Mae Gŵyl Tafwyl bellach yn ddyddiad pwysig yn nyddiadur Cymry Cymraeg a di-Gymraeg Caerdydd a thu hwnt.

Anodd credu felly taw dim ond ers degawd mae hi wedi bodoli.

Felly sut tyfodd syniad o ŵyl Gymraeg i'r teulu yn nhafarn ym Mhontcanna, i fod yn ŵyl dau ddiwrnod gynhwysfawr yng Nghastell Caerdydd?

Roedd Siân Lewis, Prif Weithredwr Menter Caerdydd, yna o'r cychwyn:

Cododd y syniad yn wreiddiol mewn cyfarfod o Mentrau Iaith Cymru. Roedd Menter Iaith Conwy wrthi'n trefnu Gŵyl Llanw Llanrwst oedd yn ŵyl gymunedol i'r teulu a meddyliais y byddai'n syniad da trefnu gŵyl debyg yng Nghaerdydd er mwyn codi proffil y Gymraeg yn y ddinas.

Yn weddol fuan, aethon ni ati i drefnu cyfarfod cyhoeddus er mwyn gweld faint o ddiddordeb fyddai 'na i ŵyl o'r fath ymysg pobl Cymraeg Caerdydd a'n partneriaid o fudiadau eraill yn y brifddinas.

Fe ddaeth tua 100 o bobl i'r cyfarfod cyntaf 'na, oedd yn ymateb da ac yn arwydd fod awydd rhywbeth yng nghanol y brifddinas fyddai'n codi proffil ac yn dathlu'r Gymraeg.

Gyda'r syniad o ŵyl wedi ei dderbyn gan y gymuned yn y cyfarfod, y broblem gyntaf oedd dod o hyd i leoliad addas. Mewn byd delfrydol, rhyw fath o glwb rygbi fyddai wedi bod yn berffaith, lleoliad dan do gyda neuadd fach a bar ac adnoddau gwneud bwyd, ond hefyd digon o dir o gwmpas i gynnal digwyddiadau allanol.

Yn anffodus, nid oedd unman yn ffitio'r disgrifiad oedd mewn lleoliad canolog. Doedden ni ddim eisiau ei gynnal mewn ysgol gan fy mod i'n awyddus i dorri'r syniad fod y Gymraeg yn iaith ar gyfer addysg yn unig.

Felly dyma droi at leoliad oedd yn amlwg ym mywyd cymdeithasol Cymraeg pobl Caerdydd ar y pryd. Roedd tafarn y Mochyn Du yng nghanol y ddinas, ac o fewn cyrraedd ardal o Gaerdydd sydd â chanran uchel o Gymry sydd â theuluoedd.

Roedd perchennog y Mochyn Du yn gefnogol iawn i'r syniad ac felly cawsom y cyfle i ddefnyddio'r dafarn a maes parcio'r dafarn i gynnal Tafwyl 1.

Mae'n bwysig cofio, yn wreiddiol, roedd yr ŵyl yn gasgliad o ddigwyddiadau yn para dros wythnos. Pwrpas hyn oedd creu digwyddiadau i ddenu pob math o ddiddordebau ac yn wir roedd teithiau hanes, nosweithiau i ddysgwyr, gigs ieuenctid, sesiynau Cyw, cwis tafarn, nosweithiau comedi pob math o ddigwyddiadau yn apelio at gymaint o bobl ag oedd yn bosib.

Roedd y ffair fel oeddwn yn ei alw ar y pryd, yn binacl i'r ŵyl a'r syniad oedd denu pawb at ei gilydd i ddathlu diwedd yr wythnos o weithgareddau. Y targed ar gyfer y 'Ffair Tafwyl' gyntaf oedd denu 1,000 o bobl.

Roedd hi'n fwriad denu ysgolion, er mwyn annog rhieni i ddod â'u plant, achos ô'n ni'n gwybod os fyddai ysgol yn perfformio, fyddai cwpwl o gannoedd o rieni'n dod hefyd. Yn y cychwyn, bydden ni'n gwahodd cwpwl o ysgolion i berfformio, un côr oedolion ac un band a dyna oedd 'lein up' Tafwyl.

Yn raddol fe aeth hi'n fwy, gyda mwy o ysgolion a chorau yn perfformio. Erbyn hynny roedd yr ŵyl yn denu dros 2,500 o bobl a'r broblem newydd oedd nad oedd 'na safle addas i'w chynnal yng nghanol y ddinas.

Wedi ychydig o drafod gyda Chyngor Caerdydd, ddaeth y cynnig i ddefnyddio'r castell yn rhad ac am ddim a chael Tafwyl i ymddangos yng nghalendr digwyddiadau swyddogol y Cyngor.

Roedd un broblem. Roedd symud i'r castell yn codi'r ŵyl i lefel gwbl wahanol, o ran maint a phwysigrwydd. Roedd Menter Caerdydd ar y pryd, ac yn wir yn dal i fod, yn fenter gymunedol eithaf bach.

Yn y Mochyn Du, roedd pawb o'r staff yn medru helpu drwy drefnu un rhan o'r ŵyl, ond y peth cyntaf oedd yn rhaid ei wneud wrth symud i'r castell oedd penodi swyddog fyddai â chyfrifoldeb llawn amser am drefnu'r ŵyl.

Roedd y Tafwyl cyntaf wedi costio tua £2,500. Erbyn hyn, mae Tafwyl yn costio £150,000 ac felly mae angen ymdrech fawr i gyd-lynu'r holl fudiadau, unigolion, perfformwyr, darparwyr bwyd a diod a'r holl ffactorau eraill sydd yn gwneud gŵyl lwyddiannus.

Yn ychwanegol, mae'n rhaid sicrhau'r cyllid. Mae'r arian i gynnal Tafwyl yn dod o grantiau gan fudiadau megis Llywodraeth Cymru, Cyngor y Celfyddydau, ac amrywiaeth o ffynonellau eraill gan gynnwys nawdd y sector breifat.

Mae llawer o'n hamser trefnu felly yn mynd yn llenwi ceisiadau am gyllid!

Ers symud i'r castell, mae'r ŵyl wedi datblygu'n sylweddol o ran maint a statws. Mae hefyd wedi datblygu o ŵyl un diwrnod i ŵyl dau ddiwrnod (gyda digwyddiadau ffrinj yn cael eu cynnal yn y ddyddiau yn arwain at Tafwyl).

Mae pob adnodd posib yn cael ei ddefnyddio i'r eithaf er mwyn sicrhau fod yr ŵyl yn gweld golau dydd. Mae'r sefyllfa ariannol bresennol hefyd yn golygu na fydd yr ŵyl yn gallu dibynnu gofyn am fwy o gyllid yn ddi-ddiwedd, felly esblygu'r gweithgareddau sydd yn digwydd o fewn yr ŵyl fydd yr unig newidiadau alla'i ragweld yn y dyfodol agos.

Y prif nod, yw parhau i fod yn ŵyl am ddim. Mae hyn yn hollbwysig, ac wedi bod yn gonglfaen yr ŵyl ers y cychwyn.

Pwrpas Tafwyl yw hyrwyddo a chodi proffil y Gymraeg. Felly mae'n hanfodol fod pobl y ddinas, boed nhw'n Gymry neu beidio, yn medru rhannu'r ŵyl a chael cyfle i weld yr holl amrywiaeth o weithgareddau sydd ar gael yn y Gymraeg. Mae'n bwysig adlewyrchu fod y Gymraeg ar gyfer plant, pobl ifanc a phobl hŷn a'i bod hi'n iaith ddeinamig, fyw.

Llynedd ddaeth 35,000 trwy'r drysau dros y ddau ddiwrnod. Fydden ni ddim wedi breuddwydio am lwyddiant tebyg pan ddechreuon ni yn y Mochyn Du ddeng mlynedd yn ôl.

Bydd 42 o fandiau'n chwarae a 300 o wahanol ddigwyddiadau yn digwydd yn ystod Tafwyl 2016. Mae'n binacl blwyddyn o waith caled o drefnu. Dim ond gobeithio nawr fydd y tywydd yn braf!

Summary: Mae gŵyl Gymraeg Caerdydd yn 10 oed eleni. Roedd Sian Lewis yno o'r cychwyn


A baby macaque looks at flowers in its Hangzhou, China, zoo incubator.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange holds a U.N. report as he speaks on the balcony of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

President Barack Obama speaks about the economy in Washington.

The box containing the corpse of Saint Pio da Pietralcina is carried inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Visitors enjoy a laser light show at the CTM Festival in Berlin.

A man paints idols of Hindu goddess Saraswati in Amristar, India.

A Nijntje (Miffy) figure hugs a child during the official reopening of the Nijntje Museum in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

"Tschaeggaettae," or masked Carnival revelers, pose in the streets of Blatten, Switzerland.

A Syrian refugee sits near a border gate in Kilis, Turkey.

Winter Storm Lexi coats Manchester, N.H. in snow.

Volcanic lightning sparks at a Mt. Sakurajima eruption near Tarumizu, Kagoshima, Japan.

Decorations of the Chinese zodiac clutter a Singapore street.

Police investigators enter the building where two New York police officers were shot in the Bronx.

Emergency responders respond to the scene of a 565-foot-tall crane that toppled and flipped upside down, stretching along nearly two city blocks in downtown Manhattan.

A model presents a Cristina Granero creation in Seville, Spain.

A worker brushes snow off Bernie Sanders campaign signs in Manchester, N.H.

Donald Trump campaigns in Portsmouth, N.H.

Hillary Clinton leaves a campaign stop during a snowstorm in Manchester, N.H.

An eight-month-old California sea lion pup is awoken from her nap in a booth at the Marine Room restaurant in La Jolla, Calif.

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Summary: A macaque gears up for the Year of the Monkey celebration, candidates take to snowy New Hampshire and more.


why he believes the network "stole" his exclusive story about

Glazer's beef is all over his report about Manziel getting the starting QB job in Cleveland -- news Jay says he BROKE on Dec. 9th.

Glazer claims ESPN posted the same exact story AFTER he put it up ... but didn't give him credit. Instead, J.G. says the network based the story on unnamed "sources."

