ll likely have only barely scratched the surface of the job you’ve been hired to do. You should be insatiably curious, full of constructive questions, and not afraid to ask them. But, don’t just fire away. That’s disruptive and often is more about voicing opinions than genuinely seeking answers. The difference? Listening. Asking smart questions is not a useful skill if the answers solicited aren’t productively applied.

Conversely, sitting back and trying to analyze in isolation will likely lead you straight into the trap of listening to your own internal dialogue and making assumptions about goals, strategies, or customers. That’s why so many new hires are stunned when they’re let go or receive a bad performance review. In their minds, they were on track and they haven’t done anything wrong. Often the latter is true, but it’s true for the wrong reason. They haven’t done anything wrong, because they haven’t really done anything mission-critical. They were waiting.

The best managers don’t let this happen. But, let’s face it, over the course of a career you won’t always be that lucky. So, manage around it. From day one, establish clear 90-day goals with your manager. Then do it, again and again. The busier your manager, the more critical this is. Just because they may not notice you’re in wait-mode, doesn’t mean it isn’t costing you. Waiting to see has a way of catching up with you.

I’ve seen many promising hires fail, and many who didn’t seem so promising on paper, succeed. And the common thread is that they demonstrated a desire to learn, had an inherent sense of urgency and were committed to the company right out of the gate. Remember: Don’t wait. The payoff? You’ll see.

Summary: It's the biggest mistake any new hire can make


A New Home With a Rival View

Billy Joel's new TriBeCa apartment practically looks like a blue-light special next to a condo of similar proportions, although farther uptown and with a slightly better view, that was bought over the summer by Michael A. Spencer, the chief executive of the British brokerage firm Icap.

Mr. Spencer paid $8.7 million in June for a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, 2,912-square-foot apartment in the north tower of the Time Warner Center. The apartment is on the southeast corner of the 73rd floor, with expansive views of Central Park.

Mr. Spencer was listed at No. 163 on a list of the wealthiest people in Britain published earlier this year by The Mail on Sunday. The paper estimated his net worth at £253 million (the equivalent of about $457 million). He has been known for throwing lavish parties (one, described in The Sunday Times of London, took place in a ballroom set up to mimic a 1930's Chicago speakeasy and included a faux police raid at midnight) and for an aggressive, even abrasive management style.

Mr. Spencer achieved a certain notoriety on this side of the Atlantic thanks to a long-running rivalry with the bond brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald, a feud that grew particularly ugly in the aftermath of terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Cantor lost 658 employees, more than any other firm.

In June 2002, Cantor filed a lawsuit charging that Icap and Mr. Spencer had poached three top traders from its London office in the wake of the attack.

A British judge ultimately handed down a split decision, ruling that two of the employees had left Cantor because of an unpleasant work environment. But the judge also ruled that Icap had provided an "unlawful inducement" to one of the traders.

Both sides declared victory, but only after evidence in the case, based on internal Icap e-mails, generated some provocative headlines.

In one widely reported e-mail, from Oct. 11, 2001, Mr. Spencer wrote to a colleague about his interest in the Cantor brokers, saying, "I would love to plan a heist."

The firms' post-9/11 legal wrangling had been preceded by an earlier dispute in the mid-1990's, in which Cantor was ordered to pay a judgment worth about $1.7 million, for poaching a large number of employees from Intercapital Debt Trading, now part of Icap.

A profile last December of Mr. Spencer in The Sunday Times of London noted that he keeps a framed check for £25,000 from Cantor in his office, as a souvenir of the legal settlement.

Like true rivals, Mr. Spencer and Cantor never seem to be far from each other. Just down the street from Mr. Spencer's new address at Columbus Circle, and almost certainly visible from his window, is the building at 110 East 59th Street, at Park Avenue, where Cantor plans to relocate early next year.

Barry Volpert, the former Goldman Sachs executive who paid $24.5 million for Woody Allen's East 92nd Street town house, has taken a somewhat unorthodox approach to the sale of his nine-room co-op apartment at 1125 Park Avenue.

Before listing the apartment with Brown Harris Stevens in May, Mr. Volpert posted a note on a bulletin board by the building's basement gym.

"Dear neighbor," the note began, and went on to say that Mr. Volpert was planning to put his "mint condition" ninth-floor apartment on the market. It said he would be asking "a little less" than a similar apartment on a higher floor that had gone into contract earlier in the year for $5.9 million.

"If you or a friend are interested, please call us," the note said. It was signed "Barry."

The note seems not to have brought any offers, although its placement on the bulletin board turned heads in the building.

"It mostly has gym hours and how to use the machines," one resident said about the bulletin board. "Very occasionally you might see something about baby-sitting. People were talking about it."

Cathy Franklin, a Brown Harris Stevens broker, put out a formal listing for the apartment on May 21, at an asking price of $5.75 million.

"We offered the apartment inside the building for about a week before we listed it, in case someone in the building was interested," said Scott Tagliarino, a spokesman for Mr. Volpert.

A broker's commission on a multimillion-dollar sale can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Asked if Mr. Volpert would have paid a commission to the broker if a buyer happened to emerge through his note, Mr. Tagliarino said that Mr. Volpert "had no comment on that."

Meanwhile, the apartment remains on the market, and on Sept. 24, the price was dropped to $5.395 million. The apartment is vacant and the Volperts' primary residence is in Connecticut.

Michele Kleier, president of Gumley Haft Kleier, who lives in the building and whose firm is the building manager, said apartments there usually sell quickly. "The last three exclusives I had in the building I sold within 48 hours," Ms. Kleier said.

The purchase of Mr. Allen's property on East 92nd Street, which went into contract in March and closed in July, was a record for a Manhattan town house, according to Kirk Henckels, director for Stribling Private Brokerage, who tracks such sales. Mr. Henckels said the previous record was a town house at 11-13 East 62nd Street, which sold for $21 million in 1999.

Summary: Billy Joel agrees to buy apartment in newly constructed TriBeCa building from Stephen Gans, who closed on apartment in August and immediately put it up for sale; Michael A Spencer recently paid $8.7 million for apartment in Time Warner Center, New York City; Barry Volpert posted note on building's bulletin board asking neighbors to inform friends that he seeks buyer for his Park Avenue apartment before he listed apartment with broker; photos (M)


Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

Oakland Athletics starter Sonny Gray, left, is pulled from the baseball game by manager Bob Melvin, center, during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees on Friday, May 20, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Oakland Athletics starter Sonny Gray, left, is pulled from the baseball game by manager Bob Melvin, center, during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees on Friday, May 20, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP

Sonny Gray’s struggles continue in A’s 8-3 loss to Yankees

Sonny Gray was supposed to be the A’s stopper, a starter capable of curtailing any skid.

But the player who finished third in the 2015 AL Cy Young Award race has looked increasingly pedestrian this season. Friday night, in Oakland’s 8-3 loss to the Yankees at the Coliseum, Gray was shelled for five runs (four earned) in 31/3 innings.

It was his second briefest outing in a year defined by inconsistency. A season removed from 14 wins and a 2.73 ERA, Gray lacks his usual precision. Against a middling Yankees lineup, he oscillated between pitches in the middle of the plate and ones in the dirt.

A five-run fourth inning doomed an A’s team trying to move forward without top hitter Josh Reddick (broken thumb). Fresh off the 15-day disabled list, Yankees left-hander C.C. Sabathia allowed one run on three hits with eight strikeouts in six innings. Oakland has followed a four-game winning streak by opening 0-2 in its four-game series against New York.

“I just threw a lot of balls and got even in a lot of counts,” Gray said. “I definitely didn’t put guys away.”

Gray had thrown 70 pitches by the time he took the mound for the fourth inning. His control, erratic to that point, completely unraveled.

Ronald Torreyes belted a two-run triple to left. Two batters later, Gray bounced a ball in the dirt. Torreyes crossed home plate as catcher Stephen Vogt chased after the wild pitch. Unable to find the corners of the strike zone, Gray then fired a high fastball that Carlos Beltran hammered for a two-run double.

