Mother and daughter, aged 25. (Reddit/Imgur/shaylybri)

A Reddit user has shared a composite image comparing herself and her mother at the ages of 25 – and the results are startling.

User shaylybri posted the image today to Reddit, where it has received more than 4000 upvotes and 3.4 million views on image hosting service Imgur.

It shows a faded photo of shaylybri’s 25-year-old permed mother smiling wistfully at the camera, alongside a photo of her own 25-year-old self in the exact same pose and dress.

Save for a difference in hairstyles, the resemblance is striking.

“Wow. Hairstyles have improved a lot since OP's [original poster’s] mother's days,” user emoposer commented.

“The hair fashion cycle will come around again,” user behavedave replied.


Hometown: Boston by way of Sydney, Australia. “I’m here completing a Master of Jazz Voice Performance at New England Conservatory, which is a fantastic school,” Dietz said, via phone “It’s known worldwide being a leading school for jazz music study. That was what drew me here, to come and study and to experience jazz music in the country that it was created in.”

Think of: “You could think of me as jazz music meets contemporary. I have a great respect for the jazz music idiom, but choose to combine it with contemporary influences to experiment with the possibilities as a singer and as a modern jazz composer in today’s world.”

What caught our eye: On Feb. 4, Dietz was the only Boston-area musician to take home a 2016 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award, presented by the ASCAP Foundation.

Light-bulb moment: “My love for the artform, it continues to grow throughout my life, but probably my light-bulb moment would be seeing great live music, such as seeing Wayne Shorter at Sydney Opera House in 2012. That was definitely a light-bulb moment and inspired me to continue on this journey, which is so unpredictable.”

Biggest thrill: Dietz can’t pinpoint just one, but acknowledges that winning the ASCAP award, recording an EP, performing in New York City alongside local musicians, and getting out to see her favorite artists live are all thrills for her.

Inspired by: “I may be listening to modern jazz music such as Eric Harland, Donny McCaslin, or Jason Moran one minute, and R&B or hip-hop the next,” Dietz said of her influences. “I enjoy classical music and I often go to Boston’s wonderful BSO concerts. Also, as I get older, I’m going back and listening to more traditional jazz recordings to make sure I’m always learning the history of the music, because I think that’s really important as a jazz musician.”

Aspires to: “I aspire to keep creating music and to experiment with the possibilities of what a jazz singer is capable of in today’s music world. My main goal is to create music that has no ego and comes from the heart.”

For good luck: I try to be as prepared as possible for shows. There’s no such thing as really winging it when it comes to giving a great performance and you’re the band leader. But otherwise, I have a routine of drinking mint tea to relax before you start a performance.

What people should know: Dietz’s self-titled debut EP is available on CD Baby and iTunes.

Coming soon: Dietz will both finish her master’s program and release a full-length EP later this year. “My next step is to get this record out and to perform around Boston and New York. In terms of where I’ll be, I’ll either be in Boston or New York,” Dietz said. “It’s not confirmed yet, but I love Boston though, so I’ve just got to decide.”

Summary: Australian singer Natalie Dietz, recently the winner of a prestigious award from ASCAP, continues to make her way in jazz on its native turf.


Chip Kelly speaks with Stanford’s David Shaw during Stanford's pro day on Thursday.

Chip Kelly speaks with Stanford’s David Shaw during Stanford's pro day on Thursday.

Great plan? Kelly hails approach that’s left 49ers roster unchanged

What the heck are the 49ers doing in free agency?

Chip Kelly’s answer: They’re declining to hand out superstar contracts to players who have yet to achieve stardom.

Kelly said the front office had a “great plan” entering free agency, which began last week with the usual wave of lucrative deals. Despite having the NFL’s fourth-most salary-cap space ($53.7 million), the 49ers only signed journeyman quarterback Thad Lewis in the first week.

“Are we going to take this player and pay him more than anybody on our team?” Kelly said. “And is that player worth more than anybody on our current team? You also have to kind of look at that.

“Some of the money that was thrown around at the beginning, you got to be able to manage that. You’re going to pay some guy who’s never been to a Pro Bowl that’s going to make more than anybody on your roster. That’s a little bit difficult. There are a lot of things that get involved in some of these things.”

Much of the mega-cash that was thrown around was given to players such as guard Kelechi Osemele (Raiders), cornerback Janoris Jenkins (Giants) and defensive ends Olivier Vernon (Giants) and Malik Jackson (Jaguars). That quartet signed contracts that included $158.7 million in guaranteed money despite never reaching a Pro Bowl.

Still, the 49ers’ conservative free agency approach has, at this point, left them with an unchanged roster. And that roster is coming off a 5-11 season in which the 49ers scored the fewest points in the NFL and had the second-worst point differential.

During the first eight days of free agency, the 49ers’ roster tweaks essentially consist of trading guard Alex Boone for former Jaguars guard Zane Beadles. Kelly said the 49ers are still scanning the free-agent shelves, although he didn’t mention it’s hard to locate many potential impact players on the market.

“I think you just have to look at who fits and who’s the right fit for the organization,” Kelly said. “I don’t know if it’s let big money deals go or not go. It’s just what exactly are you looking for. Our guys do a great job of targeting what we want the San Francisco 49ers to be, and see how it works out from a contract standpoint.”

The 49ers haven’t found many fits so far and it increasingly appears they’ll rely on the draft to upgrade the roster. They do have 12 picks, but they have just three of the first 104 selections.

So what the heck are they doing?

It’s still a question worth asking.

Summary: Kelly said the front office had a “great plan” entering free agency, which began last week with the usual wave of lucrative deals.  Despite having the NFL’s fourth-most salary-cap space ($53.7 million), the 49ers only signed journeyman quarterback Thad Lewis in the first week.  Much of the mega-cash that was thrown around was given to players such as guard Kelechi Osemele (Raiders), cornerback Janoris Jenkins (Giants) and defensive ends Olivier Vernon (Giants) and Malik Jackson (Jaguars).  [...] that roster is coming off a 5-11 season in which the 49ers scored the fewest points in the NFL and had the second-worst point differential.  During the first eight days of free agency, the 49ers’ roster tweaks essentially consist of trading guard Alex Boone for former Jaguars guard Zane Beadles.  Kelly said the 49ers are still scanning the free-agent shelves, although he didn’t mention it’s hard to locate many potential impact players on the market.  The 49ers haven’t found many fits so far and it increasingly appears they’ll rely on the draft to upgrade the roster.


Actor, singer and dancer André De Shields, 69, has appeared on TV and in Broadway shows, including “The Wiz,” “The Full Monty,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Play On!” He currently is preparing for the Chicago premiere of “Gotta Dance,” which opens this year. He spoke to Marc Myers.

Black teens in my neighborhood in the 1950s didn’t have much opportunity or hope. I grew up in segregated Baltimore, and in junior high school, the coolest thing you could be was uninformed. If you knew something, you were an outlier.

I was the ninth of 11 siblings—six boys and five girls. My family lived in a Federalist-style row house on Division Street, a block from Pennsylvania Avenue, the cultural spine of the black community then. Nearby was the Royal Theatre, where I saw every major performer who came through town.

Throughout my youth, I sat in that dark theater listening to live music and watching feature movies while fantasizing about what I would do when I grew up. In 1954, when I was 8, I had an epiphany while watching “Cabin in the Sky.” The 1943 movie starred every major black performer at the time, but the actor who jumped off the screen was John “Bubbles” Sublett. He played Domino Johnson, the film’s Lothario. In the movie, “Bubbles” sings “Shine” backed by Duke Ellington’s orchestra. When he dances up a flight of stairs at the end, a voice inside me said, “André, that’s what you’re going to do.”

But I had a ways to go. My father, John, was a tailor, and we were just hovering above impoverishment. Our two-story row house was tight, and my bothers and sisters practically slept on top of each other.

I slept with my father in one bed for many years and then with one of my brothers. We didn’t have family dinners. My mother, Mary, cooked pot meals, and when you were hungry you’d dip in and eat. We never spoke while eating. You used that time to do something else. I read and did my homework.

To help make ends meet, my mother did domestic work for white families who lived beyond the area’s racial demarcation. Then she’d come home and take care of us. That helped tear at the family relationship. Once I asked my mother why she had so many children. She described us as her wealth and happiness. My father loved us, too, but I sensed he viewed the situation differently. It was an overwhelming challenge for him to provide for us. He always seemed worried, like a man struggling to keep his head above water.

Becoming an entertainer appealed to me because of my parents’ deferred dreams. My mother had confided in me that she wanted to be a chorus girl when she was young but that her strict parents wouldn’t let her. My father said he had wanted to be a singer, but his parents warned him against making singing a career if he expected to support a family. My father sang in a choir, and the few conversations I recall having with him were of the “I could have been a contender” variety.

In my neighborhood, most of the stores that anchored the black community were Jewish-owned—the cleaners, grocery, clothing store and liquor store. I saw in those families a kind of serenity, intelligence and collaboration that didn’t exist in my chaotic neighborhood. As a young boy, I was convinced my family was caught in this web while the Jewish families had figured out a way to escape and move up. Clearly the secret was education.

At that time, most people my age weren’t going to school. They were truant or slept during classes. In junior high school, I made a conscious decision to go to Baltimore City College, an elite public high school that prepared you for higher education. To get in, I had to pass an entrance exam and study a classical language. Fortunately I had studied Latin. After I was accepted, people in my neighborhood thought I was “cute” for trying to leave. I had to take two buses, and the experience was lonely and dangerous.

College became possible because I was viewed as a deserving student by a Quaker-run scholarship fund. I won a scholarship but had to attend a Quaker college of the board’s choosing. I attended Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio, which had only 35 black students, 25 of whom were African.

