– As Texas still deals with the devastation from Harvey, another weather system churning in the Atlantic, and moving west toward the US, has some worried. CNN reports on Irma, currently a Category 3 hurricane that experienced "rapid intensification" from Wednesday into Thursday, meaning its wind speed ramped up at least 35mph in that period—though the National Hurricane Center on Thursday noted the "remarkable" increase measured 58mph. A National Hurricane Center alert issued early Friday pegs maximum sustained winds at 115mph, with higher gusts. The storm is expected to approach the Caribbean by Tuesday or so as a Category 4 storm, then possibly the US—though meteorological models with wildly different scenarios show it's too early to make any definitive predictions on where the storm will land. Irma is what's called a "Cape Verde" hurricane, meaning one that forms off the coast of Africa then shoots across the Atlantic; CNN notes these storm systems can turn into particularly powerful ones (Hurricane Hugo is one example). What's emboldening Irma is a lack of the "hurricane kryptonite" known as wind shear, which often acts to tamp down hurricanes. A powerful high-pressure ridge is pushing Irma westward and keeping wind shear low. What one of the models is showing that has some concerned, per Reuters: Irma could head straight into the Gulf of Mexico, which could be bad news for areas still struggling after Harvey. "All interests in the eastern Caribbean will need to monitor the progress of this evolving and dangerous hurricane," an AccuWeather hurricane expert notes, reiterating he can't say "with certainty" how the US will be affected.

Expand this summary.

Wind Shear Tutorial

 Wind shear is often the most critical factor controlling hurricane formation and destruction. In general, wind shear refers to any change in wind speed or direction along a straight line. In the case of hurricanes, wind shear is important primarily in the vertical direction--from the surface to the top of the troposphere. The troposphere is the region of the atmosphere that our active weather is confined to, and extends up to about 40,000 feet altitude (a pressure of about 200 mb) in the tropics in summer. Hurricanes fill the entire vertical extent of the troposphere, and are steered by the average wind through this layer. When one hears the phrase, "wind shear is 20 knots over the hurricane", this typically refers to the difference in wind speed between 200 mb (the top of the troposphere, 40,000 feet altitude) and a layer where a pressure of 850 mb is found--about 5,000 feet above the surface. This wind shear is computed over a large area--a circle of 700 miles in diameter centered on the hurricane is one technique used. This 200-850 mb wind shear is a crude measure of the actual wind shear a storm experiences, since only changes in wind speed--not wind direction--are considered. Furthermore, the computed shear does not consider any smaller scale changes that may occur within this large volume of the atmosphere. For example, it is common to find a strong jet of wind at about 600 mb blowing along the edge of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL)--that area of dry, dusty air that frequently lies to the north of developing tropical cyclones in the mid-Atlantic. This jet will create significant wind shear that will not show up on the standard 200-850 mb wind shear plots. Since upper-air measurements are very sparse over the open ocean, wind shear that is invisible on 200-850 mb wind shear analysis charts will often unexpectedly kill or weaken a developing tropical cyclone.

 Tropical cyclones are heat engines powered by the release of latent heat when water vapor condenses into liquid water. Wind shear hurts tropical cyclones by removing the heat and moisture they need from the area near their center. Shear will also distort the shape of a hurricane by shearing it (blowing the top away from the lower portion), so that the vortex is tilted. A tilted vortex is usually a less efficient heat engine--the delicate balance of inflowing low-level winds and outflowing upper-level winds that ventilate the storm gets disrupted. Dr. Bill Gray of Colorado State University was one of the first scientists to study the effect of winds shear on hurricane formation. In his classic 1968 paper, "Global View of the Origin of Tropical Disturbances and Storms", Dr. Gray writes:

 "In the SW Atlantic and central Pacific, where tropical storms do not occur, the observed climatological tropospheric wind shear is large (i.e., 20-40 kt). This is believed to be the major inhibitor to development in these areas. Large vertical wind shears do not allow for area concentration of the tropospheric distributed cumulonimbus condensation. Large shears produce a large ventilation of heat away from the developing disturbance. The condensation heat released by the cumulus to the upper troposphere is adverted in a different direction relative to the released heat at lower levels. Concentration of heat through the entire troposphere becomes more difficult.

 Dr. Gray also discovered that the east-west or "zonal" component of the wind shear was what mattered most to hurricanes. Wind shear in the north-south or "meridional" direction did not significantly affect the storms. This is why one often sees "zonal wind shear" plotted in addition to the total wind shear. (By the way, we now know that tropical storms do occur in the central Pacific, thanks to satellite imagery--and we have also had one tropical cyclone in the SW Atlantic, Hurricane Catarina of 2004)."

 Rules of thumb

 A general rule of thumb is that the shear must be 20 knots or less for intensification to occur. Most instances of rapid intensification of hurricanes occur when the wind shear is 10 knots or less. However, large and powerful hurricanes can be resistant to shear values as high as 40 knots, as demonstrated by Hurricane Wilma (Figure 1). We often see tropical disturbances under 10 knots of wind shear that do not develop. Why? Oftentimes, this is because cold, dry air aloft associated with an upper level trough of low pressure is interfering with development. Tropical cyclones develop most readily when an upper level anticyclone (high pressure system aloft) is present overhead.

 Figure 1. Wind shear plot of Hurricane Wilma at 00GMT October 25, 2005. At time time, Wilma had just intensified to a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds and a 955 mb pressure, despite the presence of 40 knots of wind shear over the storm. Just to the west of Wilma one can see wind shear values of 120 knots, associated with the jet stream.

 One excellent web site to diagnose current wind shear values is the University of Wisconsin CIMSS site. They compute upper level winds by looking at cloud motion from satellites. A mean low level wind, averaged over a layer between 925 mb and 700 mb (1500 feet to 10,000 feet), is subtracted from a mean upper level wind, averaged over a layer between 300 mb and 150 mb (30,000 to 45,000 feet). If a tropical cyclone is present, the winds due to the circulation around the storm are removed, so that one can just look at the environmental wind field the storm is embedded in. A sample of one of their wind shear analyses is shown in Figure 1. Yellow contour lines mark wind shear values in knots. Pink lines with arrows show the direction of the shear (which is almost always the same as the direction of the upper level winds at 200 mb, since winds aloft are almost always stronger than winds near the surface). The contour lines are overlaid on a water vapor satellite image. Dark areas show where dry air is. The CIMSS plots are updated every three hours, and available about two hours after the time stamped on the image. All times are Greenwich time (UTC), four hours ahead of EDT.

 Shear example: Tropical Storm Gabrielle of 2007

 Figure 2 shows a still image of the disturbance that eventually became Tropical Storm Gabrielle of 2007. At the time, Gabrielle had a well defined circulation from the surface to 850 mb, but could not develop any heavy thunderstorm activity near the center because strong upper level winds from the southwest blew away the thunderstorms as quickly as they formed. A 0.5Mb animation of satellite images shows this process quite clearly. The low level vortex of Gabrielle is stationary, and one can see thunderstorms trying to form at the center get sheared away by strong upper level southwesterly winds at 200 mb. The winds carry high, wispy cirrus clouds from lower left to upper right in the animation. These winds blew at about 20 knots (Figure 3), creating 20 knots of wind shear over the center of Gabrielle (where the winds were calm). Just north of the Gabrielle's center, the low-level flow from the surface to 850 mb (5,000 feet) was out of the northeast at about 10 knots, due to the counter-clockwise flow of air around the vortex. As one can see from Figure 3, the shear was thus 20 knots at 200 mb minus negative 10 knots at 850 mb (since the 850 mb winds were blowing in the opposite direction as the 200 mb winds), for a total wind shear of 30 knots. To the south of the vortex, the surface to 850 mb flow was out of the southwest (same direction as the 200 mb flow), so the shear was 20 knots minus positive 10 knots, for a total of 10 knots of shear.

 Figure 2. Visible satellite image of the tropical disturbance that eventually became Tropical Storm Gabrielle of 2007. The thick band of clouds extending from southwest to northeast is due to the presence of an upper level trough of low pressure. Image credit: University of Wisconsin CIMSS satellite blog. ||||| Irma may become Category 4 hurricane while tracking across Atlantic; Will it affect the US?

 You will be redirected to the latest story on Irma in a moment.

 While the Gulf Coast continues to deal with the devastating impacts of Harvey, emergency managers in the United States have another tropical threat to monitor by the name of Irma.

 Far across the Atlantic, west of the Cabo Verde Islands, Irma is a Category 3 hurricane.

 "There is the potential for Irma to ramp up to an even more powerful hurricane into early week," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

 "While fluctuation in strength is likely, we expect Irma to become a Category 4 well before it reaches waters near the Lesser Antilles," Kottlowski said.

 A Category 4 hurricane has sustained winds of 130-156 mph (209-251 km/h).

 Subtle changes in water temperatures and atmospheric conditions, such as slightly drier air and a small patch of strong winds aloft, can cause significant fluctuations in strength in even the strongest of hurricanes.

 As of early Sunday morning, Irma was located about 945 miles (1,520 km) east of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h).

 Irma will take about a week to make its trek westward across the Atlantic Ocean. Meteorologists will likely be tracking this storm through the middle of September.

 "All interests in the eastern Caribbean will need to monitor the progress of this evolving and dangerous hurricane," Kottlowski said.

 "Surf will begin to build on the east-facing beaches in the Leeward and Windward islands into early week," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

 How much seas, surf and winds increase during the first part of the week will depend on the exact track of Irma.

 “Steering winds will guide Irma close to the Leeward Islands and then perhaps Puerto Rico and Hispaniola during the middle days of the week,” according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson.