A smattering of loyal fans stood to applaud the 2015 All-Star as he plodded to the dugout, his night done. He had thrown three wild pitches and a handful more that Vogt corralled out of the dirt. And it could have been worse: Within the first three innings, first baseman Mark Teixeira twice was retired with two runners on base.

Gray’s bad start came in the wake of a seven-game stretch in which each Oakland starter lasted at least 52/3 innings. But Gray is the tone setter, and over his past five starts he owns a 10.38 ERA.

“He’s working really hard on fixing it,” said Vogt, who was hit in the wrist in the second inning and could miss Saturday’s game. “I’ve seen a lot of guys get down on themselves, and he’s not doing that. He’s working, and he’s trying to get it back.”

Added manager Bob Melvin: “He was just missing with some pitches that got his pitch count up. Then in the fourth, it wasn’t as good.”

The A’s defense has hardly done Gray any favors. In that game-changing fourth inning, center fielder Coco Crisp poorly played Torreyes’ triple and Beltran’s double.

With the All-Star game two months away, the A’s are the only major-league team that has not had a starter pitch more than seven innings. Rookie Sean Manaea, who went 62/3 innings in Monday’s 3-1 win over Texas, will try to become the first Oakland starter since Aug. 22 to accomplish that feat when he starts Saturday.

As for Gray? He’ll review the video in hopes of returning to his skid-stopping ways.

“I don’t know,” Gray said of his recent struggles. “It’s just not something that I really expect from myself.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: Con_Chron

Summary: Friday night, in Oakland’s 8-3 loss to the Yankees at the Coliseum, Gray was shelled for five runs (four earned) in 31/3 innings.  Against a middling Yankees lineup, he oscillated between pitches in the middle of the plate and ones in the dirt.  A five-run fourth inning doomed an A’s team trying to move forward without top hitter Josh Reddick (broken thumb).  Fresh off the 15-day disabled list, Yankees left-hander C.C. Sabathia allowed one run on three hits with eight strikeouts in six innings.  Torreyes crossed home plate as catcher Stephen Vogt chased after the wild pitch.  Unable to find the corners of the strike zone, Gray then fired a high fastball that Carlos Beltran hammered for a two-run double.  “He’s working really hard on fixing it,” said Vogt, who was hit in the wrist in the second inning and could miss Saturday’s game.  With the All-Star game two months away, the A’s are the only major-league team that has not had a starter pitch more than seven innings.  Rookie Sean Manaea, who went 62/3 innings in Monday’s 3-1 win over Texas, will try to become the first Oakland starter since Aug. 22 to accomplish that feat when he starts Saturday.


's hitching her wagon to

to try to bury her n-word scandal ... forging ahead with a new restaurant right next to Dolly's amusement park.

Paula Deen's Family Kitchen will open later this summer next to Dollywood in Tennessee -- her first new business venture since last month ... when a businessman

Sources connected to the restaurant tell us besides the usual family-style portions of Southern food staples ... Paula's new joint will also feature a retail store to hawk her wares and books.

We're told Paula's spent the last 4 months focusing on all aspects of her business ... and this restaurant is a top priority.

Summary: Paula Deen's hitching her wagon to Dolly Parton to try to bury her n-word scandal ... forging ahead with a new restaurant right next to Dolly's…


The New York premiere of Philip Glass's chamber opera ''The Fall of the House of Usher'' will kick off Lincoln Center's third annual Serious Fun festival on July 14 at Alice Tully Hall, Nathan Leventhal, president of Lincoln Center, announced yesterday.

Based on the Edgar Allan Poe classic, the opera, which was first produced last May by the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass., will be directed by Richard Foreman. It has lyrics by Arthur Yorinks, who co-wrote the book with Mr. Glass.

Other high points of the festival are to include Eric Bogosian in a retrospective show of his monologues titled ''In the Streets and Between the Sheets,'' the raconteur Spalding Gray performing a revised and updated version of his one-man show ''Terrors of Pleasure'' and the avant-garde diva Diamanda Galas in a new work, ''The Masque of the Red Death.'' Others scheduled to appear include the actress Ann Magnuson, the troupe Dancenoise and two avant-garde rock groups, the Residents from San Francisco, and Svuki Mu from the Soviet Union. With Commissioned Works

The festival, which is produced for Lincoln Center by Jed Wheeler and is financed by the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, is to present more than 30 performers in 17 evenings over three weeks. Nine works have been commissioned for the festival, including a piece by the composer Scott Johnson, performance works by Stuart Sherman, Paul Zaloom and John O'Keefe and dance works by Doug Elkins, Ohad Naharin and Stephen Petronio.

The festival was inaugurated in 1987 and brought avant-garde performers to Lincoln Center for the first time. Like last year's, many of this season's programs featuring several performers are built around concepts. ''Fancy Footwork,'' on July 20, will present major dance works by Molissa Fenley and Bill T. Jones and their companies. ''Underground Melodies'' (July 21 and 22) will put the Residents and Svuki Mu (in its American debut) on the same bill.

''Melange a Trois'' presents the musical compositions of Lucia Hwong, Anthony Davis and Mr. Johnson. Dancenoise, Danny Mydlack, Mr. Sherman and Mr. Zaloom - the performers involved in ''Objects of Desire'' (July 27) - integrate inanimate objects into their work. The performers in ''Oral Fixations'' (July 28 and 29) are talkers. Megadance (Aug. 2 and 3) will feature 10 short works by 10 rising dancers and choreographers.

Summary: LEAD: The New York premiere of Philip Glass's chamber opera ''The Fall of the House of Usher'' will kick off Lincoln Center's third annual Serious Fun festival on July 14 at Alice Tully Hall, Nathan Leventhal, president of Lincoln Center, announced yesterday.


Jun 21, 2016 7:44 PM EDT World

WASHINGTON -- A daring rescue is being attempted at the bottom of the world.

After flying through dangerous dark and cold, a rescue plane landed Tuesday at the South Pole to evacuate a sick worker from a remote U.S. science station, federal officials said.

The plane arrived at the South Pole after a daring 1,500-mile, nine-hour trip from a British base on the Antarctic peninsula, according to the National Science Foundation , which runs the polar outpost.

The plane's crew -- a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and medical worker -- will rest and wait for at least 10 hours. Then if weather conditions are favorable, the plane will refuel and return to Rothera, said agency spokesman Peter West. After that the sick worker will be taken out of Antarctica for treatment.

"It went all according to plan," West said from Arlington, Va.

A second worker is also ill, but officials have yet to decide whether that patient will also fly out, West said. The science foundation will not identify the workers, who are employees of Lockheed Martin which handles logistics at the station, nor their medical conditions.

There have been three emergency evacuations from the Amundsen-Scott station since 1999. Workers at the South Pole station are isolated from February through October, the coldest and darkest months when it's too risky for routine flights.

The latest mission is pushing the limits of what is acceptable, said Tim Stockings, operations director at the British Antarctic Survey in London. He said being prepared is key.

"The air and Antarctica are unforgiving environments and punishes any slackness very hard," Stockings said. "If you are complacent it will bite you."

"Things can change very quickly down there" with ice from clouds, high winds and snow, he said.

The first day of winter in the Southern Hemisphere was Monday -- the sun will not rise at the South Pole till the first day of spring in September. A South Pole webcam showed the station in the distance during the landing. There was some light because of the full moon and the ability of the camera to operate on low light, West said.

It is still pitch-dark, he said.

The National Science Foundation decided last week to mount the rescue operation because one staffer needed medical care that can't be provided there. The station has a doctor, a physician's assistant and is connected to doctors in the U.S. for consults, West said. There are 48 people -- 39 men and 9 women -- at the station.

The temperature Tuesday afternoon at the South Pole station was minus 75 degrees, with a wind chill that makes it feel like minus 108 degrees according to the science foundation's weather station and webcam.

The extreme cold affects a lot of things on planes, including fuel, which needs to be warmed before takeoff, batteries and hydraulics, West said. The Twin Otter can fly in temperatures as low as minus 103 degrees, he said.