When I was a sophomore in the early 1960s, a teacher in the theater department approached me after I joined the drama club. He wanted to produce “Raisin in the Sun” and cast me as Walter Younger. When I performed in “Raisin” at Wilmington, my mother and my sister Mary took a bus to see me. It’s one thing to have a teacher say you did a great job but quite another when your family witnesses the authenticity of your dream. After, my mother said, “André, child, that was beautiful.” From then on I was determined to be a performer.

Some years later, in 1975, I landed the title role in “The Wiz” on Broadway. In 1978, when I was performing in “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” I cold-called Bubbles in Los Angeles. He was in his 80s by then and had suffered several strokes. I brought him to New York to see me in a nightclub tribute to him. That night I sang “Shine” and told the audience how Bubbles had influenced me. Then I introduced him. He jiggled a little in his wheelchair and started to cry.

Summary: The original ‘Wiz’ looks back on a hard start and his rise from Baltimore to Broadway


On the morning of Oct. 25, my flight from Chicago's O'Hare Airport was delayed as usual, so I searched for "Bills Jaguars" on Twitter, which immediately took me to the Yahoo Sports account. It had a direct link to the stream of the NFL game in London. I clicked, and within three seconds, I was watching the action from Wembley Stadium.

Afterward, I asked people what they thought. Responses were split along generational lines. Among older fans, I heard feedback like: "I could never watch meaningful games on my phone" and "I couldn't figure out how to watch."

Younger fans were more interested: "I pulled it up for a few minutes. It was pretty cool," said one person, or, "Checked in on LeSean McCoy because he's on my fantasy team."

Despite mixed reviews, Yahoo's streaming of the Bills-Jaguars game, which cost it $20 million, still must be considered a success because of its ground-breaking significance. The NFL announced Tuesday that 10 of its 16 Thursday Night Football broadcasts this season will be streamed for free on Twitter. (Verizon gets to stream the other six through its NFL Mobile app.)

For Twitter, this is a big win. The company is under intense pressure from its shareholders to increase its revenue. A mere $10 million for direct streams of CBS and NBC broadcasts on Thursdays is a start. According to news reports, the national commercials from the NBC and CBS feeds will be shown on Twitter's stream. But Twitter will be allowed to sell the spots reserved for local TV commercials, about 15 per game.

It is also a win for the NFL, which expands its massive distribution to another platform. As Roger Goodell said in a statement, "Twitter is where live events unfold." He also noted Twitter's significant role in the fan experience: "There is a massive amount of NFL-related conversation happening on Twitter during our games."

Twitter's hosting of this conversation appears to have been the difference in winning the Thursday streaming rights. Other companies -- including Yahoo, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Verizon and CBS -- were in the mix, and at least one bid was reportedly $5 million higher than Twitter's bid. But with Twitter, fan discussion, analysis and the actual game will be right there on one screen.

This fall Thursday Night Football will be streamed live @twitter so fans will see more of this. https://t.co/s6tbr9FjvY

— Roger Goodell (@nflcommish) April 5, 2016

Virtually every active Twitter user who is interested in football will engage to some degree. Perhaps not every second of every game, but gone are the days of having to be in a home or a bar to watch a game. Out to dinner, stuck in the office or on a date, there is now no way to stop fans from checking in on live video of the game.

"This is about transforming the fan experience with football," says Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. "People watch NFL games with Twitter today. Now they'll be able to watch right on Twitter Thursday nights."

By becoming the digital hub of Thursday Night Football, Twitter will be a showcase for how quickly the streaming of NFL games has progressed. CBS live-streamed a few Thursday Night games in 2014, then did seven in 2015. Now the NFL has sold Thursday streaming for the upcoming season for $10 million.

It also shows that the league understands the importance of developing new ways to serve its product, whether that's to cord-cutters or those who grew up with a digital-first mindset. The NFL-Twitter deal reflects the viewing sensibilities for fans my age (22). Consider ...

-- I watched most Monday Night Football games last year on ESPN3. -- NBC Sports Extra is my home for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. -- I caught a lot of Northwestern basketball at the gym on BTN2Go.

The expectation is that sports should be available for us to watch when and where we want to. The reasoning is simple: Technology has made it possible. So in addition to Twitter and the NFL being winners in this deal, so are younger fans whose lifestyle is digitally driven.

Which brings us to some potential losers: CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN all have big-money TV deals that last through at least 2021. But the NFL's one-year contract with Twitter is just the start of the streaming blitz. Although all of these established networks have dabbled in streaming live games, this has revolved mostly around TV subscriptions, in-market content or games available on national broadcasts. At some point, they will need to get themselves deeper into the streaming game to retain their audiences and/or attract new ones.

It is interesting to note that CBS, which launched its Over The Top product late last year, was listed among Twitter's competitors for the Thursday streaming package. CBS' decision to go OTT shows an understanding that it needs a fresh approach to pick up viewers. Many young professionals are not even buying cable anymore, opting for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Netflix and Hulu.

And unlike those services, which require a certain level of subscription, Twitter is free. Forget cable. All you need is 90 seconds to sign up.

Even if it isn't free, streaming is still attractive. A pioneering study on the behavior of sports fans by the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg and The PostGame revealed that "fans say they will pay more for streaming than for similar channels via cable or satellite television."

The ability to watch out-of-market NFL games is already expanding. NFL Sunday Ticket was once only available on DirecTV. Last season, a streaming version of Sunday Ticket was introduced. There were stipulations, and it still involved a subscription, but this was part of the same trend that included Yahoo's Lions-Jaguars game, Verizon's NFL Mobile app and the new Twitter deal.

This puts some heat on the TV networks -- which have always had the leverage to subjugate NFL fans to specific games broadcast into their homes -- to figure out some sort of streaming play. They've got a lot of work to do. And a lot of coding to learn.

-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.

Buffalo Bills, CBS, ESPN, Fox, Jack Dorsey, Jacksonville Jaguars, NBC, NFL, Roger Goodell, Streaming, Twitter, Yahoo


SAN FRANCISCO — As Volkswagen faced a court-mandated deadline to reach an agreement with regulators on a plan to fix its polluting diesel cars last month, one lawyer for the German automaker mentioned that he had probably never worked harder in his career.

“I’m optimistic that you’ll be able to break your record in the next month,” Charles R. Breyer, the federal judge presiding over the hearing in San Francisco, replied. “That’s my goal.”

Breyer, who is overseeing the class-action lawsuits brought by American car owners, then gave Volkswagen until April 21 to present a proposal as the first step in the litigation. The company admitted in September to installing software on diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests, but hundreds of thousands of its cars remain on American roads, spewing excess pollution.

If Volkswagen does not present a plan that is approved by regulators by Thursday, it could conceivably face a trial before Breyer this summer.

“He’s put the hammer down, and he’s said, ‘I want to know what Volkswagen’s answer is,’ ” said Erik Gordon, a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan who studies federal multidistrict litigation. The judge, he added, is “not in the mood for stalling, that’s for sure.”

Widely described by lawyers in California as fair, pragmatic, and creative, the judge, the younger brother of Justice Stephen G. Breyer, holds sway over whether and how Volkswagen fixes the cars and how vehicle owners will be compensated.

Charles Breyer, 74, who says he has no ambitions to be appointed to a higher court, is presiding over complex litigation involving hundreds of thousands of car owners who want the company to fix their cars or buy them back, as well as civil suits brought by car dealers and by the Department of Justice.

It is a career highlight for someone who had long aspired to be center stage, just not always in the courtroom.

While his brother followed their father, a longtime counsel to the San Francisco school board, into law, Charles Breyer initially hoped to pursue a career in acting. After graduating from Harvard University with an economics degree, he spent the summer auditioning, including on Broadway.

“I never got a callback,” he said wryly in an interview last week.

Instead, he went to law school at the University of California, Berkeley, and found that trial law “was theatrics by another name.”

He cut his teeth as an assistant district attorney in San Francisco, often prosecuting homicide cases. Then, in a forerunner to the Watergate scandal, burglars broke into a psychiatrist’s office in California in search of records that could damage Daniel Ellsberg, who had leaked the Pentagon Papers and antagonized the Nixon administration. He prosecuted several Nixon aides, who became central figures in the Watergate case, for that break-in.

“It was fascinating,” he recalled. “You did have a sense that you were engaged in a significant inquiry. You had no sense whatsoever of whether you were going to be successful. None.”

Breyer later became a trial lawyer in San Francisco, with clients ranging from the American Cigar Co. to the estate of Elvis Presley. He remained mostly in private practice until President Clinton appointed him to the federal bench in 1997.

He still has a passion for performance. Breyer has been known to quote Shakespeare in his courtroom, and, like his brother, he regularly draws chuckles in court.

Last month, when a lawyer for Volkswagen, Robert J. Giuffra Jr., mentioned that his son disliked the case because his father was never home, Breyer responded: “In a month’s time, we will reintroduce you to your family. They can all come to San Francisco for an environmentally correct holiday.”

Last year, Breyer presided over a long-running case between Hewlett-Packard and its shareholders over an acquisition. The technology company filed several motions to seal already heavily redacted documents, which he denied — with his own reasoning redacted.

That was “pretty Breyerish,” said Josh A. Cohen, a former clerk for Breyer who now works for the law firm Clarence, Dyer, & Cohen in San Francisco. A settlement in the Hewlett-Packard case was reached last year.

Breyer is “just very, very effective at cutting straight to the core of an issue, and wading through the marginal, peripheral atmospherics,” Cohen said. The judge, he added, likes to move things along quickly and naturally, and toward a settlement if possible.

As a senior district judge for the Northern District of California, Breyer has presided over a long line of complex litigation that has often ended in settlements. Last year, he approved settlements in a major class-action case involving accusations of price-fixing in the airline industry.

