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Photo: Pan-Mass Challenge

 Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown lost his seat in 2012, and then lost a comeback bid in New Hampshire in 2014. So, what’s he been up to? For the past few months, the longtime triathlete and cycling enthusiast has been volunteering at Gus’ Bike Shop in North Hampton, New Hampshire, as a bike mechanic. GQ spoke with Brown about his passion for cycling, touring in Europe, and what it’s like to get blown up by bad drivers.

 How did you become interested in bikes?

 Scott Brown: I was playing basketball after college in a summer league and got elbowed in the eye and needed 30 stitches. I’m like, "Okay, this is getting a little too rough," so I started running. Then I had a good friend who was a duathlete. So I went and did one [race], and I actually won my age group. I walked away with a trophy and was like, "Man this is great. I love this."

 Tell me about your time racing in Europe.

 There’s nothing better than riding bikes in the Spanish Pyrenees. The incredible history there, Basque country, where we were going by farmhouses built in the 400s. Culturally, it was extremely gratifying.

 Did you get to tour while there?

 We’d get there four or five days before a race. Like most people, I’d want to rest, check out the course. And then we’d do the race and [after] it’s like, "Okay, let’s go grab some beers, and we’ll go visit this, and do that." In the beginning it’s all about getting ready for the race. Once the race is over, it’s all about immersing ourselves in the culture of where we are.

 Is there a thrilling bike experience that jumps out?

 In Spain we were flying down the mountain 50 miles an hour, cliff on the left, cliff on the right, and it’s like, "Holy shit, if my tire blows I’m gone."

 What’s your most grueling cycling experience?

 I did a race down in Maryland. It was one of those crazy hot days—humidity was off the charts, no breeze—where you just melt. You saw the little heat waves, like you could almost fry an egg. I just remember having to get intravenous after the race.

 You had to get IV fluids?

 Oh yeah, I’ve done that a few times.

 And you finished?

 I’ve never not finished a race.

 What’s your training regimen like?

 I almost do a triathlon every day. It doesn’t necessarily need to be all at one time. And I’m actually finding as I get older it’s better to split it up. I’m probably working out a good two, two and a half hours a day.

 Where’s your favorite place to ride?

 Route 1A starting in Portsmouth and going along down the coast. It’s just breathtaking riding all along the ocean. The second best situation is when I do it on a tandem with my wife. We did the Pan-Mass challenge last year on our tandem. That was 111 miles together in the pouring rain.

 You ride a tandem?

 I would go out for a ride and my wife would say, "What about me? How come I can’t go ride?" So I said, "Well, you can’t keep up with me." So she says, "Why don’t we get a tandem, and then you can’t get rid of me?" So we’ll go out for a nice 10-15 mile ride and then I’ll get on my bike and go for another 10-15 miles. So I get the workout in, she’s happy, we spend a lot of quality time together. It’s the best of both worlds. We have two tandem bikes, actually.

 What’s the difference between road and triathlete riders?

 It’s kind of clique-y. When I’m out riding I say hi to everybody. A lot of the traditional road bike folks don’t even acknowledge your existence because you’re a tri guy. Once I did a joint ride and a guy came up and said, "You know, you can’t do your aerobars because you may hurt somebody." I’m like, "First of all, no offense, but I’ve been riding since I was five. I know the rules of the road—and I’ll be way ahead of you so don’t worry about it."

 Are you familiar with the term "tri-dork"?

 Oh yeah. It’s usually "tri-geek" though.

 Is that something you’ve ever had thrown at you?

 Of course. I usually just give it right back. I’m not shy. I’ll walk away and say, "By the way, do you see this?" They go, "No, what?" "It’s my backside. That’s what you’ll be seeing when I blow by you."

 It’s all fun though. It’s not serious confrontation. It’s just guy stuff.

 Cycling often has a reputation as being insular and abrasive. Is that something you’ve experienced?

 One of the things I like most about triathletes is they are very competitive, exceedingly intense during the race. But once the race is over, everyone’s like buddy buddy. There’s a mutual respect because very few people actually do triathlons. But y’know, you get some jerks, like every sport.

 Ever ridden a fid gear?

 I don’t think I have. I’d like to try going around a track. That looks so cool.

 Who are your cycling idols?

 Like many people, Lance Armstrong. I did the Pan-Mass with him. I used to have his poster hanging in my Senate office. Lance was the guy. Obviously very disappointed to learn about what he was doing.

 What’s your gnarliest crash story?

 That’s easy. I was in Fooro on Route 140, fully tucked, blasting along, minding my own business. There was a car that went from a Dunkin Donuts into a Dairy Queen and basically stopped in the middle of where I was going. The curb was too high for me to jump, cars were too close on the left, so I basically had to slam on my brakes and started fishtailing. I literally flipped the car. Pretty banged up, screwed up my knee. Had to get a couple of operations. They basically said I’d never run again, or that I shouldn’t run again. Now I’m banging out 6:20 miles, so that wasn’t quite right.

 Have you ever been doored?

 I’ve certainly been run off the road with cars who were just being total dicks—drivers who were being total jerks, I should say. The motto for anybody who rides a bike is, "Those who crash and those who will." It’s inevitable.

 Ever have a mechanical failure in the middle of nowhere?

 That’s one of the reasons I said, "I want to fix bikes." My wife usually gets those calls, "Hi, honey, can you pick me up?" Or I’ll just start walking and folks will recognize me and say, "Hey, Senator, you need a ride?"

 Do people recognize you when you’re out riding?

 All the time. I’m a fixture along the seacoast and at the races. A lot of people will actually say, "I came to this race because I knew you were here and I’m just here to try to beat you." And I’m like, "Okay, good luck with that."

 Do any victories stick out in your mind?

 What I find gratifying [now] is I’ll be racing and have a couple kids—18, 19, 20 years old—racing beside me, and I’ll try to stay with them. We’ll battle and battle and battle. And then finally—this works every time, and it’s hilarious—I’ll look at them and I’ll say, "You guys are doing really great. I’m surprised I can hang with you. Do you know I could be your father?"

 Nine times out of 10 they slow down and just kind of give up and I’ll be able to sneak in ahead of them. It’s not only gratifying, but it’s really funny.

 Cycling is full of subcultures. Any others you’d like to be involved in?

 I’d like to do some good mountain bike riding up through the woods. I haven’t really done that. Get a good mountain bike and bang it out with some buddies. I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand or Scotland or Wales and just ride 100 miles, hit a pub, drink, eat, sleep, do some exploring, and then get up, ride another 100 miles, do that for a couple weeks.

 How many bikes do you own?

 I’ve got two tandems. I don’t know the names but I just ride them. I still have a Trek TTX 9.9—carbon fiber, high end, fairly expensive bike. It’s a 2010. That’s what I was racing on until I got a Felt IA. I’ve got four bikes total.

 How did you get into bike maintenance, and why now?

 I don’t want people to think this is a full-time job. In the winter I’d go in and spend eight hours a day just learning. When I wasn’t working or travelling I’d like to just get out of the house. It was fun. I get a kick out of people saying, "Well, he was a senator and now he’s a bike mechanic."

 No, I’m blessed. I’m doing something that I’ve always wanted to do. I enjoy it. Am I going to do it forever? I could. I may. The people at the shop are nice, they’re hardworking business people, and they’ve been very good to me.

 How deep are you trying to get into the inner workings of bikes?

 I can take a bike out of the box, put it together A-Z. I’m trying to learn it all.

 What was the learning curve like?

 In the beginning it was ugly. But now I’m helping a lot of the younger kids that are coming in. It’s a personal satisfaction thing, nothing more.

 Cycling attracts a lot of politicians. Why do you think that is?

 [Secretary of State] John [Kerry] and I used to ride a lot. [Sen. Rob] Portman, [Sen. Mark] Warner, Kerry, and me—we’d go out pretty regularly discussing politics half of the way and just riding or racing the remaining half. It’s a good way to free your mind and get that heart pumping, find that balance that’s sometimes lacking, clear your head and keep the stress level down.

