MADRID, July 9 (Reuters) - A bullfighter and a man participating in a village bull-run were killed in Spain on Saturday, while another two men were gored by the animals at the world-famous festival in the town of Pamplona.

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Victor Barrio, a 29-year-old professional bullfighter, was killed when a bull's horn pierced his chest in front of spectators as he competed in a fight in the town of Teruel in the eastern region of Aragon.

His death, shown live on television, was confirmed on the website of Madrid's Las Ventas bullring, where Barrio began as an apprentice bullfighter in 2010. He is the first Spanish bullfighter to die in a ring since the turn of the century.

In the southeastern village of Pedreguer near Valencia, a 28-year-old Spaniard was killed during a bull-run, in which people risk life and limb by racing alongside specially-bred fighting bulls through narrow streets.

A bull's horn pierced his lung and heart as he was trying to help another runner during the event, in which a man was killed last year, a spokesman for the regional government said.

Many of Spain's towns hold summer festivals involving bulls, and several people die each year.

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The San Fermin festival, in which bulls chase red-scarved runners through Pamplona's cobbled streets during nine days of events, attracts thousands of revelers from Spain and overseas.

In Saturday's run there, a 33-year-old Japanese man was gored in the chest and a 24-year-old Spanish man in the arm, while 12 others suffered minor injuries, the local government said on its website.

The Japanese man was in a stable condition in hospital, a spokesman for the festival said.

The four-minute run in Pamplona featured six bulls from the Jose Escolar ranch, one of which separated from the rest and caused panic among the runners.

The daily bull-run along an 825-meter stretch of narrow streets in Pamplona's old town starts at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and usually lasts between three and five minutes. There are eight runs in total during the festival.

Over the past century 15 people have died in Pamplona's event, which dates back hundreds of years, according to a count on the unofficial San Fermin website. The last death was recorded in 2009.

Running of the bulls festival

In this slow shutter speed picture, revelers run with a Jandilla's ranch fighting bull during the running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

A reveler is tossed by a cow during a celebration held at the bullring after the running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 07: Revellers attempt to avoid a fighting calf inside Pamplona bullring during the second day of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls festival on July 7, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 07: Revellers attempt to avoid a fighting calf inside Pamplona bullring during the second day of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls festival on July 7, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 07: A reveller falls while running with Jandilla's fighting bulls along the Calle Estafeta during the second day of the San Fermin Running Of The Bulls festival on July 7, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

People watch as Jandilla fighting bulls and revelers run during the running of the bulls, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 07: Revellers attempt to avoid a fighting calf inside Pamplona bullring during the second day of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls festival on July 7, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

An injured runner is attended by a medical assistant after being gored by a ''Jandilla'' fighting bull during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 07: Revellers run with Jandilla's fighting bulls along the Calle Estafeta during the second day of the San Fermin Running Of The Bulls festival on July 7, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

Participants gather as Jandilla bulls run past during the fist 'encierro' (bull-run) of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 7, 2015. The festival is a symbol of Spanish culture that attracts thousands of tourists to watch the bull runs despite heavy condemnation from animal rights groups. AFP PHOTO/ MIGUEL RIOPA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images)

A Jandilla bull charges a participant during the first 'encierro' (bull-run) of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 7, 2015. The festival is a symbol of Spanish culture that attracts thousands of tourists to watch the bull runs despite heavy condemnation from animal rights groups. AFP PHOTO/ ANDER GILLENEA (Photo credit should read ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/Getty Images)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 06: Revellers and children are 'chased' by the 'Toro de Fuego' (Flaming bull) as it runs throught the streets during the opening day of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls fiesta on July 6, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 06: People and children take cover as the 'Toro de Fuego' (flaming bull) runs throught the streets during the opening day of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls fiesta on July 6, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

Revelers pack the Pamplona town square during the launch of the "Chupinazo" rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Revelers hold up traditional red neckties during the launch of the "Chupinazo" rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Revelers cool off with water thrown from a balcony during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin Fiestas, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls glorified by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises." (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 06: Revellers enjoy the atmosphere during the opening day or 'Chupinazo' of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls fiesta on July 6, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Revelers hold up traditional red neckties during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Revelers celebrate during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin Fiestas, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls glorified by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises." (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Revelers pack the Pamplona town square during the launch of the "Chupinazo" rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Revelers cool off with water thrown from a balcony during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin Fiestas, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls glorified by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises." (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 06: Revellers hold up their red handkerchiefs during the opening day or 'Chupinazo' of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls fiesta on July 6, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

A woman is tossed during the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) celebration to mark the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ CESAR MANSO (Photo credit should read CESAR MANSO/AFP/Getty Images)

A reveler throws wine during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

A music band performs during the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) celebration that marks the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ MIGUEL RIOPA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images)

Revelers are sprayed with water as they celebrate during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Revelers hold up traditional red neckties during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

A man is tossed during the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) celebration that marks the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ MIGUEL RIOPA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images)

A music band performs during the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) celebration that marks the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ MIGUEL RIOPA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images)

Musicians gather to perform at the Pamplona city-hall square during the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) celebration that marks the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ CESAR MANSO (Photo credit should read CESAR MANSO/AFP/Getty Images)

Revelers celebrates as people throw water from the balconies during the launch of the "Chupinazo" rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2015 San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 6, 2015. Revelers from around the world turned out here to kick off the festival with a messy party in the Pamplona town square, one day before the first of eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Revellers celebrate the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) to mark the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ CESAR MANSO (Photo credit should read CESAR MANSO/AFP/Getty Images)

PAMPLONA, SPAIN - JULY 06: Revellers enjoy the atmosphere during the opening day or 'Chupinazo' of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls fiesta on July 6, 2015 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Revellers gather at Pamplona's city-hall square to celebrate the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) marking the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ ANDER GILLENEA (Photo credit should read ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/Getty Images)

People on balconies witness the 'Chupinazo' (start rocket) celebration that marks the kickoff at noon sharp of the San Fermin Festival, in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 6, 2015. A red-and-white sea of revelers soaked each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square today to start off Spain's most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival. AFP PHOTO/ MIGUEL RIOPA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Summary: Victor Barrio, a 29-year-old professional bullfighter, was killed in the gut-wrenching incident as he competed in a fight in a Spanish town on Saturday.


Kesha is flaunting her bikini body – and she doesn’t care what anyone thinks about it.

“Not a slave to perfection right now,” the singer, 29, captioned a black and white Instagram photo of herself lounging in a pool in Palm Springs, California, while wearing a black bikini and striped cat-eye sunglasses.

She also takes body shamers to task, telling them not to even bother criticizing her for her appearance.

“Body shamers please f— off,” the caption continues. “Ain’t nobody got time for it.”

Kesha is embroiled in a legal battle with producer Dr. Luke, whom she alleges sexually, verbally and emotionally abused her. (He has vehemently denied the accusations and is countersuing for breach of contract and defamation.)

The pop star previously struggled with an eating disorder, completing a rehabilitation program in March 2014. She has since opened upabout learning to accept her body.

“I’m trying to embrace the skin I’m in,” she told Vogue in May. “It’s difficult sometimes. Every day I have to look in the mirror and make the choice to be kind to myself. This is who I am – I have to love that.”

This article originally appeared on People.com

Summary: I'm "not a slave to perfection right now"


A Chinese school textbook that describes girls who have premarital sex as “sacrificing their bodies” and “degraded” has prompted a fierce backlash on social media.

High School Sex Education, issued in China’s southeastern Jiangxi province, sparked an online debate regarding gender inequality after it claimed that “premarital sex has a tremendous negative psychological and physical impact on girls.”

“Girls do not increase the love they receive from boys by sacrificing their bodies, but rather are seen as ‘degraded’ by their ‘conquerors,’” says the book, first published by 21st Century Publishing Group in 2004. “As a result, sexual relations can cause women to lose love.”

Although the book has been around for many years, the current debate was triggered when a teacher in southern China posted passages to China’s Twitter-like microblog Weibo. Other Weibo users were quick to chime in with their disgust.

