Every once in a while, you start to think you've seen it all.

Well, we're here to remind you that no, you haven't.

A reptile seller in China shared an unusual video of a two-headed bearded dragon using both of its mouths to feed on some insects, and it has since blown up online.

The somewhat creepy yet oddly zen video, posted on Facebook by Goodshop GS, shows the two-headed and six-legged bearded dragon snacking on some insects in nearly perfect unison.

Seriously, we know its rude to stare, but just look at that synchronization.

After being viewed a staggering 3 million times and being shared over 50,000 times, the video began to attract the attention of some rather notable people.

According to the reptile shop, the bearded dragon, which was born in China last year, was recently sold to Venice Beach Freakshow owner Todd Ray.

And seriously, with a glamour shot like this, it's no wonder he's currently en route to Los Angeles.

We just hope he doesn't let the fame go to his heads.

RELATED: Check out these animals who are NOT where they're supposed to be:

This 2-headed dragon eating in unison with itself is the trippiest thing you'll ever see

A dog sits in a street vendor's trunk on a bicycle in Beijing, China January 3, 2016.REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A gull stands on a container full of discarded fish scraps behind a fish processing facility in Grimsby, Britain November 17, 2015. Fishing has declined sharply in the once-thriving port, but fish processing is still buoyant, with supplies coming mostly from Iceland and Norway. The European Union is not an abstract concept in Grimsby, an English port where many blame EU fishing quotas for destroying livelihoods, but views on whether Britain should quit the club are more nuanced than the decaying fish docks suggest. Photograph taken November 17, 2015. REUTERS/Phil Noble

A bird lands on the court during the first round match between Serbia's Viktor Troicki and Spain's Daniel Munoz de la Nava at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, January 19, 2016. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A man wearing costume paddles with a dog as he participates in a traditional New Year's Day swim in Dunkirk, northern France, January 1, 2016. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Spectators are reflected as they look at fish swimming in water inside a modified traditional British telehone box in an art piece entitled "Aquarium" by Benedetto Bufalino and Benoit Deseilleas, as part of the "Lumiere" festival in London, Britain January 14, 2016. The event which takes place over four evenings in the capital sees the illumination of famous landmarks, and the display of artworks by international artists. Photograph taken January 14, 2016. REUTERS/Toby Melville TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A squirrel stretches out on a heap of sacks filled with paddy at a grain market in Chandigarh, India, December 2, 2015. REUTERS/Ajay Verma TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A girl pushes her dog in a pram after it was blessed by a priest in Benalmadena, near Malaga, Spain, January 17, 2016. Hundreds of pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of San Anton, Spain's patron saint of animals. REUTERS/Jon Nazca TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A goat, the mascot of Spanish legionnaires, parades past (L to R) Spanish King Felipe, Spanish Queen Letizia and their daughters Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia during a military parade marking Spain's National Day in Madrid October 12, 2015. REUTERS/Susana Vera TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A baby elephant follows its mahout past a store in Udon Thani, Thailand September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Jorge Silva TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A man takes a break as he sits with his dog on a scooter in Istanbul June 19, 2013. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (TURKEY - Tags: SOCIETY ANIMALS)

A female boar and her piglets cross a street during the night in Gdynia, Poland early July 25, 2015. REUTERS/Radu Sigheti TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A guest takes a picture with mobile phone as he holds a parrot before the John Richmond Spring/Summer 2016 collection during Milan Fashion Week in Italy, September 27, 2015. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A sloth hangs on to electricity cables in El Valle, Cocle Province, Panama, September 12, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Sri Lanka's Jehan Mubarak (L) and India's Rohit Sharma watch as a monkey runs past them middle of the ground during the third day of their first test cricket match in Galle August 14, 2015. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

American Eskimo named Ziggy crashes on a wave during the small dog competition competes in the 10th annual Petco Unleashed surf dog contest at Imperial Beach, California August 1, 2015. Proceeds raised at the event go to benefit the San Diego Humane Society. REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A tropical fish swims in a fish tank as a passer-by walks at a business district in Tokyo, July 2, 2015. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

Lazio's mascot, a white headed eagle called Olimpia, lands in the stands before the start of the Italian Serie A soccer match against Napoli at the Olympic stadium in Rome January 18, 2015. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY - Tags: SPORT SOCCER TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

A swan is carried down the nave of the cathedral during the Procession of the Animals at the 31st annual Feast of Saint Francis and Blessing of the Animals at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in the Manhattan borough of New York on October 4, 2015. REUTERS/Elizabeth Shafiroff TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Dan McManus and his service dog Shadow hang glide together outside Salt Lake City, Utah, July 22, 2013. McManus suffers from anxiety and Shadow's presence and companionship help him to manage the symptoms. The two have been flying together for about nine years with a specially made harness for Shadow. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY ANIMALS)

A Palestinian boy washes a horse in the Mediterranean Sea during a sandstorm in the northern Gaza Strip September 8, 2015. A heavy sandstorm swept across parts of the Middle East on Tuesday, killing two people and hospitalising hundreds in Lebanon and disrupting fighting and air strikes in neighbouring Syria. Clouds of dust also engulfed Israel, Jordan and Cyprus where aircraft were diverted to Paphos from Larnaca airport as visibility fell to 500 metres. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Mallard Ducks find a high spot along the flooded area along Waccamaw Lake Drive in Conway, South Carolina October 6, 2015. Fourteen people have died amid historic rainfall in South Carolina, the state's governor said on Tuesday, as residents grappled with the damage wrought by flooding on their homes, roads and water supply. REUTERS/Randall Hill TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

German shepherd dogs go through a test during a special and a general search training course at a local cynologist police centre in a suburb of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk April 3, 2015. Dogs at the cynologist centre are trained to help the police patrol streets, search for drugs, explosives and weapons, as well as with criminal investigations. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

A model presents creations by Indonesian designers Daniel Mananta and Nowela Mikhelia during the Jakarta Fashion Week 2015 in Jakarta, November 2, 2014. REUTERS/Beawiharta (INDONESIA - Tags: FASHION)

A hippopotamus walks across flooded street in Tbilisi, Georgia, June 14, 2015. At least five people died and several are missing as a result of heavy rainfall and floods overnight in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Georgian news agencies reported on Sunday. Animals from the city's zoo including tigers, lions, bears and wolves escaped from cages damaged by the rainfall. Some were captured or killed while the search for others goes on. REUTERS/Beso Gulashvili TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A boy stands outside his home with an iguana on his head in Salvador June 20, 2013. REUTERS/Jorge Silva (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCIETY ANIMALS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

A wild rabbit runs on the track during the qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit, Italy, May 30, 2015. REUTERS/Max Rossi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

More from AOL.com: Startup is selling Australian air in a can--and people overseas are buying it like crazy Deadly fentanyl epidemic linked to China Chinese sportswear company's logo is weirdly similar to a brand you know

Summary: They took 'sharing is caring' to a new level.


Leah Remini got visibly emotional on Monday when discussing her relationship with Katie Holmes and the Church of Scientology.

While appearing on "Good Morning America," the actress teared when claiming that Holmes wrote what Scientology calls a "knowledge report" about her behavior at Holmes' wedding to Tom Cruise.

"It makes me emotional because at that time that Katie and this particular crew were writing reports it caused me a lot of time and pain and my family being reprogrammed," Remini said.

See video: Leah Remini Reveals How Scientology's Treatment of Kids Leads to 'Extremely Inflated' Egos

She's busy promoting her new book, "Troublemaker," which details her decision to split with the church after 30 years. The former "King of Queens" star went on to say she now understands what Holmes was going through, since the "Dawson's Creek" actress also left Scientology shortly after her divorce from Cruise.

Leah Remini tears up over Scientology and Katie Holmes: 'Now I know what she was going through'

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 14: Actress Leah Remini arrives to the 2014 UNICEF Ball Presented by Baccarat at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on January 14, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

DANCING WITH THE STARS - 'Episode 1710' - Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani were the next couple to be eliminated on 'Dancing with the Stars,' MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18 (8:00-10:01 pm, ET), on the ABC Television Network. (Photo by Adam Taylor/ABC via Getty Images) TONY DOVOLANI, LEAH REMINI, BROOKE BURKE-CHARVET, TOM BERGERON

Leah Remini arrives at the 15th Annual DesignCare on Saturday, July 27, 2013 in Malibu, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Leah Remini attends the 3rd Annual My Brother Charlie Family Fun Festival at Culver Studios on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012 in Culver City, Calif. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)

Leah Remini arrives at the Disney ABC Television Group 2012 Summer Press Tour All-Star Cocktail Reception on Friday, July 27, 2012, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

FILE - In this April 22, 2010 file photo, actress Leah Remini arrives at the Us Weekly Hot Hollywood Style Celebration in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

Actress Leah Remini arrives at the CBS CW Showtime press tour party in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

Actress LEAH REMINI at the Los Angeles premiere of Swordfish. 04JUN2001. Paul Smith/Featureflash

los angeles sep 16 leah...

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 03: A view of the Church of Scientology International in Hollywood on February 03, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

The Hollywood Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre.

Church of Scientology, Toronto Head Office

celebrity scientology church los angeles la

CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY EUROPEAN OFFICE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS 91 RUE DE LA LOI BRUSSELS

"At the time I was fighting with her, for lack of a better word, within the Church and now I know really what she was going through," Remini said. "At the time I was thinking of myself and my family and what we were going through, and although painful, I had no idea she was going through probably a lot more."

Also Read: Leah Remini Says Scientology Views Tom Cruise Critics as 'Evil'

"Seeing her and Suri out there in the world and her being able to be with her daughter and live her life, I'm touched by it," she continued. "I'm touched by it because I now know she did what she did, leaving in the way she did, because she had to protect her daughter, which in a way connects us."

