Domestic analysts have been quick to express their relief. "Given that recent policy measures have restrained speculative activities and deleveraging has run its course for the time being, there is hope for a market rebound," says Wang Fen at Shanghai Securities. Meanwhile, Soochow Securities has released a report entitled: "The severe winter is past, and the time has come for spring planting."

Not everyone is convinced, however. Average equity valuations may have come down significantly from the peak, but many stocks — especially small-caps — still trade at price to earnings ratios far above their historical trend. Despite the huge falls in the Shanghai and Shenzhen indices, both have risen a third over the past 12 months, making them the best performing markets in the world. The bubble, say the sceptics, has not yet completely burst.

"The government is supporting the market at too high a level", says Francis Cheung, China equity strategist at CLSA. "They are going to lose. At some point, they will have to let go." He has a price target for the Shanghai Composite of 2,700, implying a further 15 per cent drop from current levels.

Even if Beijing has succeeded in putting a floor under share prices, it has done so at great expense. The government itself has deployed as much as Rmb1.5 trillion ($236 billion) to support the stock market in the past three months, according to estimates from Goldman Sachs.

More from the Financial Times:

China's foreign exchange reserves fall by record $94 billion Transparency fears over China explosion European businesses warn China over pace of reform

The costs of rescuing the market have not just been financial. The intervention has derailed some key reform initiatives, such as shifting capital raising from commercial bank loans to the equity market. To cut the supply of new shares into the market, initial public offerings have been frozen.

Trading volumes have collapsed as government action, capital outflows and ructions in the currency markets have sapped liquidity. Turnover on the Shanghai stock exchange on Tuesday fell to $43 billion, the lowest daily amount since February and down from a peak of $212 billion in early June. Futures volumes have taken an even more severe hammering.

"Futures are dead, options are dead, margin finance is dead. Brokers are unwilling to lend, so there's no liquidity", says Hao Hong, strategist at Bocom International. "Effectively, they closed down the market."

Meanwhile, the longer term goal of increasing foreign participation in domestic financial markets has taken a significant step backwards after new rules were introduced that banned short selling and big share sales.

"Nobody wants to own an asset without knowing if they can sell," says Bob Browne, chief investment officer at Northern Trust, the US fund manager with $960 billion in assets under management.

Read MoreGE's Jeff Immelt: China growth fears are overdone

Investors and brokers have also found themselves under investigation by the authorities. The sweeping probe into market malpractice, seen by some as a witch hunt, has spooked many fund managers even more so than the sharp stock price declines.

And despite official declarations that the crisis is over, many believe there is further to fall, especially with the economy continuing to slow. Though consumer inflation has started to tick higher on the back of rising pork prices, factory gate prices are still falling sharply, while trade growth remains tepid.

"Even after the plunge, we haven't really capitulated. It is very difficult to say we have bottomed out and fundamentals aren't getting better," says Mr Hong. "What's the reason to buy?"

Summary: China's expensive victory in stock markets could yet prove fleeting, the Financial Times reports.


Few words are more menacing to today's office worker: "Reminder: Meeting … in 15 minutes."

It's a pop-up message that—not unlike a computer virus pop-up—threatens to consume your next hour or perhaps the rest of your afternoon.

One-third of Americans recently told pollsters for software firm Mersive that they attend 10 or more meetings every week. Another recent poll for Clarizen, also a software firm, found 46 percent would rather get a root canal or go to the Department Motor Vehicles, or do other unpleasant tasks, rather than attend another status meeting.

Hard data on wasted meeting time is essentially impossible to collect, but no one would blame you if you believed the oft-quoted guestimate that Americans attend 11 million meetings daily and waste $37 billion a year doing so. If I wrote a jillion hours and a $1 zillion, you'd probably believe that.

Steven G. Rogelberg, a professor of organizational science at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, said he can't talk to anyone about his research without people launching into what he calls the "meeting hell lament."

And yet, meetings are going nowhere, fast. "If there truly was an appetite to stop these things you would see that happening. It's not," Rogelberg said.

In fact, an entire industry has sprouted offering ways to wrestle with might be called "meeting inflation." Gurus sell the virtue of standing meetings, walking meetings, huddle meetings—even role-playing meetings.

Silliness aside, there's growing evidence that some of the ideas may actually make meetings more productive, if not more popular.

Summary: Meeting inflation has spurred a whole industry of gurus looking for ways to make meetings more efficient.


Materials White A3 cartridge paper, your choice of 2B, 3B or 4B pencil

Our aim is to begin to co-ordinate the looking/feeling/drawing into an image of a recognisable object. We are going to continue with what we have done previously, but begin to take the occasional "sneaky look" at the drawing.

1. It is very important to position yourself in the right place in relation to your drawing pad/board and object, thereby reducing the "memory gap". If you are drawing from an easel with your right hand you may find it easier to look to the left side of your board. Similarly, if you draw with your left hand, it may be easier to look to the right.

2. If you are using a drawing pad, rest it on your lap and lean it against the table edge or the back of a chair so that you can comfortably see both your object and drawing. You shouldn't have to move your head to see either; the time it takes between seeing and putting a mark down needs to be as short as possible.

3. Only glance at your drawing every 20 seconds or so to check that you are drawing in about the right place.

You should now begin to see the relationship between looking, feeling and responding with a collection of marks that beginning to resemble your object. The drawing should be somewhere between abstraction and representation. By taking a "sneaky look" you can begin to put appropriate marks in the "right" places and suggest the form of the object you are drawing. This increased level of control, co-ordination and accuracy should feel like it has evolved out of combining a basic understanding of observing and mark-making.

Summary: This exercise will begin to create a route of synchronised communication between your eye and your hand.


I’m sure somewhere deep inside of Google (GOOG) headquarters, Android head Andy Rubin has been checking out the new Sidekick 4G by Samsung. Rubin, of course, headed the Danger outfit that designed the original Sidekick before they were purchased and destroyed by Microsoft in 2005. Today, after ridding itself of Microsoft’s Sidekick, T-Mobile is launching the Android based Sidekick 4G.

As a Danger Sidekick user from 2003-2007, I too have been checking out T-Mobile’s new Sidekick 4G for the past week. When I heard that T-Mobile was resurrecting the form factor with an Android 2.2 OS built on a Samsung Galaxy S platform, I was pretty sure this would be my next smartphone.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

Samsung and T-Mobile did an amazing job matching the Sidekick 4G aesthetics, both in hardware and software, to the previous Danger versions.

As strange as it may sound, I was much more productive (with messaging anyway) on my Sidekick 3 than I was on the iPhone that replaced it or any subsequent Blackberry or Android device that I’ve owned since. Some of that could have been in the four years of continuous usage I had with Danger products. Also, touch screens are more versatile but aren’t as reliable for typing. As with regular typing, I didn’t need to look at my Sidekick keyboard while I was typing.

So the good news in this regard is the new Sidekick 4G has the same 5-row keyboard, including shortcuts, as the previous Sidekicks. It is easily the best Android keyboard I’ve ever used, beating the previous champion, the Sprint Epic 4G (also made by Samsung).

Unfortunately, the rest of the experience melds the current Android experience and the previous Sidekick experience in unflattering ways. For instance, the buttons that normally are on the bottom of an Android phone are now spread around the outside of the SK4G device. That, in itself isn’t a bad idea, but in doing this, the Sidekick 4G no longer has a search button for instant Voice Search and Actions.

This is something I use on Android many times a day and it is now entirely gone. I think T-Mobile doesn’t realize the importance of Voice Actions because they’ve also stripped the MyTouch 4G of that capability, replacing it with their own less powerful utility.

To get the Android OS to operate the way a Sidekick does, Samsung and T-Mobile have built a pretty crazy overlay that puts everything in the funky Sidekick theme. That will appeal to tweens and the hip-hop sect that embraced the original Sidekick. For those with more refined font and color palettes, the theme will be a turn off.

More importantly, the crazy overlay will also mean that it will take much longer to get Android updates to this device (if they happen at all).

Worst of all, the overlay isn’t holistically beneficial. The original Sidekick’s menu was a simple one-dimensional slide through 10 programs, the most important ones in the middle. Meanwhile stock Android presents itself in a 2D grid that can be slid up and down. The combination of these two systems is confusing to users like me who’ve used both and prefer one or the other.

As the week wore on, I got used to this interface but I’m not entirely convinced that it is overly better than either stock Android or Danger’s original.

