The turning point for Puerto Rico’s standing as a tax haven can be traced to last year, when the billionaire financier John Paulson began investing in the island. His hedge fund, Paulson & Company, acquired the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, where he is building a vacation home. In March, the firm acquired two beachfront hotels in San Juan — La Concha Renaissance Hotel and the Condado Vanderbilt — and is spending more than $500 million on renovations and expansion plans. Perhaps Mr. Paulson’s biggest contribution to the island’s reputation as a tax haven, however, was his dubbing the island “the Singapore of the Caribbean,” a catch phrase that is now oft-repeated by seemingly everyone in the business of promoting Puerto Rico.

“It really began with John Paulson,” said Luis D. Ortiz, an agent at Douglas Elliman who also appears in the reality television show “Million Dollar Listing New York.” Mr. Ortiz, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico but now lives in New York, said he is working with eight buyers, mostly American, who are searching for homes to buy in Puerto Rico.

Margaret Peña Juvelier, a broker with Sotheby’s International Realty, noted that two years ago “there was a tremendous amount of inventory and people were just renting.” Today, she said, “everyone is buying and buying at a quick pace — they recognize if they don’t jump in now, and they wait a year or two, prices will be substantially higher.”

Real estate prices in Puerto Rico are down by as much as 45 percent from the top of the market in 2007, said Ms. Juvelier, a New York City native who moved to San Juan two years ago to open up the Sotheby’s office and take advantage of the tax savings. For years, the island has contended with double-digit unemployment and a soaring cost of living that has led to an exodus of many of Puerto Rico’s professionals and middle-class residents, who have moved to places like Florida and Texas.

And the island’s economy remains shaky: It had a per-capita income of $17,400 in 2013, far below Mississippi, the poorest state in the union. Its gross domestic product grew at just 0.3 percent last year and is expected to grow only 0.1 percent this year, according to the Puerto Rico Planning Board.

But island supporters say this only means there are still values to be had. “If you look at St. Barts or Miami it is way more expensive,” said Ms. Juvelier, who is importing some of her Manhattan island branding to Puerto Rico, bestowing San Juan neighborhoods with New York City-type monikers like CoBe, short for Condado Beach, to varying success.

And it is true that Puerto Rico is a bargain. At the St. Regis Bahia Beach, for example, arguably some of the most expensive real estate in Puerto Rico, condos with oceanfront views are priced at around $600 a square foot; in Miami, a similar unit would cost around $2,000 a square foot.

Over the last 10 months, the St. Regis Bahia Beach sold nine condos, priced at $800,000 to $1.6 million, all to American buyers, according to Paulson & Company. The resort is also constructing six oceanfront villas, priced at $10 million to $12 million; two have already sold.

Other luxury developments are in the works on the island. The granddaddy of the Puerto Rican hotels is the Dorado Beach resort, set on 1,400 acres. The hotel was built by Laurance S. Rockefeller and opened in 1958, hosting celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor. It has undergone a $340 million makeover, including the addition of a 115-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve hotel, a renovated golf course and oceanfront residences ranging from $1 million to more than $9 million.

“A third of the people who buy at Dorado are locals looking for a second home or to move from the San Juan area, and a third are people who have known about Dorado for 20, 30 years and want to buy a second, third or fourth home,” said Kenneth M. Blatt, a principal of CPG Real Estate, which is developing the property with the Prisa Group. “The final third are moving specifically to take advantage of the tax incentives.”

Marc Grossman, 46, bought a six-bedroom home at the St. Regis with his wife, Stephanie, and four children, and is considering relocating full-time to Puerto Rico from Sands Point, an exclusive enclave on the north shore of Long Island. Mr. Grossman, a senior partner at the Sanders Firm, a law firm based in Garden City, N.Y., recently opened an affiliated law office on the island and has hired 15 employees. Later this month, he is visiting a private school there with his family. “We are trying to determine when it would be best to transition my four children,” who range in age from 10 to 16, Mr. Grossman said.

While there is much to recommend Puerto Rico as a tax haven — it has better beaches than Switzerland, no immigration hassles like Ireland and is a lot closer than Singapore — there are the undeniably distasteful politics of fleeing New York to save on taxes. Many island supporters were anxious to tell me about how wonderful it was to relocate there. But many wouldn’t let me disclose their names.

Summary: Puerto Rico’s status as a tax haven is beginning to catch on, and some are betting big bucks that the trickle of Americans buying property there will soon become a stream.


is managing to kill two giant birds with one stone ... a concert with his band and his long-awaited wedding -- all in one weekend trip to Hawaii.

Sources tell TMZ ... Brown and his fiancée --

-- have finally set a wedding date after 2 years of engagement bliss ... and it's the same weekend Brown's band

will be performing in Honolulu.

We're told the nuptials will take place on the weekend of June 15th ... Brown will be flying out some of his family and friends to the island, to witness the ceremony he has dubbed his "big day."

The duo has been engaged since May 2010 and have one child together.

Bobby was previously married to

who passed away in February.

FYI -- It's also Father's Day weekend ... so 3 birds and one volcanic sized stone.

Summary: Bobby Brown is managing to kill two giant birds with one stone ... a concert with his band and his long-awaited wedding -- all in one weekend trip to…


It's been pronounced dead several times, but the G-Wagen by Mercedes-Benz is more alive than ever. At the mature age of 36, it gets yet another refresh - a relatively minor one, as you wouldn't "modify a Rembrandt painting," correct? That's how Gunnar Güthenke, Daimler's head of G-class, explained to us why the venerable off-roader receives almost no changes to its exterior. In fact, the only major revision happened back in 1990. And those visual changes were limited to bumpers, lights, and minor decor pieces.

The G-Wagen is the slimmest of any Mercedes-Benz cars, yet it is so tall and its styling so uncompromising that it makes any of its sister models look decidedly modest. By definition, its box-like shape allows for maximum space utilization, and indeed, the G offers generous accomodations. Visibility towards the front is excellent, while the view to the rear is somewhat hampered by the wide D-pillars - but this vehicle lets you know precisely where its four corners are at all times, and in all conditions.

The slim, narrow dashboard has been carried over for decades, although it is graced with a variety of buttons, switches, dials and gauges reflect over 35 years of interior design, development, and additional luxury touches.

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It needs careful study if you are ever to exploit the G-Wagen's potential fully. If you do, three differential locks can be activated by the flick of a button. And, of course, the capabilities of this off-roader are simply astounding.

The most important changes happen under the hood. The G550 loses its naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V-8 and gains a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, essentially the same engine that powers the AMG GT. The biggest challenge for the development team? Preserving the awesome sound of the predecessor!

READ ABOUT OTHER MERCEDES-BENZ MODELS.

After a day in the new model, we can confirm that they passed the test with flying colors. The new model sounds every bit as aggressive as its predecessor - and what's more, it goes even better. While the previous model cranked out 382-horsepower and 391 lb-ft of torque, the new model is rated at 416-horsepower and 450 lb-ft.

The result? A 0-62 mph time of just 5.9 seconds - and a top speed of a governed 130 mph.

Typically, we don't care much for these governors, but in the G550, cutting power at 130 mph is just fine, given its high center of gravity and less-than-precise recirculating-ball-type steering. Consumption figures have not been released yet, but we predict they will be shocking, if slightly less awful than on the outgoing model.

Europe also gets a diesel-powered G-Wagen that won't be offered here, but we will get upgraded engines on both the G63 AMG and the G65 AMG. The G63's twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 now makes 563-horsepower instead of 536; the G65's 6.0-liter V-12 will make an even more decadent 621-horsepower. The G63 AMG continues to be the loudest G-Wagen, while the G65 AMG adds smoothness and sophistication...on top of a slightly scary 143-mph-governor.

The handling characteristics of the G-Wagen are still somewhat outclassed by more modern SUVs, including its main competitors - the most uplevel Range Rovers and the Toyota LandCruiser/Lexus LX twins. But they have improved: In sport mode, body roll is sharply reduced, and the stability control system cuts in later and less rigorously.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but we don't expect it to deviate much from the current model, which starts at a whopping $115,400.

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Summary: An SUV legend becomes a turbocharged time machine.


Studies show that most smokers want to quit. So why are some people more successful at cutting out nicotine than others? The latest studies looking at the brains and behavior of smokers may provide some explanations.

Some people may be hardwired to have an easier time giving up their cigarettes, suggests one new trial described in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. It turns out that some smokers start out with a particularly rich network of brain neurons in an area called the insula, which regulates cravings and urges and communicates cues: like seeing a cigarette or smelling tobacco smoke, then wanting to light up. Joseph McClernon, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, ran MRI scans of 85 smokers who puffed more than 10 cigarettes a day. The smokers were then randomly assigned to continue smoking their brand or to smoke low-nicotine cigarettes, along with nicotine replacement therapy, for 30 days. All of the people in the study were then told to stop smoking and given nicotine replacement for 10 weeks.

MORE The Best Way to Quit Smoking Isn’t E-Cigs

Those who relapsed during that time tended to have lower activity in the insula, particularly in the connections between the insula and other motor areas that translate cravings into action, while those who successfully kicked the habit showed more robust activity in this brain region. The pattern remained strong despite how many cigarettes the smokers smoked.

“We’ve known for a while that some people seem to be able to quit and other people can’t,” says McClernon. “This gives us a better sense of what neural mechanisms might underlie those differences.”

The results suggest that it might be possible to identify people who may have a harder time quitting—a quick MRI scan of their brains would reveal how much activity they have in their insula—and provide them with more support in their attempts to quit. “Some smokers might benefit from more intensive, longer duration or even different types of interventions to stop smoking,” says McClernon. “They might need a higher, different level of care to help them make it through.”