When we saw Jay at The Grove in L.A. yesterday, he explained that he's pissed because breaking exclusive stories isn't a hobby, it's his job -- "That's how I provide for my kid."

"In life, you don't steal," Glazer says ... "don't be a thief."

We reached out to ESPN -- but the network had no comment.

Summary: Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer is FURIOUS with ESPN -- telling TMZ Sports why he believes the network "stole" his exclusive story about Johnny Manziel.…


Nero may have jammed out on a fiddle while Rome burned to the ground, but on nearby Greece — experiencing its own meltdown of sorts — he’d happily be spinning electronic dance music.

That’s certainly true on Mykonos, anyway, at its thronged, open-air Cavo Paradiso, one of the small island’s two biggest and bitterly rivalrous nightclubs (the other being Paradise Club). The idyllic isle competes only with Ibiza for southern Europe’s insular party capital.

It’s 3 a.m. and globetrotting DJ Loco Dice — a hip-hoppy, Tunisian-blooded German national — just rolled into the office: Cavo’s turntable booth.

Amid the aural and visceral seismic bass-thumping insanity he’s begun blasting the cosmos with are erupting fire cannons, a dense cloudscape of machine-pumped smoke, strobing spotlights, speakers and amps bigger than smartcars and a hopping, crazed capacity crowd of thousands.

Fire meets water at Mykonos' favorite nightclub.

Really the only place to take a quick breather is inside the bathroom complex where a sweet little attendant lady hands you towelettes to wipe the cricks of sweat streaming down your face (it’s hot as balls, especially in late July, peak party season). Even in here, it’s still a rager: kids are throwing them ‘bows, drinking, smoking, hooking up. Not sure why they even bothered dividing it up into “men’s” and “women’s” sides, since — and you may want to cover your ears, North Carolinians — the bathroom entrances are door-less, offering plenty of opportunity to mingle like back in the good old co-ed college dorm loo days.

Back outside, this entire orgiastic oasis that is Cavo’s dance space — carved into a cliff atop a south coast hillside that overlooks the Aegean Sea’s crashing waves below — has one mission. To host pure, unadulterated, beat-driven bacchanalia around its large, illuminated central pool. And it does a damn good job; the frenzied pretty-people party is only contained from spilling over the bluffs by a few plants and a rickety beach fence.

If you’re any sort of jet-setting rave kid, this over-two-decades-old superclub, renovated in 2011, is hallowed ground: everyone from David Guetta to Tiesto to Paul Oakenfold has spun here. In 2016, they’ve locked down Alesso, Axwell, Benny Benassi, Bob Sinclar, Cedric Gervais, Fedde Le Grand, Ingrosso, Marco Carola, Martin Solveig, Nicky Romero, Paul Van Dyk, Richie Hawtin, Robin Schulz, Ruby Rose, Skrillex, Solomun, Steve Aoki, Sven Väth and Tujamo, just to name a few.

Fatboy Slim, who only played there recently, said Cavo was “on his bucket list” (see below).

But the irony of a Grecian setting for letting the good times roll is palpable.

Not sure if you’ve heard, but Greece has been in a bit of a rut lately.

The country, if we’re being honest, kind of peaked in high school — class of some-odd B.C. — as the birthplace of geometry, mythology, theater, democracy, philosophy, the Olympiad, metaphysics and the original not-that-there’s-anything-wrong-with-that approach to homoeroticism.

Now it’s better known for John Stamos-peddled yogurt, the Nazi-ish Golden Dawn party and massive, crippling debt. (Are all three related?)

Which isn’t to say Mykonos, a vacationers’ paradise, is somehow immune — vulture capitalists from Germany and elsewhere have been very busy picking at the bones of its sickly businesses.

It’s just that — despite the financial woes enveloping the nation’s mesimeri-happy mainland — its devil-may-care Cycladean islanders couldn’t care less.

Screw it: Mykonites just want to dance. It helps that they have one of the sexiest venues on the planet to do so (Cavo just reopened for the season in May; it stays open through mid-September).

At around sunrise, I finally find a taxi vanpool to return to my hotel (light-weight party pooper that I am, Cavo still has a few more hours of life left in it). I realize I haven’t seen much of the island in the daylight. The whole, 33-square-mile island is a stunning platter of rolling hills — which supposedly can be as green as marouli in the winter; but now it’s clearly brown town — clustered with diminutive, postcard-perfect bone-white buildings flourished perfectly with azure trim. Many are capped with blue, sometimes red observatory-like domes.

Passing by windmills, outhouse-sized churches and monasteries cowlicked with Christian crosses (and the not-so-devout Las Vegas strip club), the topography of Mykonos seems so beautifully weird and alien and seemingly oblivious to the country’s problems, especially in my fog of sleep deprivation.

It also seems like my van isn’t moving much. When these raver hordes wash up on shore, Mykonos’ anorexic, moped-mobbed, snaking and all-around congested streets can make getting from point A to B seem like an eternity.

But that’s all well and good when you can just pass out in the passenger seat of a cab and sleep the entire day away, only to rinse-repeat at the club come next nightfall.

Watch the overworked summer sun disappear into the Aegean Sea behind the noble sails of the windmills in Mykonos town. Quixotic to the max.

Next door, Delos island (a quick boat ride away, accessible only from Mykonos town), is a UNESCO World Heritage site whose human civilization dates back to 500 B.C.

Mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, it’s also home to Stoivadeion, a temple for Dionysus (Nietzsche’s favorite party God who went plenty hard) guarded by stone pillars, two of note supporting giant headless penises. From a Greek antiquity perspective, this island is the most important spot outside of Athens.

Enjoy all sorts of sea sports at Elia Beach, one of the best in Europe. The sands here are quieter than most on the island, relatively development-free and paired best with a mojito.

Tasos Taverna — The island’s cat population seems more than a little infatuated with this Paranga Beach eatery (the first business to open there) and I trust fickle felines most of all when it comes to food. Must be the insane selection of locally sourced fresh seafood that tickles their whiskers.

La Rosticceria — All spanakopita’d out? Get your authentic Italian pasta fix at this restaurant run by expat paisans who settled in Mykonos decades ago.

Roca Cookery — Sitched at the old port in Mykonos Town (aka, Chora), you can fill your eyes with panoramic views of all the yachts and rich people who love them and your gut with even richer Mediterranean cuisine.

Myconian Avaton offers laps of luxury.

If you’re familiar with the old 8-bit video game “Elevator Action,” you’ll appreciate the layout of the hyper-elegant Myconian Avaton Resort. Ascending a rocky hillside on Elia Beach, its villas and rooms are connected by a labyrinth of ramping hallways and discontiguous elevator shafts. (It’s even more thrilling to negotiate after drinking at the resort’s DJ-equipped poolside bar.) Said pool area is usually populated during the day with exceptionally sexy people — guests and staffers, alike — and at night the pool is lit up like a liquid constellation. If there’s a big-name DJ in town (and when isn’t there?), this is where he’ll be shacking up. From $245

Stay home away from hom at Marina View.

For a homier, less sceney, more scenery-focused stay, there’s the 14-suite Marina View Studios & Apartments complex near the central square of Chora. Nesting on a coveted-for-its-views hill above the old port, and near all sorts of fun, narrow shopping alleys, each of Marina’s spacious units sport a kitchen and, best of all, American mattresses (much comfier than the home grown, cheaper options notoriously served up in Greece — USA, USA, USA!). Easily the best views in town. From $135

Summary: Nero may have jammed out on a fiddle while Rome burned to the ground, but on nearby Greece — experiencing its own meltdown of sorts — he’d happily be spinning electronic dance music. That&#82…


Paul Erdos, a legendary mathematician who was so devoted to his subject that he lived as a mathematical pilgrim with no home and no job, died on Friday in Warsaw. He was 83.

The cause of death was a heart attack, according to an E-mail message sent out this weekend by Dr. Miki Simonovits, a mathematician at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, who was a close friend.

Dr. Erdos (pronounced AIR-dosh) was attending a mathematics meeting in Warsaw when he died, Dr. Simonovits reported.

The news, only now reaching the world's mathematicians, has come as a blow. Dr. Ronald L. Graham, the director of the information sciences research center at AT&T Laboratories, said, ''I'm getting E-mail messages from around the world, saying, 'Tell me it isn't so.' ''

Never, mathematicians say, has there been an individual like Paul Erdos. He was one of the century's greatest mathematicians, who posed and solved thorny problems in number theory and other areas and founded the field of discrete mathematics, which is the foundation of computer science. He was also one of the most prolific mathematicians in history, with more than 1,500 papers to his name. And, his friends say, he was also one of the most unusual.

Dr. Erdos ''is on the short list for our century,'' said Dr. Joel H. Spencer, a mathematician at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.

Dr. Graham said, ''He's among the top 10.''

Dr. Ernst Straus, who worked with both Albert Einstein and Dr. Erdos, wrote a tribute to Dr. Erdos shortly before his own death in 1983. He said of Dr. Erdos: ''In our century, in which mathematics is so strongly dominated by 'theory doctors,' he has remained the prince of problem solvers and the absolute monarch of problem posers.'' Dr. Erdos, he continued, is ''the Euler of our time,'' referring to the great 18th-century mathematician, Leonhard Euler, whose name is spoken with awe in mathematical circles.

Stooped and slight, often wearing socks and sandals, Dr. Erdos stripped himself of all the quotidian burdens of daily life: finding a place to live, driving a car, paying income taxes, buying groceries, writing checks. ''Property is nuisance,'' he said.

Concentrating fully on mathematics, Dr. Erdos traveled from meeting to meeting, carrying a half-empty suitcase and staying with mathematicians wherever he went. His colleagues took care of him, lending him money, feeding him, buying him clothes and even doing his taxes. In return, he showered them with ideas and challenges -- with problems to be solved and brilliant ways of attacking them.

Dr. Laszlo Babai of the University of Chicago, in a tribute written to celebrate Dr. Erdos's 80th birthday, said Dr. Erdos's friends ''care for him fondly, repaying in small ways for the light he brings into their homes and offices.''