 You once described Kerry as a "very good athlete." What’s it like riding with him?

 He’s a very, very good rider. Strong rider, technical rider, confident rider. We’ve had many good rides where we’re both pretty much at the maximum moving with the younger guys.

 Any advice to non-cyclists interested in getting on a bike?

 Just do it. Go with comfort first. You don’t need to get the most expensive bike. Just get on it and start and see what happens. ||||| President Trump announced Thursday he is nominating Scott Brown to serve as ambassador to New Zealand.

 Reports first surfaced in February that Brown, a former Republican senator from Massachusetts, was under consideration to serve in the post.

 Brown was also a rumored pick for Trump's secretary of Veterans Affairs, but the position was ultimately given to David Shulkin, who led the VA's healthcare system during the Obama administration.

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 Brown backed Trump early in his campaign.

 Brown was elected to the Senate a 2010 special election following the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D).

 Two years later, he was unseated by Democrat Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann WarrenWarren: Trump should have fired Pruitt ‘28 scandals ago’ Warren fires back at Trump: Don’t ‘obsess over my genes’ Trump: I would offer Warren M to prove her Native American heritage MORE.

 He lost another Senate race in 2014, when he ran in New Hampshire. ||||| BOSTON (CBS) – President Donald Trump nominated former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown Thursday to be his ambassador to New Zealand.

 JUST IN: Trump nominates former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) to be his ambassador to New Zealand. — Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) April 20, 2017

 The U.S. Senate will need to confirm the nomination.

 After Trump was elected, Brown had been in the running to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, but the president chose David Shulkin for the post in January.

 Brown has been a political contributor at Fox News.

 He gained national recognition when he managed an upset victory over Martha Coakley in the 2010 U.S. Senate special election race to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat.

 Brown was defeated by Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2012 and then lost a 2014 bid for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire.

 Congrats @SenScottBrown on your nomination for New Zealand Ambassador! You have my support & I'm sure you'll make the people of MA proud. — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) April 20, 2017

 He endorsed Donald Trump in February 2016 before the New Hampshire Primary. ||||| WASHINGTON — Former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros claims in a new lawsuit that former senator Scott Brown made sexually inappropriate comments to her while on set and put his hands on her lower waist.

 Tantaros, who says she complained to superiors about Brown’s conduct, outlines her complaint in a lawsuit filed Monday in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The complaint, which also includes accusations of harassment by former network head Roger Ailes and host Bill O’Reilly, portrays a corporate culture at Fox News that tolerated sexual misconduct.

 “Fox News masquerades as a defender of traditional family values,” she says in the suit. “But behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.”

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 Brown is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which lists five defendants, as well as the Fox News Network. He dismissed the accusations as false in an e-mail to the Globe within minutes of learning the details of Tantaros’s complaints.

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 “Her statement about our limited on-air, green-room interactions are false,” Brown said. “There were never any circumstances of any kind whatsoever in which I had any interaction with her or any other employee at Fox, outside the studio.”

 Andrea Tantaros.

 Tantaros asserts halfway through the 37-page suit that Brown, while appearing on her show “Outnumbered” in August 2015, “made a number of sexually inappropriate comments to Tantaros on set.”

 She claims that he told her, “in a suggestive manner,” that she “would be fun to go to a nightclub with.”

 “After the show was over, Brown snuck up behind Tantaros while she was purchasing lunch and put his hands on her lower waist,” the lawsuit says. “She immediately pulled back, telling Brown to ‘stop.’ ”

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 Brown told the Globe that all of his interactions and contacts with Tantaros were in the New York studio, “and always in full view of all staff, personnel, and talent.” Any chance encounters at a restaurant or other public places were “professional and cordial,” he said.

 “In the three years I have been working there, I treat all people there the same, whether they be male or female,” Brown said. “In addition, I don’t go to clubs.”

 Prior to joining Fox News, Tantaros had served as press secretary to the Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives and worked as a communications director for Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld.

 Brown, a Republican, represented Massachusetts as senator for three years, beginning in 2010 after beating Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in a special election to succeed the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Democrat Elizabeth Warren defeated Brown in 2012. Brown then moved to Rye, N.H., where he ran again for US Senate and lost in 2014.

 Prior to joining Fox News in February 2013 as an on-air contributor, Brown was known mostly for crisscrossing Massachusetts in his truck as he campaigned for Senate. He is a former state senator, and, as was widely reported during his campaigns, posed nude as a Cosmopolitan magazine centerfold in 1982.

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 Brown is married to Gail Huff, a television correspondent for NH1 News in Concord, N.H. The couple recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and renewed their vows.

 “Scott’s a family man. I’ve seen that his respect toward women stem from his strong relationship with his loving wife Gail and their two accomplished daughters,” said Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist who had been a consultant on Brown’s races. “Scott and Gail operate as a team. She has as much say in his professional life as he does.”

 Williams, while unfamiliar with the details of the lawsuit, said, “In my interactions with Senator Brown, he’s always been respectful and professional with women who have worked with him and for him.”

 In interviews Tuesday, women who had worked for Brown noted that he named a number of female leaders to his campaign and Senate staff; they said he always treated them with respect. A top-level Brown staffer who did not want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the topic said that she, too, was shocked by Tantaros’s allegations.

 “He would be the first person to bust somebody’s head open if someone treated his daughters or his wife in any way that was inappropriate,” she said.

 She pointed out that Brown himself was sexually abused as a child by a camp counselor, which Brown revealed in his 2011 autobiography, “Against All Odds.”

 “As a survivor of sexual abuse, I would never perpetuate language or actions as described in Fox complaint,” Brown wrote Tuesday afternoon on Twitter. “Actions referenced are fabricated.”

 His former staffer remembered one previous accusation of harassment that was later withdrawn, which she discovered while vetting Brown during one of his campaigns.

 The woman who accused him, Jennifer Firth, filed a civil defamation suit in 2000 alleging that Brown had harassed her two years prior when she volunteered to work on his campaign for Massachusetts state representative. Firth accused Brown of trying to defame and humiliate her after she confronted him. Brown said at the time that Firth was the one harassing and stalking him; both had served on the Wrentham Board of Selectmen.

 Firth did not return requests for comment. Her attorney at the time, Harvey Schwartz, said in an e-mail to the Globe Tuesday that he withdrew the case almost immediately after it was filed when Brown’s attorneys provided him with information that caused him to question the information Firth had provided him.

 “As a result of receiving that information I concluded that it would be unethical for me to continue with the case,” Schwartz said. “Whatever the merits of the present case, I don’t believe the former case has any relevance.”

 On Tuesday, Brown said that prior to learning he was named in Tantaros’s lawsuit, he was never made aware of any issues at Fox and that his schedule for appearances has never changed.

 Tantaros claims that she immediately met with senior news executive Bill Shine to complain, asking Shine to make sure Brown would never be booked on the show again. She alleges that Shine told her he would address the situation, but Brown continued to be booked on her show.

 Tantaros’s lawsuit also details “a nightmare of sexual harassment by Ailes,” who she says regularly asked her and other female on-air personalities to “turn around so I can get a good look at you” and retaliated against her for rebuffing his sexual advances.

 Her complaint pointedly noted that it was “not just about Ailes; it also gives life to the saying that ‘the fish stinks from the head.’ For Ailes did not act alone.”

 Tantaros’s lawsuit comes on the heels of explosive sexual harassment allegations by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, which prompted Ailes to resign. Following the ouster of Ailes, Shine is now the copresident of Fox News.

 A Fox News spokeswoman said the network does not comment on pending litigation.