“Why does this discrimination only point to women? What about men?” asked one user. “Instead of insinuating and making innuendos, sex education should aim at protection and safety. Publishing textbook like this, these educators are sick!”

According to Li Yinhe, a sexologist at the Institute of Sociology at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the textbook is parroting archaic Chinese beliefs.

“There is no national unified sex-education textbook in China, so every province has its own version of sex education,” she tells TIME. “Some educators are still firmly holding to old views,” she adds, describing them as “obviously wrong.”

According to China’s state-backed Global Times newspaper, the 21st Century Publishing Group has denied the book was insulting to women. A total of 2,000 copies have reportedly been issued to students in Jiangxi.

— With reporting by Zhang Chi / Beijing

Summary: The high school textbook has provoked a fierce backlash online


The German car-booking service Blacklane has raised its largest-yet financing round, in an eight-figure Series C round.

What’s particularly interesting about this round is that it was led by existing investor Daimler ddaif , which wants Blacklane to expand its global business.

Daimler (or more specifically its Daimler Financial Services business) is very active on the mobility services front at the moment. Last week it merged its mytaxi ride-hailing service with the U.K.’s Hailo, fusing complementary territories to make the combined operation a real force in Europe.

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What do Blacklane and mytaxi/Hailo have in common? Both are much more likely than key competitor Uber to stay on the right side of regulators.

Blacklane is essentially a traditional chauffeured limo service that uses only insured, professional drivers and generally tries to scoop up corporate customers and holiday-makers who want to, for example, prebook rides to airports using the convenience of a modern app.

Mytaxi and Hailo are more Uber-like, but they’re essentially portals for regular cabs.

These companies have had brushes with regulators—mytaxi hit a hurdle in Germany over its discounted fares, and Blacklane had a minor hiccup with Smart cars—but nothing on the scale of Uber’s all-out regulatory wars.

“We want to offer flexible and innovative mobility services to our customers. Our investment in Blacklane as a global professional driver service is an important part of this strategy,” said Daimler Financial Services CEO Klaus Entenmann in a Monday statement.

For more on ride-hailing, watch our video.

It’s not entirely clear how big this new financing round is, although some simple math suggests it’s bigger than $20 million—Blacklane’s 2013 Series B was originally €14 million (around $19 million at the time) before Japan’s Recruit Holdings threw in a few million more in 2014.

Blacklane said Monday that it would use the new funds to expand around the world, particularly in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. It’s already present in over 200 cities and 400 airports in 50 countries.

It will also use the cash to further develop its apps and technology, strike more deals with the travel industry and “grow the team at its Berlin headquarters and beyond.”

Summary: Daimler has led a new funding round for Blacklane which, like Daimler's mytaxi, is a more regulator-friendly alternative to Uber.


Press releases don’t linger long in my inbox. A brief perusal to find that someone is trying to persuade me to try couscous with added flavourings (I can chop parsley and garlic myself, thanks) or frozen cooked baked potatoes (I kid you not), and I hit the trash icon.

But I do pay a lot of attention to news about fish and what is sustainable, as stock levels can change fairly rapidly. Such is my conscience on this subject (I don’t want my grandchildren to ask, wide-eyed, “What were fish and chips like, Granny?”) that, if anything, I tend towards overcautiousness.

So when the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations contacted me to say that hake was now the most sustainable and plentiful fish in Britain, I replied, “Are you sure?” But it has carefully evaluated the situation and established that stock levels are indeed healthy. So hake is now definitely on the menu. Or it would be, if more of us ate it. Only 1.5 per cent of last year’s catch was eaten in Britain. Most of it goes to Spain, where la merluza is much loved, even venerated (it is estimated that each Spaniard consumes 6kg of hake per year). I’m very happy for the Spanish, but feel that we’re missing out here.

It can be hard to think what to do with an unfamiliar fish, but all you need to remember is that hake is part of the cod family, so you can use it in dishes in place of cod or haddock – with certain provisos. Hake doesn’t stay in prime condition for long – the flesh becomes soft and cotton-wool-like – so you should buy the freshest you can. It is best to avoid tail pieces, as they don’t keep their shape well and are hard to turn over when frying. The flakes are much smaller than those of cod, more delicate in structure and taste sweeter.

Spain and Portugal are, of course, the obvious places to find recipes (have a look in any of Penelope Casas’ books) and you can’t go wrong teaming hake with other Iberian ingredients, such as capers, saffron, sherry, chorizo and tomatoes. There is one Portuguese oddity that I give you here. For years I visited the same little restaurant in the Algarve where a dish of melting fish and potatoes was served in a creamy sauce. When I asked how they did it they would just smile enigmatically, but a bit of research turned up the recipe below. It is hard to get your head round the idea of baking fish in mayonnaise, but it works. And it’s one of the easiest suppers you could make.

Summary: Sustaining and sustainable, hake surely deserves to appear on our menus more   often


“The villagers are complaining because they had hoped to see him but he’s on a tight schedule,” he told The Telegraph.

“I think he’s coming for some government stuff. It will be nice if he gets to see relatives. They were hoping that he would meet them.”

Mr Obama’s grandmother Sarah has been flown to the capital and it is thought she will visit the president at his hotel, along with other family members.

George Obama said he hoped he would be among those invited, so he could talk to the president about the challenges facing Kenya’s youth, a subject close to both their hearts.

T-shirts for sale in Kibera (AFP)

Mr Obama set up the Young African Leaders Initiative in 2010. His brother runs a foundation supporting children from impoverished backgrounds in the run-down town of Huruma on the outskirts of Nairobi.

“Some of our children don’t have school uniforms, others don’t have school fees, basic stuff, books and so on, that’s what we try and organise for them to the best of our ability so they can have an education,” he said.

“The children are the future of the country. We try to show them the right way so that when it’s their time to take over, they make it better.

“So we do a similar thing. It’s just on a different scale.”

Nairobi has gone into security lockdown ahead of Mr Obama’s arrival tonight, with roads closed and police and soldiers on virtually every street corner.

A woman poses as she walks from the market near the ancestral home of President Obama in Nyangoma village, Kogelo (Reuters)

The city has also been festooned with American and Kenyan flags, billboards welcoming the US president “home” and murals of his famous face on the sides of buildings. Nairobi’s governor has even optimistically planted fresh grass seed in pavements of red mud.

Mr Obama said dismissed the measures as “cosmetic”. “It’s a smokescreen. They are just pleasing him. When he goes it’s just going to return to normal. We are living a lie. When he is gone, who’s going to take care of it?” he said.

Summary: George Obama, the president’s half-brother, said news that US president will   not visit village of Kogelo has been greeted with dismay


Years ago, when Tesla Motors Inc. was still a tiny company, Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr. dropped in on the electric-car startup. Sensing “the winds of change were coming,” the visit, along with others he made to Silicon Valley tech firms, provided inspiration to reinvent the company his great-grandfather founded more than a century ago.

“It made me even more impatient,” Mr. Ford, 58 years old, said in his office late last week, characterizing the auto maker as turning over every rock to transition from strictly a...

Summary: Ford’s chairman is looking at range of partnerships and ways of experimenting internally with new business lines, such as ride-hailing and pay-by-minute car rentals.


LONDON—After a rainy, chilly, stop-and-start week at Wimbledon, Friday ended with a cliffhanger. Novak Djokovic, winner of the last four Grand Slam singles titles, was being pummeled in the third round by American Sam Querrey, seeded 28th, before play was stopped for the evening because of rain.

Playing on the roofless No.1 Court, the 28-year-old Querrey won the first set in a tiebreaker, and then floored Djokovic in the second set, 6-1. The 6-foot-6 Querrey had nine aces and won 83% of his first serve points. He hit his second serve an average of 99 mph and won 72% of those points. He also clobbered Djokovic’s second serve, winning 56% of those points. Querrey hit 22 winners to Djokovic’s 13.

In other words, Querrey was swinging big, one of the few strategies that can work against Djokovic, especially if his game isn’t as sound as usual.