Remini pulled no punches in a "20/20" interview on Friday regarding the Church, revealing that she was punished for telling Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes to "get a room." Remini also said she was asked to bring along her friend Jennifer Lopez to Cruise and Holmes' wedding, presumably to convert her to Scientology. See Katie Holmes and daughter Suri:

Leah Remini tears up over Scientology and Katie Holmes: 'Now I know what she was going through'

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: Actress Katie Homes and her daughter Suri Cruise attend the game between the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 20, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 30: Actress Katie Holmes and her daughter Suri Cruise attend the East Regional Final of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament between the Connecticut Huskies and the Michigan State Spartans at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Katie Holmes takes Suri Cruise on a bike ride along Manhattan's West Side bike path on August 18, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)

NEW YORK NY - DECEMBER 12: Katie Holmes with Suri Cruise sighting on December 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Actress Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise are seen walking Chelsea on December 11, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 08: Actress Katie Holmes sighted helping Suri Cruise to scooter in Chelsea on October 8, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 08: Actress Katie Holmes sighted helping Suri Cruise to scooter in Chelsea on October 8, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 04: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise seen on the streets of Manhattan on October 4, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 27: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise (R) leave ABC Carpet on July 27, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 15: (L-R) Katie Holmes and daughter Suri Cruise sighting on July 15, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic)

MANHATTAN NY - JULY 12: (L-R) Katie Holmes and daughter Suri Cruise sighting on July 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 14: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise leave Make Meaning on July 14, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK CITY, NY - NOVEMBER 09: Katie Holmes picks up Suri Cruise from school on November 09, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise are seen at a playground in Brooklyn on September 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jackson Lee/Star Max/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 16: Suri Cruise seen on the streets of Manhattan on September 16, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25: Suri Cruise plays in Bleecker Playground on August 25, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 20: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise visit Make Meaning on August 20, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Katie Holmes (R) takes Suri Cruise on a bike ride along Manhattan's West Side bike path on August 18, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 20: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise visit Make Meaning on August 20, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Katie Holmes takes Suri Cruise on a bike ride along Manhattan's West Side bike path on August 18, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)

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Read original story Leah Remini Tears Up Over Scientology and Katie Holmes: 'Now I Know What She Was Going Through' (Video) At TheWrap

Summary: 'Seeing her and Suri out there in the world and her being able to be with her daughter and live her life, I?m touched by it,' she said.


Kim Kardashian isn’t the only member of her family that’s been featured on Pornhub.

Her husband Kanye West’s new album “The Life of Pablo” surfaced as a streamable video on the adult video site Tuesday night but as of Wednesday it’s been removed, a representative of Pornhub told the Daily News.

“Pornhub received a DMCA takedown request from his camp and complied and has disabled the content,” the site said. “The video was removed once we were made aware of its existence and location on the site."

INTERNET GOES CRAZY AFTER KANYE REVEAL ILLEGAL FILE SHARING IN TWITTER PHOTO

A Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown is filed by the owner of copyrighted content, in this case West’s “The Life of Pablo,” when it is published on a website without consent.

Reddit user djdonkeypik posted a screenshot of the album’s Pornhub stream to the social news site along with the caption “Kanye’s new album is now on..... Pornhub?”

The album was posted to Pornhub by user LifeOfPabloKanye.

“The Life of Pablo” is still only officially available to stream on Tidal. The more popular music streaming service Spotify does not have access to the album.

Summary: Kim Kardashian-West isn’t the only member of her family that’s been featured on Pornhub.


Photo: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle

Dinner at Saison: $398 for the weekday tasting menu. This is without wine. Throw in drinks and you're easily spending over $1,000 for dinner for two.

Dinner at Saison: $398 for the weekday tasting menu. This is without wine. Throw in drinks and you're easily spending over $1,000 for dinner for two.

Dinner at Yamo: $6 per entree. The lines are out the door at this tasty Mission District spot where you can order an entree every night for over two months for the cost of one night's tasting menu at Saison.

Dinner at Yamo: $6 per entree. The lines are out the door at this tasty Mission District spot where you can order an entree every night for over two months for the cost of one night's tasting menu at Saison.

Seat at a game: $28,000. Warriors' courtside seats for Game 7 against the Thunder were off the charts. But for that you may have gotten to high-five Steph after his trey doomed OKC.

Seat at a game: $28,000. Warriors' courtside seats for Game 7 against the Thunder were off the charts. But for that you may have gotten to high-five Steph after his trey doomed OKC.

Seat at a game: $5. And, at A's $5 dollar Wednesdays you don't just get a seat to yourself, you can have an entire row. Just think, for the cost of one Warriors game you could see over 5,000 A's games on Wednesdays.

Seat at a game: $5. And, at A's $5 dollar Wednesdays you don't just get a seat to yourself, you can have an entire row. Just think, for the cost of one Warriors game you could see over 5,000 A's games on

Cost of a pizza: $100. Tony's Pizza in North Beach had this offer going as part of a Super Bowl 50 promotion. Why so much? As 7x7 explained: "Well, the 'Super Gold Pizza' is a wood-fired pie topped with gold flakes(!), white truffles (!!), and 24-month Danielle Prosciutto(!!!)" But after a few beers, whatever.

Cost of a pizza: $100. Tony's Pizza in North Beach had this offer going as part of a Super Bowl 50 promotion. Why so much? As 7x7 explained: "Well, the 'Super Gold Pizza' is a wood-fired pie topped with gold

Great greasy slice: $2.50. Arinell Pizza on Valencia near 16th Street has been voted 'the best greasy pizza in San Francisco" (Bay List) and for that price you can feed 40 of your friends for the price of a single gold-flaked pie.

Great greasy slice: $2.50. Arinell Pizza on Valencia near 16th Street has been voted 'the best greasy pizza in San Francisco" (Bay List) and for that price you can feed 40 of your friends for the price of a

Monthly rent: $30,000. That's what this home is going for in tony Pacific Heights.

Monthly rent: $30,000. That's what this home is going for in tony Pacific Heights.

Monthly rent: $800. You may not have known that places under $1,000 actually exist! In every respect, it's a long ways from Pacific Heights to Ocean Avenue.

Monthly rent: $800. You may not have known that places under $1,000 actually exist! In every respect, it's a long ways from Pacific Heights to Ocean Avenue.

The $2 cup of coffee at Peet's: Surrounded by so many high-end coffee businesses, the local chain born in Berkeley is starting to look like a pretty good deal.

The $2 cup of coffee at Peet's: Surrounded by so many high-end coffee businesses, the local chain born in Berkeley is starting to look like a pretty good deal.

Cost of parking: $120. Parking for Giants games at AT&T Park is always high. But when they make the playoffs, the price will set you back, back, way back...

Cost of parking: $120. Parking for Giants games at AT&T Park is always high. But when they make the playoffs, the price will set you back, back, way back...

Cost of parking: $2 per hour: A cheap alternative. Leave your car at the very reasonable Mission-Bartlett Garage (at 21st Street) and hop on Muni down to the ballpark, or wherever you're going in the city.

Cost of parking: $2 per hour: A cheap alternative. Leave your car at the very reasonable Mission-Bartlett Garage (at 21st Street) and hop on Muni down to the ballpark, or wherever you're going in the city.

One year of private high school: $44,000. At San Francisco University High School, this is what it costs. But you are getting quality for your money: UHS is considered among the

One year of private high school: $44,000. At San Francisco University High School, this is what it costs. But you are getting quality for your money: UHS is considered among the

Public high school: Free. Lowell High School has long been a premier public high school and was recently rated as the number 3 public high school in California.

Public high school: Free. Lowell High School has long been a premier public high school and was recently rated as the number 3 public high school in California.

Minecraft Camp: $799-$1,249 per week: For 7-9-year-old gamers that deserve the best, ID Tech camps are offering all-day screen-time out at SF State. Lunch is $60 extra.

Minecraft Camp: $799-$1,249 per week: For 7-9-year-old gamers that deserve the best, ID Tech camps are offering all-day screen-time out at SF State. Lunch is $60 extra.

Neighborhood Day Camp: $143 per week. This camp offered by San Francisco Recreation & Parks is a bargain. They're offering a wide variety of summer camps at varying prices. Take a look at their

Neighborhood Day Camp: $143 per week. This camp offered by San Francisco Recreation & Parks is a bargain. They're offering a wide variety of summer camps at varying prices. Take a look at their

Motor lodge with kind of a view: $169. The Great Highway Inn is a low-rise structure right across from Ocean Beach. Stand on your tiptoes and you can see the Pacific over the massive sand dune that lies between you and the ocean.

Motor lodge with kind of a view: $169. The Great Highway Inn is a low-rise structure right across from Ocean Beach. Stand on your tiptoes and you can see the Pacific over the massive sand dune that lies between

Luxury car: $195,000. That is, if you're buying a Flying Spur from San Francisco Bentley.

Luxury car: $195,000. That is, if you're buying a Flying Spur from San Francisco Bentley.

Car that works: $1,995: That is, if you want a 1992 Buick Century from TD Auto Wholesale (while available) in the Outer Mission. Why get a Bentley when you could own close to 100 Centurys?

Car that works: $1,995: That is, if you want a 1992 Buick Century from TD Auto Wholesale (while available) in the Outer Mission. Why get a Bentley when you could own close to 100 Centurys?

Cost of a piece of toast: $4.00: The prices at The Mill on Divisadero St. have received a huge amount of criticism and people have said it is emblematic of why techies are ruining San Francisco. Fortunately...

Cost of a piece of toast: $4.00: The prices at The Mill on Divisadero St. have received a huge amount of criticism and people have said it is emblematic of why techies are ruining San Francisco. Fortunately...

Cost of a piece of toast: $1.00. Actually, at Denny's you get two pieces of toast for $1.99. But you do have to deal with a lower quality jam.