In another major case, involving liability claims regarding two painkillers made by Pfizer, a settlement was announced in 2008.

While he rarely gets automotive cases, in 2014, Breyer dismissed a complaint by shareholders of Tesla Motors claiming that the electric carmaker had made false statements about the fire risks of the car batteries. In dismissing it, Breyer said he was at a “total loss” for “understanding the basis for this lawsuit.” The case is being appealed.

A multidistrict panel of judges assigned the Volkswagen case to Breyer, in part because California has a higher number of affected cars than other states. Perhaps more important, he is “thoroughly familiar with the nuances of complex, multidistrict litigation,” the panel stated.

Breyer, known for his bow ties and a love of baseball, declined to comment on the Volkswagen case during the interview in his spacious 17th-floor chambers, which overlook downtown San Francisco. The office contains a host of figurines and knickknacks, a wall of legal books and a small aquarium.

Asked whether his deadline of Thursday would be met, he replied simply, “I hope so.”

If it is not, a summer trial could be an uncomfortably rapid timeline for Volkswagen, which is already under immense pressure to find an engineering fix for its cars — if one exists.

Jeannine Ginivan, a spokeswoman for the Volkswagen Group of America, wrote in an email that the company is “committed to resolving the US regulatory investigation as quickly as possible,” and to working to earn back the trust of its customers and dealers.

Many legal observers expect the case to eventually settle rather than go to trial.

Soon after he began presiding over the litigation, Breyer appointed former FBI director and longtime lawyer Robert S. Mueller III to help the various sides come together.

In his January order appointing him, the judge said that Mueller had the authority to schedule settlement discussions, and to determine the location and other details of those talks. Mueller is providing regular progress reports to Breyer.

“Appointing Mueller so early and putting him to work — it just shows you, you’ve got a judge who has a plan,” said Alan Schulman, a professor in residence at the University of San Diego School of Law. “He’s going to move this case forward, rather than let it languish in his court for a decade.”


The two alleged burglars, as seen in the video

04/15/2016 AT 12:35 PM EDT

New Jersey State Police need the public's help in identifying two suspects seen allegedly breaking into a home on a surveillance video in broad daylight but then abruptly fleeing when, police say, the homeowner began shouting at them over the intercom system.

earlier this week, shows two men wearing gloves and hooded sweatshirts entering a home in Upper Pittsgrove Township, located in Salem County.

In the video, the homeowner's two barking dogs did little to dissuade the pair from allegedly scouring the house for valuables. (The video is muted, according to a police spokesman, who tells PEOPLE releasing the audio would compromise the ongoing investigation.)

Towards the end of the footage, the two suspects seem to stop dead in their tracks, as if spooked by something. Police confirm the home's owner has remote access to his surveillance system, and watched the entire incident unfold live before addressing the men on the intercom system.

At that point, police say, the startled men are seen running for the doors.

"We shall not repeat what was said [by the homeowner], but needless to say the burglars read the message loud and clear," reads a statement from the state police.

Police say the two suspects made off with a lockbox that contained jewelry and personal documents.

A number of Facebook commenters have said the behavior of the dogs suggests the two men were familiar to the canines.

Those who may have any information concerning Tuesday's break-in are encouraged to call (856) 769-0775 or (856) 769-0779.

Summary: Police claim the two suspects made off with a lockbox that contained jewelry and personal documents


Seventeen-year-old Lorde has been in a whirlwind since an EP of her music was posted on Soundcloud in November 2012. After some 60,000 free copies were downloaded, Universal Music Group, to which she'd been signed since the age of 13, decided to release it formally. That was a year ago this week. Then came "Pure Heroine," her debut album, which also included the tracks from her EP; the album was nominated for four Grammys, with "Royals" winning Song of the Year. Now Lorde is headlining her first U.S. concert tour; it opened here Monday night.

"Pure Heroine" presents Lorde—who was born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor in Takapuna, New Zealand—as an artist not merely emerging but in full bloom. Her lyrics reveal her as a wise young woman with a wary worldview and a dry wit. As a vocalist, her delivery is her most winning trait: Avoiding pyrotechnics, it balances confidence and a trace of innocence. With sparse, percussive arrangements designed by Ms. Yelich-O'Connor and producer Joel Little to emphasize her strengths, "Pure Heroine" unfolds as a formidable work.

Studying good writing, Ms. Yelich-O'Connor said during a conversation prior to her show, helped sharpen her skills as a lyricist. "When I was 14, I began to read a lot of short fiction, and I had such a reaction to it. The words were where they should be," she recalled. "I'd read Tobias Wolfe stories out loud to figure out what he was doing to make things rise or crash the way they did." Friends called on her to edit their schoolwork, but then groused when she demanded precision. "I became very particular."

Until she began working with Mr. Little, Ms. Yelich-O'Connor was reluctant to circulate her writing. "I never showed my lyrics to my parents. At some point, Joel said: 'This is good. You know how to put words together.' When I look back, I wasn't very good, but after six months with him, I'd begun to improve. And I started to have experiences that I wanted to write about."

"Royals" was a turning point. In the song, Ms. Yelich-O'Connor scorns the role of materialism in today's pop scene. "It was a big idea to fit into a song that's pretty short," she said. "But I attacked it like a story or an essay." Selling some five million copies so far, it's the kind of enormous hit that can define a career before it's begun, but as Ms. Yelich-O'Connor points out, she's had two other hits in the U.S. since: "Tennis Court," which opens "Pure Heroine," and "Team."

"I'm green enough that I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and it'll be gone," she said of her way with words. "I still ask myself: Is my life interesting enough to write about?"

Though she sang "Royals" at the Grammys ceremony in late January before a huge crowd at Los Angeles's Staples Center and to some 28.5 million viewers on television, Ms. Yelich-O'Connor said she was still getting used to live performance. On Monday at the Austin Music Hall, she was accompanied by Ben Barter on drums, Jimmy McDonald on keyboards, and recordings of her voice as overdubbed during the "Pure Heroine" sessions to serve as a choir. Ms. Yelich-O'Connor's limited repertoire compelled her to reinvent, however modestly, some of her songs. Mr. Barter punched through the waves of synthesized sounds on a reading of "Biting Down," and a tweaked arrangement of "Buzzcut Season" created tension that was released at its catchy chorus. On "Bravado," Ms. Yelich-O'Connor sang to delicate single notes by Mr. McDonald. Her cover of the Replacements' "Swingin' Party" gave her a chance to show how she can make another composer's song her own.

Earlier, Ms. Yelich-O'Connor waved off comparisons to other contemporary concert artists. "I'm too weird as a performer to copy anyone else," she said. "I kind of thrash around. It's unsettling to look at. But I can't dance." All true, it turned out, as the show progressed, but she never surrendered to affectation. The 70-minute concert built to an exquisite end, with vibrant readings of "Ribs" and "Team" bookending a subdued "Royals." By the time the confetti floated down from the ceiling during the finale, Ms. Yelich-O'Connor had overcome the sonic limitations of her prerecorded sounds and two-man band to hint at her potential as a live performer. As she continues to develop, it's likely her preternatural talent and self-possession will carry her through.

"If you believe in yourself," she said, "you think what you've done is all right. And then other people might think it's all right too."

Mr. Fusilli is the Journal's rock and pop music critic. Email him at jfusilli@wsj.com and follow him on Twitter @wsjrock.

Corrections & Amplifications: Lorde performed at the Austin Music Hall on March 3 accompanied by Ben Barter on drums. An earlier version of this article misstated Mr. Barter's first name.

Summary: It's been a whirlwind year for Lorde, the 17-year-old singer-songwriter from New Zealand. As she launches her first U.S. tour this week, she shows that her talents aren't limited only to the recording studio.


05/11/2016 AT 02:05 PM EDT

's transformation was a "miracle" according to his sisters

, but they weren't initially happy how it all came about.

In a sneak peek at Sunday's

, Kim and Khloé discuss the issues surrounding their baby brother's new romance with

In the clip, Khloé says it's a miracle to see Rob, 29, out and about and all over social media, considering he didn't even want to leave his bedroom to attend Christmas the past three years.

"She gave him confidence," Kim, 35, replies, giving credit to Chyna, 28. "More power to her." She also said that Rob's relationship with Chyna has caused drama within the family, but if this is what it takes for him to feel better about himself, then she doesn't care "who he is dating." (The couple has since

and announced they are expecting their

That said, Kim does admit that she wasn't happy how it all went down: "My thing is, do what you want, do what makes you happy, but he should have said to us, 'Hey guys, this is how I feel. I can't help who I love. And I fell in love with her. Kylie should know this,' " Kim explained to Khloé.

She adds, "He just has no loyalty."

Khloé says, "Am I happy he's out and about? Sure. Am I disappointed that Rob isn't talking to me after he got out of my house? Yeah."

She continues, "I've been the only one who has stood by him and defended him and wanted the best for him. That's where it gets frustrating."

Since filming this scene, the pair have

, and Khloé shared the happy news by posting a photo of her and Rob

airs Sundays (9 p.m. ET) on E!

Summary: Keeping Up with the Kardashians airs Sundays (9 p.m. ET) on E!


The fashion industry has been criticized for how it produces clothing quickly and cheaply. And the category of swimwear is no different — tags in bathing suits typically say “made in China,” or Thailand, or Vietnam — countries known for using sweatshop labor.

But as the ethical and sustainable fashion movements gain steam, many startups are producing swimwear in nontraditional ways– sweatshop free and using what they say are more ecologically sound materials. Even a legacy brand as massive as Speedo is beginning to sell sustainable swimwear made from recycled materials.

Speedo just debuted its PowerFLEX Eco swimwear collection. It is completely made with ECONYL Nylon 6, a fabric made from “end-of-life waste material,” such as old carpets and abandoned fishing nets. Speedo claims the swimsuits are sturdier, lasting ten times longer than traditional swimwear.