The 1999 flight, which was done in Antarctic spring with slightly better conditions, rescued the station's doctor, Jerri Nielsen, who had breast cancer and had been treating herself. Rescues were done in 2001 and 2003, both for gallbladder problems.

Dr. Ron Shemenski was evacuated from the research facility in 2001 because of a gallbladder infection.

"So the skis heat up and when the plane stopped, it froze to the ice which we weren't expecting," Shemenski said. "So when it was time to leave, we were stuck. We couldn't get the plane loose."

Lt. Col. David Panzera of the New York Air National Guard has flown to the South Pole more than 300 times.

"It can go from blue skies... with just light clouds in the air to a total white out," Panzera said. "A very, very unsafe and very, very strange place."

"The challenge is always going to be the temperature and the weather. Those two -- most uncontrollable factors, whether it's our airplane or theirs," Panzera said.

Scientists have had a station at the South Pole since 1911. It does astronomy, physics and environmental science with telescopes, seismographs and instruments that monitor the atmosphere. The foundation runs two other science stations in Antarctica.

Summary: Small plane arrived at the South Pole after a 1,500-mile, nine-hour trip from a British base on the Antarctic peninsula to rescue a sick worker


Morgan Stanley analysts say retailers could see coal in their holiday cash registers this year.

Analysts at the Wall Street firm led by Kimberly Greenberger say that while consumers may have more money in the wallets this year due to the better economy and lower gas prices, there is a good chance that consumers will spend less of those extra dollars than last year.

The bottom line: Greenberger predicts a 1.2% growth in holiday sales in 2015, less than half of last year’s 2.8% increase.

The analysts postulate in a note titled, “The grinch will steal Christmas,” that this is because consumers now spend less money on apparel in general. What’s more, 2015 is predicted to have an unusually warm winter. That will put a damper on seasonal purchases. So when retailers complain about the weather this year, they may actually have a point.

While many retailers will struggle, Greenberg and her team predict some retailers may fair better than others.

Greenberg says L Brands LB , parent company of Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works, comes into the holiday season with momentum building in both of its brands. Lululemon Athletica LULU sales are expected to go up after the retailer introduced its pant wall in September, a new store design that allows for a more personalized shopping experience.

The analysts have also projected high sales for Ross Stores ROST , Nike NKE , and Best Buy BBY .

Summary: They must be on Santa's naughty list.


Dow Chemical Co said it would lay off about 2,500 employees globally, or about 4% of its workforce, as part of a deal to assume full control of Dow Corning, which was a joint venture with Gorilla glass maker Corning Inc.

The seeds and chemical maker said it would also shut down silicones manufacturing facilities in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Yamakita, Japan, as well as certain administrative, corporate and manufacturing facilities.

Formed in 1943, Dow Corning produces silicon-based products for aerospace, automotive and electrical industries.

Dow Chemical announced the deal for Dow Corning in December, when it also said it would merge with DuPont in an all-stock deal, which then valued the combined company at $130 billion.

Dow Chemical on Tuesday raised its annual cost savings estimate for the deal to $400 million from $300 million. The company said it was also targeting $100 million in growth synergies.

Dow Chemical said the actions announced on Tuesday would position the company to achieve its cost synergy target run rate of 70 percent within 12 months of closing the deal, and 100 percent within 24 months.

The deal is expected to add to Dow Chemical’s operating earnings per share, cash flow from operations and free cash flow in the first full year after close.

Dow Chemical said it would take a charge of about $410 million to $460 million in the second quarter for asset impairments, severance and other costs.

Summary: Company aims for $400 million in cost savings.


Don't judge a bullfight until you see one, matador says

Spanish matador Lopez Simon is seen after killing a bull during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 7, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Spanish matador Rafaelillo opens his jacket after killing a bull during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 17, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish matador Lopez Simon stands during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 7, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish matador Julian Lopez "El Juli" walks wounded in his right gluteus after being gored by a bull during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 15, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Peruvian matador Roca Rey washes his face after killing a bull during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 15, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish assistant bullfighter Manuel Rodriguez "Mambru" waits for the start a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 16, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

A Spanish assistant bullfighter walks before a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 4, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish matador Javier Castano washes his face splattered by bull's blood after killing it during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 17, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Spanish matador Jose Maria Manzanares holds his bullfighter's "muleta" during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 9, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish matador David Mora is seen after driving a sword into a bull to kill it during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 11, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish assistant bullfighter Francisco Javier Sanchez Araujo (R) gives a rose to Spanish matador Morante de la Puebla who holds a trophy, an ear of a bull, during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 15, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish assistant bullfighter Vicente Herrera stands during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 7, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish matador Pepe Moral touches his face before a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 5, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish matador Pepe Moral celebrates after winning a trophy, an ear of the bull, during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 5, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish matador Javier Jimenez stretches before a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 5, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

French matador Sebastian Castella puts his montera before a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 7, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Spanish picadores Francisco Romero (L), 26, and Agustin Romero, 25, pose for a portrait before a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 5, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Spanish matador Borja Jimenez prepares to perform a pass to a bull during a bullfight at the Real Maestranza bullring in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 4, 2016. At the Real Maestranza arena the crowd enjoys a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Wearing an embroidered gold and white outfit and wielding a long thin sword, the matador taunts the 600-kilo bull with his cape, dodging its horns again and again. Despite the full stands at the bullring, which hosted its first fight in 1761, the sport attracts an increasingly slim audience, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair fight. Matadors say those who oppose bullfighting don't understand the bullring's intimacy or the artistry of the fight. To finish off the bout, matadors deliver the "estocada," a deft strike through the bull's shoulder blades to pierce its heart. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "EL MATADOR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

SEVILLE, April 18 (Reuters) - It may be a dying spectacle in more ways than one, but matador Javier Jimenez says the people who oppose bullfighting have simply never gone to feel the intimacy and artistry of the contest.

"I have friends that don't like bullfighting, but they have never been," he says. "It's like a song or a painting; you don't know why you enjoy it, but it gets you deep down."

Jimenez is only 25 but has already been fighting bulls since he was 15, not long after he and his brother Borja, also a matador, began taking a red cape into school in Espartinas, near Seville, to show off their feints and pirouettes.

Now in his seventh year fighting at the Real Maestranza arena in the Spanish city of Seville, Jimenez says he still feels the same fear he did the first time he knelt in the sand to await the bull charging out of the gate.

"I asked a matador who had spent 50 years in the ring -- and he still feels the same now as he did the first time."

As Jimenez and the 600 kg (1,300 lb) bull begin to circle around the cape, the crowd cheer every pass with cries of "Ole! Ole!".

In his embroidered gold and white "traje de luces" or "suit of lights," the matador dodges the horns again and again.

The Real Maestranza is packed for this fight, part of Seville's April Fair, a celebration of all things Andalusian filled with Flamenco dancing and copious drinking of locally produced Manzanilla sherry.

But elsewhere, audiences for a tradition that goes back over a thousand years are dwindling, as new generations shun what they see as a cruel and unfair contest.

Back in the ring, the bull's movements become ever more labored as the barbed stakes that have been stabbed deep into its neck drain its strength away.

With the hulk tottering, Jimenez raises his long, thin sword and swiftly delivers the "estocada," a deft strike through the shoulder blades to pierce its heart. The bull keels over and, as mules are brought in drag out the body, the band strike up again. This fight is over, the next one can begin.

Related: Outrage over matador bullfighting with infant daughter:

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Summary: One matador says the people who oppose bullfighting have simply never gone to feel the intimacy and artistry of the contest.


Jun 27, 2016 11:13 AM EDT Health

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Until a new law was passed this spring, it was against the law in Ohio -- along with many other states -- for firefighters or paramedics to provide basic first aid to dogs and cats rescued from house fires, car accidents or other crisis situations. Only licensed veterinarians could do that.

The legislation passed recently makes Ohio one of the first states to protect first responders who administer lifesaving aid to pets, companion animals or police dogs in crisis. Animal advocates say they hope the statute, which they liken to laws protecting good Samaritans who come to the aid of injured humans, removes hesitation for first responders who might have concerns about tending to injured pets.