But how much this system can be manipulated to help smokers quit isn’t clear yet. Previous studies show how potentially complicated the insula’s connections may be—smoking patients who have strokes and damage to the insula suddenly lose their desire to smoke and quit almost cold turkey. McClernon believes that the richer connections may not only promote interactions between cravings and behavior, but also enhance the connections that can inhibit or suppress those urges as well. Having a more intense communication in the insula may help strengthen the ability to quiet urges and inhibit the desire to smoke, despite cues and the urge to light up.

MORE Taking Medication May Make It Easier to Quit Smoking

But even if you’re not blessed with a brain that’s wired to make quitting easy, you still have options. In another study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists studied one of the oldest and most reliable ways to motivate people: money. In that trial, Dr. Scott Halpern from the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues assigned 2,538 employees of CVS Caremark to one of five different smoking cessation programs. All received free access to nicotine replacement and behavioral therapy, and some were also assigned to an individual reward program in which they could earn up to $800 if they remained abstinent at six months. Another group was assigned another individual deposit program which was similar, except they had to pay $150 to participate, which they got back if they remained abstinent. Others were assigned to group versions of the reward and deposit programs so that what they received depended on how many in their group quit successfully.

Not shockingly, more people who were assigned to the reward program (90%) agreed to participate than people who were assigned to the deposit strategy (14%), likely because most people weren’t wiling to put their own money on the line. But when Halpern looked more closely at those who did enroll, the smokers in the deposit programs were twice as likely to be abstinent at six months than those in the reward group and five times as likely to be smoke-free than those who received only free counseling and nicotine replacement.

MORE Paying People Could Help Them Quit Smoking

That’s not entirely surprising, says Halpern, since having some of their own money at risk provided more motivation for the smokers to quit. When it comes to incentivizing smoking cessation, “adding a bit of stick is better than having just a pure carrot,” he says.

Finding the perfect balance of stick and carrot, however, may be more challenging. Halpern believes that from the perspective of an employer, insurer or government, offering even higher rewards than the $800 in the study and lowering the deposit slightly might still provide benefits to all parties. Smokers cost an average of $4,000 to $6,000 more each year in health services than non-smokers, he says, so offering even as much as $5,000 can still result in cost savings for employers, many of whom are now dangling financial incentives in front of their smoking employees to motivate them to quit.

How the financial carrot is proffered is also important, says Halpern. Now, most employers or insurers reward quitting in more hidden ways, with bonuses in direct deposit accounts or with lower premiums. While helpful, these aren’t as tangible to people, and humans respond better to instant gratification. “They’re rewarding people in ways that are essentially blind to the way human psychology works,” he says. “The fact that the benefits occur in the future make them a whole lot less influential than if people were handed money more quickly. Our work suggests that in addition to thinking about the size of the incentive, it’s fundamentally important to think about how to deliver that money.”

Another factor that can make financial incentives more powerful is to make the experience more enjoyable, either by introducing some competition in a group setting or encouraging smokers along the way. In the study, smokers in the group programs were not any more successful than those in the individual regimes, but that may be because the employees didn’t know each other. Grouping colleagues in the same office might have more of an effect, says Halpern. Either way, he says, incorporating such incentives to help more people quit smoking is “really a win-win.”

Read next: The Best Way to Quit Smoking Isn’t E-Cigs

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Summary: Two studies shed light on promising new ways to make kicking the habit easier, using both biology and behavior


Mexican singer Ariel Camacho died in a car crash Wednesday on a highway outside Sinaloa, Mexico.

The 22-year-old was on the road promoting a deluxe edition of his latest album El Karma when he was involved in a highway collision, reports Billboard.

“My heart is broken by the loss of Ariel Camacho,” said Angel Del Villar, president of the Regional Mexican label. “I knew he was going to transform the genre in Mexico and the United States. Millions of people would have become fans and would have gotten to know the man I did.”

As the frontman of the band Los Plebes del Rancho, Camacho performed in the Sierreno musical style, featuring acoustic guitars, bass and accordians played by a musical trio. El Karma was released by DEL records, amassing Camacho a loyal fan base for his soft vocals and adroit guitar-playing.

Summary: The Mexican singer was on a highway outside Sinaloa, Mexico.


As world leaders and policymakers continue climate negotiations in Paris, serial entrepreneur Elon Musk appealed to a younger, seemingly less powerful group to help prevent global warming.

His message: only a carbon tax—not innovation, conservation, or renewable energy—will accelerate the transition from carbon-producing fossil fuels to sustainable energy.

“I think you have tremendous power—you have the power to make change,” Musk told students during a conference at the Sorbonne in Paris, just a 30-minute drive from the 2015 U.N. Climate Change Conference, where negotiations are underway to pass an international treaty that would cut emissions enough to prevent the world’s temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius.

Musk, who has pushed for a carbon tax before, said the tax should be revenue neutral and phased in over a period of years. A revenue neutral tax means governments would still receive the same amount of money despite a change in the tax code. Under Musk’s scenario, taxes would be weighted heavily on carbon, and reduced in other areas. This approach already occurs, Musk said, citing how taxes are higher on cigarettes and alcohol than fruits and vegetables.

Musk encouraged students to press politicians to take action on climate change because “governments respond to popular pressure.”

Eventually, the world will run out of carbon to mine and burn, and will have to move to sustainable energy, Musk predicted at the conference. A hidden subsidy that benefits all carbon-producing activity—about $5.3 trillion annually, according to the IMF—is delaying that transition, he said.

The net result of this “untaxed negative externality” is 35 gigatonnes of carbon per year being emitted into the atmosphere—additional carbon that Musk described as the “turd in the punch bowl.”

Musk, who is chief executive of all-electric automaker Tesla Motors and aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, said governments, which set how companies are rewarded financially, must send a clear message.

“The fundamental problem is the rules today incent people to create carbon; this is madness,” Musk said. “So what can you do? Whenever you have the opportunity, talk to your politicians, ask them to enact a carbon tax.” Musk also encouraged the audience to talk to their friends about it and to “fight the propaganda from the carbon industry,” which he compared to the tobacco industry’s often spurious strategies to convince consumers smoking is safe.

While Musk tried to stick to the carbon tax message, he did stray into related topics, including energy storage, carbon capture and storage, fusion, the oil and gas lobby power, and the near failure of Tesla TSLA and SolarCity [fortune- stock symbol=”SCTY”], where he is chairman of the board.

Here are some of his juicier comments.

On the oil and gas industry:

You definitely can’t beat the oil and gas (industry) on lobbyists; that would be a losing battle. Exxon makes more profit in a year than the value of the entire solar industry in the U.S. There’s no way you can win on money, it’s impossible.

On the success of COP21:

I have a good feeling about it. It’s going to be degrees of success. Copenhagen was terrible. I think there was a net increase in global warming as a result of that one.

On carbon capture and storage:

I’m not aware of any carbon sequestration or carbon storage system that works and works economically.

I do think fusion is a feasible technology, we can definitely make fusion work. But it is a far off technology. To make fusion at the power plant level work it is probably 30 years away and a lot of effort. That’s why, at least for now, and even in the long-term, I’m a big proponent of using the big fusion power plant in the sky called the sun.

Nuclear fission, if it’s in a location that’s not subject to natural disasters, I think that’s actually a good thing.

On the risks of energy and auto startups:

Starting companies in either the automotive arena or the energy arena is quite a tricky business. When we first started Tesla and SolarCity, we thought they would fail. Tesla in particular we thought probably had a 10% chance of success. So, particularly cars, it’s hard to stay alive as a car company. Honestly, it has to be one of the worst risk-adjusted returns.

The last two years is when Tesla achieved a level when it wasn’t facing imminent death. Even as recently as 2013, we were operating with maybe one to two weeks of money.

Other billionaire entrepreneurs are using COP21 to announce their own climate change efforts. As the Paris climate talks got underway Monday, Bill Gates and other entrepreneurs, announced the creation of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition. The global group of private investors, who include Virgin’s Richard Branson, venture capitalists John Doerr and Vinod Khosla and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, say they’re committed to “early-stage investing in potentially transformative energy systems” with “near zero carbon emissions.”

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Summary: And it isn't just about adding more renewable energy.


It was bound to happen: the first images claiming to show the iPhone 7’s design have hit the web.

A France-based technology news site named No Where Else published images on Sunday of what it claims to be as the iPhone 7’s backplate. The image appears to show a computer screen used by someone at China-based Catcher Technology, which has in the past supplied the metal chassis, or enclosure, for the Apple’s iPhones.

Business Insider earlier discovered the report.

The iPhone chassis in the picture is somewhat different than the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Most notably, the horizontal antenna lines on the back of the iPhone 6s seem to have been scrubbed in favor of lines around the spine. The device’s backplate has the Apple logo (of course), as well as holes for where the smartphone’s rear-facing camera would poke through. Beyond that, the chassis doesn’t appear to come with too many design differences compared to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

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No Where Else also published what appears to be a rendering of a new iPhone, which resembles the backplate pictured in the photo.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 7 at a press event later this year. While rumors have been flying fast and furious, the company has kept a tight-lid on its plans for the future.

Given Apple’s secrecy—and its iron-like grip on suppliers to not share details on any new devices—it’s hard to say whether the images leaked on Sunday are indeed real. For one, there’s no mention on the screen capture that the chassis is indeed the iPhone 7, and without dimensions, it’s impossible to know whether it’s something else entirely, such as a mockup that will never come to the market.

