Hormel CEO Jeff Ettinger / Photograph by Ackerman + Gruber for Fortune Magazine

The cornfields come right up to the edge of Austin, Minn., which is the hometown of Hormel Foods hrl and one of just a handful of small places left in America that a very big company still calls home. Nearly everything in Austin owes its existence to Hormel. They are bound together, and mostly at ease with their isolation and the fact that much of what people take for granted in the rest of the country has either not yet arrived or has already left. There are no Uber drivers. No Starbucks sbux and no Toyota tm dealer. The Target tgt closed last year. Staples spls , the year before. The only Airbnb option is a fifth-wheel trailer.

Hormel’s best-known product is Spam. It’s easy to joke about a company built on meat that comes in a can, but it turns out that Hormel is having the last laugh. For the past 10 years, it has been on a tear. Revenue has increased from $5.4 billion to $9.3 billion, boosting its ranking in the Fortune 500 by nearly 100 spots, to No. 304 this year. Earnings have more than doubled, the dividend has almost quadrupled, and the stock has returned roughly 400%. The growth has been fueled by a flood of new products: everything from peanut-butter snacks to single-serve turkey sticks to a food-service burger made with chicken, quinoa, and, yes, kale. All were developed in Austin—proof that innovation is defined by people, not zip codes.

But Hormel’s success is also a story of acquisition and the persistent colonization of new food worlds. In the past five years, the old-school meat producer has paid more than $2.3 billion to acquire a portfolio of brands that sell organic food, ethnic food, and health(ier) food. They include Wholly Guacamole, Muscle Milk, Skippy peanut butter, and Applegate Farms. In May it agreed to buy Justin’s, the ultrahip nut-butter company, for $286 million.

There’s no tofu Spam on the horizon (phew!), but Hormel is rolling out a pea-based protein shake and experimenting with the online sale of bespoke hams. Not to worry, the mainstream processed meats that add so much to Hormel’s bottom line—and our waistlines—aren’t going away. So what we’re witnessing is a company in full embrace of the cognitive dissonance of our collective diets, where we eat like a vegan at lunch and snack like a carnivore on the drive home. It is a familiar story across Big Food, as companies invest in the eating habits of the emerging America—one that is more diverse, more pressed for time, and more concerned about ingredients and the ethics of food production. By that narrative, it’s not that Hormel has a better recipe than its peers. But it may have better cooks.

Hormel turns 125 this year. And it is by nature an incremental company—a place of evolutionary rather than revolutionary change. In this context, many of its recent deals seem more like sensible experiments than strategic shifts. But if there were any questions about Hormel’s direction and its appetite, they were answered two years ago. Hillshire Farms was on the market. On paper, the two companies were a nice fit, with Hillshire’s strength in deli, sausage, and hot dogs complementing Hormel’s clout in bacon, turkey, and grocery. Hormel, however, didn’t bite.

Why pass? Price was a factor. (Tyson Foods tsn ended up buying Hillshire for $7.7 billion.) But there was something else as well. Jeff Ettinger, Hormel’s direct and self-effacing chairman and CEO, says the company’s reluctance to move on the deal underscored a critical pivot in thinking: Hillshire was just more of the same. “We felt that Hillshire was a mainstream processed-meat company,” he says. “We really preferred to put our bets on some of those newer spaces.”

Applegate Farms fit that bill. Its vision is to “Change the Meat We Eat,” and it’s not always clear if Applegate is a meat company that advocates agricultural issues or an NGO that happens to sell cold cuts. Since its founding in 1987, it has built a passionate following among consumers willing to pay extra for an all-natural hot dog. Stephen McDonnell, Applegate’s founder, is still a leading voice challenging the livestock industry’s default use of antibiotics and a supporter of greater labeling of GMO ingredients. Hormel remains on opposite sides of these issues.

McDonnell, who is now 61, suffered a stroke in December 2013, and by March of the next year he had retained Goldman Sachs gs to help him sell the company. McDonnell, who has never before spoken publicly about the process, says he and the team from Goldman interviewed representatives from nearly every major meat company in the world. There was lots of interest.

Hormel gained the inside track through a decidedly Midwestern, old-fashioned approach. “Jeff reached out directly on his own,” recounts McDonnell. “And he was the only one that did this, and he said, ‘Could we have dinner?’ ”

They met in New York City, at Maialino, part of Danny Meyer’s restaurant empire. There was no real business talk, just conversation about values and vision. But for McDonnell, it sealed the deal. “I said from the beginning that I was going to look into somebody’s eyes, and I was going to trust them, and Jeff was that guy.”

The Applegate deal was announced on May 26, 2015, with Hormel paying $774 million for a company with roughly $340 million in sales. Unlike Hormel, Applegate owns no farms or processing plants. From bird to nugget, it’s all done through third parties. What the company did have was a groovy office in Bridgewater, N.J., filled with designer chairs, folk art, and a bunch of employees who had some serious concerns about what the new owners—referred to tongue in cheek as “Hormellians”—would demand.

Jars of Skippy Peanut Butter roll down the line at a factory in little rock. Hormel bought skippy in 2013. Since the end of 2013, the no. 2 peanut butter brand’s U.S market share has grown from 16.6% to 18.6%.Photograph by Floto + Warner for Fortune Magazine

Gina Asoudegan is the senior director of mission at Applegate, charged with working with environmental and animal-welfare groups across a wide range of issues. “It was hard for me in the beginning to believe that Hormel, the makers of Spam, would somehow be okay with the mission and the things that I want this company to do in terms of raising the bar on animal welfare and things like that,” she says. “I wrestled with that. I’m not going to lie.”

But she said she came around after a trip to Austin. She heard the meat managers at Hormel talk about the need to clean up labels and remove ingredients to better reach millennials. What she realized was that it didn’t have to be about Applegate selling out. Maybe Hormel was buying in, and moving—albeit slowly—toward a different, perhaps more enlightened, model of food production.

Not surprisingly, all this corporate kumbaya is at times met with a side order of skepticism. Applegate’s social media team still spends lots of time assuring customers that nothing has changed and that Applegate operates independently. That’s not quite true, of course, although company officials insist that Applegate is actually trying to be more assertive on food-production issues because the competition in the organic-meat business has gotten stiffer, and the company’s activism is a core attribute of the brand.

Midsize companies that make healthy food are prime targets for acquisition by the majors. “The ‘better for you’ category is a high-velocity area in terms of deals,” says Rodney Clark, a founder with the M&A firm Aspect Consumer Partners. “It’s driven by corporate competition. Underpinning it all is that consumers have gotten smarter and are looking at labels. For the companies with the older, more traditional, less healthy brands, the question is, How do we continue to connect with consumers? It’s hard for them to disrupt themselves.”

Justin’s has revenues of less than $100 million. The steep price Hormel is paying—nearly three times sales—reflects the strong growth in the specialty-nut category and also the challenges Hormel would have faced building its own business off the Skippy’s franchise.

The food business is incredibly transparent. The market-research companies can slice and dice checkout data, so it’s hard for a boutique company to fly under the radar. Prices for deals have increased in recent years, as private equity also chases those businesses. Hormel’s pitch is based not just on dollars upfront but also on showing respect for the owners and a promise to grow the acquired company after the ink dries.

Justin Gold, the founder and majority owner of Justin’s, said that Hormel’s team approached him late last year. One of the first things he did was to reach out to McDonnell and the owners of Muscle Milk about their experiences under Hormel. In both deals, the existing management and headquarters were largely kept intact. And neither brand carries any labeling acknowledging Hormel’s ownership.

“These guys have a credibility for doing what they say they are going to do,” says Gold. “The founders are very happy with the way that Hormel has grown their business.”

At Hormel’s low-slung corporate offices next to the rumble of Interstate 90, the receptionist shows up before 6 a.m. Most employees are there by 7, a nod to the company’s meatpacking roots. Hormel’s leadership team averages 26 years with the company. It is overwhelmingly white and male—far less diverse than the company’s overall workforce, its board of directors, or its customer base. It’s an issue that Ettinger says he is working on, but one that is made more difficult by Austin’s location and Hormel’s propensity to promote from within.

Ettinger came to Hormel in 1989 as an attorney and then transferred to product management. He started out with canned chili and eventually led Hormel’s Jennie-O turkey business. In 2005 he emerged as CEO, and a few years later the Hormel team ramped up its bolt-on acquisition strategy.

Hormel has five divisions: grocery products, including a joint venture with Herdez del Fuerte that is the largest seller of Mexican food in the U.S.; refrigerated meats, which are nearly half the company; Jennie-O, which has bounced back from the crippling impact of avian influenza last year; specialty foods; and international. Running in the background, primarily in refrigerated meats, is a billion-dollar food-service operation, which provides everything from precooked ribs and the guacamole at Subway to the toppings that go on all those pizzas sold at Casey’s General Stores across rural America. Unlike many of its competitors, Hormel rarely uses food brokers. Its sales force is on the ground, and the insights from customers speed the development of new products, both for retail and the trade.

Take bacon. Americans love it. Many food-service operators hate it. The cleanup after a breakfast shift is a nightmare, and it’s easy for a small distraction during the cooking to lead to an overdone tray. These are what kitchen managers call pain points. So Hormel spent five years creating a machine that churns out fully cooked bacon that can be reheated on-site and has the proper taste and texture—delivering the right amount of chewing delight, known to food scientists as jaw stress. The patent is pending, and it has been an enormous success for institutional customers.

And then there is Hormel’s entry into the peanut-butter wars. Peanut butter is now a two-jar competition between Skippy and Jif, which is made by J.M. Smucker sjm and has twice Skippy’s U.S. market share. (Skippy leads internationally.) Peanut butter is one of those products that are in almost every household. And the brand you grow up with often ends up being the one you grow old with.

Hormel’s tactic here hasn’t been so much to win the category but rather to change it—finding new uses for peanut butter. Soon after buying Skippy, Ettinger challenged his development team to take the product out of the jar, and to do it quickly. The result? Skippy P.B. Bites, marble-size munchies, launched last year. Its target consumer: boys and girls who arrive home from school “hangry,” i.e., so hungry they’re angry. Sales are good, but the key takeaway is that nearly half the shoppers who buy the snacks for their kids are Jif loyalists. That said, Skippy’s market-share gains are coming mostly at the expense of smaller brands, not Jif. But the Hormellians are hopeful.