Cost of a piece of toast: $1.00. Actually, at Denny's you get two pieces of toast for $1.99. But you do have to deal with a lower quality jam.

Cost of New York steak: $35 per pound: If you can afford it, you'll have no beef with the New York cut at Bryan's in Presidio Heights.

Cost of New York steak: $35 per pound: If you can afford it, you'll have no beef with the New York cut at Bryan's in Presidio Heights.

New York steak you can almost afford: $22.50 per pound at Costco. But you have to buy a 6-pack of 10 oz. steaks. Still.

New York steak you can almost afford: $22.50 per pound at Costco. But you have to buy a 6-pack of 10 oz. steaks. Still.

Cost of seeing a play: $700. 'Hamilton' is coming to SF and if you want to go, you have to join SHN and pay for a season's subscription that includes a ticket to the mega-super smash hit musical. This is the cost of an orchestra seat on the weekend so you will be styling.

Cost of seeing a play: $700. 'Hamilton' is coming to SF and if you want to go, you have to join SHN and pay for a season's subscription that includes a ticket to the mega-super smash hit musical. This is the

Cost of seeing a play: $10. You don't need to break the bank to get some culture. Affordable, high quality shows, like The Cutting Ball Theater's "Dream Play," abound in San Francisco. And if you want to see a play for free, SF Mime Troupe's latest will be coming soon to a park near you.

Cost of seeing a play: $10. You don't need to break the bank to get some culture. Affordable, high quality shows, like The Cutting Ball Theater's "Dream Play," abound in San Francisco. And if you want to see a

Summary: Paying through the nose is a routine event in San Francisco these days.


Remember Cowboys and Aliens? The movie had everything the Comic-Con fanboys and fangirls should have wanted a script: Writers from Star Trek, an otherworldly plotline, nifty effects and a rugged headliner who once flew the Millennium Falcon.

But after a splashy premiere at the 2011 geek-fest in San Diego, the film—which featured Harrison Ford as a cattleman who tries a save a town from aliens—landed with a thud when it opened nationwide. Critics bashed its quirky blend of western and sci-fi and it brought in a paltry $100 million—just enough to cover its bills.

There’s a lesson here: Despite the promise of legions of fans, eager to spread the word about new movies and TV shows, a big showing a Comic-Con, the annual four-day geek-fest that began Thursday in downtown San Diego, doesn’t guarantee a hit.

“A good presentation is no substitute for a bad film,” says David Glanzer, Comic-Con’s international director of marketing and PR. “Having a presentation can create positive word of mouth to other early adopters and those who tend to see movies on opening day. However, it is also important to recognize that a killer presentation of a few minutes of a new film may generate huge applause and buzz, but if the film doesn’t in the end, our fans will stay away.”

A similar fate befell Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, another Universal movie, which premiered at the Con in 2010. Given its roots as a graphic novel, the flick featuring Michael Cera as a musician who battles his ex-girlfriend’s murderous beaus seemed custom tailored for the Comic-Con crowd. The studio even dropped north of $200,000 to wrap one of the Hilton Bayfront towers with a massive Scott Pilgrim poster. The movie also premiered there.

But the good buzz started and stopped at the San Diego Bayfront: Though critics generally dug the story, the movie only made a reported $31 million.

Still, cases like Scott Pilgrim are the exception rather than the rule, argues Glanzer. “I think every studio hopes for a blockbuster and Comic-Con can be a great barometer of a project being on the right track. But a lot can happen between a presentation in Hall H and a film’s release a year later. I think studios continue to return to Comic-Con because it is a great way to hear from the end user. They hear the questions asked, judge whether something works or not in the presentation and then can make of that information what they will.”

The trick is to figure out the most effective way to get their message heard. Given the massive surge of TV shows that have taken over the Con, it’s harder than ever to capture the attention of the 130,000-plus fans who will converge upon this weekend’s sold-out event. Some studios still think the only way to do it is by going big: TNT installed a massive building wrap at the Marriott for its new drama The Last Ship, while FX papered one side of the Hilton Bayfront with a creepy poster promoting its Guillermo Del Toro drama The Strain.

In stark contrast, HBO only hung a few Game of Thrones banners alongside the downtown trolley tracks—but then, the drama that just wrapped an exhilarating fifth season and hardly needs to struggle for eyeballs. The show’s Friday panel in Hall H featuring Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) and Conleth Hill (Varys), among others, is one of the most sought-after tickets at the Con.

In fact, it’s during those panel discussions that the studios have the best chance at reaching their target audience. That’s why Disney doesn’t have to invest in gigantic building wraps to promote Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is set for release in December. All is has to do is promise a visit from director JJ Abrams and a “special look” at the prequel and it can safely assume that the 6,500-seat Hall H will fill to capacity.

On a smaller scale, studios have found that screening the first episodes of upcoming TV shows can be an effective promo tool. This year, Warner Bros. showed the new CBS drama Supergirl and Syfy decided to unveil the first episode of The Expanse, months before either show is scheduled to debut.

“The more we can surprise them and spark their curiosity, the more they respond,” says Sara Moscowitz, SyFy’s senior VP of brand and strategic marketing. “We often don’t know what we’ll be up against. It’s like going into battle in some ways,” she says. “How can we up our game for a group of people who welcome that? But that’s the fun of it.”

Summary: Not every movie or show that kills at Comic-Con goes on to become a success. Here's a look at a few past bombs—and a preview of what studios are doing to try to turn nerd excitement into box office gold.


Big Brother host Julie Chen

Summer is here, which means it's time for

As the June 22 season premiere approaches, CBS has revealed the new batch of houseguests. But a season of

wouldn't be a season of

Twelve houseguests have been revealed so far, but fans of the reality competition know that there are usually at least 14 (if not more) contestants each season. In the past, the unrevealed houseguests have been either returning players or people who have interesting connections to the already revealed contestants.

No clues to this seasons' twists have been revealed yet, but there is one familiar face among the dozen of houseguests confirmed to be entering the

's brother Paulie is among the contestants that were announced on Tuesday.

Cliff Lipson / CBS; Monty Brinton / CBS

Aside from baring a striking resemblance to his older brother, Paulie will be familiar to fans as he appeared in video packages throughout Cody's season.

"There are multiple strategies I'll use," Paulie says in his official houseguest bio. "None of which have any meaning prior to entering the house and seeing what pieces I'll be playing chess with."

Paulie will be joined by eleven of the most diverse houseguests in the reality competition's history.

Read below for the full list of revealed houseguests:

Hometown/Current City: Howell, New Jersey

Hometown/Current City: Charlotte, North Carolina

Hometown/Current City: Bronx, New York

Occupation: Dog Groomer/Former Police Detective

Hometown/Current City: Washington Township, Michigan

Current City: Franklin Park, New Jersey

Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida

Current City: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

premieres June 22 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Summary: Big Brother 18 premieres June 22 on CBS


Once the world’s most valuable startup, Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker praised for cheap but ‘high-spec’ phones, is expanding sales to Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa in a bid to keep smartphone growth growing as its home market in mainland China slows down.

Driving Xiaomi’s ascent in China was as a capital-light business: no stores, no company-owned factories, little paid marketing.

The deal in Africa, with South Africa-based Mobile in Africa Limited, is much the opposite: a traditional approach with an increasingly commoditized product in smartphones. Xiaomi’s South African partner will lead imports, marketing and support for phones sales, the Wall Street Journal noted.

It’s unclear how Xiaomi will gain traction in markets like India, Brazil and now Africa, as it has said it wants to, if it follows the same model as local competitors.

In India this past quarter, for instance, Xiaomi’s sales experienced their first quarter-to-quarter decline after expanding there last year— almost a 46% tumble “due to fierce competition from Lenovo and Micromax’s Yu brands especially in the higher volume sub-$100 segment,” says Counterpoint Research. It doesn’t rank in India’s top five market share. And if anything, Xiaomi needs to be present in India more than it does in those three African markets, all of which together have barely one-fifth of India’s population.

Xiaomi’s also hurting in its home market of mainland China, and that’s more than just a result of market saturation. Chinese competitors have stepped up their efforts to steal Xiaomi’s crown. Research firm Canalys said Huawei passed Xiaomi for the highest market share in the third quarter.

Summary: It's going to be hard for the mobile phone-maker to succeed abroad the way it did at home.


Insurance underwriters have won permission to dig in to the mental state of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, L’Wren Scott, in an attempt to avoid paying the Rolling Stones $12.7 million for concerts canceled after the fashionista’s suicide in March.

A federal judge in Utah ruled last month that the insurance officials can question Scott’s brother in hopes of learning why the 49-year-old beauty hanged herself March 17 in her Chelsea luxury pad.

Before the tour, the Stones took out a $23.9 million policy preventing losses if shows were canceled due to the death of family members or others, including Scott, who had been dating Jagger since 2001.

The Stones ended up scrubbing gigs in Australia and and New Zealand after Scott’s suicide as Jagger’s doctors advised him not to perform for at least 30 days, according to court documents filed in Salt Lake City.

The band’s insurance claim was denied, so the Stones sued the underwriters in London. Now the underwriters are fighting back, claiming that the former model and fashion designer suffered from a pre-existing mental illness not covered under the policy.

They are also seeking information from Scott’s brother, Randall Bambrough, about possible illnesses, treatments and the circumstances of her death, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

“Ms. Scott intended to, and did, commit suicide and her death was therefore not ‘sudden and unforeseen,’” the underwriters said in court papers.

The insurers also cast doubt on Jagger’s emotional turmoil after Scott’s death, arguing that a doctor did not actually examine him before diagnosing the singer with “acute traumatic stress disorder.”

Bambrough told the Daily News Sunday night that he has yet to be subpoenaed by the underwriters.

“I have no idea what this is about,” Bambrough said. “I have nothing to say. I don’t know what they’re doing or what they’re not doing.”