 Tracy Jan can be reached at tracy.jan@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @TracyJan |||||

– After losing his Massachusetts Senate seat to Elizabeth Warren in 2012—and then failing to nab the New Hampshire seat in 2014—Scott Brown appears to have again found a political post. President Trump on Thursday announced his intention to nominate Brown, an early Trump supporter, as ambassador to New Zealand, reports CBS Boston. How is New Zealand taking the news? Its largest paper used the following headline earlier this week as Brown's name started to bubble up: "Man tipped for US ambassador role in NZ a former nude model who supports waterboarding." The nude modeling bit is a reference to this Cosmopolitan spread. As for Brown, it's potentially brought him closer to checking off one bucket list item: The New Zealand Herald article also quotes this line from a 2015 GQ interview with Brown: "I've always wanted to go to New Zealand or Scotland or Wales and just ride 100 miles, hit a pub, drink, eat, sleep, do some exploring, and then get up, ride another 100 miles, do that for a couple weeks." Brown—named as a possible candidate for Secretary of Veterans Affairs before the job went to David Shulkin, per the Hill—has lately been a Fox News contributor and was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former Fox host last year.


– Visitors to New York Fashion Week will see a first today: a model with Down syndrome walking the runway, reports USA Today. Actress Jamie Brewer, best known for her work on American Horror Story, will do the honors, wearing an original by designer Carrie Hammer as part of Hammer's Role Models Not Runway Models show. “Young girls and even young women … [see me] and say, ‘Hey, if she can do it so can I,’” Brewer tells Today. Hammer explains that the idea came from Katie Driscoll, a woman whose daughter Grace has Down syndrome. “She asked if I would have a role model for Grace,” Hammer says. Brewer was an easy pick, given that she's not only an actress but an activist for others with disabilities. The actress tells Bustle she understands why it's taken this long for the milestone: “A lot of people have a certain image of what perfect is until they actually see or hear something that’s extremely different in the media."

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Style Meet the first model with Down syndrome to walk the runway at Fashion Week Feb. 11, 2015 at 4:48 PM ET

 When Jamie Brewer strides down the catwalk during New York Fashion Week, she'll not only be showing off an original design by Carrie Hammer, but she will also become the first woman with Down syndrome to grace the runway.

 “Young girls and even young women … [see me] and say ‘hey, if she can do it so can I,’” says Brewer, an actress known for her work on “American Horror Story” and an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. “It’s a true inspiration being a role model for any young women to [encourage them] in being who they are and showing who they are.”

 Courtesy of Michael Hansel

 Brewer is modeling as part of Hammer’s “Role Models Not Runway Models,” a campaign the designer started when she was first asked to show her line at Fashion Week a year ago. Hammer wanted to represent the women who bought her designs and realized that featuring her clients—leaders of multibillion dollar businesses, heads of global nonprofits, pioneers of cutting-edge research, and women who just rock—would do exactly that. For her first show, she invited her friend, Danielle Sheypuk, who uses a wheelchair, to be a model.

 “I called up my existing clients who were all incredible women and one of them happened to be a doctor and a sex therapist who happened to be in wheelchair,” Hammer told TODAY.com. “It was never intended to be this incredible statement.”

 But it was. Hundreds of women and girls contacted Hammer to thank her. One email stuck out: Every time Hammer read it, she cried. It was from Katie Driscoll, co-founder of Changing the Face of Beauty, a nonprofit that encourages media to include people with disabilities. She wrote:

 “Thank you for being the change that is long overdue. I could literally cry every time I read an article talking about your decision to include a model who just happens to have a disability! YOU are what this world needed!”

 Driscoll’s daughter Grace was born with Down syndrome. After sharing her story with Hammer, Driscoll asked a favor.

 Courtesy of Cindy Brewer

 “She asked if I would have a role model for Grace,” Hammer says.

 “Role Models Not Runway Models” took off, and Hammer received hundreds of nominations for women to model in her shows—including one from Karen Crespo, who lost her limbs to bacterial meningitis and longed to walk the runway to boost her self esteem. She appeared in Hammer’s fall Fashion Week show. But the designer didn’t forget about Grace. She asked Driscoll to suggest a good role model, and the mom immediately named Brewer.

 “I explained to her how important it is for my daughter to have role models like [Brewer] to see that [anything] is possible,” says Driscoll.

 While most recognize Brewer for playing Addie in “American Horror Story: Murder House,” Nan in “American Horror Story: Coven,” and Marjorie in “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” she has long worked as an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. At 19, she was elected to the State of Texas ARC Board; she also worked on the Executive Board for the State of Texas ARC and the Governmental Affairs Committee for the State of Texas, where she was the only member with a disability.

 “Jamie is an activist for intellectual disabilities, she is a writer and artist and amazing actress,” says Hammer.

 Hammer designed a dress that she hopes plays up Brewer’s fabulous qualities.

 “‘American Horror Story’ is dark, scary, bewitching so we had to go with black and Jamie has a beautiful body with a teeny waist and curves and we went with an A-line,” she says. The dress is also special for another reason—Hammer hopes that First Lady Michelle Obama will wear it.

 For her part, Brewer feels excited for her spin down the runway.

 “It’s amazing, it’s really neat. Many women have many sides to their personality, this dress fits...mine,” she says. “I am honored to be in it.” ||||| Actress Jamie Brewer walks the runway during the 'Role Models Not Runway Models' Carrie Hammer show. (Photo: Brian Ach, Getty Images)

 Actress Jamie Brewer, best known for her roles on American Horror Story, appeared Thursday on a catwalk during New York Fashion Week.

 Brewer was the first model in the show with Down syndrome.

 Brewer wore clothing by designer Carrie Hammer as part of Hammer's "Role Models Not Runway Models" show, a project that invites inspiring women to showcase Hammer's work.

 "We feature incredible influential women on the runaway. CEOs, executives, activist, actresses, anyone who is the top of the field, top of their game," Hammer told USA TODAY Network.

 "Jamie is an absolute star," Hammer said, adding that the actress is also an activist for people with intellectual disabilities.

 All of the women in the show wore clothing designed especially for them.

 Brewer played a witch on American Horror Story so Hammer put her in black with an A-line cut. "Jamie has this beautiful figure with a small waist. A-lines really compliment that," Hammer said about the design.

 The show took place at Lightbox, a digital arts and events space in New York City.

 Brewer tweeted images of herself getting ready Thursday morning:

 Follow @lagrisham on Twitter

 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Dlb26X |||||


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– Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are having to pay up for EPA violations seen on their hit HGTV show. The couple's business, Magnolia Homes, has agreed to pay a $40,000 fine after the EPA determined 33 of its home renovations were "conducted without adequate lead paint protections," reports Deadline, which notes the potential fine the company faced was as high as $556,000. The EPA notes Fixer Upper footage "reviewed by EPA did not depict the lead-safe work practices normally required" though "Magnolia took immediate steps to ensure compliance" when it was notified. Chip Gaines, who in March tweeted advice about engaging a professional to check for lead paint when buying or remodeling a home, will also star in a Magnolia-paid video on lead paint safety as part of the settlement, per Vulture. (The couple are expecting their fifth child.)

WASHINGTON – EPA and Magnolia Waco Properties, LLC, which does business as Magnolia Homes, have reached a settlement to resolve alleged violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP Rule), related to home renovations conducted without adequate lead paint protections as depicted on the television program Fixer Upper. Under the terms of the settlement, Magnolia will take steps to ensure compliance with lead-based paint regulations in future renovation projects, address lead-based paint hazards at high-risk homes in Waco, Texas, and educate the public to lead-based paint hazards and appropriate renovation procedures.

 Overview of Company

 Magnolia Waco Properties, LLC, which does business as Magnolia Homes, is a renovation firm that remodels homes in the Waco, Texas area. The firm specializes in renovations that require extensive remodeling of older homes while preserving historical design elements. The activities of Magnolia and similar renovation firms came to EPA’s attention from their depiction on popular television shows. Magnolia’s renovations were depicted on the HGTV series “Fixer Upper” and regularly viewed by well over 3 million households.