Perhaps my biggest issue with this device is a hardware gripe: The screen doesn’t pop up very easily in this new Sidekick. The old one took a finger flip, which not only was super easy but contributed to the ‘hipness’ . This Samsung device is more of a two-handed peeling of the screen. I imagine with use, the parts will wear and the process will get easier. For now, I like the older version.

Bottom line: For people like me who’ve moved from the Sidekick platform eventually to Android, this is a reminder that there is no going back. Technology has moved on. Stock Android with large touch screens is the new way of doing things.

However, for Tweens who’ve never used Android or people coming from the old Sidekick, the new Sidekick 4G is a great way to hit the ground running with Google’s OS.

Summary: There's no going back. I'm sure somewhere deep inside of Google (GOOG) headquarters, Android head Andy Rubin has been checking out the new Sidekick 4G by Samsung.  Rubin, of course, headed the Danger outfit that designed the original Sidekick before they were purchased and destroyed by Microsoft in 2005.  Today, after ridding itself of Microsoft's…


According to the study, only 42 percent of Facebook and Twitter users were comfortable posting about the issue on those platforms. However, 86 percent of Americans were willing to have an in-person discussion about the issue. And in both in-person and online settings people were more willing to discuss the issue if they thought their audience agreed with them.

Of the 14 percent of Americans who said they were not comfortable sharing their views in-person, almost none (0.03 percent) were willing to share their opinions on social media.

This suggests that social media platforms may not be as useful as an alternative forum for people who express minority views.

"Overall, the findings indicate that in the Snowden case, social media did not provide new forums for those who might otherwise remain silent to express their opinions and debate issues," the report said.

Read MoreFacebook users slam 'ridiculous' Messenger app

While the study did not specifically address why people remain silent if they feel their opinions are in the minority, it did list a few possibilities including fear of isolation, fruitless arguments and the possibility that their posts would eventually be seen by someone with authority, like an employer.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

—By CNBC's Cadie Thompson. Follow her on Twitter @CadieThompson.

Summary: Believe it or not people are actually censoring themselves online.


There’s a lot to love about this comedy, whose first season is available on Netflix. Aziz Ansari has put together a show that on one level is a highly familiar story – looking for romance in New York with a group of friends – but on another level a rare look into ethnicity in America, sexism, and generational disconnection. I highly recommend it — or episodes 2-10, anyway; the first one is a bit iffy. One of the treats on the series is Noel Wells, who plays Rachel, the romantic interest of Ansari’s character. She is a charmer, and the two actors (pictured) have remarkable chemistry as they move through the stages of a new relationship. Wells was a featured player on “Saturday Night Live” two years ago.

VH1 Big Music in 2015: You Oughta Know 9 p.m., VH1

Former Spice Girl Mel B is hosting this year’s event, which will air live. The idea is to highlight “artists on the rise,” as the website puts it. Among this year’s class: Ella Henderson, George Ezra, Tori Kelly, James Bay, Nate Ruess, and Newton’s own Rachel Platten (pictured). Stars that the VH1 “You Oughta Know” website modestly takes credit for: Adele, Ed Sheeran, Lorde, Mumford & Sons, Sam Smith, and Sia.

Monsters Inside Me 10 p.m., Animal Planet

Worms in his lungs? Time to go fishing.

Murder Book 10 p.m., ID

Pair with a fine bottle of red rum.

Life in Pieces 8:30 p.m., CBS

Good actors in search of a script.

Summary: Master of None Netflix There’s a lot to love about this comedy, whose first season is available on Netflix.


Arizona Diamondbacks' Justin Upton gets up onto his knees after being hit by a pitch from San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum in the first inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Justin Upton gets up onto his knees after being hit by a pitch from San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum in the first inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. (AP

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero, left, speaks to San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, right, as Lincecum comes up to bat after hitting Diamondbacks' Justin Upton with a pitch earlier in the game in the third inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, in Phoenix.(AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero, left, speaks to San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, right, as Lincecum comes up to bat after hitting Diamondbacks' Justin Upton with a pitch earlier in the

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is hit in the head by a pitch during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is hit in the head by a pitch during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is looked at by a team trainer after being hit in the head by a pitch from pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 (second from right) of the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is looked at by a team trainer after being hit in the head by a pitch from pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 (second from right) of the San

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks walks to first base after being hit in the head by a pitch from pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks walks to first base after being hit in the head by a pitch from pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants during the first

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks safely slides in to score a run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Upton #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks safely slides in to score a run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Infielder Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants fields a ground ball out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Infielder Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants fields a ground ball out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Miguel Montero #26 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is tagged out by catcher Chris Stewart #37 of the San Francisco Giants as he attempts to score a run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Miguel Montero #26 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is tagged out by catcher Chris Stewart #37 of the San Francisco Giants as he attempts to score a run during the first inning of the

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Cole Gillespie #5 (bottom middle) of the Arizona Diamondbacks leads teammates in a line of high fives after defeating the San Francisco Giants in the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated Giants 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Cole Gillespie #5 (bottom middle) of the Arizona Diamondbacks leads teammates in a line of high fives after defeating the San Francisco Giants in the Major League Baseball game at

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated Giants 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Second base umpire Gary Darling throws out manager Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants after he argued a play during the fifth inning of the Major League Baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated Giants 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Second base umpire Gary Darling throws out manager Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants after he argued a play during the fifth inning of the Major League Baseball game against

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Collin Cowgill #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated Giants 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Collin Cowgill #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Catcher Chris Stewart #37 of the San Francisco Giants is looked at by Pablo Sandoval #48, Tim Lincecum #55, home plate umpire Rob Drake, bench coach Ron Wotus #43 and a team trainer after an injury during the Major League Baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated Giants 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Catcher Chris Stewart #37 of the San Francisco Giants is looked at by Pablo Sandoval #48, Tim Lincecum #55, home plate umpire Rob Drake, bench coach Ron Wotus #43 and a team trainer

San Francisco Giants catcher Chris Stewart, right, tags out Arizona Diamondbacks' Miguel Montero in the first inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

San Francisco Giants catcher Chris Stewart, right, tags out Arizona Diamondbacks' Miguel Montero in the first inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

San Francisco Giants second baseman Jeff Keppinger, top left, reaches for but cannot apply to tag to Arizona Diamondbacks' Gerardo Parra, top right, who slides safely into the base as umpire Gary Darling, bottom, looks on in the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

San Francisco Giants second baseman Jeff Keppinger, top left, reaches for but cannot apply to tag to Arizona Diamondbacks' Gerardo Parra, top right, who slides safely into the base as umpire Gary Darling,

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop John McDonald throws to first but not in time to force out San Francisco Giants' Carlos Beltran in the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks won 5-2. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop John McDonald throws to first but not in time to force out San Francisco Giants' Carlos Beltran in the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix.

San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval reacts after striking out to Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher David Hernandez in the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks won 5-2. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval reacts after striking out to Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher David Hernandez in the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Outfielder Collin Cowgill #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws in a double hit by the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated Giants 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Outfielder Collin Cowgill #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws in a double hit by the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Starting pitcher Josh Collmenter #55 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated Giants 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Starting pitcher Josh Collmenter #55 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 25, 2011

Tim Lincecum loses a timid finale

Phoenix -- Tim Lincecum has a lot of bare walls in his Seattle condo. He plans to hang a lot of art this winter, including a commissioned painting of that familiar World Series celebration scene with Lincecum riding on his teammates' shoulders and thrusting his hand into the air.

The final image from Lincecum's 2011 season was a portrait of misery. He hit Justin Upton in the helmet in the first inning Sunday. Fearful of hitting anyone else, he stopped throwing inside and got hammered for five runs in five innings.

The Giants lost to Arizona 5-2 to end what manager Bruce Bochy described as an "embarrassing" sweep, and now Lincecum must go into the winter with a career low in wins and a losing record (13-14) for the first time.

What a crock for a pitcher who had a 2.74 ERA and 220 strikeouts. In fact, Lincecum will be the sixth pitcher in the modern era with an ERA below 2.75, more than 200 strikeouts and a losing record. He is in good company. The first was Cy Young in 1905.

How did it happen? In 11 of his 14 losses, Lincecum got zero or one run of support.

"He's got to hopefully look at the fact that overall he threw the ball well," Bochy said. "Overall, he was better than last year."

People around the game have begun to recognize that a pitcher's win-loss record is not a good benchmark for starters. Lincecum understands, to a degree.