For sulky teenagers who have outgrown Oscar Mayer’s still mighty Lunchables empire, Hormel has developed REV, which is a piece of meat and a piece of cheese wrapped around flavored flatbread. No condiments. No lettuce or pickles. To say it is dry is an understatement. But that misses the point. It’s designed to be eaten with one hand while the other hand keeps texting. REV, already a $50 million business, was developed in part from the work of Hormel’s in-house anthropologist, Tanya Rodriguez. She visited university campuses and noticed how many students didn’t put down the phone even during meals. “The table has become more of an irrelevant symbol, more of an archetype,” she says.

The new Spam Museum opened in April in the heart of downtown Austin. The gift shop notwithstanding, it is less cheesy than you might expect. There was a time not that long ago when Hormel took Spam very seriously—perhaps too seriously. In 1995, for example, it sued Jim Henson Productions over trademark infringement for a boar named “Spa’am” who makes a cameo in the film Muppet Treasure Island. Hormel claimed the character’s lack of cleanliness reflected poorly on its products. The court sided with Miss Piggy. An appellate judge later wrote, “The district court found no evidence that Spa’am was unhygienic. At worst, he might be described as ‘untidy.’ ”

Nicole Behne is a marketing director in Hormel’s grocery products division, in charge of selling Spam, Mary Kitchen Hash, and Dinty Moore stews. None of those products has quite had a PBR or Old Spice hipster-revival moment, but Behne is ever the optimist. She’s trying to tie Dinty Moore to so-called “lumbersexuals”—young men who wear flannel but don’t wield an ax.

The Spam you buy today is made to last for three years. Behne describes it as a shelf-stable and functional product, which sounds more like a paperweight than something you might want to put in your mouth. Spam typically occupies some of the worst real estate at the supermarket. But it is still a brand with estimated sales of $300 million and one that’s growing about 3% each year. “We’re not as poor or as old as people think we are,” says Behne. Spam’s newest line extension is Spam Mezclita, a combination of Spam and processed cheese now sold only in Puerto Rico. A version targeted toward Mexican-Americans didn’t catch on and is being discontinued. Ditto for Spam Snacks, dried morsels that came in a pouch.

Hormel developed REV, a new line of on-the-go meals, with input from its house anthropologist, who noticed that today’s students don’t put down their phones during meals.Photograph by Ackerman + Gruber for Fortune Magazine

Overseas, Spam’s prospects are stronger. Because of restrictions on the importing of meat products, most foreign Spam sales (upwards of $500 million) are through licensing agreements. South Koreans consume a staggering $175 million of Spam each year, much of it in a spicy noodle-and-kimchi dish called Troop Stew, which is a staple across the country.

The great frontier is China. In late 2014 the Chinese government imposed for the second time a ban on Spam imports. Since last spring, the country has been officially Spam-free. That will change at the end of 2016, when Hormel opens up a factory in Jiaxing, adding to its existing production of processed meats in China. Unlike the Koreans or the Filipinos, the Chinese aren’t Spam-crazy—yet. “The rising middle class is where the opportunity is,” said Larry Vorpahl, the president of Hormel Foods International. “Just like everybody else, they need convenience. Precooked and flavored, ready to go—that’s the market where disposable income is going to be.”

Hormel’s flagship factory, where it makes much of its Spam, sits halfway between the company headquarters and the new museum. Last year, Hormel found itself in an unflattering spotlight when workers at the contract slaughterhouse inside the factory were filmed hitting animals with paddles, among other apparent violations. The USDA issued no fine, but the incident underscores an important point. Despite all the branding and clever marketing, Hormel is at its core a company that starts with animals entering through one door and meat leaving through another. It is often hard and demanding work, built around processing 1,300 hogs an hour. In 2007 the complex came under scrutiny after public-health investigators identified a cluster of neurological disease among employees who worked on or near the brain-harvesting station.

Richard Morgan is the president of Local 9 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in Austin, representing 1,500 Hormel employees and another 1,000 at Quality Pork Processors, the subcontractor on the slaughter side of the sprawling factory that was brought in on the heels of a protracted and at-times violent strike in 1985 that made national headlines.

“These are the toughest jobs in the world,” Morgan says. The union signed a new five-year contract with Hormel last year after taking two strike authorization votes. It is the best contract Morgan can recall, and yet hourly wages increased only 2%, from $16.90 to $17.30. That’s one indication of Hormel’s drive to squeeze costs, boost profits, and achieve its goals of 10% earnings growth on 5% revenue growth. Another indication: its fight to avoid paying workers for their time putting on protective clothing at a factory in Wisconsin. (The state’s supreme court sided with the workers.)

Morgan has other long-term worries. He’s concerned about where the next generation of meatpacking employees is going to come from. His new members are mostly immigrants—from Latin America, Asia, and Africa—who are for now willing to endure the pace, the stress, and the cold of the packinghouse. Hormel pushes hard, says Morgan, but he also recognizes it as better than its peers. It’s a stable company that has few layoffs. And there is still a profit-sharing program that, come the holidays, can mean several hundred dollars in a worker’s paycheck.

Hormel’s stability is not simply because people today reliably eat bacon and chili, or because tomorrow they’re going to switch to almond butter and microwavable vegetarian meals. It’s more fundamental than that. Just under 49% of Hormel’s stock, worth around $9 billion at current prices, is controlled by the Austin-based Hormel Foundation, located in the basement of a squat office building kitty-corner from the museum. The foundation owns 5% outright—and gets that stake’s $16 million in dividends—but it also votes the shares of trusts established for the grandsons of George Hormel. Eventually, all those shares and their dividends will revert to the foundation.

Ettinger sits on the foundation’s board, and he says the arrangement protects Hormel and lets it manage for the long term. Activist investors don’t bother with the company because there’s not a plausible endgame. He’s quick to add that activists also tend not to bother companies that are performing well.

Jon Feeney, an analyst with Athlos Research, puts it this way: “Jeff Ettinger doesn’t lose sleep over whether some bigger company is going to outmaneuver him and buy him—and that’s by design, and it’s a fundamentally correct way to do business.”

According to its most recent tax return, the foundation gave away more than $22 million in 2014 to local groups, principally the City of Austin and its public schools, the local community college, and the Hormel Institute, an affiliate of the University of Minnesota that is a leader in cancer research. Its most recent expansion includes a $5 million microscope with near-atomic resolution.

“Oh, my gosh,” says Bonnie Rietz, a former mayor of Austin who is the foundation’s vice chair. “We are so lucky to have this. It’s an amazing setup.” She says the foundation’s resources have kept the schools well-funded, paid for college scholarships, and poured millions into the institute. The latest project is working with a developer on an apartment complex for the institute’s expected wave of new researchers, encouraging them to live in Austin rather than Rochester, some 40 miles away.

Hormel’s early starting times discourage that commute. Instead, nearly all of the company’s top executives are huddled in the same neighborhood of split-levels on Austin’s west side. Their kids go to the same schools as the kids whose parents work in the factory, and they often pray at the same churches. Two months ago, Ettinger and Jim Snee, Hormel’s president and Ettinger’s heir apparent, worked the check-in table at a dinner before Austin High’s prom. Each has a senior at the school.

All of this can sound bit hokey, but perhaps that’s just the cynicism from the coasts talking. “When it’s all said and done, Austin and Hormel are inextricably linked,” says Snee. “You really get to know each other beyond just the workplace. For me personally, I think there is incredible value in that. You know who the individuals are, you know how they work, and you know what it takes to get things done.”

And even in such a small town, that kind of thinking can sometimes lead to big results.

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A version of this article appears in the June 15, 2016 issue of Fortune with the headline “Hormel’s New Recipe for Success.”

Summary: Hormel, the maker of Spam is booming—and learning to love peanut butter, protein shakes, and organic food.


GoPro’s first drone now has a name: Karma.

The name was revealed on Thursday on GoPro’s website. The webpage for Karma offers interested buyers a chance to sign up to receive updates as the launch of Karma gets closer, with the company stating it plans on giving away 100 drones to those who enter an email address.

Karma is expected to launch in the first half 2016, missing what could be considered a breakout holiday season for drones. According to some estimates, as many as one million drones, or quad-copters as they’re also called, are expected to be sold.

The action camera company also posted the second video containing footage captured with Karma. The 61 second video uses portions of a longer video posted in October, demonstrating video quality and video stabilization capabilities of the flying camera. GoPro states the captured video hasn’t been stabilized using any editing tools, indicating Karma is capable of capturing silky-smooth video while flying.

MORE: Here’s Why GoPro Had a Horrible Quarter

GoPro GPRO also updated its iOS and Android applications on Thursday. The mobile app connects to a Wi-Fi equipped GoPro, acting as a remote to start/stop recording, transfer video, and control settings.

The updated iOS app includes GoPro’s Apple Watch app, which was first demonstrated by Apple during its special event in September, but had been curiously absent until now.

With GoPro’s Apple Watch app, users can use the smartwatch to control the company’s Wi-Fi enabled cameras. Through the watch, users can preview shots, start and stop record, adjust settings, and add HiLight tags (a tool used to make videos easier to find when editing).

In addition to releasing the Apple Watch app, GoPro also added new features to the main iOS and Android apps. New features include the ability to scroll through a video and save a single frame of video as a still image. GoPro also claims to have improved filtering content, making it easier to find a specific clip while on the go.

Just last week, GoPro dropped the price of its Hero4 Session camera for the second time to $199 in an attempt to spark demand a device that hasn’t sold as well as the company had hoped.

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For more about GoPro’s drone aspirations, check out this Fortune video:

Summary: GoPro users can now control the camera from the wrist.


Dr. Susan DiMarco and Jeh Johnson grew up across the street from each other on Cottam Hill in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. He remembers her Hula-Hooping in the driveway for hours and rolling up the skirt of her uniform on the way to the school bus; she remembers that he was too shy to talk to girls.

Mr. Johnson, whose first name is pronounced "jay," is now 36. Until recently, he was known as the most eligible bachelor partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, the New York law firm.