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 Violations

 EPA’s Residential Property Renovation Rule, also known as the “Renovation, Remodeling and Painting Rule” (RRP Rule), implements a provision that Congress added to the Toxic Substances Control Act to ensure that home renovations would not expose occupants to dangerous levels of lead from the lead-based paint often contained in homes built before 1978. The RRP Rule requires firms performing renovations for compensation in such homes to use specific precautions, including lead safe work practices, to reduce the risk of exposure to lead, unless the firm documents that testing of building components prior to renovation demonstrated less than the regulated concentration of lead in surface coatings on the components.

 Video footage of Magnolia’s renovations of older homes appearing in several seasons of “Fixer Upper” reviewed by EPA did not depict the lead-safe work practices normally required by the RRP Rule. After EPA contacted Magnolia with concerns about the company’s compliance, Magnolia took immediate steps to ensure compliance with the RRP Rule, including to obtain RRP certification and training for the firm and its staff and to ensure active compliance across all ongoing renovation projects.

 EPA’s review of information it obtained with Magnolia’s cooperation found evidence of noncompliance at renovations of 33 properties. Among the violations subsequently alleged by EPA were that Magnolia did not comply with the following requirements and precautions of the RRP Rule:

 Obtain firm certification from EPA before performing renovations covered by the RRP Rule;

 Assign a certified renovator to such renovations;

 Provide home owners or occupants with an approved pamphlet about lead-based paint hazards prior to the renovation;

 Post signs to clearly define the work area and warn people to remain outside that area;

 Comply with the RRP Rule’s work practice standards, such as closing doors and windows to the interior work areas, covering floor surfaces, ducts and other openings to work areas with plastic sheeting, and covering the ground with plastic sheeting to capture falling paint chips from exterior renovations.

 Magnolia cooperated with EPA throughout the Agency’s inquiry, volunteering information about its renovation activities and proposing to undertake innovative projects to reduce the prevalence of childhood lead-poisoning in its community and to increase awareness of lead-based paint safety issues associated with renovations in older homes.

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 Injunctive Relief

 In addition to a civil penalty, this settlement includes relief focused in three areas: compliance management of Magnolia’s own renovation operations, outreach about lead-based paint safety to Magnolia’s national audience, and the reduction of lead-based paint hazards in Magnolia’s local community.

 Magnolia took immediate steps to ensure the compliance of its own operations with the RRP Rule by becoming an EPA certified renovation firm, obtaining training and renovator certification for staff, and bringing active renovations into compliance. In this settlement, however, Magnolia took a step further in its commitment to compliance by implementing a compliance management program, in which it adopted an enhanced renovation recordkeeping checklist for use by its own staff and by subcontractors doing regulated work and agreed to compile periodic reports to EPA on its compliance implementation.

 Magnolia also sought to improve the public’s appreciation for the serious hazards of lead-based paint contained in older homes and the precautions necessary to reduce those hazards. First, Magnolia spoke about lead based-paint on an episode of “Fixer Upper” and depicted some of the steps renovation firms must take to minimize those hazards in a segment of its March 21, 2018 episode of “Fixer Upper.” During and after the broadcast of that episode, a “Fixer Upper” co-star Chip Gaines sought to amplify the message about lead-based paint safety with messages to his Twitter followers about the importance of using a professional’s help to check for lead paint and a link to a website with information about lead safety and the RRP Rule. Second, Magnolia proposed a brief stand-alone video further discussing lead-based paint and the RRP Rule to be hosted on its webpage and promoted on social media. Magnolia agreed to post the video within three months of executing this settlement. In the video, Chip Gaines will discuss lead safety and depict some of the safe work practices required by the RRP Rule.

 Magnolia also looked for ways to make a concrete difference in its local community. To that end, the company will perform a supplemental environmental project (SEP) to abate lead-based paint hazards in homes or child-occupied facilities in the Waco, Texas area. A significant portion of Waco’s housing stock was built before 1978, and at least one neighborhood has had historically higher exposure to lead-based paint and a higher percentage of elevated blood lead levels in children than the statewide and national averages. Magnolia’s SEP, which will be performed with an independent abatement firm, will reduce the risk of exposure to lead-based paint by targeting the most likely sources of lead-based paint hazards in residences, such as window and door replacement, removal of lead-based paint and dust, permanent enclosure and encapsulation, and replacement of lead-based paint surfaces and fixtures. Magnolia has committed to spend $160,000 on the SEP.

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 Pollutant Impacts

 Even though lead-based paint was banned in 1978, it still remains in many homes and apartments across the country. According to HUD’s American Healthy Homes Survey, which was conducted from June 2005 through March 2006, an estimated 37.1 million homes – or 34.9 percent of all homes nationwide – have lead-based paint somewhere in the building. An estimated 34.4 million of these homes were built before 1978.

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 Health Effects and Environmental Benefits

 Lead dust can occur when lead paint deteriorates or is disrupted during home renovation and remodeling activities. Lead exposure can cause a range of health problems, from behavioral disorders and learning disabilities to seizures and death, putting young children at the greatest risk because their nervous systems are still developing. EPA enforces the RRP Rule and other lead rules to protect children and others who are vulnerable to exposure to lead dust that can cause lead poisoning.

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 Civil Penalty

 Magnolia will pay a civil penalty of $40,000.

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 Amos Presler, Attorney

 Waste and Chemical Enforcement Division

 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

 presler.amos@epa.gov

 (202) 564-1076

 Top of Page ||||| Photo: HGTV

 Fame has finally turned on HGTV’s Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines. The pair’s company, Magnolia Homes, will pay $40,000 to the EPA for alleged lead-paint violations. They are alleged to have not taken the appropriate precautions while renovating homes that contained lead paint in Waco, Texas, for their show. The EPA says that the rules were allegedly violated in 33 different homes, but at least they probably look a lot better.

 The violations were noticed because apparently someone at the EPA saw it. The agency said in a statement they had witnessed the violations when they reviewed several seasons of the show, because apparently the EPA has a whole department that’s just people with hangovers binge-watching home-renovation shows with the rest of us. In addition to the fine, Magnolia will pay to produce some lead-awareness bonus content for their web site and social-media accounts. The video will star Chip Gaines and aim to to make fans aware of how to be lead-safe, and hopefully it’ll be ready in time for July 5. ||||| Chip and Joanna Gaines, HGTV’s husband-wife Fixer Upper team, have agreed to pay a $40,000 fine by the EPA for the improper use of lead-based paint in their renovations. The couple, who do business as Magnolia Homes, reached a settlement in a case that could have cost them $556,000 in fines.

 In a settlement “information sheet” posted on the EPA’s website (read it here), the agency notes that the “activities of Magnolia and similar renovation firms came to EPA’s attention from their depiction on popular television shows. Magnolia’s renovations were depicted on the HGTV series ‘Fixer Upper’ and regularly viewed by well over 3 million households.”

 The EPA says Magnolia engaged in “home renovations conducted without adequate lead paint protections as depicted on the television program Fixer Upper.” The series recently completed its fifth and final season on HGTV.

 In addition to the $40,000 fine, the settlement requires Chip Gaines to produce and release an educational video highlighting the dangers of lead-based paint within 90 days. Also, the couple has agreed to spend $160,000 on a lead-abatement project in their hometown of Waco, Texas. The project, to be performed with an independent abatement firm, will reduce the risk of exposure to lead-based paint in at-risk residences by replacing windows and doors, removing lead-based paint and dust, and replacing lead-based paint surfaces and fixtures, among other chores.

 The EPA notes that Magnolia has “looked for ways to make a concrete difference in its local community.”

 Also as part of the settlement, “Magnolia will take steps to ensure compliance with lead-based paint regulations in future renovation projects.”