"I left everything out there on the field," he said. "That's a positive I can take from it. You just try to do what you can to put your team in position to win. I know there were several times out there where I didn't do that. You try to build on more quality starts. ... Just try to get better from there and not really read too much into the record.

"It's kind of rough to take, but hopefully next year is a better year. I'm going to try to be a good teammate and work hard during the offseason."

Lincecum made a rare confession that he felt fear on the mound after he hit Upton in the head. As Upton went down, Lincecum immediately turned his back to the plate in frustration, later walking to the plate to check on Arizona's best hitter.

Lincecum said he was "kind of afraid" to throw inside again. The pitch to Upton was so out of control - he wanted it low and away - that he feared another one getting away.

"A situation like that can be extremely scary," Lincecum said. "I just kind of felt a little timid trying to go in and make pitches after that."

Miguel Montero, the next hitter, blasted a two-run double. The Diamondbacks ripped Lincecum for three more runs before he called it a season.

Upton took his base and scored on Montero's double, but he left with nausea. Lincecum was relieved to hear that neurological tests revealed no damage. He sent a note to the home clubhouse asking Upton how he was and insisting the pitch was an accident. Upton returned the message saying he was fine.

The Giants went on to another desultory defeat. Their offense consisted of sixth-inning solo homers by Andres Torres and Carlos Beltran. Bochy was ejected when he argued a blown call on a stolen base that helped Arizona score twice in the fifth.

The Giants carry a four-game losing streak into their three-game season farewell at AT&T Park. Bochy would like to see more from his team than he did against the Diamondbacks, who, he said, "outpitched us and outhustled us."

E-mail Henry Schulman at hschulman@sfchronicle.com.

Summary: Fearful of hitting anyone else, he stopped throwing inside and got hammered for five runs in five innings.  The Giants lost to Arizona 5-2 to end what manager Bruce Bochy described as an "embarrassing" sweep, and now Lincecum must go into the winter with a career low in wins and a losing record (13-14) for the first time.  What a crock for a pitcher who had a 2.74 ERA and 220 strikeouts.  [...] Lincecum will be the sixth pitcher in the modern era with an ERA below 2.75, more than 200 strikeouts and a losing record.  People around the game have begun to recognize that a pitcher's win-loss record is not a good benchmark for starters.  Miguel Montero, the next hitter, blasted a two-run double.  Bochy was ejected when he argued a blown call on a stolen base that helped Arizona score twice in the fifth.


, the Grammy-winning Eagles guitarist who performed hits including "Tequila Sunrise" and "Heartache Tonight," died Monday, the band

"Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia," said a message signed by bandmates including Don Henley and Joe Walsh, as well as his family.

Henley, who had been a friend of and a collaborator with the Michigan native for more than four decades, also released a statement mourning the loss of the man who was "like a brother to me."

"We were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved. We were two young men who made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles with the same dream."

"Glenn was the one who started it all," he also said. "He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn't quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven. He loved his wife and kids more than anything. We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow."

Andy Kropa / Invision / AP

The statement confirmed Frey died in New York City and ended with the lyrics to "It's Your World Now," which Frey co-wrote for the Eagles' 2007 album,

"The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery," the statement also read. "Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide."

Frey leaves behind his wife of 25 years, Cindy, and their three children: Taylor, Deacon and Otis.

Born in Detroit to a family that worked in the auto industry, Frey broke into the midwestern rock scene before moving to Los Angeles and befriending drummer Henley in 1970. Linda Ronstadt hired the pair as part of a backup band, inviting them to tour with her in 1971. The duo – along with Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon – then went on to form the Eagles.

Frey later penned a number of hits for the band (often in tandem with Henley), including "Take It Easy," "Desperado," "Tequila Sunrise" and "Hotel California." He was

into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Although the Eagles went on to become one of the

, the group was not without drama.

Jim Steinfeldt / Michael Ochs Archives / Getty

In 1980, the band broke up after Frey and Don Felder, who joined the band in 1974, publicly feuded during a concert in Long Beach, California. Frey later pursued a solo career that included performing the 1984 hit "The Heat Is On," which was featured in

The band reunited in 1990 and in 2013 a documentary about the band,

"Let's put it this way: I'm glad I've had a second chance," Frey told

in 2013 of the band's split and subsequent reunion. "We were young and I had a temper. I still have a temper. [laughs] I've just retired it."

Henley, meanwhile, made it clear on Monday that his bond with Frey is eternal.

"I'm not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet," he said.

"It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. Â But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some."

Summary: Don Henley says Frey was "like a brother to me"


(From left) Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Kylie Jenner

02/01/2016 AT 02:05 PM EST

The Kardashian-Jenner ladies certainly know a thing or two about love in the limelight.

In a new post on her

opens up about what each of the women in her famous family have taught her about dating.

"I LOVE that my tribe is made up of so many strong women! We all have really distinct personalities and live our lives in totally different ways – especially when it comes to relationships," writes Khloé, 31. "It's great because I know I can always look to my mom or sisters when I need a fresh perspective on a problem. I've learned so much about love by watching them do their thing."

First and foremost, Khloé says she learned to "just do you" from matriarch and momager

"Kris does not care what people think – she's ALWAYS just been 100 percent true to herself and her heart," Khloé says about Kris, 60, who has been

, 35, for about a year. (She

, in 2014 after 22 years.)

"Especially now that she's with Corey, I see this attitude and I LOVE it, LOL!" Khloé adds. "Kris has taught me to just follow my heart."

As for her oldest sister,

, 36, Khloé says she learned it's important to always "stand your ground."

"Kourtney is not someone who bends. She stands her ground and has this amazing strength in her decisions," Khloé says. "Kourtney has showed me just how important it is to stand up for yourself above everything else!"

, 32, in July after he was photographed

in Monte Carlo. They share three kids together, and in the months since Disick has completed

and staying sober, though the two aren't back together.)

, 35, who has been married to

since May 2014, Khloé says she learned to "experience things for yourself."

"Kimberly has ALWAYS done what makes her happy. She just does her own thing and has confidence in the choices she makes," Khloé says.

"There have been times where we'd try to give Kim advice, but she needed to experience everything for herself – I love that about her!" Khloé adds. "I mean, she got

. She knew it wasn't necessarily a smart choice but had to try it because that's what her heart told her to do."

Khloé also shared what she learned from her two younger sisters,

Kendall (left) and Kylie Jenner

From Kendall, 20, Khloé says she learned to "keep it quiet."

"Even though she's young, Kendall is so private, and she knows the value of keeping things quiet," Khloé said. "She's really reserved in her relationships and I think we could all learn something from Kendall, LOL!"

Indeed, the supermodel is notoriously hush-hush about her dating life: She was

over the holidays after the two were spotted

on a yacht in the Caribbean.

And last but not least, Khloé says she learned to not "give a f--- about what people think" from Kylie, 18.

"Kylie is the QUEEN of marching to the beat of your own drum," Khloé writes about Kylie, who has consistently

, who is eight years older than her. "That's such a great quality to have as a young person."

"Kylie knows that the right choice for her might not necessarily be a choice that her older sisters would make, and that's OK," Khloé says. "She's all about experience life for herself. Respect!"

Summary: "Kourtney has showed me just how important it is to stand up for yourself above everything else!" Khloé Kardashian wrote on her website/app


updated 02/17/2016 AT 08:40 AM EST

•originally published 02/16/2016 AT 10:55 PM EST

George Gaynes, the actor who played the absentminded Commandant Eric Lassard in all seven

films, has died according to multiple reports. He was 98.

Gaynes was also known for playing Henry Warnimont on the NBC series

and mob boss as Frank Smith on

, as well his stage work.

reports that the actor died on Monday in North Bend, Washington.

star Soleil Moon Frye honored Gaynes, who played her foster parent on the show, with a sweet tweet.

"The universe just gained a gigantic star," she wrote. "You will be in my heart and soul always & forever."

The universe just gained a gigantic star. You will be in my heart and soul always & forever. Your little PunkyRIP George Gaynes

The character actor had starred in 35 films as well as a string of successful television roles, and while he may not have reached superstardom his face is recognized by a generation who have loved his work. He won high praise for his role in

as the actor with the crush on Dustin Hoffman's female alter ego.

Gaynes is survived by his wife Allyn Ann McLerie, an actress, their daughter Iya Gaynes Falcone Brown, one granddaughter and two great-granddaughters.

The actor also had a son, Matthew, who reportedly died in a 1989 car crash in India, while traveling to Nepal to film a kayaking special for ESPN.