The law will allow first responders to, without fear of liability, provide oxygen, perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation, try to stem bleeding, bandage and even administer the overdose antidote naloxone to dogs or cats that have ingested opiates. Liability has been a concern because owners of pets have sued first responders who treated animals that ended up dying.

"It's another layer of protection for the good guys," said Cory Smith, director of public policy for companion animals at The Humane Society of the United States.

Ohio's law, which follows a similar action by Colorado in 2014, came about after Bob Swickard, the director of an EMS service in a small town in northeastern Ohio, contacted state Republican Rep. Tim Ginter with concerns about a recent rash of on-duty injuries to police dogs. In seeking guidance from a veterinarian on first aid for dogs, Swickard said he found "a missed loophole" -- it was clearly illegal for EMTs to treat animals. He and Ginter were especially concerned that paramedics couldn't administer naloxone to police dogs that came in contact with prescription pain pills or heroin.

"There is the possibility that a dog could get a snout full of something and go down," Ginter said. "The best that they could do before this law was to call either a veterinarian to come to the scene or call for transport."

Dr. Ed Cooper, head of emergency and critical care at Ohio State University's Veterinary Medical Center, said that as a result of the law, which takes effect Aug. 31, some veterinarians are reaching out to first responders to provide basic training, and first responders are beginning to seek it out.

"The hope in having this law passed is really just to give first responders the opportunity and extend the option without the potential for recourse to assist pets as well as people in these kinds of crisis situations," Cooper said. "So (veterinarians) certainly see it as a positive thing."

What the law doesn't do is require first responders to treat animals, nor does it now make it OK for people to call 911 when their pets get injured or sick. People should still call emergency animal hospitals in these situations.

Smith noted that with two-thirds of American households having at least one pet, it stands to reason that first responders are going to encounter injured animals on the job.

"Really, it's just about building humane communities," she said. "I think when first-response agencies and local governments and especially state governments plan around the fact that animals are such a huge part of our lives, it can only lead to good things."

Summary: Ohio legislation will allow emergency workers to administer life-saving treatment to pets, companion animals and police dogs in crisis


Sir Philip Green has been in secret negotiations this week with the Pensions Regulator about plugging BHS’s £571m pension shortfall, Frank Field, chair of the Work and Pensions select committee has revealed.

The Topshop tycoon had promised publicly to “sort” the retailer’s pension deficit in a testy evidence session in Westminster two weeks ago, after the collapse of his former business left 20,000 BHS pensioners facing a cut on their income and 11,000 job losses.

Mr Field teasingly suggested the codename of the latest pension restructuring proposal should be called “Project Tina, as the money will be coming from her” – referring to Lady Tina Green, Sir Philip Green’s wife and owner of the family’s retail empire.

Neville Kahn, managing partner at Deloitte, who was being grilled by MPs about the collapse of BHS, refused to comment on the confidential discussions which occurred during a meeting on Monday between Sir Philip and The Pensions Regulator and would not give a timeline for a resolution.

He did, however stress the codename was “Project Atlantic”, not "Project Tina".


While the suicide rate among young children has remained relatively stable, a new study shows that the number of black kids between the ages of 5 and 11 who commit suicide has almost doubled since 1993.

The research, published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, shows that from 1993 to 2012, there were a total of 657 kids in the age group who killed themselves in the U.S.; 84% were boys and 16% were girls. Overall, the suicide rate was stable over the nearly 20-year period, yet the rate among black children significantly rose while the rate among white children dropped. Why black children were more likely to die by their own hand could not be determined in this study. The researchers say that the apparent racial disparity needs further investigation.

Study author Jeffrey Bridge, an epidemiologist at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told the New York Times that he was “shocked” by the results.

The findings are troubling, and the authors note in the study that historically, the rates of suicide among black children has been lower than the rate among white children. Suicide previously ranked as the 14th cause of death among black children ages 5 to 11 from 1993 to 1997, but it went up to the ninth cause of death in 2008 to 2012. For comparison, among white children, suicide was ranked as the 12th cause of death for the age group from 1993 to 1997 but it dropped to the 11th cause of death from 2008 to 2012.

“Although rates of suicide in adolescents aged 12 to 19 years are roughly 50 times higher than suicide rates in children aged 5 to 11 years, investment in upstream suicide prevention approaches that occur prior to the onset of suicidal behavior may have strong potential to reduce youth suicide rates,” the study authors write.

The researchers call for more studies to understand the trend, and to hopefully determine what interventions might be necessary.

Summary: New study reveals racial disparities in suicide rates among young children


DEPARTURES Memoirs. By Paul Zweig. Introduction by Morris Dickstein. 219 pp. New York: Harper & Row. $16.95.

IN his memoirs collected in ''Three Journeys'' (1976), the poet and critic Paul Zweig, who died in 1984, identifies himself with an image from Hieronymus Bosch: a figure sealed inside a transparent globe who floats serenely above the world. For Zweig it is an image of the artist, one who ''possesses everything, and also nothing. He has been offered a key to the myth, but the vehicle of his vision is also his prison.'' A similar image appears in Zweig's ''Departures,'' only this time the image of encapsulation and isolation defines a considerably more existential condition:

''One morning I woke up with the impression that I was locked under a thickness of glass. The impression was so strong, I could virtually see the glass a few inches from my face. It was like a waking dream; I saw my feelings instead of experiencing them, as if my kidnapped body had excreted from it this secret of sidereal space, this smothered distance, which now flowered into one of those overused images the psyche loves: a glass dome.''

Zweig wrote this passage during his last years, while suffering from a lymph cancer from which he was to die at the youthful age of 49. From this vantage, the knowledge of death becomes itself a kind of glass through which he views his earlier life. No longer does the glass dome refer to the artist, floating above the world in a Mallarmean calm; it now prefigures a final exile whose terms are not figurative but distinctly mortal.

The glass-dome metaphor could stand for Zweig's entire literary career, one spent exploring through poetry, essays, biography and fiction what he called his ''addiction to self-awareness'' and the attendant lures of solipsism and narcissism. The titles of most of his books are a summary of these concerns: ''The Heresy of Self-Love: A Study of Subversive Individualism'' (1968), ''Against Emptiness'' (1971), ''The Dark Side of the Earth'' (1974), ''Eternity's Woods (1985), - and now ''Departures.'' Even the biography he wrote late in his life - ''Walt Whitman: The Making of a Poet'' (1984) -dwells on the process of self-making by which the author of ''Leaves of Grass'' transformed his isolation into myth. Something of the same process is at work in Zweig's posthumously published memoirs.

The title that his publisher gave this volume, ''Departures,'' is entirely appropriate for a writer who was always leaving for someplace else and who spent much of his adult life abroad. The book's first two essays describe a period spent in France during the late 1950's and early 1960's, a period in which Zweig came of age as a writer and, most pertinently for this book, as a sexual being. However charged this period was, the same englobed and detached relation to feeling I have described above permeates ''Departures,'' leaving the book oddly impersonal. The essays seldom refer to the author's teaching, writing, marriages, friendships or family. Instead, they focus on a series of love affairs that allowed him to escape, if temporarily, that bubble of self-awareness.

Rather than break the bubble, however, he remains its prisoner, seeing himself as a victim of carnal, grasping women: ''She was the sort of woman who often seemed half out of her clothes''; ''All I could do was fall toward her kamikaze body''; ''I was like an old car, and she was the mechanic''; ''But here was Michele, smelling of woman's flesh, a painter, tearing the crusty baguette with her teeth and slicing off chunks of Cantal cheese with a penknife.'' Such rhetorical indulgence suggests why the relationships ultimately failed. Whatever intimacy he may have desired from women seems to have been mediated by his tendency to turn them into figures of speech. One feels that the poet's lifelong interest in the ''heresy of self-love'' (as he titled one book) was much more than academic. THE stylistic excesses of the first part diminish in the book's final essay, which details the author's final ''departure'' - the discovery of his lymphoma and his subsequent life with that terrible knowledge. The writing here is much harder and clearer than in earlier sections, perhaps because it is less interpretive. He describes with painful clarity his daily regimen of hospital visits, lab tests, sessions of chemotherapy, confrontations with doctors - the constant monitoring of his physical and mental state. His body becomes a supreme metaphor through which he may read himself and the world: ''I was sprouting, I was in flower.'' It is little wonder that he chose Whitman as the subject of his final piece of literary scholarship.