 According to the EPA report, video footage of Magnolia’s home renovations appearing over several seasons of Fixer Upper were viewed by the agency. A review of information “obtained with Magnolia’s cooperation” found “evidence of noncompliance at renovations of 33 properties.”

 “After EPA contacted Magnolia with concerns about the company’s compliance,” the agency writes, “Magnolia took immediate steps to ensure compliance” with agency rules and regulations.

 “Magnolia also sought to improve the public’s appreciation for the serious hazards of lead-based paint contained in older homes and the precautions necessary to reduce those hazards,” the EPA notes, pointing out a March 21, 2018 Fixer Upper episode in which “Magnolia spoke about lead-based paint…and depicted some of the steps renovation firms must take to minimize those hazards…”

 “During and after the broadcast of that episode,” the report continues, Chip Gaines “sought to amplify the message about lead-based paint safety with messages to his Twitter followers about the importance of using a professional’s help to check for lead paint and a link to a website with information about lead safety…”

 Here is Gaines’ tweet from March 21: |||||


Residents drive across a street with a fluttering Islamic State flag, in Tel Abyad town on the Syrian-Turkish border, Raqqa countryside September 24, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer

 WASHINGTON A U.S. government agency report has warned that Islamic State has the ability to create fake Syrian passports, a federal official confirmed on Friday.

 A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed the contents of a story by CNN on Friday about the report, but declined to provide a copy of the report.

 The report says Islamic State has access to Syrian government passport printing machines and blank passports, raising the possibility the travel documents could be faked, CNN reported, citing a law enforcement source. (cnn.it/1Rf6lE1)

 The CNN source added that there was also concern that because the militant group had access to biographical and fingerprint data on Syrian citizens, there was also a possibility of identity theft.

 ABC News, which first reported the story on Thursday, said the report was released to law enforcement by the Homeland Security Investigations agency last week and raised the possibility that militants could use the documents to travel to the United States. (abcn.ws/1IKPl5I)

 "Since more than 17 months [have] passed since Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour fell to ISIS, it is possible that individuals from Syria with passports 'issued' in these ISIS-controlled cities or who had passport blanks, may have traveled to the U.S.," ABC News quoted the report as saying.

 State Department spokesman John Kirby, asked at a briefing on Friday about the ABC report, replied: "We have been aware of reports, not just in the press, that they may have obtained this capability."

 FBI Director James Comey told a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday: "The intelligence community is concerned that they [Islamic State] have the ability, the capability to manufacture fraudulent passports, which is a concern in any setting."

 (Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Sandra Maler) ||||| Story highlights The report warned that ISIS has access to passport printing machines and blank passport books

 ICE issued the warning in recent weeks to U.S. law enforcement

 Washington (CNN) A new intelligence report shared with law enforcement warns of ISIS' ability to create passports utilizing seized Syrian government assets, according to a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the intelligence report's contents.

 The report warned that, based on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's intelligence sources, ISIS has access to passport printing machines and blank passport books, raising the possibility the documents could be faked, according to the source.

 The source noted that, beyond the report, there's concern that this capability coupled with ISIS access to government buildings in Syria that contain valid biographical data and fingerprint info on Syrian citizens give rise to the threat of identity theft.

 State Department spokesman John Kirby said government officials are "mindful" that terrorists could be making false passports.

 "We have been aware of reports, not just in the press, that they may have obtained this capability," he said. "Obviously, it's something that we take seriously. It's obviously something, clearly that we're mindful of."

 Read More ||||| With the U.S. and other countries on high alert for ISIS attacks, American authorities are warning the terror group’s followers may have infiltrated American borders with authentic-looking passports ISIS has printed itself with its own machines, according to an intelligence report obtained by ABC News.

 The 17-page Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Intelligence Report, issued to law enforcement last week, says ISIS likely has been able to print legitimate-looking Syrian passports since taking over the city of Deir ez-Zour last summer, home to a passport office with “boxes of blank passports” and a passport printing machine. Another passport office was located in Raqqa, Syria, which has long been ISIS’s de facto capital.

 “Since more than 17 months [have] passed since Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour fell to ISIS, it is possible that individuals from Syria with passports ‘issued’ in these ISIS controlled cities or who had passport blanks, may have traveled to the U.S.,” the report says.

 Homeland Security Investigations Intelligence Report

 The report notes that the primary source for the information was rated at “moderate confidence,” the second-highest rating given for source assessments. Testifying before lawmakers Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey first publicly revealed the nation’s top security officials’ very real anxiety over the problem.

 “The intelligence community is concerned that they [ISIS] have the ability, the capability to manufacture fraudulent passports, which is a concern in any setting,” Comey said.

 Former Department of Homeland Security intelligence official and ABC News consultant John Cohen said, “If ISIS has been able to acquire legitimate passports or machines that create legitimate passports, this would represent a major security risk in the United States.”

 Fake Syrian passports have already been discovered in Europe, most notably two used by suicide bombers in the horrific terrorist attack on Paris last month. The two men are believed to have slipped into Europe with a flood of Syrian refugees fleeing the violence in their homeland.

 According to the source that provided the passport information to homeland security officials, Syria is awash in fake documents.

 “The source further stated that fake Syrian passports are so prevalent in Syria that Syrians do not even view possessing them as illegal,” the report says. “The source stated fake Syrian passports can be obtained in Syria for $200 to $400 and that backdated passport stamps to be placed in the passport cost the same.”

 The report included one example in which law enforcement officials said that a Syrian passport discovered in Turkey was printed with a designator number indicating it had been printed in an ISIS-controlled area earlier this year.

 Recently international news outlets have reported that their journalists have been able to purchase fake Syrian passports for a few thousand dollars.

 The DHS report says it is unclear what state the “blank” passports stolen from Deir ez-Zour were in or if they were completely blank. It also notes that the “whereabouts of the passport machine(s) remain fluid,” since the source said they are portable. As of April, the U.S. Department of Defense marked Deir ez-Zour as a “contested” city on its public map of Syria (PDF), versus ISIS-dominated for Raqqa.

 The HSI report’s last page contains a warning: “If ISIS ability to produce passports is not controlled, their operations will continue to increase and expand outside of their operational controlled areas.”

 Michele McPhee is a Boston-based freelance journalist and a frequent contributor to ABC News. |||||

Write a summary.

– US intelligence has determined that ISIS likely has the ability to produce fake Syrian passports, reports ABC News. The network cites a 17-page Homeland Security Investigations Intelligence Report that states ISIS probably has at its disposal both a passport-printing machine and blank passport books; there's some additional fear that ISIS isn't being blocked from government buildings that house Syrian identification records that could be put to nefarious use, reports CNN. Reuters spoke with a rep for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement who confirmed the report's existence. This alleged ability is apparently not a new one, per the report, as ISIS seized Deir ez-Zour, which is home to a passport office, last summer. "Since more than 17 months [have] passed since Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour fell to ISIS, it is possible that individuals from Syria with passports ‘issued’ in these ISIS controlled cities or who had passport blanks, may have traveled to the US," per the report. The information was labeled as coming from a source who was assigned a "moderate confidence" rating, the second-highest level available. That source added that "fake Syrian passports are so prevalent in Syria that Syrians do not even view possessing them as illegal"; they reportedly cost as little as $200. (Stolen passports are turning up, too.)


Summarize this article:

On May 11 at 8:26 a.m. a 40-person team at VCU Medical Center successfully delivered sextuplets. Ajibola Taiwo, a native of Western Nigeria, was 30 weeks and two days pregnant when she gave birth to three boys and three girls by cesarean section.

 The babies ranged in weight from 1 pound, 10 ounces to 2 pounds, 15 ounces. All six are doing well and continue to thrive in the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU neonatal intensive care unit.

 (L to R) Adeboye and Ajibola Taiwo held two of their sextuplets on May 23, 2017. The couple practiced kangaroo care, also known as skin-to-skin. During kangaroo care, the baby is held against the bare chest of a parent. The act of placing the infant skin-to-skin with mom or dad has been shown to maintain skin temperature regulation of the newborn, increase initiation of successful breastfeeding, and ease the transition to life outside the womb.

