For two months Mr Assange has been holed up now in the Ecuadorean embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over sex allegations.

Speaking from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London he thanked the nation of Ecuador for taking a "stand for justice" in giving him political asylum and called on the US to "end its witch hunt" against WikiLeaks and release Bradley Manning being held at an American military base.

Mr Assange has said Sweden would be only a stop on the way to the US where he said he believed authorities want to punish him for publishing thousands of diplomatic cables on WikiLeaks in 2010 in a major embarrassment to Washington.

Ecuador granted Assange asylum on Thursday but the UK has refused to grant him safe passage to Quito because he has jumped bail and also because the government is under a legal obligation to comply with court rulings and send him to Stockholm.

Among freedom of speech groups who should be natural allies of WikiLeaks, Mr Assange's choice of Ecuador has caused dismay.

Campaign group the Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that the Ecuadorean government has a record of harassing newspapers and closing radio stations.

Summary: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange thanks Ecuador for taking a "stand for   justice" in giving him political asylum and calls on the US to "end   its witch hunt" against WikiLeaks.


Some critics have pointed to his raw upbringing to his reputation in France as a 'bad boy.' Batshuayi spent just one season in the youth ranks of Anderlecht before he released for his poor attitude.

“They were right to kick me out. I wasn’t an angel to say the least,” said Batshuayi.

Batshuayi's versatility is one of the reasons he was so coveted this summer, with Spurs, West Ham and Crystal Palace all tabled bids for the striker.

At 5 foot 11 inches the Belgian is not blessed with Didier Drogba's physical prowess, but his pace, dynamism and ability to play a number of systems make up for his size.

Summary: Chelsea are set to complete the signing of Michy Batshuayi after the Belgian travelled to London to complete a medical at Stamford Bridge.


It’s been a big year for giant, crazy tech deals. Except none of the big deals, including SoftBank’s $32 billion acquisition of ARM Holdings, Microsoft’s $26.2 billion deal for LinkedIn, Verizon’s $4.8 billion deal for Yahoo, or even Oracle’s $9.3 billion deal for NetSuite or Tesla’s $2.8 billion deal for SolarCity, involve any of the tech world’s billion-dollar unicorns. (Unilever’s acquisition of Dollar Shave Club doesn’t count as it was not a unicorn before its acquisition.)

Deals like the ones I mentioned are keeping investment bankers busy. But they have to make venture capital investors nervous. Save some cash for our portfolio companies!

Despite all the high profile mega-mergers, deal volume for tech M&A is down 19% this year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. What’s worse, only two billion-dollar startups have sold so far, according to CB Insights: Lazada and Jasper.

The merger of Uber China with local rival Didi Chuxing might also be a sign of things to come. If bloated, over-funded, overvalued startups are too expensive to sell and too unprofitable to go public, why not use that expensive stock to merge with one another?

It’s significant that Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, the most competitive, hard-charging, winner-take-all startup CEO around, has conceded a loss. That concession may inspire other startup CEOs hoping to follow in Uber’s footsteps and be more pragmatic about their own businesses.

Competition is one reason for startup mergers. I predict after the inevitable shakeout of meal kit and food delivery startups, we’ll see the biggest ones merge. Regulatory hurdles, like the one Uber faced in China, or the one behind the rumored merger of FanDuel and DraftKings, is another reason to merge.

The retreat of Kalanick’s grand ambitions in China signals a turning point for the startup market. The biggest reasons mergers like Uber-Didi haven’t happened sooner—pride, ego, and the irrational Silicon Valley belief that you can make the impossible happen by sheer force of will—may no longer be a factor.

Summary: Uber's deal with its Chinese rival is just the beginning.


In contrast to many of the gentle, empathetic treatments offered to web junkies in Europe, harsh, military-style boot camps are the remedy of choice in China, where former soldiers supervise addicts through an extreme rehabilitation process. Students at such camps, sent by their parents, undergo psychological examinations and extensive physical training, as well as ethics classes, dance training and domesticity lessons during their stays, which can last as long as six months. According to Tao Run, a psychiatrist and colonel in the People’s Liberation Army who devised the treatment, 90 per cent of patients arrive suffering from severe depression, while 58 per cent have attacked their parents. There are now reported to be over 250 rehabilitation camps in China, a country in which 24 million children are estimated to be online addicts.

The Priory, where 12 step recovery programmes are available to patients diagnosed with PIU. PHOTO: Bryce Canyon

Check in at The Priory

The Priory Group, whose flagship hospital in Roehampton has long served as refuge for substance-addicted celebrities and millionaires paying up to £3,640 a week, offers a free initial assessment with an experienced therapist for potential internet addicts. Treatments given to diagnosed addicts then include self-help, one to one counselling and a 12 step recovery programme, not dissimilar to those ascribed for alcohol or drug abuse.

Excessive screen time at work can lead to poor eyesight, stress, sleep disturbances and headaches.

Hiring a virtual assistant was once the preserve of either high-flying entrepreneurs with no set base, or small, space-poor businesses in need of a helping hand. Now, however, a third demographic is beginning to seek cyber-secretaries: internet addicts. In order to cut down on screen time, therapists are advising patients to offload some of the smaller online tasks essential to their work – things like research and e-mail requests – to freelance, virtual assistants.

The Southern Utah desert, where affected youths join their families in the wilderness in order to reconnect with nature. PHOTO: AP Photo

Spend a week in the desert with your family

‘Change your family forever!’ boast Family Bootcamp, a ‘therapeutic wilderness experience’ in the Southern Utah desert. Costing between $6,000 and $10,000 a month, the Family Bootcamp claims to provide intervention for families unwilling to place their affected teenagers in long-term residential therapy, but still require help. Included in the treatment is a minimum of five days in the desert as a family, with only the supplies the troubled youths can strap to their backs. ‘Being unplugged from all technology and outside communication provides a strong “wake up moment” for the youth,’ the project says. In addition to internet and substance abuse, Family Bootcamp also welcome individuals addicted to pornography, mobile phones and bullying.

Internet addiction in South Korea is so severe that state-funded treatment centres are now available. PHOTO: Getty

Go to hospital (in South Korea)

In the most connected country on earth, where ninety per cent of homes connected to cheap, high-speed broadband, internet addiction is a national problem. Growing spates of young men passing out from marathon gaming sessions, students skipping school, and workers failing to concentrate has led to drastic government intervention, including the opening of 140 internet addiction counselling centres, in addition to state-funded hospital treatments in almost 100 hospitals.

While internet addiction treatments in the UK look set to remain in private clinics for the time being, the situation is far different in South Korea. Among these is The Jump Up Internet Rescue School, a cross between rehab and boot camp, which drives young men through obstacle courses, forces them through therapeutic alternative activities like pottery and drumming, and uses group work to reawaken communicatory skills. Paid for by the government and under constant surveillance, the camp also includes horse riding as a means of rebuilding connections to the world outside of a screen and headset.

Summary: From military boot camps to virtual assistance, there is still no consensus on   how best to treat internet addiction. Here are five different methods from   across the globe


The GIF has had a tumultuous history. The image format, which stands for Graphics Interchange Format, always struggled against the JPEG — it was unable to handle colors as well as its counterpart, despite being able to support animation. For almost 30 years, it lived on the fringe of photography, taken seriously only in the context of arguments over how to pronounce it. (The official answer: jif, like the peanut butter brand).

But the future now looks rosy for the GIF. In recent months, some of the largest and most influential technology companies have embraced the image format as a way to bridge the gap between still photography and video. For Apple, these animated images are called Live Photos, short stop-action movies recorded in the seconds before and after shooting a still image. At Instagram, it’s called a Boomerang: a short looping video that’s best used to capture subtle movements in static situations.

Companies like Instagram and Phhhoto have been trying to make it easier for non-professionals to produce GIFs and short animations. “Motion can add another layer or perspective to the story you want to tell,” says John Barnett, a product manager at Instagram who worked on Boomerang. The app, released last year, came after Instagram realized it had a thriving video community on its platform, where “people were already experimenting with motion in new and exciting ways,” Barnett tells TIME.

No matter their monikers, these animations expand the potential for storytelling. For Alex Chung, the co-founder of Giphy, a GIF depository valued at more than $300 million, the short looping videos offer deeper stories than still photographs. According to his math, given that a picture is worth a thousand words and a GIF is composed on average of sixty frames, than a GIF is worth sixty thousands words—“about the length of a novel,” he jokes.

One example Chung cites of the power of the GIF is the image of Hillary Clinton brushing her shoulder during her Benghazi hearing on Capitol Hill in October of 2015. The bored look, the contained sigh, the dismissive gesture—together, they’re enough to get a sense of how the 11-hour interrogation felt for the former Secretary of State and how she handled the situation. A still image from the same moment, meanwhile, would likely not have had such a clear meaning.

In photography, most practitioners have yet to embrace the format despite its advantages—but that may be changing. For example, Oakland-based photographer Brandon Tauszik used GIFs to document his town’s black barbers in a project called Tapered Throne. “The GIF contains the passage of time from film,” he says, “while also allowing for the decisive moment aspect of a still image—and all on infinite loop.”