It’s also possible that the chassis is the iPhone 6c, the smartphone Apple is expected to unveil at a special press event scheduled for March 21. That device could come with a somewhat similar design to the iPhone 6s but boast a 4-inch screen, compared to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays available in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, respectively.

Read more: Apple Exec: This Trick Won’t Improve Your Battery Life

To throw even more cold water on the rumor, it’s unknown whether Apple has even finalized its iPhone 7 design—it’s still months from launching, after all—so this could be a first-take at what the company has planned.

Still, Apple hasn’t been as iron-clad with its rumors over the years, and suppliers have been known to punch holes in its otherwise strong armor. Therefore, it’s possible that the images are indeed the real thing.

For its part, Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the leak.

But if history is our guide, expect many more of these leaks in the ensuing months as we get closer to the iPhone 7’s eventual unveiling—and at least some of them (perhaps even this one)—to be the real deal.

Summary: Then again, maybe not.


A new study published Tuesday suggests commonly used first-line treatments for PTSD in veterans may not work as well as medical experts once thought.

The number of American veterans who suffer from PTSD continues to be a serious national public health problem. Recent data show that more than 200,000 Vietnam War veterans still have PTSD, and other research shows that around 13% of Iraq or Afghanistan veterans who experienced combat have PTSD. The numbers continue to climb. As TIME previously reported, PTSD diagnoses among deployed troops grew by 400% from 2004 to 2012.

Now new research, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reveals that go-to treatments for the disorder may not be as effective as many in the medical community may have believed or hoped. To reach their findings, researchers from the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center for Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury at NYU Langone Medical Center reviewed 36 randomized control trials of psychotherapy treatments for veterans suffering from PTSD over a 35-year span. Two of the most commonly used treatments—and the most widely studied—are cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) therapy.

CPT is a treatment that focuses on changing dysfunctional thoughts, and exposure therapy is meant to help patients face what’s causing them stress and fear.

The research showed that while up to 70% of the men and women who received CPT or PE experienced symptom improvements, around two-thirds of people receiving the treatments still met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis after treatment. The researchers note that current veterans affairs policies emphasize the use of the two methods as treatments of choice.

The researchers also argued that veterans with PTSD are likely to have worse outcomes from treatment compared to civilians with PTSD. Though the researchers are unsure why that is, there’s some speculation: “Compared to civilian traumas such as car accidents and natural disasters, military deployment involves repeated and extended trauma exposure,” says study author Maria M. Steenkamp, an assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone. “It also involves not just life-threat, but exposure to traumatic losses and morally compromising experiences that create shame and guilt.” Veterans are also more likely to have additional mental health issues such as anxiety or substance abuse, she adds.

The researchers also raise the question of whether focusing on trauma during PTSD treatment is really that effective. Based on their review of the trials, they found that when CPT and PE were compared to non-trauma focused psychotherapy, patients showed similar improvement.

However, not everyone agrees that the findings should be cast in such a light. Dr. Paula Schnurr, the executive director of the National Center for PTSD under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says there’s not consensus that veterans have a more difficult time overcoming PTSD symptoms compared to civilians, and adds that some people who treat veterans feel avoiding fears and trauma perpetuates problems, rather than processes them. In addition, symptom improvement is an important part of PTSD treatment since it improves veterans’ quality of life. Schnurr was not involved in the study, though some of her own research was analyzed in it.

“If a person has a meaningful response, they have a meaningful improvement in their quality of life,” says Schnurr, adding that many treatments for other mental health conditions have similar outcomes. “As scientists we will always try to enhance the effectiveness of these treatments for more people…My takeaway message [from the study] is one of optimism and also encouragement for people to seek treatment.”

The researchers say other treatment options should continue to be explored, and there are practitioners who are trying different methods, from acupuncture to healing touch therapy. Another new study published Tuesday in JAMA looked at 116 veterans with PTSD who either underwent mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy that focused on being present and non-judgmental in the moment or a present-centered group therapy that focused on current life problems. The results showed that those in the mindfulness group had a greater improvement in self-reported PTSD symptom severity. However, they were no more likely to lose their PTSD diagnosis.

There may not be a cure yet for PTSD, but the amount of research looking into how to improve or innovate treatments is encouraging. Veterans who need support can find resources here.

Summary: Though many treatments for PTSD can alleviate symptoms, veterans continue to meet the criteria for the disorder


The world of marketing has changed with the rise of social-media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Now companies are seeking their customers' attention with tweets, videos, articles, pictures and anything else that will stir up comments and create a following. And, you know what this means? They're looking for people who know how to create online buzz.

A growing number of job hunters are turning their blogging skills or experience setting up Facebook fan pages into new careers in social media. A background in marketing, computer technology, copywriting or journalism is often a plus in landing Web 2.0 jobs.

Pay rates are all over the place right now in this emerging field, but good pay is already to be found, with full-time jobs ranging from $45,000 to six figures.

"My rule of thumb is you get paid in social media for what you've done in the past," says Jim Durbin, who operates the niche job site JobsInSocialMedia. "A fresh college grad may make $25,000 as a social-media marketer, but if you already have a marketing job where they pay you $80,000 a year, your employer might move your duties over to social-media marketing and keep that salary."

Many ad agencies that offer social-media help to major corporations are hiring. Still, the majority of the jobs in social media are freelance rather than full-time. On the up side, hourly rates can be high – $200 an hour and more, says copywriting coach Chris Marlow.

"The lowest rate anybody should charge for social media marketing work is $50 an hour," she says. "Many are charging $100 an hour."

Here's a look at some of the most common jobs in social media and the skills required:

Chris Marlow calls this job "the top of the heap" in social media. These experienced marketing strategists understand how to create social-media marketing campaigns and measure their success. They may oversee a social-media team at bigger companies.

"They're the people who put together a plan," she says.

-- Social Media Strategist Jobs

At Spherion subsidiary Mergis Group, recruiting practice director Greg Bennett says he recently filled a $120,000-a-year community manager position with a major company. Community managers oversee company blogs and forums, keeping visitors coming to the site through outreach on social sites, and moderating conversation to make sure nothing libelous or insulting is being said.

The job calls for marketing experience as well as work in Web publishing, copywriting, project management and social media. Bennett says his recruiting research turned up several other, similar positions already earning in the same range.

"Everyone I see wants the same thing," he says. "Someone who is a marketing person but has been heavily involved in social media – they know how to run online symposiums, draw people into the company's community, and keep them in."

Posting short articles filled with links to related Web sites has become a popular technique for improving a site's rankings in search engines, such as Google. Marlow says $35 to $75 an hour is typical corporate blogger pay. Many bloggers have journalism training, but others who enter the field have their own personal blogs and use them to audition for corporate blogging jobs.

The virtual-world version of a marketing specialist, this job entails taking existing company marketing materials and circulating them effectively in various social-media channels, says Durbin.

-- Social Media Marketing Jobs

A lower-level position than a social-media strategist or marketer, search engine marketing (SEM) associates work on building a company's results in "natural search," the unpaid results delivered by Google and other search engines.

-- Search Engine Marketing Associate Jobs

A growing number of companies are watching social sites for customer complaints on social media sites – prominent examples on Twitter include Comcast Cares and Best Buy's Twelpforce. "There's a lot of work here, because it's so expensive to take calls," says Durbin of JobsInSocialMedia. Workers with call-center experience who write well are ideal candidates to cross over into this field.

Next: Five Part-Time Jobs that You Can Do Online >>

Business writer Carol Tice is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur, The Seattle Times and other major publications.

Summary: Blog and tweet your way to a new career  	   	By Carol Tice    	The world of marketing has changed with the rise of social-media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Now companies are


The number of uninsured Americans has continued to decrease in 2015, according to new federal data released Wednesday.

According to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, in the first three months of 2015, 29 million Americans were uninsured, which is down 7 million from 2014. For adults between the ages of 18 to 64, the uninsured rate dropped from 16.3% in 2014 to 13% from January to March 2015.

Among people under the age 65, the researchers found that the percentage of people with private insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace or state-based exchanges increased from 6.7 million in the last 3 months of 2014 to 9.7 million in the first 3 months of 2015.

Overall, from January through March, the percentage of people in the U.S. who were uninsured was 9.2%. During that time period, adults ages 25 to 34 were twice as likely as adults between ages 45 to 64 to not have health insurance coverage.

The researchers note that since 2013, the greatest declines in the number of uninsured Americans were among adults who were poor (family income below poverty threshold) or near-poor.

Summary: Rates of uninsured Americans has dropped in the first three months of 2015


Turn around and give yourselves a hearty pat on the back, Bostonians. You’ve made the top five — on a list of drivers with the worst road rage in the country.

In a study released by Expedia on Wednesday, respondents said New York has the least courteous drivers on the road. That’s followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Of the more than 1,000 men and women surveyed, 11 percent thought Boston drivers were not-so-nice. Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, and Houston rounded out the naughty drivers list.

The study, conducted by GfK, an independent global market research company, comes as millions of Americans prepare for Memorial Day and summer road trips. The survey asked American drivers to articulate opinions of fellow motorists, including which behaviors infuriate them the most.

It seems that most drivers are safety-minded, because texters were named as the most aggravating drivers on the road. Tailgaters were second, followed by last-minute lane-cutters. Swervers, speeders, crawlers, drifters, and honkers also ranked high, or is that low?

Eighty percent of respondents said they’ve witnessed cars weaving in and out of traffic. They’ve also seen “dangerous speeding” (77 percent), multi-taskers (76 percent), motorists getting cut off (73 percent), and aggressive tailgating (68 percent). If all that bad driving wasn’t enough, those taking the survey also reported seeing a fair amount of less-than-polite behavior. Nearly half said they’ve received a crude middle finger or another “rude/hostile hand gesture.” They’ve also been yelled at, and, perhaps more upsetting, 20 percent of drivers reported that they’ve felt physically threatened by another driver.