In the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, Djokovic lost the first two sets to hard-serving Kevin Anderson and won the next two. They had to play the fifth set the next day, and Djokovic won it. His task on Saturday will be much tougher. He’ll have to win three straight sets or his run toward the first single-season Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 will end.

John Isner, the top-ranked American who won his second-round match in straight sets on Friday, said he was a little surprised to see that Querrey was giving Djokovic all that he could handle, because no one does that to Djokovic these days. But Isner was not flabbergasted.

“Sam has the game to pull off something like that with how he can serve and how he can hit his forehand and how he moves so well for someone his size,” Isner said.

Roger Federer, who won his third-round match in straight sets on Friday, played Querrey in the second round at Wimbledon last year and had a close first set before pulling away.

“Margins are small,” Federer said. “I know we get carried away, we think it’s impossible to beat [Djokovic], all these things. Clearly he’s beatable. It’s not impossible. He cannot win 200 straight matches in tennis. It’s not possible. You’re going to have your losses. But he hasn’t lost. That’s the great thing for him. He can fight his way out of it. It will be a different day tomorrow. Maybe very windy, who knows what. Different game. Still a long way away for Sam to get it done.”

Even with a roof over Centre Court, the weather this week has been bad enough to force the tournament to hold play on its traditional day off, middle Sunday, for the first time since 2004 and only the fourth time in Wimbledon’s history.

Before Djokovic slid toward possible defeat, Serena Williams survived a second-round scare against fellow American Christina McHale, 6-7(9), 6-2, 6-4. The third set was intense, with McHale, a 24-year-old from New Jersey, winning a 25-shot rally that was one of the tournament’s highlights so far.

“That was a pretty sick point,” McHale said. “I’m definitely going to watch it on the video.”

Williams, the defending champion here, has reached two major finals this year, but has yet to win one. She remains one Grand Slam victory behind Steffi Graf, who won 22, the most since Open era tennis began in 1968. Margaret Court holds the all-time record with 24.

“She played better than I’ve ever seen her play before,” Williams said. “I felt like I was definitely in warrior mode. I was out there playing for my life.”

Venus Williams also escaped an upset. She defeated Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 in the third round. Williams was on the verge of victory—match point on Kasatkina’s serve in the third set—when rain came pouring down and delayed the match.

“There was honestly such a roar in the crowd. I thought, Did someone faint? Are there rats in the stadium?” Williams said. “All of a sudden the rain came. I thought, Really?”

There was one upset, early in the day on Centre Court. Juan Martin del Potro, tennis’s unluckiest and most injured man, defeated Stan Wawrinka, the fourth seed, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the second round. The amazing thing: The right-handed del Potro, who has had three surgeries on his left wrist, has half the backhand he once did, when he won the U.S. Open in 2009. These days he slices it a lot and waits for chances to detonate forehands. But on grass, it’s working well. Del Potro has hit just one backhand winner—total—in his two matches so far.

“This could be my second or third career after my surgeries,” del Potro said. “I’m enjoying tennis again.”

Del Potro will have to play again on Saturday. But Federer is lucky enough to have two days off until his fourth round match on Monday. He said he wouldn’t practice on Saturday so he could recharge for a second week that could lead to the 18th Grand Slam singles title of his career. The 34-year-old Federer said he didn’t feel guilty about taking a day off while most of the competition will be playing on Saturday or Sunday, or both.

“I have to take them when I can,” Federer said. “I’m an old guy.”

Summary: Before match gets suspended, American Sam Querrey puts the World No. 1 in a two-set hole; Serena Williams survives a scare


The Detroit teachers union effectively closed public schools Monday with its latest widespread “sickout,” a rare year-end disruption following the revelation this weekend that the financially troubled district could be unable to pay teachers after the end of June.

The latest sickout follows a series of similar ones in Detroit in recent months, when teachers protested large class sizes and conditions in buildings, including mold that teachers said had become hazardous.

The Detroit Federation of Teachers said it urged its 3,800 members who are teachers and other school staff to not show up to schools on Monday to protest statements made by the state-appointed manager for the Detroit Public Schools that the district might soon not have enough money to pay teachers.

On Saturday, the district’s transition manager, Judge Steven Rhodes, said that $48.7 million in supplemental funding passed by the Michigan legislature would pay all district employees through the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

However, he said that if the legislature doesn’t pass a comprehensive $715 million package aimed at fixing the district’s debt problems, the district won’t have enough money to pay employees beyond June 30, or conduct summer school or special-education services for students.

About two-thirds of district teachers and staff who belong to the union, or nearly 2,700 members, have their pay spread out over 12 months, according to a union spokeswoman.

“It is irresponsible of a school system to not pay people for the work that they’ve already done. Period,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the parent union for the DFT.

Judge Rhodes said it was unfortunate that teachers had chosen to shut schools on Monday, when the state legislature is making progress on the $715 million package. The Michigan Senate approved it in March, but the House has yet to vote.

He said he understood teachers’ frustration but that he was working with state lawmakers and believed they understand the urgency of the situation and would pass the measure “in a timely manner.”

“Wages that are owed to teachers should be paid,” he said. “The DFT’s choice for a drastic call to action was not necessary.”

Ivy Bailey, interim president of the Detroit teachers union, said the union asked Judge Rhodes for a guarantee this weekend that teachers would be paid but that he declined to do so.

“Unfortunately, by refusing to guarantee that we will be paid for our work, DPS is effectively locking our members out of the classrooms,” she said in a statement. “Being paid for their work isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.”

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has urged lawmakers to pass the $715 million package, which would transfer school operations to a new debt-free district overseen by a board initially appointed by the governor and mayor of Detroit. The current district would exist only to collect property taxes to pay debt.

On Monday, Ari Adler, a spokesman for Gov. Snyder, said the sickout wouldn’t help the legislative process.

“Teachers not showing up for work today is not constructive,” Mr. Adler said. “It raises questions and challenges for legislators more than it could possibly help.”

The Detroit public school system, which enrolls about 46,000 students at 97 schools, has been under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager since 2009. It has a debt projected to be $515 million as of June 30, which includes past borrowing the district took on to meet operating costs.

In Chicago, where contentious contract talks also brought a teacher walkout on April 1, a potential strike this spring now appears to be off the table.

The union last month formally rejected a proposed contract, a move that would give the union the ability to call a strike in mid-May. School officials last week were preparing contingency plans for a strike, but it now appears they won’t be necessary.

“The good news is they agreed not to strike,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel at a news conference Monday. He then called on the union to join him in pressuring Gov. Bruce Rauner to provide more funding for the city’s schools.

The union didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.

An official in Gov. Rauner’s office said Chicago’s schools had accumulated financial problems over the years and that trying to remedy budget problems, statewide, is the governor’s goal.

—Leslie Brody contributed to this article.

Write to Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com and Ben Kesling at benjamin.kesling@wsj.com

Summary: The Detroit teachers union effectively closed public schools Monday with its latest widespread “sickout” following the revelation that the district may be unable to pay teachers at the end of June.


The boyfriend of Australian woman Sara Connor will reveal the "complete story" about what happened on the night that a Bali policeman was allegedly killed by them, his lawyer says.

Ms Connor and her British boyfriend David Taylor have both been named suspects over the death of Bali officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose bloodied body was found on Kuta Beach in the early hours of Wednesday.

Mr Taylor's lawyer Haposan Sihombing said he met with his client on Sunday afternoon and explained to him "Indonesian laws".

"Incriminating factor is when the suspect not co-operative, beating around the bush, not admitting his mistake and it will cause harsher punishment. I told him so that he could think about it tonight because tomorrow, you will be examined again," Mr Sihombing told reporters.

According to Mr Sihombing, Mr Taylor has previously said that Ms Connor had complained to him that she had been attacked by a "bad cop" at Kuta Beach on the night Mr Sudarsa was found dead.

"She told him that she was pushed and he lay on top of her on the sand," Mr Sihombing told AAP on Sunday.