According to the introduction by the critic Morris Dickstein, Zweig was extraordinarily prolific during his last years. ''Writing was life to him,'' Mr. Dickstein says, not an attempt to forestall the inevitable but a chance to interpret patterns and images - like the Bosch globe - that had haunted him from the beginning. Although he wrote in many forms, the memoir may have been Zweig's most appropriate medium. It allowed him to reach back to specific moments and see them in all of their lucidity. But those moments are lonely, filled with a kind of unfulfillable longing that neither sexuality, political activism nor literature could ultimately satisfy. Zweig often veered toward a kind of intellectual invisibility in which, finally, there were no people left. One wants company.

photo of Paul Zweig in 1980 (Robert Mahon)


Two New York voters are suing the state Board of Elections to have Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz booted from the ballot over questions about his citizenship.

The issue has been trumpeted by Cruz’s foe Donald Trump, though the pair who are suing say they are not aligned with the billionaire businessman.

“Notwithstanding the bluster of Mr. Trump … my issue is there is a constitutional problem that has arisen, and it has to be addressed,” said Manhasset, LI, resident William Gallo, who filed the lawsuit with Manhattanite Barry Korman.

The pair cites an article of the US Constitution that says, “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this constitution, shall be eligible to the office of president.”

Gallo, 85, a Republican, has not yet chosen a candidate to back.

“It’s got nothing to do with Mr. Cruz as far as whether he’s a good conservative or not a good conservative,” Gallo said. Instead, Gallo said, he wants the court to settle the constitutional question so that “people can go to the polls feeling they have an answer.”

Korman, 81, of West 96th Street, declined to comment. But his lawyer, Roger Bernstein, said Korman is an independent who wants to resolve the matter before the New York state primary in April.

Cruz contends that he is a naturalized citizen because his mother was an American. Most experts say that makes Cruz eligible to be president.

His spokesman declined to comment.

Top New York Trump supporter Carl Paladino applauded the suit challenging Cruz’s citizenship.

“The law is clear. If you’re born in Canada, you’re not a natural born citizen,” said Paladino, the 2010 GOP candidate for governor from Buffalo and a chief state organizer of the Trump campaign.

A spokesman for the state Board of Elections said the agency will address the matter at a meeting Feb. 23. The rep, John Conklin, said the BOE is likely to punt on the debate.

An agency staff report has found that the Board of Elections “is not the proper venue [for the issue] because the presidential primary doesn’t elect candidates for the presidency, it elects delegates for the national convention,” Conklin said.

Summary: Two New York voters are suing the state Board of Elections to have Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz booted from the ballot over questions about his citizenship. The issue has been trumpet…


As Britain’s second women prime minister, Theresa May is—not surprisingly—drawing comparisons to the first. Just one day into the job, May’s already outdone her only female predecessor Margaret Thatcher by one measure: she appointed seven women to her cabinet on Thursday who will make up about 30% of her closest advisors. In her time as PM from 1979 to 1990, Thatcher selected only one female secretary.

May filled her previous role of Home Secretary with Amber Rudd, the former energy and climate change secretary. She also selected Liz Truss—formerly the secretary for environment, food, and rural affairs—to become justice secretary, and former international development secretary Justine Greening to head the education department. (Greening, notably, is openly gay.) Priti Patel is the new secretary of international development, Karen Bradley will oversee culture, media, and sport, while Natalie Evans will take over as the new Leader of the Lords. May even gave a cabinet slot to Andrea Leadsom, her one-time, short-lived rival for Conservative Party head; she’ll be secretary of the environment.

Including May, the U.K. cabinet now has eight women among its 23 positions, which includes the newly-created role of Brexit secretary. Former Prime Minister David Cameron’s cabinet had seven women and 15 men.

May, who founded a group called Women2Win that aims to elect more Conservative women, was expected to give many of her administration’s top jobs to female colleague but the make-up of her roster is still notable compared to female representation in cabinets worldwide. Data from the United Nations shows that in 2015, 17% of all cabinet ministers were women, and most of them were concentrated in departments pertaining to education and family. Twenty-two percent of all national parliamentarians were female, up from 11% from 20 years prior.

At the same time, the gender break-down of May’s cabinet falls short of the slate of advisors compiled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and the one that’s been promised by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In November, Trudeau appointed a cabinet whose 30 positions were split 50-50 between men and women. He said it was important to present Canada with “a cabinet that looks like Canada.” Clinton has said that if she wins the presidency, she plans to fill her cabinet with as many women as men.

Beyond gender and professional aptitude, May also faced the challenge of considering her advisors’ Brexit affiliations. The June 23 vote, through which Britain decided the leave the European Union, created a deep chasm in the Conservative party, and was followed by an extraordinary bout of , infighting between the most prominent Tories in the Leave campaign. May’s selection of seven so-called Brexiteers and 15 Remainers was seen as an attempt to mend that divide and respect the voter mandate to cut ties with the EU. May herself supported staying in the EU, though she did so subtly. May also strove to include as many people educated in the state school sector, rather than the elite private schools whose pupils generally dominate British governments.

With all those factors to consider, May still managed to put together a relatively diverse cabinet. And while she hasn’t harped on being Britain’s second-ever female prime minister, it matters and so does her appointment of female secretaries, since—as the UN data shows—women are still sorely underrepresented in world governments and there’s evidence that female advances at the highest levels of government tend to inspire other women to run.

Summary: New UK Prime Minister Theresa May Gave 30% of Her Cabinet Positions to Women


Dark chocolate, but not white chocolate, may improve the ability of smokers' blood vessels to expand and contract in response to the body's needs, Swiss researchers have found.

The scientists divided 25 smokers into two groups. One group ate about two ounces of dark chocolate containing 74 percent cocoa, and the other consumed two ounces of white chocolate, which contains no cocoa.

The investigators calculated platelet activity and the flexibility of the blood vessels, two measures of healthy function, in an artery in the upper arm of each subject. In those who ate dark chocolate, both measures were considerably improved, and the effect lasted about eight hours.

White chocolate had no effect on the blood vessels. Total antioxidant status also significantly increased two hours after eating dark chocolate, but not after eating white chocolate. The report appears in the Dec. 19 issue of Heart.

The scientists believe the effect is caused by a large class of substances in chocolate called polyphenols, a group that includes flavonols, which are potent antioxidants. Dark chocolate, the authors write, has a higher polyphenol concentration than other antioxidant-rich foods like wine, tea or berries.

Dr. Roberto Corti, a cardiologist at University Hospital in Zurich and the lead author of the study, stressed that eating chocolate will not counter the ill effects of smoking. "We 'used' smokers as a model for decreased vascular function," he wrote in an e-mail message. "We believe that the beneficial effect can probably be seen in all patients who have a high oxidative stress. This highlights the potential of substances such as flavonols in cardiovascular health."

Summary: Dr Roberto Corti, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland, cardiologist, leads study that finds smokers' blood vessels perform better after ingesting dark chocolate; research is published in journal Heart; suggests that benefits should be seen in all patients, not just smokers; drawing (S)


A step-by-step guide to stealing Snooki's signature look. For the full effect, see the video above.

1. Kate McKinnon, 26, a comedian from Harlem, recently performed as Snooki, the infamous star of the MTV phenomenon "Jersey Shore," with the Upright Citizens Brigade. "You try to be as brain-dead as possible," says McKinnon about playing the much-mimicked and maligned Snooki. "You just try to feel so good about yourself when you have no reason to."

2. "She has a completely unsexy sexuality," says McKinnon, as she applies the first of many layers of foundation in a "Deep Caramel" color. "She's a good girl — she's brazen."

3. Several applications of kohl eyeliner around the entire perimeter of the eye and gobs of mascara are a must. More is the key.