Summary: Best known for playing the bemused Commandant Eric Lassard in seven Police Academy films


Life insurance: Most people are familiar with the concept, but it doesn't make them any more eager to discuss it.

"I've had many situations when people are averse to buying life insurance," said Randall at Financial Enlightment. He stressed the obvious question: What if something happens to you, and your family is left without an income stream?

"Life insurance isn't the problem—it's the solution for the problem," he said.

Though people have various options—including term, universal, whole life—getting the right amount of insurance is what's most important, he said.

(Read more: Year-end financial checklist for investors)

"I've delivered many death benefit checks, and I've never ever had a beneficiary ask what type of insurance it was," Randall said. "They always ask, 'How much is the check?' "

What type you choose has to do with factors such as cash flow, discretionary income, age and financial objectives, he said. Over the past 10 years, term rates have become so compelling that people buy that most of the time.

In addition to the death benefit, life insurance coverage can be used as a retirement savings vehicle. Certain policies can build up a cash value that can be withdrawn tax-free, although some advisors warn against it.

"Life insurance should be used only to cover catastrophic [situations]—you start getting in trouble when you start using it for retirement," Riashi said, adding that the investment costs of doing that are often high and the choice of funds is limited.

(Read more: Afraid of living too long? Buy this)

Maurer added that the tax advantages with life insurance are not as good as those with an individual retirement account, so an investor should max out other qualified retirement accounts before investing inside life insurance.

Insurance isn't used as much in estate-tax planning, he said.

When the estate tax was in flux, people frequently used insurance to cover potentially large liabilities when they died. According to experts, now that the estate-tax exemption is set at an inflation-adjusted $5 million, it's not so necessary for people with smaller estates.

Summary: No one likes the topics, but not dealing with the financial consequences of death and disability could mean unnecessary hardship.


Sergey Kovalev had little trouble taking care of business against an outmatched Nadjib Mohammedi.

Now he can look forward to a homecoming bout in Moscow.

Kovalev stopped Mohammedi in the third round Saturday night, retaining his light heavyweight titles in a fight that was a mismatch from the start.

The unbeaten Russian dropped Mohammedi in the second round with a series of right hands, then put him down for good with a combination in the third round. Mohammedi got to his knees but was holding his nose as if it was broken and referee Kenny Bayless called a halt to the bout at 2:38 of the third.

Promoter Kathy Duva said Kovalev will return to the ring Nov. 28 in Moscow, likely against fellow Russian Artur Beterbiev.

"Sergey is really anxious to fight in Russia," Duva said.

Kovalev, who stopped Jean Pascal in his last fight in March in Montreal, was defending his 175-pound crown against the mandatory challenger from France. Mohammedi was so little thought of that Las Vegas oddsmakers would not even accept bets on the fight.

"I wanted more rounds," Kovalev said. "I wanted him to look like a clown. I wanted him to look foolish."

Mohammedi, who fought most of his career in France, blamed his loss on being thumbed in the eye and not being able to see. But he did little against Kovalev, who urged him to get up and continue fighting after being knocked down in the third.

"I told him to stand up," Kovalev said. "It was a short show. People didn't see boxing."

Earlier, Pascal overcame a slow start to beat Yunieski Gonzalez by unanimous decision to set up a possible rematch with Kovalev, who stopped him in the eighth round of their first fight.

The bout will have to wait until after Kovalev fights in Moscow, though, and perhaps longer if he is able to get a fight with unbeaten Andre Ward next spring.

"If Pascal is interested in a rematch, I am ready," Kovalev said. "It is boxing. I am ready for anybody.

Kovalev improved to 28-0-1 with 25 knockouts, while Mohammedi fell to 38-4.

Pascal (30-3-1) won by a 96-94 margin in the 10-round bout on all three scorecards to hand Gonzalez (16-1) his first loss. The decision was loudly booed by the crowd at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino, and met with disbelief by Gonzalez himself.

*By clicking "SUBSCRIBE", you have read and agreed to the Fox Sports Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Gonzalez had to be restrained in his corner as he lashed out after the decision was announced.

"It was a great fight, very close," Pascal said. "I'm glad to give the fans another candidate for fight of the year because that's what I think happened."

Pascal, who was stopped in March by Kovalev in his last fight in his hometown of Montreal, took a lot of punishment early, getting hit with several big right hands by the aggressive Gonzalez. He rebounded in the later rounds, though, as Gonzalez seemed to tire.

"I am so sad. I was the real fighter," Gonzalez said. "That was taken from me. He did not win, I did. I am the real winner."

The fight was entertaining, with both boxers more than willing to trade punches. On several occasions Gonzalez seemed to rock Pascal, though the former champion landed some good right hands of his own.

"I was controlling the fight," Pascal said. "The fight was following exactly the rhythm I wanted."

Summary: Kovalev retains light heavyweight titles


MEXICO CITY, July 2— Vicente Fox Quesada, the rough-spoken rancher and businessman who galvanized a maverick grass-roots presidential campaign, won a momentous victory in Mexico's presidential election today, ousting the political party that has ruled for 71 years.

''The next president of Mexico will be Vicente Fox Quesada,'' said President Ernesto Zedillo shortly after 11 p.m., conceding that his Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI, had lost the presidency for the first time since 1929.

In an outpouring of giddy joy, Mr. Fox's supporters swarmed into the streets of Mexico City tonight, honking horns and celebrating the demise of the only rulers most people here had ever known.

In one night of triumph, Mr. Fox converted Mexico from a waning one-party state into a self-confident democracy whose voters are capable of ousting a government, no matter how dominant.

Mr. Fox stood tonight on the balcony of his party headquarters, before a crowd savoring his triumph over Francisco Labastida Ochoa of PRI and chanting, ''Vicente Presidente!'' He shot back: ''I like it when you call me that.''

''This is the moment of democracy, the moment of change that our country has so desired,'' said Mr. Fox of the National Action Party, or PAN. He praised the federal elections authorities for conducting national balloting that finished ''without an important or notable stain.''

Mr. Labastida, the first PRI candidate who had ever even had to undergo an internal party primary, was swift to concede defeat, and to underline that the country should now unite after a ferocious campaign and the most open vote in the country's history.

''The citizens have taken a decision, that we all should respect,'' said the 57-year-old former interior minister. ''And I will be the first to set the example.''

Mr. Zedillo said he had called Mr. Fox to congratulate him after the first official returns confirmed what television surveys of voters had indicated all night: that the PRI had lost the presidency despite mobilizing its well-oiled machine to try and extend into the new century the dominance it exerted for most of the last.

At Mr. Labastida's headquarters, several young supporters started to cry when the television reported results of the first polls. The huge plaza at the center of the PRI compound, many times the scene of tumultuous rallies, was empty.

In an interview this evening, Mr. Fox immediately offered reconciliation to Mr. Labastida. ''It was a very combative process, but I open my arms to him,'' he said.

He also reached out with unusual warmth to the United States, which had been the chief adversary of many PRI presidents. ''We are not only neighbors and partners, but we have a common destiny,'' said Mr. Fox, who was once the chief executive officer of Coca-Cola in Mexico. ''I know we are going to do many great things together. I want to work intensely with the United States.''

Mr. Fox's big lead in the voter surveys took all of Mexico by surprise. The final polls before the election had showed him in a neck-and-neck race with Mr. Labastida.

''This a very important step in our struggle to become a democratic country,'' said Francisco Barrio, a leading PAN politician who is a former governor of the northern border state of Chihuahua.

With a note of astonishment he said: ''Now our party has become the strongest and most important one in Mexico. We got more votes than the PRI did today.''

The streets around the Angel of Independence, the winged statue on a tall pedestal in downtown Mexico City that is this country's most distinctive monument, became a rollicking fiesta of thousands of cheering, weeping, dancing Fox supporters.

Throughout the day, eager voters lined up at polling stations -- often waiting for hours in punishing heat -- for their chance to take part in an election that offered a choice between the country's familiar but tainted ruling party and a chance for something different.

The elections today were the most open ever held here, and the balloting was generally orderly, though marred in several states by reported pressure on voters from the governing party, which has a history of fraud, and disorganization that blocked many thousands of people from casting ballots.

After a blistering campaign that filled the television and other media as never before, many voters said they made their decision only in recent days, suggesting that the undecided, who were as much as 19 percent of the total in the most recent polls, would determine the day.

In many neighborhoods that long were PRI strongholds, and among working class Mexicans who were its most loyal followers, one theme was recurrent: Mexico had to do something different.