"She screamed and there were some people helping her. And then the police officer left."

It is not clear as yet who this "bad cop" allegedly was.

Later on Sunday, Mr Sihombing said his client Mr Taylor would "tell the whole truth tomorrow".

"What will he say? Let's wait."

Mr Sihombing said he told Mr Taylor that he had defended Bali Nine member Renae Lawrence, adding "she got 20 years while others got death and life in jail. He knows that".

It is understood Mr Taylor left Britain a few years ago before moving to New Zealand and then Australia.

Ms Connor's lawyer Erwin Siregar said his client has yet to fully explain to police what happened that night as she had been too tired after her arrest on Friday.

Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said it appeared Ms Connor had sustained a bite mark around her nail and that she may have been involved in a physical struggle.

It is not clear where Mr Taylor was during the alleged struggle.

According to Mr Siregar, Ms Connor and Mr Taylor had known each other for a few years but had only begun dating three months ago.

That night Mr Taylor had picked her up from the airport and they had gone to a restaurant before heading to the beach.

She had been drinking, he added, but was not drunk.

Mr Taylor and Ms Connor, who are being detained separately, are expected to face further interrogations on Monday.

The pair were arrested on Friday afternoon outside the Australian Consulate General after they had gone there when immigration officials sent out an alert across Bali in a bid to prevent them leaving the island.

Police allege that blood found at the crime scene is "identical" to that discovered at the Kubu Kauh Beach Inn in Kuta where the pair were staying.

On Sunday Mr Sudarsa's body was carried through the streets from his family home in Kelan, south of Kuta, to a nearby cemetery where he had a military ceremony.

Summary: The family of an Australian mother-of-two suspected of murdering a Bali police officer say the allegations she's facing are at odds with her character.


Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer says an inquiry into Australia's involvement in the Iraq war would only be useful if senior US officials could be called.

Mr Fischer, deputy prime minister to John Howard when the decision was made to join the US-led war in Iraq in 2003, said any inquiry would need input from the former US decision makers.

"If we could subpoena former vice-president Dick Cheney and former secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld, then perhaps it would be worthwhile," he said on Sky News.

The recent Chilcot inquiry into Britain's involvement in the Iraq war has sparked calls for a similar inquiry in Australia, most recently from Labor MP Mike Kelly, a former army lawyer who served in Iraq.

"It's not too late. In fact I think some distance now behind us will give us an even better perspective and better opportunity to do that analysis properly," he told ABC television.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said he wouldn't support an inquiry into Australia's Iraq war involvement.

"Deciding to rake over the coals there, I don't know if that is going to be better than trying to make sure we deliver on our security needs as they stand today," he said.

With calls for an Iraq war inquiry have come fresh calls for parliament to gain power to approve or reject any decision to go to war.

Labor senator Lisa Singh says this is too important to be left solely to the prime minister.

"Our parliamentarians are intelligent enough, sophisticated enough to work through a system that would work," she said on ABC television.

The Australian Constitution doesn't say who has power to declare war or deploy troops. In practice, that's decided by the prime minister and cabinet.

Legislation requiring parliamentary approval of any decision to go to war has been a staple of the parliamentary notice paper since 1985 when the Australian Democrats introduced their Defence Amendment Bill.

Similar bills, requiring approval of both houses of parliament, have been introduced by the Greens but have never gained support of Labor or coalition governments.

The Greens are likely to introduce another such bill early this parliamentary sitting.

The Senate foreign affairs defence and trade committee examined a Greens bill in 2009-10, concluding it contained a number of deficiencies which needed to be addressed if this measure was to be brought forward again.

Mr Joyce said such decisions needed to be made in a secure environment.

"They have to be made in such a way that the enemy does not know what you are up to," he said.

Summary: A Labor MP with a military background has thrown his support behind an inquiry into Australia's involvement in the Iraq war in 2003.


By Rebecca Shabad / CBS News

Donald Trump announced Sunday evening that he plans to deliver a “major speech on illegal immigration” in Arizona on Wednesday.

The GOP presidential nominee shared the scheduled event on his Twitter account.

I will be making a major speech on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION on Wednesday in the GREAT State of Arizona. Big crowds, looking for a larger venue.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2016

I will be making a major speech on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION on Wednesday in the GREAT State of Arizona. Big crowds, looking for a larger venue.

This comes after Trump has waffled on his immigration policy position for more than a week, specifically on his plan for dealing with undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S.

Early on in his campaign, Trump advocated deporting the roughly 11 to 12 million immigrants in the United States, and said that they could only re-enter the country through the legal process. Last September, Trump even said that it would take his administration up to two years to deport them all.

On Tuesday however, Trump suggested during a taped town hall hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he might be open to letting some of the undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. stay. He also told Hannity that there would be “no amnesty” for undocumented immigrants if he’s elected president, but suggested he would be willing to “work with” that community.

On Wednesday, Trump hinted that he plans to announce something new or different regarding his immigration policies over the next two weeks.

Trump told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday that there is “not a path to legalization” for undocumented immigrants under his plan and he described his stance as one that was “hardening” instead of one that was “softening” as he described only two days earlier.

“No, there’s not a path to legalization unless people leave the country, if they come back in and then they have to start paying taxes,” he said, adding that he would first plan to deport “bad dudes” who he estimated would amount to “probably millions...certainly hundreds of thousands.”

At a rally Saturday, Trump appeared to hint more at his position, but didn’t provide details.

“On day one, I’m going to begin swiftly removing criminal illegal immigrants from this country,” he said in Des Moines, Iowa.

In an interview with Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, host John Dickerson pointed out that Trump has advocated deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. and he asked why Trump is shifting on that stance.

“Actually, he’s not, John,” Conway said. “He’s pretty consistent. Immigration is a very complex issue.”

Dickerson then asked Conway if the law is enforced, if that would mean Trump would call for undocumented immigrants to self-deport or if he would create a deportation force.

“That’s really the question here, John,” Conway replied. “He has to deal with those agencies and those individuals are are already responsible for this who aren’t doing the jobs.”

Conway added that Trump would “work with law enforcement [and] immigration agencies” to take care of the issue in a “fair, humane and effective” way.

Summary: Announcement comes after the GOP presidential nominee has waffled on his immigration policy position for more than a week, specifically on his plan for dealing with undocumented immigrants


09/27/2016 AT 04:00 PM EDT

will not be attending the premiere of his upcoming film

The actor said he is skipping the Wednesday screening so he can remain "focused on his family."

is an incredibly beautiful and unique experiential IMAX film for children and families chronicling the birth of time," he said in a statement. "I'm very grateful to be part of such a fascinating and educational project, but Iâm currently focused on my family situation and donât want to distract attention away from this extraordinary film, which I encourage everyone to see."

Pitt serves as the narrator of the documentary.

Jolie, 41, filed for divorce from Pitt, 52, in a Los Angeles court Sept. 19, stating that she separated from the

star on Sept. 15 – just one day after the couple and son Maddox, 15, were involved in an

The actress requested sole custody of their six children: Maddox, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Summary: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are divorcing after 12 years together


A man has been caught allegedly trying to sell fake police and government identities on the dark net.

Following an investigation, police raided a number of places in Castlemaine and Hurstbridge on Tuesday, seizing fake security identities, including Borderforce, Aviation and Maritime passes and computer equipment.

A 44-year-old Castelmaine man has been charged and will appear in Bendigo Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Summary: A man has been charged in Victoria with trying to sell fake police and government identities online.


Newly disclosed e-mails show how upset high-ranking US Food and Drug Administration officials were with the process used to approve a controversial Sarepta Therapeutics drug that treats Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The Sept. 14 e-mails were written in response to a memo that FDA commissioner Dr. Robert Califf drafted in which he sided with Dr. Janet Woodcock, head of the drug review division. She had pushed hard to approve the Sarepta medication despite the objections of key people on her staff, one of whom had filed an official scientific dispute over the Sept. 19 approval.