As a result, 45 percent of US drivers said they do not consider their peers to be careful drivers. And cyclists beware: 13 percent of motorists resent having to share the road with you.

Summary: As millions of Americans prepare Memorial Day and summer road trips, Bostonians land in the top five on a list of drivers with the worst road rage in the country.


From left: Deidre Handtmann, John Blankendall, Sandy Watkins, Buddine Bullinger and John Maixner

02/18/2014 AT 08:05 AM EST

The lives of five brothers and sisters born in North Dakota who were separately adopted at infancy took the twists and turns that 50 years bring. Some moved to different states; some married; some had children. But none of them ever knew the others existed. Then, the obituary of their biological mother presented a clue. And when they finally met, one brother realized he wasn't so unfamiliar with one of his siblings. John Maixner had been greeted a half a dozen times or so by his sister at their local Walmart in Dickinson, N.D., where she has worked for 23 years. Buddine Bullinger, 56, knew her biological's mother name but never attempted to contact her. Last January, a Wal-Mart co-worker – the only person she had ever told the name – told Bullinger the local paper had printed the mother's obituary. It mentioned a surviving daughter, Deidre Handtmann. Bullinger at first resisted contacting Handtmann. But weeks later, Bullinger asked the funeral home to help her reach her sister. "Feb. 19 was the first time I heard her voice," Handtmann told the Associated Press last week. "I will never forget that day." They arranged to meet at Handtmann's home in Bismarck, N.D. "It was unbelievable," Bullinger said. "We are in our 50s. I was so nervous to meet her, and when I opened that door, I didn't know what to say. You don't know what to do. It was so special." Handtmann had reconnected with her mother 19 years before her passing. She said her mother never mentioned having given other children up for adoption. The sisters signed release agreements at the adoption agency that handled their cases and asked to find out if they had other siblings. "Oh, my goodness, they kept calling. 'Oh, a boy. Oh, a girl. Oh, a boy,' " said Handtmann, 50. One brother lived in Tennessee. One sister lived in California. And the other brother was Maixner, who lived in Dickinson, where he shopped at Bullinger's Wal-Mart. Handtmann and Maixner met at a local restaurant in June. She showed him a picture of Bullinger, and the "aha moment" happened. "I about fell over because I'd seen her at the Wal-Mart," said Maixner, 57. "My mouth just dropped open. I just couldn't believe it." Bullinger, who now trains other employees and works in the back of the store, for years worked as a customer service manager and greeted shoppers. Maixner said she greeted him at least six times in the last nine years since he moved to the town of 18,000 people, located about 60 miles from the Montana border line. All five siblings reunited for the first time at Handtmann's home in October. John Blankendall, 53, drove from Tennessee and Sandy Watkins, 54, flew in from California. "It gives me goose bumps," Bullinger said. "So many emotions – you cried and you laughed. It's just wonderful. I haven't quit smiling," she said. They agreed to take a DNA test. The results showed they are full siblings, meaning they share the same biological father as well. Maixner's adoptive father passed away shortly before he got a call from the adoption agency. He spent Christmas with Bullinger, her husband and her adoptive parents. His unlimited-calls cellphone plan came in handy after meeting his siblings. "We talk every couple of days," he said.

Summary: Five brothers and sisters born in North Dakota and separately adopted at infancy meet after 50 years


Two months ago, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, centered in a mountainous region northwest of Kathmandu, devastated Nepal, shaking apart ancient temples, splitting roads, leveling homes and bridges, and setting off angry landslides and avalanches across the Himalayan nation.

The temblor, which struck shortly before noon local time on April 25, was felt in neighboring China and India, and even as far away as Pakistan. A series of panic-inducing aftershocks followed, and then, on May 12, the country was rattled by a magnitude 7.3 quake centered northeast of Kathmandu, near the country’s border with China.

In Nepal, the death toll from the two earthquakes stands at nearly 9,000, with over 22,000 people injured. (Deaths were also recorded in neighboring countries.) Hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged. The country’s health infrastructure suffered a body blow. According to a recent government report, nearly 450 public heath facilities, including five hospitals, were completely destroyed. In what was already one of the region’s poorest countries, the earthquakes—the result of an ancient geological fault deep below Nepal—are estimated to have pushed an additional three percent of the population into poverty. That, according to the World Bank, means “as many as a million more poor people.”

As Nepal slowly rebuilds, among the most pressing challenges is supporting agriculture in a country were two-thirds of the population depends on farming. Rice is a staple food in Nepal—and for many rice-farming communities, the earthquakes “struck at the worst possible time,” according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). June is when the annual monsoon rains arrive in Nepal. And the weeks leading up to them are critical for farmers who must ensure that their rice saplings are in the ground before the rains hit. But as many half of all farming households in the country’s worst affected districts are estimated to have lost nearly all their stores of rice and other crops in the earthquakes.

The rice farmers of Samantar Village in Nepal’s Dhading district, whose struggle to plant their rice crop ahead of the monsoon is chronicled in this TIME video by Nehemiah Stark and Nick Wilson, were among those who lost their supplies in the April 25 quake. “The rice seeds in people’s houses were ruined,” Bakhat Bahadur Rai, local agricultural leader, says.“The houses fell down and the seeds became a part of the rubble.”

What followed was a race against time to secure new seeds for planting before the rains for a healthy harvest. Samantar was lucky. With the help of an Israeli NGO called Tevel b’Tzedek, the rice farmers of Samantar managed to get new supplies in early June, before the rains. Elsewhere in Nepal’s hardest hit areas, the FAO has distributed 40,000 five kilogram bags of rice seeds to farmers for the current planting season.

But much still remains to be done across Nepal, where the government puts the total cost of recovery and reconstruction at some $6.6 billion over five years. It is an enormous challenge, and one that Nepal can’t meet on its own—the estimated cost equates to roughly a third of the size of the country’s economy. To help with the effort, the government is hosting an international donors conference with delegates from the around the world, including the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers.

As the visiting delegates consider the challenges ahead, over in Samantar, attention is focused on this year’s rice crop. “I have a feeling that I will survive,” Phoolmaya Rai, a local rice farmer says, “if there’s not another earthquake.”

Summary: See how farmers are struggling to recover from the April 25 quake


's soon-to-be ex-wife has been criminally charged with beating up a woman whom she thought was having an affair with the former "

It sounds like one of the worst marriages ever ... Columbus gets arrested, bails out, and his friend

goes to pick him up from his home the next day. Columbus' wife,

, sees Tilly inside the house and starts pounding on her.

Rather than breaking up the fight, Columbus videotaped it.

The L.A. City attorney was impressed with the clip, and charged Tanee with battery.

Tilly claims she suffered a concussion, a cervical sprain, multiple contusions, a lumbar strain, and a lumbar sprain.

Summary: Columbus Short's soon-to-be ex-wife has been criminally charged with beating up a woman whom she thought was having an affair with the former "Scandal"…


When Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April 1968, LIFE magazine remembered him for his “exalted dream of freedom,” one he “died in Memphis for daring to have.” The editors’ words, wondering aloud how the civil-rights movement would fare in the absence of its most outspoken leader, still resonate today as a new chapter in American race relations continues to unfold:

King was a thoroughly good man who achieved greatness by showing forth the Negro cause at its best. His was the old American cause of equal rights for all men, and King put it in the form in which this generation of Americans must face it. His death may hinder or help that cause; perhaps both. But all of us owe him the honor of not letting ourselves distort, becloud or belittle the cause he brought to such noble purity of expression.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the anniversary of King’s birth on Jan. 15, 1929, here are some of the most powerful images of King made by LIFE’s photographers.

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

Summary: From the Montgomery bus boycott to the March on Washington


was the target of a crazed man who jumped a barrier and made contact with the actor while he walked a red carpet..

Pitt was at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood

's new Disney flick "

" ... when a man suddenly jumped the fence and ran up to the actor while he was walking down the red carpet.

We're told the man actually made contact with Pitt's face before being nabbed by cops. It's unclear what the man's intentions were.

Law enforcement sources tell us the man was arrested by LAPD and booked for misdemeanor battery.

-- The whacked out fan turned out to be the moron Ukranian reporter,

, who also got slapped for

, was arrested after he

, and once got a face full of

Summary: Brad Pitt was the target of a crazed man who jumped a barrier and made contact with the actor while he walked a red carpet..Pitt was at the El Capitan…


11/30/2013 AT 04:00 PM EST

It was a motionless baby bear that caught Eduardo Garcia's attention during a hike in the Montana backcountry in 2011. Curious, Garcia nudged the animal with his knife and realized too late that the bear was covering a live power line that carried 2,400 volts.

"There is no way to describe the warm symphony of noise that fills your body when being electrocuted," he says. "The next thing I remember was looking down at my left hand and seeing a charred mess."

The classically trained chef – luckily a right-handed one – then spent 48 days recovering in a burn trauma unit, wondering what was next for his career.

"I was scared, but I was set on learning how to survive," says Garcia, 32, who traveled the world as a personal chef on private yachts before opening

, a Mexican food company in Bozeman, Mont. "The optimistic part of me was saying, 'You can do it.' "

Summary: After a near fatal accident, this Montana chef returns to cooking with a myoelectric hand


Suffice it to say my heart is truly breaking today. Heaven's choir has a new beautiful voice. I love you and will miss you, Rickey.