 "While the hurricane is strong, it is relatively small in size at this time," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. "Should this small size continue, severe effects from the storm may be limited to a radius 50 miles (80 km) of the center, while the storm moves through the tropics."

 Locally heavy showers and gusty thunderstorms may extend beyond 100 miles (160 km) from the eye and could bring torrential rain and flooding to the islands.

 Beyond early this week, there is a wide range as to where Irma may go and the storm may grow in size.

 Plenty of atmospheric factors highlighted by non-tropical systems will come into play to determine its path. These non-tropical systems will be moving around.

 "At this early stage, it is unclear whether a non-tropical storm will draw Irma toward the U.S., push it away or miss affecting it entirely prior to the middle of the month," Kottlowski said.

 Possibilities range from a landfall from the northern Caribbean islands to Florida, the Carolinas or Bermuda. There is also a chance the system curves northward and avoids North America entirely.

 "At some point this week, Irma will begin to take a more west-northwest path," Kottlowski said. "Whether Irma then continues to curve northwestward and then northward or remains on a steady west-northwest path is uncertain."

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 More details on the path of Irma will follow in the coming days.

 Residents who live along the East Coast or have interests in the Caribbean Sea should take time to review emergency procedures and make sure they are prepared for extreme tropical conditions.

 Cruise and shipping interests may need to adjust their route as Irma approaches.

 Report a Typo ||||| (CNN) While much attention remains on Texas and the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and its historic rainfall , powerful Hurricane Irma is rapidly intensifying in the open Atlantic and poses a major threat to the Caribbean and potentially to the United States next week.

 Satellite image taken at 8 a.m. ET Friday shows Hurricane Irma in the eastern Atlantic

 With the storm still five days away from the outermost Caribbean islands and at least a week away from any potential US impacts, there is still a lot of uncertainty about where it will go.

 The range of possibilities presented by the forecast models more than a week out literally spreads from Mexico to Canada -- and everywhere in between.

 Good bet at a casino is an intense Hurricane Irma at Cat 4 or 5. But it's still red or black on U.S. impacts. Hope it's a "fish storm" pic.twitter.com/w6rWbbGVts

 Irma was designated a tropical storm Wednesday morning, and by Thursday afternoon, it had strengthened into a large Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 115 mph.

 Such explosive strengthening is known as "rapid intensification," defined by the National Hurricane Center as having its wind speed increase at least 30 knots (35 mph) in 24 hours.

 "Irma has become an impressive hurricane," the National Hurricane Center said Thursday, noting the rapid intensification. "This is a remarkable 50 knot (58 mph) increase from yesterday at this time."

 Hurricane Harvey underwent rapid intensification just before it made landfall late last Friday, strengthening quickly from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane when it moved onshore near Corpus Christi, Texas.

 Hurricane kryptonite not in the mix

 Irma is a classic " Cape Verde hurricane ," a type of hurricane that forms in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands (now known as the Cabo Verde Islands), then tracks all the way across the Atlantic. Cape Verde storms frequently become some of the largest and most intense hurricanes. Examples are Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, and Hurricane Ivan

 Hurricane Irma is forecast to continue to strengthen as it moves westward over the next five days, and the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center puts a dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Irma on the doorstep of the Caribbean by the end of the five-day forecast on Wednesday.

 #Irma has continued to strengthen over the eastern Atlantic and is now a major hurricane. Details at https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/gRAl1hzRnN — NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) August 31, 2017

 A strong high-pressure ridge to the north of Irma, over the Atlantic, is steering the storm to the west and limiting the wind shear in the upper levels of the atmosphere, which has allowed the storm to grow so quickly. Wind shear is like hurricane kryptonite, and prevents storms from forming or gaining strength.

 Unfortunately, Irma will remain in a low-shear environment for the next several days, so there isn't much hope that Irma will weaken any time soon.

 There is considerable confidence that Hurricane Irma will track to the west through the weekend and then take a slight jog to the southwest early next week in response "to a building ridge (of high pressure) over the central Atlantic."

 From there, the forecast becomes a lot less clear, with some major differences among some of the key models meteorologists use to forecast hurricanes. The differences are so drastic that one prediction has Irma sliding harmlessly back out to sea, while in another, it makes multiple disastrous landfalls in the Caribbean and likely hits the United States after that.

 Dueling prediction models

 The European model, or ECMWF, and the American GFS model have had some notable showdowns before, most notably with Hurricane Sandy.

 With Sandy, the ECMWF correctly predicted a landfall in the Northeast nearly a week ahead, while the GFS continually kept the storm offshore in what became a major black eye for the US weather-modeling industry . There have been other examples in which the GFS model has outperformed its European counterpart, such as with a few major snowstorms in the Northeast.

 Right now, the GFS has Irma taking a more northerly track that curves to the north before it reaches the Caribbean, thus making a US landfall much less likely.

 The European model keeps the storm tracking further west, nearing the Bahamas by the end of next week.

 European vs American weather models

 "The ECMWF sees a much stronger ridge or Bermuda High (than the GFS) which forces Irma west, whereas the GFS has a weaker ridge and a more rightward, parabolic track," said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with WeatherBell Analytics.

 "The prospects for major impacts anywhere from Cuba to Carolinas is concerning for this very reliable model," Maue said.

 Irma is still more than 1,700 miles east of the Leeward Islands, and any impacts from the storm wouldn't be felt until Tuesday or Wednesday for the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico.

 The forecast picture should become clearer after the weekend.

 Bottom line: Hurricane Irma is already a powerful hurricane and looks to only become more so. Those with interests in the Caribbean and southeast US coast should pay close attention to the forecast. ||||| CHICAGO (Reuters) - Hurricane Harvey has left major devastation in Texas, but there is another hurricane called Irma out in the Atlantic that could take aim at the United States within the next week or so.

 Irma became a hurricane early on Thursday and by the evening it was upgraded to a major hurricane, which requires sustained winds greater than 110 miles (177 km) per hour (reut.rs/2wqRtvW).

 Given the early stages, weather models are not in total agreement over Irma’s likely path or potential power, but all hurricane-prone areas - from the Gulf of Mexico clear up the Eastern Seaboard - could be in its target.

 Concerns are heightened for residents in coastal regions of the Southern and Eastern United States in the wake of Harvey, which dumped a record amount of rainfall for the continental United States over the Houston area within the past few days, leaving tens of thousands homeless.

 The damage is so devastating that Texas could require as much as $125 billion in aid from the U.S. government, larger than the record $110.2 billion aid package assembled in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina.

 Recent runs of the U.S. GFS model suggest Irma could gain significant strength and impact the Eastern Seaboard the weekend of Sept. 9. Whether that means a direct hit on the Carolinas or the Northeast, or just an offshore encounter is still uncertain.

 The midday Thursday European model shows some more alarming possibilities, with the hurricane gaining strength, clipping the southern end of Florida, and heading into the Gulf of Mexico – perhaps the worst-case scenario for those still reeling from Harvey.

 Although the Atlantic hurricane season is near its peak and storms in close succession are common, the prospect of another hurricane is stomach-churning. In addition to the human impact, Harvey has sent shockwaves through the transportation, energy, and retail industries, causing supply shortages and billions in losses.

 COMMODITY MARKETS JOLTED

 With Houston at the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry, Harvey’s hit has been felt most directly in the energy markets. The catastrophic flooding has shut down nearly a quarter of U.S. oil-refining capacity, threatening a national supply crunch.

 As such, benchmark U.S. gasoline prices hit two-year highs on Monday and tested nearly three-year highs on Thursday, and gasoline margins have rallied to the strongest levels in five years for this time of year.

 Transportation woes are plaguing the agriculture market. Grain elevators in coastal Texas have not been significantly damaged, but loading for export has halted as they are unable to receive supplies due to closure of flooded rail lines in the Houston area.

 Cattle and cotton have also been affected, as Texas is the No. 1 producer of each. Some 27 percent of the state’s 4.46 million-head beef cow herd resides in the disaster area and cotton crop losses are estimated around $150 million, though the vast majority of cotton production takes place in the Panhandle, out of the storm’s path.

 Harvey’s remnants are now moving into the U.S. Delta states, where 20 percent of the nation’s cotton and 15 percent of soybeans are grown. Soybean harvest has just begun in the far south areas, but parts of the region could receive up to 8 inches (0.2 m) over the next five days.

 ACTIVE SEASON PREDICTED

 The hurricane threat in the North Atlantic Basin is far from over, though.

 Back in May, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center gave the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season – which began on June 1 – a 45 percent chance of featuring above-normal activity. In its Aug. 9 update, NHC bumped these chances to 60 percent and noted “the possibility that the season could be extremely active.”

 Forecasters point to a few primary reasons. One is that the large-scale climate indicator El Niño-Southern Oscillation – or ENSO – has much higher chances of sustaining neutral conditions through the end of the year rather than trend toward the warm phase El Niño as earlier forecasts suggested.

 El Niño often suppresses tropical storm development in the North Atlantic since it features greater atmospheric stability and stronger winds that make it difficult for big, organized storms to form. ENSO’s cool phase, La Niña, usually promotes a favorable environment for tropical development in the Atlantic.

 Additionally, sea surface temperatures in the key formation region of the ocean are warmer than models had previously predicted and the West African monsoon is stronger. Tropical cyclone formation in the North Atlantic often begins with an atmospheric wave off the African coast and most generally, warmer waters provide more fuel to the storm.