Speedo’s leftover manufacturing scraps are upcycled by the nylon manufacturer Aquafil into ECONYL nylon, diverting it from the landfill. These scraps are normally not reused as their composition is too complex, but ECONYL process blends those scraps with other fibers to create this fabric.

“We are challenging apparel manufacturers to be more sustainable and restructure their supply chain to divert waste from landfill,” said Giulio Bonazzi, Chairman and CEO of Aquafil.

The range retails for the same as the preexisting PowerFLEX line: $40 – $49 for men’s models and $68 – $79 for women’s. If swimwear industry giant Speedo changes the way they make swimsuits, will it become the fashion? So far, other big names like Adidas and the luxury lingerie label La Perla use ECONYL fabric too, as well as Outerknown, a clothing and swimwear line that debuted last month from surfing champion Kelly Slater.

The changing face of swimwear is more populated by small, indie-sized brands, like Bikini Empire, a line of surfer-designed separates for women made in Canada. Or Tara Grinna, which is made by hand at a family owned factory in Conway, SC. There are similar swimwear lines made in the US, Canada, and Indonesia, as well as numerous other lines manufactured in the UK. Generally, the lines retail for $100 – $150 per suit.

“The reason Bikini Empire chose to shore-up and produce our bikinis in Canada was certainly not” to save money, said Monica Rush. She and her twin sister, Kelsey Rush, are producing Bikini Empire, sweatshop-free in Vancouver — and recently funded another round of swimwear with a Kickstarter campaign which raised $25,765 CAD, or about $19,300. Rush estimates they pay 6 to 12 times more to make each piece than a typical fast-fashion swimsuit costs to manufacture.

“After two successful collections under our belt in 2014 and 2015, we needed to expand our production to meet demand for our 2016 line,” Rush said. “However, because we are a small business, and producing locally isn’t cheap, we did not have the capital to pay for the production increase up front. For this we turned to Kickstarter.”

They’re on their second collection ranging like their peers’ products at $110 – $120. “Fortunately consumers are starting to look for and demand ethically made goods, and we believe that it’s our responsibility to raise the bar,” she continued. “As a small company this can be hard, and competing with the prices of fast fashion can be hard.”

Since their suits can last five seasons, they encourage repeat customers by using enticing color combinations and solid, practical design. “Since we are both avid surfers, we realized that there was a lot of room for improvement in terms of how a suit is designed to work with the water,” she says.

Summary: As ethical and sustainable fashion movements gain steam, startups and even legacy brands like Speedo are producing swimwear made from recycled materials.


WASHINGTON, May 29— President Bush vowed today that the federal government would spend $235 million to buy back oil and natural gas rights in the Everglades and off the white-sand beaches of the Florida Panhandle.

Administration officials said the agreement, if approved by Congress, would ultimately protect about 765,000 acres in three preserves in the Everglades, the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida said the action made sense for the environment but acknowledged that it was also likely to help his re-election campaign.

As the two Bush brothers sat side by side in the Oval Office, the president announced a proposal to pay the wealthy Collier family of Florida about $120 million for mineral rights under the three preserves, which are home to several endangered species. President Bush also announced an agreement to pay $115 million to three oil companies, including the ChevronTexaco Corporation, to buy out offshore oil and gas leases, effectively preventing drilling about 25 miles south of Pensacola.

Florida politicians of both parties have joined state voters to fiercely resist drilling off the coast for nearly two decades, setting the state apart from Gulf states like Texas, Alabama and Louisiana, which have welcomed offshore drilling.

Facing a similar outcry over the prospect of drilling near the Florida Keys off southwestern Florida, the Clinton administration in 1995 bought back 73 leases for about $200 million.

''Florida is known worldwide for its beautiful coastal waters and the Everglades,'' President Bush said in a statement issued after a 20-minute meeting in the Oval Office. ''Today we are acting to preserve both.''

Environmental groups praised the president's plan, but some said it was politically motivated.

''It's a great move for Florida, but it's essentially a $235 million campaign contribution from the taxpayer's pocket to re-elect Jeb Bush,'' said Philip Clapp, the president of the National Environmental Trust.

Other environmentalists said the president's decision reflected a double standard, particularly when the Bush administration has moved aggressively to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas drilling, a policy rejected last month by the Senate.

''We hope this signals a change in the administration's approach to energy security,'' said Lisa Speer, a policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York.

Both Jeb Bush and administration officials said today that there was nothing inconsistent about a White House that was effectively opposed to drilling in Florida and in favor of it in Alaska.

''I find nothing ironic about it at all,'' Jeb Bush said. ''Each one of these cases needs to be looked at in terms of the balance -- to preserve the natural environment or the economic interests of a state.''

Governor Bush made no effort to dispute the political benefits. Asked if his 2002 campaign would benefit from his brother's action, he replied, ''I hope so.''

Then he added, ''But more importantly, it is good public policy, and when here's a convergence of good politics and good public policy, I don't think we should be ashamed about it.''

Representative Mark Foley, Republican of Florida, said today that there was ''no question'' that today's action would help the president's re-election chances in Florida, which he won by only 537 votes in 2000.

The White House said the president had based his decision on community opinion.

''The president believes it is important to work closely with states and local communities and listen to their concerns,'' said Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman. ''In Alaska, there is strong state and local community support for opening a small portion of ANWR to environmentally responsible exploration.''

David B. Struhs, Florida's secretary of environmental protection, said Jeb Bush did not have to lean hard on his brother to oppose drilling in Florida.

''Let's put it this way,'' Mr. Struhs said. ''There were 16 million Floridians all leaning in the same direction. Jeb Bush was 16 million and one.''

Congressional aides said today that approval of the agreement on the Everglades was not assured, suggesting that there could be resistance on both fiscal and political grounds.

Under the proposal, the Colliers, a pioneer Florida family with vast landholdings in the state, would transfer mineral rights on about 347,000 acres that it could have explored for oil in exchange for $120 million in cash or credits for future oil bids.

The deal was negotiated between the administration and descendants of Barron Gift Collier, who used a fortune built in streetcar advertising in the early 1900's to buy 1.3 million acres of southwestern Florida that eventually became Collier and Hendry Counties. The family has over the years turned over 260,000 acres to the government through swaps, sales and donations, including the original 76,000 acres for Big Cypress. Family members have made contributions to President Bush and Republican causes but have also supported Democratic candidates.

The payment to the three companies will settle a suit brought in July 2000 by Chevron, Conoco Inc. and the Murphy Exploration and Production Company, a unit of the Murphy Oil Corporation. The companies said they were being blocked from extracting oil and natural gas from tracts that the federal government sold them in the 1980's. Two of 11 leases in a geologic formation known as the Destin Dome would be reserved for possible exploration by Murphy after 2012 but only if the state and federal governments agreed.

Longtime opponents of drilling welcomed the agreement.

''We think this is a fantastic victory for Florida's coast,'' said Mark Ferrulo, director of the Florida Public Interest Research Group. While he said the opponents would have preferred that all 11 leases be relinquished, he said the group could ''live with'' the suspension of the two leases until 2012 as long as the state had veto power over drilling.

Fred R. Gorell, a spokesman for ChevronTexaco, said the payments would allow the company to recover its expenses on the project.

''While we are very disappointed that we will not be able to develop the Destin Dome resource, this settlement address the concerns of the parties involved and reimburses us for the investment we have made to date,'' Mr. Gorell said, adding that his company's share of the money would be $46 million.

According to the suit filed in 2000, the companies acquired the leases for $10.5 million but spent heavily on exploration activities, increasing their investment to an estimated $100 million.

Photo: President George W. Bush, right, and Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida were together in the Oval Office yesterday to announce a preservation plan to buy oil and gas rights in Florida for $120 million from a wealthy family. (Reuters)(pg. A18) Map of Florida highlighting Destin Dome natural gas field: Two leases in Destin Dome would be held for possible exploration. (pg. A18)


Working for a toxic boss–the type that bullies you, criticizes everything you touch and makes you wish for an invisibility cloak every time she walks past your office–is not a person you can easily forget. Or get over, even weeks or months after you’ve parted ways.

Being subjected to a constant stream of negative feedback takes its toll and grinds you down to the point where you eventually begin to believe: Wow, maybe I really do have zero talent. Maybe a child could do my job better. It’s called buying into the brainwashing.

Cut to the point where you come to your senses. That is, you were fired or you quit. Regardless, the hardest part is moving beyond the experience and rebuilding your ego so you can walk into your next job and not feel like you have a kick-me sign on your back or a deer-in-the-headlights mentality every time you get an e-mail from your new boss.

“My first boss hated me so much that I think I must have killed her mother in a former life,” says Alexandra Levit, syndicated columnist and author of several career books including They Don’t Teach You Corporate in College. “She raked me over the coals…But it’s true in life that we have endings that are not ideal, and just like any relationship, it’s important to get closure in order to put it behind you.”

In fact, the sooner you can let go of the anger and resentment, the better shape your head will be in, says Mark Goulston, M.D., author of Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone. “Even if your gripes are legitimate, continuing to blame your boss turns off others and will quickly cause people to lose respect for you,” he says. Not the desired outcome.

So while you can’t ransack her office (tempting) or change the past, you can learn from the ordeal of a toxic boss, points out Harvey Mackay, a business advice columnist and author of We Got Fired!…And It’s The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Us. Begin with an often-used stroke on your keypad: delete. Get rid of any reminders of her, including old e-mails and memos.