Mathematicians like to brag about their connections to Dr. Erdos by citing their ''Erdos number.'' A person's Erdos number is 1 if he or she has published a paper with Dr. Erdos. It is 2 if he or she haspublished with someone who has published with Erdos, and so on. At last count, Dr. Erdos had 458 collaborators, Dr. Graham said. An additional 4,500 mathematicians had an Erdos number of 2, Dr. Graham added. He said so many mathematicians were still at work on problems they had begun with Dr. Erdos that another 50 to 100 papers with Dr. Erdos's name on them were expected to be published after his death.

Dr. Graham, whose Erdos number is 1, handled Dr. Erdos's money for him, setting aside an ''Erdos room'' in his house for the chore. He said Dr. Erdos had given away most of the money he earned from lecturing at mathematics conferences, donating it to help students or as prizes for solving problems he had posed. Dr. Erdos left behind only $25,000 when he died, Dr. Graham said, and he plans to confer with other mathematicians about how to give it away to help mathematics.

Dr. Graham said Dr. Erdos's ''driving force was his desire to understand and to know.'' He added, ''You could think of it as Erdos's magnificent obsession. It determined everything in his life.''

Dr. Spencer, of New York University, who also has an Erdos number of 1, said, ''He was always searching for mathematical truths.'' He added: ''Erdos had an ability to inspire. He would take people who already had talent, that already had some success, and just take them to an entirely new level. His world of mathematics became the world we all entered.''

Born in Hungary in 1913, Dr. Erdos was a cosseted mathematical prodigy. At age 3, Dr. Graham said, Dr. Erdos discovered negative numbers for himself when he subtracted 250 degrees from 100 degrees and came up with 150 degrees below zero. A few years later, he amused himself by solving problems he had invented, like how long would it take for a train to travel to the sun.

Dr. Erdos had two older sisters who died of scarlet fever a few days before he was born, so his mother became very protective of him. His parents, who were mathematics teachers, took him out of public school after just a few years, Dr. Graham said, and taught him at home with the help of a German governess. And, Dr. Graham said, Dr. Erdos's mother coddled him. ''Erdos had never buttered his own toast until he was 21 years old,'' Dr. Graham said. He never married and left no immediate survivors.

When Dr. Erdos was 20, he made his mark as a mathematician, discovering an elegant proof for a famous theorem in number theory. The theorem, Chebyshev's theorem, says that for each number greater than one, there is always at least one prime number between it and its double. A prime number is one that has no divisors other than itself and 1.

Although his research spanned a variety of areas of mathematics, Dr. Erdos kept up his interest in number theory for the rest of his life, posing and solving problems that were often simple to state but notoriously difficult to solve and that, like Chebyshev's theorem, involved relationships between numbers. ''He liked to say that if you can state a problem in mathematics that's unsolved and over 100 years old, it is probably a problem in number theory,'' Dr. Graham said.

Dr. Erdos, like many mathematicians, believed that mathematical truths are discovered, not invented. And he had an evocative way of conveying that notion. He spoke of a Great Book in the sky, maintained by God, that contained the most elegant proofs of every mathematical problem. He used to joke about what he might find if he could just have a glimpse of that book.

He would also muse about the perfect death. It would occur just after a lecture, when he had just finished presenting a proof and a cantankerous member of the audience would have raised a hand to ask, ''What about the general case?'' In response, Dr. Erdos used to say, he would reply, ''I think I'll leave that to the next generation,'' and fall over dead.

Dr. Erdos did not quite achieve his vision of the perfect death, Dr. Graham said, but he came close.

''He died with his boots on, in hand-to-hand combat with one more problem,'' Dr. Graham said. ''It was the way he wanted to go.''

Photo: Paul Erdos (George Csicsery, 1991)(pg. B8)


What kind of a suitor is

The kind who sends cards and flowers. The kind who makes the new object of his affection,

, "giggle," according to a source close to her. And the kind who passed the 'Daisy' test with flying colors. In the few months Mayer and Simpson have been an item, says the source, "he has even babysat for Daisy"âSimpson's beloved maltipoo mix. "If you're in with Daisy, you're in with her!"

Take it from Daisy: Mayer, 28, is officially in with Simpson, 26. And the bubbly pop starâwhose promotional tour for her new album,

, has been slowed by a bruised vocal cordâcan hardly contain her delight at falling for the scruffy-haired singer-songwriter with a sensitive streak. "She's head over heels," says the source close to her. "She's telling friends, 'I'm in love.'"

So how did the opposites-attract pairingâthe music-industry equivalent of the head cheerleader hooking up with the sweetly geeky drum majorâhappen in the first place? After meeting at Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party in 2005âwhen Simpson was still married to

, 32âthe couple "bumped into each other" in June at New York City nightclub the Double Seven, where a source says Simpson was "flirting up a storm" with both Mayer and actor Jared Leto. The singer was especially smitten when Mayer praised her new single, "A Public Affair." "He flattered her," says another source.

Nearly 10 months after her high-profile breakup with Lachey, the low-key Mayer appears to be the right guy at the right time. The Fairfield, Conn.-bred musicianâwho won three Grammys by age 27â"is a smart East Coast boy," says the source. "John's got depth and humor and talent. He doesn't hang out at Privilege [a night club] until 3 in the morning. As cute boys have hurt her, she's realizing she doesn't have to be with the cutest frat boy in the room."

To hear him tell it, Mayerâwho is currently touring with

and who has a new album,

, due Sept. 12âwasn't exactly looking to date the popular girl. "I just don't go for celebrities," he told PEOPLE in July. "I've met people that are, like, supposed to be the sexiest woman on Earth and they actually suck the chemistry out of the room. The celebrity mentality is a whole different fate than my fate." Still, he openly expressed his desire to be in a relationship. "Nobody really wants to be single," he said. "They always say if you don't look, you'll find it. Well, I have not been looking for a while and I haven't found it. I'll be willing to give up anything at any time in my life for the right thing."

So is Mayer Simpson's Mr. Right? Although the singer told

magazine in its new issue, "I feel good being married to myself right now," sources close to her say she is savoring the new romance. "They've barbecued at her house," says a Simpson insider. "She's just started gardening, and he impressed her by knowing all the flowers she planted." Mayer is also "the antithesis of Nick," says the source. "He makes her feel special and beautiful and smart. Nick used to laugh when she said something that didn't sound smart."

Although Lachey has been romancing MTV and

, 25, since March, Simpson has been "tiptoeing back into the dating world," says the source close to her. Though gossip columns have linked her to half of young Hollywood (see sidebar), "nothing ever happened," says the source. The Mayer relationship "is the first time she's dated since Nick."

For now, the couple are simply enjoying a fun, if no-longer-quite-so-private, affair. "It's in the first stages," says the Simpson source. "She realizes it's been very sudden and they haven't known each other really long. But the signals and the emotions seem right."

Summary: Her New CD May Be Called A Public Affair, but Jessica Simpson Has Kept Her Budding Relationship with Singer John Mayer Ultra Private


The most popular courses at the institution include Medicine, Mechanical Engineering, Psychology, Law, Management and Geography. Students' second and third years of study in a three year undergraduate course count towards their undergraduate degree classification, with assessment techniques including coursework and traditional examinations.

Average course costs for UK citizens taking undergraduate degrees at the university are £9,000 annually.

The combined student populations of the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University mean that the city is always bustling with young people. Sheffield's music hot spots are frequented by big name bands, and as the biggest city in South Yorkshire, there's a vast number of bars, pubs and clubs in the area.

The main campus is located one-and-a-half miles west of Sheffield's city centre.

Renting a room in halls starts range from £4,051.32-£7,936.11 a year for a self-contained studio. The university-owned residences vary greatly in terms of architecture, with students having the option to stay in a converted 19th century church or more modern student villages just a five-minute walk away from the campus.

Sheffield University is rated 80th in world in the 2015 QS World University Rankings.

A large range of sports are organised through the union including ultimate Frisbee and tenpin bowling. Intra Mural sports are organised between departments and student groups – Sheffield's is one of the largest of its kind in any higher education institution in the UK.

One third of Sheffield is inside the Peak District National Park.

Summary: The University of Sheffield grew out of three local institutions:


Snarky comments and ad hominem attacks may sound like the makings of a middle school social media takedown or the unmoderated comments section of a website, but those same tactics are often at play in the workplace — especially in so-called 360 reviews.

In my work as a management consultant, I’ve seen anonymous 360-review feedback that included such unhelpful comments as “stop using your looks and personality to get things done.”

“It really hurt me,” the recipient of that comment told me. “It didn’t motivate me. It made me feel like I had to water down the fire I felt for the work.”

A senior executive I worked with received the following comment in her 360 review: “I never really liked you.” Another reviewer said of her: “You seem to be constantly traveling all over the world. Is that really necessary?” Her role was in international relations.

The sheer number of thoughtless, and even meanspirited, 360 reviews I’ve seen has led me to question both their purpose and value. So why do companies continue to invest in this time-consuming practice?

The reviews — which consist of anonymous feedback from subordinates, peers and supervisors — tend to take place at two specific career junctures: as employees are about to be promoted or considered for promotion, or when employees’ performance is subpar and they may be fired.

When a 360 follows a tough conversation or a performance improvement plan, it may be wise for an employee to start polishing his or her résumé. Some managers may let others say what they aren’t willing to express. In that case, a 360 may be the nail in the coffin of an employee’s tenure.

If an employee is being considered for promotion, there are many agendas at play. Peers may be envious and wish to cause damage. Managers may want to demonstrate their own superiority. And people who report to the person being reviewed may have an ax to grind over any number of workplace issues (for example, “He didn’t approve my vacation, and so I’m going to let him have it”).

It’s true that 360 reviews can make people aware of undesirable behavior patterns, like interrupting junior team members midsentence and making decisions without consulting others. I have found, though, that those few kernels of objective and helpful observation are often poisoned by other grievances that don’t necessarily have to do with job performance.

The subjects of the reviews are often left wondering who said what and in what context. This can be disabling to future performance and to office productivity. It also damages the team dynamic when the subject tries to discover the source of a nasty comment — and perhaps pins it on the wrong person.