Rickey was the sunlight of our season and remained a happy and beautiful person and friend beyond. #rickeysmith pic.twitter.com/swHcHOP4LW

Rickey left behind two beautiful kids and woman he loved dearly.... If you're so inclined ... Lend a hand. https://t.co/oMXbQurkuv

Terribly #sad today. The @AmericanIdol family has suffered a great loss. #RIPRickeySmith

My friend, brother #RickeySmith passed away today. His family is asking for support https://t.co/OCUiddeeJJ Please give generously #RIP

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Summary: The season 2 contestant died early Friday morning in Oklahoma


At least four automakers continue to sell new vehicles equipped with faulty air bag inflators from Takata Corp., which has become embroiled in the largest automotive recall in history, according to a Senate report.

The carmakers – Toyota, Vokswagen, Fiat Chrysler and Mitsubishi – are selling some vehicles from the 2016 and 2017 model years that include inflators that have already been linked to at least 11 deaths around the world, according to the report released Wednesday.

“Consumers are buying new cars and not realizing they’re going to be recalled,” the report’s author, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida), said in a statement. “These cars shouldn’t be sold until they’re fixed.”

The roll-out of new cars with faulty air bags will prolong what is already a complex recall involving as many as 69 million inflators in the U.S. That automakers are continuing to produce vehicles equipped with the problematic inflators, experts said, reflects an industry that has been driven to make a difficult choice: stop making cars altogether until overtaxed air bag makers can produce safer inflators, or install faulty air bags fully knowing they will be recalled at a later date.

So far, all automakers have chosen the latter.

The problem stems from a dearth of supply in the air bag industry, which has faced years of consolidation as carmakers grew around the world.

The industry will have to hustle for years before it can manufacture enough parts to fulfill the millions of existing recalls.

Takata has even reached out to rival companies, including Autoliv and TRW, to help make replacement inflators.

“You have got only three or four global suppliers of air bags, and they have only got so much capacity,” said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “This shows the downside of having global supply chains where you have a standardized part which so many cars use.”

Takata came up with an air bag design that could be used in many different car models, said Scott Upham, chief executive of auto industry research firm Valient Market Research. That design uses ammonium nitrate, a chemical that inflates air bags upon impact.

But the chemical can degrade over time, especially when exposed to high humidity and fluctuating temperatures; in a crash, it can explode with too much force, rupturing the air bag and shooting shrapnel into drivers and passengers.

Upham believes Takata had a financial incentive to use ammonium nitrate – a compound that no other air bag makers use in their inflators. Ammonium nitrate is cheaper than comparable compounds, translating into Takata pricing its air bags at around $5 less than competitors, he said.

That’s big savings for carmakers when multiplied over tens of millions of vehicles.

Takata’s success – before the recall, the Japanese company controlled 22% of the global market for inflators – also means that any recalls are correspondingly huge, Upham said.

And it’s not just limited to brands offering low-priced cars – Mercedes-Benz and BMW have recalled vehicles as well.

“Carmakers have kind of shot themselves in the foot,” Upham said. “They wanted economies of scale and lower prices. That's what they ended up getting.”

Brauer of Kelley Blue Book compared the problem to “a bad virus.”

One bad part “infects tens of millions of cars,” he said.

Experts said that automakers are betting they can sell new vehicles with the faulty inflators, as long as they issue recalls before they become dangerous.

These new cars can be sold legally. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said that inflators can function for at least six years before becoming potentially unsafe. Buyers probably won’t need to bring them in for years, as older models require more urgent replacement.

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Still, this sort of tricky calculus has longtime auto observers shaking their heads. The longevity of the inflators is dependent on humidity and temperature, they point out, but automakers obviously have no control over where cars go once they leave the lot.

“It’s truly bizarre,” said Brauer, who compared the faulty inflators to perishables like milk. “They have a date at which they go bad, but you don’t know when that is.”

Mitsubishi and Volkswagen disclosed the new models equipped with faulty Takata inflators, the report said. They include the 2016 and 2017 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, 2016 Volkswagen CC, 2016 Audi TT and 2017 Audi R8. Fiat Chrysler and Toyota did not provide the models of the new cars produced with the problematic inflators (although Toyota estimated it will produce about 175,000 vehicles that fall into this category).

NHTSA said in March that the multiple phases of recalls is slated to end by December 2019. But experts said that doesn’t take into account another huge potential problem: replacement inflators may have to be recalled.

The replacement inflators currently being produced still contain ammonium nitrate, but include desiccants that absorb moisture. That cures the humidity problem, but does not solve the risk of the chemical breaking down when faced with fluctuating temperatures.

Those kinds of wild swings on the thermometer can “wreak havoc” on the chemicals, turning them from solids into powder, Upham said.

“That’s what’s creating these huge pressure spikes,” he said, “which is basically flames shooting out of your air bag.”

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3:34 p.m.: This article was entirely rewritten with staff reporting.


Pokémon Go is officially a hit. A very, very, very big hit.

By July 8, just two days after its launch in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, Pokemon Go was installed on more than 5% of all the Android devices in the U.S., surpassing popular mobile-dating app Tinder, which was running on a little over 2% of all Android devices, Similarweb, an Internet-analysis company reported on Sunday. What’s more, the game’s daily active user count is about to match (and probably exceed) that of Twitter’s TWTR , the company reported.

Pokémon Go launched for iOS and Android on July 6. The app, which was actually developed by mobile app developer Niantic but distributed by Nintendo’s Pokémon arm, uses augmented reality, or a view of the real world overlaid with graphical components, to create what has become the latest gaming craze. Gamers can interact with others around them, as well as battle, train, and trade virtual Pokémon appearing as though they’re living in the real world. The app is free to download, but comes with with support for in-app purchases.

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Similarweb’s data shows that in addition to being more popular than some of the top apps available now, consumers are increasingly turning their attention to the game. In fact, its tracking data shows that 60% of those who downloaded the app in the U.S. are using it on a daily basis. What’s more, the average person is playing it for more than 43 minutes a day, topping popular social and messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat, the company cites.

Pokémon Go‘s success has also translated to help for Nintendo shareholders. After a successful weekend, Nintendo’s stock saw a significant jump on Monday, closing its day on the Tokyo Stock Exchange up 24.5%. The gains helped the company’s market cap to soar to about $28 billion, up nearly $11 billion since Pokémon Go launched last week, Quartz earlier reported.

Pokémon Go‘s popularity is one of the few bright spots for Nintendo NTDOY . The company’s Wii U console has proven to be a failure, software sales have been disappointing, and on mobile, the company’s earlier forays have left much to be desired.

For more about Nintendo, watch:

But now armed with a success in Pokémon Go, Nintendo could be hitting its stride. The company has its first mobile hit on its hands and plans to launch its mysterious new hardware, codenamed NX, in March. Add that to a new installment in The Legend of Zelda franchise to launch around the same time, and the next year might be a bright one for Nintendo.

If nothing else, Pikachu should be pleased by his reception.

Summary: And Twitter is next.


Michael Gove launched a surprise bid for the leadership of the Conservative party on Thursday. He said Boris Johnson, with whom he had worked closely on the Vote Leave campaign, does not have what it takes to lead the country.

The British people voted for change last Thursday. They sent us a clear instruction that they want Britain to leave the European Union and end the supremacy of EU law. They told us to restore democratic control of immigration policy and to spend their money on national priorities such as health, education and science instead of giving it to Brussels. They rejected politics as usual and government as usual. They want and need a new approach to running this country.

There are huge challenges ahead for this country but also huge opportunities. We can make this country stronger and fairer. We have a unique chance to heal divisions, give everyone a stake in the future and set an example as the most creative, innovative and progressive country in the world.

If we are to make the most of the opportunities ahead we need a bold break with the past.

I have repeatedly said that I do not want to be prime minister. That has always been my view. But events since last Thursday have weighed heavily with me.

I respect and admire all the candidates running for the leadership. In particular, I wanted to help build a team behind Boris Johnson so that a politician who argued for leaving the European Union could lead us to a better future.

But I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.

I have, therefore, decided to put my name forward for the leadership. I want there to be an open and positive debate about the path the country will now take. Whatever the verdict of that debate I will respect it. In the next few days I will lay out my plan for the United Kingdom, which I hope can provide unity and change.

Summary: The justice secretary has launched an unexpected bid to lead the Conservative party saying he did not believe Boris Johnson was up to the task ahead


(Originally published by the Daily News on Feb. 15, 1985. This story was written by Kathleen Carroll.)

It’s 7:06 A.M. on a Saturday and the parents of five Shermer High School students are not at all comforted by knowing where their children are. For, as punishment for their various misdeeds, they have been ordered to spend eight hours in total confinement in the school library.

The temporary prisoners in John Hughes’ occasionally static, but ultimately endearing comedy, “The Breakfast Club,” know each other only by reputation. Andy (Emilio Estevez) is the cleancut class jock, the reluctant star of the school’s wrestling team. Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) is the class whiz kid, which automatically makes him a social outcast, Claire (Molly Ringwald) is the prim campus queen. Allison (Ally Sheedy) is the class neurotic who, thanks to, parental rejection, is so withdrawn she barely speaks. John (Judd Nelson) is the class rebel, a brooding punk.

At first, the five teenagers trade barbs. But, by the end of what turns into a group therapy session, they succeed in breaking down each other’s defenses, learning that age-old lesson-you can’t tell a book by its cover.