4. "Snooki's got the soul of a princess in the body of an orange garden gnome," says McKinnon. To get orange, she applied more foundation. As in, she poured it all over herself. Then she applied lip gloss for pout-perfect lips. NOTE: It took her three days to get all the foundation off.

5. To achieve the Snooker's infamous "poof," McKinnon uses two wigs. "You really just need to put on a wig," says McKinnon of adopting the "Shore" persona. "She's already such a huge, crazy character."

6. "There's a quiet dignity to Snooki that I think people don't really appreciate," adds McKinnon with a wink. Here, she checks to make sure she's got the hair just right.

7. The comedian darkens her eyebrows, an important step in her transformation into the "Princess of Poughkeepsie."

8. Almost there, she adds big sparkly earrings and practices Snooki's signature pout. After all, the hair and makeup would be nothing without the right "Jersey Shore" attitude.

9. Can you tell the difference? "It's fun to play someone who is just enjoying life without any regard for what is going on around her," says McKinnon.

Get Snooki's Look! We used the products below:

Neutrogena MicroMist tanning sunless spray, $11.99 at drugstores

Physicians Formula bronzer, $14.95 at drugstores

CoverGirl LineExact liquid eyeliner, $5 at drugstores

Maybelline Great Lash mascara, $5.29 at drugstores Stila lip gloss trio, $32 at stilacosmetics.com

Garnier Fructis hairspray, $4.11 at drugstores

Summary: Kate McKinnon, 26, a comedian from Harlem recently performed as Snooki, the infamous star of the MTV phenomenon "Jersey Shore," with the Upright Citizens Brigade. Our guide to her complete Snooki makeover.


In just two short years, New York Giants player Odell Beckham Jr. has established himself as one of football's best wide receivers. But his notoriety stretches far past the field.

Along with causing controversy and becoming the subject of memes, the 23-year-old has remained in national headlines thanks to a series of romantic run-ins and rendezvous with A-list celebrities.

On Tuesday, Beckham Jr. was spotted out on a late-night date with

, 23, in New York, according to the

. The pair dined at Midtown hot spot Hunt & Fish Club until about 1:30 a.m.

"Odell came in around 11 p.m. alone, then Demi discreetly arrived about 10 minutes later," a source told

. "They sat in a corner booth, and it definitely looked like a date."

The outing comes almost two months after Lovato and

after six years of dating.

Beckham Jr. is reveling in the perks of being one of the NFL's biggest stars, but just who is the Louisiana native? Here are five things to know about one of sports' most eligible bachelors.

The wide receiver came in 10th on the league's "Top 100 Players of 2016," according to the

The ranking is the highest by a Giant since the league began compiling the annual list in 2011, according to the site.

Last year, Beckham was ranked No. 32. He has also made two trips to the NFL Pro Bowl.

In November 2014, Beckham Jr. secured for himself a spot in Internet meme history catching a one-handed touchdown pass in a game against the Dallas Cowboys, according to

threw the football his way, Beckham Jr. jumped high in the air and, with an arched back and one foot off the ground, clutched the tip of the ball with his right hand.

The Odell Beckham catch was certainly prettyâ¦ pic.twitter.com/2NLRkqLABI

quick someone photoshop odell beckham into this. will send to kanye as inspiration for sequel to runaway video pic.twitter.com/1nJ6qJymm9

Last December, Beckham Jr. grappled with former-Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman and was flagged when he rushed across the field at the end of the play and slammed his helmet into Norman's,

He was suspended for one game.

After the game, Norman called the incident "ridiculous."

"The guy ran 15 yards down the field, dead-on collision," Norman told reporters, according to

. "The play was all the way to the left side. He came back and was hunting, and it was just, like, malicious in every way."

Lovato is just the latest lady to spend time with the football star. In June, Beckham Jr. was spotted

Rumors began circulating that the two were dating and Kardashian, 32, shut down the speculations on

. But Beckham Jr. still dealt with fallout from the false reports.

TWIMC: Sorry to burst your bubble. When a couple drinks, a little flirting and an invasion of privacy collide things may look crazy

However...this ain't that and that ain't this

"It's just kind of like â¦ 'dating?' I just met this person. This is maybe the second conversation we've had," he told

magazine in an interview for its August issue, noting that the rumors affected his relationship with a woman he was seeing at the time.

"Things go like that. And then some other girl that I may have been talking to hears about it, and now it's more drama, more commotion in my life. And I'm sitting here trying to explain my situation to somebody, and it's really not even a situation."

Earlier in the year, reports arose that the athlete

in February, saying that any man looking to date her "better go through Dad first."

During an April appearance on

, Beckham Jr. revealed that he was living at the rapper's home as the star worked on his latest album,

"That's my guy right there," he said of Drake. "Somebody whose mindset is the same as yours â¦ they want to be the best. We just click on a level like that."

He added: "I'm just out there working out. [Drake] needs to chill out with that house that he's got out there, there's just too much going on."

Summary: Odell Beckham Jr. was spotted out on a date with Demi Lovato in New York on Tuesday


Golfer Jordan Spieth didn’t win the 2016 Open Championship in Scotland this past weekend. But he did manage a feat that none of his rivals matched: he wore “smart” golf shoes.

Spieth, who turns 23 later this month, has generated a lot of praise early in his professional career on the PGA Tour by notching wins at a speedy pace for a man his age. With all those achievements come key endorsements, including most critically his deal with Baltimore-based Under Armour ua . Under Armour outfits Spieth on the course under a 10-year endorsement deal signed in January 2015 (the pair first began to work together two years earlier).

But Under Armour also happens to be an athletic gear company that is betting big on connected fitness, envisioning a world where athletes—both professional and casual—can track their movements, workouts, sleep and other metrics to boost their performance.

That information can be invaluable for elite athletes like Spieth, but there’s a catch. Pro golfers aren’t allowed to track their movements with wearable tracking bands, like the UA Band, during competition. So Under Armour took the sensor technology it uses in the company’s recently launched “smart” Speedform Gemini 2 Record Equipped shoe and applied it to the brand’s first-ever, custom-made smart golf shoe.

Throughout the four days of competition, Spieth walked around 54,000 steps, averaging 13,500 steps per day during The Open. (Fitness trackers generally recommend 7,000-10,000 steps per day for optimal activeness).

“Data collection is a big part of getting better,” Spieth told Fortune. “I want to be smarter about how I train.”

Spieth says he’s tracked his workouts for “a while” now but really started to hone in on measuring his workouts the past two years. He also says he uses the UA Record system to track his sleep and eating patterns. He shared with Fortune that he prefers to sleep at least 8 hours every night (with the goal of about two hours of deep sleep). In terms of his food intake, Spieth favors “whole, real foods” as much as possible, and his go-to snack right now is granola. He admits he could do better staying more hydrated (his goal is to consume at least 140 ounces of fluids each day).

As I learned earlier this year when I tested out Under Armour’s line of connected gear, keeping track of workouts, monitoring sleep and other metrics can help athletes perform better on the course (or in my case, while out on a run).

Under Armour admits that these goals can vary. A professional athlete like Spieth might not put as much of a premium on say, counting steps, as he’s already active. But the intensify of his workouts and ensuring he got the right amount of sleep—especially when traveling abroad—those are metrics that are more critical to his day-to-day performance.

“The data around overall performance applies in ways that are more important than just runners and cyclists,” says Jason LaRose, senior vice president of global e-commerce at Under Armour. “Golf is a natural place for us, as it has evolved as a sport over the past 20 years.”

As LaRose notes, most connected gear has thus far focused on tracking steps, accounting for walks or running strides, and biking. That’s because those movements are easy to track using GPS technology. But Under Armour and others are tinkering with ways to bring that technology and insights to other sports, like golf or swimming.

The golf segment is a relatively new opportunity for Under Armour. The company only began selling golf shoes in April of this year, a collection that Spieth tested and gave some key input. If Under Armour were to bring “smart” golf shoes to the market, it could help the brand stand out even more in the estimated $9.6 billion global golf market. About 39% of those sales comes from footwear, according to research firm Technavio.

LaRose says its natural that over time, more passive data tracking will come from shirts and shoes, making it easier for individuals to track their progress without having to input much information into their mobile apps.