Of course, there are times when a 360 review can be valuable and productive. Some companies make an earnest effort to stress positive contributions, in addition to offering criticism or areas of improvement.

But managers often butcher the delivery of feedback in a way that renders it more injurious than helpful, and the colleagues providing input lose an opportunity to honestly assess their own role in a situation, as they would be more likely to do in a live conversation. Sometimes managers go to the other extreme, overdoing the praise part of the assessment so that the listener loses sight of any constructive criticism.

In environments where employees are genuinely supportive of each other, and in a corporate culture where competition isn’t manifested by tearing down a peer’s performance, a 360 offers the opportunity to indicate support for a fellow employee’s approach to a difficult problem, or even an alternative accounting of what happened in a crisis. And in the case of an employee with a weak or misinformed manager, a review can sometimes provide protection.

For lower-level employees, says an executive producer who has worked in technology and video games, a 360 review gives you the opportunity to see if someone in a nonsupervisory coordinator role is doing the job. “The only reviews in which the feedback is uniformly positive are for those coordinator roles, because that person is helpful to everyone if they are doing their job well,” he says.

But more often, the opportunity to review someone anonymously seems to gives rise to jaw-droppingly bad behavior.

As you move up the ladder, the reviews are likely to become more critical. For senior executives who are faced with making tough decisions every day, there will always be someone who thinks a situation could have been handled better. Even then, the feedback may lack specifics, and may be more of a commentary on executives’ popularity than on their effectiveness.

Given the time and cost involved in such reviews — each one takes about three weeks to complete including soliciting and collating the feedback, writing the review and prepping the manager — I’ve decided they are seldom worth the investment. Probably because of the anonymous and generic nature of the feedback, the whole process misses the mark in terms of its goal: to make people better at their jobs.

If you want feedback, do what one senior executive I know does: ask for it directly after meetings, interviews and tough conversations with customers or employees. You might be surprised what people will share, and how helpful it can be.

Meg Halverson is a management consultant and former employee of Amazon and Microsoft. She lives in Seattle.

A version of this article appears in print on February 28, 2016, on page BU7 of the New York edition with the headline: Cruel, Not Constructive, Criticism. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: The reviews, which solicit anonymous feedback from colleagues, are often poisoned by grievances that have nothing to do with job performance.


Canada PM tours Alberta oil town ravaged by fire, vows major aid

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flies over devastation from a wildfire during a visit to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (C) prepares to fly over devastation from a wildfire during a visit to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves a helicopter during a visit to areas affected by recent wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen (R) look over a burnt out car while visiting neighborhoods devastated by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) and Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen look over the devastation after a wildfire during a visit to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (C) and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley pose for a photo with first responders during a visit to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley (R) and Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen (L) look over a burnt out car while visiting neighborhoods devastated by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen (R) look over a burnt out car while visiting neighborhoods devastated by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks into a burnt out car while visiting neighborhoods devastated by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley (L) visit neighborhoods devastated by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and and Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen (R) visit neighborhoods devastated by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen (R) visit neighborhoods devastated by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives a briefing at the Regional Emergency Operation Centre during a visit to view of the devastation caused by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

The devastated neighbourhood of Abasand is shown after being ravaged by a wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The devastated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill is seen after being ravaged by a wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) and Wildfire Manager Chad Morris fly in a helicopter over the devastation during a visit to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes a helicopter tour of the devastation caused by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

An aerial view of the burnt forest in the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city is seen during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's helicopter tour in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

An aerial view of the neighborhoods devastated in the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city is seen during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's helicopter tour in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

An aerial view of the devastation caused by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city is seen during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's helicopter tour in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool

An aerial view of the devastation caused by the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the city is seen during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's helicopter tour in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada May 13, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Franson/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

BONNYVILLE, Alberta, May 13 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised firefighters on Friday for defending the energy hub of Fort McMurray and promised the federal government would pour money in to its recovery.

Trudeau toured the town in a military helicopter and saw a patchwork of neighborhoods destroyed by an inferno that forced the evacuation of all 88,000 inhabitants. Some homes still stood, while others had burned to their foundations.

SEE EARLIER: Temporary housing first step as wildfire-ravaged Fort McMurray recovers

The inferno closed the extensive oil sands operations near the town and the effort to restart them is progressing slowly. The wildfire knocked out nearly half, or 1.07 million barrels per day (bpd), of Alberta's oil sands capacity.

The blaze could cost insurers as much as C$6 billion ($4.7 billion), making it by far the most expensive Canadian natural disaster, according to ratings agency DBRS.

"To the people of Fort McMurray: Know that even though things may look difficult and uncertain and at times perhaps almost hopeless, know that you are not alone. Canadians are standing with you," said Trudeau.

"There will be significant federal monies invested in that community as we rebuild," he told a news conference in the provincial capital Edmonton.

Ottawa runs a fund to help provinces recover from disasters and could end up paying 90 percent of all eligible costs. Trudeau said the government would try to ensure the money was paid out more quickly than usual but gave no details.

After the aerial tour, he was briefed on progress fighting the fire, which has moved east of Fort McMurray into less inhabited areas, and praised emergency officials for their "valor and courage" in preserving much of the town.

"The work you did to save so much of this community, to save so much of this city and its downtown core ... was unbelievable," he said.

Trudeau has faced criticism in Alberta, a province that does not usually vote for his party, for waiting more than a week to survey the damage. He initially stressed he did not want his visit to interfere with firefighting efforts.

"I think it's a good thing he's coming," said Fort McMurray housekeeper Maureen Pearce at a supply center for evacuees in Lac La Biche, Alberta. "I hope he provides more aid."

Many of the evacuees are living in temporary accommodation across the province, while authorities work to restore power, gas, water and communications.

Local officials say it will be 10 days before they can even produce a plan for resettlement, much less allow people to return to a place where small fires are still erupting.

CHALLENGES OF REBUILDING A DAMAGED TOWN

Rebuilding Fort McMurray "is the work of years," Alberta Premier Rachel Notley told the news conference.

Evacuees are collecting Alberta debit cards loaded with C$1,250 per adult and C$500 per dependent, as well as Canadian Red Cross aid of C$600 for each adult and C$300 for each child.

Pearce, who believes both her home and the hotel where she works survived the fire, said the emergency funds are helpful.

"But if we're going to be out of our homes for a month, we'll need more," she added.

The fire on Friday was 12 km (7.5 miles) from ConocoPhillips' Surmont oil sands site, which is 63 km (39 miles) southeast of Fort McMurray, and it had not advanced since Thursday morning, spokesman Rob Evans said. He said operations would be on hold until Alberta allowed people to stay overnight at Surmont's camp.

The inferno is a blow to Alberta's economy, which was already reeling from collapsing oil prices. But even so, portfolio managers see value in Alberta's government bonds, anticipating the province will rebound.

Four major oil firms operating in the area around Fort McMurray have declared force majeure, a contract clause to remove liability for unavoidable catastrophes.

The fire spans 241,000 hectares (596,000 acres), growing much more slowly than before.

More from AOL.com: Rescue workers retrieving pets in aftermath of Canadian wildfire Bride who lost dress in Fort McMurray wildfire gets dream wedding Donald Trump says he'll keep attacking Hillary Clinton's marriage on the campaign trail

Summary: Justin Trudeau praised firefighters and promised more aid during a visit to Fort McMurray late last week.


The chants that got the Republican convention crowd going Tuesday night had nothing to do with newly-crowned nominee Donald Trump. “Lock her up!” the delegates chanted. “Guilty,” they screamed. Their focus was on Hillary Clinton, an opponent who former candidate Ben Carson even associated with Lucifer.

Trump may have officially won the GOP nomination Tuesday night, but the party isn’t yet ready to fully embrace its bombastic nominee. Compared to recent conventions, the arena was muted much of the night. An hour before the program ended, the crowd began to thin out. When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rose to speak, he heard boos.

But at least there was Clinton. With the general election offering the two most unlikable presidential candidates in recent history, this year’s political conventions are set to be defined by polemics against the opposing party and saccharine appeals for unity. There may have been rousing testimonials from Trump’s son and daughter, but they were interludes. On the night featuring the largest collection of Republican elected officials set to address the convention, it was clear that they are still struggling with how back their bombastic nominee.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was nearly selected as Trump’s running mate, did effusively acclaim his friend of 14 years. But many of his fellow politicians, who have had to answer for Trump’s fusillades at minority groups and his political opponents, shied away from offering direct praise. McConnell offered little praise of Trump, instead merely stating that he, unlike Clinton or President Barack Obama, would sign his caucus’ legislation.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan mentioned Trump just twice, devoting his remarks to offering his vision of a growing Republican Party that contrasts with Trump’s. “Let’s take the fight to our opponents with better ideas,” Ryan said. “Let’s get on the offensive and let’s stay there.” Likewise, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s invective against Democrats included only a token mention to Trump after calling for the re-election of the House majority.

The lawmakers were, however, united in their critique of Clinton, from her use of a private email server while at the Department of State to a series of foreign policy missteps. “Are we willing to elect as president somebody who has as their role model somebody who acknowledges Lucifer,” Carson said, as the crowd cheered, after describing the epigraph for a 1972 edition of a book by Saul Alinsky, an activist who both Clinton and current President Barack Obama once studied.

On Wednesday, the party’s internal struggle will continue, as Sen. Ted Cruz, who has yet to endorse Trump, is set to take the stage. An outspoken Clinton critic, he is expected to focus his remarks on criticism of her, over praise for Trump, with whom he repeatedly sparred in the GOP primary on deeply personal terms.

Summary: A downbeat convention gets an electrifying target


The French data protection authority on Wednesday ordered Microsoft to stop collecting excessive data on users of its Windows 10 operating system and serving them personalized ads without their consent.

The CNIL said the U.S. company had three months to stop tracking browsing by users so that Windows apps and third-party apps can offer them targeted advertising without their consent, failing which it could initiate a sanctions procedure.

A number of EU data protection authorities created a contact group to investigate Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system following its launch in July 2015, the French privacy watchdog said.

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The action against Microsoft msft mirrors that taken by the CNIL against Facebook fb , which was ordered in February to stop collecting users’ information then used for advertising without their consent.