 The Taiwos tried to conceive for 17 years and were overcome with joy when they saw four heartbeats at their first ultrasound in November. It was not until January when they arrived at VCU Medical Center that they learned they were expecting sextuplets.

 “I was excited,” said Adeboye Taiwo, the father. “For the very first time we were expecting.”

 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015 there were nearly 4 million live births in the United States, only 24 of which were quintuplets or other higher order births.

 Delivering sextuplets requires a coordinated team effort including many hours of planning and simulation. The Taiwos’ medical team included experts from maternal-fetal medicine, labor and delivery, nursing, anesthesia, respiratory, neonatal medicine, social work, nutrition, cardiology and chaplain services.

 “The team quickly assembled to begin prenatal management and delivery planning including pre-delivery drills and resuscitation exercises,” said Susan Lanni, M.D., medical director of labor and delivery and maternal-fetal specialist at VCU Medical Center. “A typical labor and delivery shift includes one, perhaps two premature births, usually with time in between. We had to coordinate with our colleagues in the NICU for six premature babies to be delivered simultaneously.”

 The comfort of kangaroo care and skin-to-skin-contact, provided as soon as safely possible for a newborn and as often as possible for an infant in the NICU, supports attachment and bonding for both the infant and parent and provides a calm, soothing environment closer to what the baby experienced before birth.

 Developing a relationship with the mother and father was a critical component to the successful high-risk delivery.

 “We’re going through this extraordinary journey together with the family,” said Ronald Ramus, M.D., director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at VCU Medical Center. “It’s not every day that parents bring home sextuplets. Mrs. Taiwo was eating, sleeping and breathing for seven. A lot of the support and encouragement we gave her to make it as far as she did was important, and one of the biggest contributions we made as a team.”

 Adeboye Taiwo said everyone performed beyond his expectations from the time they arrived at VCU Medical Center.

 “The medical team is excellent in medicine and hospitality,” he said. “We are far from home but the medical team is our family. That is what got us this far.”

 Ajibola Taiwo was discharged from the hospital May 18. She and her husband actively participate in the sextuplets’ care in the NICU.

 “This is an amazing medical accomplishment that would not be possible without the outstanding coordination of our obstetrics and neonatal teams,” said Russell Moores, M.D., medical director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unitat Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. “While our level 4 NICU cares for the region’s most critically ill and premature babies every day, it’s humbling to help the Taiwos’ new family survive and thrive. Given their prematurity, they are doing exceptionally well, but should they require subspecialty care, we have all that they could need at CHoR.”

 “I hope for the smallest of my six children to grow up and say ‘I was so small, and look at me now,’” said Ajibola Taiwo. “I want my kids [to] come back to VCU to study and learn to care for others with the same people who cared for me and my family.”

 Jamie Burton, RN, repositioned one of the sextuplets, comforting her with a crocheted octopus. The octopus’ soft tentacles comfort the baby and remind her of the mother’s umbilical cord inside the womb, helping to prevent the baby from pulling on her tubes and wires.

 Editor’s note: At this time the hospital and family are not facilitating media requests. A media availability may be provided once the babies are discharged from the hospital. ||||| RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia hospital says its staff has successfully delivered sextuplets and the three boys and three girls are thriving.

 VCU Medical Center in Richmond announced the births in a statement Wednesday, saying they were the first sextuplets delivered at the hospital. The babies were born May 11 to parents who had tried to conceive for 17 years.

 The statement says a 40-person team was involved and the delivery required hours of planning. Ajibola Taiwo, a native of Nigeria, gave birth via cesarean section.

 The babies ranged from 1 pound, 10 ounces, to 2 pounds, 15 ounces.

 Sextuplets are quite rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the nearly 4 million live births in the U.S. in 2015, only 24 were quintuplets or other higher-order births. |||||

– A couple who spent 17 years trying to conceive finally managed the feat—six times over. A Virginia hospital says sextuplets born May 11 to Ajibola Taiwo, a native of Nigeria, are "thriving." The three boys and three girls were born via C-section, and weigh between 1 pound, 10 ounces, and 2 pounds, 15 ounces, each. It's the first set of sextuplets born at Richmond's VCU Medical Center, which employed a 40-person team in the birth. And it wasn't just an extremely rare occurrence for the hospital: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logged only 24 births involving quintuplets or more among the US' almost 4 million live births in 2015, reports the AP. The Times-Dispatch reports Taiwo was 30 weeks and 2 days along at delivery and was released after a week in the hospital. "I hope for the smallest of my six children to grow up and say, 'I was so small, and look at me now,'" she says. A hospital press release explains that four heartbeats appeared during the couple's first ultrasound in November; it wasn't until January that they learned the four heartbeats were actually six. (This birth story garnered extensive press coverage this month, but for tragic reasons.)


News article:

When it comes to air travel in the U.S., there are two realities. Most of us — the 930 million passengers who flew out of a U.S. airport last year — think flying has never been worse. Seats keep getting smaller and closer together; seat cushions are getting thinner. Everything costs extra: bags, food, and even things we took to be basics, like seat assignments and carry-ons. Flights are something you endure with your knees pressed against the seat in front of you, feet jammed next to your backpack or purse, hoping you don’t get dragged off the plane against your will. “None of us fly by choice,” one disgruntled United passenger recently wrote in a pretty representative tweet. “Flying sucks, period.”

 But there’s another group of people who see it differently: industry experts. These people say flying has never been better. It’s the cheapest it’s ever been, affordable for the majority of Americans. It’s safer. Your bags are less likely to get lost. On-time arrivals are hovering around 80 percent in recent years, the best it’s ever been. You’re likely to have honest-to-god internet on a damn plane.

 So this is a conundrum. How can flying be both the best and the worst it’s ever been?

 We have to get one thing out of the way. The experts are right. Flying is, objectively speaking, the best it’s ever been.

 Saying that flying is the best it’s ever been, of course, requires knowing what it used to be. In the 1960s, if you or your company could afford to fly you somewhere, you’d first have to go to a travel agent or airline ticket desk. You’d buy your flight and try your best not to lose your ticket. On the day of the flight, ticket in hand, you’d get to the airport 20 minutes in advance, go through a metal detector, settle into one of your seats on an almost-never-full plane and get served a TV dinner-esque meal while sitting in seats more or less akin to today’s Amtrak arrangement. You could smoke in the last 10 or so rows, but since you’re in a giant metal tube, the entire plane reeked of cigarette smoke.

 At some point, we were socialized to hate flying.

 Until 1978, the federal government regulated which airlines could fly which routes and how much they could charge. Since airlines couldn’t compete on price, so they had to differentiate themselves in other ways: legroom, meals, service, blankets, and so on. Which is to say, airlines competed by making flying as comfortable as possible.

 Prices were fixed not to keep flying affordable, but to keep airlines profitable. In 1974, it was literally illegal for an airline to charge less than $305, which would be $1,607 in 2017 dollars after adjusting for inflation, for a cross-country flight between New York and Los Angeles. Obviously, this meant far fewer Americans could afford it. In 1965, only 20 percent of Americans had ever flown on an airplane, and the portion that could afford it was overwhelmingly likely to be white.

 As part of a surge of deregulation across the federal government, airlines were suddenly free to start competing in another way: by offering lower prices. At this point, basic supply and demand principles kicked in. Fares could be cheaper if they put more people on each plane. Meals are expensive to offer 30,000 feet in the air (one of my favorite airline cost-cutting stories: Northwest reportedly saved $500,000 a year by slicing its limes 16 ways as opposed to Delta’s 10). And, in the past 15 years in particular, major airlines merged to fend off bankruptcy and unbundled their products — remember when you could book a seat in the exit row which has more leg room for free? — and charged fees for everything.