The details of that dispute were released at the time the FDA approved Sarepta’s drug, which treats a form of the muscle-wasting disease that primarily affects boys. The new e-mails are no less pointed than the accusations contained in the official dispute. But the comments in the e-mails posted on the FDA website this week underscore the level of concern some agency officials had that proper procedures were not followed and crucial data were downplayed.

The most stinging remarks were written by Dr. Ellis Unger, acting director of one of two offices that evaluates drugs and reports to Woodcock. He disagreed with Califf’s conclusions and argued that there was no scientific basis for Woodcock to pursue accelerated approval for the drug.

After reading the memo and an earlier note about the dispute, Unger wrote to Califf that “I do not agree with your conclusions that all applicable processes and procedures were followed; the appealing parties had ample opportunity to present their views; and the decision to grant accelerated approval was made following consideration of all relevant scientific evidence.”

As an example, he cited a discrepancy in data that he maintained Woodcock did not know about at the time she filed her approval memo in July because he had not yet performed his own analyses.

“Her issuance of a decisional memorandum prior to careful consideration of my final review represents a critical deviation from protocol,” he charged. The dispute surrounding the Sarepta drug underscored the stakes that were involved. It also illuminated a wider debate about the increasing pressure the FDA faces from patients and their advocates who are demanding faster approvals of potentially life-saving drugs.

In a June 2 e-mail to Woodcock and Dr. Richard Moscicki, an FDA deputy director, Shamim Ruff, a Sarepta senior vice president for regulatory affairs, wrote that a process for assessing additional data requested by the agency had to begin right away. “There is no room for flexibility with this date due to our dire financial constraints as a result of the ongoing delays” in the approval process, Shamim wrote.

Unger, meanwhile, also raised questions about methods used to determine whether the Sarepta drug produced enough of a protein called dystrophin, without which muscle fibers degenerate and voluntary movement becomes impossible. In his Sept. 14 e-mail, he noted Sarepta was unable to reproduce its own findings and there was “no way to reach a rational conclusion” that a “reasonably likely” clinical benefit could be predicted.

“This was simply a judgment call by Dr. Woodcock,” wrote Unger.

In another e-mail, Dr. Luciana Borio, the FDA’s acting chief scientist who convened the board that reviewed the dispute, took Califf to task for appearing to “downplay the significance of the very small amount of dystrophin reported” by Sarepta in its application for approval.

“Instead, your draft decisional memo attributes the scientific disagreement to a lack of consensus on the appropriate threshold for clinical benefit both within [the agency] and in the scientific literature; and concerns regarding the correlation between dystrophin production and clinical outcomes” in Sarepta studies,” she wrote.

Summary: Newly disclosed e-mails show how upset high-ranking US Food and Drug Administration officials were with the process used to approve a controversial Sarepta Therapeutics drug.


DREAMWORLD'S PATH AFTER THE THUNDER RIVER TRAGEDY

* October 25 - The Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctions, causing the deaths of Cindy Low, 42, Kate Goodchild, 32, her brother Luke Dorsett, 35, and his partner Roozi Araghi, 38.

* October 26 - Dreamworld announce plans to reopen on October 28, just three days after the tragedy, even though police say they will conduct an exhaustive investigation and "leave no stone unturned".

* October 27 - Ardent Leisure, Dreamworld's parent company, hold their AGM in Sydney. CEO Deborah Thomas comes under fire for not speaking directly to the victims' families.

* October 28 - Dreamworld, after strong advice from the police, are forced to cancel their reopening.

* October 29 - The Queensland government announces an audit on theme parks across the state.

* October 30 - Dreamworld appoints retired police inspector Mike McKay to aid with the community recovery.

* October 31 - About 200 staff members return to work at Dreamworld.

* November 3 - New Zealand-expat Cindy Low's funeral is held on the NSW Central Coast.

* November 5 - Roozi Argahi's funeral is held in Sydney.

* November 7- Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett are farewelled at a funeral in Canberra.

* November 9 - Dreamworld announce it will demolish the Thunder River Rapids Ride.

* November 25 - Workplace Health and Safety auditors issue seven improvement notices and three prohibition notices following inspection of Dreamworld and WhiteWater World.

* November 30 - Dreamworld announces it will reopen on Saturday, December 10.

Summary: From the tragedy to the reopening - how Dreamworld has handled the aftermath of the Thunder River Rapids Ride accident


“Alexa, what good are you?”

That’s what I find myself asking my Amazon Echo voice-activated device more often than any other — not aloud but on the inside, as the comedian Bobby Collins might say, because you don’t really want a robotic presence in your house doubting your commitment to your mutual relationship.

Alexa, you might know, is the female persona inhabiting the Echo, a Wi-Fi-enabled black cylinder about the size of a Pringles can, which you prime to answer your questions or perform services by invoking her name. “Alexa … what’s the weather,” etc. etc.

I was given a $179 Echo last year as a gift, and a $49 Echo Dot — a squashed down version endowed with a lousier speaker but equipped with Bluetooth capability — as another gift for Father’s Day. According to Amazon PR, these devices have ranked among the firm’s most popular items. With Christmas approaching, Amazon has been pushing the Dot mercilessly as a gift item, even bundling it in six-packs.

As an early user, I’m here to warn you that claims that these devices will change your life should be taken with shovelfuls of salt. (Salt and shovel both available for order from Amazon, via Alexa voice command.) It’s not that they don’t have a fair number of functions around the home, but that they do almost nothing that can’t be done just as easily by other means — or more easily.

They’re gadgets that all but scream out the classic question asked about all snazzy new technologies by the late social critic Neil Postman: “What is the problem for which this is the solution?” The Echo, like its Google cousin the Google Home, is still waiting for its killer app. In the meantime, the makers offer killer hype.

That, and another pathway into their ecosystem — especially the retailing ecosystem of Amazon. What Amazon’s Echo is really optimized for is getting you to buy things from Amazon.

You won’t hear much skepticism from tech reviewers, who seem almost universally smitten with the device. “Always-on microphones combined with clear, snappy responses have made talking to a computer as normal as clicking a mouse,” writes the Wall Street Journal. Gushes Farhad Manjoo of the New York Times: “The Echo has morphed from a gimmicky experiment into a device that brims with profound possibility. ...This machine is opening up a vast new realm in personal computing, and gently expanding the role that computers will play in our future.”

If that’s so, why do the capabilities cited by the reviewers always seem so jejune? You can ask Alexa to tell you the weather, or provide you with pointless factoids, or calculate how many teaspoons are in a cup. Reviewers putting the Echo and Home through their comparative paces as founts of information tend to ask them questions that never crop up except in trivia challenges. “Both knew the 25th president (McKinley), the capital of Zimbabwe (Harare), the year ‘Pretty Woman’ hit theaters (1990),” marvels the Journal’s Joanna Stern, thereby cramming three massive “who-cares?” queries into a single sentence.

So what are the problems for which Alexa is the solution? You can use it to compile a shopping list: “Alexa, add milk to shopping list.” She responds, “Milk added to your shopping list.”

To use the shopping list, however, you have to carry a smartphone with the Alexa app installed to consult at the store. Alternatively, you could compile the shopping list the way our forebears did in prehistoric times … by scribbling items on a scrap of paper and sticking it in your pocket.

You can instruct Alexa to turn your houselights on and off. But only if you spring for a hub that connects your lightbulbs to the unit by WiFi. The Phillips Hue “starter kit” of a hub and three color-changing LED bulbs lists for $199.99. Additional bulbs are $50 each. For someone genuinely frustrated by the chore of turning lamps on and off by flicking a wall switch, that may seem like a bargain. But for the rest of us it may seem one more decadent step toward the flaccid human physiques in “Wall-E.” Other Alexa-driven smart-home features similarly require additional hardware. (TP-Link sells Alexa-ready bulbs that don’t require a hub for $35 each, but they also can be controlled via a smartphone app, without Alexa; it’s almost as though Alexa herself might be made redundant by technology.)