Dr. DiMarco, also 36, is a dentist who took over her father's practice in Wappingers Falls several years ago. She didn't even have to change the shingle, which reads "Dr. S. DiMarco." (Her father's name is Stephen).

In 1990, Mr. Johnson needed a cavity filled and made an appointment with Dr. DiMarco, whom he had last seen leading cheers at a high school basketball game. He didn't look forward to the reunion. For him, a visit to the dentist was like medieval torture to Muzak.

But he found that Dr. DiMarco had become "this attractive and bright and cheerful woman," and for several months, he searched for excuses to make more appointments. He had his teeth cleaned. He had them whitened. Not even the Novocain needle could keep him away.

For a long time, Dr. DiMarco remained purely clinical. In fact, he endured three years of dental work before she agreed to a date with him. "I wanted to take her out to dinner so she could see what I was like without all those instruments in my mouth," he said. "It's very hard to be charming when you're lying on your back with saliva running down your cheek."

Why did she hold out so long? "I never wanted to mix personal and professional relationships," she said. "It's bad politics. You can't make clear decisions; you make emotional decisions, and I truly feel patients deserve not to have an emotional decision."

On their first date, they went to one of President Clinton's inaugural balls (Mr. Johnson was a big Clinton supporter), and six months later, while spending a weekend on Fire Island, they decided to marry.

"I didn't know how to broach the topic of marriage," he said.

"So I broached it," she said.

Their two-part wedding began with a ceremony for their immediate families on March 18 at Corpus Christi Church on West 121st Street in Manhattan.

"It was our idea to have a private, spontaneous, unrehearsed ceremony," Mr. Johnson said. "I didn't want to rehearse it three times and enter through this door and stand on this piece of tape and say these words and hand the ring to the bride at this precise moment. It has much more meaning for me if it's done once and once only."

The next night, 200 guests, mainly dentists and lawyers, gathered at B. Smith's restaurant on West 47th Street in an upstairs lounge overlooking the theater district.

Several people there were not at all surprised that Mr. Johnson, a graduate of Morehouse College, managed to woo Dr. DiMarco while undergoing dental work.

"They teach charm at Morehouse," said Elizabeth Jackson Hodges, a daughter of Maynard Jackson, the former Atlanta Mayor. "Morehouse men are intelligent and just a little arrogant. They are men with a gift for gab. Even with his mouth full of cotton, Jeh could charm you."

Photo: Corpus Christi Church, Manhattan, March 18 (Photographs by Steve Hart for The New York Times)


New, stricter security checks have been implemented in Brazilian airports, stalling travellers and delaying flights less than three weeks before Rio de Janeiro hosts the Olympics.

Starting at 6am on Monday, long, chaotic lines formed at Congonhas regional airport in Brazil's biggest city, Sao Paulo.

Within a half-hour, more than 700 people were waiting on the building's first and second floors to pass through security checkpoints. The lines eased up by the afternoon.

Smaller airports elsewhere in Sao Paulo state in southern Brazil also reported problems.

There were long lines as well at the Santos Dumont regional airport in Rio de Janeiro, where the games are scheduled to open on August 5.

International airports have not been affected so far.

The new measures took effect days after the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice in France - underscoring potential security threats at big events.

Authorities say some 85,000 soldiers and police officers will patrol Rio's streets during the Olympics.

Also on Monday, a police bomb squad responded to a report of a suspicious bag outside an apartment building in Rio's wealthy Leblon neighbourhood.

Officers blocked the street and used a robot to inspect the blue sports bag, which turned out to have only clothes inside.

"This kind of thing isn't typical in Brazil," said Sergio Cabreu, a 68-year-old retiree who lives in a building around the corner. "I doubt it's anything, but with the Olympics coming up it's good to find out."

Because of the stricter checks in airports, Brazilian state airport administrator, Infraero, has recommended that travellers now arrive two hours before scheduled domestic flights instead of 30 minutes. At least five flights at Congonhas were delayed on Monday, Infraero said.

The new procedures include body searches, removal of electronic items from bags before scanning and more thorough luggage inspections.

Brazil's aviation agency said the steps are necessary.

"Due to this vacation period and with the proximity of the Olympic Games, demand for air transportation will surely increase," the agency said.

Brazilian authorities expect more than 500,000 foreign tourists to visit Rio for the Olympic Games.

Summary: Stricter airport security is in place in Brazil and some 85,000 soldiers and police officers are set to patrol Rio's streets when it hosts the Olympics.


For a ravenous mob intent on feasting on the delicious brains of the whole of Westeros, the White Walkers have taken their sweet time. However, they raised their game with a vengeance in a compelling hour that played out as a sequel to last year’s ghoul-iriffic Hardhome.

With Bran’s unauthorised dream quest bringing the Night’s King down on the Three-Eyed Raven’s hideaway faster than you could say “zombie apocalypse” this was Game of Thrones at its most thrillingly fantastical. And let’s not forget that earlier Stark flashback in which it was revealed that the Walkers are essentially eco-warriors with hygiene issues, created by the Children of the Forest to keep mankind at bay. A chilling reminder of the depths people sank to in the time before Facebook petitions.

In the flashback we saw Leaf, a Child of the Forest, sink an icy shard into a man’s chest, turning his eyes an ominious electric blue. The shard looked like it could be obsidian – the dragon glass that has been proven to foil the seemingly indestructible White Walkers. Sadly, the Walkers had no qualms about taking out their own creators – and made a mess of one of the weirwood trees they were intended to protect.

It’s possible that this explains who the enigmatic Night’s King is, he could be the first White Walker created by Leaf.

There also appears to be a difference between White Walkers – the creatures created by the children of the forest – and Wights, which are reanimated corpses (and one of the reasons people in the North are so preoccupied with burning the dead). It looks like White Walkers aren’t afraid of fire, as three of them walked right through the Children of the Forest’s protective ring of flame, unlike their undead followers who refused to go near it.

Unlike humans, White Walkers can see Bran when he travels back in time, and they seem to have beef with greenseers – as proven by their merciless slaughter of the Three Eyed Raven. We also learned that they’re savvier than we first thought – they managed to give him a nasty ice-burn which doubled as a tracking device. Lesson: don’t get on the wrong side of the Night’s King.

Summary: After last week's explosive episode of Game of Thrones, featuring a flame-retardant nude Daenerys Targaryen and a Stark family reunion, many thought this week's offering would be a more sedate affair.


There’s great news for coffee lovers this week.

A new study published in the journal Circulation found that regular coffee drinkers—people who drank less than five cups of coffee in a given day—have a lower risk of dying early from a number of different causes.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that coffee is the answer to longevity. But the researchers found that those who drank coffee on a regular basis had a lower risk of dying during the study’s 30 year follow up from problems such as heart diseases, diabetes, brain conditions and suicide. The findings only show a link, and cannot confirm that coffee is directly responsible for the reduced risk of death from these causes, but the scientists report that the many compounds in coffee are known to help lower insulin resistance or inflammation, which could result in better health.

MORE: You Asked: Is Coffee Bad For Me?

The researchers studied several large groups of people totaling 208,500 men and women. They asked the volunteers about their coffee drinking habits every four years for the three decades. The connection between coffee consumption and a lower death risk was even more pronounced among people who never smoked.

The researchers admit that the self-reports of coffee consumption aren’t completely reliable, and the study was not designed to find a direct health benefit from coffee. But, they argue, the link deserves more research to understand what might be driving it, since previous studies have isolated some potentially beneficial compounds, from antioxidants to inflammation fighting agents, in coffee. Interestingly, the researchers found the lower risk of death was similar among people who drank caffeinated as well as decaffeinated coffee. That suggests, the researchers write, that “other components in coffee besides caffeine might play a beneficial role mediating the association between long-term coffee consumption and risk of mortality.”

The results are only the latest in a rehabilitation of coffee. For many years coffee was deemed unhealthy. As TIME previously reported, much of that concern came from research in the 1970s and 1980s that linked coffee to higher rates of cancer and heart disease, but didn’t account for the fact that coffee drinkers are also more likely to smoke, possibly drink and engage in other behaviors that contribute to cancer and heart problems. More recent studies that account for these factors are starting to find the opposite, showing that coffee drinkers might have a slightly lower mortality risk. As with any food or behavior, however, it’s all about moderation. As long as you’re not overdoing it, says the study authors, “results from this and previous studies indicate that coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle.”

Summary: New findings add to growing evidence that coffee may actually have some benefits


(Originally published by the Daily News on July 23, 1999. This was written by Dave Saltonstall, Michele McPhee, Richard Sisk and Helen Kennedy.)

John F. Kennedy Jr. was returned to the sea that claimed his life yesterday when his ashes, along with the remains of his wife and her sister, were committed to the deep in a simple, stately ceremony aboard a Navy destroyer.

The endlessly photographed man, who escaped a ravenous press only once, when he married in secret in 1996, was laid to rest far from prying eyes.

His ashes were sent out into the vast, incurious sea in a midday service as brief and private as his father's was long and public. In keeping with the families' wishes, there was no honor guard to salute when a score of Kennedys joined the parents and sister of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, 33, and Lauren Bessette, 34, aboard the Briscoe about 9:20 a.m. in Woods Hole, Mass.

John F. Kennedy Jr. went missing after a flight in 1999

The families carried the cremated remains of the bodies, which had been raised the day before from the wreckage of John Kennedy's plane about 2 miles from the location of the service. Clad in black, their eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, the 15 or so mourners stood out on the deck amid crew members in snappy Navy dress whites.

Two Navy chaplains and a Catholic priest performed the brief, simple ceremony without a Mass.

Three folded flags and three wreaths made of red, yellow and white flowers were on the craft.

Boats were kept 3 miles from the Briscoe, and aircraft were barred from a 10-mile circle around the ship.

John F. Kennedy Jr.'s body was found in the ocean in 1999

Early yesterday, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), stoic head of the star-crossed clan, led a score of younger relatives onto the Sanibel, a Coast Guard cutter that ferried the Kennedys and Bessettes to the 563-foot destroyer.