Microsoft processes information on all the apps downloaded and installed on Windows by a user and the time spent on each one to identify problems and improve its products. However the CNIL said it considered this to be excessive since the data “are not necessary for the operation of the service.”

The French watchdog also said that Microsoft puts advertising cookies on users’ terminals without properly informing them beforehand or giving them a chance to opt out.

Microsoft Is Trying to Reinvent Itself

“It has been decided to make the formal notice public due to, among other reasons, the seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned (more than ten million Windows users on French territory),” the CNIL said in a statement.

“The purpose of the notice is not to prohibit any advertising on the company’s services but, rather, to enable users to make their choice freely, having been properly informed of their rights.”

While the fines that can currently be levied by European data protection authorities are paltry compared to the revenues of big U.S. tech companies, a new European Union data protection law set to enter into force in two years provides for fines of up to 4% of a company’s annual global turnover.

‘Sneaky’ Microsoft Windows 10 Updates Raise Ruckus

David Heiner, vice president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft, said the company would work closely with the CNIL over the next few months to understand its concerns fully and “to work toward solutions that it will find acceptable.”

The CNIL also said Microsoft was still illegally transferring data to the United States using the Safe Harbour framework, which was struck down by the top EU court in October on concerns about mass U.S. surveillance practices.

Companies have had to rely on alternative legal structures such as “standard contractual clauses” to move data across the Atlantic in line with tough EU data transferral rules.

Chinese Users Criticize Microsoft’s Push for Windows 10 Upgrade

Heiner said Microsoft relied on a variety of legal mechanisms for transferring data from Europe to the United States, including standard contractual clauses.

A new EU-U.S. data transfer pact will be open to companies as of Aug. 1 and Microsoft has said it will sign up to it.

Summary: The Windows-maker has three months to stop tracking browsing by users.


After reporting impressive second quarter results on Thursday night, shares of computer chip maker AMD hit almost $6 a pop on Friday—impressive for a stock that was trading at $1.83 in February.

The huge gain comes as CEO Lisa Su, an electrical engineer and chip designer who took the top job almost two years ago, continues to execute on her comeback plan for a company that had been all but obliterated by larger competitors Intel and Nvidia. Key gains in graphics and video gaming console chips have boosted results as well as a savvy deal to license server chip designs in China.

The company’s “big bets” on high-end chips is starting to pay off, Su tells Fortune. She’s expecting even bigger gains when the company’s newest line of high-end computer chips, dubbed “Zen,” goes on sale next year. “It’s a nice way for us to really increase our reach,” says the CEO, who is more fond of understatement than bold pronouncements.

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Where analysts once expected shrinking revenue and continued red ink for AMD this year, the company increased revenue 9% in the second quarter and showed a net profit—although that was due to a one-time gain on a joint venture. On an adjusted basis, AMD lost $40 million in the quarter down from an adjusted loss of $131 million a year ago.

Su and her team have promised revenue for the year will increase modestly and the company will be profitable excluding some items for the second half of 2016 (but not on the basis of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP).

Softbank’s recent $32 billion acquisition of chip designer ARM Holdings, which AMD pays for licenses for its Seattle line of server chips, could improve Su’s company’s competitiveness, she says. Softbank has said it will pour resources into ARM armh and double its employee base in England. “It’s a good position for us,” Su says, again in her typical understated manner. “A very interesting development.”

AMD amd is also benefitting from the somewhat unexpected decisions by Microsoft and Sony sne to create updated versions of their popular Xbox and Playstation gaming consoles. Microsoft msft has already announced a thinner, faster Xbox unit update, the Xbox S, along with a next-generation console, dubbed “Project Scorpio,” aimed at the 2017 holiday season. Sony is rumored to be announcing later this year a more powerful version of its Playstation 4 to better support virtual reality gear.

To learn about how Intel is reworking its mobile strategy, watch:

AMD is the sole supplier of the customized chips that run the current Microsoft and Sony gaming boxes and, for the future boxes coming up, “the outlook is strong,” Su says without giving much away.

Still, excluding the one-time gain on a joint venture, AMD lost money on an operating basis and had negative free cash flow in the second quarter. So it is “too soon” to call the first half results a successful comeback, says longtime industry analyst Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights & Strategy. “They could very well be on the cusp of one and no one can deny they have momentum,” Moorhead says.

Summary: Getting into the newest XBox and Playstation have helped.


Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of LinkedIn Corp. has yielded an unlikely winner: Twitter Inc.

Shares of the beleaguered social-media platform have surged more than 30% since June 13, the day the $26.2 billion deal was announced. The rationale may be that if the social-media space is poised for more consolidation, Twitter could be next.

Summary: Twitter’s shares have jumped more than 30% since Microsoft’s deal for LinkedIn; why the rally looks overdone.


CreditAndré Vieira para The New York Times

Es una lástima que la mala situación económica y el virus de Zika estén disuadiendo a muchos de asistir este verano a los Juegos Olímpicos en Río de Janeiro porque nadie debería perderse los vibrantes sabores de los restaurantes de la ciudad.

En un viaje a Río hace algunos meses, pedí a los cariocas que me dieran recomendaciones que parecían estar en contacto con los fascinantes ingredientes y tradiciones culinarias del país. Estos son los lugares, elegantes o modestos, tradicionales o muy modernos, a los que me encantaría volver.

Este restaurante de varios pisos cuenta con espacios al aire libre e interiores en una colina con vista al puerto; nos da la oportunidad de explorar el barrio artístico de Santa Teresa. También es uno de los mejores lugares para saborear platos típicos tradicionales, como los rollos de queso y el acarajé (frijoles fritos) que se venden en las calles, así como cordero, cabra, res, bacalao salado y moqueca (un caldo de pescado). Desde muchas de sus mesas se puede disfrutar una vista espectacular de la ciudad. Rua Aprazível 62, Santa Teresa, 011-55-21-2508-9174, aprazivel.com.br

A este elegante restaurante, iluminado con luz natural, acuden las mujeres que quieren comer ensaladas y entradas ligeras. Buena parte del menú incluye ingredientes locales como acajú (también llamado nuez de la India), palmitos, raíz de taro y yuca. Los platos tienen una presentación atractiva, digna de una foto de Instagram. Rua Barão da Torre 538, Ipanema; 011-55-21-3202-2884. bazzar.com.br

En Río abundan los restaurantes de carne, algunos con música y ofertas tipo bufet. Este no es uno de ellos. Con su menú basado en la carne de res, manteles almidonados y molduras de madera oscura, es el lugar favorito de los cariocas y tiene espacio para 300 comensales. Se puede iniciar con unos camarones al ajillo y seguir con brochetas de res orgánica y papas suflé. Hay que probar la picanha (un corte de lomo o cuarto trasero), pero si se prefiere comer este corte al punto, lo mejor es pedirlo sellado. Rua Senador Vergueiro 11-15, Flamengo; 011-55-21-2205-6820.

Durante más de 100 años, esta enorme pastelería y restaurante estilo belle époque ha tentado a cariocas y turistas con todo lo que vende, ya se trate de las sencillas natas portuguesas (tartas de natilla) o los postres estilo francés con una presentación exquisita. Se llena durante la tarde. Los sábados también sirve feijoada completa, el platillo nacional de frijoles y carnes, en un salón de la planta alta. Rua Gonçalves Dias 32, Centro, 011-55-21-2505-1500. confeitariacolombo.com.br

Este elegante salón en el segundo piso del Museo de Arte Moderno es un imán para las comidas de negocios. Sus platos, una obra de arte a tono con el lugar, son franceses y brasileños. ¿De qué otra forma se puede describir el foie gras marinado con açaí? El restaurante tiene una excelente lista de vinos con una selección muy cuidada que incluye vinos espumosos de Brasil. Museu de Arte Moderna, Avenida Infante Dom Henrique 85, Glória; 011-55-21-2517-3129. bestfork.com.br/laguiole/contato.php

El concepto “de la granja a la mesa” llega a Río en este encantador restaurante propiedad de su chef, Rafael Costa e Silva, y su esposa, Malena Cardiel, originaria de El Paso. Tienen un pequeño jardín en la ciudad y varias hectáreas fuera de Río. El delicioso menú se confecciona con la cosecha obtenida y puede incluir más de 12 platos pequeños, cada uno con una presentación muy original. Algunos ejemplos recientes son: una hoja de acelga al tempura sobre la que se sirve puré de espinaca sobre una tabla, una selección de quesos brasileños servidos sobre una pequeña pirámide. La selección de vinos incluye una aterciopelada mezcla de cabernet sauvignon y merlot, cosecha 2004, originario de Brasil, debidamente decantado desde su pequeña botella ancha. Las paredes del restaurante son de madera y ladrillo, las vigas del techo están a la vista en el ventilado salón frontal; también cuenta con mesas en un aérea elevada a un lado de la cocina. Rua Conde de Irajá 191, Botafogo; 011-55-21-3449-1834. http://lasai.com.br/

Todo el mundo recomienda este elegante restaurante italiano de mariscos. El pescado fresco, los moluscos y los crustáceos son impecables, y el amplio menú incluye mejillones, suculentos langostinos a la parrilla, un excelente risotto de hongos y pargo bañado en una salsa cremosa. El amplio comedor tiene una decoración alegre y excelsa, y el servicio tiene el encanto de la vieja escuela. Rua Barão da Torre 192, Ipanema; 011-55-21-2521-0627. www.satyricon.com.br

Un consejo si planeas visitar Río de Janeiro este año: habrá aglomeraciones, y con ellas, carteristas, así que hay que ser precavido. La ciudad crece rápido y está llena de automóviles, así que sin importar si uno se mueve por la ciudad en un coche alquilado o en taxi, hay que salir con tiempo de sobra. La mayoría de los restaurantes cobran cover e incluyen la propina en el precio.

Summary: Te recomendamos algunos restaurantes en los que podrás conocer la riqueza culinaria del Brasil actual y que pueden ser una buena parada para recargar energías en medio de las olimpiadas.