As he proved in the far funnier and livelier “Sixteen Candles,” Hughes has a wonderful knack for communicating the feelings of teenagers, as well as an obvious rapport with his exceptional cast — who deserve top grades. Ringwald is suitably pert as the stuckup school princess whose idea of the perfect school lunch is an elegant tray of sushi. Hall is appealingly vulnerable as the shy kid with the most smarts. Estevez is particularly touching in the scene in which he admits his shame at having mistreated a fellow athlete just to show his father he’s one of the boys. Nelson bristles with resentment as the hostile loser. But it’s Sheedy who steals the show with an adorably funny performance as the shaggy-haired reclusive who carries her mostly stolen possessions in a huge bag (leading Brian to wonder if she plans to become “a bag lady”) and devour her own special Dagwood sandwich of white bread, sugar and fritos.

It’s Sheedy, too, who delivers the movie’s most telling line. When asked if she and her newly discovered friends are destined to become just like her parents, she replies, “It’s unavoidable. When you grow up, your heart dies.”

Summary: The New York Daily News gave “The Breakfast Club” three stars.


If only we could blame the current state of partisan politics on critters from outer space that attack their hosts’ brains after crawling into their ears (shades of ”Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”), obliterating the centers that control moderation and compromise. That’s the premise behind this parody from the creators of ”The Good Wife,” which has the bad luck to appear amid a political season in which crazy reality trumps fiction at every turn. For a parody to succeed, it needs to be insightful and funny. While the show shoots for Sorkinesque commentary and the hilarity of “Veep,” it doesn’t come anywhere close to either. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Danny Pino, Aaron Tveit, Tony Shalhoub and other familiar small-screen faces don’t have much to work with, given writing that’s as weak as the excuses offered during high-profile sexting scandals. True to it’s name, “BrainDead” is on life support from the get-go. Someone should pull the plug.

Mr. Kelly is the Journal’s assistant Arts in Review editor. Follow him on Twitter @bpkelly89.

Summary: Bugs from outer space turn out to be the reason behind Washington gridlock in CBS’s new show.


Around 8:30 p.m. Friday, officers on patrol called out to a suspicious man just north of Munich’s popular Olympic Shopping Center. In response, police said, the man pulled out a 9mm Glock handgun, held it to his head and pulled the trigger.

It was the end of a German nightmare, a big-city shooting spree that touched off fears of the sort of wide-ranging terror attack this country had long been spared. But the fear wasn’t over: past...

Summary: The Munich shooting started with a hacked Facebook post offering free food at McDonald’s and ended hours after the deaths of nine victims and the gunman as the attack set off fears of terrorism.


Digital-advertising firm Spot Runner Inc. must pay a consultant more than $2.2 million for not allowing him to exercise stock options, an arbitration panel has decided.

The American Arbitration Association panel earlier this month awarded the damages, plus interest and arbitration fees, to Adam Shaw, who worked as a consultant to Spot Runner and claims he helped conceive the company. Last week, Mr. Shaw filed documents with state superior court for the Central District of California to collect the award. Spot Runner...

Summary: Digital-advertising firm Spot Runner must pay a consultant more than $2.2 million for not allowing him to exercise stock options, an arbitration panel ruled.


A record warm winter drove sea ice in the Arctic to a record winter low, according to a new government report.

The sea ice over the Arctic expands and shrinks with the seasons, but it typically covers the most territory in late March, at the end of the Arctic winter—a point called the maximum winter extent. Preliminary satellite data from NASA shows that this year’s maximum winter extent—reached on March 24—was the smallest ever, with Arctic sea ice covering 5.607 million square miles (14.52 million square km). That’s more than 430,000 square miles (1.1 million square kilometers)—nearly three times the size of Montana—below the average level between 1981 and 2010.

This winter was the hottest on record in many places across the globe, with average temperatures 2.03°F (1.13°C) above the 20th century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Temperatures in the Arctic were as much as 16°C (29°F) above average, driving the ice melt. “It’s a lot easier to warm something that’s cold than something that’s already warm,” says Sean Sublette, a meteorologist at Climate Central.

Climate scientists attribute the season’s record temperatures to a combination of a particularly strong occurrence of the El Niño climate phenomenon—which raises ocean temperatures in the Pacific and changes air circulation to drive higher global temperatures—and the ongoing, mostly man-made climate change that has been heating the globe for decades.

Sea ice melt also causes its own set of problems as it modifies short-term global climate patterns. In the long-run, it also contributes to the very climate change that causes it as the water exposed by ice melt tends to absorb more sunlight than ice.

Summary: A record warm winter had a lot to do with it


08/02/2016 AT 06:55 PM EDT

were finally able to go public with

Monday night, but this season's villain

says he doesn't see their relationship lasting much longer.

"I think maybe they can morph it into something that turns into something, it's possible, but I don't think where they were at is anything real," Johnson, 28, tells PEOPLE.

"Maybe Jordan and JoJo can figure out a way over the course of time to make whatever relationship they're in turn into something, but I don't think at this point, where they're at now, it's actually something," he continues.

Johnson believes Fletcher's choice was motivated by fame and fortune rather than a genuine connection.

"Looking at this from a business perspective, obviously Jordan Rodgers, having

, he has the most marketability when it comes to product and sports endorsements and all that," he says. "If I were looking to make money in this and I was her, I would have made the same decision."

Johnson also feels that Rodgers was simply "playing a role" on the show.

"He played his role very well," he says. "He did a good job. It looked really good on camera. When I watched that finale I was like, 'It looks good! Good job guys.' When you're there and when you see it in person, that's when you're like, 'C'mon man.' "

Johnson will appear on this season of

, which premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Summary: "If I were looking to make money in this and I was her, I would have made the same decision," Chad Johnson tells PEOPLE


“It has been a slow to no-growth industry for a long time,” said Michael Doughty, president of John Hancock Insurance, based in Boston. “It is crying out for innovation and for someone to try to reinvent the product to make it more relevant.”

The new program also upends the traditional approach to life insurance underwriting, which typically bases its pricing on a detailed but static snapshot of a person’s medical status. Now, John Hancock’s term and universal policies will be priced continuously, at least for consumers who choose the Vitality program.

John Hancock and Vitality, which is owned by Discovery, said the information would not be sold and would be shared only with entities that help with the program’s administration, though the aggregate data could be used to inform the development of new insurance products.

Nonetheless, some specialists expressed privacy concerns.

“All of a sudden, everything you do and everything you eat, depending on which bits of the information they collect, is sitting in someone’s database,” said Anna Slomovic, lead research scientist at the Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute at George Washington University and a former chief privacy officer at Equifax and Revolution Health.

Of course, buying any life insurance policy requires customers to share detailed medical histories upfront. But consumers participating in the Vitality program must be comfortable providing enough information continuously to meet certain thresholds that will convert into worthwhile savings. That might include the frequency of workouts, reporting a physical exam or answering sensitive personal questions: During the last 30 days, how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down? Hopeless? Depressed?

“You do not have to send us any data you are not comfortable with,” Mr. Doughty said. “The trade-off is you won’t get points for that.”

Participants need to amass 3,500 points to achieve silver status, 7,000 to reach gold and 10,000 for platinum. Nonsmokers automatically earn 1,000 points, and people with in-range cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure will receive 1,000 points for each. A “verified” standard workout three times a week, or an advanced workout twice a week, provides another 3,120 points over the course of a year. Flu shots, 400 points. The clock is reset each year, though 10 percent of points may carry over.

All customers participating in the program will start by paying a premium priced at the gold level. That is a discount of about 9 percent for a 45-year-old man who bought a $500,000 term insurance policy that covered a 20-year period: He would pay $750 annually, compared with the $825 it would cost outside of the Vitality program.

So what if he does everything right, but breaks his leg? Or worse, gets a serious disease like cancer? While those conditions would not directly affect his rate, if he could not maintain gold status for any reason, he could see premium increases of 1.1 to 1.6 percent each year. But if he reached platinum status, his premiums would fall by about 0.30 percent each year.

The program may attract healthier people who have already engaged in these activities on their own. The strategy also tries to tap into the way humans are naturally wired: There is generally no immediate tangible benefit to life insurance, but this program is structured to try to change that.

“People respond far more to immediate gratification than delayed gratification,” said Dr. Kevin Volpp, director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the Leonard Davis Institute. (He has performed research sponsored by Vitality.)

The number of points assigned to a particular activity is determined by how it will influence a person’s longevity, based on Vitality’s internal findings — and its level of difficulty. “Stopping smoking is more valuable than one session of activity,” explained Alan Pollard, chief executive of Vitality. “If something is a complex behavioral change, it will attract more points.”

Vitality’s research has found that Americans are generally five years older than their actual age, after taking into account various health and wellness factors. All participating policyholders will be given a “Vitality age,” which will help the program set personal guideposts.

“The people who have the time to devote to jumping through all the hoops are likely to be better off than average, and those healthy enough to do wellness activities may be unrepresentative of the chronically ill,” said Frank Pasquale, a professor at University of Maryland Carey School of Law. “I believe that is one reason why there is empirical research severely questioning the value of wellness programs.”

John Hancock, which operates in all 50 states, said the universal life program had been approved by insurance regulators in 30 states, while the term program is available in 20 states; more states are expected to be announced throughout the year. It said no regulators had declined to approve it yet.

“It changes the paradigm of life insurance,” Dr. Volpp said. “In some sense, it tries to change your insurance into less of a passive vehicle that pays the bills if something happens, into a more active vehicle to get people to lower their risk.”

A version of this article appears in print on April 8, 2015, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Giving Out Private Data for Discount in Insurance. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: John Hancock will become the first life insurance company to offer a program for Americans that tracks medical information and offers lower premiums for healthful behavior.


A blogger who writes about living with autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia after spending 20 years on incapacity benefit has persuaded the Labour party to appoint a shadow minister for neurodiversity.