“The art of the GIF is under-appreciated,” echoes Chung. “It’s like photography: taking a picture is easy, but taking a good one is hard. Every GIF has been hand-done and emerges out of a series of deliberate decisions.” Chung believes photographers will soon see the benefit of GIFs—especially if Giphy has anything to say about it. On March 14, the company announced the opening of a GIF production studio in Los Angeles under the creative helm of revered animator Nick Weidenfeld. The studio will employ up to 500 artists to provide high quality and high-end GIFs and support to the wider community.

And that’s just the beginning. Russell Armand, the co-founder of the animated image platform Phhhoto, sees a coming revolution in how images will be used and experienced in the near future. “The definition of a picture and the definition of photography is evolving in this truly digital space,” says Armand. “Pictures can do things that pictures were never supposed to do, and at some point soon, messaging will just happen inside the pictures themselves.” That interactive future for photography is not yet here, but GIFs are perhaps the harbingers of what’s the come.

“It’s not just about looking at a beautiful picture,” he says, “it’s actually going inside it and experiencing something that’s far deeper than what you can just see.”

— With reporting by Laurence Butet-Roch / Austin, Texas.

Summary: "The GIF is a new way to communicate that more clearly conveys our emotions"


He has stood for Ukip in the last three General Elections as well as three by-elections, including Bromley and Chislehurst in 2006, when he took eight per cent of the vote and knocked Labour into fourth place.

During his time in Brussels, Mr Farage has regularly crossed swords with his counterparts, both British and European.

In 2004, he told the European Parliament that Jacques Barrot, the European Commission vice-president, had been convicted in France for embezzling government funds.

The following year he tried to get a motion of no confidence passed against then European president Jose Manuel Barroso, but failed.

When it was reported that Mr Farage had received nearly £2 million in expenses and allowances over a decade in Brussels, he was unrepentant, saying it had been spent on promoting UKIP's anti-EU message.

In 2006, he parked an armoured personnel carrier outside the Tory Party's spring conference, to signify that his party was "parking its tank" on David Cameron’s lawn.

Two years later he was accused of being anti-royalist when he remained seated during a standing ovation for the Prince of Wales who had made a speech calling on the EU lead the fight against climate change.

Mr Farage said the Prince's advisers had been “naïve”.

Ever the trouble-maker, he was fined in March for describing Herman van Rampuy, the new president of Europe, as a man with "all the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk".

Despite his anti-Europe stance his second wife Kirsten Mehr is German and they have two daughters.

He has two sons from his first marriage to Grainne Hayes.

In 2005, he was alleged to have had a fling with a Latvian woman, but he explained that he simply fell asleep at her house and nothing happened.

Summary: Nigel Farage of Ukip is regularly seen smoking a cigarette and clutching a   pint of real ale.


The Republican National Committee’s chairman fired back at Donald Trump late Tuesday after the billionaire White House hopeful claimed the party’s process for selecting a presidential candidate was “stacked against me.”

Trump has been outmaneuvered by rival Ted Cruz in a series of recent state meetings to select national convention delegates, and says the process was set up to protect party insiders and shut out insurgent candidates.

At a CNN town hall on Tuesday night, Trump launched yet another attack on the RNC.

“I know the rules very well, but I know it’s stacked against me by the establishment,” the GOP frontrunner said.

Nomination process known for a year + beyond. It’s the responsibility of the campaigns to understand it. Complaints now? Give us all a break

But RNC chairman Reince Priebus battled back against Trump’s criticism.

“Nomination process known for a year + beyond. It’s the responsibility of the campaigns to understand it. Complaints now? Give us all a break,” he tweeted.

Earlier, Trump alleged the GOP’s selection process was “absolutely rigged … a phony deal” after Cruz swept Colorado’s 34 delegates over the weekend.

“The Republican National Committee, they should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to kind of crap to happen. The rules are no good when they don’t count your vote … like in Colorado,” he said on Tuesday at a rally in Rome, New York. “The rules are no good when you have to play dirty tricks to pick up delegates.”

And on Sunday, Trump tweeted: “I win a state in votes and then get non-representative delegates because they are offered all sorts of goodies by Cruz campaign. Bad system!”

Cruz’s campaign won each of Colorado’s GOP delegates at its state and congressional district conventions after a similarly strong outcome in North Dakota the week prior. In states that have already held their primaries or caucuses — like Tennessee, Arizona and Iowa — the Cruz campaign has effectively positioned its own supporters as Trump delegates in preparation for a second or third ballot that would allow them to vote for Cruz.

“The party is playing dirty. We’ve got to show the Republican Party that you’ve been disenfranchised,” Trump said. “You gotta show the Republican Party you can’t get away with this any longer.”

Trump now leads the Republican field with 756 delegates — or 45 percent of all delegates awarded to date. Yet he has won about 37 percent of all votes in the primaries, according to the NBC analysis, meaning Trump’s delegate support is greater than his actual support from voters.

As Trump lashed out at fellow Republicans, his campaign was recovering from a string of missteps.

Related: Infighting, Frustration Rile Trump’s Team: Sources

On Tuesday, Trump bragged it had won the support of Bob Vander Plaats, an evangelical leader and the head of The Family Leader conservative group.

The problem was, Vander Plaats is a prominent supporter of the New York real estate tycoon’s main rival in the primary, Ted Cruz.

A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign later told NBC News that the candidate had in fact meant to call out another senior evangelical, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr.

And on Monday, the candidate conceded that two of his children — Eric and Ivanka Trump — had failed to register as Republicans in New York in time to be eligible to vote in time for the April 19 primary.

“They were unaware of the rules and they didn’t register in time,” Trump said on Fox News. “So they feel very, very guilty. They feel very guilty but it’s fine.”

“Eric and Ivanka, I guess, won’t be voting,” Trump added.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com

Summary: Earlier, Trump alleged the GOP's selection process was "absolutely rigged ... a phony deal" after Cruz swept Colorado's 34 delegates over the weekend.


(HACKETT, Ark.) — An Arkansas deputy died Wednesday after being shot while responding to a call at a house, the sheriff said.

Sebastian County Deputy Bill Cooper was pronounced dead at a hospital around 1:15 p.m., Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck said during a news conference. Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells was also shot and suffered superficial wounds.

Hollenbeck said the suspect, 34-year-old Billy Monroe Jones, wanted to cause a “ruckus” ahead of a court appearance.

The sheriff said Jones was due in a Fort Smith courtroom Wednesday for a hearing on whether a previous suspended sentence should be revoked. Court records show he has had a drug conviction along with a handful of minor charges.

After the shooting, the suspect barricaded himself inside the house for more than 4½ hours before being arrested.

Authorities said the injured officers went to the home, about 6 miles from the Oklahoma border, after Jones pointed a weapon at his father, who called 911.

After the shootings, dozens of police vehicles, including a SWAT truck, quickly descended on the area. The shootings occurred in a rural, wooded area near Hackett, a town of about 800 residents.

James Markward, who lives nearby, said he heard a commotion early Wednesday.

“It woke me up this morning, the gunshots. Of course I didn’t know what was going on,” the 72-year-old told The Associated Press in telephone interview. “My neighbor called me and asked if I was shooting, and I said ‘No, not me.'”

Markward said the shooting suspect once helped him split wood, but said he hadn’t seen the man in a few years.

“As far as I know, he was all right,” he said.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he didn’t have details about the shooting but said it underscored the danger that the state’s law enforcement officers face.

“It’s a risky business and it really illustrates the importance of our support for law enforcement,” Hutchinson told reporters at an event in North Little Rock.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, whose district includes part of Sebastian County, also didn’t have details about the incident but echoed the governor’s support for police statewide.

“This has to stop,” Westerman said. “It’s a shame the price that law enforcement officers are paying right now and, again, I don’t know any details about what’s happening here, but my heart and prayer is with them and their families.”

Summary: The suspect allegedly wanted to cause a "ruckus" before a court appearance


Some pictures depict mysteries; others have mysteries attached to them. Caravaggio's "The Taking of Christ," a painting that now hangs proudly on a wall in the National Gallery of Ireland, fits into both categories. For almost two centuries it had gone missing.

In "The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece" (2005), his gripping account of the rediscovery and authentication of the painting, Jonathan Harr tells the whole story of how this picture came to be where it is. In brief: In 1990,...

Summary: The painting may be the darkest and densest, most oppressively claustrophobic of all of Caravaggio's works—and it forces us to bear witness to the confrontation amid the shadows.


Three teenagers have been charged and two hospitalised after a brawl outside Sydney Town Hall.

Five teenagers were arrested, including two 15-year-old boys with minor injuries, after a fight between two groups early on Saturday, police say.

Three men, aged 18 and 19, have been granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on August 31 charged with affray and police are expected to lay more charges.

Summary: Three teenagers have been charged and another two injured after a brawl on the steps of Sydney Town Hall.