Mourners included Kennedy's sister, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg; her husband, Edwin; and cousins Maria Shriver, William Kennedy Smith, Ted Kennedy Jr., Patrick Kennedy, Max Kennedy and Rory Kennedy. The Bessettes' mother, Ann Freeman, and stepfather, Dr. Richard Freeman, also were aboard, along with Lauren Bessette's twin sister, Lisa Ann.

As the Sanibel headed toward the Briscoe, the Coast Guard vessel could be overheard on the radio telling the destroyer the families asked that there be no honor guard because they wanted to keep the ceremony "low-key."

Ethel Kennedy, widow of slain New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, did not attend, remaining at Hyannis Port with a priest.

The passengers divided into twos and threes, pacing the cutter's decks during the short ride out to sea. Schlossberg, her head bowed, sat in a wooden slat-backed chair.

Once they climbed up the gangway onto the destroyer, the Briscoe radioed: "We are now headed for sea under the Stars and Stripes."

Escorted by three 110-foot cutters, the Briscoe steamed south down Vineyard Sound at 20 mph over a sea speckled with whitecaps.

At one point, the ship stopped and turned toward the Gay Head beach on Martha's Vineyard, a symbolic salute to the 500-acre estate of the 38-year-old Kennedy's late mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, where JFK Jr. spent years swimming, fishing and kayaking.

The Briscoe, carrying a crew of 26 officers and 300 enlisted personnel, continued out to sea, coming to a stop a half-hour later about 4 miles off the estate in 100 feet of water.

Within sight, the salvage ship Grasp continued its work over the splash point of Kennedy's small plane, offering a grim backdrop to the service. Divers beneath the ship walked the ocean floor, picking their way through the wreckage from last Friday night's crash.

On board the Briscoe, mourners could be seen moving toward the stern, where a flag was lowered to half-mast as the group was seated.

At least two mourners rose to speak during the service, which lasted less than half an hour.

A brass quintet from the Newport Navy Band played the Navy hymn "Eternal Father," which prays for "those in peril on the sea." The hymn was played by the Navy Band in 1963 as President John F. Kennedy's body was carried up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to lie in state.

The quintet also played "Abide With Me" and "For All the Saints." Prayers and scriptures were read from the Book of Wisdom, including the passage: "The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment shall touch them."

Escorted by the crew, family members then descended a staircase-like ladder lowered from the side of the ship to commit the ashes to the waves, a Navy spokeswoman said.

It was not known if the ashes were scattered, as Navy tradition holds, or if the urns were plunged into the sea, as U.S. Catholic bishops dictate.

"It was very simple, but very solemn," said the Rev. Louis Iasiello, a Navy chaplain who assisted the Rev. Charles O'Byrne in the ceremony. O'Byrne presided at JFK Jr.'s wedding nearly three years ago.

After about a half-hour, the passengers returned to the upper deck and the flag was taken down.

The Briscoe turned its bow toward Kennedy's beach one last time and then headed back to Woods Hole. Before they disembarked, the mourners kneeled on the deck to say a prayer.

The elegant ceremony was in keeping with the legend of Camelot that had so delighted Kennedy's parents. King Arthur, too, was borne away on the waves when his time on Earth was at an end.

Adding to the aura of fate and irony that has haunted the family since Kennedy died off his own beach two days before the 30th anniversary of Chappaquiddick, the ceremony took place on what would have been the 109th birthday of family matriarch Rose Kennedy.

Along the area beaches, residents and tourists gazed out at the gray hulk of the destroyer against the blue sea to muse on its sad cargo.

Some glued their eyes to binoculars. Some prayed at the water's edge. Some threw flowers into the waves.

"Our prayers are with you," read a sign carried by one resident.

On Gay Head Beach, residents erected a 4-foot-high cross of beach driftwood, lashed together with wild island grape vines. The names John-John, Carolyn and Lauren were etched into each arm of the cross.

West Tisbury resident Heather Rynd said the monument was a symbol of loss and love for the Kennedy legacy.

"JFK Jr. stands for something I carry in my heart politically, emotionally and spiritually," she said. "I feel now that the spirit of him and the three of them will be here forever."

Summary: John F. Kennedy Jr.'s ashes, along with the remains of his wife and her sister, were committed to the sea in a simple, stately ceremony.


As a result, last week Connie broadcast a live show into schools all over the country about our projects and the issues underpinning extreme poverty. When she then guested on two TV chat shows to promote Red Nose Day, and voiced our film about children living on trash heaps in Bangladesh, I was asked to accompany her. THIS was Connie Britton Day.

At 9am I cycled the 55 blocks to the ABC studios on 66th street and arrived early enough to have time for the sweat to dry (glamorous). ‘Are you with Connie?’ said the receptionist at ABC studios. ‘I AM.’ I replied with way too much pride. Suddenly, in a flurry of clipboards and producers, actual Connie Britton was in the house. And she was everything. Unapologetically 49, a single mother of an adopted son, no surgery, no fuss, and no issue with wearing a plunging neckline while also working as an Ambassador for the United Nations. She has long, titian, legendarily fulsome hair and serious glasses… it’s a powerful combo.

Summary: There are only days to go until Red Nose Day USA.


is solely to blame for inflaming the violent mob that severely injured several innocent people ... so says a 4th woman who was injured in the melee and is now threatening to sue the rapper.

TMZ has learned ... Innocent Victim #4, Vladimira Brace, has lawyered up -- claiming she suffered a spinal injury when she was trampled in the melee that ensued inside W.i.P. nightclub in NYC on June 13.

Brace's attorney has already fired off a letter to Drake's reps ... saying point blank, "Your client instigated a brawl with Mr.

" ... and adds, "[Drake's] actions were reckless and negligent in inflaming a violent mob."

The letter continues, "My client personally observed several members of [Drake's] entourage throwing bottles of champagne with reckless and criminal disregard of the well-being of the innocent bystanders."

, claims Drake has a "well documented history" of vulgar, abusive and profane remarks concerning women -- and notes, "It is regrettable that apparently many innocent young women have been severely injured by this incident."

Sources connected with Drake tell TMZ ... Friedman's allegations are "laughable." They say first of all, Drake was there with a couple of security guys and that was it. They note both Chris Brown and Meek Mill both had large entourages. They also say the notion that Drake has an abusive history of women is absurd on 2 counts. First, they say it's not true. Second, Chris Brown .... well, you know.

3 other women have also claimed they were injured in the Drake vs. Chris Brown fight ... including a 24-year-old Australian tourist who needed 16 stitches after she was hit by a flying bottle.

Summary: Drake is solely to blame for inflaming the violent mob that severely injured several innocent people ... so says a 4th woman who was injured in the melee…


Ms. Ghose called the treaty ''not only a flawed one but a dangerous one'' that would encourage a new kind of nuclear arms race, one in sophisticated laboratories out of reach of most nations. That is because the treaty bars all nuclear explosions, but not computer simulations or tests involving what are known as ''subcritical'' blasts with no radioactive yield.

Diplomats say they are confident about leaving India aside at this point for several reasons. The treaty calls for a review conference in three years to take unspecified steps to bring it into universal force. Nothing rules out a reopening of the discussion then on whether all 44 nations that have nuclear reactors must sign.

A number of diplomats said today that given the lopsided majority in favor of the treaty, there will be great pressure on holdouts.

''It's a process that has started today with the setting down of the law, and now the clock starts ticking through that three-year period where we hope that all concerned will come on board,'' said Richard Butler, Australia's envoy at the United Nations, who guided the treaty through the unusual vote today after India blocked the treaty in the 61-member Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

In light of the world commitment against testing demonstrated today, he asked, ''How easy would it be now for anyone to conduct a nuclear test?''

India may also have a different government in three years, though Indian diplomats insist that the rejection of the treaty has broad political support.

Finally, there is the strength of international law, said Thomas Franck, director of international studies at the New York University law school, referring to the 1969 Vienna Convention governing treaties.

''Technically a country that signs or votes for the adoption of a treaty is not bound by it until it ratifies it, which in many countries is a pure formality,'' he said. ''However, the Vienna Convention provides that between the time of signing and ratifying, a state has a legal obligation not to act in a manner inconsistent with the agreement.''

In Washington, a senior Administration official said that the test ban treaty had been ''brought back from the grave'' by a concerted lobbying effort by the five declared nuclear powers and other nations like Australia, Canada, Brazil and Japan.

''A great tribute is due here to Australia, which had credibility in the West because of its place in alliances and great credibility in the nonaligned movement and the rest of the world because it had seen first hand the consequences of nuclear testing,'' he said.

The official recalled that only three years ago, the United States had plans for 15 more nuclear tests before President Clinton declared a moratorium on American testing and called for quick action on a test ban treaty.

''We are extremely gratified by the vote,'' the American official said. ''Virtually the whole world said no to India. This is a treaty that wouldn't die.''

Chart: ''Chronology: The Last Blast?'' July 16, 1945 The United States conducts the first nuclear test in the desert north of Alamorgordo, New Mexico. Aug. 6, 1945 The Soviet Union conducts its first nuclear test in Kazakstan. Aug. 5, 1963 The Partial Test-Ban Treaty, banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water, is signed by the Soviet Union, Britain and the United States. Aug. 16, 1964 China conducts its first nuclear test. July 1, 1968 The Non-Proliferation Treaty, forbidding the spread of nuclear weapons beyond the five declared nuclear powers, is opened for signature in London, Moscow and Washington. July 3, 1974 The Threshold Test-Ban Treaty, limiting underground tests, is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union. July 31, 1991 The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Start I Treaty, by which the two sides undertake to reduce their nuclear weapons by about one-fifth to between 8,000 and 9,000 weapons. Jan. 3, 1993 The United States and Russia sign the Start II Tready, which would reduce their nuclear arsenals to no more that 3,500 warheads each. Sept. 10, 1996 158 members of the United Nations General Assembly vote in favor of the Comprehensive Test Ban Tready banning all nuclear explosions. But India vows to prevent it form ever becoming universal law. Chart: ''Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide, 1945-1996'' shows the numbers of nuclear tests conducted by various world powers. (United Nations; Physicians for Social Responsibility) Photo: The first nuclear explosion, 1945.