 As of Aug. 31, there have been nine named storms in the North Atlantic Basin – above the long-term average of five for the date – so the season has been more active than normal so far, including a rare April-forming tropical storm.

 NHC forecasters also mention that the enhanced early-season activity back in June and July in the tropical Atlantic usually suggests an above-average season ahead.

 The climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is Sept. 10 and the season officially ends on Nov. 30. Activity can persist into December, but these storms usually never make it to hurricane status and have occurred only a handful of times in the last couple decades.

 During August and September, all coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean are historically susceptible to tropical cyclones that could make landfall. Into October and beyond, this threat tends to focus more on Florida and the Eastern Seaboard rather than the Gulf (reut.rs/2wlDF7D).

 But to have another storm as severe as Harvey anytime soon may be unlikely, as Harvey was statistically rare. It was only the fifth hurricane in the last 50 years to make landfall in the United States with Category 4 strength or greater, with the last one being Charley in 2004.

 (The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a market analyst for Reuters.) |||||

 Back to Basic Definitions Page | Back to Main FAQ Page

 Subject: A2) What is a "Cape Verde" hurricane? Contributed by Chris Landsea (NHC) Cape Verde-type hurricanes are those Atlantic basin tropical cyclones that develop into tropical storms fairly close (<1000 km [600 mi] or so) of the Cape Verde Islands and then become hurricanes before reaching the Caribbean. (That would be my definition, there may be others.) Typically, this may occur in August and September, but in rare years (like 1995) there may be some in late July and/or early October. The numbers range from none up to around five per year - with an average of around 2.

 Back to Basic Definitions Page | Back to Main FAQ Page |||||


Write a summary based on this article:

 University of Chicago / Facebook

 Amid a high-profile controversy at the University of Chicago over the value of trigger warnings and "intellectual safe spaces," a male student is suing the Hyde Park school on the grounds that it is not a safe space for young men.

 The unnamed student has been accused of sexual assault by his peers at least twice, but the university found he was not at fault after investigating the claims through its own process for resolving on-campus disputes between students. The lawsuit, filed last week, demands $175,000 in damages against the university.

 The university has come under scrutiny in recent years for its handling of sexual assault accusations among students and is being investigated by the federal government for violating Title IX. Now this student says the school has swung too far in the other direction, creating a "gender-biased, hostile environment against males, like John Doe, based in part on [the University of Chicago's] pattern and practice of investigating and disciplining male students who accept physical contact initiated by female students, retaliating against male students, and providing female students preferential treatment under its Title IX policies."

 The lawsuit, which can be read in full here, details the relationships John Doe had with two unnamed women referred to as Jane Doe and Jane Roe in 2013. The lawsuit claims the relationships and his sexual activities with them were always consensual, but Jane Doe began publicly accusing him of sexual assaulting them in 2016, several years after the fact. The lawsuit excerpts a series of Tumblr blog posts written by one of his accusers in 2013 and 2014 as evidence that the relationship was in fact consensual.

 Among other issues, the male student says he was harassed by the female students after one Tweeted about the alleged assault and a group of students staged a protest to boycott a student theater production he directed, and after his named was placed on "the Hyde Park List,"—a very unofficial list of University of Chicago students accused of sexual misconduct that was disseminated anonymously in 2014.

 The complaint relies on some common arguments used to refute sexual assault claims women bring against men: that the women are scorned lovers trying to re-write history out of anger, and that people who believe sexual assault allegations are biased against men because of the mainstream cultural image of men as more interested in casual sex than women. The lawsuit claims one female student had a "vendetta" against him and was retaliating after being rejected, and that the university operates under “archaic assumptions that female students do not sexually assault or harass their fellow male students because females are less sexually promiscuous than men.”

 [H/T Jezebel] ||||| A University of Chicago male student from New York accused twice of sexual assault slammed the school's conduct in a new lawsuit, charging that "UC routinely portrays a large portion of their male students as sexual predators."

 The student, named as John Doe in the lawsuit, claims the university violated Title IX with its unfair treatment. He was subjected to a "fundamentally unfair, arbitrary and capricious disciplinary procedure that violates both Title IX and UC's policies and/or procedures related to allegations of sexual misconduct," according to the lawsuit obtained by the Chicago Maroon, a student newspaper at the school.

 Title IX is in place to ensure that universities don't discriminate against students and faculty based on gender.

 The male student, from Somers, N.Y., charges that two women, named as Jane Doe and Jane Roe, falsely accused him of sexual assault. Jane Doe is also being sued, according to the Maroon.

 What you should know about reporting sex assault on campus

 The suit alleges that the school refused to allow John Doe to file a Title IX complaint against Jane Doe for harassment and retaliation, yet UC allowed Jane Doe to file a Title IX complaint to retaliate for an alleged sexual assault two years earlier.

 John Doe and Jane Doe became acquainted before their first semester in September 2013 through a Facebook page for accepted students, according to the lawsuit. John Doe and Roe met during their first semester.

 The lawsuit states that after John Doe broke off his relationships with the two women, Roe filed a complaint with the school falsely accusing John Doe of sexual misconduct in the spring of 2014. The accusation was regarding alleged conduct that took place the previous December.

 The school rejected Roe's claims "despite UC's anti-male gender bias conduct and gross negligence in conducting an investigation," according to the lawsuit.

 Brown student could be allowed back after sex assault suspension

 However, Roe then launched a vendetta against the male student, according to the lawsuit. She placed his name on the so-called "Hyde Park List," a Tumblr page accusing six current and former male students of sexual assault or sexual harassment.

 Roe also "falsely and maliciously advised members of UC's community that John Doe was a sexual predator," according to the suit.

 The school did not take any steps to "correct" Roe's conduct, according to the suit, as John Doe was told the school's "confidentiality" policies prevented him from personally refuting Roe's defamation within "UC's Community."

 Roe then blogged in October of 2014 that the school was forcing her to participate in class "with the person who sexually assaulted [HER]." The school ordered John Doe removed from the physics lab they were both in, despite his strong opposition, the lawsuit states.

 UC investigating sexually explicit ‘gag reflex' sign near campus

 In addition, the school "unlawfully alleged a right to discipline" the male student because his sister responded to Roe's "fallacious" posts on Twitter.

 The other woman mentioned in the suit, Jane Doe, first mentioned in her blog that she had been "sexually assaulted" in November of 2014, according to the complaint. However, in her own "vernacular," according to the lawsuit, the male student and Jane Doe "hooked up" in September of 2013 but did not have sexual intercourse.

 Jane Doe harassed the male student in a series of tweets earlier this year, according to the lawsuit. The male student filed a Title IX complaint against her, but the school took no action.

 The suit seeks $175,000 in damages, according to the Maroon. ||||| A male student twice investigated for sexual assault by the University of Chicago has sued the school, saying its handling of the complaints against him demonstrated a “gender-based, hostile environment against males.”

 The student, identified in the lawsuit as “John Doe” from Somers, N.Y., claims the University failed to treat him fairly after a University disciplinary panel cleared him of a sexual assault charge in 2014. The suit also accuses a female student of defamation for publicly saying he assaulted her and others. The complaint was filed on August 24 in federal court in Chicago.

 The suit asks for more than $175,000 in damages.

 The case against the University states that, in its treatment of the plaintiff in the case, “UC was motivated by pro-female, anti-male bias that was, at least in part, adopted to refute criticism within the student body and public press that UC was turning a blind eye to female complaints of sexual assault.”

 The suit is part of a recent trend of litigation by male students at American universities who claim to have been discriminated against in sexual assault investigations in violation of Title IX, a federal statute that prohibits sex discrimination at colleges and universities that receive federal funding. So far, these claims have generally failed, though last month a federal appeals court ruled in favor of a similar suit against Columbia University.

 The suit involves two separate allegations of sexual assault against “John Doe” filed with the University as Title IX complaints. The first allegation, filed by a female student called “Jane Roe” in the lawsuit, was decided in “John Doe’s” favor in 2014. The second was filed this year by another female student, called “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit, over an alleged instance of sexual assault in 2013. “Jane Doe” is being sued, along with the University.

 The student the suit refers to as “Jane Roe” said “John Doe” assaulted her in the spring of 2014. A College disciplinary hearing in May of that year “found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support [“Jane Roe’s”] allegation that [“John Doe”] sexually assaulted her,” according to a letter sent to the plaintiff by former assistant dean of students Kathleen Ford. The letter was included as an exhibit in the suit.

 The suit alleges that “Jane Roe” told other people at the University of Chicago that “John Doe” had raped her and that she added his name to the “Hyde Park List,” a Tumblr page that listed students it said had committed sexual assault or harassment.

 “Roe” is not a defendant in the lawsuit. Instead, the suit points to the University’s decision to remove the plaintiff from a physics lab with “Roe” after the case had been decided, and its failure to stop her from repeating her allegations, as examples of the University’s bias against him as a male student.

 In May of this year, the plaintiff directed a TAPS-sponsored play called The Bald Soprano, according to an email released as an exhibit in the case. Before the play’s debut, flyers were posted on bulletin boards around campus urging people to boycott the show, and a protest was staged near the theater on the play’s opening night.

 “For me, it’s about supporting survivors, boycotting events put on by perpetrators of sexual assault, and accountability in RSOs,” then second-year Emma Maltby, who participated in the protest, said when interviewed by The Maroon at the time.

 At the protest, students held signs with slogans like “Support survivors, not perpetrators,” “Boycott rapists,” “Silence = violence,” and “Hold your friends accountable.” Some protesters also had tape over their mouths, with “Support survivors” written on the tape.