Craig Sager's fashion choices only seem to get bolder -- and more impressive -- as the spotlight shines brighter on him. Nike has produced a pair of shoes for the NBA broadcaster known for his eye-catching suit jackets, and his classic style is clearly evident,

An image of the shoes was shared on Instagram by DJ Khaled, who is one of two lucky people to have received the custom shoes so far. It's unclear who has the second pair, although it would seem to be a crime if anyone other than Sager himself owned them.

Jordan Brand designed and brought the shoes to life. They feature a few different patterns that, while each distinct from the rest, seem to work together -- or maybe that's just the Sager touch at work.

The soles of the shoes feature the words "Sager Vision."

Sager's last public appearance came in July, when he received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at this year's ESPYs ceremony.

Details on the origins of the shoes are scant, but we can only hope that they'll soon be slated for mass production and sold to the public. After all, what better way to pay tribute to Sager -- and maybe raise some money for the fight against cancer? -- than by making his unique sense of style available to the masses.

More NBA: -- Kobe Bryant's Latest Shoe Is Called The Mambacurial -- Ohio Farm Creates Amazing Corn Maze To Honor Cavaliers -- LeBron The Cowboys Fan Gives Props To Giants WRs

Basketball, Craig Sager, DJ Khaled, Jordan Brand, NBA, Nike, Shoes, Sneakers

Summary: DJ Khaled reveals incredible Craig Sager-inspired shoes that pay tribute to the man's uncanny sense of style.


09/12/2016 AT 07:20 PM EDT

are proof that exes can be friends.

The duo are teaming up to perform a private concert in Los Angeles on Sept. 22 for

Earlier this summer, the singers

with a throwback performance of their

duet "Gotta Find You" at her Washington D.C. concert with Jonas' brother Nick.

"Surprising Demi with Gotta Find You was something I will never forget! Thanks for having me guys! Amazing show you two put on. Proud to have such talented wonderful people in my life," he captioned a photo of him and Lovato embracing onstage.

Jonas, 26, and Lovato, 24, first met on the set of their hit Disney movie in 2007 and

three years later. Though they called it quits just two months later, they've maintained their friendship over the years.

The "Body Say" singer even joked about their past relationship while

in Denver, Colorado this summer.

"I actually really want to be a singer someday," she told one unsuspecting passenger. "Like, I've actually been traveling the country with my ex-boyfriend's brother because he sings, too," she said. "And so we really want to kind of get our names out there at open mic nights and, like, whatever we can do."

Summary: The longtime pals will be performing an intimate show in Los Angeles later this month


A new visa will make it easier for migrants to have their parents visit them in Australia.

Assistant Immigration Minister Alex Hawke launched a discussion paper on Friday to kickstart community consultations on developing the legislation for a new five-year temporary sponsored parent visa.

Wait times for aged parents to visit Australia are up to 30 years in some cases and more pathways needed to be opened up to allow them to see their families, he told reporters in Sydney.

Summary: A new visa could make it easier for migrants to Australia to be visited by their parents.


09/30/2016 AT 05:30 PM EDT

Although Blac Chyna may have provided us with the first instance of

social followers to "ensure [her] man is not texting no bitches," that hardly made Rob Kardashian the first celebrity to have his phone number leaked online. In fact, it might be karma considering the fact that this week, Rob tweeted the number of his sister â¦

Source: Kylie Jenner / Snapchat

(verified as hers by a source to PEOPLE) twice, followed by a third tweet that seemingly explained his actions: "Didn't invite the Mother of my child to a baby shower you all were trying to throw for me!!? You all must have lost your damn minds." Who else has suffered a similar fate?

Soulja Boy and fellow rapper Chief Keef have been feuding for a while now, and

he claimed was Soulja Boy's, and things escalated quickly: Soulja Boy threatened Keef's life on Facebook, before claiming his account had been hacked.

Flo Rida actually gave out his own phone number.

. "Most of them hang up," he said. "They don't think it's really me." His answer ratio is kind of low, though, he admittedly answers "about 30 percent" of the calls and texts he receives.

Katy Perry (center) in Funny or Die video

took a picture of her much-loved dog, Butters, and posted it to IG. In doing so, though, she

the number on the dog's collar, causing her phone number (or whoever Butters' emergency contact is) to be flooded with calls and texts from eager fans, very few of whom were presumably calling about Butters.

vs. Papa John's" was one of the more entertaining feuds of 2015, when a Papa John's delivery guy shared her number with members of his family, causing Azalea to pitch a fit (and rightfully so) on Twitter.

Michael Rozman / Warner Bros

When the great Sony hack of 2014 occurred,

among the celebrities whose numbers were exposed. Several other celebrities, including Daniel Craig, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire and Sarah Michelle Gellar, had the aliases they use to remain anonymous while traveling leaked.

leaked opponent Lindsay Graham's phone number last July, Gawker retaliated by leaking his personal cell number to the public.

, however, by putting his number online via his own Twitter account, directed straight to a voicemail for his campaign.

to really show how unsafe your personal information can be in the digital age occurred in March 2013, when personal information – like phone numbers, addresses, credit reports and social security numbers – for a number of notable celebrities and public figures, like Beyoncé, Jay Z, Kim Kardashian West, First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State

, among others, were leaked by hackers.

Summary: Kylie Jenner should take consolation that she at least knew the person leaking her number


A long-planned transfer of the internet's technical management from the US government to a global community of stakeholders is expected to take place on Saturday despite last-minute attempts by conservative politicians and officials to delay the changeover.

The US Department of Commerce is due to cede stewardship of ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, as scheduled after a lawsuit seeking to halt the transition was denied by a federal judge in Texas on Friday.

The US government has been the primary manager of the internet's address book since 1988 largely because it was invented in the country. Critics of the handover have attempted to block or delay it on grounds it could jeopardise free speech online, claims that the Obama administration and technology companies have said lack merit.

The lawsuit filed on Wednesday against the federal government by the Republican states of Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Oklahoma argued the handover was unconstitutional and required congressional approval.

ICANN, a California-based nonprofit, manages the database for top-level domain names such as .com and .net and their corresponding numeric addresses that allow computers to connect.

After the transfer, ICANN will be governed by a collection of academics, technical experts, private industry and government representatives, public interest advocates and individual users around the world, in what it calls a "multi-stakeholder process".

Federal officials began discussing a plan to move ICANN under international oversight in the 1990s, and rolled out a formal plan in March 2014.

Conservatives in the US Congress, led by Republican senator Ted Cruz of Texas, sought to prevent the handover earlier in September by attaching an amendment to an unrelated stop-gap funding bill for the US government.

Cruz called the transfer a "giveaway to Russia" and other governments, but his effort failed to gain traction.

A delay would have backfired by undermining US credibility in international negotiations over internet standards and security, the Obama administration and technical experts have said.

Asked whether the four states which had sued the administration would appeal Friday's court ruling, Monica Moazez, a spokeswoman for Nevada's attorney general, responded in an email that they were weighing options.

The other states could not be immediately reached.

The transfer is "a symbolic, but important step in preserving the stability and openness of the internet, which impacts free speech, our economy and our national security," Ed Black, chief executive of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said in a statement.

Summary: The US government is expected to transfer oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to a global community of stakeholders.


A trip abroad in August was delightful in all ways but one: I was forced to leave my trusty Swiss Army knife at home.

For those of us with shaky self-esteem, who feel the other shoe is always about to drop, this handsome multipurpose tool lends a certain confidence. It’s the sensation that, while you might not be able to parry every thrust the world throws at you, you’ll never want for a corkscrew or scissors.

On previous occasions, when the Transportation Safety Administration agent instructed me to open my bag, pull out my knife, then offered me the option of checking my bag or forfeiting the device, I did the latter. Then I settled into a funk, because I’m out $50 or so, I’ve let down my family—how are they supposed to open a bottle of wine now?—and just because I loved the little fellow.

So when I received an invitation to an event at the Victorinox Swiss Army flagship store in SoHo a couple of weeks ago, I saw a perfect opportunity to lobby the company on behalf of my brilliant, TSA-friendly idea: a Swiss Army knife without the knife.

While I’d certainly miss a blade when the need arose to cut a piece of cheese or slice a salami on an alpine picnic, I’d still have the reassurance that there was no bottle or can I couldn’t gain access to.

At the party, I wondered aloud to Renee Hourigan, Victorinox’s director of marketing, whether customers actually use the toothpick and tweezers. They add to the knife’s bragging rights, but I’ve always found them ineffectual.

“Personally, I pluck my eyebrows with our tweezers,” Ms. Hourigan boasted. “Our repair department is constantly replacing tweezers and toothpicks.”

I own two Swiss Army knives: the Waiter, which has only the essentials, a corkscrew among them, and a second model, whose name I don’t know, that I bought a long time ago. It’s one of those with dozens of tools that could probably help survive the apocalypse. In the meantime, it’s too heavy to comfortably carry around in your pocket.

Nonetheless, I spotted a $400 model at the store that has both a barometer and an altimeter.