Summary: By a large majority, the General Assembly endorsed a treaty today that would end nuclear weapons testing, reviving hopes that a voluntary test ban now observed by most of the world's nuclear nations may become an international obligation.    The vote today, 158-3, on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty formally put the pact on the table for individual countries to sign.


U.S. stocks slumped, reversing course after their biggest weekly gain of the year, as crude-oil prices tumbled and government-bond yields plumbed record lows.

After initial losses following the U.K. vote to leave the European Union, global stocks rebounded last week, with the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both climbing more than 3%. Major U.S. indexes pared those gains Tuesday, with some investors and analysts saying markets weren’t yet clear of the fallout.

Investors sold risky assets like commodities in favor of havens like Treasury bonds. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note settled at a record low of 1.367%, U.S. crude oil dropped 4.9%, to $46.60 a barrel, and gold settled at its highest level since March 2014, up 1.5%, to $1,356.40 a troy ounce.

“It definitely feels like the markets woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” said Jason Bloom, director of research and strategy for commodities and alternatives at PowerShares. “Crude oil tends to be the epicenter of the global risk-off sentiment.”

The Dow industrials fell 108.75 points, or 0.6%, to 17840.62. The S&P 500 declined 14.40 points, or 0.7%, to 2088.55, and the Nasdaq Composite Index lost 39.67 points, or 0.8%, to 4822.90.

Shares of commodity-linked companies led the day’s losses.

The energy sector in the S&P 500 fell 1.9%. Southwestern Energy declined $1.35, or 10%, to $11.66, and Murphy Oil dropped $2.57, or 7.9%, to $30.09.

Oil prices were pressured by data from Friday that showed the number of U.S. rigs drilling for oil increased in the past week, as well as the strengthening dollar, which makes dollar-traded oil more expensive for foreign buyers. The WSJ Dollar Index advanced 0.7%.

The index’s financial sector, which fell sharply in the wake of the U.K. vote, lost 1.5%. J.P. Morgan Chase fell 1.71, or 2.8%, to 59.55, and Goldman Sachs Group declined 3.80, or 2.6%, to 144.45, making them among the biggest decliners in the Dow industrials.

With questions lingering about global growth, the U.K.’s future relationship with the EU, and politics abroad, U.S. assets like the dollar and the 10-year Treasury look relatively attractive at the moment, said Jon Adams, senior investment strategist for BMO Global Asset Management.

“Uncertainty about policy is clearly driving the markets right now,” Mr. Adams said.

The British pound slumped to a 31-year-low against the dollar. The FTSE 100 index, whose shares have benefited from a weaker pound, gained 0.4%. The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 1.7%.

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.7%, snapping a six-session winning streak as the yen climbed against the dollar.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.5%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 1% after the central bank left its cash rate unchanged. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.6%.

Some analysts cautioned against becoming overly pessimistic about the global economy as a result of U.K. vote. Investors shouldn’t necessarily “get too concerned about global growth just because the U.K. is slowing,” said Michael Metcalfe, head of macro strategy at State Street Global Markets.

A more meaningful slowdown from the Brexit vote would likely require possible political contagion in the eurozone or an acceleration of concerns about eurozone banks, Mr. Metcalfe said.

Write to Riva Gold at riva.gold@wsj.com

Summary: Stocks, oil and sterling slumped while benchmark U.S. Treasury yields plumbed record lows, as the U.K.’s Brexit vote continued to ripple across markets.


The results are skewed by the big winners, which constitute about a fourth of the total. Another fourth fold without making a purchase, a fourth lose money for their investors and a fourth provide a middling return, according to Mr. Southern, the Boston investor. Still, taken as a whole, search funds can be a winning proposition.

The funds do have drawbacks, of course. The same recession that has attracted search fund buyers has scared off sellers, for example, Mr. Grousbeck said.

Moreover, major successes are rare.

One was Road Rescue Inc., a Houston venture that Mr. Ellis and Mr. Taweel acquired in 1995 for $8 million and built into the insurance giant Asurion Inc. In that case, the original investors in Road Rescue received more than a 100-fold return on their stakes.

Asurion provides a case study of the power of the search fund model in the right circumstances. The founders, who had studied under Mr. Grousbeck at Stanford, said they liked Roadside Rescue because it was not a towing company. Instead, it sold roadside assistance insurance through local wireless carriers to their users. The venture grew by 50 to 100 percent a year in its first four years.

Then the two men had an epiphany: they were not in the roadside-assistance business; they were in the cellphone services business. In 1999 they expanded into insurance for loss or damage to cellphones. After making three major acquisitions in recent years, Asurion, based in San Mateo, Calif., has grown into a $2.5 billion company with 10,000 employees, more than 70 million wireless customers and a growing presence in Asia.

Mr. Ellis, who stepped away from an active role in the company several years ago (though he still sits on its board as a nonvoting director), now divides his time between lecturing at Stanford and investing in small and medium-size businesses.

He acknowledged that he and Mr. Taweel had the good fortune of choosing an industry on the cusp of an explosion in consumer demand. “If we had grown more slowly than we did, we would have been losing ground,” he said. Still, he said, the leap to $2.5 billion in revenue, from $6 million, in 13 years “is the biggest multiple any search fund company has had.”

Mr. Southern, the Boston investor, made a small fortune in a niche printing business that he acquired in 1984. Through dividends and the sale of the company 10 years later, his investment returned 35 times the original capital, for an average annual yield of 60 percent.

“For years, I was the most successful search fund entrepreneur,” he said. “But Asurion knocked the cover off the ball.” He has put money behind more than 40 search funds, with results that he said have been “better than those in the Stanford study.”

“The reaction I get when I tell a business owner or an investor about search funds is, ‘I wish I had thought of that,’ ” he said. For aspiring entrepreneurs who embrace the search fund model, he said, the likelihood of a big payoff is much greater than “the gamble of trying to do a start-up.”

Mr. Southern says more business school graduates are being drawn to search funds, in part because of Asurion’s success and in part because the recession has diminished prospects on Wall Street and in corporate America. Nearly 25 would-be search fund entrepreneurs have approached him since November alone, he said, compared with fewer than 10 in a full year in the past. He plans to back nine funds this year, the same as in 2008 and 2007 but significantly more than the one or two a year he helped finance before that.

Mr. Carver, co-founder of Search Fund Partners, has noticed a similar trend, with 14 candidates approaching him in the first five weeks of 2009, double the number in previous years. He says he has also seen “a strong increase in investor interest in them,” he said.

He and his business partner, Rich Kelley, a former Utah Jazz basketball player, founded Search Fund Partners five years ago. He describes it as the only private equity firm to invest exclusively in search funds.

So far, the firm has raised close to $25 million from individuals and invested in 22 search funds, half of which have acquired companies. “We’ve never had any shortage of terrific entrepreneurs to invest in,” he said. He would not divulge specifics, but said all the capital invested in the firm’s initial round of six investments was paid back by just one of them.

Mr. Grousbeck, the Stanford professor who nurtured the first fund in 1984 when he was teaching at Harvard, says the business model has spread to Europe, Latin America, Asia and even South Africa, if only by a trickle.

Still, search funds occupy a tiny niche of the investment world. Mr. Southern estimates that only 160 or so have been created, all looking for companies with less than $50 million in revenue. He estimated that about 60 search fund companies were active today.

Even so, Mr. Grousbeck said, investors who back a portfolio of search funds stand a good chance of beating the returns in other markets. “I can’t tell you how many investors have asked me, ‘Why should I pay somebody to hunt for a company when entrepreneurs are knocking on my door all the time to invest in theirs?’ ” he said. “I tell them, ‘You’d be taking a very small risk for the chance to ride the coattails of some very bright and talented people.’ ”

A version of this article appears in print on , on page B5 of the New York edition with the headline: Paying Entrepreneurs To Find the Right Business. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: Some venture capitalists do quite well by letting someone else search out and develop the opportunities.


Snoop Dogg says he "ain't trippin'" over news that his son, Cordell Broadus, quit the UCLA football team Monday ... which is huge considering Cordell said he only played the sport in the first place for his dad's love.

Remember, when Cordell quit the team last year ... he posted a message saying, "I played football for my father because I thought that was the only way he would love me & be apart of my life."

"It took me 12 years to realize he loves Cordell Broadus the person not Cordell Broadus the football player."

So, now that he's quit again ... we asked Snoop how he felt this time around. Seems the information was pretty new to Snoop who said he plans to talk to Cordell ASAP.

Summary: Snoop Dogg says he "ain't trippin'" over news that his son quit the UCLA football team Monday.


Such hand-wringing is common as trepidations about Mr. Trump grow. On substance and style, he evokes an antipathy among many Mormons that is rooted in culture, religion and history. For a religious group that was driven to Utah during the 19th century in the face of persecution, Mr. Trump’s calls for religious tests and a ban on Muslim migration echo a painful past, leaving some wondering if they will be next.

“The issue of religious liberty is an important one in the state, and the notion of a religious test for immigration raises deep concerns,” said Chris Karpowitz, a director of Brigham Young University’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. “Mormons are sensitive to issues like this because of their own history.”

Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in upstate New York in 1830. Converts, however, were often targeted as heretics for practicing polygamy, believing in scriptures exclusive to Mormonism and saying that their faith was the true restoration of Christianity.

Most Mormons were Democrats in the 19th century, Professor Karpowitz notes, because of Republican opposition to polygamy, but they started to move to the right in the 20th century. By the time the 2012 presidential election came around, with Mr. Romney as the candidate, 90 percent of Utah’s Mormons voted Republican.

That number is expected to drop significantly this year with Mr. Trump atop the ticket. His shifting positions on social issues, his hard-line views on immigration and his flashy lifestyle clash with Mormon sensibilities that prize humility and charity.

And there is his stance against taking in refugees from abroad.

“His rhetoric and the church’s rhetoric on refugees could not be more different,” said J. Quin Monson, an author of “Seeking the Promised Land: Mormons and American Politics.”

Mr. Trump’s ascendance has also divided Utah’s lawmakers, with some reluctantly saying they will support the nominee and others showing resistance.

While Donald J. Trump or Hillary Clinton will represent the entire country, the Americans who selected them are a small part of it.