 Students protest in Reynolds Club. Zoe Kaiser

 At the time, protesters would not speak to The Maroon on the record about whether their protest was related to a specific incident or person.

 Before the protest, the female student called “Jane Doe” in the suit tweeted that the director of a TAPS show had assaulted her and other people on campus. The plaintiff’s law firm sent her a cease-and-desist order in June, demanding that she stop saying that “John Doe” had sexually assaulted her or other people, formally apologize to him, and issue an apology and retraction on social media. As of publication, the original tweet was still posted on “Jane Doe’s” Twitter account.

 In May of this year, “John Doe” filed a Title IX complaint against “Jane Doe,” alleging harassment. Jeremy Inabinet, associate dean of students for disciplinary affairs, told him that the actions he cited did not constitute harassment under University policy and dismissed the allegation.

 “Jane Doe” then filed a Title IX complaint in June against “John Doe,” saying he had sexually assaulted her in 2013. "John Doe" then filed another complaint with the school, saying that "Jane Doe’s" complaint was in bad faith and retaliation against his decision to file his May complaint and otherwise defend himself against rape allegations. The University initially told “John Doe” that it planned to pursue the case against him under the 2015 Student Manual, which had a different definition of consent from the 2013 Student Manual.

 The suit says that “it was impossible for John Doe to know whether his consensual physical encounters with Jane Doe in 2013 might violate subsequently created stringent mandates in UC’s 2015 Manual.”

 The suit also claims that the University failed to respond to public accusations that “John Doe” had sexually assaulted people and treated him unfairly by agreeing to hear “Jane Doe’s” Title IX complaint. The suit includes selected posts from the female defendant’s blog which it alleges show that their 2013 encounter was consensual.

 The suit alleges that the female defendant’s comments were defamatory, and claims that she and the University inflicted emotional distress on the plaintiff. It alleges, among other things, that the University of Chicago violated Title IX by creating a hostile environment, selectively enforcing its provisions, and retaliating against “John Doe” for defending himself against allegations of sexual assault.

 The case states that the University’s policy for Title IX investigations takes cues from the Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter, which lays out how Title IX complaints about sexual violence or harassment between students should be handled by school administrations. It alleges that the letter defines females as the victims in Title IX cases and makes it difficult for male defendants to defend themselves in such investigations.

 All of the parties in this case declined to comment, either personally or through their legal counsel or press representative.

 An August 24 docket entry by the clerk of the district court noted that the University of Chicago had agreed to extend the amount of time the plaintiff had to respond to the defendant’s Title IX complaint, and to adjudicate that complaint under the definition of consent found in the 2013 Student Manual rather than the definition in the 2015 Student Manual. Judge Edmond Chang ruled that the case will continue to be conducted using pseudonyms for the plaintiff and female defendant, as the plaintiff requested.

 The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 14.

 Editor’s Note: Based on information available in now-public court documents, it is possible to identify the parties in this lawsuit. The Maroon chose not to identify them because “John Doe” is a plaintiff in a defamation lawsuit, and reporting his name might further this alleged defamation, and because “Jane Doe” alleges that she is a victim of sexual assault, and The Maroon, like many media organizations, does not report the names of alleged victims of sexual assault without the victim’s permission in cases when the victim’s name is not widely known. |||||

– In a lawsuit seeking more than $175,000 in damages, a male student claims the University of Chicago has an "anti-male gender bias" and "routinely portrays a large portion of their male students as sexual predators." The New York Daily News reports the student, named only as John Doe in the lawsuit, was accused of sexual assault by two female students. Despite being found innocent by the university in both cases, John Doe claims that he was the victim of a "fundamentally unfair, arbitrary, and capricious disciplinary procedure" and that the university violated his rights under Title IX. According to Chicagoist, John Doe claims the university disciplines male students "who accept physical contact initiated by female students." The University of Chicago was recently accused of not doing enough for female students who had been sexually assaulted, but John Doe's lawsuit claims the university has now gone too far in the other direction, the Chicago Maroon reports. He says the university did nothing when the two women called him a sexual predator online and in public, leading to the protest of a theater production he directed. He claims the university ignored a Title IX complaint he filed against one of the women after she filed a similar complaint against him. The lawsuit states he was even removed from a physics class he shared with one of the women at her request. In addition to suing the University of Chicago for creating a "hostile environment for men," John Doe is also suing one of the women. (Something similar happened at the University of Texas-Austin.)


News article:

The military operation to wrest Mosul from the Islamic State group could potentially become the single largest, most complex humanitarian operation in the world in 2016, a U.N. official said Monday.

 Speaking via video-link from Iraq, Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said that in the worst case scenario, some 1 million civilians could flee the city with 700,000 of them requiring shelter — overwhelming emergency sites that currently only have the capacity to hold 60,000 people.

 "Our capacity to support 700,000 people in the short-term — we couldn't do it. And certainly if we had to mount a response over the intermediate-term, if they couldn't go back to Mosul quickly, if there was too much damage in the city, then it would test us to the breaking point," Grande said.

 She said that the U.N. was especially concerned about the safety of the estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million civilians inside Mosul who may get caught in the fighting. She said officials were also concerned that IS had already booby trapped parts of Mosul and positioned snipers within the city.

 "In the worst case scenario, we can't rule out the possibility that there may be a chemical weapons attack. We also fear that ISIL, as they did in Fallujah, may try and hold civilian populations either as human shields or forcibly expel huge numbers of civilians in the face of an attack by the Iraqi security forces knowing the Iraqi forces will not fire on their own people," Grande said, using another acronym for the Islamic State group.

 Grande said she has heard reports of people charging as much as $10,000 to smuggle people out of Mosul ahead of the operation to retake the city that was launched Monday. She said that, so far, the U.N. hasn't detected any population movements but that they were expected within the coming days.

 Largely due to a lack of funding from the international community, the U.N. and its partners have only set up six emergency sites with a capacity to hold some 60,000 people. But Grande said in the next few weeks 22 emergency sites should be in place with a capacity to hold over 400,000 people — far short of the 700,000 people who could potentially flood out of the city.

 "W, we're still short and everyone who's working on this operation knows that. We're continuing to discuss with authorities what might have to happen," Grande said.

 Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, fell to IS in the summer of 2014. Weeks later the head of the extremist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque.

 If successful, the liberation of Mosul would be the biggest blow yet to the Islamic State group. ||||| Mosul residents cower in their homes beneath the bombardment – but fear sectarian violence from Shia militias once the besieged city is liberated from Isis

 As Iraqi security forces and Kurdish fighters closed in on Mosul, its residents cowered in their homes and braced for what is likely to be an gruelling street battle.

 “Everyone is staying at home because we don’t know what else to do. Daesh [another name for Islamic State] are mostly moving around on motorbike and have small and heavy guns. The planes started bombing Mosul around 1am today and they are in the sky constantly and occasionally striking targets,” Abu Mohammed, a 35-year-old from the east side of the city told the Guardian.

 Fighting for every yard: on the ground with Kurdish troops pushing into Mosul Read more

 Mohammed is not his real name. He is a Shia who has survived the past two years under Islamic State (Isis) control by passing himself off as Sunni.

 He said he thought the airstrikes were mostly precisely targeted on Isis but added: “Daesh are moving into civilian houses and mixing with the population. For example Daesh has placed a large depot of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in a house next to my cousin’s house. I begged him to leave his house and bring his family to stay with me as the house could be targeted by coalition. He refused and said: ‘Whatever destiny brings.’”

 “People have had enough in Mosul, the majority want Daesh to go as soon as possible and would like to see the Iraqi army and peshmerga enter the city,” he said.

 “We have seen too many beheadings, people being drowned in cages, thrown from top of buildings ... I myself saw a man thrown off a building near the governor’s office around three months ago. I couldn’t sleep for a week afterwards.”

 US aircraft have begun dropping 7m leaflets over the city, urging civilians to stay in their homes and giving advice on how to protect themselves from flying glass and comfort their children when the bombs drop. It advised residents not to attempt to flee. That would be almost impossible anyway, Mohammed said.

 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Peshmerga forces walk in the east of Mosul during operation to liberate the city from Isis. Photograph: Azad Lashkari/Reuters

 “It is difficult for civilians to leave the city because a ditch has been dug around many neighbourhoods in the city, especially the area east of the city,” he said.

 People smugglers have raised their prices to astronomical sums and Isis was reported to be summarily executing anyone its fighters find trying to escape the city of a million people.

 Abu Sabra, 22, said Isis militants were burning tyres in the centre of town to try to obscure their strongholds from the coalition aircraft above. He said they had lined up shipping containers along the main streets, though it was unclear what purpose they served.

 “There is no money and even though the food is cheap we can not buy it. This evening we only had fried potatoes,” Sabra said. “Anyone who tries to flee, is shot dead.”

 However, he added that some residents are ready to rise up against Isis when the time is right.

 Victory over Isis will not solve Iraq’s problems | Ranj Alaaldin Read more

 “I can see signs that people want to resist Daesh because they have had enough. In my neighborhood, some people openly use their mobile phones which is forbidden,” Sabra said. “Others who still have their guns hidden are preparing to join the peshmerga or the Iraqi army when they enter the city to fight Daesh.”

 Khalaf al-Hadidi, a member of Mosul’s city council who now lives in the Kurdish stronghold of Irbil, said the council was doing what it can to advise the coalition on where there are heavily populated areas to be avoided in planning airstrikes. It is also helping set up camps to help people displaced by the fighting. Hadidi’s greatest fear was that Shia militias might carry out sectarian reprisals on the local people after the city is liberated from Isis.