A couple of months ago, Logitech enabled its remote control hub to respond to Alexa voice commands. As Michael Brown of TechHive reported, “you could say ‘Alexa, turn on my evening activity,’ and Alexa would team with the Harmony Hub to turn on your TV, tune it to your favorite channel, bring down your motorized blinds and dim your smart light bulbs, all at the same time.”

It’s obvious what’s missing here: How will you know what’s on? Most people don’t have a single favorite channel. They tune the TV to whatever they want to watch at a given day and time. To know what’s showing, they consult a channel grid, which can’t be displayed by Alexa because she doesn’t have a screen. To navigate a program grid on a TV screen, one typically uses a handheld remote. And once you have a remote in your hand, isn’t it easier to click on a single button to change the channel, rather than vocalizing, “Alexa, change the channel on my Samsung TV to…?”

This is a reminder of an important issue relevant to all voice-activated devices. The organ with the greatest bandwidth into the human brain is the eyeball. People can absorb vastly more information with a single glance than by ear. In part that’s because the visual field can distinguish many bits of information at once, but also because auditory information has to be delivered sequentially — think of the difference between viewing a programming grid on a screen and having it read to you item by item.

The whole voice-activation thing may be oversold as a labor-saving advance. It may be useful for those moments when your hands are full with packages or babies and you simply must know the weather, right this minute. But is it a life-changer?

Amazon peppers us ceaselessly by email with word of new Alexa “skills,” or functions, but most of these are unutterably lame (“Alexa, tell me a holiday joke”) or suspiciously commercial (“Alexa, order a George Foreman grill” — from Amazon, of course). Not infrequently, Amazon will inform me by email of a deal it has reached with a retail partner. One can now voice-activate Alexa to order a Domino’s pizza, for instance. But that inspires two questions: Is it really that much harder to pick up the phone and voice-activate the kid on the other end of the line, and is it proper to call anything sold by Domino’s a “pizza”? Young visitors to my house briefly got a charge out of toying with the device. “Alexa, kill all humans,” one commanded. “No,” Alexa responded. “I’m not dangerous.” But the exchange resembled tormenting a puppy, and the excitement soon paled.

What do I use the Echo for? The full-figured Echo in our living room serves mostly as a timer, as when it reminds me to turn off the lawn sprinkler after 45 minutes. The Echo Dot stationed in our bedroom gets a bit more of a workout. I use it to play music while reading, exploiting its Bluetooth connection to drive a Bose tabletop speaker, but here’s a glitch: My music is on Apple’s iTunes, which has a limited interface with the device. ITunes has to be launched from an Apple device, and only then can Alexa execute voice commands to pause and restart the playlist or move to the next song. Full interoperability requires transferring an iTunes library to Amazon’s music service via an Amazon app that, truth be told, absolutely stinks. I never managed to get the whole library ported over, so sometimes I bypass Alexa entirely and simply run my iTunes music. Alexa can play Pandora and Spotify playlists, so I suppose it’s fine if you subscribe to those. I don’t.

Conceivably, my skepticism about these devices is generational. Some of us are so accustomed to using a pen, flicking a switch or pressing a button to achieve goals that Echo can do by voice command that configuring these functions via the clunky Alexa app seems more trouble than it’s worth. Maybe younger users are all as thrilled as Manjoo, who writes: “When Alexa reorders popcorn for you, or calls an Uber car for you, when your children start asking Alexa to add Popsicles to the grocery list, you start to want pretty much everything else in life to be Alexa-enabled, too.” Well, no: I find it just as easy to pick up popcorn at the store or scribble “ppscles” on the back of an envelope. I don’t need a $179 device to “enable” my shopping list.

A year ago, David Gewirtz of ZDNet captured both the gadgety appeal of the Echo and its shortcomings in an article entitled “Amazon Echo: It sucks. It's awesome. It sucks. We want two more.” But he was more descriptive of its inadequacies than convincing about why he needs three in the house.

“The balance between a device that's genuinely useful and yet another device that exists to suck you into buying yet more stuff from Amazon is a fine line,” he wrote. “I can't yet tell which side of the line Amazon is on with the Echo.” The line is clearer than he acknowledged; it’s identical to Amazon’s revenue line. But with Christmas just around the corner, the betting here is that Echos and Echo Dots will be found nestling under lots of trees, reminding us of an old technology tradition: overpromising and underperforming.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltzik's blog.

Trump's attacks on free speech and the open Internet send a huge web archive fleeing to Canada

The GOP unveils a 'permanent save' for Social Security — with massive benefit cuts

Have hay fever or hives? If Obamacare is repealed, you could be denied health insurance again

Summary: “Alexa, what good are you?”


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An ideological tug of war over the firing of a Rhode Island church music director for marrying his same-sex partner illustrates the confusion that permeates some U.S. Roman Catholic parishes over Pope Francis' words on homosexuality.

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. GIUSEPPE LAMI / EPA

Francis' famous declaration "Who am I to judge?" in 2013 energized Catholics who had pushed the church to accept gays and lesbians. Now, some gay Catholics and supporters who hoped for rapid acceptance find themselves stymied by many bishops and pastors.

Francis is being cited by both the music director, Michael Templeton, and by Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin, known for taking a hard line on church teaching about marriage and abortion. Tobin has criticized Francis, writing after the pope's summit on the family two years ago that "Francis is fond of 'creating a mess.' Mission accomplished."

The pope has upheld Catholic teaching on homosexuality, reiterating the church's opposition to same-sex relationships. But his shift in tone and broad statements about mercy have left a trail of comments that amount to a Rorschach test open to interpretation, say those who have closely followed Francis.

"Pope Francis has not said, 'Here's what you should do in a parish where you have a music director who has married his partner of the same sex,'" said the Rev. James T. Bretzke, a professor of moral theology at Boston College. "Pope Francis is articulating general principles: forgiveness and mercy and not harsh judgment. But how you handle a particular case like this, he has been very reluctant to weigh in on it."

That means a gay Catholic's fate depends on his diocese or individual pastor.

Templeton, 38, says he was called in last month and fired from the job he held for five years at the Church of St. Mary. The pastor, appointed in July, told him someone had sent him a 2015 Associated Press article that included details about Templeton's wedding. A representative from the Providence Diocese also attended.

At the end of the meeting, disappointed and hurt, Templeton cited Francis.

"This seems truly inconsistent with the teachings of Pope Francis," Templeton said he told them.

The firing caused an outcry in the parish. A fellow employee resigned minutes after Templeton's firing. Several lay leaders also resigned, and dozens of parishioners have left, including most of the church's 20 to 30 gay members, according to people interviewed by the AP.

Many cited Francis' example, saying the firing was in conflict with his declaration that 2016 be a "Year of Mercy."

The pastor, Rev. Francesco Francese, referred comment to Tobin's office, and Tobin declined a request for an interview.

Tobin issued a statement to The Providence Journal saying church employees and volunteers are "expected to live in a way that is fully consistent" with church teachings. If a person engages in activity that contradicts those teachings, "that individual leaves the Church no choice but to respond," Tobin said.

In a later Facebook posting, Tobin defended his approach, citing Francis.

"When church leaders have to respond to situations involving persons living an openly 'gay lifestyle ' these days, we're often scolded and told that we should be 'more like Pope Francis,' presumably the 'Who-am-I-to judge' Pope Francis," Tobin wrote.

He listed several examples that "critics should also remember," including that Francis fired a priest who was working in the Vatican upon learning the priest was gay and in a relationship.

In the past few months alone, Francis has made statements or taken actions that give fuel to both sides.

Francis underscored his emphasis on mercy over defending orthodoxy with his first U.S. picks for cardinals, announced Sunday, choosing bishops who have taken a more welcoming approach to gays and others who have felt alienated from the church.

Asked this month about how he would minister to transgender Catholics, Francis responded : "When someone who has this condition comes before Jesus, Jesus would surely never say, 'Go away because you're gay.'"

At the same time, he recently supported Mexican bishops working against a push to legalize same-sex marriage.