The same underwriters petitioned a Federal Court in New York seeking similar information from Scott’s former personal assistant, Brittany Penebre, and from the executor of Scott’s estate, Adam Glassman.

The Rolling Stones’ Los Angeles public relations firm and the underwriters’ Utah attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Scott, originally named Luann Bambrough by her adoptive Mormon parents, left her Utah home as a teenager to become a model in Paris, then a top Hollywood stylist and finally a high-end fashion designer.

But she was best known as a fixture on Jagger’s arm on red carpets, where the striking 6-foot-3 designer towered over the 5-foot-10 singer.

The Stones began a new tour of Australia and New Zealand late last month.

Summary: Insurance underwriters involved in a legal battle with the Rolling Stones over a $12.7 million claim have won permission to seek evidence in Utah about the mental health of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend before she took her life in March.


Big national economic centers, or refuges from poor countrysides. And generally speaking, not very pleasant places to live.

That pretty much tells the story of the world’s densest cities, where people living on top of each other scramble for their share of local resources and, in most cases, put up with poor transportation systems and a lack of gentrification.

Where are cities most dense? Look no further than Asia, where concentrated economic growth has spawned 16 of the 20 densest urban areas in the world, according to 2007 statistics from citymayors.com. Leading the way are Mumbia and Kolkata, both in India, each of which pack in over 23,000 people per square kilometer. Both cities, along with those close behind like Karachi, Pakistan, Lagos, Nigeria and Shenzhen, China, hold about as many people within a handful of square blocks as live in U.S. metros like Charleston, S.C., Green Bay, Wis., or Berkeley, Calif.

The two most represented countries, India and China, combine for nine spots on the Top 20 list.

The bulk of these big population centers don’t offer high living quality, at least not yet. Rapid growth makes it nearly impossible for local infrastructure to keep pace, making for a lot of congestion and slow movement around town. Densification without gentrification generally means a lower quality of life, points out urban expert Joel Kotkin, author of the book The City, a Global History.

“By definition they are tough places to live,” Kotkin says. “To be a dense country and live well takes a lot of money.” Longtime urban powerhouses like Tokyo and New York fit that bill. Of course, dense is a relative term. A Mumbai native visiting New York is bound to feel like a New Yorker vacationing on a Wyoming dude ranch.

There’s a clear distinction to be drawn between heavily populated cities of relative wealth, like Seoul, South Korea or Taipei, Taiwan and Third World cities like Lima, Peru and Kinsaha, in the African Congo. Over the past 30 years, some poor countries have seen a mass migration of people from the countryside into cities, hoping to improve their lives. Many have to some degree–as things go from worse to bad. There’s occasional work to be found, which offers a glimmer of hope.

“At least you have a better chance of getting fed,” Kotkin says.

In Seoul and Taipei, the dense conditions can be chalked up to the concentrated economies of South Korea and Taiwan. While much of the land in those countries remains sparse, those seeking business success flock to that rare urban center to make their fortunes. The same is true in China, where big, growing cities like Beijing and Shanghai contrast with poor rural areas in the rest of the country. Office high rises are going up at a record pace in Asia, but only in certain spots.

Meanwhile Mumbai, the former Bombay, is a financial center and coastal city that is home to many multinational companies while taking in loads of freight traffic by boat. Old transportation networks prevent much of the activity from spreading to the rest of India. For now, economic growth in Asia may be limited to those willing to live on top of each other. But that’s how it started in the west, too.

Comments are turned off for this post.

Summary: Where are the most people crammed into the least space? All over Asia, for starters.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 13— Representative William L. Dickinson, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, had this to say about the military budget President Reagan is preparing to send Congress next month:

''I'd be embarrassed to get up and try to defend what he's proposed.''

And the Alabama Congressman had this to say when pressed for one example of where the military budget should be cut:

''Listen, I've got somebody waiting to take me to lunch.''

Such is the collective dilemma that confronts members of the 99th Congress.

They arrive with a conviction that the military must contribute more to reducing the Federal deficit. Even conservatives like Mr. Dickinson and the Senate Armed Services chairman, Barry Goldwater, say so.

There is growing enthusiasm for a ''freeze'' of Pentagon spending, halting the military buildup at this year's level, probably with an adjustment for inflation. But even those who support a freeze say they do not believe the military should just stop everything in its tracks for a year.

Someone, Congress or the Pentagon, eventually has to choose which programs grow and which shrink so that the total stays within the budget limits.

Missiles? Troops? Pensions? Research? Pick a category and there is an influential crowd of supporters who argue that that particular item is vital to national security, politically untouchable or otherwise off-limits.

Some advocates of lower military spending predict that after much hue and cry, 1985 will be little different from the past few years.

''We have this elaborate dance, but we end up in about the same place,'' said Senator Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat who has watched the dance for two years from his seat on the Armed Services Committee. ''I don't see a great deal in the equation that has changed from last year or the year before.''

''Spine transplants are what we really need to take Reagan on,'' said Representative Patricia Schroeder, Democrat of Colorado, a military critic on the House Armed Services Committee.

In fact, Congress has managed to cut fairly deeply into President Reagan's budget requests. But it has done so without interrupting the upward trajectory of military spending or fundamentally changing the way the money is spent.

The military budget has grown a record six straight years in ''real,'' that is, inflation-adjusted, dollars, pushing past the spending peaks of the wars in Vietnam and Korea.

Much of what Congress has saved along the way has come from relatively painless changes: A 4 percent pay increase for troops instead of 5.5 percent, 440 Patriot missiles for the Army instead of 585, a decision not to reactivate an old battleship, a windfall from declining inflation and fuel costs, some better bargains extracted from contractors.

But this year Congress will get a budget with much of the easy savings squeezed out. Under pressure from the President's budget advisers to make a show of austerity, Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger has already ''given up'' $11.1 billion in spending authority for next year, mostly through postponing pay increases and reaping the bookkeeping benefits of lower inflation.

What is left, according to military budget experts, presents Congress with some unpleasant choices.

Military hardware, especially nuclear arms, has been the fastest- growing account in the military budget under President Reagan. From 1980 to 1985, spending on major conventional weapons doubled and on nuclear weapons almost quadrupled.

Yet Congress and the military have been generally unwilling to take on the organized phalanx of contractors, service personnel and jobs-minded politicians who defend any major weapon.

''Cutting weapons is something everybody agrees to in general, but it's difficult to get a majority to agree to it in specifics,'' Mr. Bingaman said. ''Each system has its own constituency.''

Indeed, if this year is true to history, the Pentagon will send Congress a budget that slyly excludes some things it knows Congress is likely to put back: M1 tanks made in Michigan, for example, or attack submarines built in Virginia and Connecticut, or tanker planes for the ever- popular National Guard, which has an active lobby.

In addition, the big nuclear weapons like the MX missile may be helped this year by arms talks in Geneva. Defenders will argue that Congress should not force the Adminstration to make concessions while it is in mid-bargaining.

When Congress and the military do cut weapons spending they usually go at it by buying fewer of each weapon each year, a practice called ''stretching out.''

Critics like Senator Sam Nunn, the Georgia Democrat, argue that this is wasteful because it means each weapon carries more of the manufacturer's overhead and thus is produced at a higher cost.

Dollar Cut Isn't a Dollar Saved

Another problem with cutting weapons is that a dollar appropriated for a weapon is actually doled out over several years, as contractors deliver on their long-term contracts.

Scrapping a new weapon may make it easier to balance the books in future years (just as much of this year's military budget is committed to finishing off old commitments). But cutting that weapons dollar will reduce this year's deficit by only 15 cents.

Congress is notorious for caring more about this year's deficit than next year's.

One way to cut the deficit right now is by reducing personnel costs. A dollar of military pay goes straight into a paycheck.

Mr. Weinberger, with his eye on the immediate deficit, proposed last month to delay a pay raise for the men and women in uniform and to cut the pay of the Pentagon's one million civilian employees.

But Mr. Dickinson and others say Congress is unlikely to cut any deeper into pay and may restore some of the savings claimed by Mr. Weinberger.

One of the military's proudest accomplishments in the past few years has been recruiting legions of qualified soldiers into the volunteer Army. Now there are signs that this success is threatened by a decline in the numbers of potential recruits and competition from the growing civilian economy.

''I think we've got to be very clear that we're not getting into those quality-of-life programs,'' said Representative Joseph M. McDade of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the House military spending subcommittee, referring to the pay and pensions credited with helping lure new recruits. ''If we have a success story, that is it.''

For similar reasons, Congress has grown leery of cutting other aspects of ''combat readiness,'' such as training, ammunition stocks, spare parts and flying hours. Once these were fair game for nibbling away at the budget, but not since press reports that many combat units are ill-prepared to fight.

There is, of course, one category Congress could cut by acclamation. Waste.

Inflamed by reports of misfiring missiles and $7,600 coffeemakers, Congress has been pressuring the Pentagon to reform its buying habits, with mixed results.

The problem is that fat, when it exists, is usually well marbled through the budget, not sitting on top awaiting the carving knife.

As Representative Les Aspin of Wisconsin, the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, once put it: ''There is no line item in the budget that says: 'Waste, fraud and abuse - $8,924,673,749.34.' ''

photo of U.S. Army soldiers; graph of military spending since 1982

Summary: Representative William L. Dickinson, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, had this to say about the military budget President Reagan is preparing to send Congress next month:    ''I'd be embarrassed to get up and try to defend what he's proposed.''    And the Alabama Congressman had this to say when pressed for one example of where the military budget should be cut:   ''Listen, I've got somebody waiting to take me to lunch.''    Such is the collective dilemma that confronts members of the 99th Congress.        Someone Has to Choose      They arrive with a conviction that the military must contribute more to reducing the Federal deficit. Even conservatives like Mr. Dickinson and the Senate Armed Services chairman, Barry Goldwater, say so.