That’s the thing about Swiss Army knives. You don’t really need them, but you can’t help but covet them.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Victorinox beat me to the punch with the concept of a knifeless knife.

“We have created one,” Ms. Hourigan said, directing me to a locked display case. “We have a series called the Jetsetter. There’s an assortment of tools, missing the blade because of TSA concerns. After 9/11, our Swiss Army knife took a major hit.”

The Jetsetter comes with scissors, bottle opener, Phillips screwdriver, wire stripper (not that I’ve had many occasions to strip a wire), key ring, tweezers and toothpick.

“It’s not on the little guys,” she admitted.

And how about some of the other tools—aren’t they mostly for show? The tiny saw, for instance?

“We’ve had field tests done,” Mr. Hourigan said. “We’ve had reports a four-inch trunk of a tree can be reasonably cut with this.”

How often does the need arise to cut a four-inch tree? However, the desire to uncork a bottle of Cheval Blanc occurs frequently.

What good is a Swiss Army knife that lacks not only a knife but also a corkscrew?

“Think screw-top wine,” Ms. Hourigan suggested. “I was turned off by the concept initially, but I found a bottle I liked.”

In fact, sales of the Jetsetter have been disappointing. “It doesn’t sell as well as we thought it would,” she said. “The argument against it is that it doesn’t have a blade.”

I could have told her so, though I came up with the same idea. Above all, a Swiss Army knife provides subliminal protection. It’s a weapon. Even if those we’re mostly likely to cut are ourselves.

Summary: Ralph Gardner Jr. comes up with the idea of a Swiss Army knife without the knife, for airplane travel, only to learn that the maker already has such a product.


Victoria's anti-bikie taskforce is investigating a suspicious fire that destroyed the Rebels motorcycle gang clubhouse.

The CFA was called to the factory building on England Street in Dandenong South about 4.30am on Friday, taking 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

An arson chemist was called to investigate how the fire started.

News footage showed a burned-out car that had been smashed into a wall of the clubhouse.

Police would not confirm if the car is a line of inquiry.

Bikie members were seen at the site speaking to police.

No one was injured from the blaze, but police did save a little black kitten from the flames which was eventually taken to the vet.

The fire comes just two days after properties in the same region were raided by police.

Four people were arrested and drugs were seized when officers swooped on the four properties in Melbourne's southeast on Wednesday.

Summary: A bikie clubhouse in Melbourne's southeast has apparently been torched with eight CFA vehicles needed to battle the blaze on Friday morning.


Labor has turned its attention back to visas for foreign workers and is calling for Australian employers to try harder to give jobs to locals.

The opposition wants jobs to be advertised locally for at least four weeks as part of changes to the 457 visa program.

"Our obligation is to employ people here with the skills and if they don't have the skills our medium and longer term ambition must be to train locals with those skills," employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Labor of "breathtaking hypocrisy".

Opposition leader Bill Shorten issued a third more 457 visas while he was employment minister than have been granted over the past year, and twice as many in the construction sector, the prime minister said.

"Bill Shorten was in the Olympic grade of granting 457 visas," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"This leader of the opposition is a rank opportunist, he is completely hypocritical on this issue."

Pauline Hanson said Labor was taking its cues from One Nation in its Australia-first approach to jobs.

"Australian workers, our culture, everything should be first - and to come out with this rhetoric now I'm not happy with it," she told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Senator Hanson said a lot of Australians were irate over the number of 457 visa holders and she wanted to see the program end.

"I blame Labor but I blame the Liberal party as well for the state of our country."

Summary: The federal opposition is again pushing for changes to the foreign worker visa program and wants jobs to be advertised locally first for four weeks.


Kris Bryant is 24, and this season he added a World Series ring and an NL MVP award to his trophy rack. Not too shabby.

Now is the time for Bryant to live it up. He's young, successful, good-looking, famous and pretty much whatever other positive adjectives you want to throw in. He should go all out.

But that is not Bryant's persona. A year ago, after winning the NL Rookie of the Year award, Bryant told ThePostGame he does not go out to bars in Wrigleyville. Instead, choosing to be "low-key."

In a new video with Red Bull, Bryant comes back to Wrigley Field to work on his swing while Cubs fans celebrate outside the stadium, assuming he is out partying.

In just his second season, Bryant was first in the NL and third in MLB in Wins Above Replacement (7.7). Only Mike Trout and Mookie Betts finished with a higher WAR.

No pressure in 2017, Kris. You'll only have to back up a World Series MVP season.

-- Follow Jeff Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband. Like Jeff Eisenband on Facebook.

Baseball, Batting Practice, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Kris Bryant, MLB, MVP, nl mvp, Red Bull, World Series, Wrigley Field, Wrigleyville

Summary: Kris Bryant returns to Wrigley Field for batting practice in new Red Bull ad after winning the World Series and the NL MVP Award.


If the words “hanging chad” still send a shiver down your spine — particularly as Florida remains a make-or-break state in this presidential election — Larry Moore is hoping his system of scanning oval ballot bubbles will remove any ambiguity from the vote-counting on Tuesday.

Moore is chief executive of Boston-based Clear Ballot, whose technology promises greater accuracy — along with tabulated vote totals that can be shared more quickly with officials, candidates, and voters. It will be used in Florida and several other states Tuesday.

Moore was a senior vice president at Lotus before turning his attention to elections in 2009. “These election officials are living in a technological backwater,” he said. “They’re using antiquated systems that were purchased more than 12 years ago based on 10-year-old designs.”

Most paper ballots cast in this country are placed in electronic scanners to be counted. But the scanning can be problematic when people fail to correctly fill out the small oval bubble indicating who they want to vote for. In a close race, election officials examine each paper ballot by hand to ensure they have the correct vote count.

Clear Ballot’s software works with the commonly used ballot scanning systems, adding a digital layer that uses optical scanners and Clear Ballot’s software to capture an image of each oval bubble that’s been filled in. Within those images, the company can help find votes that have been improperly marked — if the voter checked the bubble, perhaps, instead of completely filling it in.

Thus, the Clear Ballot system can help determine the intent of the voter, avoiding the frustrating and time-consuming manual examinations that followed the 2000 Florida election.

Any problem ovals are arranged so they can be easily found. “That’s where all the fighting is done in a recount,” Moore said. “We’ve applied modern imaging technology to the problem of delivering transparency in elections.”

On Election Day, the system will be used in several states to both tally and audit results.

In Oregon, where all residents cast their votes by mail, Clear Ballot designed the mail-in ballots, which will be scanned to tabulate the results in more than half of the state, including two of its largest counties.

And in Florida, Vermont, New York, and Maryland, election officials will be using Clear Ballot to selectively audit votes a few days after they’ve been cast, creating a digital snapshot of the vote count to check against the actual Election Day tallies

“Our office has been using Clear Ballot for the past three years, and we are pleased with the product,” said Tonya Edwards, the voter education coordinator for Broward County in Florida. Election officials in Maryland and several counties in Florida are planning to post election result databases generated by Clear Ballot online for public review.

Moore said his system offers a level of accountability that has not been seen in voting technology, and he hopes the company will be able to expand into other states next year.

“Precision is what you really need to resolve the closest of elections, and our system is as precise as it gets,” he said. “We’ve had two counties and two elections bring in the losing candidate and show them that they fairly lost. And though they could command a recount none of them did.”

Clear Ballot uses imaging technology to inspect ballots that have been incorrectly filled in and decide if the voter’s intent was clear. In this example, X’s and check marks were used instead of filled-in ovals.

Summary: If the words “hanging chad” send a shiver down your spine, Larry Moore is hoping his system of scanning ballots will remove ambiguity.


Automated teller machines aren’t just a source of cash.

Scientists may very well be drooling over a tasty bear monitoring method in Alaska, and the key ingredients are bear saliva and salmon.

The genetic codes of people living in a region of the Pacific called Melanesia have given researchers a clue: their DNA suggests the presence of an extinct hominid ancestor.

The vast majority of head lice in the United States are now resistant to most over-the-counter treatments, meaning that it's now especially difficult to vanquish the tiny blood-suc...

A new study challenges the theory that humans populated the Americas using a corridor between ice sheets more than 12,600 years ago.

Could genetically-modified mice be used to sniff out everything from landmines and other explosives to diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's?

The two types of brown birds look like birds of a feather. But their genomes tell a different story.

A reporter explores his own interest in getting his DNA analyzed

Pop culture may make us think the fate of our sex lives lies in superficial matters, but a study by British researchers suggests behavior in the bedroom— and even family outcomes— ...

Summary: Genetics news articles and videos from FoxNews.com's Science section.


The Fed has pledged to hold rates near zero at least until the U.S. unemployment rate hits 6.5 percent, provided the outlook for inflation remains under 2.5 percent. The jobless rate in October was 7.3 percent.

"It is also important to note that the thresholds are not triggers - that is, once a threshold has been crossed, the (Fed's policy-setting) committee will not necessarily raise the federal funds rate target immediately,'' Yellen said.