Don’t let your anger or bitterness get the best of you. Before you leave the job–or soon thereafter–take a moment to send your boss a quick note or e-mail with your new contact information, mentioning also that you hope you can stay in touch. No matter if you never hear back; at least you did your part. Also, take the high road when people ask you about your former boss. Gossiping and bad-mouthing him brings back negative thoughts and doesn’t serve your reputation in the long run, says Mackay.

It’s worth examining how and why the employer-employee relationship turned so sour. Forget about her tone of voice and hooded eyes. The real lesson is: was there a kernel of truth in your boss’ criticisms about your organizational skills or lack of leadership? If so, make the internal change so that you don’t carry them over to your new job.

In the wake of this self-assessment, take the time to also focus on what you’re good at. “After I left my job with a bad boss, I took a personal development class, and it really helped improve my confidence and how I was presenting myself to others,” says Levit, who recommends Dale Carnegie leadership seminars. And the more you can get some positive feedback from your new boss, the more confident you’ll feel. Ask for a three-month review and weekly check-in and other ways to keep the lines of communication open.

Finally, Goulston offers this sage piece of advice: “Holding a grudge is like swallowing poison and hoping it poisons the other person.” The best revenge in this case is wishing your boss well with no hard feelings–and really meaning it.

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Summary: The hardest part is moving past the hard feelings and rebuilding your ego. Here's how.


Friday marks the U.S. premiere of Sex Box on We TV — a show in which struggling couples actually have sex inside a box onstage. Sure, the box is soundproof and there’s no camera inside. And yes, the idea is that the couples will be more vulnerable and honest after the act, when they talk to a panel of expert in the hopes of solving their issues. But that doesn’t make it any less cringeworthy.

The premise is so simple, so bizarre, that it’s something you’d fact check before posting about it on Facebook because there’s no way it could be real. But Sex Box is no parody. The U.K. show of the same name aired in 2013 and received tepid reviews. But it’s only the latest in a series of reality shows that we can’t believe got the green light.

Here are other reality shows that make The Bachelor look totally sensible:

Born in the Wild This Lifetime series, premiering March 3, is about women who give birth in nature. “No inductions, no epidurals…just expectant mothers facing and giving birth in the arms of Mother Nature,” boasts the show’s YouTube page.

Who is the Worst Driver in the Netherlands? The series, which has run in several different countries, gathers the worst drivers in a specific region and has them show off their lack-of-skills behind the wheel. In 2011, a Netherlands contestant proved himself worthy of the title after he accidentally ran over the show’s host. (No one was seriously injured).

Are You Hot? Before there was Tinder there was a show in which people walked down a runway and displayed their goods to judges who essentially swiped right or left. Are You Hot? aired on ABC in 2003.

The Will CBS may have agreed to pick up the 2005 reality show — in which family and friends of a rich benefactor compete to be included in his inheritance — but the network had the good sense to cancel it after just one episode.

Dating Naked A contestant actually sued VH1 for showing a little too much nudity.

The Swan This show was a heartwarming retelling of The Ugly Duckling in which producers turned contestants into swans by giving them lots and lots of plastic surgery. The series was more than a little problematic.

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Listen to the most important stories of the day.

Summary: A contestant on 'Who is the Worst Driver in the Netherlands' accidentally ran over the host. (He was ok).


It's no secret that Brett Favre has always been a gunslinger – and even six years after his final retirement from the NFL, he continues to live up to that reputation

Visiting the University of Southern Mississippi's opening game of the Conference USA baseball tournament, Favre was granted the opportunity to throw the ceremonial first pitch for his alma mater.

And while he certainly put some heat on it – hitting 71 miles per hour according to USM beat writer Jason Munz – it wasn't exactly a perfect strike, as evidenced by these two Twitter videos capturing the moment:

Brett Favre throws HEAT against Nick Johnson in first pitch of the Southern Miss-Old Dominion C-USA tourney game. pic.twitter.com/kVUuEG0L2a

— Julius Kizzee (@juliuskizzee) May 25, 2016

HEYO. A high, hard one from Brett Favre, who airmails his first pitch pic.twitter.com/58IkTupwK5

— Sean Isabella (@ST_IsabellaTNS) May 25, 2016

The three-time NFL MVP has certainly had better days throwing a ball, but his miscue had no negative impact on the Golden Eagles. Ranked 23rd in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll, Southern Mississippi went on to cruise to a 17-5 win against Old Dominion.

Favre, who ranks second behind Peyton Manning in NFL history in both passing yards and touchdown passes, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year.

More Green Bay Packers: -- Mr. T Remembers When He Tried Out for Green Bay Packers -- Jordy Nelson: Wife Dumped Me In Seventh Grade -- Packers Stun Lions on Hail Mary: See Amazing Photos

Baseball, Brett Favre, First Pitch, NCAA, Overthrow, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

Summary: Brett Favre is a bit inaccurate with his ceremonial first pitch while visiting his old stomping grounds at Southern Mississippi.


Living amid wild animals is not easy, especially when the animal in your backyard is a large elephant.

Many elephants now live in densely-populated areas, because farms and plantations have expanded into their traditional homes. To the elephants, crops are easy and nutritious meals. But that's not how farmers see it. Elephants raid crops, damage property, and sometimes kill people.

To avoid confrontations and protect their crops, farmers in Africa and Asia have traditionally used several tricks to scare off elephants, like beating drums, firing gunshots into the air or bursting firecrackers. But elephants are intelligent and persistent, and not easily put off. So people resort to poisoning or shooting the elephants. This is bad for all concerned.

So now researchers are experimenting with new strategies that can detect elephants early, and deter them from raiding people's properties. No guns are involved.

African elephants are afraid of bees, especially the aggressive African honey bees. These bees' stings can be extremely painful even for the thick-skinned elephants, especially inside their trunk or around their eyes.

In 2002, researchers found that African elephants stay away from acacia trees with beehives. Later studies showed that not only do the elephants run away from the sound of buzzing bees, they also emit low-frequency alarm calls to alert family members about the possible threat.

In 2007, researchers began testing beehive fences as possible elephant deterrents in Kenya. The fence consists of beehives hung every 10 m, linked by wires. When an elephant touches the fence, the beehives swing, unleashing a swarm of angry bees.

The initial study was so successful that farmers extended the fences on their own initiative. They are particularly good at stopping raids by overwhelmingly large groups of elephants. Farmers in Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana and Sri Lanka are now trying the fences.

Honey and other bee products earn the farmers additional income. "I'm pretty sure our beehive fence method is the only elephant deterrent fence that actually helps to make the farmer money," says Lucy King of the charity Save the Elephants.

If you don't fancy living with bees, you could scare elephants away using the sound of angry tigers.

On hearing the tiger growls, the elephants silently retreated

In southern India, tigers and elephants often live side by side. While tigers don't usually hunt elephants due to their size, they have been known to kill elephant calves. So elephants are wary of tigers.

In 2010, Vivek Thuppil, then at the University of California-Davis and now at the University of Nottingham, recorded the aggressive growls of a captive tiger and leopard, and played them to elephants frequenting villages around two protected areas in southern India. Whenever the elephants ventured close to crop fields, they tripped an infrared beam, triggering playbacks of the growls.

On hearing the agitated tiger growls, the elephants silently retreated. Thuppil is now developing a low-cost playback system that the farmers can use as elephant deterrents. "We hope to… make commercially available devices a reality by this time next year," he says.

Elephants don't like chillis. Capsaicin, the chemical in chillis that makes them hot, is an irritant, causing elephants to cough, sneeze and eventually turn away.

So some farmers in Africa protect their crops from elephants by planting buffers of chilli plants around them. The chillis also earn them extra money. The Elephant Pepper Development Trust in Cape Town, South Africa, teaches farmers to make rope fences smeared with waste engine oil and red chilli, and mounted with cowbells, to deter elephants.

Asian farmers are also experimenting with chilli. Farmers in southern India use a combination of dry hay, tobacco, and dry red chili pods and seeds wrapped up in newspapers to create pungent smoke.

In north-east India, conservationists have gone a step further and tried using ghost chillis, or bhut jolokias, one of the hottest chillis in the world.

However, chilli-based methods do not work alone and perform best when combined with other deterrents. "Whatever the technique, it always works better when the farmer is present in his crop field," says Prachi Mehta of the Wildlife Research and Conservation Society in Pune, India. "Unguarded fields are like an open invitation to the elephants."

If you share your home with elephants, it helps to know their whereabouts and keep a safe distance. So researchers have hit upon a simple and ingenious early warning system.

In the Valparai plateau of southern India, about 100 elephants live amid tea and coffee plantations and fragments of rainforest. They have killed 41 people in the region, nearly 76% of them after surprise encounters. To avoid such accidents, the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) in Mysore, India, has begun tracking the elephants.

In 2011, they developed a simple SMS-based system to warn people about approaching elephants. If someone spots an elephant, they call up NCF, which then texts the elephant's location to people living within 2 km of it.

For people without a mobile phone, the team has also set up red LED flashing lights in 24 strategic points, where people are more likely to encounter elephants. Each light has a SIM card that can be operated by certain people's mobile numbers. If they spot an elephant, these people can turn on the nearest light by dialling its number. These flashing lights warn people returning home in the dark, when elephants are not easily visible.

Thanks to the early warning system, there were no injuries or deaths in 2013, says project leader Ananda Kumar of NCF.

Finally, you can simply eavesdrop on the elephants. They often communicate with each other in low-frequency rumbles. These infrasonic sounds can travel several km, so if you can listen in you can spot the elephants from miles away.

It doesn't work if the elephants fall silent

Researchers are now developing an early warning system that can detect elephants based on their infrasonic vocalizations. Angela Stöger-Horwath from the University of Vienna and her colleagues have shown that the low-frequency calls can not only help detect elephants, they reveal whether the elephants are infants, calves, juveniles or adults.

"The system is not in use yet," Stöger-Horwath says. "The next step is the production of a prototype."