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WATCH: FBI Director James Comey did say Clinton was "careless" with her emails.

In a whirlwind of a week, two tarmacs on opposite sides of the country told tales of the promise and the peril of Hillary Clinton and her candidacy.

Eight days ago, former President Bill Clinton sought out Attorney General Loretta Lynch when he found out they were both at the Phoenix airport. They chatted amiably for roughly half an hour, even though FBI agents — who technically work for Lynch’s Justice Department — would be interviewing his wife about their email investigation just a few days later.

Fast-forward to Tuesday morning. In Washington, as Air Force One sat a few miles away to take her to a campaign event alongside President Barack Obama, the director of the FBI, James Comey, issued a point-by-point repudiation of Hillary Clinton and her handling of emails during her time at the State Department.

Clinton’s long-held public assertions — that she never sent or received classified information, that she turned over all work-related emails, that she never jeopardized national security with a private email account — were dismantled by Comey.

Yet there will be no criminal charges against Clinton, if the FBI’s recommendation is followed by the Obama Justice Department. And by early afternoon, Clinton boarded the famous airplane with the giant presidential seals so that two former rivals could work now as teammates to defeat Donald Trump.

If the system isn’t rigged, surely there were better ways to show it than for the FBI’s recommendation to come out on the day the president made his campaign debut for the candidate he wants to replace him. If the fix isn’t in, there also must have been a better time and place for Bill Clinton to catch up with the attorney general.

But so it is with Hillary Clinton and the Clintons more broadly. They cannot escape perceptions that they are skirting rules and parsing language to avoid accountability — often because of their own actions, however well intended.

The email controversy became a classic Clinton scandal in part because of the way she handled it. Her answers and even her initial apology came in fits and starts and never fully addressed her rationale for having a private server — or, as the FBI investigation wound up finding, multiple private servers — set up for her use as secretary of state.

Public perceptions around the story seem fixed — and not, of course, in Clinton’s favor. Last month’s ABC News/Washington Post poll found 56 percent disapproval of her handling of the email story, and her struggles with voters who question her honesty and trustworthiness are well established.

As for Clinton’s opponent, his flaws aside, he is well equipped to take advantage of storylines like this one. His core appeal is based on the sense that the system is rigged; the events of the past eight days feed those perceptions in ways Trump is primed to exploit.

Few minds will be changed by what played out on two tarmacs and beyond over the past few days. But the events encapsulate concerns over Clinton’s candidacy, even as she employs the most powerful of surrogates to advance her campaign message.

Summary: In a whirlwind of a week, two tarmacs on opposite sides of the country told tales of the promise and the peril of Hillary Clinton and her candidacy.Eight days ago, former President Bill Clinton sought out Attorney General Loretta Lynch when he found out they were both at the Phoenix airport. They...


On what would otherwise be characterized as a routine Thursday afternoon 33 years ago last week, Pamela Lynne Neal left work for her lunch break.

Pamela Lynne Neal Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Pamela was a bank teller at Key Savings and Loan in Englewood, Colorado. It was March 31, 1983. The 22-year-old left work on foot; she didn't have a car at the time. She cashed a check at a different bank nearby, then stopped at a Safeway grocery store and bought a lottery ticket, cigarettes, and a takeaway lunch. Her apartment was just across the road, and her roommate, also an employee at the bank, told police she saw Pamela make her way the short distance.

Hours passed, but Pamela never returned to work. Her roommate set out to check their apartment, thinking maybe Pamela had lost track of time or perhaps was feeling sick.

Instead, she found the door to their apartment ajar, her roommate's lunch unopened on the table, along with her purse and the unscratched lottery ticket. Pamela was not inside.

And with another anniversary of her disappearance here again, there are still no answers as to what happened to the bubbly brunette.

Several theories have emerged over the decades since. Police thought perhaps Pamela had run down to grab her mail and someone abducted her there. Another scenario, the most likely according to Englewood police, was that Pamela did not lock the apartment's front door and someone surprised her and kidnapped her. Whether it was someone she knew or a stranger, police are still unsure.

Neighbors told police they didn't seen anything amiss that afternoon. No one had spotted Pamela being forced into a car, nor did they see her leave her apartment. Dozens of investigators collected evidence that was sent away for testing, but the efforts turned up no solid leads.

Although Pamela's body has never been found, her case is listed as a homicide and not a missing person's case.

"It would be painful if they found her body, but the uncertainty of what happened just amplifies the pain by a factor of many times," Barney Neal, Pamela's father, told the Denver Post a few weeks after his daughter vanished. The family poured thousands of dollars and hours into searching for Pamela, but have remained private in recent years.

Pamela Lynne Neal was described at the time of her disappearance as 5'4" tall, weighing 105 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes.

If you have any information that can help crack this case, please call the Englewood Police Department at (303) 762-2460.

Summary: What happened to Pamela Neal on a otherwise routine afternoon is still a mystery.


Theresa May will take over the job of British prime minister from David Cameron on Wednesday after a series of political shocks caused by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

May, who has been interior minister for six years and is seen by her supporters as a safe pair of hands to steer Britain through the disruptive process of leaving the EU, will become Britain’s second woman prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher.

Cameron, who led the campaign to remain in the 28-member bloc Britain had joined in 1973, announced the morning after the June 23 referendum that he would stand down, triggering a leadership contest in the ruling Conservative Party.

The contest had been due to last until September but ended unexpectedly on Monday when junior energy minister Andrea Leadsom, May’s last rival candidate after others were eliminated, abruptly pulled out.

After taking part in his last weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in parliament’s House of Commons at lunchtime, Cameron will make his way to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth.

May will then enter Number 10 Downing Street as prime minister before the end of the day.

She is expected to immediately start putting together a new cabinet, a complex political balancing act in which she will try and satisfy opposing camps in her party, which was bitterly split over the EU issue.

Before the referendum, May had campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU, albeit in a low-key fashion. Since the vote, she has repeatedly said that “Brexit means Brexit” and her backers say she is determined to make the exit a success.

Despite pressure from other EU capitals to quickly start negotiating the terms of Britain’s exit, May has said she would not be rushed into triggering article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, the formal step that will kickstart the process.

She is expected to promote women ministers to several senior roles, and Cameron’s long-serving finance minister George Osborne could lose his job, according to media reports.

PMQs is usually a rowdy event, involving combative exchanges between Cameron and the leader of the main opposition Labour Party while lawmakers from both parties boo and cheer.

But with Cameron on his last day in the job and Labour mired in a profound crisis, the atmosphere at this PMQs is likely to be very unusual.

After months of simmering discontent among Labour lawmakers with party leader Jeremy Corbyn, the conflict exploded into the open after the referendum when the vast majority of the lawmakers rejected his leadership. He is being challenged for the job by lawmaker Angela Eagle.

Corbyn has clung to his job, citing support from the party grassroots, and the 116-year-old party is now locked in a bitter power tussle that risks destroying it.

The shocks of the referendum result, Cameron’s resignation, a series of other surprise moves in the Conservative Party and the crisis in Labour, have plunged Britain into its deepest political crisis in modern times.

Financial markets, which had been extremely volatile since the referendum, reacted positively to news on Monday that May would become prime minister earlier than expected, with sterling making strong gains against the dollar and the euro.

Summary: She'll be the U.K.'s second woman prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher.


Born and raised in Washington state, Seattle has been the perfect place for Hope Solo to call home. In 2012, she upgraded from a $260,000 home in suburban Seattle, dropping some cash on a massive house fit for one of the world's greatest goalkeepers.

Solo bought the house for $1.2 million in 2012. Now, she's got the house listed for $1.85 million. That'll be a nice chunk of change if she's able to get list price for the property.

If you're a prospective buyer -- or if you just want to snoop on the inner life of a celebrity -- check out these awesome pictures of Solo's abode.

Built in 1988, Solo's home has a distinct Northwest style to it, featuring lush landscaping and a natural wood exterior.

It's well-fenced by trees and landscaping from a street-level view, but an aerial shot shows just how much land Solo owns, highlighted by a pool and a private tennis court.

Big windows and great views of the surrounding are perfect for enjoying that Seattle rain.

The home, located in Kirkland, is well-positioned near the water off of Puget Sound.

Solo's kitchen is flush with modern features and a large wraparound peninsula.

The open-concept floor plan in Solo's house also leads out to the outdoor pool.

Epic dining table not included.

One of the better entertaining features in the home is a wood-paneled bar.

Solo's master bedroom features wraparound views of Lake Washington.

In total, Solo's home features more than 5,300 square feet of finished space.

Vaulted ceilings throughout make the spaces feel even more open than they are.

If you're wondering, yes: The pool is heated.

A hot tub and giant patio make a great space for entertaining friends and family.

One perk of Solo's house: It sits directly next to a beautiful state park.

Beautiful sunsets on Lake Washington, assuming the rain doesn't get in the way.

Most amazing of all: As great as this house is, we can assuming Hope Solo is about to drop some serious money on an upgrade.

More Homes: -- 16 Pics Of Jordan Spieth's Texas Mansion -- Shaq Snags Georgia Mansion -- Here's The Place Stephen Curry Is Selling

FIFA, Hope Solo, Olympic Games, Olympics, Real Estate, Rio, Soccer, Summer Olympics, USWNT

Summary: The U.S. goalkeeper is selling her Seattle-area home after purchasing the property in 2012.


PHOENIX—The six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix has been found in contempt of court for disobeying a federal judge's orders in a racial-profiling case, bringing the lawman who calls himself “America's Toughest Sheriff” a step closer to a possible criminal contempt case that could expose him to fines and even jail time.

Friday’s ruling marked one of the biggest legal defeats in the long career of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is known for...