 But, even with the fees, flying is still cheaper and more accessible to the general public than it has ever been. That New York to Los Angeles flight that cost $1,607? The average fare, including first class and premium economy tickets, is now is around $700. But you can almost certainly find a flight in economy for less than $500, maybe even under $300 if you catch a sale (just yesterday Alaska Airlines ran a sale for $206 round trip). And it’s not only that one route. Overall, domestic airfares have fallen by approximately 50 percent after adjusting for inflation since deregulation in 1978. If you do want extra leg room, a meal, a checked bag, or a wider seat? That’s still there, in the form of premium economy or even first class. Looking at a random one week period in February, you can fly round-trip from New York to LA for $277, or upgrade to premium economy for $543. You could even splurge and fly JetBlue’s fantastic Mint first class for $1,117, or $500 cheaper than the legally mandated price in 1978. Which is to say: even if you purchased every perk or add-on for your New York to L.A. flight, it’s still cheaper — and better — than it was before.

 With the masses being able to afford to fly, anxiety about flying was more common than straight complaining. Crashes, bad turbulence, and even hijacking used to be a common fear, which was buttressed by humor. The flying experience became a frequent target for stand-up comedians and other humorists to defuse the tension. The Friar’s Club Encyclopedia of Jokes has a section on flying one-liners featuring Bob Hope, Shelley Berman, Garry Shandling, and Howie Mandel. “I’m giving up flying,” a joke by Corbett Monica went. “I was at the airport and I saw a sign: ‘Take Out Insurance.’ I thought, if the lobby’s that dangerous, imagine what it’s like in the plane.” Many of the jokes obviously predate 9/11 — ”Ever been frisked on a plane trip? They frisk you and then, on the plane, everybody has a steak knife!” joked Shelley Berman — and tend to deal more with safety concerns instead of lack of comfort or inconvenience. Professor David McNeil, who studies comedy and satire at Dalhousie University, told me that although he doesn’t have a precise history of flying jokes, he thinks it adheres to an old Freudian theory about dealing with anxiety through humor: “We joke about flying because it scares us to death.”

 After safety concerns became less prominent, comedians transitioned to joking about airline quality. In 1992, Saturday Night Live performed a skit with Jerry Seinfeld, Rob Schneider, Dana Carvey, and Adam Sandler called Stand-Up And Win, a mock Jeopardy! designed to poke fun at Seinfeldian prompts. The first question: “What’s the deal with airplane food?” (The “correct” answer from Schneider: “I know, could this stuff taste any worse? It’s like thanks but no thanks, I’m still stuffed from that huge bag of smoked almonds.”) “Airplanes” was also the first category on the board along with “cereals,” “commercials”, and “7-11 employees.” The airplane bit goes on for a bit longer:

 A shot from a mock Jeopardy sketch from SNL in 1992 that poked fun at jokes about airlines.

 Incidentally, this skit is also the origin of the “Why don’t they build the whole plane out of the black box?” meta-joke.

 A shot from a mock Jeopardy sketch from SNL in 1992 that poked fun at jokes about airlines.

 It’s also not just airline companies and their policies that make us complain, but the process of flying itself. George Carlin was more insightful than anyone, linking old school one-liners, quality complaints, and a profound insight into what flying does to the human psyche. It all comes together in a 1992 bit about the safety lecture. “This is my favorite part of the airplane ride,” Carlin sarcastically noted. “I listen very carefully to the safety lecture, especially that part where they teach us how to use” — dramatic pause — “the seat belts! Imagine this. Here we are, a plane full of grown human beings, many of us partially educated, and they’re actually taking time out to describe the intricate workings of a belt buckle.”

 Unlike some of the other comedy routines, Carlin addressed a fundamental issue not with airlines specifically, but the language used during the flying process in general, an issue backed up by research. A 2007 study in the fantastically named Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior analyzed a year’s worth of comments on Untied.com, a complaint forum for United customers, to study how powerlessness affects complaints. It shouldn’t be glossed over that to study powerlessness, researchers chose an airline complaint website; powerlessness is a fundamental part of flying. We’re told what to do while we’re herded through security, barked at by TSA officers, told where to line up by flight attendants, instructed when to turn off our phones or fasten our seatbelts and bring the tray tables into their upright and locked position, when we can get up and go to the bathroom. Pretty much everything about the process of flying is controlled by others whose positions of authority feel vaguely arbitrary (another point Carlin nails in mocking terms like “uniformed crew members” or “captain”). Short of interactions with law enforcement, flying may be the most powerless you will feel in your entire adult life.

 Powerlessness matters because, as the study found, it’s one of the key triggers of complaining. “I had to vent because it was killing me to let someone get away with treating me like I was just one of a herd of cows,” one representative untied.com forum comment read. Another lamented, “I’m tired of being treated like a stupid animal by a dumb telephone answer machine.” One result of powerlessness is what the researchers termed “heightened vigilance,” which basically means we’re stuck in a negative feedback loop and primed to complain even more. The study cites two complaints that show how this might manifest: “The agent at the international check-in was rude and I feel misrouted my luggage intentionally.” The complaint went beyond “my luggage got lost” to encompass the agent’s attitude and add that the lost luggage was on purpose. Another comment: “I am not being vindictive when I say, ‘I think she [the flight attendant] had it in for me.’”

 Seth Kaplan, managing partner of Airline Weekly, has a theory about why flying feels worse when it’s actually much better. His theory is that at some point, we were socialized to hate flying.

 “I had to vent because it was killing me to let someone get away with treating me like I was just one of a herd of cows.” — a commenter on untied.com, the forum for kvetching about United Airlines

 He said, sure, people sometimes experience discomfort or annoyances, but that’s not the main reason they hate flying. Rather, people simply feel like they’re supposed to hate flying, that they’re supposed to grumble about airlines. Flying is a communal experience. We wait together, take our shoes off at security together, wait together, stuff ourselves into a metal tube together, get off as quickly as possible together, and then laugh at the jokes about how horrible it all was together.

 “Complaints are rarely voiced in a vacuum,” Dr. Robin Kowalski of Clemson University wrote in a 1996 paper. Complaining is an icebreaker, she told me recently, as well as a way to one-up each other. “I definitely think there’s a social element to complaining,” she said. It didn’t take long for complaining about airplane food to become complaining about airlines in general. The bad food became the absence of bad food became TSA became less leg room became baggage fees became Dr. Dao getting dragged off the plane. And now there’s Twitter, where humor is completely bypassed. According to a Twitter marketing report, people send an average of 100,000 questions, complaints, and comments to U.S. airlines every month.

 Everyone has an airline horror story. I once endured a cross-country flight in a middle seat, crammed between a bodybuilder and a gentleman of generous proportions, leaving me access to roughly 60 percent of my seat width and zero armrests. Those unpleasant experiences aren’t negated by affordability. The fact that air travel used to be expensive journeys in smoke-filled dens doesn’t make me feel any better about having my luggage lost or being trapped on the runway. But one reason there are more of those stories than ever is because more people are flying than ever. In 2016, US airlines carried 34 percent more passengers than it did in 2002. That’s an increase of 209 million passengers. To put that in perspective, in 1974, the US airline industry had 207 million passengers total. Part of what makes flying so miserable, as alluded to in some of the untied.com comments, is the scale. The more people fly, the more the industry has to scale their product and the more dehumanizing it becomes. A necessary condition of feeling like a herd of cows is the presence of a herd.

 Most people understand we can’t have a first class experience on economy fares, but pine for a happy medium where we are given a seat commensurate with our dignity, treated humanely by airline staff, and generally arrive on-time barring mitigating circumstances, all for a reasonable price. That sounds nice, right?

 Part of what makes flying so miserable is the scale. A necessary condition of feeling like a herd of cows is the presence of a herd.