If it works, the elephants could be driven off long before they enter the village to eat the crops, says Stöger-Horwath. The one drawback is that it doesn't work if the elephants fall silent.

Summary: Elephants often raid people's crops, but there are now harmless ways to scare them away from farms


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The federal government has changed its transmission guidelines for the Ebola virus, out of concern that the disease may be spread via sexual intercourse for a longer period of time.

On Sunday, the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines due to evidence suggesting Ebola may last longer in semen than experts initially thought. The CDC previously recommended Ebola survivors abstain from sex for three months, the time Ebola was thought to remain in semen; the new guidelines recommend survivors abstain or have sex with a condom for the foreseeable future until “more information becomes available.”

According to the New York Times, a Liberian man who survived Ebola may have passed the virus on to his wife after many months. Genetic material from Ebola was identified in the man’s sperm 175 days after he had developed symptoms, which is 74 days more than any other case studied.

The issue raises some questions that perhaps you’re too squeamish to ask. The answers to these questions were provided by CDC spokesperson Salina Smith and have been updated to reflect the latest news.

1. Why does Ebola survive in semen longer than blood? Semen and blood are different types of body fluids, and scientifically, the testes are known as immunologically “privileged” sites. Basically it’s easier for the virus to hide and avoid being attacked by the immune system in the reproductive system.

2. Why is someone deemed “cured” of the virus if it’s negative in their blood, but positive in their semen? Theoretically it’s possible that Ebola could be transmitted via contact with Ebola-positive semen, but there is no evidence to date that this has ever happened until recently. It may be that the virus is a more efficient transmitter in blood. What we know for a fact is that exposure to blood that’s positive for Ebola can infect other people.

3. Does the CDC explicitly recommend abstinence to every patient who survives Ebola? The patient and his partner are well counseled on this, and must have it clearly explained to them. A CDC medical team is currently supposed to provide them with enough condoms for that period. The CDC recommends this warning also be included on the patient’s discharge papers.

4. Does the CDC ever test patients’ semen? The CDC does test the semen of patients who are medically evacuated to the United States. The agency also asks if patients in the United States would like to have their semen tested periodically so that the CDC can gain a better idea of how long the virus lasts.

Summary: The CDC updates its guidelines for survivors of the disease


The prime minister’s department has blamed an “administrative error” for inadvertently distributing the email addresses of thousands of women who had registered on a “confidential” government database for women seeking appointment to government boards or decision-making bodies.

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet sent an email on Wednesday informing women on the “AppointWomen” register that it was being decommissioned and advising of other websites they could use if they were still interested in appointment to a government board or decision-making body.

But the email addresses of all of the thousands of women who had been registered with “AppointWomen” were included.

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Three hours later, Troy Sloan, the acting first assistant secretary of the department’s social policy division, emailed the thousands of women again.

“There has been an administrative error which has led to the unintentional disclosure of a number of email addresses,” he wrote.

“We sincerely apologise for the disclosure. We are currently reviewing our internal processes to ensure that this does not occur again.”

He said the department had referred the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and included details of a “departmental privacy contact officer” for those who had concerns.

When AppointWomen was set up in 2007, the then minister assisting the prime minister for women’s issues, Julie Bishop, said it was a “new free and confidential online registration and search service”.

“It will support the efforts of Australian government departments to identify talented women, with diverse skills and experience, who are actively seeking appointment to boards or other decision-making bodies,” she said at the time.

The AppointWomen website has been superseded by a new website called BoardLinks, which requires women seeking to register to be nominated by ministers, departmental secretaries or one of 21 “BoardLink champions” – a list that includes refugee advocate Paris Aristotle, the prime minister’s wife, Lucy Turnbull, the Business Council of Australia chief executive, Jennifer Westacott, former ASX chief Elmer Funke Kupper, former chief scientist Ian Chubb and businesswoman Diane Smith-Gander.

In response to questions from Guardian Australia a departmental spokesperson said: “AppointWomen is a now defunct database of women seeking appointment to a government board. The database has not been used by departments to source candidates for some time. It has been superseded by the BoardLinks program, which features a similar database.

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“BoardLinks is a superior resource to AppointWomen. For example, BoardLinks ensures only women who are highly qualified for board positions are put forward as they require endorsement by either a minister, departmental secretary or designated BoardLinks champion (from business and the not-for-profit sectors). Decommissioning AppointWomen and strengthening efforts around BoardLinks will assist to streamline government resources and make sourcing high-quality candidates more effective.”

Figures released in late 2015 showed the proportion of women on federal government boards has dropped slightly to 39.1% of positions held by women but that figure remains close to the government’s target of having at least 40% of Australian government board positions held by women.

The minister for women, Michaelia Cash, said she was determined to “step up” efforts to boost diversity within government appointments.

• Join Lenore Taylor and Katharine Murphy in Sydney and Melbourne as they host our Guardian Live election special event featuring a panel of prominent political guests

Summary: Exclusive: Department apologises for ‘administrative error’, saying matter referred to Office of the Australian Information Commissioner


High school is hard enough without people deliberately trying to make it even worse for you.

, her male classmates seemed to lack the basic human decency to understand that when they posted a poll on

prompting fellow students to elect who the ugliest girl at their school is. Cantwell, along with two of her friends, was on the list.

"I saw that I was fourth and I was like, wow."

. "I felt hurt, like really really hurt. Not gonna lie, it tore me apart a little bit." Along with poll, there were anonymous comments, and a supplementary poll of the "prettiest" girls.

Refusing to let the bullies get the best of her, Lynelle took to her Facebook page to shut them down in the most eloquent and mature way imaginable:

Rather than stoop to the poll creator's level and simply sling insults back, Lynelle gave them, and the "12 people who voted her up to 4th place" some insight as to why they might have felt the need to attack other students in that way. "I'm sorry that your life is so miserable that you have to try to bring others down,"

. "I'm sorry that you get amusement out of making people feel like [this]."

"I'm sorry that you don't get to know me as a person. I know that I'm not the prettiest thing to look at. I know I have a double chin and I fit in XL clothes. I know I don't have the perfect smile or the perfect face. But I'm sorry for you. Not myself."

Then, she drove it home:

I'm sorry that you'll never get the chance to know the kind of person i am. I may not look okay on the outside.. But i'm funny, nice, kind, down to earth, not judgemental, accepting, helpful, and i'm super easy to talk to. Thats the same for every other girl on that list that you all put down. Just because we don't look perfect on the outside does not mean we are ugly. If thats your idea of ugly then i feel sorry for you.

Her mind-blowing maturity in the face of such a cruel prank has not gone unnoticed, either. According to a

made by Lynelle's mom, since she spoke out, she was interviewed on The CBC Morning Show, and also offered an an all expenses paid trip to attend the "Count Me In" Leadership Conference in Toronto, Ontario.

AND, on top of that, Lynelle posted on Facebook that her and two of her friends were treated to a day of pampering at "The Hair Strand salon and spa", a complimentary outfit at "Eclipse", and a free meal at "Jungle Jims."

she's also been bombarded with texts, calls and messages ever since the post, one person even going so far as to send her flowers. "Everyone is coming up to me and saying, 'Oh my gosh, your Facebook status, it's so beautifully written and doing such a good job and I'm so proud of you.'"

Summary: 'I'm sorry that you get amusement out of making people feel like [this]. I'm sorry that you'll never get the chance to know the kind of person i am.'


“Hold On, We’re Going Home,” the second single from Drake’s album Nothing Was the Same, has demonstrated some serious staying power with a diverse array of covers by Dev Hynes, the Arctic Monkeys and Foster the People, among others. Now Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li offers her take on the song, returning the favor Drake paid when he remixed her 2008 song “Little Bit” for a mixtape the following year.

In her rendition, Li slows the tempo and strips the song of percussion until around the halfway point. Her vocals are impassioned and emotional, backed by a healthy dose of reverb, subtle harmonies and Li’s fluttering falsetto chirps. By the time the song reaches its denouement, it’s miles from Drake’s cleanly-produced, radio-ready original.

Both artists will perform at this week’s Coachella music festival in Indio, Calif., where perhaps they’ll take the next step in their relationship—moving from distant admiration to an onstage, in-the-flesh duet.

Summary: The Swedish singer performs a dramatic rendition of the song


Americans hoping to pick and choose the television programming they want may need to wait a bit longer.

In international markets, several studios and television producers are providing a wide range of pay-TV streaming services outside of traditional cable connections, Bloomberg is reporting, citing sources with knowledge of the companies’ plans. Several prominent companies, including Viacom VIAB and Walt Disney DIS , are finding ways to provide their content to customers who aren’t so willing to pay for traditional television services, the report claims.

So-called a la carte television has become a hot topic in the world of entertainment. Companies around the globe are analyzing ways to provide customers with the content they care about without forcing them into cable subscriptions that include a slew of channels they don’t. While in the U.S., such a plan has been slow-going, the Bloomberg report claims it’s making significant inroads in Europe and Latin America, where cable and satellite companies don’t have an iron-like grip on content.

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The idea of providing a la carte television is something that many people might be interested in. Cable and satellite companies provide services that offer easy access to content. However, much of that content is viewed by precious few people. That’s why an increasing number of people around the U.S. are opting to “cut the cord” and back away from traditional television services.

A survey from video-discovery firm DigitalSmiths last summer found that approximately 8% of Americans have already nixed their pay-TV subscriptions in favor of streaming services like HBO Go, a jump from approximately 7% in 2014. That report was followed in September by a study from research firm Magid Associates that found the number of people at least considering cutting the cord was on the rise.

In response, several companies have delivered streaming apps, including HBO, CBS CBS , and others. It’s also been reported that Apple aapl has been working hard at providing American users the option to stream a few dozen channels that are most popular in a bid to target cable and satellite companies. So far, however, the company has been unable to come to an agreement.