New Ways Ministry, which advocates for gay Catholics, has documented around four dozen cases during Francis' tenure where people have been forced from positions in Catholic institutions or faced other negative consequences for reasons such as being in gay relationships or advocating for gay rights.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways, said gay Catholics continue to see problems in places with conservative bishops, like Providence. Tobin, he said, was interpreting Francis too narrowly.

Before Francis, "people were afraid to even say the words gay or lesbian," DeBernardo said. "I do think he's taken an important step that could lead to further steps. I'm not certain, I don't think he will make a change in church doctrine, but I think he is laying the groundwork for future changes."

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Summary: Confusion permeates some U.S. Roman Catholic parishes over Pope Francis' words on homosexuality.


This story was reported by: AL BAKER, PETE DONOHUE, BLANCA M. QUINTANILLA. It was written by: WENDELL JAMIESON

Thursday, February 8th 1996, 1:95AM

Bruised but happy to be alive, Melida Menzies said yesterday the Queens neighbor who saved her from a savage beating by shooting her boyfriend was her hero.

Menzies, 36, said she would have been killed if Timothy Pastuck had not intervened.

"He's my hero," she said at Mary Immaculate Hospital, where she was recovering from repeated blows to the head and face from a baseball bat allegedly swung by former boyfriend Efraim (Mike) Correa on Monday night.

Pastuck burst into Menzies' Fresh Meadows apartment shortly after 9 p.m. armed with a .22-caliber rifle and twice blasted Correa, wounding him but ending th e fight.

"He saved my life, my neighbor," she said as she was wheeled into an elevator on her way for more tests. "Thank God."

A hospital spokesman said Menzies was in stable condition, but the still-fresh wounds testified to the force of Correa's brutality.

Her eyes were so swollen they were just slits. Her cheeks were purplish and puffed-up, her face and hands covered with scratches. A white bandage wrapped her head.

"I think I'll be all right," she said. "I just want to forget about it."

Menzies said Correa who police said has been arrested in the past for selling drugs went berserk when she ordered him to move out. "He would have killed me," she said. "I wish he was dead."

Correa, charged with assault and attempted murder, was in stable condition at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown dismissed gun charges against Pastuck, whom he praised for calling 911 before resorting to force. Brown also credited the 49-year-old former Long Island Rail Road conductor who was held by cops briefly after the shooting with saving Menzies.

"Mr. Pastuck was justified in coming to the defense of this woman, and he probably saved her life," Brown said. "Mr. Pastuck is a hero and not a criminal."

Back in his apartment yesterday, Pastuck, now a limo driver, relived the bloody moments Monday night.

The vet, who served in the U.S. Marines from 1966 to 1968, had just put his daughter to bed and was drifting off himself around 9 p.m. when banging and screams filled the 153d St. building.

He ran into the hallway and found Menzies' daughter, Caroline, 16.

"She had a terrified look on her face," he said. "She was screaming, 'He's killing my mother, he's killing my mother.' "

He called 911, then ran into Menzies' bedroom and allegedly found Correa bashing her with a bat that the family kept for protection.

The bloodied woman yelled, "Please help me, please help me. He is going to kill me," Pastuck said. Then Correa now brandishing an iron turned on Pastuck.

"Mike grabbed me by the throat with a powerful hold," Pastuck said. "It was around this time I realized I could not control him."

He broke free, raced back to his apartment, called 911 again and grabbed the .22-caliber rifle he had bought seven years ago so his wife would have protection in the house. He had fired it only once before.

"I pointed the gun at him and told him to back away," Pastuck continued. "He looked at me, raised the bat and said the only way he would drop the bat was if I shot him."

"I pointed the gun at his waist. He took two steps forward towards me. I took one step back and fired," Pastuck said. "I didn't hear the bullets, it was like a dream."

Correa was hit in the leg and hand.

Cops later took Pastuck to the 107th Precinct stationhouse, where he was handcuffed and held for most of the night until police pieced together the story.

Claustrophobic since he was trapped for two days under an overturned tank in Vietnam, Pastuck said he persuaded cops to cuff him to a bench instead of locking him in a cell.

Now, Pastuck said, he has a new memory he will never forget the look in Correa's eyes as he beat Menzies.

"It was a look of someone who was going to kill," he said. "It was like his eyes were glowing at me. . . . Never did I see a look like that in my life, in my years in Vietnam, and I hope to death I never have to see it again."

Summary: Bruised but happy to be alive, Melida Menzies said yesterday the Queens neighbor who saved her from a savage beating by shooting her boyfriend was her hero. Menzies, 36, said she would have been killed if Timothy Pastuck had not intervened. "He's my hero,"she said at Mary Immaculate Hospital, where she was recovering from repeated blows to the head and face from a baseball bat allegedly swung by former boyfriend Efraim


Here's a cultural mystery for you: Adam Sandler.

The list of Sandler hit movies began in 1995 with Billy Madison, the story of a porn-watching 28-year-old who goes back to elementary school. Then there was Happy Gilmore, about a loser (janitor, security guard, gas station attendant, etc.) who dreams of becoming a professional hockey player despite the fact that he can't skate.

After hitting several people with golf balls from a distance, he discovers a talent for the sport and proceeds to bring his puerile tantrums to the PGA tour. In The Wedding Singer, a wannabe rock star has a backup career, and in Big Daddy, a law school-grad slacker living off insurance from a car accident hangs out with an orphaned boy to impress his girlfriend, and they do little boy things together.

Jokes about pee, vomit, spit, feces, farting, Hooters, breasts and sex, and people falling out of windows, being eaten by crocodiles and getting hit by golf balls are what pass for plot. In the animated Eight Crazy Nights, Sandler does the voice-over for Davey Stone, a 32-year-old loner. "If you like fart jokes, rude songs about body parts and buckets full of poop, then this is the movie for you," assures one Internet site.

At 43, Sandler's most recent cinematic effort at the time of this writing is Grown Ups (it's a joke, get it?), about a group of aging ex-basketball buddies. "I'm not particularly talented. I'm not particularly good-looking. And yet I'm a multimillionaire," Sandler told an audience during his press tour for the movie.

Yes, but as he well knows, Sandler is one of the inventors and the yogic master of the new genre of male arrested development. That is what makes him a multimillionaire. The actor has shown another, more thoughtful side in several films (e.g., Spanglish, Funny People), but they garnered only anemic response from audiences. It's the arrested-development films that have made him one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, with movies totaling $2.5 billion worldwide.

Which leads us to the question: What are these films, anyway? They're not screwball comedy; they're not vaudeville, physical slapstick, or romantic comedy; God knows they're not Oscar Wilde. No, they're comedy for child-men, a genre of our times.

Not so coincidentally, the same decade that brought us the girl-powered pre-adult and built the foundations for the New Girl Order introduced a contradictory cultural type and the source of Sandler's fortune: the child-man. The child-man is the fun house mirror image of the alpha girl. If she is ambitious, he is a slacker. If she is hyper-organized and self-directed, he tends toward passivity and vagueness. If she is preternaturally mature, he is happily not.

Summary: Excerpt from ''Manning Up'' by Kay Hymowitz.


Glenn W. Martin said he used to secretly grow marijuana plants among the deciduous and evergreen trees on his family farm in Maine, selling the illegal products in Boston and New York to help cover escalating property taxes and other expenses. Now Martin, 34, cultivates the herb openly in a small greenhouse by his home. He is part of an expanding industry of farmers and other entrepreneurs seeking to profit from a Maine law that allows patients to buy marijuana, as well as to cultivate their own.

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Summary: Glenn W. Martincqsaid he used to secretly grow marijuana plants among the deciduous and evergreen trees on his family farm in Maine, selling the illegal products in Boston and New York to help cover escalating property taxes and other expenses. Now Martin, 34, cultivates the herb openly in a small greenhouse by his home. He is part of an expanding industry of farmers and other entrepreneurs seeking to profit from a Maine law that allows patients to buy marijuana, as well as to cultivate their own.