Among the holdouts is Senator Mike Lee, a Mormon whose opposition to Mr. Trump stalled in a floor fight at the Republican convention last month. He articulated in a June interview why the candidate was unpopular, pointing to statements that he said reflected religious intolerance.

“My state consists of members who were a religious minority church — a people who were ordered exterminated by the governor of Missouri in 1839, and statements like that make them nervous,” Mr. Lee said.

Facing a tough re-election fight against a Democrat, Representative Mia Love, a rising Republican star, skipped the party’s convention in Cleveland and gave up her role as a delegate. She has not said if she will vote for Mr. Trump.

There have even been some defections. Mark Madsen, a Republican state senator who did attend the convention as a delegate, abandoned the party in frustration in late July and became a Libertarian. Mr. Madsen, who is Mormon, said he thought he was being strong-armed into supporting Mr. Trump.

“It’s hard to figure out where he is on issues because he’s all over the place,” Mr. Madsen said. “I think he’s frankly boorish and banal.”

Sensing opportunity in the air, Mr. Trump’s opponents are watching Utah closely.

The state has a strong libertarian streak, and Mr. Johnson, whose campaign headquarters is in Salt Lake City, has been returning regularly in hopes that he can capitalize on dissatisfaction with Mr. Trump. That he was governor in nearby New Mexico could help his cause, although if he siphons votes away from Mr. Trump, it could benefit Mrs. Clinton.

Democrats are also taking Utah seriously. While they realize that their improved chances in the state are not because their nominee has suddenly surged in popularity, the party would be happy to break its losing streak.

“This is the first time since the mid-1960s that a Democratic presidential candidate could win in Utah,” said Peter Corroon, the party’s chairman in the state. “Unfortunately, it’s not because of the Democrat, it’s because of the Republican.”

Nonetheless, the Clinton campaign has staff on the ground in Utah, and it is dispatching former President Bill Clinton to the state for a fund-raising event this week. The campaign would not say if Mrs. Clinton would make a trip of her own, but the possibility remains.

“There is no doubt that Donald Trump’s offensive rhetoric has made Utah more competitive than before, and we will continue to assess our options in the state,” said Marlon Marshall, the Clinton campaign’s director of state campaigns and political engagement.

Young Republican Mormons such as Mary Weidman give Democrats hope. Sitting outside a soda shop in Provo, Ms. Weidman explained that after supporting Mr. Romney four years ago, she would vote for Mrs. Clinton in November.

“I think it’s the lesser of two evils,” Ms. Weidman, 27, said, expressing dismay over how Mr. Trump talks about women. “When you think of a leader, he lacks every trait.”

Despite such sentiments, it is risky to count Republicans out. While the Trump campaign had no comment about its strategy, the state Republican Party said that Mr. Trump’s team was up and running in Utah. Longtime conservatives who say they are thinking about voting for Mrs. Clinton could have second thoughts on Election Day.

“Republicans at this point are a little unhappy with Trump, but they’re going to vote for him,” said James Evans, the chairman of the state party.

That appeared to be the case for Nathan Alder, a 21-year-old Republican Mormon who goes to Utah Valley University in Orem.

“I don’t like Trump, but I probably will vote for him,” Mr. Alder said, explaining that his worries about what he considers Mrs. Clinton’s liberal views narrowly outweighed his fears about Mr. Trump’s temperament. “I am pretty torn. I’m not going to lie.”

Summary: With their own history of facing religious bias, Mormons in reliably Republican Utah are worried about whether to support a nominee who denigrates Muslims.


This story originally appeared on time.com.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told Donald Trump in a phone call last week that if he doesn’t turn his flailing campaign around, the national party may shift its focus from his candidacy to down-ballot races, according to two GOP officials briefed on the exchange.

The officials said Priebus described to Trump internal party polls that show his campaign headed in the wrong direction. Priebus told Trump that he would have been better off had he spent the days since the Republican convention at his Mar-a-Lago Club, officials said.

Trump denied the officials’ account of the exchange.

“Reince Priebus is a terrific guy,” Trump told TIME on Tuesday. “He never said that.” Trump also said that the Republican Party should be grateful for his recent fundraising. “Why would they state that when I am raising millions of dollars for them?” Trump asked, rhetorically.

Priebus could not be reached for comment.

Whatever the exact words spoken on the phone, there is no doubt that the possibility of Republicans effectively abandoning Trump by prioritizing voter outreach for down-ballot races now haunts his presidential campaign. In the last two weeks, Trump has suffered a deep dive in public polls amid a number of controversies caused by his own public statements .

Priebus and Trump talk frequently, with the party chair urging Trump for months to professionalize his operations and campaign. But the tenor of the calls turned more frank and frustrated last week as Trump’s campaign slide continued. The officials said Priebus reminded Trump that his title is RNC chairman, not chairman of the Trump campaign, adding that he would act in the best interests of the Republican Party.

With the party seeing record numbers of ticket-splitting voters in its internal and public polls, the GOP is facing a decision about whether to prioritize outreach to those voters who would never vote for Trump but remain open to supporting its Senate and House candidates. The end result could be the party expending resources to turn out voters who will vote for Hillary Clinton but also back Republican Senate incumbents like Marco Rubio in Florida or Rob Portman in Ohio.

With early voting beginning in mid-September, Priebus told Trump he doesn’t have much time to reverse his polling slide, the officials said. Priebus reinforced a longstanding plea to Trump to stay on message—a goal that remained elusive more than a week a later as Trump’s economic speech was quickly drowned out by comments viewed by critics as promoting political violence.

Read more about the exchange in the new TIME cover story.

Summary: Turn around his flailing campaign, or else...


A member of the Australian navy has been accused of sexually assaulting his teenage daughter's friend during a boozy sleepover at his Sydney home.

The 39-year-old kissed and hugged both girls and when his advances towards the friend intensified, the daughter "laughed" at her friend's concern, court documents tendered by police to Parramatta Bail Court say.

Other family members, including the father's girlfriend, were in the house throughout the evening, but did not see what happened, the documents say.

The girl, who is in year 9 with his daughter at a Sydney high school, had already slept two nights at the home and was preparing to leave on June 8, 2015, when her friend insisted she stay another night.

At dinner time the daughter requested alcohol but the friend declined because she had never had any before.

The daughter encouraged her to drink and her father refilled their glasses multiple times.

Police allege he took photos of the girls making "funny faces", then sat down and wrapped his arms around them.

The teenage guest told her friend she felt uncomfortable but was told "it was okay and it was just the alcohol", the documents state.

Police allege he later poured the girls two large pink champagne glasses and, while the daughter was in the bathroom, hugged and tongue-kissed the friend.

The court documents state the girl pushed him away and ran to tell his daughter what had happened, but she laughed and said "not to worry".

The friend tried to text someone about what had happened but the daughter "snatched" the iPad from her and threw it under her bed.

Police allege the father groped and tongue-kissed the friend again, this time whispering: "You've been a very naughty girl."

The friend pushed him away and told the daughter about it, who again was "dismissive", the documents say.

After the incident, the father allegedly messaged the friend on Facebook and told her he had had "sexual relations with other 16-year-old girls before".

He was arrested at his home on Friday and charged with grooming and three counts of indecent assault.

On Saturday at Parramatta Bail Court police prosecutor Lachlan Kirby opposed bail for the man, saying he was a risk to the community.

The magistrate granted bail until the man's next court appearance at Hornsby on August 31.

Summary: A member of the Australian armed forces has been accused of sexually assaulting his teenage daughter's friend at his Sydney home.


Cites the growing popularity of the iPad, calling it the “iMac for the masses”

In a note to clients issued Thursday, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster raised both his Apple AAPL price target (to $390 from $371) and his estimate for 2011 iPad sales (to 21 million from 14.5 million). His key points:

By 2012, Munster estimates, tablets will have captured 17% of the PC/Netbook market. Apple essentially controls 100% of the tablet market today, but Munster expects at least 10 new tablets to hit the market before the end of the year, with devices running Google’s GOOG Android or Android 3.0 (codenamed Gingerbread) leading the pack. By the end of 2011, he expects Android devices to make up 26% of the market compared with the iPad at 57% (see chart).

[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]

Summary: Cites the growing popularity of the iPad, calling it the "iMac for the masses" In a note to clients issued Thursday, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster raised both his Apple price target (to $390 from $371) and his estimate for 2011 iPad sales (to 21 million from 14.5 million). His key points: Increased Supply and Expanded…


South Australia's unemployment rate increased in August, despite a national trend in the other direction.

The latest labour force figures show SA's jobless rate rose 0.5 percentage points to 6.8 per cent last month, as national unemployment fell to 5.6 per cent.

Employment Minister Kyam Maher says the government is trying to curb unemployment by handing out $109 million in grants to businesses that take on new workers.

He says the government is also urging South Australians to buy local products.

"Backing South Australian companies means more jobs for South Australians, and the state government understands just how important it is to support the local economy," Mr Maher said in a statement on Thursday.

But opposition employment spokesman Corey Wingard said South Australia had been languishing at the bottom of the employment ladder for too long.

"The treasurer has talked about having a jobs budget for the past two years now and we're still languishing at the bottom," he said.

Mr Wingard said the government should ease the Emergency Services Levy to boost the economy by putting more money in people's pockets.

Summary: New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows South Australia's unemployment rate rose in August.


A train has collided with a bus on Brisbane's north side after the bus driver became stuck in traffic while stopped across train tracks.

The crash, described by police as "low impact", happened at a rail crossing on South Pine Road at Alderley just before 5pm on Tuesday.

Queensland Ambulance Service supervisor Glen Morrison said there were about 25 people on the bus.

"All the patrons aboard the bus and train have been uninjured, there's just some traffic delays," he said.

Bus passenger Faith Jarvis said the bus had become stuck in traffic while stopped over the rail lines.

She told Fairfax radio initially nobody on board was concerned.

"About 30 seconds later people started getting twitchy and some people started standing up because they could see that a train was coming or the signals were starting to flash," she said.

"At that stage the bus driver wasn't really doing anything to let us off the bus and someone very forcefully yelled 'open the doors'."