''I've never seen a change, and I have been asking myself, when is it going to happen?'' said Gustavo Sanchez, a 32-year-old auto mechanic in Ecatepec, a huge proletarian suburb of Mexico City where the PRI was once invincible. ''Our leaders need to know that if they don't do the job right, we're going to get rid of them.''

At mid-afternoon, Jose Woldenberg, the president of the Federal Elections Institute, which is running the election, reported that only 13 of 113,423 polling places nationwide had failed to open because of organizational problems, a historical record.

Besides the presidential race, Mexicans also voted for the Senate, with 128 seats, and all 500 seats in the Congress, and to elect two state governors and the mayor of Mexico City.


Day and time: Saturdays on NBC (11:30 p.m.-1 a.m. ET)

Original Premiere: October 11, 1975

Season Premiere: October 3, 2015

Starring the SNL 2015 –2016 Company: Vanessa Bayer, Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Leslie Jones, Colin Jost, Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Bobby Moynihan, Jay Pharoah, Jon Rudnitsky, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Sasheer Zamata

Produced By: Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lindsay Shookus, Erin Doyle

Head Writers: Rob Klein and Bryan Tucker

Writers: James Anderson, Jeremy Beiler, Chris Belair, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Steve Higgins, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Colin Jost, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Paul Masella, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Dave Sirus, Will Stephen, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker

Musical Directors: Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggemann

Musicians: The Saturday Night Live Band

Production Designers: Eugene Lee, Akira Yoshimura, Keith Ian Raywood, N. Joseph DeTullio

Costume Designers: Tom Broecker, Eric Justian

Production: Produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video

Origination: NBC Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center

Summary: Saturdays at 11:30/10:30c on NBC. The Emmy Award-winning comedy show Saturday Night Live returns for its 42nd season this fall.


During a few days from July 11 to 13, Silicon Valley will take a break from being the center of the tech universe. Instead, the epicenter will shift to Aspen, Colo., where Fortune will be hosting Brainstorm Tech, our annual technology conference filled with big-name executives, big thinkers, and big investors.

OK, I admit that I’m a bit biased about the event. But still, this is something you’ll want to tune into—either in person or by watching a livestream of the discussions from the main stage.

On Monday, Fortune unveiled the preliminary list of the conference speakers, many of whom you may recognize. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins, and Dropbox CEO Drew Houston all will be there.

But it won’t be just techies in the spotlight. In keeping with the idea that every company is a tech company, we’ll have plenty of speakers representing other industries, including General Motors President Dan Ammann, who is trying to keep his company relevant in an era of ride sharing and self-driving cars; Charles Koch, CEO of Koch Industries, which owns oil pipelines, a lumber business, and a fertilizer producer; and Toys R Us CEO Dave Brandon, who must grapple with the shift by customers to buy online.

Indeed, digital transformation will be a major theme at Brainstorm Tech. Few businesses or jobs, for that matter, are immune. That’s why you’ll want to keep up with what the conference’s many influential participants have to say onstage. And stay tuned for more speakers to be revealed down the road as we get closer to conference’s kick-off.

Verne Kopytoff is a senior editor at Fortune. Follow him on Twitter or reach him via email.

Share this essay: http://for.tn/1qIdilS. Find past editions of Data Sheet.

Summary: Look who's talking at Brainstorm Tech!


says she's devastated by Ozzy's relapse ... she knew he was back on the booze, but not the pills ... but she wanted to make one thing clear ... they're NOT getting divorced.

Sharon opened up about walking out on

Sharon laid down a threat ... what she'll do if Ozzy screws up again.

As Sharon was spilling the beans, Ozzy blew into Brisbane, Australia -- he's touring Down Under -- sporting a bowler hat and a big, sober smile ...

Summary: Sharon Osbourne says she's devastated by Ozzy's relapse ... she knew he was back on the booze, but not the pills ... but she wanted to make one thing…


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, a key source of financing for conservative Republican causes along with his brother, said Democrat Hillary Clinton might make a better president than the candidates in the Republican field.

Koch, in an interview to air on Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program, said that in some respects Bill Clinton had been a better president than George W. Bush, who Koch said had increased government spending. Then when asked if Hillary Clinton would be a better president than the Republicans currently running, he said, "It's possible, it's possible." SEE ALSO: Trump lets big name endorsement slip at Connecticut rally

ABC said Koch, who along brother David leads an influential political organization called Freedom Partners, has been displeased so far with the tone of the Republican presidential race, in which billionaire Donald Trump leads U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Asked if he could support Clinton over the Republicans, Koch responded, "We would have to believe her actions would be quite different than her rhetoric. Let me put it that way." RELATED GALLERY: Scenes from the 2016 New York primary

Republican financier Koch says Clinton might make better president

MANHATTAN, NY - Winning the New York primary, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to a packed room of supporters during the victory party at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York on Tuesday April 19 2016. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

MANHATTAN, NY - On New York state primary night, supporters of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cheer watching the primary results during the Hillary Victory Party at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York on Tuesday April 19 2016. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

MANHATTAN, NY - Winning the New York primary, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to a packed room of supporters during the victory party at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York on Tuesday April 19 2016. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

MANHATTAN, NY - Winning the New York primary, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to a packed room of supporters during the victory party at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York on Tuesday April 19 2016. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

MANHATTAN, NY - Winning the New York primary, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to a packed room of supporters during the victory party at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York on Tuesday April 19 2016. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

MANHATTAN, NY - On New York state primary night, supporters of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton watch the primary results and enjoy the party during the Hillary Victory Party at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York on Tuesday April 19 2016. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Dupporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton snap cell phone pictures of her as she enters a victory party after winning the New York state primary election, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrate at her New York primary campaign headquarters, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reacts as she arrives onstage at her New York presidential primary night rally in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., April 19, 2016. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Members of the media await the arrival of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to a New York primary night event Tuesday, April 19, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks following victory in the New York state primary on April 19, 2016 in New York City. Donald Trump scored a crucial victory in the Republican primary in his home state of New York on April 19, advancing his bid to clinch the party's presidential nomination, US networks projected. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures after speaking in New York on April 19, 2016. Donald Trump scored a crucial victory in the Republican primary in his home state of New York on April 19, advancing his bid to clinch the party's presidential nomination, US networks projected. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 19: Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump speakS at a campaign press conference moments after winning the republican presidential primary at Trump Tower in New York, NY on Tuesday April 19, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs up following victory in the New York state primary on April 19, 2016 in New York City. Donald Trump scored a crucial victory in the Republican primary in his home state of New York on April 19, advancing his bid to clinch the party's presidential nomination, US networks projected. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump's granddaughter Arabella (L), daughter Ivanka (C) and wife Melania (R) listen to him speak at his New York presidential primary night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., April 19, 2016. (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)

While many conservatives have questioned Trump's commitment to their agenda, a spokesman for the Koch brothers said last month that they would not use any of their money to block him from winning the Republican nomination.

More from AOL.com: Donald Trump is trying out a new moniker for Hillary Clinton Sanders raises more cash but Clinton makes campaign dollars go further This poll number is a troubling sign for the Republican Party

Summary: Asked if he could support Clinton over the Republicans, Koch responded, 'We would have to believe her actions would be quite different than her rhetoric.'


I rely heavily on Amazon to ship me products that I don't have the time to buy in stores, like diapers, light bulbs and cat food. But while I've ordered hundreds of things from Amazon, I've never taken the time to write a review. However, an invitation-only program called Amazon Vine has me rethinking my ways.

The e-commerce giant boosts its bustling community of reviews from opinionated consumers by offering free products to its top reviewers, dubbed Vine Voices.

) sends new items released by its partners and retailers to its top reviewers for testing and review.

says Amazon sends him a list of products each month, and he chooses two that he'd like to review. The only requirement is that he has to write a review on those products within a month of receiving them.

So: How does one become a top reviewer and start receiving anything from a free laser printer to a free spin bike?

, "Amazon Vine is an invitation-only program. Vine Voices are selected based on several criteria, but primarily on the helpfulness of their reviews as judged by all other customers." In other words, if other customers like a person's reviews, Amazon takes notice. Amazon

include describing why you like or disliked a product, being specific and keeping the review between 75 and 500 words.

%VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks%"Review helpfulness plays an important part in determining rank," Amazon says. "

in the standings." And don't worry if you're a novice reviewer, like yours truly. "The more recently a review is written, the greater its impact on rank. This way, as new customers share their experiences with Amazon's ever-widening selection of products, they'll have a chance to be recognized as top reviewers."