Yellen's responses stuck closely to the tone of recent comments from Bernanke, as well as the October statement issued by Fed officials after they decided to maintain purchases of bonds at a $85 billion monthly pace.

(Read more: As bitcoin skyrockets, is a bubble at hand?

The Senate Banking Committee, which vets her suitability for the job before passing the nomination to the full Senate for consideration, will vote on her nomination Thursday.

Obama's Democrats hold 12 of the 22 seats on the panel and control 55 of the 100 votes in the Senate.

This should assure her nomination will proceed smoothly to the full Senate, where she is expected to comfortably pick up enough bipartisan support to secure the 60 votes needed to overcome Senate procedural hurdles to become the next Fed chief.

Summary: Yellen: US monetary policy will stay easy even after either the Federal Reserve's hits interest rate hike threshold, as long as inflation stays low.


Fourteen years ago, with 23 million people watching, Justin Guarini came achingly close to superstardom.

The annual bounty of Thanksgiving week gave the Broadway box office a record $35 million to be thankful for last week, with the hottest ticket on the street, “Hamilton,” blowing pa...

Olivia Newton-John is not a fan of "Grease 2." The actress, who played the iconic role of Sandy in the 1978 version of "Grease," admitted in a recent interview that she didn't like...

Summary: Musicals, broadway musicals, and musical movies news articles and videos from FoxNews.com's Entertainment section.


Megyn Kelly’s bestselling memoir is called “Settle for More,” but the star anchor may have to settle for less money if she decides to leave the Fox News Channel.

Kelly is said to have not made up her mind about staying with Fox News beyond the end of her contract in July, even with an offer of more than $20 million a year to stay, which would put her in the same income bracket as NBC’s “Today” co-anchor Matt Lauer.

So far no other networks have offered to top Fox’s figure, according to network news executives and agents familiar with the talks and who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. A spokesperson for Creative Artists Agency, which represents Kelly, declined to comment on her contract negotiations.

Kelly’s future is being closely watched. She is the first breakout talent in the TV news business in recent years, becoming an even bigger name in the aftermath of her showdown with President-elect Donald Trump at the first Republican primary debate in 2015.

In an earlier era, her availability likely would have commanded a bidding war. But in a fragmented media environment where there are no longer surefire ratings hits, networks are cautious about making major financial commitments.

Fox News is willing to give Kelly a raise over the $15 million a year she is currently earning because she consistently attracts more than 3 million viewers a night for her prime-time program “The Kelly File.” But there is no guarantee that the loyalty of the Fox News audience is transferable to another channel, where Bill O’Reilly, the most popular personality on cable news, would not be her lead-in.

One agent who handles TV news talent noted how executives have been wary of taking a star out of a successful format since Katie Couric moved from NBC’s “Today” in 2006. After leaving the top-rated morning show, Couric was unable to move “CBS Evening News” out of third place in the ratings. She then failed in a bid with a daytime syndicated talk show.

“Katie Couric is the perfect example of how her success at the ‘Today’ show never transferred to anyplace else,” said the agent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “And that happens with most people.”

A story on the Drudge Report, citing unnamed sources, said CNN President Jeff Zucker is making an aggressive play to bring Kelly to his network, which trails Fox News in the ratings. CNN declined to comment on the report.

While Zucker is a fan of Kelly’s work, there is internal skepticism that he can poach her because his network has eschewed huge salary deals for on-air talent.

Anderson Cooper is the top earner at CNN, receiving between $10 million and $12 million a year in his latest contract. After Cooper, the salary drop-off is significant, with no other CNN anchor earning more than $3 million a year.

Zucker “thinks Megyn Kelly is great, but we’re not going to pay her enough,” said one executive not authorized to comment publicly. “I think it’s more likely that she convinces the Murdochs [the family that controls Fox News parent 21st Century Fox] to pay her what she wants.”

ABC News has been cited as the top broadcast suitor for Kelly’s services on its major profit center “Good Morning America.” But after report from the Drudge Report surfaced Thursday, executives said the network is no longer pursuing her.

NBC could spread the expense for Kelly across its broadcast network programs and its cable news network MSNBC, but another agent has not heard of any interest from the network. A spokesperson for NBC News declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Fox News did not respond to a request for comment.

The newest round of speculation about Kelly’s next move comes amid negative reaction within Fox News over her new book, which includes allegations that she was sexually harassed by the division’s former Chief Executive Roger Ailes. Ailes resigned from his position in July amid a sexual harassment lawsuit and allegations from other women in the company. He has denied all of the accusations.

O’Reilly has said he believes that rehashing the Ailes case in the book was hurtful to the company, which has tried to get past the controversy.

Relations between Kelly and O’Reilly have reportedly been strained over the past year since Kelly first clashed with Trump. But internal tensions have never kept millionaire anchors from working side by side at any network.

Breitbart News sees advertisers exit, calls Kellogg's decision 'un-American'

Trump supporters try to undermine Megyn Kelly's book with an onslaught of negative reviews on Amazon

Disney's Bob Iger named to Donald Trump's new President’s Strategic and Policy Forum

Summary: Megyn Kelly ’s bestselling memoir is called “Settle for More,” but the star anchor may have to settle for less money if she decides to leave the Fox News Channel .


Shay Mooney and Hannah Billingsley had a “blue” Christmas!

The parents-to-be shared matching Instagram posts Saturday revealing that their first child on the way is a boy — as well as the name they’ve picked out for him.

“We can’t wait to meet you Asher James. I already love you more than I thought I was capable of. Seeya soon little man,” the Dan + Shay member, 24, captioned a gorgeous snap of his fiancée cradling her baby bump amidst a fall landscape.

“I pray that our baby is just like you,” Mooney addressed Billingsley in his text, adding jokingly. “If they’re anything like me, we got a long road ahead.”

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter.

The former Miss Arkansas USA, 25, used the opportunity on her own post — which features the same shot, zoomed out for her followers to see more of the beautiful autumn foliage — to share the meaning being the name they picked.

“Asher – A name meaning fortunate; blessed; happy one.. @shaymooney and I are all of those things and more,” she wrote.

“God has truly honored us with the privilege of being the parents of this sweet boy. We love you and can’t wait to meet you, Asher James Mooney.”

The couple were engaged in August, and announced the pregnancy on Instagram in October.

The next month, Billingsley made her baby-bump debut at the CMA Awards, which she attended alongside her country-singer husband, wearing a nude form-fitting gown complete with a cape.

“Thank you for bringing me and bump with you this trip @shaymooney,” Billingsley captioned a belly shot from the couple’s Hawaiian babymoon in November. “This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I get to share it with you.”

Summary: Asher James Mooney is set to arrive in 2017, and will make Shay Mooney and Hannah Billingsley parents for the first time


SEATTLE (Reuters) - An explosion so strong some people thought it was an earthquake leveled a mobile home in western Washington state on Tuesday, possibly trapping two residents and shattering windows at a nearby elementary school, authorities said.

"The force of this explosion basically turned everything into popsicle sticks," said Kitsap County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilson, referring to the leveled triple-wide mobile home. "There is not much left, it's just debris."

READ MORE: Biden accused of flip-flopping on SCOTUS vacancy

Local media said some area residents thought they were witnessing an earthquake.

Authorities led by a cadaver dog were searching for two residents who may have been trapped inside the home, which also caught fire after the explosion, Wilson said. No bodies have been found.

See more images and reporting from the scene:

House explosion west of Seattle

Seattle-area blast levels home, shatters school windows; 2 missing

Kitsap Sheriff Detectives have requested ATF assistant for the investigation into the explosion.

Investigators have requested search dogs to assist in searching the area.

It was a mobile home that blew up in Port Orchard. The 2 people who live there unaccounted for right now #Q13FOX

Confirmed: house explosion near Port Orchard. No word if anyone was inside. #liveonKOMO Crew on the way. https://t.co/cXGL7Sv8jW

#Breaking: Officials say two people unaccounted for in #KitsapCounty home explosion. We're #LiveOnKOMO NOW.

Firefighters scouring the rubble of a mobile home that exploded in Port Orchard. We're live on @KING5Seattle on KONG https://t.co/m3IDUvxRoG

Windows shattered at elementary school next to house explosion in Port Orchard. Felt miles away #Q13FOX https://t.co/q4SQ0vIGJX

More pics from #KitsapCounty home explosion. 2 cars visible in debris. Search continues for 2 people. #LiveOnKOMO https://t.co/qib3NOzqz1

LATEST: 2 unaccounted for after fiery home explosion rocks Port Orchard, wakes residents across Kitsap County https://t.co/f0YNalQaIo

neighbor: couple that lives here very nice. Looked out for his daughter when she'd come home from school #Q13FOX https://t.co/npprceMkbt

BREAKING - Homeowners not been accounted for in home #explosion. A lot of collateral damage. #kitsap Co. Deputy Scott Wilson #PortOrchard

#Air4 over house explosion in Kitsap County. Still no word on injuries; home leveled. #liveonkomo Crew on the way https://t.co/BxkOYDX4go

RT @KitsapCoSheriff: SK Fire and Kitsap Sheriff's on scene of house explosion off of Ramiller Rd. Unk injuries https://t.co/aU7VOtncse

RT @JeffKIRO7: Massive house explosion near Port Orchard felt miles away. Shattered windows at Elem. school nearby. https://t.co/PBUxgM3OXv

RT @KitsapSun: Here’s the latest on the house explosion in Port Orchard https://t.co/lKD0YbMbi2 https://t.co/gLw1HWqM8b

RT @KING5Seattle: SkyKing shows the aftermath of the house explosion in Port Orchard. @MikeKonopasek is on the scene. https://t.co/DxGbGacg…

Emergency officials were working to determine the cause of the early-morning blast, which rocked the area of Port Orchard, some 20 miles west of Seattle, Wilson said.