“As a company that makes shirts and shoes, we are excited about that,” he said. “We will continue to pursue avenues to make athletes better.”

Spieth says that data collection is becoming increasingly important for golfers, a sport that wasn’t always seen as “athletic,” though that is changing thanks to Spieth, and the more athletic builds of fellow golf stars like Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson.

“I’m really competitive so it becomes a personal challenge to see if I can work out longer than I did the day before,” Spieth said.

Summary: Provided by sponsor Under Armour.


Twitter has reported its slowest quarterly sales growth in three years, as the firm fends off competition from a growing number of social media sites.

Revenue for the second quarter was up 20% to $602m, far slower than the same quarter last year when it rose 61%.

But the micro-blogging site managed to shrink its quarterly loss to $107m(£84.7m) from $136m last year.

The company also reported a 3% increase in monthly active users (MAU) an important metric for advertisers.

Twitter attracted 313 million MAUs up from 310 million in 2015.

"We continue to believe that, with disciplined execution against our priorities, we can drive sustained engagement and audience growth over time," said Twitter chief financial officer Anthony Noto.

The company's stock fell over 9% in after-hours trading.

Twitter has been increasing its efforts to attract users in the face of competition from Snapchat and Instagram.

In April, Twitter announced a partnership with the US National Football League to stream 10 games in the upcoming season. Media experts say this could have a marked impact on long term user engagement.

Twitter shares plunge on weak earnings

Stolen Twitter logins put on sale

In a letter to shareholders, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said: "We are confident in our product roadmap, and we are seeing the direct benefit of our recent product changes in increased engagement and usage".

As expected by some analysts, Twitter saw a seasonal uptick in advertising revenue which rose 18% to $535m. But without strong user growth attracting advertisers becomes harder.

The sombre results have called into question the leadership of Mr Dorsey who is one of the company's co-founders.

He re-joined Twitter as chief executive last year as part of an effort to turn the struggling social media site around. In Twitter's history, it has never produced a profit.

But since his return the company has added just 9 million monthly active users.

Mr Dorsey has made changes to try and make the micro-blogging site more appealing. The firm has loosened its 140-character limit and begun showing tweets in order that users will find more interesting rather than chronologically.

But analysts said the changes had not had much impact.

"Clearly, the turnaround is still a work in progress and the question of whether being a platform for a mass audience versus a niche audience needs to be answered," said James Cakmak, analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co.

Patrick Moorhead, analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, was also critical: "We are a year into Dorsey coming back and there is really no end in sight of when it is going to start picking up to where investors are going to be happy."

Summary: Twitter has reported its slowest quarterly sales growth in three years, as the company fends off competition from a growing number of social media sites.


Was Brexit the finest example of people power successfully upending political elites, or definitive proof that the world needs even-tempered leadership in a moment of crisis?

Across the Atlantic, where Democrats and Republicans are in the midst of a bruising presidential election, it depends upon who you ask.

Politicians have always been skilled at finding a fragment of fact to support their arguments and demonstrate how unexpected world events chimed exactly with what they had been saying all along.

Related: America's economic ties with UK still strong after Brexit, White House insists

Britain’s decision to leave the European Union has sent spasms through the global economy and exposed obvious parallels between a divided Britain and the deeply divided US electorate .

Donald Trump, who has defied the political establishment, riding a populist wave to the top of the Republican ticket, hailed the referendum decision as a “great victory” and commended Britain for rejecting what he called the “global elite” in the US and around the world.

Trump, who was in Scotland visiting his Turnberry golf course, said: “I think really people see a big parallel. A lot of people are talking about that. Not only the United States but other countries. People want to take their country back. They want to have independence in a sense.”

He later sent a fundraising email to supporters with the subject line making the comparison even more explicit.

“These voters stood up for their nation – they put the United Kingdom first, and they took their country back,” Trump said of the Brexit vote. “With your help, we’re going to do the exact same thing on Election Day 2016 here in the United States of America.”

Hillary Clinton’s campaign seized on Trump’s handling of the situation to prosecute its most successful recent tactic, saying he can’t be trusted to stay calm in a crisis or put the nation’s interests before his own. Hours after the results of the voting were announced, as global markets were crashing, Trump convened a press conference in Turnberry to extol his golf course.

“When the pound goes down more people come to Turnberry,” he told reporters.

Clinton’s senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan pilloried Trump, saying his reaction formed an “emerging Donald Trump playbook” for how he responds to major events.

First, he said that Trump begins with a “pathological self-congratulations”, noting his reaction to the Orlando gay nightclub shooting the week before. Sullivan then said Trump “thinks about and then talks about what’s good for himself”.

“He said that a falling British pound is good for his golf business,” Sullivan told reporters. “He actually said that. He actually put his golf business ahead of the interests of working families in the United States.”

Related: John Oliver rails against Brexit vote: 'There are no do-overs'

Sullivan and the campaign’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, repeatedly played down parallels between the impulses that led voters in the UK to exit the EU and the ones that drove voters to a divisive billionaire with no political experience.

“It is really important to recognize that a vote on whether the UK stays in or leaves the European Union is profoundly different from a vote for who should be president and commander in chief of the United States,” Sullivan said. “This American election is about what’s happening here in America, and not what’s happening in Yorkshire or in Cardiff.”

The Brexit vote was foretelling in so far as revealing how a Trump administration might handle a complicated global event with implications for the US, Clinton’s campaign said.

The Clinton campaign went on to release an ad that contrasts Trump’s Scotland visit with the global reaction, drawing the conclusion: “In a volatile world the last thing we need is a volatile president.”

Other political leaders were also quick to interpret events to draw their own lessons. Paul Ryan, the nation’s highest-ranking Republican, said the economic turmoil caused by Britain’s decision is even more reason for the US to assert itself as a global leader.

“As an American, we value the principle of sovereignty, self-determination, governing by consensus, and limited government so we clearly understand the thinking,” Ryan said.

Former presidential candidate, Republican senator Ted Cruz said: “The results of the #Brexit referendum should serve as a wake-up call for internationalist bureaucrats from Brussels to Washington DC that some free nations still wish to preserve their national sovereignty,” Cruz said.

Related: Donald Trump predicts breakup of EU

Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who has been floated as a possible potential vice-presidential pick for Trump, told Fox News Sunday that the “wave building against the establishment is real”.

Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s Democratic challenger, said on CNN’s State of the Union that there is “massive resentment throughout Europe and the UK and in the United States about a global economy which works very, very well for large multinational corporations … that is not working in many ways for the middle class and working families of this country.”

He continued: “People are worried to death about the future of this country and what happens to their kids.”

Vice-President Joe Biden noted the anti-immigrant rhetoric that imbued the “Leave” campaign in the UK, imploring Americans to be wary of politicians blaming immigrants for the nation’s economic and security woes.

“We see it in Europe and around the world,” Biden said during a speech Trinity College in Dublin. “And we see it today in the United States, where some politicians find it convenient to scapegoat immigrants instead of welcoming them, play to our fears rather than appeal to our better natures, divide us based on religion or ethnicity rather than unite us in our common humanity, and build walls between nations when we should be building bridges among us.”

Summary: It’s no surprise that Trump, Clinton and others have used the UK’s messy divorce from Europe to suit their own worldview – it’s just part of the game


IN mid-August, a moving company delivered Jason and Kristis Cartozian’s belongings to the three-bedroom Tudor they had just bought in Port Chester. It had passed all building code inspections with flying colors. Among other things, inspectors deemed the house, the couple’s first, watertight and fit to withstand a strong storm.

Less than two weeks after Mr. and Mrs. Cartozian moved into their $520,000 house, Tropical Storm Irene hit. Water began coming through the basement walls, and they found themselves down on their hands and knees trying to stem the flow.

“There was no way we could keep up with it,” said Mr. Cartozian, an executive with Con Edison. “No sooner had we cleaned up after one onslaught than more water started rushing in.”

It was not that building inspectors had inadequately assessed the house’s water-readiness, but that they had not factored in the growing incidence of storms, and the resulting oversaturation of the ground on which the house stood.