So if you're feeling confident about your ability to write helpful reviews, and getting free stuff from Amazon each month sounds like a pretty sweet perk, it might be time to limber up your typing fingers and take a crack at being invited by Amazon to become one of the Vince Voices. I know I sure won't forget to review my next Amazon order.

Summary: In the community of Amazon shoppers, it pays to be trusted and helpful: The online retailer sends its top-rated reviewers free products to test and review.


SEOUL (Reuters) -- North Korea fired what appeared to have been an intermediate range ballistic missile on Thursday but it crashed seconds after the test launch, South Korea's defense ministry said, the second such failure this month.

A defense ministry official told Reuters that the launch from near the North Korean east coast city of Wonsan appeared to have been of a Musudan missile with a range of more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles), at about 6:40 a.m. local time (2140 GMT).

SEE ALSO: Coincidence? Purple rain falls from the skies following Prince's death

Isolated North Korea has conducted a flurry of missile launches and tests of military technology in the run-up to a rare congress of its ruling Workers' Party that is set to begin on May 6.

Thursday's apparent failure, however, marks another setback for young leader Kim Jong Un. A similar missile launched on the April 15 birthday of his grandfather and the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, exploded in what the U.S. Defense Department called a "fiery, catastrophic" failure.

South Korea also says the North is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time. It would be its fifth nuclear test.

RELATED: Tensions mount between North and South Korea:

S. Korea: N. Korea's test of intermediate range missile fails again

A man watches a TV screen showing a file footage of the missile launch conducted by North Korea, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 18, 2016. North Korea defied U.N. resolutions by firing a medium-range ballistic missile into the sea on Friday, Seoul and Washington officials said, days after its leader Kim Jong Un ordered weapons tests linked to its pursuit of a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The letters on the screen read " The missile puts all of South Korea and part of Japan within striking distance." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

An anti-war protester clenches his fist during a rally opposing the joint military exercises, dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, between the U.S. and South Korea, near the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 19, 2016. North Korea ignored U.N. resolutions by firing a medium-range ballistic missile into the sea on Friday, Seoul and Washington officials said, days after its leader Kim Jong Un ordered weapons tests linked to its pursuit of a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The letters at a card read " Stop military exercise". (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

People watch a TV screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 15, 2016. North Korean leader Kim has warned of impending tests of a nuclear warhead explosion and ballistic missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads, state media reported Tuesday, in an escalation of threats against Seoul and Washington. The screen reads "Nuclear technology." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean army soldiers ride a K-1 tank during the annual exercise with their U.S. counterparts in Paju, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, March 10, 2016. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said, a likely show of anger at continuing springtime war games by rivals Washington and Seoul and another ratcheting up of hostility on the already anxious Korean Peninsula. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Anti-war protesters stage a rally opposing the joint military exercises, dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, between the U.S. and South Korea, near the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 19, 2016. North Korea ignored U.N. resolutions by firing a medium-range ballistic missile into the sea on Friday, Seoul and Washington officials said, days after its leader Kim Jong Un ordered weapons tests linked to its pursuit of a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The letters at banners, read" Stop military exercise". (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

People watch a TV screen showing a file footage of a missile launch conducted by North Korea, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 18, 2016. North Korea defied U.N. resolutions by firing a medium-range ballistic missile into the sea on Friday, Seoul and Washington officials said, days after its leader Kim Jong Un ordered weapons tests linked to its pursuit of a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. The letters on the screen read " North Korea fired a missile against the ongoing joint military exercises,dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, between South Korea and the United States.: (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

FILE - In this March 10, 2016, file photo, U.S. Army soldiers conduct the annual exercise with their South Korean counterparts in Pocheon, near the border with North Korea. North Korea said Saturday, March 12, 2016, its military is ready to pre-emptively attack and "liberate" the South in its latest outburst against the annual joint military drills by the United States and South Korea. In a statement carried through state media, the General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army said its frontline units are prepared to strike first if they see signs that American and South Korean troops involved in the drills were attempting to invade the North. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

People watch a TV news program showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with superimposed letters that read: "North Korea has made nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles" at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 9, 2016. The official North Korean news agency says the communist country's leader Kim met his nuclear scientists for a briefing and declared he was greatly pleased that warheads had been miniaturized for use on ballistic missiles. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean protesters shout slogans during a rally criticizing U.N. sanction on North Korea and upcoming joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 5, 2016. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military on standby for nuclear strikes at any time, state media reported Friday, an escalation in rhetoric targeting rivals Seoul and Washington that may not yet reflect the country's actual nuclear capacity. The banners read " Stop the joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea," and "Park Geun-hye, step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

North Korean defectors wearing masks of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a rally against North Korea's rocket launch and nuclear test in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. South Korea has cut off power and water supplies to a factory park in North Korea, officials said Friday, a day after the North deported all South Korean workers there and ordered a military takeover of the complex that had been the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A woman poses for a souvenir photo in front of ribbons hanging on a wire fence for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. South Korea has cut off power and water supplies to a factory park in North Korea, officials said Friday, a day after the North deported all South Korean workers there and ordered a military takeover of the complex that had been the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Transmission towers supplying power to the Kaesong Industrial Complex from South Korea, are seen on a foggy and rainy day after South Korea cut off power, in Paju, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. South Korea has cut off power and water supplies to a factory park in North Korea, officials said Friday, a day after the North deported all South Korean workers there and ordered a military takeover of the complex that had been the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Tourists take their souvenir photos in front of ribbons hanging on a wire fence wishing for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. South Korea has cut off power and water supplies to a factory park in North Korea, officials said Friday, a day after the North deported all South Korean workers there and ordered a military takeover of the complex that had been the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Tourists take their souvenir photos with a directional sign showing the distance to North Korea's Kaesong city and South Korea's capital Seoul at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. South Korea has cut off power and water supplies to a factory park in North Korea, officials said Friday, a day after the North deported all South Korean workers there and ordered a military takeover of the complex that had been the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

One of owners who run a factory in the suspended inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex, covers his face with his hands during an emergency meeting, held by the council of South Korean companies operating in the industrial park, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war."(AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)

South Korean vehicles pass near the military barricade as a soldier, right, stands in the foggy and rainy morning at Unification Bridge near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean Army soldiers walk on a foggy and rainy morning at Unification Bridge near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean Army military polices check the vehicles on a foggy and rainy morning at Unification Bridge near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo speaks in a televised press conference, as owners watch it during an emergency meeting held by the council of South Korean companies operating in the inter-Korean Kaesong industrial complex, in Seoul, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war."(AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)

South Korean owners who run a factory in the suspended inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex, attend an emergency meeting held by the council of South Korean companies operating in the industrial park, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of the factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war."(AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)

South Korean owners who run factories in the suspended inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex, attend an emergency meeting in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war."(AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon)