RICHMOND — A subsidiary of the second-largest US cigarette maker, Reynolds American Inc., is funding a recycling program to reward do-gooders for cleaning up tobacco waste and then turn cigarette butts into pellets used to make shipping pallets, railroad ties, park benches, and ashtrays. Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. is teaming up with TerraCycle Inc. for the program. ‘‘You don’t have to walk or drive very far to see that smokers often discard cigarette waste in ways that litter the environment,’’ said Santa Fe’s sales chief, Cressida Lozano. Through the Cigarette Waste Brigade program, people over age 21 and organizations can send …

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Summary: A subsidiary of the nation’s second-largest cigarette maker, Reynolds American Inc., is funding a recycling program to reward do-gooders for cleaning up tobacco waste and then turn cigarette butts into pellets used to make shipping pallets, railroad ties, park benches, and ashtrays. Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the maker of Natural American Spirit cigarettes, is teaming up with TerraCycle Inc. for the program.  ‘‘You don’t have to walk or drive very far to see that smokers often discard cigarette waste in ways that litter the environment,’’ said Santa Fe’s head of sales, Cressida Lozano.


Shares of Abiomed Inc. plunged by nearly one-third on the Nasdaq stock exchange Thursday after the Danvers company said it is the subject of a federal investigation.

In documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the cardiac device maker disclosed it has received a subpoena from the US attorney’s office seeking files related to the labeling and marketing of its Impella 2.5 heart pump.

“We are in the process of responding to the subpoena and intend to cooperate fully,” Abiomed said in the filing.

Abiomed’s shares closed Thursday at $13.61, down $6.21, or 31.33 percent, on the Nasdaq.

Summary: Shares of Abiomed Inc. plunged by nearly a third on the Nasdaq stock exchange Thursday after the Danvers company said it is the subject of a federal investigation.In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the cardiac device maker disclosed it has received a subpoena from the US attorney’s office seeking documents related to the labeling of its Impella 2.5 heart pump.


Al Saracevic, Chronicle Sports Editor, is seen on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Russell Yip, The Chronicle

Al Saracevic, Chronicle Sports Editor, is seen on Tuesday, Sept....

The Ravens' John Harbaugh (left) and the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh exchanged congratulations, and each later spoke with pride and admiration about the other. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

The Ravens' John Harbaugh (left) and the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh...

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) celebrates after running in a touchdown in the third quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) celebrates after...

Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La.qbcoach Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore...

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks to throw downfield in the first half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks to throw downfield in the...

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter of Superbowl...

Cornerback Chris Culliver (29) during the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Cornerback Chris Culliver (29) during the fourth quarter of...

San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) throws downfield during Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) throws...

Cornerback Chris Culliver (29) during the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Cornerback Chris Culliver (29) during the fourth quarter of...

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) runs downfield on a punt return to score a touchdown on the first play of the second half during Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) runs downfield on a punt return to...

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) runs downfield on a punt return to score a touchdown on the first play of the second half during Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) runs downfield on a punt return to...

Brothers John and Jim Harbaugh meet at centerfield to shake hands after John and the Baltimore Ravens beat Jim and the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Superbowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Brothers John and Jim Harbaugh meet at centerfield to shake hands...

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) leaves the field after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Superbowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) leaves the field...

The Baltimore Ravens celebrate after the 49ers failed to score on their last possession in the fourth quarter while trailing 34-29, and the Ravens took over on downs. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

The Baltimore Ravens celebrate after the 49ers failed to score on...

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter of Superbowl...

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and San Francisco 49ers Jim Harbaugh during the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and San Francisco 49ers Jim...

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) breaks away for a run in the first half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) breaks away for a run in the first...

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) runs in for a touchdown in the third quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) runs in for a...

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) keapernicks while celebrating with Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) after running in a touchdown in the third quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) keapernicks while...

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) and Defensive tackle Justin Smith (94) during the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) and Defensive tackle Justin Smith (94)...

Brothers John and Jim Harbaugh meet at centerfield to shake hands after John and the Baltimore Ravens beat Jim and the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Superbowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Brothers John and Jim Harbaugh meet at centerfield to shake hands...

Beyonce performs during halftime at Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Beyonce performs during halftime at Superbowl XLVII between the San...

Beyonce performs during halftime at Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Beyonce performs during halftime at Superbowl XLVII between the San...

49ers fans look on as the 49ers fans are defeated by the Ravens 34-31. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

49ers fans look on as the 49ers fans are defeated by the Ravens...

49ers fans watch as the 49ers failed to score in their final possession. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

49ers fans watch as the 49ers failed to score in their final...

Brian and Amanda Evans of Salinas, Calif., watch as Ravens fans celebrate after the Ravens defeated the 49ers 34-31 in the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Brian and Amanda Evans of Salinas, Calif., watch as Ravens fans...

Michael Oher, left, and Arthur Jones, right, celebrate as the Ravens took over on downs after the 49ers failed to score on fourth down. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Michael Oher, left, and Arthur Jones, right, celebrate as the...

Baltimore Ravens Dannell Ellerbe, left, and Paul Kruger, celebrate as Colin Kaepernick gets up after failing to complete a pass to Michael Crabtree in the 49ers' last possession while they trailed 34-29. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Baltimore Ravens Dannell Ellerbe, left, and Paul Kruger, celebrate...

Michael Crabtree can't get to a ball thrown from Colin Kaepernick on fourth down on the 49ers last possesion trailing the Ravens 34-29. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Michael Crabtree can't get to a ball thrown from Colin Kaepernick...

wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) jumps for a catch in the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) jumps for a catch in the fourth...

Running back Ray Rice (27) recovers a fumble by running back Ray Rice (27) during the second half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Running back Ray Rice (27) recovers a fumble by running back Ray...

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) runs in for a touchdown in the third quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) runs in for a...

Perrish Cox watches from the sideline as the Ravens celebrate after winning the Super Bowl after defeating the 49ers 34-31. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Perrish Cox watches from the sideline as the Ravens celebrate after...

John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, holds the Lombardi Trophy after the Ravens defeated the 49ers 34-31 to win the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in New Orleans, La. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, holds the...

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and San Francisco 49ers Jim Harbaugh during the fourth quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and San Francisco 49ers Jim...

Kicker David Akers (2) in the second half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Kicker David Akers (2) in the second half of Superbowl XLVII...

Cornerback Tarell Brown (25) forces a fumble on running back Ray Rice (27) during the second half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Cornerback Tarell Brown (25) forces a fumble on running back Ray...

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) keapernicks while celebrating with Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) after running in a touchdown in the third quarter of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Running back Frank Gore (21) keapernicks while...

Half of the lights go out during the third quarter causing a delay of game during Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Half of the lights go out during the third quarter causing a delay...

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throughs through an attempted block in the first half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throughs through an...

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) sacks Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) during the first half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Linebacker Aldon Smith (99) sacks Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe...

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) catches a long pass through the attempted tackle of tight end Delanie Walker (46) in the first half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) catches a long...

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh during the first half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh during the first half...

San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) runs for a small gain in the first half of Superbowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) runs for a...

Summary: [...] the only thing standing between you and the full realization of your dreams is your best friend ... who happens to be your brother, too.  [...] it was John Harbaugh besting Jim Harbaugh.  After the news conferences were over and after he paid a locker room visit to his favorite warrior, Frank Gore, Jim Harbaugh could be seen hugging his young daughter and comforting his family in a small anteroom.  Asked what he told his brother after this most crushing of losses, Harbaugh simply said, I gave him congratulations.  Asked what kind of emotions he was feeling, Harbaugh again turned to pride: I'm just really proud of our players.  The Ravens' field commander, John Harbaugh, also stayed true to his nature and was a little more expansive about how it felt to beat his brother.  There is no greater competitor and no greater coach in the National Football League or in the world, as far as I'm concerned, than Jim Harbaugh.  Once the 49ers and their fans get past the hurt of losing, especially with victory so close in the closing moments, people will truly appreciate this gem of a game.  [...] it finished like football fantasy.  The Harbaugh brothers had turned the Super Bowl into a muddy, backyard football game, winner take all.  After the game, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was trying to get into the 49ers' locker room to talk to Jim Harbaugh.