As Mr. Cartozian put it: “Hurricanes and flooding rains are not once-in-a-while occurrences anymore. Increasingly, they seem to be coming in bunches.”

Which is why he and his wife, a family therapist for the New York City Department of Education, are planning to spend $5,000 or more to add drainage around the perimeter of their home, along with sump pumps and possibly even generators — to further weatherproof a house that they had been told was sound.

Next time, they said, they don’t want to wait in line for days behind other frantic homeowners seeking the services of contracting companies.

Throughout Westchester County — along the coastline as well as farther inland — the repercussions from the wet summer are persisting into early fall, and homeowners like Lisa and Wayne Hofflich in Mount Vernon are preparing for more.

The night before Irene unleashed her fury, the basement of the Hoffliches’ four-bedroom colonial was bone-dry. By the early hours of the morning, though, their backyard resembled a swimming pool, and the water in the basement had started climbing up the steps to the first floor.

Ms. Hofflich, a silk-screener, and Dr. Hofflich, a dentist, both work from home. Her basement studio was inundated, as was much of his compressor equipment, which had also been stored on the lowest level of the house.

“Outside,” Ms. Hofflich recalled, “manholes were gushing water. Inside the drains backed up. Then the power went off, and the sump pumps stopped working. A freezer in the basement overturned, and we found 150 pounds of meat from Costco floating near the garage.”

A month after the storm, they are in the process of filling their second 30-cubic-yard Dumpster — which is the target of scavengers attracted to the Hoffliches’ continuing supply of detritus.

The city’s Department of Public Works told them they were on the list to be pumped out, but never came, Ms. Hofflich said. “We called a restoration company listed in the Yellow Pages, and they told us we were on the list, but they didn’t show up either. Finally our insurance company, Chubb, booked a Pittsburgh company for us, and they arrived, ripped out all the Sheetrock in the garage and basement, and threw out everything that had been in water.” The basement smells better, but “looks like a bomb shelter.”

The Cartozians and the Hoffliches are now among the many homeowners who have decided to take a proactive approach — not passively awaiting the next flood, after which they would again be at the mercy of overworked local officials, restoration companies and contractors.

They are being encouraged to do so by firms like Bruni & Campisi, a plumbing, heating and air-conditioning business in Elmsford, which during the storm began serving customers around the clock, but still could not keep up with demand, according to Mario Bruni, the company president. “It was a juggling act,” Mr. Bruni said. “My advice to homeowners, short of standby generation, is to make sure you have a proper sump pump and good drainage around the perimeter of the basement.”

“But even at $6,000 to $10,000 for a standby generator,” he added, “when you consider the cost of a home and the losses you could experience, it could easily pay for itself.”

Shawn Nealis, a pharmacy owner, and his wife, Danielle, a teacher, have lived in the same four-bedroom house in Eastchester for six years. They have been flooded out three times — losing furniture, three hot water heaters and four clothes dryers, among other things.

“Each time, they called it a 100-year-storm, but three times in six years?” said Mr. Nealis, who is now so experienced at keeping his house dry that his friends call him a “flood guru.”

Over the past six years he has tried a number of tactics. During a storm the first year, he used a firehose to pump water out of his basement. Over the course of the ensuing years, he carefully studied the different paths water followed into the house during storms, regraded the backyard, built a retaining wall and installed sump pumps, among other things. He has also learned how to disconnect the hot water heater quickly during emergencies, he said, so its electrical system isn’t ruined by flooding.

He estimates the cost over the years for stormproofing at $50,000. This year, he said, it all paid off when his house remained dry, and he was able to spend his time helping his neighbors fight off the effects of Irene.

Those seeking workers to repair their waterlogged homes can consult Westchester’s Department of Consumer Protection to see if a home contractor is licensed in the county. The site is http://consumer.westchestergov.com/find-a-licensed-contractor

A version of this article appears in print on September 25, 2011, on page RE9 of the National edition with the headline: Good Riddance, Irene. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: Throughout Westchester, homeowners are not only cleaning up after Tropical Storm Irene, but also fortifying their houses against the next one.


Photo: Don Feria, Getty Images

49ers’ Trent Baalke explains Tom Gamble’s promotion to assistant GM

Niners general manager Trent Baalke said Sunday it was his idea to promote front-office executive Tom Gamble to assistant general manager, and he knew the move would invite speculation about his job security.

“I don’t live in a cave,” Baalke said. “I think I understood exactly what was going to happen. And that should show you even more that I don’t care. In all honesty, (Gamble is) deserving of the position.”

Gamble appears to be a logical potential successor to Baalke, the 2011 NFL Executive of the Year whose job security has become more tenuous on the heels of a 5-11 season. Gamble worked in the 49ers’ front office from 2005 to 2012 before he spent two seasons working in Philadelphia when Chip Kelly was the Eagles’ head coach.

Gamble has close ties to Kelly, but Baalke said Gamble, who returned to the 49ers last year, was in line to become the 49ers‘ assistant general manager before his two-year stint with the Eagles.

“This wasn’t a move that was generated because Chip is the head football coach now,” Baalke said. “But did I expect this thought process from the media? Certainly.”

Baalke said 2016 should provide more “clarity” on many of his recent draft picks, some of whom have provided little production. In the meantime, however, he understands speculation will continue regarding his future with the franchise.

“If you’re in the National Football League, you’re on the hot seat,” Baalke said. “Sometimes it’s a little hotter than others, but this is a performance-based business. You’re here to win.”

LB talks suspension: Outside linebacker Aaron Lynch said he unsuccessfully appealed his four-game suspension for violating the NFL drug policy, which was a result of an “unreadable specimen.”

Lynch, who entered the NFL in its drug program because of a failed test in college, was handed the suspension as a second-time offender. Lynch said the issue was a result of drinking too much water before he submitted a urine sample.

“It came out unreadable, and I’ve already been in the program,” Lynch said. “That’s the next step on one of those kinds of tests.

Baalke, who selected Lynch in the fifth round in 2014, said he was “disappointed” in the failed test, but expressed confidence in a player who entered the league surrounded by character concerns.

“Everyone in this room has made mistakes, and he certainly had made his share over the first 20-plus years of his life,” Baalke said. “But the thing I’m proud of is the direction he’s headed. Very confident, we are as an organization, that he’s going to be just fine.”

Lynch can participate in training-camp practice and preseason games. During his suspension, he can attend meetings and use the weight room at the team facility, but can’t practice.

Injury report: Safety Jaquiski Tartt was placed on the active/non-football-injury list because of a minor muscle pull he sustained before training camp. Kelly said Tartt would begin practicing soon.

Meanwhile, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, safety L.J. McCray and rookie cornerback Will Redmond, who all sustained serious knee injuries last year, avoided starting camp on an injury list. Kelly said they would be eased into practices.

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

Summary: Niners general manager Trent Baalke said Sunday it was his idea to promote front-office executive Tom Gamble to assistant general manager, and he knew the move would invite speculation about his job security.  Gamble appears to be a logical potential successor to Baalke, the 2011 NFL Executive of the Year whose job security has become more tenuous on the heels of a 5-11 season.  Gamble worked in the 49ers’ front office from 2005 to 2012 before he spent two seasons working in Philadelphia when Chip Kelly was the Eagles’ head coach.  Gamble has close ties to Kelly, but Baalke said Gamble, who returned to the 49ers last year, was in line to become the 49ers‘ assistant general manager before his two-year stint with the Eagles.  Outside linebacker Aaron Lynch said he unsuccessfully appealed his four-game suspension for violating the NFL drug policy, which was a result of an “unreadable specimen.”  Lynch, who entered the NFL in its drug program because of a failed test in college, was handed the suspension as a second-time offender.  Baalke, who selected Lynch in the fifth round in 2014, said he was “disappointed” in the failed test, but expressed confidence in a player who entered the league surrounded by character concerns.  During his suspension, he can attend meetings and use the weight room at the team facility, but can’t practice.  [...] defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, safety L.J. McCray and rookie cornerback Will Redmond, who all sustained serious knee injuries last year, avoided starting camp on an injury list.