 Hadidi added that the council adopted a decision, which it passed to the Iraqi government, to oppose the participation of Shia militias in the mission to retake Mosul. “We do not want to go back to the time of sectarian war and killing civilians. The involvement of Shia militias would have hurt morale,” he said.

 Fawaz Ali, an engineer from Mosul who now lives in Turkey, said his relatives still trapped in Mosul were also worried about the prospect of Shia militias entering the city.

 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Smoke rises after a suicide bomb attack against Kurdish forces near Mosul. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

 “My family contacted me to say: ‘Look, we can’t call you any more, all mobiles are monitored by Isis. We just want to let you know that we are OK and Mosul centre is quiet. All the people are staying indoors in fear of bombardment by US jets against the city,” Ali said.

 “People are scared of the aftermath of Mosul liberation and that the result will be Shia militia and Iraqi army taking the city, who [may] detain people although they are innocent, accusing them of being Isis supporters … The locals believe that peshmerga is better than Shia militia because they are not sectarian.”

 Abu Firas, a father of five and a secondary schoolteacher from Telafer, west of Mosul, fled seven months ago and is also in Turkey waiting for the chance to return.

 “I still have three brothers in Mosul with their families, they said that the battle is still at the suburbs of Mosul. They could not flee because they could not afford the cost of traveling to Turkey. Besides it is very risky. If Isis militants get hold of anyone fleeing, they will execute him immediately. I paid more than $2,000 (£1640) to flee with the help of a smuggler who took us to Syria and then to Turkey,” Firas said.

 “I will get back to Mosul as soon as it is liberated. Only God knows how long the battle will last because Isis won’t give up easily. They have been reinforcing their forces to be ready for the attack. They will not hand over Mosul easily,” he said. “I will get back to my home, even if Shia militia take the city. I do not care any more, I prefer to die in my home and not to be a refugee. I will never repeat this mistake again.” |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– The military operation to wrest Mosul from ISIS could become the single largest, most complex humanitarian operation in the world in 2016, a UN official said Monday. Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said that in the worst case scenario, some 1 million civilians could flee the city, with 700,000 of them requiring shelter—overwhelming emergency sites that currently only have the capacity to hold 60,000 people, the AP reports. It can't be done right now, and even in "the intermediate-term, if they couldn't go back to Mosul quickly, if there was too much damage in the city, then it would test us to the breaking point," Grande said. "In the worst-case scenario, we can't rule out the possibility that there may be a chemical weapons attack," Grande said, warning that ISIS "may try and hold civilian populations either as human shields or forcibly expel huge numbers of civilians in the face of an attack by the Iraqi security forces knowing the Iraqi forces will not fire on their own people." The Guardian reports that American aircraft have started dropping millions of leaflets over Mosul, warning residents to stay in their homes, advising them on how to comfort children and avoid flying glass during bombings—and advising against trying to flee the city.


Summarize this article:

Donald Trump, leading in the polls and riding a wave of momentum in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, just hit a speed bump named Hugh Hewitt.

 The conservative radio host peppered Trump with a host of foreign policy questions in a Thursday interview that produced some uncomfortable moments for the real estate mogul, who appeared upset at the line of questioning.

 At one point, Hewitt asked Trump if he was familiar with "General Soleimani" and the "Quds Forces." (He referred to Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.) Trump said he was but then appeared to mistake the Quds for the Kurds, a Middle Eastern ethnic group.

 "The Kurds, by the way, have been horribly mistreated by us," said Trump.

 Hewitt corrected him: "No, not the Kurds, the Quds Forces, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Forces."

 A portion of the video was posted on YouTube:

 After that, Trump said he thought Hewitt said "Kurds."

 "No, Quds," responded Hewitt.

 Later on, Hewitt insisted he didn't believe "in gotcha questions." Trump disagreed.

 "Well, that is a gotcha question, though," he said. "I mean, you know, when you’re asking me about who’s running this, this this, that’s not, that is not, I will be so good at the military, your head will spin."

 Asked what he would do as president if China were "to either accidentally or intentionally sink a Filipino or Japanese ship," Trump refused to say.

 "I wouldn’t want to tell you, because frankly, they have to, you know, somebody wrote a very good story about me recently, and they said there’s a certain unpredictable, and it was actually another businessman, said there’s a certain unpredictability about Trump that’s great, and it’s what made him a lot of money and a lot of success," said Trump. "You don’t want to put, and you don’t want to let people know what you’re going to do with respect to certain things that happen."

 Hewitt told Trump that when it comes to terrorism, "I’m looking for the next commander in chief, to know who Hassan Nasrallah is, and Zawahiri, and al-Julani, and al-Baghdadi. Do you know the players without a scorecard, yet, Donald Trump?"

 Trump said he did not.

 "No, you know, I’ll tell you honestly, I think by the time we get to office, they’ll all be changed," he said. "They’ll be all gone. I knew you were going to ask me things like this, and there’s no reason, because number one, I’ll find, I will hopefully find General Douglas MacArthur in the pack. I will find whoever it is that I’ll find, and we’ll, but they’re all changing, Hugh."

 For the record, Hasan Nasrallah is the secretary general of Hezbollah; Ayman al-Zawahiri is the new leader of al-Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden; Abu Mohammad al-Julani is the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra, or al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate fighting in Syria; and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the leader of the Islamic State, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq.

 Ordinarily, an interview like this would put a candidate at serious risk of falling in the polls. But nothing about Trump's candidacy has been ordinary, so it remains to be seen whether it will hurt him or not.

 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and the media don't always have the best relationship. (Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post)

 In the same episode, Hewitt interviewed the GOP race's other business leader-turned-candidate, Carly Fiorina. He asked her the same questions -- informing her that "there's been social media" coverage of how Trump did.

 "Aren’t you familiar with General Soleimani?" Hewitt asked.

 "Yes," said Fiorina, who also recognized the name of the Quds Force. "We know that the general of the Quds Force has been a powerful tool of the Iranian regime to sow conflict. We also know that the Quds Forces are responsible for the deaths and woundings of American soldiers. We also that the Quds Forces have been in Syria and a whole bunch of other countries in the Middle East."

 Fiorina was more hesitant when Hewitt mentioned Nasrallah, Zawahiri and Julani, as well as Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

 "Do you know most of these without a scorecard, Carly Fiorina?" Hewitt asked.

 "I have to be very honest with you," said Fiorina, "and say that sometimes I can get confused a bit between the name and group because they sound a bit alike sometimes, so I have to pause and think sometimes. But, I certainly know all those names both of the individual leaders and of the terrorist groups."

 The former Hewlett-Packard CEO was on firmer ground when Hewitt asked her to differentiate between Hamas and Hezbollah. "Hamas is focused in Palestinian territories," she said. "Hezbollah focuses in Beirut and other places, but the truth is, both of them are proxies of Iran."

 Trump hasn't seen the last of Hewitt. He is slated to ask questions at the second Republican debate later this month.

 "At the debate, I may bring up Nasrallah being with Hezbollah, and al-Julani being with al-Nusra, and al-Masri being with Hamas. Do you think if I ask people to talk about those three things, and the differences, that that’s a gotcha question?" asked Hewitt.

 "Yes, I do. I totally do. I think it’s ridiculous," Trump responded. ||||| Workplace shootings are becoming so common that the NYPD is now providing training on how workers caught in such a situation should respond. The latest session was held for members of the media. NY1’s Dean Meminger filed this report.

 The NYPD showed a training video to members of the media to dramatize what could happen if a gunman roams the workplace. It was part of a training session in response to the growing number of mass shootings, which now occur about once every three and a half weeks in America.

 "Seventy percent of that happened in the workplace. Sixty percent of them are over before the police get there. And that's that 4 to 9 minute window,” said Deputy Commissioner of Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller.

 The NYPD regularly holds seminars like the one they held Thursday, but the training session at police headquarters was scheduled for the media after a reporter and cameraman in Roanoke, Virginia were shot dead last week by a former colleague on live television.

 Officers say it could happen anywhere, to anyone, but when police respond—remember they are in charge of your safety.

 "Follow the instructions of the officers as they arrive. You are not reporters now in this situation. Don't start asking them questions. Let them get in there, you get out. If they tell you go a certain way, go a certain way. If they tell you get down on the ground, get down on the ground,” Det. Kathleen Thompson told the trainees.

 According to the NYPD, the rule of thumb is ABC: “Avoid,” “Barricade,” and if all else fails, “Confront.”

 That means in an active shooting, the first priority is avoiding the gunman. Next, try to barricade the person from where you are. Only as a last resort should you confront and fight.

 The NYPD has stepped up training for patrol officers on mass shooting scenarios. Those officers often arrive before the specialized teams do.

 "We are pushing a rescue, what's called a rescue task force concept which is pairing officers up with EMS and fire," said Det. Raymond McPartland.

 "Officers say it may be scary to think about but every business and family should conduct drills on how to survive an active shooting situation.

 For more information on how to protect yourself, go to NYPDshield.org. |||||

– As Donald Trump pledged his loyalty to his own party inside Trump Tower yesterday, things got a little ugly outside. Police were called after Trump security guards scuffled with anti-Trump protesters on the sidewalk outside the New York City tower, NY1 reports. The guards took signs away from the protesters and one man was hit in the face after he grabbed the guard who had taken his "Trump: Make America Racist Again" banner, reports the New York Times. The Trump campaign says the guard was "jumped" and that it's considering pressing charges, reports the Times, which notes that the Trump staffer involved looks a lot like the one who removed Univision's Jorge Ramos from a Trump event last week. The protesters—some of whom dressed in KKK outfits to mock Trump's immigration policies—are also threatening to press charges, CNN reports. Trump, meanwhile, had what the Washington Post says would have been a damaging moment for an ordinary campaign when he appeared on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt's show last night. After Trump failed to recognize the names of the leaders of Hezbollah, ISIS, al-Qaeda, or the Nusra Front, he accused Hewitt of asking "gotcha questions" and said the names didn't matter because they'll "all be changed" by the time he's in the White House. Hewitt said he might bring the names up again when he asks questions at the next Republican debate, the Post notes. (Trump does not approve of Jeb Bush speaking Spanish.)