Monique Craine wrote an open letter to Jeremy Corbyn urging him to help end the discrimination suffered by an estimated one in five of the population who have some form of neurological condition.

She never expected the suggestion to be taken seriously. But nine months later the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has pledged to take up the cause as part of Labour’s ambition to champion grassroots reforms.

He announced that Craine’s proposal of a neurodiversity shadow minister would be implemented to ensure the issue was given the same prominence as tackling racial and sexual discrimination.

Speaking at a private book launch earlier this month, McDonnell said: “I had an email from a woman called Monique who said these are the issues that I face and this is what we need from you and Jeremy Corbyn when you go back into government.

“The idea she brought forward was that we should have a minister for neurological diversity. I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

I am supporting call for Labour to develop an Autism Manifesto and appoint a Shadow Minister for Neurodiversity & will consult on details.

McDonnell added: “We want to represent the whole of society fairly. At the moment we are focusing on LGBT, we’re focusing on women, we’re focusing on race, etc. But what about neurological diversity as well? And I think that’s come on to the agenda.”

Craine, a mother of three from near Swansea who now relies on tax credits to supplement her income as a life coach, said she was “elated” and “blown away” by McDonnell’s response.

She is scheduled to meet McDonnellon Tuesday to discuss the idea, when she will insist that the role should be filled by an MP who has been diagnosed with some form of neurological difference.

“It is crucial for me is that it should be someone who is neurodiverse themselves,” she told the Guardian.

She suggested Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck, who has been open about living with dyspraxia, a coordination disorder. But she added that other MPs may come forward who have not yet disclosed their condition.

“I think there are people in the party who have these differences but I don’t think they have come out,” she said. “I would welcome anyone to do the role who understands the complexity of neurodiversity.

“It is the last thing that society is still prejudiced against. You see people like [David] Cameron stand up and joke at Ed Balls about how it’s like sitting besides someone with Tourette’s, and instantly you know that man has no concept of what it’s like to have a neurological difference.”

Craine was written off at school as “retarded” and left with virtually no qualifications. But after being diagnosed as dyslexic at 27 she went on to get a degree in communications from the University of Glamorgan. She was later diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder and dyspraxia. “I prefer to call myself neurodiverse because I’ve got so many diagnoses it’s such as mouthful and they sound so negative,” she said.

Craine spent 20 years on incapacity benefit but now specialises in helping people cope with neurodivergent differences. “We just work differently and when those differences are accounted for we achieve a lot more,” she said. She draws inspiration from the contribution of historical figures now thought to be neurodiverse, including Albert Einstein, Henry Ford and Alan Turing.

McDonnell, a member of the all-parliamentary group on autism, said it was scandalous that only 15% of people diagnosed with autism were in work.

He also pledged that Labour would draw up an “autism manifesto” and sees this as a potential blueprint for a new approach to reform.

Launching a book about autism in the workplace, he said: “I welcome the Attlee government’s welfare state, but it was based on the old Fabian thing where you have policy experts who drive the policies … and then implement it from above.

“Our policies in the future have got to come from empowering people … it has to come from that grassroots engagement with the people who really feel and experience the policies at the end of the day.

“Take this for an example – an autism manifesto that is developed by the people on the spectrum themselves. In that way we mobilise people on the spectrum and their families and others to say not only this is what we want but this is what we demand.”

Summary: Monique Craine, a blogger with autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, suggested the post and was surprised to be taken seriously


BRUSSELS—The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders has decided to refuse all future European Union funding as it protests the bloc’s recent migrant deal with Turkey.

The decision follows a May 13 open letter from the group that called the agreement, under which people arriving on Greek islands are to be returned to Turkey, an “historic abdication of [the EU’s] moral and legal responsibilities.” It also described the...

Summary: The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders has decided to refuse all future European Union funding as it protests the recent EU-Turkey migrant agreement.


Queensland's Labor government has denied it's about to resurrect bootcamps for juvenile offenders.

Labor scrapped the former LNP government's bootcamps after winning the last election, saying millions had been wasted on a strategy that failed to break the cycle of repeat offending.

Media reports have said the government is revisiting the bootcamp model, with ministers to tour a site west of Townsville later this week.

But a spokesman for the attorney-general said that was wrong.

He said government representatives were due to tour the Townsville site to learn about an adventure-based learning program for troubled young people.

"The Palaszczuk government has no plans to revisit the misguided notion of bootcamps," the spokesman said.

Summary: Queensland's Labor government denies it's planning to re-establish bootcamps for juvenile offenders like the ones it scrapped after branding them a failure.


Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign is bringing out the big fundraising guns as the race for the White House enters its final three months. With time of the essence, the Clinton camp has tapped music legend and gay icon Barbra Streisand to headline an LGBT-focused New York campaign fundraiser on Sept. 9 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, according to a report.

Barbra Streisand Disses Trump, Promises Hillary-Led 'Happy Days' at Powerhouse L.A. Tour Opener

According to Buzzfeed, the invite for the "LGBT for Hillary" event features a rainbow H logo and lists dinner ticket prices starting at $1,200 and ranging up to $250,000 per, with those who pony up six figures earning a meet-and-greet with the candidate. Billboard reached out to reps for Streisand and Clinton and had not heard back at time of publishing.

Streisand has been firmly in Clinton's corner all year, defending the former Sec. of State against detractors who've criticized her high-dollar speeches in front of Wall Street bankers and hedge fund managers, and lashing out at Rep. candidate Donald Trump for his controversial statements. The New York show -- whose capacity has not been announced -- will benefit the Hillary Victory Fund, with money raised going to Hillary for America, the Democratic National Committee and state parties.

See photos of Barbra Streisand through the years:

EAST HAMPTON, NY - JULY 06: Barbra Streisand and James Brolin attend the 'And So It Goes' premiere at Guild Hall on July 6, 2014 in East Hampton, New York. (Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 11: Barbra Streisand attends the Glamour Magazine 23rd annual Women Of The Year gala on November 11, 2013 in New York, United States. (Photo by Paul Zimmerman/WireImage)

Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford appear in a scene from the film "The Way We Were" in this undated handout photo. (AP Photo)

Singer Barbra Streisand performs during her concert in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

Omar Sharif, Barbra Streisand, on-set of the Film, "Funny Girl", 1968

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 0124 -- Pictured: Barbra Streisand performs on September 15, 2014 -- (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 11: Barbra Streisand attends the Glamour Magazine 23rd annual Women Of The Year gala on November 11, 2013 in New York, United States. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 11: James Brolin and Barbra Streisand attend the Glamour Magazine 23rd annual Women Of The Year gala on November 11, 2013 in New York, United States. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 11: Singer Barbra Streisand attends Glamour's 23rd annual Women of the Year awards on November 11, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Glamour)

Barbra Streisand performs on stage at the O2 arena in London on Saturday, June 1, 2013. (Photo by Mark Allan/Invision/AP)

Entertainment star Barbra Streisand speaks during a ceremony at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem after she received an honorary doctorate in Jerusalem, Monday, June 17, 2013. Streisand waded into one of Israelâs touchiest issues Monday on the first major stop of her tour of the country Jewish religious practices that separate men and women. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

Entertainment star Barbra Streisand waves during a ceremony at the Hebrew University after she received an honorary doctorate in Jerusalem, Monday, June 17, 2013. Streisand waded into one of Israelâs touchiest issues Monday on the first major stop of her tour of the country Jewish religious practices that separate men and women. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

Walter Pidgeon, Barbra Streisand, on-set of the Film, "Funny Girl", 1968

YENTL (1983) MANDY PATINKIN, BARBRA STREISAND YTL 037FOH

Singer and actress Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand, on-set of the Film, "Funny Girl", 1968

BARBRA STREISAND - US actress and singer about 2001

Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits album

Barbra Streisand, Actress and Singer, Portrait, 1979

JOHN WAYNE is congratulated by Barbra Streisand after receiving his Oscar for TRUE GRIT in 1969

barbara streisand and louis amstrong,Hello,dolly

Barbara Streisand, Portrait, On-Set of the Film, "A Star is Born", 1976

BARBRA STREISAND US singer and film actress in December 2012. Photo Jeffrey Mayer

Barbara Streisand, On-Set of the Film, "Funny Girl", 1968

THE GUILT TRIP 2012 Paramount Pictures film with Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen

YENTL (1983) BARBRA STREISAND, MANDY PATINKIN YTL 031FOH

YENTL (1983) BARBRA STREISAND, MANDY PATINKIN YTL 029FOH

WHAT'S UP DOC (1972) BARBRA STREISAND WUD 016FOH

WHAT'S UP DOC (1972) BARBRA STREISAND WUD 003

THE MAIN EVENT - 1979 Warner film with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal

WHAT'S UP DOC (1972) BARBRA STREISAND WUD 001

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BARBRA STREISAND WWW 027

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BARBRA STREISAND WWW 026

THE WAY WE WERE BARBRA STREISAND

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BARBRA STREISAND WWW 021

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BARBRA STREISAND, ROBERT REDFORD WWW 005

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BARBRA STREISAND WWW 005 FOH

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BARBRA STREISAND WWW 004 FOH

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BARBRA STREISAND, ROBERT REDFORD WWW 003 P

Barbra Streisand & Hugh Jackman Talk 'Any Moment Now' Duet: Watch

The singer is in the midst of a nine-date tour in support of her upcoming album of duets, ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, which features the screen and song legend pairing up with a roster of actors including: Alec Baldwin ("The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened"), Antonio Banderas ("Take Me To The World"), Jamie Foxx ("Climb Ev'ry Mountain"), Seth MacFarlane ("Pure Imagination"), Melissa McCarthy ("Anything You Can Do"), Chris Pine ("I'll Be Seeing You"/ "I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face"), Anne Hathaway and Daisy Ridley ("At the Ballet"), Patrick Wilson ("Loving You"), Hugh Jackman ("Any Moment Now") and the late Anthony Newley ("Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)?").