Summary: The six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix has been found in contempt of court for disobeying a federal judge’s orders in a racial profiling case, bringing the lawman who calls himself "America's Toughest Sheriff" a step closer to a possible criminal contempt case that could expose him to fines and even jail time.


The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation has settled a lawsuit brought last summer by a community group, allowing park officials to begin to move forward with the final phase of their development plan.

The group, People for Green Space Foundation, had argued that the park corporation, which oversees development of both the park’s public spaces and commercial real estate, had modified its original plan, principally by including affordable housing in two towers long planned for Pier 6, near Atlantic Avenue.

Mayor Bill de Blasio last summer announced that 30 percent of the units in the towers would be set aside as affordable.

The changes, People for Green Space argued, required a new environmental review and an application to amend the plan.

In the settlement, filed on Wednesday in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, the group was denied the environmental review, but it prevailed in its demand that the park corporation formally amend its plan.

Building luxury housing along the park’s edge was contentious from the start. But the park was predicated on such development. (A residential-and-hotel complex is under construction at the opposite end of the park near Pier 1.) The park is expensive to maintain since it consists of several piers that are subject to wind, tides and marine organisms.

Frank Carone, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the park corporation must hold public hearings on any amendment to the plan. Ultimately, he added, the Empire State Development Corporation, a state agency with some oversight of the park corporation, will then “affirm, deny or modify” the amendment.

“Now, community folks, interested parties and experts can testify and be heard in a fair process whereby all evidence will be considered,” Mr. Carone said.

The group that brought the lawsuit had argued that the inclusion of affordable housing violated the original concept for the park — that the only development necessary was that which would pay for its operations and maintenance. The affordable units, by their nature, would not produce such revenue.

But New York City officials countered that the real estate development at the park could serve the twin imperatives of providing more low-cost housing and also supporting the park.

Officials for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation praised the settlement. The lawsuit had delayed its consideration of development proposals for Pier 6; now that process can move forward.

Belinda Cape, a spokeswoman for the park corporation, said: “We look forward to moving ahead with a fantastic project that will not only plug the final remaining gap in funding for this world class open space, but provide affordable housing, community space and a beautiful gateway to the park’s southern entrance.”

The settlement also stipulates that the maximum heights of the two towers — 155 feet and 315 feet — include any mechanical structures on their roofs. Another residents’ group has sued the park corporation over the complex under construction to the north of Pier 6. That group argues that the mechanical structure there exceeds the building height caps.

A version of this article appears in print on May 28, 2015, on page A22 of the New York edition with the headline: Housing Lawsuit Is Settled by Brooklyn Bridge Park. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: Under the agreement, the park corporation will have to hold public hearings if it wants to change its building plans.


Clients often dump advisers for making wrong market calls. Michael McDaniel is taking measures to make sure he stays one step ahead.

Instead of trying to outsmart markets, though, the financial planner says he is focusing on using software to dig deeper into investment portfolios.

The idea is to weed out previously unforeseen market...

Summary: Mid- to smaller-tiered independent advisory shops are turning to readily available software to analyze clients' investments and create diversified, highly personalized portfolios.


The existence of the House Republicans’ anti-Planned Parenthood committee is arguably tougher to defend.

The Tennessee Republican didn’t make any pretense this week of being impartial with the committee she chairs, the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, commonly known as the Planned Parenthood committee.

On the eve of her panel’s Wednesday’s hearing, Blackburn went over to Georgetown University to participate in a protest against Planned Parenthood, the very entity she is supposed to be investigating…. Then Blackburn showed up at her committee hearing the next morning and proclaimed, “My hope is that both parties can work together.”

Of course, when Blackburn talks about the parties “working together,” what she’s referring to is a hope that Democrats will simply go along with a culture-war crusade as if the GOP’s latest select committee were a legitimate exercise, probing a genuine controversy.

The work of David Daleiden, an anti-abortion activist currently facing criminal indictment in Texas whose home was recently searched by California authorities, had sparked the committee’s creation. But he was not called to testify about his secretly recorded videos of abortion providers, for which he posed as a procurer of fetal tissue for medical research. (Daleiden did, however, live tweet the proceedings.)

Also absent were representatives of StemExpress, the actual fetal tissue procurement company that is in the crosshairs of the committee, though according to ranking minority member Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky, the company’s procurement director offered to explain its cost structure to the committee. “The Chair ignored that offer and, instead, called this public hearing and invited witnesses who have no firsthand knowledge of the facts to opine about potential criminal misconduct,” Schakowsky said.

There’s a reason Democratic members of the committee described the proceedings as a “farce,” a “kangaroo court” and “a witch hunt.”

[T]his incendiary “exhibit” – asserting that any abortion clinic that receives any payment for fetal tissue is breaking the law – turned out to be not evidence but an undocumented claim by the Republican staff.

“I think that these exhibits were created from whole cloth,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) a member of the panel. She objected to the use of the exhibits, claiming they violated House rules. Republicans moved to table her objection and prevailed on a party-line vote.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) tried again. He raised a parliamentary inquiry about how the “pure profit” conclusion was reached – particularly because it was contradicted by three other exhibits that appeared to document activities performed by abortion clinics in the tissue sales that have associated costs.

Committee Republicans not only didn’t care, they also based much of yesterday’s discussion around materials no one could substantiate.

If there’s a credible defense for such a reckless waste of Congress’ time, it’s hiding well.

Disclosure: My wife works at Planned Parenthood, but she played no role in this piece and her work is unrelated to fetal-tissue research and the congressional investigation.

Summary: It seemed the Republicans' crusade against Planned Parenthood couldn't get any more ridiculous. That is, until yesterday, when the investigation got much worse.


“That’s it, I think we should declare Glastonbury an independent nation state.” As word of the referendum results slowly rippled across the festival campsite on Friday morning, bleary-eyed campers grappled both with hangovers and the realisation that they were unzipping their tents to a UK changed forever. And for the many of the 180,000 ticket-holders who were firmly in the remain camp, talk soon jokingly turned to “Glexit”.

A noticeably sombre mood gripped Worthy Farm as the first acts of the festival took to the stage under darkening clouds. The 50-piece Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music, accompanied by Damon Albarn, Blur frontman and founder of Africa Express project, opened the Other Stage. Albarn did not mince his words as he spoke of his anger at the referendum results.

“I have a heavy heart today,” he said to the gathered crowds. “Democracy has failed us. Democracy has failed us because it was ill informed. And I want all of you to know that when we all leave here, we can change that decision. It is possible.”

It was a strangely uplifting performance, as the audience were reminded there are places in the world worse to be even than a broken Britain.

“It’s really emotional. It suddenly brings it all to the front of your mind how united we should be, when you consider what these people from Syria are going through,” said Tanya Chesworth.

“That made my Glastonbury. It’s brought unity after what we have woken up to,” said Mitch Pendered, who lives in Switzerland but comes from Devon and voted remain.

The political mood also gripped other stages. As Novelist, the grime artist, took to the stage he started up a rousing chant of “Fuck David Cameron”, while the guitarist from rock band James told the crowd: “It is with incredible sadness that we stand here today, unified in sadness that our country has turned on people. Fuck them!”

“It’s like Yugoslavia without the bombs, a country disintegrating,” said Robert Smith from Swindon.

Related: Building Glastonbury – mud, manpower and mini-spiders

Spirits were also not lifted by the weather, which by midday had turned to torrential rain and did little to improve the treacherously muddy conditions underfoot.

The Other Stage was almost an hour late opening and logistical difficulties meant the controversial women-only Sisterhood stage, which was due to host various female-led performances and even a twerking workshop, was still not open on Friday.

The seismic referendum aftermath also led to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pulling out of his appearance at the Left Field tent on Sunday, with a spokesperson saying he was focusing on “momentous” results.

Nonetheless, Corbyn’s continued popularity with young voters was reaffirmed as mere mention of his name in the tent prompted a huge cheer.

And while many festivalgoers tried to focus their efforts on forgetting politics for the rest of the weekend, throwing themselves into watching acts such as Skepta, Sigur Rós and headliners Muse, Left Field remained a hive of heated political discussion.

Speaking before his performance, Glastonbury stalwart Billy Bragg offered a call to arms to the young generation, the majority of whom voted to stay in the EU. Admitting he had not voted when he first got the vote in 1979, Bragg said now was not the time for political apathy.

“My guess is there’s a lot of young people who woke up this morning thinking, there’s absolutely no way this country would be so stupid to vote us out,” he said. “You probably thought there’s no point in going to the polling station, I’ll let someone else do that. I’m not here to condemn them, after I made the mistake I got stuck into the fight. So now it’s your job to get stuck in.”

His message was echoed by Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norfolk South, who called for “progressives” to rebuild, be resolute and help him make the world know that “the England Nigel Farage represents is not the UK I want to be part of”.

Summary: Damon Albarn, Novelist and James among those voicing anger from the stage as audiences deal with poll news – and heavy rain


A lone gunman killed nine people in and around a Munich shopping mall in a shooting spree police described as a possible terror attack, putting the southern German city in lockdown during a nearly seven-hour manhunt until police said the attacker had killed himself.

Heavily armed police from across the country combed Munich Friday night, searching for what witnesses had said were multiple shooters and responding to emergency calls that turned out to be false alarms. After 1 a.m., police said the gunman, whom they...

Summary: Munich police said at least 10 people died and several others were injured in at least one shooting that they suspect is a terror attack in the city late Friday.


While the film does not give a date for his studies, the narrative implies that it was during the 1970s, when he was an active political opponent of the Shah, the ousted former Iranian monarch, and several years before Glasgow Caledonian was established in 1993.

When a correspondent on Gulf 2000, a Middle East internet forum, pointed out this discrepancy, a supporter of Mr Rowhani responded with a newspaper web link purporting to show that he received his PhD in 1999 – but under a different family name, Feridon.