In this Feb. 11, 2016, photo, power supply towers are seen in Paju, near the border with North Korea, South Korea. South Korea has cut off power and water supplies to a factory park in North Korea, officials said Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, a day after the North deported all South Korean workers there and ordered a military takeover of the complex that had been the last major symbol of cooperation between the rivals.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean business men return from North Korea's joint Kaesong Industrial Complex at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war."(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Koreans holding umbrellas wait for their companies' vehicles returning from North Korea's joint Kaesong Industrial Complex after crossing the Unification Bridge, near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that had been the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, calling Seoul's earlier suspension of operations at the jointly run facility as punishment for the North's recent rocket launch a "dangerous declaration of war." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean Army soldiers patrol at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. North Korea on Thursday ordered a military takeover of a factory park that was the last major symbol of cooperation with South Korea, saying Seoul's suspension of operations at the jointly run facility was a "dangerous declaration of war." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A man watches a television news program reporting about the recent rocket launch by North Korea at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Under the gaze of armed soldiers, large white trucks streamed across the world's most armed border Thursday as South Korean workers on Thursday began shutting down a jointly run industrial park in North Korea. The South's suspension will end, at least temporarily, the Koreas' last major cooperation project as punishment over Pyongyang's recent rocket launch. The letters read: "North, Long range missile launch." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A South Korean man holding a crossed North Korean flag shouts slogans among placards with crossed portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pasted with the radiation warning symbol during an anti-North Korea rally in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Under the gaze of armed soldiers, large white trucks streamed across the world's most armed border Thursday as South Korean workers on Thursday began shutting down a jointly run industrial park in North Korea. The South's suspension will end, at least temporarily, the Koreas' last major cooperation project as punishment over Pyongyang's recent rocket launch. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Pictures of North Korean flags, the North's leader Kim Jong Un and North's missiles are burned by anti-North Korea protesters during a rally in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Under the gaze of armed soldiers, large white trucks streamed across the world's most armed border Thursday as South Korean workers on Thursday began shutting down a jointly run industrial park in North Korea. The South's suspension will end, at least temporarily, the Koreas' last major cooperation project as punishment over Pyongyang's recent rocket launch.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean vehicles returning from North Korea's joint Kaesong Industrial Complex pass the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. South Korean workers on Thursday began shutting down a jointly run industrial park in North Korea, a move that will end, at least temporarily, the Koreas' last major cooperation project as punishment over Pyongyang's recent rocket launch. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean Army soldiers patrol at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. South Korean workers on Thursday began shutting down a jointly run industrial park in North Korea, a move that will end, at least temporarily, the Koreas' last major cooperation project as punishment over Pyongyang's recent rocket launch. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A South Korean Army soldier stands guard at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. South Korean workers on Thursday began shutting down a jointly run industrial park in North Korea, a move that will end, at least temporarily, the Koreas' last major cooperation project as punishment over Pyongyang's recent rocket launch. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A visitor looks at a map of the Korean peninsula at the exhibition hall of the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. South Korea says it will suspend the operations at a joint industrial park with North Korea in response to the North's recent rocket launch. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A visitor looks at the map of Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea at its showroom at the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. South Korea says it will suspend the operations at a joint industrial park with North Korea in response to the North's recent rocket launch. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Visitors use binoculars to see the North Korean territory from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. South Korea said Wednesday that it would suspend operations at a joint industrial park with North Korea in response to the North's recent rocket launch, the first time in the park's decade of operation that Seoul has halted work there. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The defense ministry official, who declined to be identified by name, said South Korean and U.S. officials were analyzing the cause of the missile crash, declining to comment on why the launch was revealed hours after it took place.

The South's Yonhap News Agency said the fired missile was not detected by South Korean military radar because it did not fly above a few hundred meters, and was spotted by a U.S. satellite.

The South Korean defense ministry told Reuters it could not confirm that report.

On Saturday, North Korea tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, which traveled about 30 km (18 miles) off its east coast.

More from AOL.com: North Korea fires submarine-launched missile: South Korea Here's how SpaceX plans to land on Mars in 2018 NASA's views of Earth on Earth Day

Summary: The isolated country has conducted missile launches and tests of military technology in the run-up to a rare congress of its ruling Workers' Party.


isn't ever one to mince words – but on Monday's episode of

, she took things to a whole new level.

It started with something quite silly: a story about Locken pooping in a car – yes, really – but it escalated into a full-blown burst of rage and death threats from Locken to her friend

, who was the one that leaked the now-infamous fecal news.

Locken's outburst took place late at night, during a girls trip to Austin and was caught on

's iPhone camera for all to hear. The rest of the episode centered around Locken and her threats of violence, with the other women voicing that they feared for their safety. Now, Locken tells PEOPLE exactly what she meant – and what sparked the confrontation.

Frederick M. Brown / Getty

"People for over a year up to that point had been coming to me and telling me things that Marie was saying about me, and these were all negative things that were lies about me," says Locken, 49. "And I kept defending her for a year. But once you realize, you're like, 'Damn this hurts.' It hurt to a level of bringing up all of that other hurt – and to hurt me that deeply is how deeply I was hurt as a child."

Locken, who grew up on the carnival circuit, has previously spoken about the abuse she suffered as a child on the show, opening up about being molested by her best friend's father on an earlier episode.

"I think what people don't understand is that just because I'm a survivor and I'm not sitting in the corner crying, it doesn't mean that the hurt from my childhood isn't still there," Locken says. "As a matter of fact, it's this deep, deep well in me that normally never even really comes to the surface because I don't spend my time around people who can hurt me like that. But to have this betrayal happen by Marie – it cracked open all that hurt."

"When someone taps into that hurt, it all comes back out. The anger of not saying: 'No, don't touch me.' Pretending for eight years that I was sound asleep and just rolling over in my bed on the nights when I didn't want to take it," Locken continues, detailing the abuse she suffered growing up. "Sleeping on the refrigerator, under the trampoline, in the doghouse, on the washer and dryer. Anywhere we could that we thought we could hide."

Locken maintains she didn't get a chance to tell her full story on the show.

"My life, what I've actually been through, is bigger than what anyone could imagine," she says. "That's why I am so passionate about charity. It's why I bend over backwards and would injure myself to help someone else. But it's also why when you hurt me, I hurt back 100 times harder. Because I'm just so tired of being tortured and hurt."

Which is why the incident with Marie escalated in the way that it did, she adds.

"It brought it all back up and what happens is I become so angry – because that's how I express hurt – that basically my mouth takes over, my brain shuts down," she adds. "There's no other way to describe it."

Further fueling Locken's anger was how far her relationship with Reyes goes back: "I mean, this is a 20-year friendship – this friendship with Marie is longer than any marriage on our show!" she says.

"How do you think any one of those women would react if their husband's betrayed them like that?" she adds.

According to the Bravo star, though, when she threatened to "kill" Reyes, she certainly didn't mean it literally.

"When I say things like, 'I'm going to kill you' – how many times have you heard a parent, even characters on sitcoms say that? It's slang to me," she says. "At any point, Marie could have walked away from this argument. She could have gone upstairs. I wasn't holding her in a corner, I didn't have a weapon in my hand, all I had was my mouth."

"But she stayed to listen to everything I had to say because a part of her knew how guilty she was. Honestly, I think she stayed because she felt remorseful for the crap that she'd been doing to me," Locken adds. "It's either that or she was in cahoots with Cary to stay long enough to Cary to record it like a coward."

As for Deuber? Well, it's safe to say there's not a whole lot of love lost between the two costars.

"Cary wants to destroy my reputation," Locken says. "This is a goal she's had since way before we started shooting, way before the cast was put together. This is a woman who has issues with me. This is a woman who constantly wants to say that I'm jealous of her."

"I don't know if you've seen what our husbands look like, but yeah, no. Not so much. Mine's got a headful of hair, a body chiseled like a saint and, by the way, he truly and authentically loves me, which is why I don't have to talk about having sex all the time with him, because when you do it, you don't have to talk about it," Locken adds. "I think Cary is so desperate for someone to be jealous of her life, but it's not going to happen with me."

At the end of the day, though, Locken says she's doing her best to focus on working through her issues.

"I'm in therapy learning how to control it better," she says. "You learn how to manage it, and you learn how to focus on the other stuff."

But that being said, Locken maintains the pain she suffered from her childhood is something she lives with every day.

"I've lived the abuse, I've lived a life of self-destruction and by God's grace I have found a way to make purpose in my life of it all," she says. "I'm a winner because of that. But I'm not saying that that doesn't hurt. Therapy doesn't make the hurt go away – it just helps you learn how to deal with the hurt, day by day."

season finale airs Monday (10 p.m. ET) on Bravo.

Summary: "When you hurt me, I hurt back 100 times harder," Locken tells PEOPLE of the incident


WASHINGTON, Oct. 5— An issue that has to be raised every Presidential campaign is the health of the candidates. The reason is that many Presidents have suffered serious illnesses while in the White House. All too often they, their families and aides have misled, if not lied to, the public about their health, with the malady becoming known only many years later.

Yet another instance of such reticence about Presidential disease is being published this week in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Two pathologists at the autopsy of John F. Kennedy have broken a long silence and stated that the President's adrenal glands were found to be almost completely gone. The glands produce key regulatory hormones, and their absence, if they are not replaced, can cause wasting and death.

This establishes that contrary to repeated denials from Kennedy and his family, and cleverly worded cover stories issued by his aides, Kennedy did suffer for many years from adrenal insufficiency, or Addison's disease. The pathologists were persuaded to talk about the case by the journal's editor, Dr. George D. Lundberg, as part of his seven-year effort to answer lingering questions about the Kennedy autopsy and to help rebut conspiracy theories.

A third pathologist, Dr. Pierre Finck, now says that the Kennedy family at first did not want the pathologists to examine Kennedy's abdominal cavity. The adrenals are on top of the kidneys behind the abdomen.

The disclosures also raise questions about the extent to which news about a candidate's health can influence a close election. Would a forthright disclosure about Kennedy's rare hormonal condition, which was kept under control by replacement hormones, have thrown the 1960 election to Richard M. Nixon?