Apple ‘Frustrated’ by TV Streaming Negotiations

Overseas, things appear to be different. According to Bloomberg, Fox has already launched a service, called Fox Play, that lets cable and satellite customers in Latin America watch its programming. Several other media companies are selling monthly services to customers who want access to the programming they care about.

The issue is one of significant concern to cable and satellite companies in the U.S. Traditionally, customers have simply paid their providers for access to programming. Now, they want to watch only certain content, and do so wherever they are. That has contributed to the growing popularity of services like Netflix NFLX , Hulu, and Amazon’s AMZN own streaming platform. It’s also prompted traditional providers to consider offering content in new ways, including offering an entire season of a TV show at once, similar to moves by Netflix and Amazon.

For more on Netflix, watch:

Still, there are no signs of pay-TV providers in the U.S. losing their control anytime soon. Indeed, many of them have a firm grip on the market and don’t want to dramatically change their businesses. According to Bloomberg’s sources, providers don’t have the same level of control in other markets, giving the content creators opportunities to launch their own services.

It’s unclear what’s next for the pay-TV market in the U.S., but if content providers have their way, an increasing number of streaming services will be made available as more people cut the cord. The onus will then be on those providers to respond.

Summary: But just not in the U.S.


Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he’s running for president and vowed to be America’s Mr. Fix It — tackling unemployment, illegal immigration and terrorism.

“I will be the greatest jobs president that God has ever created,” the billionaire declared during a 45-minute red-meat speech at Trump Tower, his company’s Fifth Avenue headquarters.

The mogul, known for his “You’re fired”-style moxie and pugnacious oratory style, took no prisoners, slamming Jeb Bush, President Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton — and Mexico, for sending criminals across the border.

Taking the stage to Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Trump painted himself as a political outsider, attacking the entrenched Washington, DC, establishment, which he called “stupid” and beholden to special interests — and asleep at the switch while countries such as China, Japan and Mexico “eat our lunch” in trade deals.

“I’ll bring back our jobs from China, from Mexico, from Japan, from so many places . . . and I’ll bring back our money,” he said.

Trump vowed to repeal ObamaCare, and blasted the president’s push for a nuclear deal with Iran as a grave threat to Israel.

He mocked the $5 billion ObamaCare Web site as a “disaster.”

The real-estate developer spoke with scorn of America’s failure to build or maintain its infrastructure, singling out La Guardia Airport as fit for a “Third World” country.

But Trump’s most provocative comments concerned the flood of illegal immigrants coming from Mexico. He slammed that nation as more enemy than friend.

“When Mexico sends people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems . . . They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” he said.

Trump’s solution to the problem? Build a giant wall.

“I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall,” he said.

On the national-security front, Trump called the Middle East a disaster.

“Our enemies are getting stronger and we’re getting weaker,” he said, vowing to find a new “General Patton” to defeat ISIS.

Trump decried the US strategy in Syria and Iraq, large parts of which are controlled by the savage terrorist group.

“They just built a hotel in Syria. Can you believe this? They built a hotel. When I have to build a hotel, I pay interest. They don’t have to pay interest, because they took the oil that, when we left Iraq, I said we should’ve taken,” Trump said.

He rapped GOP opponent Jeb Bush for being tongue-tied when asked about the Iraq war initiated by his brother, former President George W. Bush.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton wasn’t spared either.

When discussing the two inmates who broke out of an upstate prison, Trump said, “Interestingly, it’s named Clinton.”

Trump will put on hold his appearances on his NBC “Celebrity Apprentice” show and his weekly guest appearance on “Fox and Friends” as long as he’s on the campaign trail, said a source close to the candidate.

After the speech, Neil Young’s manager said Trump was “not authorized” to use the rock legend’s s song.

Trump later appeared on ABC and said he’d be a sure winner if Oprah Winfrey joined his ticket.

“I think Oprah would be great. I’d love to have Oprah,” Trump said. “I think we’d win easily, actually.”

Summary: Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he’s running for president and vowed to be America’s Mr. Fix It — tackling unemployment, illegal immigration and terrorism. “I will be the greatest jobs presiden…


Emojis, the little smiley faces and characters that can be added into texts, emails, and chat messages are a language all their own.

The Oxford Dictionaries went so far as to name one emoji the word of the year in 2015, saying the Japanese-born characters are “a nuanced form of expression, and one which can cross language barriers.”

But this international lexicon has one big problem: No one can agree on exactly what’s being said when we send each other emojis.

A new study from a group of computer scientists at the University of Minnesota found that people interpret the exact same emoji faces in very different ways.

In the study, researchers talked to 334 people across the U.S. who analyzed emojis from Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, and LG. The researchers asked the participants what they thought the emojis meant, how they would describe them, and how they might use them.

And they found that about 25% of the time, even when people are viewing the exact same emoji picture on the exact same kind of device, they disagree about whether the emotion being conveyed by the emoji is positive, negative, or neutral.

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Add in the fact that emojis can change expressions slightly depending on what kind of phone a user has, and it’s pretty impossible to know for sure how someone is going to interpret one of your emoji texts.

One of the most confusing emoji offenders is this ridiculous, toothy “grinning face with smiling eyes.”

GroupLens Research, University of Minnesota

People in the study often described this face on Google’s system as “blissfully friendly,” while Apple’s toothy face is seen as feistier and more “ready to fight.” But even among Apple users people can’t seem to agree: Is the face grinning or grimacing?

And the toothy face isn’t the only one people are confused about. The most emotionally confusing Apple emoji around, according to the research? The “loudly crying face emoji.”

Are you laughing so hard that tears are streaming down your face…or sobbing uncontrollably? Maybe a little of both? It’s unclear.

For more on emojis, watch:

Lead study author and doctoral student Hannah Miller, who studies computer interaction, tells Fortune it’s possible that people could solve some of these emoji miscommunications by putting emojis in context, adding words into the mix.

But even that doesn’t always seem to help:

“People miscommunicate all the time, it’s not about emoji,” argues study author Jacob Thebault-Spieker.

Still, the authors say companies could do more to clear up at least some of the emoji confusion. They might develop a kind of emoji translation tool, so people on different platforms can see their friends’ emojis in the same format as they were sent. (A Samsung user, for example, would see an emoji from an iPhone’s sender displayed just as it is on its iPhone, and vice versa.)

Or companies might create one unified set of emojis for all platforms, a kind of universal “Times New Roman” font for emojis, so that all of these different smiles could be reduced to just one, single, universal face:

For now, the researchers press it’s just important to know your emojis may not be received the way they were intended. And maybe that’s just part of the inherent silly fun of exchanging emojis: that potential emoji fail, that possibility for misinterpretation.

Miller experienced it herself recently, when someone Tweeted at her about the new study. Of course, they included one of those grinning (or was it grimacing?) toothy smiles.

“I didn’t know whether they liked our study or not,” Miller said.

Summary: How fluent is your emoji?


His voice hoarse from constant use, he celebrated his own success, vindicated himself against the political experts who had said his rise was impossible, mocked his rivals.

“These pundits are not worth anything. One guy said I was just a clown. A clown? I build great business,” he said

“Now their saying, ‘how do we stop him?’ I am the biggest political story in the world today.”

Mr Trump has won 15 of the last 26 Republican primaries, leaving him far ahead of his rivals in the race to reach 1237 delegates.

On Tuesday he faces his greatest test: Florida and Ohio, two of America’s largest states, along with three others, are holding their winner-take-all primaries.

If he wins these elections, even his rivals confess, he will become the presidential nominee of a party horrified to have him at the helm.

#Trump arrived at #Florida rally as thousands watched #USelection pic.twitter.com/2IP85IeG4B

Even whilst Republican officials and members of the centre right have expended money and political capital to stop him, the real estate mogul has been the beneficiary of mass populist support.

Mr Trump’s slogan to “Make America Great Again” has proven a powerful motivator, inspiring millions of Americans who have seen the country’s economic recessions steal away livelihoods that were once good.

For blue-collar workers, globalisation has helped move their jobs abroad.

The fear spawned by financial insecurity has contributed to strong anti-immigration current as people search for someone to blame.

The population of Florida is more than 23 percent Hispanic and 16 percent African American.

Republican presidential canddate Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Boca Raton, Florida Photo: Getty Images

But at this gathering in the venue by a gently lapping lakeside in Boca Raton, the crowd was overwhelmingly white.

“Build that wall!!” they chanted in unison, voicing their support for Mr Trump’s policy to stop illegal immigrants (who he has referred to as “drug dealers” and “rapists”) from crossing into the United States.

“Oh we love that wall don't we?” Mr Trump called back.

Mr Trump has been accused of inciting violence with his hardline rhetoric and divisive tones.

This week he was forced to cancel a rally in Chicago after thousands of demonstrators, many of them Hispanics, infiltrated the hall where he was set to speak.

Mr Trump also cancelled a rally in Miami, which has a large Hispanic population, which was scheduled for Monday.

In Kansas, police used pepper spray on protestors at a Trump event.

The protests came just as Mr Trump had begun to moderate his tone. His performance in a recent debate had been decidedly restrained.

At the rally on Sunday though, Mr Trump said he had only been acting presidential "because my wife told me too."

#Trump at #Florida rally says he's only being 'presidential' because his wife told him to. "I liked it better the other way" he said.

"I liked it better the other way," he added.

A self-declared billionaire who enjoys flaunting his wealth (Mr Trump arrived at the event on Sunday night in a helicopter, circling overhead as the campaign announced the arrival of the “next president of the United States”) might not seem an obvious spokesman for the classes of the working poor.