That date would have coincided with Mr Rowhani's tenure as secretary of Iran's supreme national security council – a role in which he led negotiations with the West over the Iranian programme – and membership of another state body, the expediency council.

Some analysts believe his responsibilities which would have made post-graduate study difficult.

"He would need to have herculean multi-tasking skills to write a PhD thesis while heading the national security council," said Meir Javedanfar, an Iran-born analyst with the Inter-Disciplinary Centre in Herzliya in Israel.

It also contradicts the time-line suggested in his campaign film, The section about his time in Glasgow is followed by a segment showing documents from Savak, the Shah's much-feared secret police, referring to the political activities of a "Dr Hassan Rowhani", suggesting he already had a PhD before Iran's 1979 revolution.

A Glasgow Caledonian spokesman said the university was checking Mr Rowhani's credentials but was unable to confirm them by the time of publication.

Mr Rowhani, a cleric who was close to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the Islamic revolution, is also said to have a BA in law from Tehran University. He held extensive talks with European statesmen, including Jack Straw, the then-Foreign Secretary, about Iran's nuclear activities under the reformist Iranian presidency of Mohammad Khatami until 2005.

The doubts over his academic background coincide with his emergence as the most controversial and charismatic nominee in the Iranian election.

Although previously seen as a moderate conservative, Mr Rowhani has wooed reform-minded voters with his denunciations of the repressive "security atmosphere" in Iranian society and by advocating greater personal freedoms.

Supporters at his campaign rallies have attracted the attention of the security forces by shouting slogans backing Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two reformist candidates in the 2009 election currently under house arrest.

At a rally in Tehran's Shiroudi stadium on Saturday, they called for the release of political prisoners. Mr Rowhani responded by saying: "Why the political prisoner? All the prisoners should get released."

Despite his growing popularity, Mr Rowhani is not expected to win an election race that is dominated by hard-line conservative candidates.

On Monday, Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, a former parliament speaker close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, withdrew from the race in a move apparently aimed at helping a better-placed conservative candidate to win, narrowing the field to seven.

Summary: The British academic record of an Iranian presidential candidate has come   under scrutiny amid uncertainty over where and when he obtained his   qualifications.


There is simply no precedent for this: A presidential candidate publicly appealing to a foreign adversary to intervene in the election on his behalf.

“This is unprecedented — it is one of those things that seems to be genuinely new in international relations,” said Paul Musgrave, a University of Massachusetts professor who studies American foreign policy.

After a long pause, Mr. Musgrave added, “Being shocked into speechlessness is not the sort of thing you’re really used to in the business of foreign policy analysis.”

Summary: Even veterans of Republican administrations are calling Trump's rhetoric towards Russia "very dangerous" and "appalling."


"There is nothing new under the sun," proclaims the Book of Ecclesiastes. The rise of the new new atheism confirms this ancient biblical wisdom.

Of course the famous words of Ecclesiastes should not be taken in a slavishly literal sense, a technique that is all-too-common among those who think they can refute belief in God by showing that the Bible abounds in demonstrably false and self-contradictory statements.

Summary: Attacking "God" has become a lucrative book business. But there's not much substance behind the latest atheist tracts.


Dave Levinthal, a spokesman for the center, said: “What this says is that Wall Street is awfully angry with Democrats and sees Republicans as a better bet. They’re making an investment in the prospect of a Republican-controlled Congress that they perceive to be more favorable toward their bottom line.”

For Democrats, the November elections will test their ability to focus public attention away from the country’s poor economy and toward the eye-popping sums that Wall Street is raising for Republicans. Already, Democrats are using the issue in a handful of hotly contested races because they believe many voters are even angrier with Wall Street than they are with Washington.

In Washington State, for instance, a spot broadcast this month by Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat seeking re-election, attacks her Republican opponent, Dino Rossi, as “the best friend Wall Street and big banks can buy.”

Ms. Murray — who has taken significant sums from the financial sector herself — is seeking to tie her opponent’s Wall Street contributions to his call for repealing the toughened financial regulations. Her commercial cites two fund-raisers in particular, including a June 30 event hosted by Mr. Singer that earned the Rossi campaign nearly $135,000, with many executives at his Elliott Management fund contributing personal checks.

Republicans maintain that the strategy has fallen flat.

“The Democrats have tried to make this anti-business rhetoric an attack point, but I haven’t seen any evidence that it’s resonated at all,” said Brian Walsh, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

In the meantime, Mr. Singer has continued writing checks.

In April, he gave $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association, along with smaller donations this election cycle to more than two dozen other conservative campaigns.

At his June fund-raiser, Mr. Singer voiced frustration not only over financial policies in Washington, but also on national security and foreign policy, particularly what he saw as the Obama administration’s inadequate support for Israel, according to a friend at the fund-raiser who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not comfortable speaking publicly about his guarded associate.

But very quietly, Mr. Singer has also given significant sums to personal causes that run counter to the agenda of many conservatives.

With no public disclosure, Mr. Singer has given more than $4.2 million to groups supporting gay rights and same-sex marriage, like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, associates said.

“Several of Paul’s family and friends are gay activists, and he has learned a lot from their work over the years,” said Myron Kaplan, a longtime friend and lawyer for Mr. Singer. “He supports the work of these groups. He also believes the Republican Party is a big tent, and he respects the different perspectives within the party on this issue.”

Mr. Singer plans to hold a fund-raiser next month at his Manhattan apartment in support of the California lawsuit opposing Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. Ken Mehlman, a former top Republican official who said this week that he was gay, will be one of the co-hosts.

Mr. Singer is guarded about his political and business dealings. He declined requests for an interview for this article, as he rarely gives interviews, and he has turned down several invitations to be honored for his philanthropy. He made news this week for trying to keep secret the internal positions of his hedge fund, going to court to try to identify the source of a leak of the firm’s investment newsletter.

Still, his visibility has grown, beginning in 2007 as a fund-raiser for Mr. Giuliani’s presidential campaign. Mr. Singer, who lent the former New York City mayor his jet for the campaign, was drawn into controversy when he was identified as the donor who indirectly contributed $175,000 to a California ballot initiative that Democrats saw as a way of tilting the state’s electoral votes toward Republicans in 2008.

His role at the Manhattan Institute — he became its chairman in 2008 — has also given him more visibility.

The April black-tie event that Mr. Singer hosted netted a record $1.4 million for the institute.

But Mr. Singer, ever the fund-raiser, could not resist another pitch for more money even as dinner was about to be served. “Have no fear,” he told his guests. “We will accept checks or credit cards at the door, jewelry, brightly colored bits of glass.”

An article on Saturday about the political donations of Paul Singer, a hedge fund manager, described imprecisely the source of significant contributions to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Mr. Singer and others affiliated with his firm, Elliott Management, are collectively the top source of contributions to the committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which collates campaign finance data. The hedge fund itself is not the committee’s biggest source of money. (Under campaign finance rules, the firm cannot make such contributions.)

A version of this article appears in print on August 28, 2010, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: G.O.P. Has Potent Ally On Wall St. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: Paul Singer, a hedge fund manager, has grown more influential as he and other conservatives tap into a rising tide of anger in the financial sector toward Washington.


Fifty years on from the suicide of Sylvia Plath and we are still obsessed with her tragic life with Ted Hughes. Aside from her powerful poems, there are dozens of joint biographies and critical works. There was even a film staring Daniel Craig and Gwyneth Paltrow, my main memory of which is the actors mispronouncing Hughes’s hometown of Mytholmroyd.

At the end of this month, Andrew Wilson publishes Mad Girl’s Love Song, an account of Plath’s life before she met Ted Hughes; and this morning it was announced that Carol Hughes, the poet’s second wife, will be writing a memoir of her marriage, “while I have full recall and no false memory”.

She aims to, in her mind, set the record straight. Speaking of her late husband's critics, she said: “The people who wrote about Ted were not flies on the wall, even if they write as though they were. Nobody really knows what goes on between two people.” So are we going through a second phase of the Team Sylvia vs Team Ted wars that was so popular in the Seventies and Eighties?

I suspect not. The Ted Hughes rehabilitation project began in 1998 with the publication of Birthday Letters, his remarkable collection of poetic epistles addressed to his first wife. Since then we have had his own Selected Letters, which not only told of his sweet love for Plath during most of their marriage (one his nicknames for her was “Push-Kish Ponky”), but also his guilt and anguish after her death.

Soon after the suicide he wrote: “I was the one could have helped her, and the only one that couldn’t see that she really needed it this time. No doubt where the blame lies.”

Such self-exculpation was the more moving given that Hughes could have saved himself years of criticism if he had revealed these lines before his death. Plath herself was a fine writer whose reputation has been obscured by the mythology surrounding her. This month's reissue of The Bell Jar, her darkly funny novel about a woman working at a New York fashion magazine, will hopefully show readers another side to the author of "Lady Lazarus" and "Edge".

Both new books – Wilson’s and Carol Hughes’s – are part of disentangling the couple’s lives from each other. While we will always be fascinated by their story, they would have been exceptional writers even if they had never met.

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Summary: It's time to judge the poets on their own merits, says Sameer Rahim.


Caitlyn Jenner says paparazzi were a major contributing factor in her fatal 2015 PCH car crash by chasing and tailgating her ... so they should pay at least some of the damages.

Jenner filed new docs in the lawsuit filed by one of the families, claiming a number of paparazzi were driving recklessly to get the prized photo of her behind the wheel.

She called the photogs "stalkers," saying she was "visually distracted" in a situation where split seconds mattered.

Jenner also pointed a finger at Jessica Steindorff -- the woman who was driving the Prius Jenner hit -- saying Jessica was on her cell phone and sat parked on PCH when she should have been moving.

Jenner is angling to deflect some of the financial consequences by apportioning monitory damages based on the negligence of her, the paps and Steindorff.