Here is a news article: Political compromise is essential reaching a quality, long-term solution to avoiding flying over the fiscal cliff at year's end, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Sunday.

 “The best way out of this will be a balanced solution," said on CNN's "State of the Union.".

 Such a solution “takes into account both increasing revenue … and cutting spending, as well," she added.

 The fiscal cliff, which involves automatic tax increases and spending cuts if the federal government can't otherwise strike a deal, is the biggest threat to the U.S. economy, Lagarde said.

 Asked what would happen if the United States goes over the fiscal cliff, Lagarde predicted that there would be widespread "lack of confidence" in the U.S. economy and "markets would react very quickly,” with stock markets “really taking a hit.”

 While any deal, even a temporary one, is better than nothing before the year's end, Lagarde said that the U.S. government should strive to reach a "comprehensive fix" rather "than a quick fix.”

 Read more about: Cnn, State Of The Union, Christine Lagarde, Fiscal Cliff ||||| Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) predicted Sunday that tax rates for the wealthy will likely go up next year.

 Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Simpson, a co-chairman of the Simpson-Bowles deficit commission, said he and Erskine Bowles, a former Clinton White House chief of staff and the panel’s other co-chairman, believe taxes will go up for the rich.

 “I think Erskine and I both agree that if anybody out there who is, quote, rich doesn’t think their taxes go up, the drinks are on me, I’ll cover it,” Simpson said.

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 Bowles, however, noted that raising taxes on the wealthy wouldn’t be enough to bring down the nation’s deficit.

 “Even if you raise the top rates back to the Clinton rates, that only creates $400 billion over 10 years. That’s $40 billion a year. We got a trillion-dollar-a-year deficit. That alone won’t solve the problem,” Bowles said.

 Bowles said spending cuts must be made in order to bring down the debt.

 “We have to slow the rate of growth of healthcare to the rate of growth of the economy,” Bowles said.

 The deficit hawks are both worried over the impact from going over the “fiscal cliff” — a set of massive tax increases and budget cuts that will go into effect early next year unless Congress acts. Bowles said going over the cliff entails possible layoffs, estimating 2 million people could lose their jobs and the unemployment rate could climb to 9 percent.

 “I think this would be a disaster to go over the cliff,” Bowles said.

 Simpson lambasted lawmakers in both parties who argue going over the fiscal cliff would be politically advantageous for their respective parties.

 “There’s something terribly bizarre and juvenile about that. To think your party comes ahead of your country, I don’t go for that at all,” Simpson said.

 Bowles remains optimistic about a deal getting done, however.

 “I’m a little more encouraged than if you would have asked me about it a week ago,” Bowles said. “They have started to tango now and any time you got two guys in there tangoing, you got a chance to get it done.” ||||| Republicans may need to concede the current tax fight to President Barack Obama, who holds the "upper hand" in that battle, Sen. Bob Corker said Sunday.

 "There is a growing group of folks looking at this and realizing that we don’t have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue," the Tennessee Republican told "Fox News Sunday." "I think [that notion] has merit....I actually am beginning to believe that is the best route for us to take."

 Corker said ceding to Obama and preserving current tax rates for 98 percent of Americans while allowing rates to rise to Clinton-era levels on the top 2 percent would allow Republicans to pick up the fight over spending and entitlements next year.

 Corker also said the GOP will have move leverage in the spending and entitlements debate next year because it can use the threat of not raising the debt ceiling to craft a favorable deal with Obama.

 "There's a growing body of folks who are willing to look at the rate on the top 2 percent," Corker. "The shift in focus in entitlements is where we need to go.....Republicans know they have the debt ceiling that's coming up around the corner and the leverage is going to shift as soon as we get beyond this issue—the leverage is going to shift to our side."

 Read more about: Barack Obama, Taxes, Fox News Sunday, Debt, Bob Corker, Spending, Fiscal Cliff ||||| If Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decides to run for president in 2016, it'd be "virtually impossible" for any Democrat to beat her for the Democratic nomination, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday.

 Also appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bloomberg News Chief White House Correspondent Julianna Goldman agreed, predicting that if Clinton runs, she "clears the field" -- although expect other Democrats such as Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer to "test the waters."

 "No doubt about it," MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell said of a 2016 Clinton presidential bid. "The reason it's easy for you to get Democratic insiders to say she's absolutely running is because she's absolutely running."

 (PHOTOS: Who's talking about Hillary, 2016?)

 But Gingrich, who himself sought the Republican presidential nomination this year, added one note of caution: "I thought she was frankly going to be the nominee in '08."

 Gingrich, with a smile, also suggested that if Clinton won the Democratic presidential nomination, she could conceivably face off against former Republican Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - a contest that would serve as a family rematch of the 1992 presidential election, in which Bill Clinton defeated George H. W. Bush.

 Read more about: Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Meet The Press, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jeb Bush, Martin O'Malley, Brian Schweitzer ||||| Newark Mayor Cory Booker said Sunday he's considering running against Republcian Gov. Chris Christie in New Jersey next year and is also mulling a run for the Senate.

 "I am absolutely considering running for governor, as well as giving other options some consideration. I'm going to be focused on that for the next week to 10 days or so," Booker said on CBS's "Face The Nation."

 Booker said he's committed to making a decision about a gubernatorial race soon so that other Democrats can step up if he decides to pass. "It’s got to be within the next two weeks….because there's a lot of very good candidates for governor on the Democratic side," Booker said.

 Booker said he's also giving serious thought to a Senate bid. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) will be 90 in 2014, raising the possibility that his seat might come open.

 "Yeah, I’m actually looking at that a lot as well," Booker said.

 Read more about: New Jersey, Chris Christie, Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg ||||| One of the namesakes of America's best-known debt-cutting plan, former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles, said Sunday he sees signs of progress towards a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff the nation faces at the end of the year.

 "I'm a little more encouraged than I would have been if you'd asked me about it a week ago," Bowles said on CBS's "Face The Nation. "I think we've made some progress [last] week."

 "They've started to tango there and any time you've got two guys in there tangoing you've got a chance to get it done," Bowles said, referring to President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

 Bowles, who co-chaired a deficit reduction commission with former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), credited both the president and the speaker with helping to lay groundwork for a possible deal to stop the tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in at the end of the month.

 Bowles said Obama has insisted on higher tax rates for the wealthy, but has also indicated a willingness to consider entitlement costs.

 Bowles also praised Boehner for not including potential deal breakers in his recent proposal.

 "I think this is a speaker who really gets it," Bowles said. "If you look at the offer he made last week, that offer doesn't mention a thing about block granting Medicaid. It doesn't have a word about premium supports. It doesn't have anything in there about those deep cuts in income support programs. So, I think that advances the ball."

 Read more about: Barack Obama, John Boehner, Taxes, Deficit, Debt, Bowles Simpson Deficit Commission, Erskine Bowles, Fiscal Cliff |||||
A summary of this is?

– It's just another Sunday teetering on the fiscal cliff, with the Hill reporting that both Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles are indicating that tax hikes for the rich were a foregone conclusion. “I think Erskine and I both agree that if anybody out there who is, quote, rich doesn’t think their taxes go up, the drinks are on me, I’ll cover it,” says Simpson. And even "that alone won't solve the problem," adds Bowles, who nevertheless indicated he was "more encouraged" than a week ago, because the GOP and Dems "have started to tango now." He praised John Boehner as "a speaker who really gets it" for not wrapping his proposal in any deal-breakers, notes Politico. Elsewhere on the Sunday dial: Bob Corker on Obama's tax offer: "There is a growing group of folks looking at this and realizing that we don’t have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue. I think [that notion] has merit....I actually am beginning to believe that is the best route for us to take." Christine Lagarde on the fiscal cliff: “The best way out of this will be a balanced solution ... (which) takes into account both increasing revenue … and cutting spending, as well." Failure would mean "markets would react very quickly" with stocks "really taking a hit." Cory Booker on his career prospects: "I am absolutely considering running for governor, as well as giving other options some consideration. I'm going to be focused on that for the next week to 10 days or so." As for a run for Frank Lautenberg's Senate seat: "Yeah, I’m actually looking at that a lot as well." Newt Gingrich on Hillary Clinton's 2016 prospects: It's "virtually impossible" for any Democrat to deny her the nomination, and a Clinton candidacy "clears the field."


Florence Henderson, widely known for her role as The Brady Bunch matriarch Carol Brady, has died. She was 82.

 Henderson died surrounded by friends and family at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering heart failure, the actress’ manager Kayla Pressman said in a statement to the Associated Press on Thursday. She was hospitalized just a day prior.

 Born in Dale, Indiana, to farmer Joseph Henderson and his wife Elizabeth, Henderson was the youngest of 10 children.

 After graduating from Indiana’s St. Frances School in 1951, Henderson went on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

 CBS via Getty Images

 In January 1956, she married Ira Bernstein, whom she shared four children with —Barbara, Joseph, Bob and Elizabeth — but later divorced in 1985.