The force of the explosion shattered windows at Mullenix Ridge Elementary, which borders the residential property, Wilson said. School officials were repairing the damage, though classes were expected to carry on normally.

Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting in the investigation, said Kent Plemons, an official in the agency's Seattle office.

Firefighters could be seen spraying water on smoldering debris, a photo posted on the South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Facebook page showed.

"The danger is over," Wilson said. "Now it's the cleanup and determining whether anybody is in the house."

More from AOL.com:Local news anchor pulled over by police, arrestedDonald Trump rally takes aggressive turn after protestReport: 5 dead, suspect down after Ariz. shooting

Summary: It was unclear early Tuesday morning if anyone was injured in the blast or what caused the explosion.


GiggedUp, which launched yesterday, is a social site for posting video job interviews. Users create profiles, post their resume in up to four different formats, add a list of skills and languages spoken, and request endorsements from friends. You can also link to your profiles on LinkedIn, YouTube and MySpace, as well as your personal website. Other profile sections include your target salary and your profile stats (how many users have visited your page). The unique feature, of course, is the ability to upload a video interview - put on your shirt and tie, record yourself answering a series of interview questions and add it to your GiggedUp profile. If you’re an employer, you can post a video about the job vacancy you have available. You can see the founder’s profile page and video here, but you’ll need to be logged in.

For job candidates, GiggedUp is always free. For employers, meanwhile, there’s a charge of $265 for each vacancy you post - according to GiggedUp, that compares to $650 on Monster.com, $145 on LinkedIn, $489 on CareerBuilder and $25 on Craigslist. None of these sites, they point out, support video interviews. Meanwhile, a subscription to GiggedUp’s “Video Profile Database” costs $750.00/month. Of course, the utility of these services depends entirely on the number of users, and charging these fees upfront before they’ve reached critical mass could be unwise. Another issue is that posting a video takes more bravery than posting a resume: pre-populating the site with more sample jobs and interviews may convince new members to join in.

It’s interesting to see all these new combinations being tried - travel plus YouTube, weather plus YouTube, a YouTube for how-tos and so on. Whether job hunting and video go well together remains to be seen - and if they do, you can bet that LinkedIn will quickly add this as a feature.

Summary: GiggedUp, which launched yesterday, is a social site for posting video job interviews. Users create profiles, post their resume in ...


re: Guardian commentary — you have to bear in mind that for *most* journalists over here, the first two things they heard about MySpace were (1) despite their never having heard about it, it was nonetheless a HUGE success (like discovering an elephant in your fridge) among a younger audience, and (2) Murdoch had bought parent co. for USD 0.5bn

With reference to the first point; journalists like to discover and nurture stories (then attack them when they’re at their zenith). Which is fair enough, really. Finding out that the story has been going on without you must be rather disheartening.

With reference to the second, Murdoch is a bit of a popular villain here in the UK, particularly among the liberal left. Any opportunity to attack is welcomed.

None of the above detracts from what you say about Bebo and its success, of course.

Summary: MySpace isn't the only site riding the social networking trend: rival Bebo is growing like a weed. Bebo even looks set to overtake MySpace in the UK


BY LAN NGUYEN DAILY NEWS FEATURES WRITER

Monday, February 19th 2001, 2:20AM

In August 1997, Dr. William Fair was told he had 18 months to live. Diagnosed with colon cancer two years earlier, the chairman of urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center learned from a routine CAT scan that his cancer despite two surgeries and chemotherapy had returned a third time.

"My surgeon told me, 'If you want me to operate, I will do it,'" he recalls. "But it was right under the liver. There are major blood vessels there, along with the bile ducts." Facing some tough decisions, Fair went on a religious retreat that Labor Day weekend to think things through.

Staring out over the Pacific Ocean, he decided on an alternative plan of action. "I did a lot of thinking and praying and talking," says Fair. "I wanted to live as high a quality of life as possible for as long as possible. I knew what was recommended to me at the time was some more surgery and then some radiation. I knew my quality of life would be virtually zero from day one of starting that."

So instead of surgery and radiation, he opted to change his diet, virtually eliminating red meat and adding more soy; he took up yoga and other stress-reduction practices; he started taking vitamins, a nonsteroidal inflammatory agent and a Chinese remedy called SPES, and most important, he retired.

Cut to the present. Fair who will celebrate his 66th birthday in March and is active lecturing, writing and working on seven journals continues his regimen "because I am afraid to stop. I honestly don't know what worked." He adds, "I went through two surgeries and a year of chemotherapy. I think it was the right thing to do. It was only after they failed that I decided that I didn't want to do any more."

Fair's search for answers outside conventional medicine and his adoption of a different lifestyle one that embraces complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is not uncommon. Like Fair, Carrie Levin and her family were suffering from myriad illnesses their physicians could not figure out.

"My oldest son, from the age of 5 on, had these coughs," says the owner of the homey upper West Side restaurant Good Enough to Eat. "My second child, right after he was born, had these glands that were swollen on both sides of his neck and mucus was coming out of every hole in his face. We were going on antibiotics constantly."

Frustrated by her children's continued illness and the conflicting diagnoses her eldest was thought to have a barking cough, whooping cough or allergies to mold and dust, while the second son was believed to have cancer she took her family to a homeopath in August 1993. Her older son was treated with phosphorous, while the younger boy received sulfur. "Right away everything went down," says Levin. "We were hooked." The family now balances visits to conventional physicians with visits to a homeopath and a chiropractor. They have also added yoga, reiki (a Japanese healing practice) and meditation to their health regimen.

Fair and Levin are among millions of Americans who have sought help from complementary and alternative medicine. A study conducted from 1990-97 and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998 found that nearly 4 in 10 Americans have used complementary and alternative medicine, with total visits to CAM practitioners outnumbering visits to all U.S. primary care physicians.

As a result, last spring the White House appointed a commission to look into the field and make recommendations. Its mandate is comprehensive: "Our role is to recommend legislation to Congress and to the President about general approaches to developing research; approaches to providing and deciding which complementary and alternative therapies should be provided to Americans and how; recommendations about what kind of education health professionals of all kinds should have about CAM; what kind of information the public should get and how it should get it, and how approaches could be incorporated in programs for all Americans," says commission chairman Dr. James S. Gordon, who is also director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. "It's an issue on which there is tremendous bipartisan interest; illness affects everyone." The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy will release some recommendations in July and produce a report and make more recommendations in 2002.

Increasing interest and demand have also driven health institutions to offer CAM therapies. Last year, Beth Israel opened its Continuum Center for Health & Healing, while Cornell Medical School created the Weill Cornell Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Last month, Dr. Fair, with his son Bill and another partner, launched Haelth, the first of what they hope to be several such offices throughout the country.

"A client will meet with one of our program specialists, an RN who will help devise an integrated health treatment approach a plan for complementary therapies that is tailored to fit their lifestyles and health goals," explains Bill Fair. (Fair also has made changes in his life because of his father's illness. He changed jobs, is exercising regularly, has started eating breakfast, taken up yoga and cut down on red meat.) "We want to encourage our clients to talk to their physicians and will serve as their communications conduit if they want us to."

But before people sign up for a yoga class or drop by their local herbalist, they must realize that CAM is more than a series of techniques or a "natural" answer to pharmaceuticals, practitioners say. "We do these therapies a grave injustice by trying to wrench them out of context," says Dr. Larry Dossey, author of "Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing." "A great example is meditation. Meditation has been reduced to the relaxation-response type of approach, where we just consider it a physiological exercise. Anyone who seriously studies meditation knows it is much more than that."

Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona of Beth Israel's Continuum Center for Health & Healing agrees: "What concerns me is if you were to compare two drugs to two herbs, most of the time, the two drugs will work better. It's the working on multiple levels of your being that is really powerful. One patient had asthma that was almost life-threatening and now it's gone. This patient came to see me about three years ago, and it took about a year, but she was willing to do whatever it took."

That included changing her diet, learning new ways to deal with stress and grief, adopting different ways to process anger, changing the way she breathed and adding meditation and some spirituality to her life. "It was about becoming a different person," says Mehl-Madrona.