Luckily, building a rocket is a decent compromise. Indeed, a quick rummage around most drawers at home should provide you with the materials needed to reach liftoff – provided you have the skill to put them all together. After that, it’s a question of how far you can make it go.

Whether you're a Nasa engineer trying to fire a rocket into space or an eager dad vying to launch a water bottle into the orbit of the local park, the principal obstacle remains the same: gravity.

To overpower the gravitational force you need a thrust-providing engine of sorts – and once you've mastered this, well, the rocket world is your oyster. Just remember to wear safety glasses and keep little ones away from the blast.

Here are some of our favourite methods...

The humble matchstick rocket – made from a couple of matches, some tin foil, a safety pin and a paperclip – helps demonstrate the scientific principles behind take-off. But tweak this slightly and you'll be able to make a rocket that shoots for more than 40 gravity-defying feet with speed, power and a satisfying trail of smoke.

A bike pump and an adapted plastic water bottle are the main materials for this take on physical propulsion. Make a few adaptations – like these guys – and you'll should be able to send your rocket more than 50 feet into the sky.

Baking soda and vinegar rocket

Mimicking the chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidiser, this method provides the kind of thrust and combustion combo that you usually associate with rockets. And to prove it's easy – here's a video of a six-year-old giving it his best shot.

Also known as Caramel Candy rockets, these sugar and potassium nitrate-fuelled flyers are also powered by a chemical reaction – and have been known to soar more than 2,000 feet high. For serious rocket enthusiasts only!

For a much more unpredictable blast – and one you should absolutely not try with your kids – there's always the old chewy-sweet-in-a-coke-bottle trick.

There are countless videos online with tips on how – and how not – to make your own rocket. The BBC has a detailed page on how to make most of the above rockets in a safe and responsible way. Those who are really serious about the task should watch this 45-minute documentary about firing a professional-looking home-made rocket into space.

Of course, the best advice is for you to set your sights low, experiment, follow the right scientific steps, take care and have some fun. And if you do succeed in hitting the heights then you'll actually have the pleasure of being able to say, smugly, “Well, yes, it actually is rocket science”.

Whether you’re pushing your body to its limits or just enjoying the great outdoors, trying new activities can sometimes lead to aches and pains. Voltarol relieves pain at its source and reduces inflammation, which speeds up recovery — so you can enjoy moving again.

Visit www.boots.com/en/voltarol to find out how Voltarol can help you enjoy the freedom of movement in your life.

Voltarol® Pain-eze emulgel® for the relief of pain and inflammation. Contains diclofenac diethylammonium. Always read the label.

Summary: Many of us have a fascination with flying, so building a homemade rocket is a fun activity for adults and children to enjoy together


America is having a love affair with tiny homes. With the popularity of shows like "Tiny House Hunters," "Tiny House Builders," "Tiny House, Big Living" and "Tiny House Nation," the tiny house movement is going mainstream. It might seem like just a novelty, but there are some serious financial advantages to living small.

From a lower cost of living to a smaller carbon footprint to less maintenance, many people find they save money living in a tiny home. If you're considering joining this growing movement, here are 10 tiny home perks you should know before taking the plunge.

It typically costs significantly less to run electricity and water in a tiny house than in a traditional house. Susan and John Anderson* built their 283-square-foot tiny home in Washington state about three years ago and have been enjoying the significant savings.

"We anticipated some obvious benefits of having a tiny rather than larger home, like lower maintenance costs, but we were pleasantly surprised by our $12 utility bills," said Susan.

The Andersons' tiny home runs on standard electricity and gets its water from a well on the property, but a tiny home with solar power or a small wood-fired stove might be able to eliminate the electricity bill altogether. The cost of installing solar power in a tiny home doesn't come cheap, the panels alone can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 or more — but over time, the savings are significant. However, if you have a setup like the Andersons, you might pay roughly $144 a year for water and power.

Read: 5 Steps to Financing Your Tiny Home

Owners of tiny homes rave about how quick and easy it is to clean their space. "It takes about 5 minutes to pick up around the house, and we can deep-clean the space in an hour," said John. "We are kind of neat freaks, though, so we never let it go very long in between cleanings," Susan added.

Living in a small house means there is less room for the dirt to go around, so many people say their tiny homes actually get messy and dirtier faster than traditional homes, according to tiny house company TumbleweedHouses.com. It can take a lot of discipline to keep your tiny home tidy, like putting away items right after you use them, keeping the laundry flowing and maintaining an impeccable system of organization.

Get inspired by this luxurious mansion-styled tiny home in California:

When you live in a tiny home, there is simply less work to do to maintain your space. There is less to fix, less to store and less to prep for the seasons. For example, if you need to clear the roof of fall leaves, it will take a quarter of the time. If your deck needs repairs or wood floors need replacing, you'll have minimal square feet to worry about. Decorating for holidays will be quicker and easier. Even painting your entire home could take just a can or two of paint and a half day's work.

Now, if your home is situated on a large piece of land, like the Andersons' is, you might spend more time maintaining the surrounding property.

"We spend a good amount of time cutting back the grass, clearing debris and prepping the house for the changing seasons," said John. "But we love being outside, and we've always been avid gardeners. It feels good at the end of the day."

When you spend less time cleaning and maintaining a house and dealing with all your "stuff," you have more time to do what you love. For some tiny house owners, that means spending more time with family and friends. For others, it could mean learning a new skill or crafting a talent, or maybe a little bit of both.

"We have discovered artistic talents and interests we would not have known — now that time has been freed up from chores and maintenance," John said.

"We are freed up from shopping. With such little space, we need so little," Susan said. "Our buying interests have switched to finding recycled and salvaged materials for creative projects, which is much more interesting than going to the store."

Living in a tiny home requires a lot of creativity and resourcefulness. Because you need fewer building materials, you have the opportunity to salvage recycled materials and repurpose. It's a lot easier to find a few dozen square feet of salvaged countertops than an entire full-sized kitchen's worth.

"When building codes mandated a maximum of a 283-square-foot footprint for our cabin, we were challenged to think in inches during the design process," said Susan. "We had a beautiful piece of wood from a tree on our property that we sanded down into a countertop and we got our kitchen cabinets from a salvage yard in Seattle."

The Andersons also spent hours designing their space for optimal use. "We fit in a full kitchen with dining table, full laundry/bathroom, queen bed/love seat sitting/office main room — all in 283 feet," said John.

Some tiny homes are permanent, like the Andersons', and some can be built to hit the road. Tiny homes on wheels can be moved to a new long-term location or simply taken on vacation like you would with a travel trailer or RV. Forget packing suitcases or the hassle of packing and moving — a mobile tiny house means your home can follow along.

Plus, if your tiny house has a rainwater collection system, solar panels or even a composting toilet, you won't have to worry about hooking up to power or sewer during your travels. You can simply park and enjoy the comforts of home wherever life's adventures take you.

If you make the move to a tiny house, you'll be forced to de-clutter your entire life — you simply won't be able to fit all your things in your new, smaller space. This can be a painful process, but it's an opportunity to take stock of what really matters and to set yourself free from the burden of clutter.

"We remember the free feeling when we were in college that everything we owned could fit inside our VW bugs," said Susan. "Our small home is bigger than that car, but we get the same feeling — freedom from the burden of things, money pits, time drains."

"We love how constantly clever we have to be regarding how to use the space, how to store things, even how to give a dinner party for 12 people," she added. "This has to be good for the aging brain."

When a tiny house owner needs to get some space, they usually turn to the great outdoors. The Andersons' tiny home is nestled on a hill overlooking Puget Sound.

"We feel an immediate part of our natural surroundings," John said. "From every part of the interior we hear birds, breezes in the trees and even leaves falling."

"Even if it's cloudy or cold we usually eat outdoors," Susan said. "We specifically designed the home to include large windows and a deck area to entice us to live outside as much as possible. Then, when we're ready to head inside, the intimate, private interior increases a sense of calm and safety. Our grandchildren beg to spend the night with us in the coziness of the small house."

Some tiny house owners hire a contractor to build their homes, some buy a prefabricated kit online and some take a DIY approach. There are stories of people building their own tiny homes for as little as $8,000. However, depending on the size, features, building materials and types of materials you use, the cost of building a tiny home typically ranges from about $20,000 to $40,000, and the average DIY job runs about $23,000, according to Forbes.

On average, tiny houses cost between $200 and $400 per square foot, reported Forbes, which is higher than the average standard American home. This is mostly due to the custom equipment a tiny home requires, like a smaller water heater, specially-sized appliances and shrunk-down toilets and sinks. Still, considering a tiny home is much smaller than a traditional home, the overall costs are much lower than if you were building a full-sized house, which runs just over $300,000.

Tiny house owners are part of a growing movement that's getting a lot of attention. Not only does the lifestyle make for some interesting stories, it makes for a great life experience.

"Everyone is fascinated with how we have made life work so well in a tiny space," said Susan. "It is endlessly fun to share our experience with others and see the amazement on their faces." John added, "Between the feelings of freedom and having life under control — this is heaven."

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Biggest Perks When Living in a Tiny Home

Summary: If you’re considering joining the growing tiny home movement, there are 10 major benefits you should know before taking the plunge.


Still image from the attack video

Detective Constable Andy Palmer, of North Yorkshire police described it as the most violent piece of CCTV footage he had seen in 10 years as a police officer.

But despite the ferocity of the attack the pair walked free from court with the judge saying he hoped they would keep their jobs after hearing glowing references.

• Solider jailed for killing comrade at barracks

Welsh Guard, Jason Collins, 22, who has stood guard at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, was given a 12 month community order, while fellow soldier Smith, who was responsible for the stamping was given a 12 month suspended sentence.

Judge Jamie Hill QC said the attack had been “deeply unpleasant and inexcusable” but said he hoped the incident would not affect their military career after hearing from their commanding officers who said the Army wanted to keep them.

Captain James Dyson of the Scots Guards said that if Smith received a suspended sentence it would not mean an automatic discharge from the army, but it would be for a commanding officer to decide whether there were "exceptional circumstances" which would allow him to stay in service.

Judge Hill said: "I state in open court that what I have done is entirely exceptional. I can't say what the army will do but I simply express the hope, as your commanding officers have expressed, that the army feels able to keep you.