As his political rivals highlighted last week, for all his talk about bringing jobs back to America, Mr Trump has continued to employ foreign labourers in his Mar-a-Lago luxury Florida resort.

As the Telegraph saw when browsing in his store in Trump Tower in New York, much of Mr Trump’s brand merchandise (including some of his ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign hats) is made in China or Bangladesh.

When asked if this concerned them, many in the crowd shrugged.

They could be forgiving of hypocrisy they said, because Mr Trump is so persuasive on stage. His speeches are a far cry from that of a polished politician. He offers rambling streams of consciousness punctuated with moments of stand up comedy.

Giving a counter argument to critics who say Mr Trump is generating advertising his brand, rather than seriously running for president, he quipped: “I love you folks but I can think of places I'd rather be.”

Mr Trump has clever labelled his opponents with mocking catchphrases. The crowd laughed hard as he referred to Ted Cruz as “Lyin’ Ted” (“You gotta say it with an apostrophe.”)

“He comes here with a bible,” he said of his Republican presidential rival, who is running on an evangelical platform. “He puts the bible down and starts lying.”

In Florida, Mr Trump’s task is to beat “Little Marco” as he has taken to calling Marco Rubio, the state’s senator and presidential rival.

Mr Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has strong support among the state’s large Hispanic population, but he has failed to connect with voters in majority white, rural areas.

He is currently losing to Mr Trump by significant margins in almost all the polls.

Mr Rubio’s campaign aides have dismissed many of the statistics, pointing out that many agencies do not poll in Spanish, and in failing to do so they miss a large bloc of Hispanics who do not speak English but nonetheless are able to vote.

A poll published by the Washington Post with Univision, the large Hispanic television network showed Mr Trump leading Mr Rubio by a margin of only seven points last week.

“We are going to make America so great again. You are going to be proud of your country and so proud of your president,” Mr Trump told his audience. “But for that to happen you have to go and vote!”

Summary: At a rally in Florida two days before the crucial vote, the Republican   frontrunner entertains audience with rants and stand up comedy


The rich may be different than you and me–but not nearly as different as the characters that comprise the Forbes Fictional 15, our annual listing of fiction’s very wealthiest. This year’s selection includes a duck, a wizard, a Nigerian prince and even a plumber. Aggregate (fictional) net worth? $111 billion.

The biggest change to this year’s list comes at the very top. For the first time in the Fictional 15′s history, Santa Claus has been unseated from the number-one spot, replaced by defense contractor Oliver ”Daddy” Warbucks.

We still estimate Claus’ net worth as infinite, but we excluded him from this year’s rankings after being bombarded by letters from outraged children insisting that Claus is “real.” We don’t claim to have settled the ongoing controversy concerning Claus’ existence, but after taking into account the physical evidence–toys delivered, milk and cookies devoured–we felt it was safer to remove him from consideration.

In the absence of the tubby toy titan, Oliver Warbucks now reigns as the world’s richest fictional character. The ex-U.S. Army general turned industrialist saw his net worth surge to $36.2 billion, thanks to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and because of a contract to provide oil-well maintenance in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

In Pictures: The Forbes Fictional 15

In Pictures: Fictional 15 Drop Offs

Other characters were dropped for more prosaic reasons. Plummeting demand for fur coats hit puppy-hating Cruella De Vil especially hard, while playboy billionaire Arthur Bach died from liver failure. Ebenezer Scrooge gave the bulk of his $1.7 billion fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. And Superman nemesis Lex Luthor is struggling to rebuild his fortune after blowing billions on his latest (futile) attempt to take over the world.

With a net worth of $7.1 billion, Atlantic City real-estate tycoon Mr. Monopoly is the richest newcomer. Also making his Fictional 15 debut: spam entrepreneur Prince Abakaliki of Nigeria. Abakaliki is notable for being the only fictional character on our list who regularly e-mails real people, usually begging for assistance in recovering large sums of money. We estimate Abakaliki to be worth more than $2.8 billion.

Characters involved in the defense industries, or whose fortune is determined by the price of gold, have done particularly well over the past 12 months. Fictional 15 newcomer Tony Stark (net worth: $3 billion) has profited immensely from his firm’s invention of indestructible alloys and so-called “destructor rays.” And despite a failed scheme to find “the gold at the end of the rainbow,” the planet’s richest poultry, Scrooge McDuck, saw his fortune soar to an estimated $10.9 billion on rising gold prices.

Other newcomers include Mario, the videogame plumber who built a $1 billion fortune after decades of collecting gold coins, and billionaire narcocapitalist Tony Montana, aka Scarface.

The wheel of fortune has a tendency to turn especially fast for the members of the Fictional 15, and this year proved no exception. Longtime member C. Montgomery Burns doubled his fortune to $16.8 billion in just 12 months, thanks in large part to a “technology exchange” deal with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.

Others have been less fortunate. Willy Wonka ran afoul of British occupational safety authorities with his eccentric “golden ticket” method of CEO succession planning. Richie Rich blew more than $6 billion over the last year building solid-gold schoolhouses in Indonesia. And Thurston Howell III’s fortune has taken a hit after a mysterious whistleblower, known only as “Gilligan,” began cooperating with the New York State attorney general.

In Pictures: The Forbes Fictional 15

In Pictures: Fictional 15 Drop Offs

A note on methodology: Net worth estimates are based, when possible, on known commodity and share price movements. All prices as of market close, Nov. 17, 2006. In the case of privately held fictional concerns, we sought to identify comparable fictional public companies. Final net worths were calculated using a tiny grain of common sense and a large dose of salt.

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Summary: For the first time, Santa Claus has been unseated from the number-one spot, replaced by defense contractor Oliver ''Daddy'' Warbucks.


NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain portrayed himself as the candidate of "right change" Tuesday night, as Sen. Barack Obama moved closer to becoming the Democratic candidate to challenge the presumptive GOP nominee in November.

Sen. John McCain compared his policies with those of Sen. Barack Obama in a speech Tuesday night.

"No matter who wins this election, the direction of this country is going to change dramatically. But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," he said.

In the speech, McCain drew upon themes from his campaign and contrasted them with those of the junior senator, citing his inexperience.

"The American people didn't get to know me yesterday, as they are just getting to know Sen. Obama," he said. "They know I have a long record of bipartisan problem-solving. They've seen me put our country before any president, before any party, before any special interest -- before my own interest."

McCain called for "widespread and innovative reforms" in health care, energy, the environment, taxes, public education, transportation, disaster relief, regulation, diplomacy and military and intelligence services. Watch McCain's case for change »

He called for government to "rethink, reform and reinvent" many of its policies and improve its ability to respond to "natural calamity," eliciting loud applause from the Louisiana audience.

McCain also he accused Obama of favoring policies that relied on government interference and failed policies from the past.

"The right change recognizes that many of the policies and institutions of our government have failed. They have failed to keep up with the challenges of our time because many of these policies were designed for the problems and opportunities of the mid- to late 20th century, before the end of the Cold War, before the revolution in information technology and rise of the global economy," he said.

McCain rejected the Democratic strategy to tie him to President Bush's policies, noting his opposition to Bush's initial policies in Iraq, his energy policy and his climate change policy.

He also referred to reports of success in Iraqi-led efforts to combat insurgency and cited statistics showing that the death toll for American troops in Iraq was at its lowest in four years.

"All of this progress would have been lost if Sen. Obama had his way and began to withdraw," McCain said.

McCain also accused Obama of not taking failing to stand up against "the partisan rancor" on both sides of the Senate floor.

"He is an impressive man who makes a great first impression," he said. "But he hasn't been willing to make the tough calls, to challenge his party, to risk criticism from his supporters to bring real change to Washington. I have."

Finally, McCain will call for Republicans and Democrats to work together.

"Pundits and party elders have declared that Sen. Obama will be my opponent," McCain said. "He will be a formidable one. But I'm ready for the challenge and determined to run this race in a way that does credit to our campaign and to the proud, decent and patriotic people I ask to lead."

CNN's Joe Johns contributed to this report.

All About Elections and Voting • John McCain • Barack Obama


Edward Snowden has been in exile in Russia since 2013, when he leaked classified documents about the National Security Agency’s mass surveillance programs. Now he’s entering a similar fight in his new home, speaking out on Twitter against a Russian bill that would require internet service providers and phone operators to archive records of users’ communications and make them available to law enforcement for six months.

Mass surveillance doesn't work. This bill will take money and liberty from every Russian without improving safety. It should not be signed.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) June 25, 2016

The bill, approved by Russia’s Duma on Friday, encompasses more than just digital surveillance. It also criminalizes anything construed as an approving reaction to terrorism on social media. And in a gesture reminiscent of the tactics of the East German Stasi, it makes failure to report certain kinds of crime to the authorities itself a criminal offense.

But Snowden’s reaction focused on the aspects of the law connected to his own concerns with digital privacy. In addition to the recording requirements, the bill would require any online service that uses encrypted data to cooperate with Russian security services to decrypt messages or information. Snowden’s objections to those provisions aren’t just about ethics.

"Store 6 months of content" is not just dangerous, it's impractical. What is that, ~100PB of storage for even a tiny 50Gbps ISP? #BigBrother

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) June 25, 2016

The Washington Times reports that three large Russian telecom providers–MTS, Megafon, and Vimpelcom–agree with Snowden, saying that the law would require impossibly large infrastructure outlays.

Snowden’s outspoken response could have serious consequences for him. He is currently in Russia on a temporary asylum permit due to expire in August of 2017, and it’s not inconceivable that supporters of this bill will have a say in its extension. In 2013, Snowden applied for asylum in at least 21 other nations, and was almost universally rejected. Though Attorney General Eric Holder told Russia in 2013 that Snowden did not face the death penalty for his crimes, that could be less clear-cut under a new President.

Summary: His new home is making some familiar moves.