Her tour is slated to wrap up in Toronto on Aug. 23, giving her plenty of time to rest up for the Clinton fundraiser.

More celebrities that support Hillary Clinton:

Celebs Vote: Stars who support Hillary Clinton

(Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)

(Photo by: Jeff Schear/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West

I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country! #HillaryForPresident http://t.co/zGpdcGSZBD

Being in Vegas for #PieceOfMe is amazing for so many reasons... Especially today... because I had the incredible opportunity to meet @HillaryClinton!! Such an inspiration and beautiful voice for women around the world!!! This woman had an intense presence and I felt very honored to meet her!!!

(Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker

(Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

DES MOINES, IA - OCTOBER 24: Singer Katy Perry attends the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner as a guest of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on October 24, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. The dinner is a major fundraiser for Iowa's Democratic Party. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

(Photo credit should read YURI GRIPAS/AFP/Getty Images)

(Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

(Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael Stewart/GC Images)

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(Photo by Michael Stewart/GC Images)

(Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images for EMILY's List)

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(Photo by Taylor Hill/GC Images)

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

(Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Turner)

(Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

(Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for the Maui Film Festival at Wailea)

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

(Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for the Maui Film Festival at Wailea)

Shirt by @themarcjacobs. History by @hillaryclinton. #MadeForHistory #ImWithHer @voguemagazine

Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend

(Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

(Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

(Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images) SNOOP DOGG

Summary: Barbra Streisand will headline a New York campaign fundraiser on Sept. 9 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York for the presidential candidate.


A teenager has admitted killing a man in an attack outside a Kent nightclub.

Charlie McBride, 19, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to the manslaughter of Richard Collier, 25.

Mr Collier, from Ramsgate, died of a head injury after McBride assaulted him in an unprovoked attack outside the Kabuki Bar, in Margate, on 25 June.

McBride, of Brighton Road, Sutton, south London, was remanded in custody until Friday, when he will be sentenced at the same court.

Summary: A teenager admits killing a man in an attack outside a nightclub in Kent.


Mason Lee was found dead on June 11 from a perforated intestine.

Mason Lee's mother will fight the charge of manslaughter over the death of her 21-month-old son.

Anne Maree Lee, 30, had her case briefly mentioned in the Caboolture Magistrates Court this morning.

"She will be fighting the charge of manslaughter," Lee's lawyer, Brendan Ryan, said outside court.

"The charge of manslaughter is the incorrect charge."

Ms Lee, her partner William O’Sullivan and roommate Ryan Hodson, 17, are all charged with manslaughter for allegedly failing to provide the child with medical treatment.

Mason died on June 11 at O’Sullivan’s Queensland home from a perforated intestine caused by a severe impact to his upper abdomen in the days leading up to his death, according to a court medical report.

Doctors told police the toddler could have been saved with medical treatment.

Child protection officers were allegedly only a kilometre away from Mason as he lay dying at O’Sullivan's property, a court heard.

Protection officers visited the home of Ms Lee, three days before the toddler finally died of his injuries, but did not inspect the home of her partner a few blocks away, News Corp reports.

Ms Lee allegedly told child protection officers her son was staying with her partner at his Caboolture South home only four minutes away and believed they would visit the toddler there.

During a hearing at the Brisbane Supreme Court last week - opposing bail for Hodson - his partner Sheila Low claims safety officers were at Lee's home just days before Mason died.

"She [Lee] told me that Child Safety was assisting her and did a welfare check at her house three days prior," Ms Low told police in a statement.

"I asked about Mason and she said that they hadn’t seen him as he was with Will. She was told that Child Safety were going to try to see Mason at Will’s."

Ms Low reportedly told investigators she had expressed concern about O’Sullivan allegedly showering with Mason for more than an hour at a time.

Hodson allegedly replied, "What the f--- do you want me to do I’m not going to accuse my mate."

Surveillance equipment in O’Sullivan's home recorded a conversation between Hodson and Low where he encouraged his housemate to abuse Mason.

"F--k him. The stupid dog c--t. I told him ‘you want to act like a dog, get on the floor like a dog’," Hodson allegedly said in the recording.

On the evening of June 10, O’Sullivan left Mason unsupervised and was seen on CCTV outside his front door crying saying "I can’t f---king do this".

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016

Summary: Child protection officers were only a kilometre away from Mason Jet Lee as he lay dying at his stepfather’s property, a court has heard.


Most service members know that the military offers a generous pension—50% of your recent base pay. The trouble is, only about 15% of active-duty personnel will spend the 20 years in the force required to receive any benefit. (If you join the Reserves you can continue accruing time toward a military pension.) Even if you do qualify, 50% of your pay might not set you up for life. “People think, “I’m in the military. I have this great retirement.” The reality is that they need to be saving,” says J.J. Montanaro, a financial planner with USAA, which specializes in advice for members of the armed services.

Here’s how to get started toward your retirement goals.

1) Pump up your savings

Fewer than half of today’s service members participate in the military’s Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which is similar to a company 401(k). You can contribute up to $18,000 pretax a year for 2015, though people 50 and older can put away $24,000, and those serving in a combat zone can save up to $53,000. While some service members complain that they can select only from a handful of broad index funds and a life-cycle fund, the expense ratios on all of those are among the lowest in the country. “In this case, simple is good,” says Norfolk financial planner (and retired Marine) Rob Aeschbach. Congress also just passed a revised military retirement plan, which would make enrollment in the TSP mandatory and provide an initial 1% government match. (President Obama has not said whether he will sign the bill into law.)

2) Open a Roth IRA

Putting money in a Roth is a good move for just about anyone. You invest post-tax money but then your investments grow tax-free and your contributions can be withdrawn with no penalty at any time if you find yourself strapped for cash. But a Roth is particularly smart for service members. The money you earn while in a combat zone is officially tax-exempt, so saving in a Roth (up to the 2015 federal limit of $5,500 a year) is effectively investing 100% tax-free. The wider array of investment vehicles available with a Roth is also a good way to diversify your overall portfolio.

3) Select a survivor benefit annuity

If you’re retiring after 20 years of service or more and are eligible for a pension, you’ll be automatically enrolled in this annuity plan, which allows your spouse or kids to receive your pension benefits after you die. Most veterans pay up to 6.5% of their monthly pension to participate, and their families then receive 55% of the veteran’s monthly pension upon his or her death. You can also decide on a lower payout at a lower cost, or opt out altogether. “Depending on your health, you may be able to buy a large life-insurance policy for a lower monthly premium than the SBP [Survivor Benefit Plan],” says Ryan Guina, who writes a military benefits blog, the Military Wallet.

4) Look into a buyback

If you’ve taken a federal job that qualifies you for a civil pension, you may be able to boost that pension by adding your active-duty service to your civilian time. The catch? You’ll need to “buy back” your military time—in essence, convert it to the federal system—at the cost of 3% of your annual active-duty pay (payable either as a lump sum or payroll deductions). You can calculate how much a buyback would cost you on the Defense Finance and Accounting Service website. Says blogger Guina: “Before you sign up, make sure you’re ready for the long-term commitment.”

Read more of The Veteran’s Guide to Financial Success:

Summary: Only 15% of military personnel serve long enough to earn a pension.


09/02/2016 AT 12:00 PM EDT

Since audiences last saw her on season 8 of

have been "full-steam ahead on trying to start a family" of their own.

The Gretchen Christine designer exclusively tells PEOPLE that the road to pregnancy has not been easy for her and Smiley,42, who underwent a vasectomy reversal in December for Rossi's 37th birthday.

"We have been full-steam ahead on trying to start a family. It's been a good two to two-and-a-half years of really trying actively to have a baby. That's been, quite honestly, very difficult on us because he had a vasectomy and so we couldn't get pregnant naturally super quick," Rossi exclusively tells PEOPLE. "So we did IVF first and we had such great results at the beginning and then the day before they were supposed to implant all the embryos – we had 14 embryos – basically what happened was they arrested, which means they all died off. That was very disheartening and a very difficult time for us and it was just emotionally, physically and mentally extremely draining."

After Smiley underwent surgery last winter, the couple has been actively trying to fall pregnant naturally, which Rossi says has been an emotionally and physical taxing process.

"It's been a long eight months of trying, but as many people know when you reverse a vasectomy, it doesn't always work out. We've been trying and they said to give it at least a good year, so we're going to continue through the end of this year trying naturally and then if nothing has happened, we'll probably go back to in vitro again," Rossi admits.

During her time on the Bravo reality series, Rossi was honest about Smiley's debt being a deterrent for marriage. Now, Rossi says his debt is no longer a reason to not marry the love of her life.

"It's no longer a concern of starting a family with him because I think that through self-realization and realizing that life happens, Slade is unfortunately and probably never going to be completely out of debt because a lot of his debt is due to his son being ill," she tells PEOPLE.

"Slade and I are just so excited about having children together. He's such a wonderful father, despite what the show tried to portray about him and the women tried to say about him," Rossi says of her beau, who is father to 16-year-old Grayson. "He's such a good dad and such a great guy. I'm excited to have children with him and vice versa."

Though pregnancy has been an ongoing journey for the couple, Rossi is optimistic about having children of her own, telling PEOPLE: "I hope the Lord blesses us with a baby."

Summary: The couple got engaged in 2013