"Collins, I do not impose a custodial sentence so it may be straightforward in your case.

"Smith, I take the view that your situation is exceptional and therefore I express that hope and I hope that is relayed to whoever has to make that decision but that is out of my hands I'm afraid."

• British soldier jailed for stabbing 10-year-old Afghan boy

After leaving the first victim, Mark Thompson unconscious in the road, Smith was caught on camera stamping 18 times on the head and upper body of James Wormald.

Mr Wormald suffered a suspected fractured cheek bone and severe bruising, but was fortunate to escape without more serious injuries according to the police.

Teesside Crown Court heard how after the attack, the pair ran off and hid in a stream to avoid the police.

Both men , who were recruits at the time of the assault, denied a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

They were found not guilty at their second trial, but admitted two charges of actual bodily harm assault.

The soldiers claimed during their evidence that they were acting within the law to protect themselves.

But Mr Wormald said: “There was absolutely no reason for the attack, it came out of the blue. I can remember little about it but I've seen the CCTV and I'm as shocked as anyone else at the force he used.”

The court heard how the pair had earlier matched each other drink for drink at bars near Catterick Garrison, North Yorks, downing six Budweisers, 14 sweet and sour shots and a Jager Bomb.

Smith, who is based at Wellington Barracks 300 yards from Buckingham Palace, left court separately from Collins, who is based at Pirbright Barracks in Surrey.

Detective Constable Palmer said: "This is the most violent piece of CCTV footage I have seen in 10 years as a police officer and it is extremely fortunate that the victims in this case were not more seriously injured.

“This case highlights the horrors of alcohol fuelled violence and is even more shocking given that the defendants were, up until this incident, of good character.

“I hope that people watch this footage and realise just what can happen if they do not stay in control when they are out drinking.“

Councillor Tony Pelton, independent councillor for Catterick on Richmondshire District Council, said: "People will be very concerned by this and will wonder whether these men are safe to be walking the streets.

"To stamp on someone's head 18 times could be viewed as attempted murder, the man they attacked was lucky not to be more seriously hurt. As members of the army they are trained to kill but have used it in the wrong way.

Summary: Police describe stamping attack as one of the worst they have seen but judge   says he hopes soldiers Shaun Smith and Jason Collins keep their jobs after   hearing glowing references


What do men want? When it comes to real estate, they want granite countertops, kitchen islands and walk-in closets, according to surveys. Women, on the other hand, seem primarily concerned about stairs.

Numbers from the National Association of Realtors 2013 Home Features Survey suggest gender plays a role in how real estate is perceived. Some of the findings upend traditional real-estate wisdom: that women are looking for great...

What do men want? When it comes to real estate, they want granite countertops, kitchen islands and walk-in closets, according to surveys. Women, on the other hand, seem primarily concerned about stairs.

Numbers from the National Association of Realtors 2013 Home Features Survey suggest gender plays a role in how real estate is perceived. Some of the findings upend traditional real-estate wisdom: that women are looking for great kitchens while men prize man-cave spots like the basement.

When asked what features were “very important” in the survey, 32% of single men, compared with 21% of single women cited new kitchen appliances. Similarly, granite countertops were a must-have for 24% of men, but only 11% of women, and 19% of men wanted a kitchen island, compared with 8% of women.

Another perhaps unexpected finding: 38% of men said a walk-in closet was very important vs. 29% of women.

Meanwhile, basements, traditional redoubts of male noodling, drew roughly equal interest, with 16% of men and 13% of women calling them essential. Men seem to have an attachment to attics, however—13% cited them as key, compared with 7% of women.

One strong female preference was for single-level homes; 31% identified them as crucial, versus 18% of men.

Another NAR survey, however, does seem to support one oft-cited male stereotype—a fear of commitment. The 2014 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows that while 24% of single female home buyers say they plan to stay in their current home forever, only 15% of single men say the same.

(News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, also owns Move Inc., which operates a website and mobile products for NAR.)

Some agents say they still often see traditional gender roles when it comes to buying real estate. Nancy Malone, managing broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Woodmont Realty in Nashville, Tenn., says her male and female clients approach homes differently.

“Women are mostly interested in kitchens and the flow of the floor plan for entertaining. Men are mostly interested in garages, attics and crawl spaces,” she says. “Even hearing the words come out of my mouth, I feel like it’s so stereotypical,” she says.

But, she adds, after 24 years as an agent, she is convinced that despite a shift among younger buyers, “it’s just true.”

The name of Nancy Malone’s company is Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Woodmont Realty. An early version of this article omitted HomeService from the name.

Summary: Men and women value amenities differently in surveys; male must-haves include walk-in closets and granite countertops


It seems as if we'll be waiting forever (

) for a full Spice Girls reunion.

In a personal essay written for the U.K.'s

, posted Monday evening, Sporty Spice (a.k.a.

, a.k.a. Mel C) reveals she definitely won't be joining her former bandmates

(Baby Spice) for a performative get-together any time soon.

Chisholm's piece begins as the 42-year-old muses on the ever-changing dynamic of fame in the music industry.

"You're not going to get me complaining about my life – it's brilliant. I know some people complain about the attention – but I wanted to be famous from the start," she wrote.

"Like the rest of the Spice Girls I learnt very early on that you can't take one slice of the pie when it comes to fame. You have to eat the whole thingâ¦ Let's have a think about the word 'celebrity' in the old days. Remember when a little bit of mystery and intrigue ensured our famous faces were true stars. When we didn't know what they were eating via social media, where they were or who they were hanging out with? Those were the glory days of the modern celebrity world I adored. There was glamour, excitement and you looked at your idols in a completely different way."

She went on to write about her relationship to fame, one she cultivated as the group's members sold over 80 million records worldwide and carved an iconic lane for themselves in pop music throughout their career, and how it evolved in a way she hadnât expected from the start.

"You see, I'm a singer and songwriter. Not a celebrity. The two are very different things. You can earn a fortune being a 'celebrity' depending on how much dignity you want to keep in tact," she said, referencing the immense pressure she's often under as fans continue to ask her about a potential Spice Girls reunion.

"The fascination with the band never seems to go away. It's a blessing and a curse all at the same time. Daily I'm asked 'Are the girls getting back together?' Then it's When? How? Why? When we reunited in 2007 the questions stopped momentarily. We had done it – the fans were happy and we were happy. But the minute that tour ended it started again."

Chisholm's solo career took off in 1999 in her native U.K., where she notched two No. 1 singles before the release of the Spice Girls' third (and final) LP,

, in 2000. Thus far, she's released six albums on her own, the first of which,

, was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. Still, Chisholm said being a Spice Girl is practically in her DNA.

"Look, I will be a Spice Girl until I die. But the continuous speculation on whether we will reform to celebrate 20 years of 'Wannabe' has been particularly exhausting," she continued. "Donât get me wrong – I totally get it. But is it a new rule that bands have to reform? Why can't we just be remembered for our incredible achievements in the nineties.â

July 8, 2016 marked the

, "Wannabe," which topped music charts around the world, including in the U.S. Though all five members of the group reunited for a one-off performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, fans expected something bigger in commemoration of the group's signature song. Though Scary Spice revealed in June something big is in the works for 2017, Sporty doesn't want to be a part of it.

"Truth be told, earlier this year after several face-to-face meetings with the girls I made the difficult decision not to be part of a proposed reunion with Emma, Geri and Melanie. Victoria had already bowed out understandably with the demands of her fashion label and her rather large family," Chisholm revealed, noting, for her, the "pinnacle" of her Spice existence was performing at the Olympics for scores of people around the world.

"The hardest part for me was letting people down, the girls, the fans, civilisation?! Unfortunately something didn't feel quite right and I had to follow my gut. I'd love to play huge arenas across the World, sing our brilliantly bonkers pop songs and relive our former glory. It is of course a very lucrative opportunity too. But we were a five-piece band. Didn't we reach a peak with the Olympics? There's a lot to be said for bowing out on a high note."

She concluded the essay with a touching dedication to her groupmates.

"We're constantly reminded of our famous line from Wannabe – friendship never ends. There will always be hurdles with friendship," she wrote.

"I love the girls dearly. We have a very unique bond that will never be broken and I will continue to support them all as much as I canâ¦ I love the band I am beyond proud of my past and will always embrace and celebrate being a Spice Girl, It's what I am."

Read Chisholm's full piece in

Summary: "Something didnât feel quite right," Sporty Spice wrote in a personal essay


WASHINGTON — The economy grew at a moderate or slight rate this summer in eight of the Federal Reserve’s 12 districts, a slowdown from previous reports that may make Fed policy makers more cautious about an interest rate hike.

The Fed’s ‘‘Beige Book’’ survey of business conditions found that growth slowed in two districts, Philadelphia and Richmond. The economy was unchanged in New York and Kansas City. In its last report in July, growth was modest or moderate in 11 of 12 districts.

The report comes after Friday’s jobs figures showed that hiring slowed in August to half the pace seen in June and July. And a business survey found that manufacturing activity actually shrank last month. Such readings likely darken the outlook for most Fed officials.

Consumer spending and retail sales were mostly flat across the 12 districts, the Beige Book said, a potential concern since robust consumer spending has been one of the few factors lifting the economy this year. Home sales have increased, the report said.

The Beige Book report, which is based on discussions with business leaders in each regional district, will be considered at the Fed’s next meeting Sept. 20-21. Fed policy makers will weigh whether to raise the short-term interest rate that they control for the first time this year.

The rate was pinned at nearly zero for seven years during the Great Recession and a slow recovery. The Fed increased it to between one-quarter and one-half a percentage point last December.

Few observers expect the Fed will lift rates in two weeks. Investors think there is only a 15 percent chance of a hike, according to futures markets. And the odds of an increase at the December meeting have fallen to 46 percent, down from above 50 percent last week.

Most economists expect growth to quicken in the July-September quarter, to between 2.5 percent and 3 percent.

That would be an improvement from the first six months of the year, when growth was barely 1 percent. Still, recent data raise the risk that the economy will remain tepid.