Kennedy kept fit by taking regular supplements of the adrenal hormone cortisone and its close relatives. The therapy is similar to the insulin injections taken by diabetics or the thyroid pills that President Bush now swallows after his thyroid gland was destroyed to treat its overactivity.

Kennedy declared himself "the healthiest candidate for President in the country" when he wrested the Democratic nomination from Lyndon B. Johnson, then a Senator, who had suffered an almost fatal heart attack five years earlier in 1955.

Johnson's forces charged that Kennedy was "muscle flexing" in making his claim and that he had long covered up his adrenal condition. But Kennedy and his brother Robert denied that he had the ailment. Kennedy, who at 43 was the youngest elected President, described his health as excellent and said at a news conference on Nov. 10, 1960, that he "never" had Addison's disease.

Robert F. Kennedy issued a statement saying his brother "does not now nor has he ever had an ailment described classically as Addison's disease." He acknowledged that his brother once had mild adrenal insufficiency but implied it had passed because his adrenal tests were normal at the time. There was no mention of the cortisone that made John F. Kennedy's cheeks puffy.

Dr. Janet Travell, the White House physician, said Kennedy took chemical relatives of cortisone to counter adrenal deficiency when he was under stress and his doctors were not inclined to stop them because he felt so well.

In fact, Kennedy had suffered from adrenal insufficiency since he was 30, Joan and Clay Blair Jr. wrote in "The Search for J.F.K." (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1976). Robert Kennedy's semantic dodge rested on the point that in the disease as originally described by Thomas Addison in 1855, the adrenals were destroyed by tuberculosis; John Kennedy, whose Addison's disease was caused by unknown factors, did not have tuberculosis.

In 1954, Kennedy received the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church because of the adrenal condition when he underwent back surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. The New York Times reported on the operation.

A year later, an article in The Archives of Surgery described how three unnamed patients with adrenal insufficiency had undergone major surgery after receiving extra large doses of cortisone to cope with the stress. Because an Addisonian patient needs extra hormone at times of infection or injury, the diagnosis should never be kept secret from a doctor, even if kept from the public.

After Kennedy's death, Dr. John Nichols of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, matched the patient in the surgical report with The New York Times accounts of Kennedy's surgery, which did not discuss any adrenal condition. In a letter, "President Kennedy's Adrenals," in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 1967, Dr. Nichols criticized the autopsy report sent to the Warren Commission for failing to mention Kennedy's adrenals and for concealing a diagnosis that carried no stigma.

In his book, "High Treason 2" (Carroll & Graf, 1992), Harrison Edward Livingstone wrote that no adrenal tissue could be found at Kennedy's autopsy and that his body showed the effects of long-term hormonal replacement therapy. The source was Dr. Robert F. Karnei, a pathologist who witnessed the Kennedy autopsy.


Whole Foods Market Inc on Wednesday reported better-than-expected quarterly profit, despite decelerating sales at established stores, and its shares rose more than 3 percent.

The nation’s biggest natural and organic grocery chain’s challenge has been to protect profits while lowering prices to shake its “Whole Paycheck” reputation for lofty prices and to compete better with rivals like Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Kroger Co.

Fiscal second quarter net income of $142 million, or 44 cents per share, beat analysts’ average estimate of 41 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Same-store sales for the quarter ended April 10 slipped 3 percent from a year earlier, more than the 2 percent decline analysts’ expected.

Same-store sales have weakened for three straight quarters. They fell 1.8 percent in the first quarter and slipped 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter of fiscal last year.

Shares of Whole Foods rose 3.5 percent to $29.50 in after-hours trading, but significantly off their all-time high of just above $63 in October 2013.

Summary: But they beat Wall Street expectations on profit.


Activision Blizzard Inc. ’s first television series developed in-house will air on Netflix Inc. this fall, the videogame publisher said Thursday.

“Skylanders Academy” is being produced by Activision Blizzard’s new TV and film division, led by former Walt Disney Co. executive Nick van Dyk and movie producer Stacey Sher. The animated series is set to run for two 13-episode seasons.

Terms of the partnership, announced during the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show, weren’t disclosed.

Activision Blizzard chose Netflix because the show will appeal mostly to young viewers who prefer programming on their own schedule, Mr. van Dyk said.

“You watch what you want to watch, when it’s convenient,” he said.

Netflix has been aggressively looking to buy marquee titles to create a stable of original programming that entices viewers from all over the world. While the bulk of Netflix’s business is built around licensing movies and TV shows to stream over the internet to subscribers, the company increasingly has been bringing aboard original content. “Skylanders Academy” is one of five new original animated series Netflix is adding for children.

The videogame company’s new division, Activision Blizzard Studios, isn’t planning to release any other titles until 2017 and hasn’t disclosed any future projects. It isn’t expected to have significant impact on Activision Blizzard’s earnings this year, Mr. van Dyk said, but aims “to be a profitable growth engine for the company.”

Activision Blizzard is best known for publishing popular console and computer games such as “Call of Duty,” but recently has been growing its footprint in other entertainment genres. In December, it acquired Major League Gaming, a producer of so-called e-sports competitions, and in February it bought King Digital Entertainment PLC, the company behind the mobile-gaming hit “Candy Crush,” for $5.9 billion.

With its new film and TV unit, Activision Blizzard aims to leverage its vast library of recognizable properties. “Skylanders Academy” is based on the company’s popular toys-to-life franchise, in which players buy figurines that can be digitally transported inside the game. The show will feature several well-known actors, including Susan Sarandon, Justin Long and Jonathan Banks.

Activision Blizzard hasn’t previously adapted any of its titles for film or TV. Before merging with Activision in 2008, Blizzard Entertainment struck a deal with Legendary Entertainment for a movie based on its “Warcraft” property now in theaters. With its new unit, Activision Blizzard is looking to handle production on its own, hiring scriptwriters, directors and other talent. The company declined to say how much it cost to produce “Skylanders Academy.”

“We’ve set the bar very high from a creative and narrative perspective,” said Ms. Sher, a producer on movies such as Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Erin Brockovich.”

"Skylanders” launched in 2011 and has since generated more than $3 billion in global revenue, including sales of more than 250 million figurines, Activision Blizzard said.

The show, however, arrives at an uncertain time for the toys-to-life genre. Disney recently decided to shutter its “Infinity” line of videogames featuring characters from Marvel and “Star Wars” despite being a leader in the category. A sixth installment of “Skylanders” is due out this fall.

—Shalini Ramachandran contributed to this article.

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com

Summary: Activision Blizzard Inc.’s first television series developed in-house will air on Netflix Inc. this fall, the videogame publisher said.


The 1969 New York Mets were, in one respect, like a lot of other phenomena from that long-ago, undead decade: even people who weren’t yet born “remember” that championship team, in much the same way they “remember” Woodstock, the moon landing, MLK’s assassination, Altamont, the release of The White Album and other cultural and political touchstones of the era.

The ’69 “Amazin’ Mets” of Seaver, Clendennon, Koosman, Kranepool, Jones, Agee, Grote and the rest are part of pop-culture lore as surely as Electric Ladyland and the police riots at the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968 — not because they were the most dominant team of the age, but precisely because they weren’t. They were the Bad News Bears of the majors . . . except that, in the Mets’ case, they actually won it all in the end.

Here, at the beginning of another hopeful, already troubling season in Queens — with the Mets scraping by, playing .500 ball — LIFE.com remembers the marvelous 1969 team with a series of color photos made late in the summer of that celebrated, improbable season.

[See a gallery of LIFE’s best baseball photos.]

So much about the game of pro baseball has changed in the four-plus decades since these pictures were made — from the fit of the uniforms to the players’ body types to the use of extraneous batting, running and fielding gear (hardly any back then, and so much these days) — that one might almost be forgiven for thinking the photos in this gallery document an entirely different sport than the one played today.

But look a little closer, and the core elements of the pursuit remain unchanged: bat, ball, glove, grass, dirt, sweat and — perhaps above everything else — camaraderie. Those guys on the Miracle Mets genuinely seemed to be having fun while working their tails off, against all odds and expectations, in the pursuit of a World Series title.

They seemed, in other words, to really like one another. Simply amazing.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Summary: Color photos of the 1969 Miracle Mets -- a team with players and coaches with names like Seaver, Agee, Koosman, Grote, Clendennon (above), Swoboda, Hodges, Berra, Harrelson and more.