Ms Jarvis said everybody got off in an orderly fashion, when it became obvious that the train wouldn't have enough time to stop and hit the rear of the bus.

Translink advised customers the incident would cause delays of up to an hour.

Summary: A bus and train have collided at a rail crossing on Brisbane's north side, with police describing it as "low impact".


An allegedly stolen car has been found destroyed by fire in Campbellfield, in Melbourne’s north.

Police had attempted to arrest occupants of the allegedly stolen Holden Captiva in Maitland Close in Thomastown about 8.50am.

The alleged offenders were able to evade police and fled the scene.

Emergency services were called to Mahoneys Road in Campbellfield around 20 minutes later, following reports of a car fire.

The Holden was found at the scene engulfed in flames.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze a short time later.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016


A woman has been indecently assaulted while bending over to pick up a book at a library in Sydney's south.

The victim was assaulted at Kogarah Library earlier in October, while another woman was similarly assaulted at Hurstville City Library days later, police say.

Police have released a picture of a man they'd like to speak to over the incidents.

Summary: Police have released a photo of a man they'd like to speak to after two women were indecently assaulted in different libraries in Sydney's south.


Extra paramedics have been rostered on with Victorian authorities warning asthmatics to be aware but not alarmed ahead of predicted thunderstorms.

Experts aren't expecting another rare asthma event like the one 11 days ago which killed eight people.

But wild storms are forecast to lash the state on Sunday night and Monday morning following warmer conditions over the weekend.

Victoria's chief health officer Professor Charles Guest says asthma sufferers should ensure they have a nebuliser handy.

"No one should be alarmed but it's a good idea to be alert," he told reporters on Friday.

Ambulance Victoria state health commander Paul Holman says extra staff will be deployed on the road and in communication centres while others will be on call.

"We've learnt some lessons from last week (November 21) already. We're out there now preparing, looking at the risks and then trying to mitigate those risks," Mr Holman said.

Bureau of Meteorology regional manager Tarini Casinader says Sunday's conditions will be "significantly different" to November 21.

"Overall, the temperatures are forecast to be lower, winds less strong and the chance of thunderstorms is less," she said.

Thunderstorms can cause pollen grains to absorb moisture and burst into hundreds of tiny allergenic fragments which deeply penetrate victims' airways. They can affect those who have never had asthma before.

Victoria's Inspector-General for Emergency Management is leading a review examining how Ambulance Victoria and other emergency services responded and how the community was notified of the event.

The eight deaths will also be investigated as part of the review.

Summary: Victorian authorities are warning the community about thunderstorms this weekend but don't expect the state to be hit by another thunderstorm asthma event.


Besides their funky futuristic look, one of the biggest talking points of Apple Inc.’s new wireless AirPod earphones is how easy they’ll be to lose. Apple published pricing information that at least clarifies the cost of replacing a single lost or damaged AirPod: $69.

Since AirPods are sold in pairs—along with a palm-sized wireless charging case—for $159, this pricing seems more or less in line. Apple will also charge the same $69...

Besides their funky futuristic look, one of the biggest talking points of Apple Inc. ’s new wireless AirPod earphones is how easy they’ll be to lose. Apple published pricing information that at least clarifies the cost of replacing a single lost or damaged AirPod: $69.

Since AirPods are sold in pairs—along with a palm-sized wireless charging case—for $159, this pricing seems more or less in line. Apple will also charge the same $69 for a replacement charging case. (Under the included one-year limited warranty, Apple will cover a defective battery at no added charge.)

If you’re too careless, however, the costs will add up. Lose two AirPods, or one AirPod and the case, and you’re out $138. That is awfully close to the original purchase price. It may make more sense to buy a whole new set and have spare pieces.

AirPods went on sale after an uncharacteristic delay that pushed them back from a planned October release. The first batch was promised for delivery by Christmas, though people who order now can expect them in February.

For many, losing an AirPod may be almost inevitable. Unlike Apple’s standard iPhone headphones, there is no cable tethering the earbuds together. AirPod ear fit will vary from person to person, since Apple employs a one-size-fits-all design. (That said, they fit WSJ Personal Tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler just fine.) Getting some kind of strap that connects the two AirPods might be a good call.

Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com

Summary: Besides their funky futuristic look, one of the biggest talking points of Apple’s new wireless AirPod earphones is how easy they’ll be to lose.


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NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry called his beleaguered team’s five-game, Christmas holiday homestand critical to any chance the Pelicans might have of climbing out of a deep, early-season hole.

After losing 121-110 on Wednesday night to Oklahoma City, the Pelicans (10-21) have four home games left on the stand, including Friday night’s game against the 10-20 Miami Heat, who ended a three-game losing streak with a 115-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Even though the Pelicans are back at nearly full strength, they understand their window of opportunity is closing. Their only missing body is forward Quincy Pondexter, who has not played in more than a year after a series of knee surgeries. Reserve guard Tyreke Evans is playing limited minutes while working his way back from offseason knee surgery.

If there’s ever a time to make a move, it is now, but the Pelicans have said that before.

“We’ve talked about the importance of the next 10 days or so,” Gentry said. “It’s very important. With a bunch of games at home, we’re going to try to make up for a bad start. We almost have to. I told them it’s probably the most important stretch we’ll have all season long.”

Pelicans forward Anthony Davis agrees. No player in the NBA has carried a heavier load than Davis has. He ranks second in scoring (29.8), ninth in rebounding (11.2), second in blocks (2.69) and second in minutes played (37.3). He has averaged 32.5 points and 15.5 rebounds in the last two games, including a 108-93 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday.

“We’ll see Friday how we’ll respond,” said Pelicans forward Anthony Davis. “We’ve got to come out here and play. This is our season right here in the next couple weeks. We’ve got to come out and bring that energy and bring that aggressiveness on Friday.”

The Pelicans have lost three of their last four games.

The offseason departure of Dwyane Wade and the Heats’ recent troubles — they have lost eight of 11 — have prompted Heat president Pat Riley to acknowledge the word “rebuilding,” but he said his team’s salary-cap flexibility will allow him “to do it fast.”

The Heat swept the season series against the Pelicans last year, winning 94-88 in overtime on Christmas Day despite Davis’ 29 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks, and 113-99 in New Orleans on March 22.

In the two victories against New Orleans, Hassan Whiteside averaged 16.0 points on .722 shooting, 15.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. Whiteside had 23 points and 13 rebounds in the victory over the Lakers.

The Heat are just 4-11 on the road, but the Pelicans aren’t much better at home, going 6-10.

The Heat used the Lakers’ game to honor the contributions of Shaquille O’Neal, who led the Heat to the 2006 NBA title, by retiring his No. 32 jersey. O’Neal played in Miami from 2004-08.

“We would not have won the championship in 2006 without the efforts of Shaquille O’Neal,” Riley said the halftime ceremony. “I love the man. He is simply one of greatest of all time. When he showed up on July 20 (2004) in an 18-wheeler, he got out of that 18-wheeler … and said, ‘I guarantee you and I promise you, we will win the championship,’ and he delivered on that promise.”

O’Neal said he once got Riley, who coached the championship team, to alter his legendary challenging approach to an off-day practice.

“You pushed us and you pushed you and you really pushed us,” O’Neal said. “I remember coming in and saying, ‘Pat, the guys are partying on the beach and you got us practicing at 10. Could you please move it back to 12?’ And, he did. And we went on a roll and we were able to win.”

“A lot of people think we have problems,” O’Neal said, looking at Riley. “We don’t have problems, and I love you and I respect you. … The day you decided to take over, I knew we were going to win.”

Summary: The Miami Heat visit the New Orleans Pelicans.


I was 24 when I arrived in Palestine in 1946, and it was thrilling. I’d never set foot outside England, but after the second world war I felt a great urge to escape the greyness of austerity Britain, so I applied to the Colonial Nursing Service.

The first big difference was that the sun was shining, which it didn’t do much at home. And, while I’d been told to expect all sorts of shortages, it was a land of plenty; nothing like England, where everything was rationed, even clothes. I thought I would never stop eating. It was the first time I’d had anything like hummus or little baby courgettes or any of the lovely Mediterranean food. There were Viennese coffee shops with sticky cakes and gooey stuff. And Jaffa, where I was based, was the centre of the orange export trade.

I worked as a sister at the government hospital. The nursing staff was a mixture (when I first got there, it was Jews, Arabs and Armenians) but the patients were mostly Arab. It was a very pleasant atmosphere. There was a good bus service to Tel Aviv, so I’d go to look at the shops and have clothes made; there were all these lovely dresses with full skirts and tight waists.

There were a lot of British people stationed in Palestine at the time. The country was full of British army, and the colonial way of life was still in existence. Newcomers wrote their names in a book at Government House, and were invited to all sorts of exciting gatherings: I would never have rubbed shoulders with the people I was introduced to otherwise. But the situation had been rumbling for a while, and everybody was wondering how things were going to work out.

I met my husband, Stanley, at the swimming club in Jaffa. I remember the first time I saw him – he was a very nice shade of brown, having served in various places all through the war. We married in February 1948. By this time, the state of affairs in Palestine had become unsafe, following the UN vote to partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. People on all sides were being killed, and most British civilians had already been evacuated. While the situation was worrying, I didn’t feel unsafe. But I was naive.

At the end of April 1948, we were told a convoy was coming to take us to the airport. We were disappointed to leave, but there were no two ways about it: the day before, the airport had been looted and the customs building set on fire. The army was guarding the runway, and we were flown in an RAF plane that was unpressurised and very noisy. They served tea and coffee from flasks. I hadn’t thought about media attention, but there were others on board who were much more newsworthy than us, such as the mayor of Jerusalem, who had had his braces nicked by a bullet that had come through his office window a few hours earlier.

Landing at Heathrow, I had hoped our return would be temporary, but a month later I found out I was pregnant, and that rather changed everything. After a few years, though, we were fortunate to work abroad again.

Looking at this picture now, I am reminded of how excited I had been to live abroad. But the picture also makes me sad: Stanley is dead, and I’m 95 and a bit frayed around the edges. The situation in the Middle East upsets me, too: there are good people on both sides, but I can’t see how it’s going to end.