Summary: The economy grew at a moderate or modest pace this summer in eight of the Federal Reserve’s 12 U.S. districts, a slowdown from previous reports that may make Fed policymakers more cautious about an interest rate hike.


A father of three has been stabbed in a Western Sydney park in what police say is "a random act of terror" because the accused attacker "believed the man was the embodiment of Australian culture".

Ihsas Khan, 22, was charged with committing a terror act and attempted murder yesterday after he allegedly stabbed Wayne Greenhalgh as he walked through a park in Ohflsen Road in Minto about 4pm on Saturday.

Police believe Khan, who was known to them through his "odd" behaviour and street preaching, was motivated by Islamic State and may have targetted Mr Greenhalgh because he seemed quintessentially Aussie.

Wayne Greenhalgh was injured in the stabbing. (Supplied)

The 59-year-old was well known in the neighbourhood for stopping to yarn about the Parramatta Eels while he walked his dog.

"Everybody knew Wayne, he would say hello to anyone," local Liz Dean told the Sydney Morning Herald . "He'd never hurt a fly but I'm sure would fight 'til death to protect anyone."

Mr Greenhalgh is believed to have lost several fingers in the attack as he tried to defend himself and fight off the knifeman, who allegedly repeatedly stabbed the older man's abdomen, chest and neck.

Despite his injuries, the 59-year-old managed to take refuge in a nearby hairdressing salon, where the owner, Duyen Phan, fought off the alleged attacker by shutting business's door.

Another bystander, Sivei Ah Chon, came to Mr Greenhalgh's aid by attacking the 22-year-old with a wooden paling until police arrived.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has praised the bravery of those at the scene and linked the stabbing – which comes a week after the group issued a call for "lone wolf" attacks at iconic Australian destinations – with the 15th anniversary September 11 attacks on the US.

"Connecting (both attacks) is a violent Islamist ideology," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Canberra today.

"What also is consistent or common between them is heroism."

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said Mr Greenhalgh was not known to Khan but the 22-year-old did "form a view of him" for some reason.

Police sources said they believed Mr Greenhalgh was targeted because he embodied Australia's way of life.

Khan is not believe to have any links to known radicals or persons of interest but the deputy commissioner said he had"strong extremist beliefs inspired by ISIS".

"It was deliberate, it was violent, his behaviour could have turned worse as well," she said.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016

Summary: A man has allegedly stabbed a father of three in a Western Sydney park in what police claim is "a random act of terror" because he allegedly "believed the man was the embodiment of Australian culture."


South Australia's courts will deal with major crimes faster under planned changes, the state government says.

The new laws would allow prosecution lawyers to reveal their primary evidence to the defence sooner to speed up guilty pleas and negotiations.

Both prosecution and defence lawyers would need to reveal more about their arguments in advance, to identify genuine issues in dispute sooner.

Courts would also be able to set more realistic time frames, to cut the number of unnecessary hearings.

Attorney-General John Rau says time is often wasted in SA courts hearing matters where a defendant has entered a guilty plea, or an adjournment has been sought, at the last minute.

More than a third of all criminal trials in Adelaide's Supreme and District courts were vacated in 2014/15 because of late guilty pleas.

"This extends the delay for victims and witnesses. The court's valuable time is wasted or overlisting sees other cases put off," Mr Rau said.

""Reform is necessary, it is not optional."

The changes aim to address a backlog of matters pending trial in SA courts, particularly the Adelaide District Court.

The state government has released the draft bills for community review over the next three weeks.

Summary: Changes to the way South Australian courts deal with major cases will mean they are resolved quicker, the state government says.


The 10th annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report," is based on the insurer's claims data and ranks America's 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency.

Springfield, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and New Haven, Connecticut, make up New England's contribution to the worst 10 list.

Read MoreThe 10 best cars for city living

The best? Fort Collins, Colorado. It marks the fourth time it took the honor of being "America's Safest Driving City." The average driver there will experience an auto collision every 14.2 years. Second is Brownsville, Texas, followed by Boise, Idaho, Kansas City, Kansas, and Huntsville, Alabama.

—By Mike Strong, NBC News

Summary: Drivers beware on New England roads! Five of the region's cities rank in the Top 10 worst for accidents, according to Allstate Insurance.


The distinct version of English spoken by Australian Aborigines will be the subject of a new study.

University of Western Australia linguistics researcher Celeste Rodriguez Louro has received a grant to analyse variations and changes and understand the rules of the language spoken by Perth-based Aborigines.

Aboriginal English was spoken throughout Australia and had a distinctive accent, grammar, words, meanings and other features linked to traditional Aboriginal languages, she says.

"It's a variety of English which is the result of English contact. It has it's own culture and vocabulary," Dr Louro said.

The research will be used to help design materials in the two-way learning program used in West Australian schools.

WA is the only state with schools that have instructions in Aboriginal English.

Summary: Research into Aboriginal English will go towards WA's two-way learning system, where both languages are used in the classroom.


Breitbart News urged its readers to boycott Kellogg Co. after the cereal maker stopped advertising on the news site, whose former chairman is a top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump.

Breitbart lashed back at the company following a statement that Kellogg wouldn’t put ads on sites that “aren’t aligned with our values.” Breitbart Chief Executive Officer Larry Solov said the move was “un-American.”

“The only sensible response is to join together and boycott Kellogg’s products in protest,” he said in a Breitbart story.

Breitbart has become a minefield for brands in recent weeks, with critics lining up on both sides of the political aisle. Before Kellogg abandoned the site, activists attacked the cereal brand for advertising on Breitbart, saying its content espouses racist and anti-Semitic views. A screen shot showing an advertisement for Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats was part of an online campaign to get marketers to sever ties with the news organization.

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A contentious and polarizing election has made it harder for brands to avoid alienating a large base of customers, said Allen Adamson, the former North American chairman of branding firm Landor Associates.

“There are dollars to be made on both sides of the divide,” he said. “It forces brands to make uncomfortable choices.”Kris Charles, a spokeswoman for Kellogg, said it removed its ads from Breitbart after customers complained.

“To be clear, our decision had nothing to do with politics,” Charles said on Thursday after the boycott was announced.

AppNexus Inc., a top digital advertising service, barred Breitbart from using its ad-serving tools earlier this month because it felt the publisher violated its hate-speech rules.

AppNexus scrutinized Breitbart’s website after the news organization’s former chairman, Steve Bannon, was named White House chief strategist. The digital ad firm decided the publication had breached a policy against content that incites violence, according to a spokesman for the company.

Other brands, including Allstate and Warby Parker, have pulled back from Breitbart. BMW said on Wednesday that it too wouldn’t be running targeted ads on the site.

Marketers often buy online ads through third-party tech companies, which distribute them widely across the internet. That means the companies don’t always know where their brands will appear.

Breitbart has drawn flak for its controversial articles, such as a piece that warned of “Muslim invaders” and another that dubbed conservative thinker Bill Kristol a “Renegade Jew.” The site had 19.2 million unique monthly U.S. visitors in October, up from 12.9 million a year ago, according to ComScore Inc.

Some brands have been sticking by the news site. In response to a campaign against Breitbart advertisers, Nissan said it “places ads in a variety of sites in order to reach as many consumers as possible.”

“The placement of Nissan advertising is not intended to be a political commentary and there are no plans to change the advertising mix at this time,” the company said this week.

Summary: The cereal maker pulled advertising from the website, whose former chairman is a top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump.


It appears Jeff Gordon just can't stand to stay out of a race car.

Gordon, the FOX Sports NASCAR analyst and four-time NASCAR Premier Series champion, will headline Wayne Taylor Racing's lineup for next month's Rolex 24 at Daytona in the team's new Cadillac DPi-V.R, it was announced on Thursday.

Gordon joins brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli at the wheel of the Dallara-based Prototype, in what will mark Gordon's first sports-car racing start in 10 years.

"I know that Ricky and Jordan are super-fast, and I believe it will be a very strong combination," Gordon said.

Gordon, 45, first retired from full-time driving in NASCAR's top series following the 2015 season -- when he made the transition to the FOX broadcasting booth. But after spending the first half of the 2016 season in the booth for FOX, Gordon was called upon by car owner Rick Hendrick to sub for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for eight races in the latter half as Earnhardt recovered from a concussion.

As for his sports-car history, Gordon took part in the 2007 Rolex 24 in a WTR-entered Riley-Pontiac DP, finishing third on the podium alongside Angelelli, Wayne Taylor and Jan Magnussen.

It was Gordon's only endurance racing start to date, in a storied 35-plus year career that's included more than 90 NASCAR Premier Series wins, 81 poles and nearly 500 top-10 finishes in stock-car racing competition.

"I really enjoyed racing in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2007 with Max, Wayne and Jan," Gordon said. "When I announced I would no longer be competing full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, my hope was that I would get an opportunity like this to compete again in such a prestigious event, with Konica Minolta and Wayne Taylor Racing, with the hopes of winning it this time."

Gordon got his first laps in the new Cadillac DPi during a 24-hour endurance test at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month and is expected to be in attendance at the IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona on Dec. 13-14.

"We are excited to have Jeff back in the lineup with us for the 2017 Rolex 24," team owner Wayne Taylor said. "He was with us when we started this race team back in 2007 and he helped us finish on the podium.

"We have kept in close touch ever since and have always been looking for another opportunity to have him join our driver lineup. That opportunity is finally here after his retirement from full-time competition in NASCAR and we are very much looking forward to working with him again."

Both Ricky and Jordan Taylor will continue as full-season drivers for a fourth consecutive season, with Angelelli again tabbed for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup races.

"It used to be common to have NASCAR guys joining teams for the Rolex but, over recent years, it's become less and less frequent," Jordan Taylor added. "Jeff Gordon is a name that everyone knows worldwide. He is one of the biggest names in motorsports. He drove with my dad and Max at the Rolex back in 2007, so it'll be cool to have a 10-year reunion with him and the team.

"Sports car racing offers a unique perspective for drivers, where we have to share the same car. I can't wait to compare notes and feedback with such a legend of our sport. It's going to be an experience of a lifetime."

Summary: FOX Sports NASCAR analyst looks forward to another opportunity behind the wheel.