 Florence Henderson in 1960 Pictorial Parade/Moviepix/Getty Images

 Prior to scoring her leading role on the 1969 sitcom The Brady Bunch, which propelled her to international stardom, Henderson starred on the Broadway stage — Wish You Were Here (1952), Fanny (1954), The Girl Who Came to Supper (1963) and South Pacific (1967) — and appeared in guest roles on multiple TV series and films. She was also the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson during a transitional period in 1962.

 Florence Henderson as Carol Brady with The Brady Bunch cast ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

 Henderson became a frequent presence on morning show Today, appearing for a year as one of its Today Girls, from 1959-1960. In her role, Henderson covered fashion stories and human-interest pieces.

 Henderson starred in every episode of all five seasons of The Brady Bunch and later appeared as Carol Brady in spin-offs The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Girls Get Married, The Brady Brides, The Bradys and The Brady Bunch Movie.

 In the decades that followed, Henderson made a slew of guest appearances on a variety of popular series, including Ally McBeal and 30 Rock.

 Florence Henderson in 1990 Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

 In 1987, Henderson wed Dr. John George Kappas, whom she remained married to up until his death in September 2002.

 Other notable roles include The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, season 11 of Dancing with the Stars, and her hosting duties on Retirement Living TV’s The Florence Henderson Show from 2008 until her death. She earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.

 She also hosted a TNN cooking show, called the Country Kitchen, which profiled well-known Southern chefs across the country. Later, reality TV came calling and Henderson had a turn on VH1’s The Surreal Life.

 Florence Henderson in 2010 Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

 Florence Henderson in October Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

 Just days before her death, Henderson attended the first night of the DWTS finale to support Maureen McCormick, her former onscreen daughter.

 Florence Henderson on Monday Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images

 The actress is survived by her four children and five grandchildren. ||||| LOS ANGELES (AP) — Florence Henderson, the wholesome actress who went from Broadway star to television icon when she became Carol Brady, the ever-cheerful mom residing over "The Brady Bunch," has died. She was 82.

 She died surrounded by family and friends, her manager, Kayla Pressman, said in a statement late Thursday.

 Millions loved, and kept on loving, the innocent sitcom about a blended family. "The Brady Bunch," first aired in 1969, returned to television in various forms again and again, including "The Brady Bunch Hour" in 1977, "The Brady Brides" in 1981 and "The Bradys" in 1990. It was also seen endlessly in reruns. ||||| Beloved TV mom Florence Henderson, who portrayed Carol Brady on the blended family sitcom The Brady Bunch, has died at 82.

 Henderson died Thursday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after being hospitalized the day before, said her publicist, David Brokaw. Henderson had suffered heart failure, her manager Kayla Pressman said in a statement.

 Family and friends had surrounded Henderson's hospital bedside, Pressman said.

 The Brady Bunch ran between 1969 and 1974 on ABC and, with most or all of the original cast, spawned made-for- television movies, a variety show, a weekend morning cartoon series and a musical side project. The show was a constant presence on TV dials for several years after its cancellation through syndication reruns.

 An attempt to reboot the franchise for a new generation of television viewers in 1990, The Bradys, was short-lived.

 Henderson played the grandmother when a new cast was assembled for The Brady Bunch Movie in 1995, with Shelley Long portraying the mother in the motion picture.

 In the original show, Henderson and her three daughters "with hair of gold, like their mother" move in with architect Mike Brady and his three brown-haired boys, a second marriage for both parents.

 The late Robert Reed, right, and Florence Henderson, centre, are shown in an early episode of The Brady Bunch. The children on the show were portrayed by, from left to right, Christopher Knight, Barry Williams, Mike Lookinland, Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb and Susan Olsen. (Paramount Television/Courtesy of Getty Images)

 The pilot began with man and wife trying to get away on their honeymoon, but through a series of misadventures and hijinks, they end up taking the children and the dog along. A New York Times reviewer deemed the pilot "family situation comedy carried to the apex of ludicrousness," but viewers ate it up.

 "It represents what people always wanted: a loving family. It's such a gentle, innocent, sweet show, and I guess it proved there's always an audience for that," Henderson said in 1999.

 While the show was upbeat and often saccharine, the subject of second marriages was relatively new ground for television at the time. The sitcom was created by Sherwood Schwartz, who had previously hit with Gilligan's Island.

 Varied appearances after hit show

 Maureen McCormick, who played her oldest daughter Marcia, was among the earliest to pay tribute to Henderson on social media early Friday.

 Florence Henderson was a dear friend for so very many years & in my <3 forever. Love & hugs to her family. I'll miss u dearly #RIPFlorence — @MoMcCormick7

 After the show's main run ended, Henderson was a frequent guest on game shows and acted in guest appearances on shows such as The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, Ellen, Ally McBeal and 30 Rock.

 She also appeared on stage and in musical theatre, which harkened to the beginning of her career, which included performances on Broadway and in touring shows in productions such as Fanny, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma! and Girl Who Came to Supper.

 In recent years she appeared on reality shows The Surreal Life and Dancing With the Stars and for several seasons hosted Country Kitchen on The Nashville Network.

 Florence Agnes Henderson was born Feb. 14, 1934, in the small town of Dale in southern Indiana. She was the 10th child of a tobacco sharecropper of Irish descent.

 Florence Henderson appears in 2008 at the Hollywood Walk of Fame presentation for TV producer Sherwood Schwartz, second from right, along with, from left to right, Gilligan's Island actress Dawn Wells, and the Brady Bunch's Susan Olsen and Christopher Knight. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

 In grade school, she joined the choir at a Catholic church in Rockport, Ind.

 After high school she moved to New York, where she enrolled in a two-year program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, her studies financed by a theatrical couple who had been impressed by her singing when they saw her perform in high school.

 Brady Bunch matriarch dead at 822:17

 Henderson married theater executive Ira Bernstein and the couple had four children before the union ended in divorce after 29 years.

 Her second husband, John Kappas, died in 2002.

 Pressman said she is survived by her children; Barbara, Joseph, Robert and Lizzie, their respective spouses, and five grandchildren.

 Robert Reed, who portrayed Mike Brady on the sitcom, died in 1992, while Ann B. Davis — the family's wisecracking housekeeper — passed away in 2014.

 Schwartz died in 2011.

 Sad to read about the passing of Florence Henderson, one of the lovliest, most loveable and beloved people in our business — @carlreiner |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Florence Henderson, the wholesome actress who went from Broadway star to television icon when she became Carol Brady, the ever-cheerful mom residing over the Brady Bunch, has died. She was 82. She died surrounded by family and friends, her manager, Kayla Pressman, said in a statement late Thursday. Millions loved, and kept on loving, the innocent sitcom about a blended family. The Brady Bunch first aired in 1969, returned to television in various forms again and again, including the Brady Bunch Hour in 1977, the Brady Brides in 1981 and the Bradys in 1990, the AP reports. Henderson studied at New York City's American Academy of Dramatic Arts after graduating from the St. Frances school in Indiana in 1951, People reports. Her pre-Brady career included numerous starring roles on Broadway and appearances in movies and TV shows including the Tonight Show, which she became the first woman to host, in 1962. After the Brady Bunch ended, Henderson appeared on shows including the Love Boat; Murder, She Wrote; Ally McBeal; and 30 Rock, the CBC reports. She also appeared on reality shows including Dancing With the Stars in recent years as well as hosting Retirement TV's Florence Henderson Show. She is survived by four children from the first of her two marriages. (Last year, she revealed that she still liked to date younger men,)


The 51st annual Country Music Association Awards kicked off with a tribute to the victims of last month’s Las Vegas tragedy. Darius Rucker led an all-star group of country superstars in a rendition of his Hootie and the Blowfish hit “Hold My Hand.” On stage with him was a who’s-who of the country world including Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire and more.

 CMA Awards hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley only paid tribute to victims of the horrific shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Vegas but also the most recent mass shootings that have made headlines. In addition, they recognized the victims of the hurricanes that devastated Texas, Florida, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico.

 The performance comes after last week’s backlash the Country Music Association faced when organizers set guidelines telling journalists not to ask about the Las Vegas shooting when interviewing talent during the awards. The backpedal came after Paisley and others spoke out against the ban.

 “Our music lifts people up, and that’s what we’re here to do tonight,” Paisley said during tonight’s ceremony, which aired on ABC. “So this year’s show’s dedicated to all those we lost and to all those who are still healing. We love you, and we will never forget you.”

 The duo lightened things up by joking to the audience how the ceremony was a politics-free zone, poking fun at the aforementioned ban. Paisley and Underwood went on to sing a song set to the tune of Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” which immediately skewered Donald Trump.

 “In the middle of the night from the privacy of a gold-plated White House toilet seat he writes NFL and covfefe,” they sang. “Til little rocket man starts a nuclear war, maybe next time he’ll think before he tweets.” ||||| Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley mock CMAs ban with Trump parody song 'Before He Tweets'

 CLOSE From Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley's Trump spoof 'Before He Tweets' to Taylor Swift's surprise win, the CMA Awards show was full of memorable moments. USA TODAY

 Did you really think Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley would open the CMA Awards without getting political?

 The hosting duo of 10 years didn't waste time getting to Donald Trump as they opened Wednesday's awards show, which came under fire last week for barring journalists from asking artists questions about gun rights, political affiliations and the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas.

 The Country Music Association apologized and rescinded the restrictions last Friday, but that didn't stop Underwood and Paisley from laying into the ban.

 "We can't be doing any of our silly little songs because this year's show is a 'politics-free zone,' " Underwood joked.