Summary: Caitlyn Jenner says paparazzi were a major contributing factor in her fatal 2015 PCH car crash ... so they should pay at least some of the damages.


MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — THERE are shameful photos of me on the internet.

In one series, my groceries are being packed into plastic bags, as I’d forgotten to bring cloth ones. In other shots, I am getting in and out of … cars. There are video snippets of me giving talks, or standing on the street. Sometimes I see the cameraman, sometimes I don’t. The images are often posted to Twitter, reminders that I’m being watched.

In April, Politico and The Hill reported that America Rising Squared, an arm of the Republican opposition research group America Rising, had decided to go after me and Tom Steyer, another prominent environmentalist, with a campaign on a scale previously reserved for presidential candidates. Using what The Hill called “an unprecedented amount of effort and money,” the group, its executive director said, was seeking to demonstrate our “epic hypocrisy and extreme positions.”

Since then, my days in public have often involved cameramen walking backward and videotaping my every move. It’s mostly when I travel (I’ve encountered them in at least five states so far, as well as in Australia), and generally when I’m in a public or semipublic space. They aren’t interested in my arguments; instead, these videos, usually wordless, are simply posted on Twitter, almost always with music. One showed me sitting in a church pew, accompanied by the song “Show Me That Smile.” The tweet read, “Ready for his close-up.”

Someone also went to the archive at Texas Tech University, where my papers are stored, and asked for copies of everything in all 54 boxes. He identified himself as being with a group that is affiliated with America Rising Squared.

This effort has resulted in all kinds of odd things appearing on right-wing corners of the web: out-of-context quotations from old books and articles apparently put on display to prove I’m a zealot, and photos from God knows who intended to make me out as a hypocrite (the plastic bags, for instance, and my travel by car, which, you know, burns gas). Mostly, they’ve just published those creepy videos, to remind me that I’m under surveillance.

I understand that this isn’t horrible in the way that police brutality is horrible, or having your home swept away by a flood is horrible. I know that in other parts of the world, environmentalists have worse things than cameras pointed at them. From Honduras to the Philippines, in the last two years, activists have been assassinated after getting in the way of megaprojects.

And I get, as well-meaning friends keep reminding me, that at some level it’s all tribute to our movement’s work in helping kill the Keystone pipeline and highlighting Exxon’s climate history, campaigns that cost the industry a lot of money. But I also understand that the simple fact that I’ve done nothing wrong is no defense against the destruction of a reputation: These are the same kind of people who turned John Kerry, a bona fide war hero, into a traitor through twisting and manipulation.

Summary: An opposition research group has targeted me for my environmental work, following and recording me to reveal what it calls my hypocrisy and extremism.


Kelly Clarkson’s empowering comeback single now has an equally empowering music video to match. In the new clip for “Heartbeat Song,” a diverse group of devastated youngsters cope with heartbreak in questionable ways, such as taking long walks by the train tracks and leaving borderline-creepy lipstick messages on an ex’s bathroom mirror. They’re saved by some legitimately cute meet-cutes — dogs getting tangled up, coffee shop orders getting mixed up — and learn that, yes, Cher, there is life after love.

If the track’s Jimmy Eat World-vibes didn’t give you warm fuzzy feelings inside, this video might — as long as you ignore the part where a couple tries to make out through opposite sides of a park bench, which is disgusting and probably unsanitary.

Summary: The empowering "Heartbeat Song" gets an empowering music video


08/16/2016 AT 04:30 PM EDT

wants to make the world a better place for those who suffer from dementia.

star, whose grandmother Margaret Booth, 90, has suffered from dementia for 16 years, has been appointed as the U.K.'s first global Dementia Friends Ambassador.

In close collaboration with the

, Mulligan, 31, will work to publicize the

initiative, which aims to transform the way people perceive, act and talk about the condition in everyday life.

"It empowers you to take away that fear that you feel when you're in the street and you see someone who is maybe struggling a little bit," Mulligan told

. "Or someone in a shop who can't figure out how much money they need to work out in change. To take away that fear of 'Oh maybe I shouldn't offer to help just in case they are fine.' "

Mulligan said she wants to help make people more empathetic to those with the disease.

"It puts you in the mindset of someone who has dementia and makes you see the world through their eyes," she said.

Mulligan's grandmother – or Nans, as she calls her – was first diagnosed with dementia when the actress was just a teenager. She said the former geography teacher now struggles to communicate and often doesn't recognize her.

"Nans has had dementia now for about 16 years and so she is in a quite advanced stage," explained Mulligan. "It has been at various stages confusing and saddening and it's also given us the opportunity to meet really amazing people who dedicate their lives to working with people who suffer from dementia.

Because the disease is so close to her heart, Mulligan wants to reverse the global attitude toward dementia and start a wider discussion about how positive changes can be made.

"I get really frustrated by really casual references to people, and it happens all the time, where you'll be having a conversation with someone who will refer to an elderly relative as someone who has 'lost their marbles,' " she said. "It is these very casual phrases, but they are so often describing someone who has a condition and it's just not treated in the way that other diseases are. So that has always sort of wound me up.

Through her new platform as a Dementia Friends Ambassador, Mulligan is optimistic about a more enlightened approach toward understanding dementia.

"I think there's a natural fear. And I think that's something that we should talk about more," she said. "I think for such a long time it always felt like such a taboo subject, and I think that's gradually changing."

Summary: Carey Mulligan has been appointed the U.K.'s first global Dementia Friends Ambassador


WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Thursday denied a long-shot request by states seeking to block an environmental regulation cutting mercury pollution from power plants, a boost for the Obama administration.

A coalition of 20 states last week asked the Supreme Court for an emergency stay of the Environmental Protection Agency regulation, emboldened by the court’s unexpected order on Feb. 9 that temporarily blocked a different EPA rule cutting carbon emissions from power plants during litigation. The state coalition was led by Michigan’s Republican attorney general, Bill Schuette.

Chief Justice John Roberts denied the states’ latest request without comment and without referring it to the other justices, a signal that he believed the request didn’t make a strong case for action by the high court. Under court procedures, Chief Justice Roberts handles requests from cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and may act on requests himself or circulate them for consideration by the full court.

In their plea filed in late February, the states argued that leaving the rule in place since the Supreme Court’s opinion last summer has caused “irreparable harm” and imposed “literally billions of dollars of compliance costs on utilities.”

The EPA adopted the mercury rules in 2012, and they went into effect in early 2015.

The Supreme Court ruled last summer that the EPA must reconsider the mercury rule because it didn’t take into account industry costs before deciding to adopt the regulation. The agency plans to issue a final supplemental consideration of cost in April, according to an EPA spokeswoman.

“These practical and achievable standards cut harmful pollution from power plants, saving thousands of lives each year and preventing heart and asthma attacks,” EPA spokeswoman Melissa Harrison said. “Power plants are the largest source of mercury in the United States.”

The Supreme Court’s order last month blocking the carbon regulation was issued with all justices participating and split the court 5-4, with conservatives in the majority.

Justice Antonin Scalia’s death just a few days after the carbon order cast more uncertainty over the fate of a host of contentious issues, including President Barack Obama’s environmental agenda. His absence from the court wasn’t at issue in the stay denial on the mercury regulations.

Most utilities have taken steps over the last couple of years to comply with the rule as it was winding its way through the legal system.

A request for comment to the Michigan’s attorney general’s office wasn’t immediately returned.

Write to Amy Harder at amy.harder@wsj.com and Brent Kendall at brent.kendall@wsj.com

Summary: The Supreme Court denied a request by states seeking to block an environmental regulation cutting mercury pollution from power plants, a boost for the Obama administration.


GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals brought their training camp to an end Friday with a brisk morning workout in front of a smattering of fans at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The players packed their bags, checked out of the nearby Renaissance Hotel and returned to their homes. On Saturday, they left for Sunday night's preseason game at Oakland.

"I think we did a good job establishing our identity," defensive end Calais Campbell said, "figuring out what kind of team we're going to be."

Across Phoenix from Glendale to the east suburb of Tempe, workouts will resume at the Cardinals' facility Monday and Tuesday ahead of the team's final preseason game at Denver next Thursday. Cuts to reduce the roster to 53 will follow.

Coach Bruce Arians, always a master of one-liners, says it will be nice to sleep in his own bed and, besides, "my liver likes a break, too."

"I thought we had an excellent camp," he said. "I hate to use the word potential because potential is a negative thing for me. But we have potential to be a pretty good team. We still daily make too many mistakes that beat ourselves with penalties and missed assignments."

There was one new injury. Defensive tackle Xavier Williams, an undrafted rookie having an excellent camp, hurt his left elbow and was to undergo an MRI.

Inside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon still did not practice due to a hamstring injury and won't make the trip to Oakland.

Running back Chris Johnson and cornerback Jerraud Powers will go. Johnson hopes to see his first game action since he was signed. He has been slowed by a hamstring problem. Powers said he definitely will play, especially after Arians nicknamed him "milk man," implying he was milking the injury to get out of practice.

Powers had two interceptions in the final practice.

"The milk man delivered today," Arians said.

And the training camp for first-round draft pick D.J. Humphries ended the way it had started, with severe criticism for the big tackle from Arians.

"He's just got to mature," Arians said. "Talent's not the issue. The maturity level, building trust. You can't turn blitzers loose on the backside of a quarterback and have any trust."

The coach said it's undetermined how much the starters will play Sunday. Palmer might not go past the first quarter, and backup Drew Stanton won't play much either.

Phillip Sims, trying to unseat Logan Thomas as the third quarterback, will play third, with Thomas finishing up the game.

Arians has said it's possible he might have two quarterbacks on the active roster and one on the practice squad.

Summary: Calais Campbell says the Cardinals did a good job of establishing their identity in training camp. They're in Oakland on Sunday for their third preseason game, then it's back to their training facility in Tempe to continue preparation for the regular season.