• Interview by Candice Pires

Are you in a notable photograph? Email thatsme@theguardian.com

Summary: Patricia Lawrence returns to London from Palestine in 1948


Xanga, the popular social networking site, has been ordered to pay a $1 million civil penalty for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. The penalty is the largest ever assessed by the FTC for a COPPA violation.

The charge seems pretty straightforward. Xanga stated that under 13s couldn’t join, but then provided accounts to those who indicated that they were under 13 on the sign-up form (ie. the user’s birth date made them a child). In Xanga’s defense, however, they did require all users to tick a box verifying that they were over 13. Xanga’s mistake was that they didn’t check the birth date - a user whose birth date suggested they were a child would still be given an account if they ticked the box. Over the last five years, Xanga has created 1.7 million accounts for users who entered an age of less than 13.

As mentioned previously on Mashable, Xanga serves some of the youngest social networking users, and has some very strong privacy features in place. The company employs a Chief Safety Officer and provides online safety information for users. In fact, one of the reasons we rarely hear about Xanga is because it’s such a closed community. However, this is a strong reminder that social networks have to be extremely careful when it comes to dealing with underage signups.

Update: Xanga’s CEO John Hiler has responded with a statement: “Xanga has long been committed to making its site safer for its members. When these issues came to our attention, we instituted a stronger, more comprehensive safety and compliance program.” MSNBC is also reporting on the story.

Summary: Xanga, the popular social networking site, has been ordered to pay a $1 million civil penalty for violating the Children's ...


Friday, November 15th 1996, 2:01AM

Okay, all you garage-sale addicts here's the big one! Triple Pier Expo, the city's largest, most comprehensive antiques show, is back on the Hudson River piers tomorrow and Sunday (next weekend, too), and it's one huge collector's item. More than 600 different exhibits are promised, featuring furniture, paintings, bronzes, art glass, jewelry, Americana, textiles, ephemera, toys, fashions, deco and moderne in other words, a tchotchke for everyone. The show is held at Passenger Terminal Piers 88, 90 and 92, located on 12th Ave. between 48th and 55th Sts. Each pier has its own character: 20th Century Collectibles are at 88, Decorative Arts and Americana at 90 and Classical Antiques take up 92. Each has its own hours, too: 88 is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, 11 to 7 Sundays; at 90, it's 9-6 Saturdays, 9-5 Sundays, and 92 is 10-6 both days. Admission is $10. For info, call (212) 255-0020.

Urban Bush Women, a spectacular dance troupe led by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, is celebrating its 12th anniversary with a new dance, "Bones and Ash A Gilda Story," based on the award-winning novel by Jewelle Gomez, "The Gilda Stories." It's the tale of an escaped slave girl initiated into a community of vampires in a New Orleans bordello. Choreographed by Zollar with a script by Gomez and lyrics and music by Toshi Reagon, "Bones and Ashes" is performed today and tomorrow at 8 and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 at the Joyce Theater, Eighth Ave. and 19th St. (212) 242-0800. Tickets are $28.

What do actress Sylvia Sidney, designer Norma Kamali, Adele Smithers, founder of the Smithers Foundation for alcohol and drug dependencies, and writer, arctic explorer and lecturer Evelyn Stefansson Nef have in common? They're all alumnae of Washington Irving High School, and tonight, they'll all be honored by their alma mater with induction into the school's Hall of Achievement. The ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. at the school, 4 Irving Place (at 16th St.), followed by dinner at the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park. For ticket information, call (212) 460-8418.

Barbra Streisand's "The Mirror Has Two Faces" opens today at movie houses, but you can see her in all her reflected glory in a cabaret at Don't Tell Mama. She'll be belting "You Don't Send Me Flowers" and reading excerpts from today's reviews. Okay, it's actually Steven Brinberg, the award-winning Streisand impersonator, but his musical mimicry is so amazing, there's not much reason to rain on his charade. Tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. (and Monday at 9 p.m.) at 343 W. 46th St. Cover, $12. (212) 757-0788.

The answers are blowing in the wind tonight, courtesy of the World Music Institute. Flutist Riley Lee will play the Japanese shakuhachi and Matthew Doyle will play the Australian aboriginal didgeridoo. In their native lands, both wind instruments are used to conjure the spirit world. The performance is at 7 at the New School's Tisch Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St. Tickets are $16. Call (212) 545-7536. Surabhi Avasthi

The flamboyant, colorful style of Cantonese opera comes to the Taipei Theater this weekend. Chinese diva Hong Hong performs a show with two different productions "The Exile of Lady Cha-chun" and "Mu Kuei-ying Takes a Husband." Performances are tonight and Sat. at 7:30 and Sunday at 2. Tickets are $15. At the Taipei Theater, McGraw-Hill Building, 1221 Sixth Ave. Call (212) 373-1850. S.A.

Summary: All Antiques All Weekend Okay, all you garage-sale addicts here's the big one! Triple Pier Expo, the city's largest, most comprehensive antiques show, is back on the Hudson River piers tomorrow and Sunday (next weekend, too), and it's one huge collector's item. More than 600 different exhibits are promised, featuring furniture, paintings, bronzes, art glass, jewelry, Americana, textiles, ephemera, toys, fashions, deco and moderne in other words, a tchotchke for everyone. The show is held


9/19/2006 9:02 AM PDT by TMZ Staff

Fact: It's good to be Jay-Z. Really good.The rapper hit the coast of Monaco with not one, but two ultra-expensive driving machines on Monday. Jay-Z rolled out the jet black Ferrari F430 and the silver Pagani Zonda for an upcoming video, presumably "Show Me What You Got."Jay's first solo album in three years, "Kingdom Come," will be released on November 21. While his surprise return to music may have shocked the masses, music junkies saw it coming from miles away, especially after stars like Timbaland, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams all opened their mouths about being involved with the project. But they aren't the only artists expected to show up on the highly-anticipated album- Dr. Dre and Chris Martin of Coldplay may also lend a hand.The $400,000 Pagani Zonda was designed to resemble the naked body of a female, so it's no wonder Mr. Big Pimpin' himself has that car in his video.

Summary: Fact: It's good to be Jay-Z. Really good. The rapper hit the coast of Monaco with not one, but two ultra-expensive driving machines on Monday. Jay-Z…


Wednesday, December 20th 1995, 1:95AM

WHEN Jessica B. Harris, Lisa Gallimore and Barbara Smith think of Kwanzaa, the African-American holiday celebrated Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, they think of Ethiopian meat stews, Caribbean spices, Southern fried chicken.

That's not surprising considering the backgrounds of these women: Harris is a cookbook author, most recently of "A Kwanzaa Keepsake" (Simon & Schuster. $22); Gallimore runs Kwanzaa, an international soul food restaurant in SoHo; and Smith is B. Smith of the Theater District restaurant.

Still, like most celebrations involving family, friends and community, Kwanzaa, a compilation of African harvest festivals, lends itself to savory thoughts of food. The name comes from kwanza, a Swahili word meaning "first fruits of the harvest" and a theme reflected in the mazao table display of fruits and vegetables. The family shares a Karamu feast, or healing supper, on New Year's Eve.

Of course, when Malauna Karenga devised Kwanzaa in 1966, his thoughts were more on uniting African-Americans. His concept of Nguzo Saba, seven principles, gives each night a philosophical backbone: Umoja, unity; Kujichagulia, self-determination; Ujima, responsibility; Ujamaa, cooperative economics; Nia, purpose; Kuumba, creativity; Imani, faith.

Kwanzaa is not a substitute for Christmas, Chanukah or Ramadan, although some choose it as their only seasonal celebration. "It's a cultural holiday, not religious or political," says Gallimore.

"But it's spiritual in nature," Smith adds, "and how better to celebrate than with food?"

"Sitting around the table is something we've done historically in our community," Harris says. "The spirit of Kwanzaa should be in homes year-round, but the holiday gives us the opportunity to meet across the table, across the food."

There are no rules about which foods to serve for Kwanzaa, but these recipes will get your creative juices flowing.

Jessica B. Harris' Senegalese Chicken Yassa

From "A Kwanzaa Keepsake." Harris serves this yassa from the Casamance region to celebrate African roots.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper,

1/8teaspoon minced (plus 1 whole,

pricked) fresh habanero or other hot

1/4cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut oil

21/2to 31/2 pounds of chicken, cut into

4carrots, scraped and thinly sliced

In a large glass or plastic bowl, mix lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, minced chile and 1/4 cup peanut oil. Marinate the chicken pieces in this mixture for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Pre-heat the broiler. Remove the chicken to a roasting pan, reserving the marinade. Broil until lightly browned on both sides. Remove onions from marinade and cook slowly in remaining 1 tablespoon oil until translucent. Add marinade and heat through; then add chicken, pricked chile, olives, carrots, mustard and water. Stir well, and bring slowly to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutesuntil chicken is cooked through.

Kwanzaa Deep-Fried Okra Sticks With Curried Yogurt Dip

Serves 6 as an appetizer

From Kwanzaa restaurant. Okra originated in Africa, but is now a mainstay of Southern cooking.

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2cup mayonnaise or sour cream

Wash okra. Combine cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper and place in a bag. Dip each okra in egg and shake in cornmeal. Deep-fry, in enough hot oil to cover, until brown. In small bowl, combine ingredients for dip and serve with okra.

B. Smith's Sweet Potato Pie

The restaurant serves it with a spicy nut crust and praline sauce, but this is Smith's mother's original recipe.

2cups (about 1 pound) mashed,

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl or food processor, beat together all filling ingredients and pour into crust. Decorate center of pie with pecan halves. Bake for about 1 hour, until filling is well-risen and set. Cool on wire rack and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

(Walker is on The News' features staff.)

Summary: WHEN Jessica B. Harris, Lisa Gallimore and Barbara Smith think of Kwanzaa, the African-American holiday celebrated Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, they think of Ethiopian meat stews, Caribbean spices, Southern fried chicken. That's not surprising considering the backgrounds of these women: Harris is a cookbook author, most recently of "A Kwanzaa Keepsake"(Simon & Schuster. $22); Gallimore runs Kwanzaa, an international soul food restaurant in SoHo; and Smith is B. Smith of the Theater District