Perhaps the most important tenet for those who practice and live CAM is "self-care." It is about being responsible for your own health and well-being. "The amount of time that doctors can spend with their patients is low compared to what it used to be," says Dr. Victor Sierpina, author of "Integrative Health Care: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for the Whole Person." "HMOs have driven down the cost of care, but they have also reduced the amount of time that any doctor visit can last in order to meet their productivity goals. You can't get a whole story from somebody in seven minutes, which is the average office visit."

It is also about learning what you need to lead a healthy and happy life. "You can take a drug that would kill a microbe or suppress an infection or you could take something that would support your body, your mind, your spirit and your personal development," says Sheldon Lewis, editorial director of InnerDoorway, the parent company of the Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine journal. Lewis first first became involved with CAM after his pregnant wife went to an acupuncturist to treat her bronchitis and later found CAM more helpful than conventional medicine for their second son, who is developmentally disabled. "The latter is how I would rather live my life."

It's not surprising, then, that for Pamela Miles and other CAM users, complementary and alternative medicine is a total-life approach. "There is not a separate category of our life that is health care," says Miles, who first became interested in yoga as a child and is now a writer and educator on CAM and a grand master of reiki. "We have a healthy attitude toward life, problem-solving and day-to-day challenges."

Summary: BY lan Nguyen DAILY NEWS FEATURES WRITER In August 1997, Dr. William Fair was told he had 18 months to live. Diagnosed with colon cancer two years earlier, the chairman of urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center learned from a routine CAT scan that his cancer despite two surgeries and chemotherapy had returned a third time. "My surgeon told me, 'If you want me to operate, I will do it,'"he recalls. "But it was


By STEPHEN McFARLAND With News Wire Services

Wednesday, January 10th 1996, 1:95AM

Radio foulmouth Howard Stern's feminine side is more of a drag than even his critics say, according to fashion arbiter Mr. Blackwell, who put Stern at the top of this year's "Worst Dressed Women" list.

Stern got dolled up as, well, a female person for the cover photo on his new book, "Miss America," and that qualified him for the list.

"Let's face it, Howard's 'Miss America' drag looks like Godzilla impersonating Gypsy Rose Lee," said the acerbic Blackwell, self-appointed arbiter of fashion, who has appeared on Stern's syndicated radio talk show.

Cross-dressing comedians Milton Berle and Flip Wilson made previous lists, which Blackwell born Richard Selzer in Brooklyn has compiled for 36 years.

The rest of this year's list was all women. They included last year's "winner" Camilla Parker-Bowles, the other woman in the Prince Charles-Princess Di split in sixth place. She earned the special title Queen of Fashion Frump. "Ms. Bowles is the biggest bomb to hit Britain since the Blitz," said Blackwell.

English actress Emma Thompson was No. 9 on the list of the sartorially challenged, inspiring Blackwell to a somewhat lame rhyme: "It's said the Lady of London acts with passion and power, but I think her designer should be sent to the Tower [of London]."

2. Rocker Courtney Love "a frenetic baby doll, lost in a galaxy of grunge."

4. Whoopi Goldberg "Most comedians do comedy routines Whoopi wears them."

5. Actress and director Diane Keaton "positively spooky."

7. Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh "looks like a neo-punk princess wearing toxic waste."

8. Rocker Melissa Etheridge "dresses like a down-and-out reject of a rock 'n' roll road show."

10. Actress Christina Applegate "Applegate is to fashion what Watergate is to politics."

Blackwell also awarded a "booby" prize to former Guess jeans model and millionaire's widow Anna Nicole Smith, for her "fatal fashion 'bust.' "

On the up side, Blackwell praised one of the stars who appeared in the film 'To Wong Foo . . .' in drag. "One of the most beautiful visions of the year turned out to be Patrick Swayze. Go figure," he said.

Blackwell also listed 10 women whose attire he admires: Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Princess Diana, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Grace Mirabella, Sandra Bullock, Glenn Close, Barbara Davis, Angela Bassett and Sharon Stone.

Summary: Radio foulmouth Howard Stern's feminine side is more of a drag than even his critics say, according to fashion arbiter Mr. Blackwell, who put Stern at the top of this year's "Worst Dressed Women"list. Stern got dolled up as, well, a female person for the cover photo on his new book, "Miss America,"and that qualified him for the list. "Let's face it, Howard's 'Miss America' drag looks like Godzilla impersonating Gypsy


BY MITCHELL FINK WITH EMILY GEST

Friday, October 30th 1998, 2:05AM

The warring stops when the clock is ticking and the talk turns to money. That's why Madonna and her Maverick Records partner and former manager, Freddy DeMann, who had a bitter parting in 1996, are sitting down together and trying to be "cordial." Maverick Records "is definitely in play" right now, DeMann tells me, and could be sold before the label's joint venture deal with Time Warner runs out in July.

Madonna, DeMann and others own 50% of Maverick, which knowledgeable observers estimate could fetch as much as $200 million on the open market.

With the help of such artists as Alanis Morissette, Prodigy and Candlebox, Maverick has managed to generate a reported $750 million in revenues since it was founded in 1992 by Madonna, DeMann and minority owner/label exec Guy Oseary.

The price could be driven down, however, if the two principals are perceived only as rivals. They "often sit at tables and talk business" says Madonna's rep, Liz Rosenberg. And in this case, it's big business. So this new effort on their part to appear peaceful is not without its motives.

I don't know if this means anything, but when Madonna became a brunette recently, DeMann dyed his hair blond, so they may be on a similar wavelength. Or, quips Rosenberg, "Maybe they switched bottles."

Were Lily Tomlin and Don Rickles each paid $1 million to appear in those commercials discussing long-range money management with Fidelity Investments Vice Chairman Peter Lynch? Neither star would confirm that amount, but I have it on excellent authority. In the commercials, which have been airing since September, Rickles deals with retirement issues. Tomlin plays a variety of "Laugh-In"-like characters all of whom are trying to figure out how to invest.

A Fidelity representative also declined comment.

GOING TO BAT FOR MARION

The late baseball umpire John McSherry was honored last night when the foundation that bears his name held its annual fund-raiser at the All-Star Cafe.

Many luminaries from the world of baseball were there, but I doubt much attention was paid to one person in particular.

That's Marion Doyle, McSherry's live-in companion for the last 10 years of his life. When the 51-year-old McSherry collapsed and died in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium in 1996, he left behind 27 years of service and a sizable pension.

McSherry had no heirs, unless you count Doyle. But the Major League Umpires Association refused to recognize her as a beneficiary on the grounds that she and McSherry never married.

A McSherry Foundation source says the late ump's friends "were concerned that Marion" had enough money to live on "after John died, and she said she was okay."

Doyle "knew she wasn't eligible" for McSherry's pension," the source added, and has "accepted the decision."

That doesn't mean I have to accept it.

BOYS TO MEN AT MSG

While the Knicks aren't playing, Madison Square Garden is using its basketball floor for the next best thing: bar mitzvahs.

And there was quite a bash there on Saturday night for Michael Steinberg son of Bear Stearns senior managing director Robert Steinberg I hear. Not that anyone ever crashed a bar mitzvah, but tickets to the event, printed with the MSG logo, heralded the event as "one night only" and "thirteen years in the making."

Also on the floor: those great bar mitzvah guys the Harlem Globetrotters.

You may recall that "L.A. Doctors" regular Sheryl Lee resurrected her role as Laura Palmer from "Twin Peaks" when she posed nude on a morgue slab in an ad sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The ad copy read: "I wouldn't be caught dead in fur."

Now the avid animal rights activist, who co-stars in John Carpenter's "Vampires," has done a new version of the ad a "Vampires" spoof complete with bite marks and blood flowing from her neck.

And therein lies the problem. The ad was already being distributed when PETA's retouchers realized their mistake: In the movie, Lee is bitten on the inner thigh.

Summary: The warring stops when the clock is ticking and the talk turns to money. That's why Madonna and her Maverick Records partner and former manager, Freddy DeMann, who had a bitter parting in 1996, are sitting down together and trying to be "cordial."Maverick Records "is definitely in play"right now, DeMann tells me, and could be sold before the label's joint venture deal with Time Warner runs out in July. Madonna, DeMann and others


It's impossible to know who will be the next beyonce or bieber but this guy had it. The sold out concerts, the tour bus, the slick videos with the hollywood model. But there was a big lie in those...