 "Are you kidding me? That's not fair," Paisley rebuffed, offering sample lyrics of political spoofs such as, "Way down wander on the Scaramucci" and "Hold me closer, Bernie Sanders."

 The pair eventually landed on a comical rendition of Underwood's hit Before He Cheats, changing the lyrics to lampoon President Trump's Twitter habits.

 "Right now, he's probably in his PJs, reaching for his cellphone," Paisley sang. "Right now, he's probably asking Siri, 'How in the hell do you spell Pocahontas?'

 "In the middle of the night from the private seat of a gold-plated White House toilet seat, he writes, 'Liddle Bob Corker,' 'NFL' and 'covfefe,' " Paisley continued, before his co-host joined in to finish the chorus.

 "It's fun to watch it, that's for sure, until little Rocket Man starts a war. Then maybe next time he'll think before he tweets."

 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2AlNtgX ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley didn't shy away from poking fun at the political climate in their opening monologue as hosts of the 51st CMA Awards.

 Related CMA Awards 2017: The Complete Winners List From Entertainer of the Year to New Artist, here are the winners of the 51st CMAs

 As expected, they helped further heal a rift between the Country Music Association and members of the media, after the CMA released (and later rescinded under pressure) a strict set of guidelines barring journalists from asking questions about politics. Paisley lamented the fact that he's now unable to sing political songs like "Harper Valley DNC," "Hold Me Closer, Bernie Sanders" and "Stand By Your Manafort," the third a jab at the ongoing Russia probe plaguing the Trump administration.

 But the highlight of their parodies was "Before He Tweets." Performed to the tune of Underwood's "Before He Cheats," the lyrics took down the President's habitual, early-morning tweeting.

 "Right now, he's probably in his PJs / watching cable news / reaching for his cell phone," sang Paisley. "In the middle of the night from the privacy of a gold-plated white toilet seat / he writing Liddle' Bob Corker, NFL and covfefe."

 The payoff line, however, was a chorus as cutting as it was humorous, referencing the high-stakes game some believe Trump is playing with North Korea.

 "It's fun to watch it that's for sure / until little rocket man starts a nuclear war / and maybe next time he'll think before he tweets."

 This marks Paisley and Underwood's 10th consecutive time hosting the CMA Awards. |||||

Write a summary.

– The 51st annual Country Music Awards was a "politics-free zone," hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley said Wednesday night—before they launched into a song poking fun at President Trump's Twitter habit. "In the middle of the night, from the privacy of a gold-plated White House toilet seat he writes Liddle Bob Corker, NFL, and covfefe," they sang in "Before He Tweets," sung to the tune of Underwood's "Before He Cheats." The hosts joked about Democrats and Republicans alike, making up song titles including "Harper Valley DNC," "Hold Me Closer, Bernie Sanders," and "Stand By Your Manafort," Rolling Stone reports. The hosts were joking about politics because of the Country Music Association's decision last week to ban journalists from asking about the Las Vegas massacre, political affiliations, and other issues, which it later rescinded, USA Today reports. "Our music lifts people up, and that’s what we’re here to do tonight," Paisley said, per Deadline. "So this year's show is dedicated to all those we lost and to all those who are still healing. We love you, and we will never forget you." The night's big winners included Garth Brooks, who was voted Entertainer of the Year, Miranda Lambert, who was Best Female Vocalist, Chris Stapleton, chosen as Best Male Vocalist, and Taylor Swift, who won Song of the Year for "Better Man." A full list of winners can be seen here.


Summarize this article:

CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share After 79 long years of waiting, Margaret Bekema finally received her high school diploma. The 97-year-old was forced to drop out of school to take care of her family. She couldn't hold back tears as she was presented with her honorary diploma. VPC

 Margaret Bekema, 97, of Walker, Mich., is overcome with emotion as she receives her high school diploma Oct. 29, 2015. (Photo: WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich.)

 WALKER Mich. — A 97-year-old woman received her high school diploma, 79 years after she was supposed to graduate.

 Margaret Bekema, now living in the Grand Rapids' suburb of Walker, Mich., was forced to drop out of Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids in her junior year to take care of her family. Her mother had cancer, and she also needed to help with her three younger siblings.

 She donned a mortarboard Thursday in front of her friends and family to fulfill her lifelong goal to graduate. School administrators presented her with an honorary diploma at Yorkshire and Stonebridge Manor senior community in Walker.

 "After all of these years, representing all of the core values for which our school stands, we proudly recognize Margaret with an official honorary diploma," school Principal Greg Deja said.

 Leaving school at age 17 broke her heart, she said, and she’s thankful for the recognition. After her mother died, Bekema did clerical work for the armed forces and eventually became a preschool teacher.

 Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow WZZM-TV on Twitter: @wzzm13

 Facebook | @Catholic Central High School Photos from Catholic Central High... - Catholic Central High School | Facebook

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 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1MnaIW7 ||||| WALKER, Mich. (AP) — A 97-year-old woman has received an honorary diploma from a Michigan high school, eight decades after she was forced to drop out to help her family.

 Catholic Central High School Principal Greg Deja, left, presents 97-year-old Margaret Thome Bekema with her honorary diploma at Stonebridge Manor on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015 in Grand Rapids, Mich.. Bekema... (Associated Press)

 97-year-old Margaret Thome Bekema, left, cries as she is presented with her honorary diploma from Catholic Central High School at Stonebridge Manor on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015 in Grand Rapids, Mich.. Bekema... (Associated Press)

 97-year-old Margaret Thome Bekema looks at her high school letter as Catholic Central High School principal Greg Deja, left, and Director of Advancement Beth Banta fix her cap shortly after her honorary... (Associated Press)

 This photo shows the honorary diploma awarded to 97-year-old Margaret Thome Bekema at Stonebridge Manor on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015 in Grand Rapids, Mich.. Bekema began her education at Catholic Central... (Associated Press)

 Margaret Thome Bekema finally was able to don a mortarboard and fulfill her lifelong goal in front of her friends and family on Thursday. School administrators from Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids presented her with the diploma at the Yorkshire and Stonebridge Manor senior community in Walker.

 Bekema would have graduated with the Class of 1936, but she left during her junior year to care for her three younger siblings because her mother was ill with cancer.

 She said leaving school at age 17 broke her heart and she's thankful for the recognition.

 Grand Rapids is about 160 miles northwest of Detroit. ||||| UPDATE: 97-year-old who cried tears of joy after getting diploma has died

 WALKER, MI - After nearly eight decades, 97-year-old Margaret Thome Bekema was presented an honorary diploma from Catholic Central High Thursday, Oct. 29.

 "I thank you from the bottom of my heart,'' said a tearful Bekema, after receiving the diploma from Catholic Central Principal Greg Deja at a ceremony attended by the woman's family and friends at the Yorkshire and Stoneridge Manor senior community.

 Bekema gets emotional talking about the circumstances that prevented her from graduating with her Class of 1936.

 She left her junior year because her mother, Katherine, was ill with cancer and she was called on by her father, Leo Thome, to care for her and her siblings while he worked. She had three younger siblings, two of whom were much younger.

 She said leaving school at age 17 broke her heart.

 "I had to quit school to take over the family," said Bekema, who said she cooked, cleaned and made all their clothes. "It was hard, you have no idea how hard that was. I loved high school and I had lots of friends."

 Bekema, who said she was an A-B student, proudly sported her blue graduation cap and gold honor cords. She also received a certificate as the latest member of the school's alumni association, "The Pride."

 "Her life has been one of sacrifice and service," said Deja. "It has been so encouraging and inspiring for our community because her choices represent all the core values that we teach our students."

 Gerri Smith, a Catholic Central graduate and one of Bekema's two children, said her mother cared for her grandmother until she died. She said she has always regretted not graduating and was excited to finally get the honor.

 "She is the type of person that whatever life hands her, she just deals with it very graciously," said Smith. "She does what has to be done and she doesn't complain about it or make a big deal about it, she just does it."

 Bekema, a widow, has four grandchildren and one great grandson. She said she loved working in the preschool at Grace Episcopal Church for 17 years.

 "The director of the school was an angel, and we had some little pistols," said Bekema, who said she later worked in an office for a government agency during World War II.

 Her husband, Ted, was a military man. She fondly remembers their first date, sitting down for a Vernors. She said they had a good life together.

 Sister Maureen Geary, the daughter of Bekema's cousin Marian, contacted the school in August about the honorary diploma. She said she had been thinking about it for a while.

 "She has been so self-giving all her life," said Geary, who said Bekema cared for her when she was a baby for about six weeks while her mother was ill.

 Bekema said she loves people and faith was central to family life.

 "My mother was a tough lady, but a very good gal," she said.

 Monica Scott is the Grand Rapids K-12 education writer. Email her at mscott2@mlive.com and follow her on Twitter @MScottGR or Facebook |||||

– Margaret Bekema would have loved to graduate with the rest of the Class of 1936 but life got in the way—almost eight decades of it. The Michigan woman, who had to drop out of high school when she was 17 to look after her mother, who had cancer, and three younger siblings, finally received her diploma from Catholic Central High School on Thursday at the age of 97, reports USA Today. Bekema, who was presented with the diploma in a ceremony senior community, said graduating had been a lifelong dream, the AP reports. "I had to quit school to take over the family," said Bekema, who did clerical work for the Army during World War II and late worked as a preschool teacher. "It was hard, you have no idea how hard that was. I loved high school and I had lots of friends." One of her two children tells MLive.com that her mother isn't one for complaining, but not graduating from high school was something she always regretted. "She is the type of person that whatever life hands her, she just deals with it very graciously," she says.