It's impossible to know who will be the next beyonce or bieber but this guy had it. The sold out concerts, the tour bus, the slick videos with the hollywood model. But there was a big lie in those lyrics, here's chris connelly. ♪ Reporter: As the lead singer for his band lights over paris, robert mawhinney wanted to be a rock star in the worst way. In this, he succeeded. He fulfilled his every rock n roll fantasy. Starring in sexy music videos, throwing wild, all-night parties at his luxury dwellings across los angeles. Including this $10-g's a month riot house in the hollywood hills. I have no idea where all the women came from. Loud party, misdemeanor. Hey, if it's not a, felony, let's keep partying! Reporter: Hitting the road with no expense spared. Spraying pricey champagne off the balcony of a penthouse suite. Deploying an in-concert money gun. He really liked the idea of shooting money into the crowd. Reporter: Even building this one-of-a-kind fabulously appointed $750,000 tour bus. It's called the "futureliner." This window here will go all the way around, like, 270 degrees. Really cool. Over here's just gonna be, you know, a lounge area, tv on the wall right here. Reporter: He had all this, and a key rock-star pre-requisite: Tons of apparent self-confidence. But most of all, robb mawhinney had serious stacks of cash. I basically had an endless bank account with, you know, money inside of it. Reporter: What no one realized, until the bill came due, was that all of it, the whole star-spangled shebang, was not what it seemed to be. A big lie? Right from the get-go. A complete lie. Reporter: As a teen in orange county, mawhinney idolized high-energy rock bands who'd climbed the ladder to multi-platinum success. Like blink-182. But by his mid-20s, he & his homeboys weren't going anywhere. And lights over paris had no recording contract, no gigs, no merch. Yet somehow, robb had cheddar like a cracker barrel. Brimming with bank and the urge to spend it, on things like trips to new york city. It was crazy. There was a lot of booze, a lot of champagne, and the hotel suite ended up getting trashed at the end of the trip, so -- Reporter: Brian king had responded to a craigslist ad to be a videographer for lights over paris. What he saw in ny? No rock, but a whole lotta high rollin'. any rock & roll. He got a bunch of his buddies from la, they all flew into new york. One of their friends, they got him to streak through several blocks in soho. Reporter: Ah, but then the 5'6" frontman, now calling himself robb talllll, because why not? Landed in an l.A. Recording studio, doing a lights over paris album with professional musicians. Even a string section in support. One small problem -- he didn't have a label. And he'd never made a record before. A lot of people didn't really know what the deal was with rob. People just thought he was a really wealthy guy who wanted to be the next blink 182. Reporter: But with his blink-and-you-missed-it rock resume, robb dug deep for top-shelf help. A choreographer, phat rhymes from the rap star "game" -- and a six-figure music video. Cast from a pool of women to star as the femme fatale in lights over paris' "turn off the lights" stunning olivia hardt, scream queen of syfy's sharknado-esque tv-movie arachnoquake, spotted a lag in robb's swag. I got in the transportation van. And I knew that it was rob sitting right next to me, the guy that I was gonna be kissing that day. But he did not say a word to me. I think he was a little bit nervous. We can't make out with your teeth on. No, I'm just saying, for that part -- I mean, after the scene, he's like, that wasn't as, as scary as i thought it was gonna be." It was definitely a first for him, and he let me know that. Reporter: Olivia says she soon began to wonder about the source of robb's boundless bankroll. What did he say to you when you asked, "where is all this money coming from?" He told me that his grandfather had passed away that he received some inheritance. I was working with my grandfather. We'd buy lots and we'd build houses on 'em. It succeed ed and I made a couple bucks. It was a big lie? Yeah. I know that now. He had a problem with people thinking he just walked into having money. Reporter: In fact, robb had walked into banks and asked for millions in loans. The loan officer in the bank, asked mr. Mawhinney to provide proof of the statements that he made in the application, regarding his assets and his income. To loan officers he produced documents listing $8 million in stocks. And this accountant-prepared 1040. 4 different banks issued mawhinney loans to the tune of $11 million. But as lights over paris toured, it turned out that there are some things that money can't buy. Like fans. A couple girls told me about a sold out show, about this band, lights over paris. And so I wanted to come see what was going on with this band. Reporter: When rock photographer derek brad got to the north star bar in philadelphia, those on stage nearly outnumbered the audience. There was actually less than 10 people here. Reporter: It was sold out, because robb tall had bought all the tickets. Only the lights over paris street team couldn't even give them away. Then on october 1, 2011 the night they were to play the roxy, on la's sunset strip, robb didn't even show up. Sending a dj in his place instead. Why wasn't robb doing the show? I guess his high school reunion was that night? Reporter: And how about this for a remix. That's the dj getting served, onstage, with legal papers intended for robb, now way behind on his riot house rent. The party, the parties, were over. One year later robb was arrested in miami. The $11 million in loans and the documents he submitted to get them? Yeah, about those -- the tax return was entirely fake. And the cpa whose name was used on the letter, again we interviewed him, and he said, again "robert mawhinney? Never heard of him." Reporter: Then there was that big-money-in-stocks statement from schwab. This is what was submitted to the . And yes it says here, $8 million, total account value. That's correct. And then we obtained from charles schwab itself, here's the account statement. Same account for the period may 2009. And here you can see the value in the account, zero. Another big lie? Another complete fabrication. Reporter: Robb was charged with multiple felonies. And would plead guilty to 4 counts of making false statements, take responsibility for his actions in court, and be sentenced to 7 years in prison. From where he called us exclusively with a mea culpa for all that madness. The thing I regret is -- is kind of losing control. My lifestyle was, it was crazy. And I was hoping deep down that I could rectify the situation and -- and pay these things back. Reporter: Now between his bible study group meetings, robb says he is taking guitar lessons. Turned out robb really wasn't a gangsta or a player. Why would I spend so much money on a tour when we're not u2? Or green day. And that's one of the things that I sit in my cell and -- and -- and regret. Here's a man who wanted to be a star, but apparently didn't have the talent to do it. He had to do it through crime.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

Summary: Act 3: Robert Mawhinney tried to pay his band's way to success with $11 million in bank loans.


For a team that would like to keep a young quartet of sure-to-be-expensive players, last week's news of a steadily fattening NFL salary cap was particularly welcome for the 49ers.

How can they possibly pay quarterback Colin Kaepernick, outside linebacker Aldon Smith, guard Mike Iupati and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, all of whom are entering the final year of their rookie contracts? That question became a bit less vexing when it was revealed the salary cap, which was $123 million in 2013, will balloon to $133 million in 2014 and could rise to at least $150 million by 2016.

In the short term, however, the extra $10 million available to teams this season could work against the 49ers. With free agency beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday, the 49ers, who are averse to engaging in bidding wars for their on-the-market players, could find it harder to retain the trio probably at the top of their priority list: safety Donte Whitner, cornerback Tarell Brown and placekicker Phil Dawson.

Former NFL personnel executive Bill Polian, now an ESPN analyst, expects the market for such players to be a bit more robust this year.

"History tells you that there will be more deals out there for big money than there were last year," Polian said. "I think the biggest impact may come - and I underline the word may - with the so-called middle class. Last year, a lot of those fellas got one- and two-year deals."

The so-called "legal-tampering period" of free agency begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, allowing agents to start negotiations before contracts can be signed Tuesday.

Whitner, who will turn 29 in July, and Brown, 29, are expected to test the market. Given their ages, it will probably be their last opportunity to land a lucrative, multiyear deal.

Whitner, selected to his first Pro Bowl berth in 2012, will earn a raise after signing a three-year, $11.75 million contract in 2011. Meanwhile, Brown, who unwittingly forfeited $2 million in base salary in a contract snafu last year, also figures to cash in: Polian ranks Brown among the top three free-agent cornerbacks.

In December, general manager Trent Baalke said the team had started contract discussions with Dawson and wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Boldin signed a two-year deal Monday, but the kicker remains unsigned after he outperformed his $2.25 million base salary in 2013.

If recent history is a guide, the 49ers won't overpay to keep Whitner, Brown or Dawson.

Instead, they could eventually use some of their extra salary-cap cash to ensure part of their quartet - Kaepernick, Smith, Iupati and Crabtree - never become free agents. As Polian noted, the top players never reach the open market.

"The best players are signed," he said. "So (free agents), essentially, are B players whose agents are looking for A money."

Dobbs deal: Niners backup defensive tackle Demarcus Dobbs, 26, a restricted free agent, will be tendered a non-guaranteed, one-year contract by the 49ers at the lowest level, $1.431 million, USA Today reported. Dobbs will still be able to receive offers from other teams when free agency begins Tuesday, but the 49ers can match any offer. The 49ers would not be compensated with a draft pick if Dobbs signs elsewhere because he was an undrafted free agent.

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch

Summary: For a team that would like to keep a young quartet of sure-to-be-expensive players, last week's news of a steadily fattening NFL salary cap was particularly welcome for the 49ers.  How can they possibly pay quarterback Colin Kaepernick, outside linebacker Aldon Smith, guard Mike Iupati and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, all of whom are entering the final year of their rookie contracts?  With free agency beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday, the 49ers, who are averse to engaging in bidding wars for their on-the-market players, could find it harder to retain the trio probably at the top of their priority list: safety Donte Whitner, cornerback Tarell Brown and placekicker Phil Dawson.  In December, general manager Trent Baalke said the team had started contract discussions with Dawson and wide receiver Anquan Boldin.  Niners backup defensive tackle Demarcus Dobbs, 26, a restricted free agent, will be tendered a non-guaranteed, one-year contract by the 49ers at the lowest level, $1.431 million, USA Today reported.