 Well, on the vast majority of the almost billion trips we take every year, I think we already have that. It’s just that we love to complain about the ones where we don’t.

 Kowalski made another point in her paper. It’s a bit indirect, but I think it matters here. The more we focus on how we’re feeling, or our “internal state,” the more likely we are to complain. And boredom, it turns out, has consistently been found to increase our focus on our internal state.

 If nothing else, surely we can agree on this: Flying is so boring. Everything about flying is waiting for the next thing: to get in line to board, to board, to close the door, to taxi, to take off, to land, to taxi, to open the door, to get off the plane. Flying is governed by what’s next, which means we’re always waiting. You could give me an in-flight entertainment system loaded with the entire library of human artistic achievement and I would still somehow be bored because I am on an airplane, waiting. Then I think about the fact I’m waiting. And now I’m noticing my butt’s sore. And the guy in front of me reclined his seat. And I still have three more hours to go. God, flying sure does suck, doesn’t it?

 Sign up for our newsletter Subscribe The NSA will be in touch. ||||| "I'm not talking to hear myself speak," said one flight attendant (not pictured). withGod/shutterstock Whether it's to keep their jobs or to maintain the peace, there are some things that airline workers just can't tell travelers.

 But sharing some of these things, while perhaps controversial, could be to their, your, and other passengers' benefit, if only someone would say something.

 So Business Insider asked more than 80 airline workers including flight attendants, gate agents, ticket agents, and other airport customer service reps to weigh in on what they'd love to tell passengers but can't.

 We've anonymously included some of the more constructive insights here: |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Though the number of complaints on Twitter might lead you to believe otherwise, "Flying has never been better." At least according to the industry experts the Outline spoke with, who pointed out that taking to the friendly skies has gotten safer and more on time (arrivals are now punctual about 80% of the time). And while it may not feel like it, it's cheaper, too, at least compared to the early '70s, when price fixing meant a flight from New York to LA was not allowed to cost less than about $1,600 in today's dollars. The Outline's full story works to bust some misconceptions, and Business Insider does something similar. It talks to 80 airline workers—the ones who staff the gates, the planes, the customer service lines—to share the secrets they wish they could share. Here are 5 standouts: Know I'm not being rude when I don't give you a free upgrade: One customer service agent explains "the airline computer system tracks everything, and big brother can be watching us"—and doling out a free upgrade improperly can be a fireable offense. Don't take off your shoes: It might be tempting to wiggle those toes under the seat, but this isn't your house, and that "water" you're stepping on in the bathroom isn't actually water. Don't let those hands wander: If you're tempted to tug at your flight attendant's clothes to get his or her attention as they walk by, just don't. Ever. Keep the number 50 in mind: That's how many passengers are generally served by a single flight attendant. We're not forgetting about you, explains one. We're just dealing with minimal staffing. Know I have to do what the FAA says: That includes saying specific things. Not following the FAA's rules and regulations could cause a flight attendant to be fined. Read the full list, which includes a couple of booze-related insights, here. Or see a viral photo of a "nightmare" passenger who didn't follow one of the tips above.


Here is a news article: HURRICANE, Utah (AP) — The small southern Utah town of Hurricane might become a little quieter after a statue of a copper bull lost its most prominent private feature this weekend.

 The sculpture holds a high perch above the sign for Barista's restaurant, and owner Stephen Ward said he woke up Friday and decided the bull would look better without the oversized genitalia that caused uproar among the neighbors.

 Hurricane residents disturbed by the noticeable, cone-shaped feature had asked the city council to revoke Barista's business license.

 Ward told the Spectrum newspaper in St. George (http://bit.ly/1Dgosne ) Saturday that he made it clear to city officials before he altered the statue that he wasn't bowing to community pressure.

 "I told them I am not removing the penis for you or because of your complaints. I don't like you. I'm doing it for me," Ward told. "I just decided it would look better without the weenie. And oh my God! It's beautiful."

 Even before the battle over the bull, tensions had been running high between Ward and the local community just north of the Arizona border.

 Customers have said the food is too expensive, alleged that Ward is hostile and has poor business practices. He says his offerings are the best in the region and hasn't hesitated to push back.

 The dispute got physical on March 14, when an altercation erupted between a Barista's employee and a patron. The patron was cited for a number of misdemeanors, including assault, according to the Hurricane City Police Department. Ward, however, said the incident wasn't handled appropriately and is upset that the patron wasn't arrested.

 The copper bull's outsized genitalia reinvigorated the fight. After a steady stream of complaints, city officials were evaluating whether there were grounds to force the removal or modification of the bull.

 City Manager Clark Fawcett said the sign was approved by the planning department and Ward went through the proper channels, but: "the dimensions of certain parts of the animal don't seem to be built the same way as in the plan that came to us."

 Ward acknowledged Saturday that he did feel like something was a bit off after he installed the bull.

 "It didn't even look (right), it was in the shape of a cone — but I don't know what a weenie on a bull is supposed to look like," Ward said.

 He said he didn't put it up to make anyone angry on purpose, but the conflict hasn't hurt his business.

 "I put it up because it's an amazing piece, and I bought it as-is," he said, "but I am having fun with all the attention and it's brought in more customers."

 ___

 Information from: The Spectrum, http://www.thespectrum.com ||||| HURRICANE – The bull sculpture atop Barista’s restaurant at 460 W. State St. in Hurricane, made famous over the last few weeks after it sparked outrage in the community over its extra-large male anatomy, received a penectomy of sorts Friday when the owner decided to have the bull’s penis removed.

 “The famous weenie’s gone,” Barista’s Restaurant Owner Stephen Ward said Friday afternoon, “but the reason I did it is because I didn’t like it.”

 Ward, who said he has spent a million dollars on signs for his 5,500-square-foot restaurant, said he purchased the $130,000 bull sculpture in Las Vegas.

 After the bull went up on the sign on March 14, Ward said he decided he didn’t like how much the genitalia of the bull obstructed the view of the bull’s belly and the plate work on the sculpture.

 Ward said:

 I saw that beautiful sculpture in Vegas and bought it and I was just thinking about it and, this morning, after it being up for a couple weeks – it has nothing to do with the city at all – I said ‘you know what, I’m gonna have that penis taken off so you can see more of the beautiful (bull). I love the joints and the plate work, you know, instead of that atrocious, well that party hat. It was so stupid because it looks like a party hat.

 When the well-endowed bull initially went up at Barista’s, it prompted fierce backlash from angry residents who called the sign offensive and inappropriate, saying the depiction of the bull’s genitalia was blatantly overdone.

 Notwithstanding the recent outrage over the bull, Ward said the real issue Hurricane City residents have is with him and has nothing to do with the sign.

 Hurricane City Planning Director Toni Foran confirmed Ward went through all the proper steps to have the sign approved by Hurricane City before having the sign installed and said the sign was approved by the city before it went up.

 “We saw a depiction on a piece of paper probably about 3 inches tall that, you know, may not have had exactly the same proportions,” Foran said.

 In response to Foran’s statement that she had not seen the bull sculpture before it was installed, Ward produced an email Foran sent him eight days prior to the sign going up in which Foran said she had finally seen the bull sculpture as it sat outside of the restaurant and said she thought it was beautiful.

 “When they need to lie, they lie; and when they don’t, they don’t; so, whatever’s convenient for them works for them just fine,” Ward said of the city. “I mean, they lied. It was bolted to the parking lot for three weeks. Every person in this city saw it. It was bolted right there for three weeks to the black top.”

 Busting balls with a legal approach

 Ward said Hurricane City has conspired to disrupt, destroy and cause harm and disrespect to his business by attacking, belittling and harassing him for six years.

 After learning in January he was being denied the ability to upgrade his limited liquor license – his license allows him to serve only beer and wine – to a hard liquor license, Ward said, he hired Attorney Dave Hunter and plans to sue the City of Hurricane.

 Ward said he also started a lawsuit Friday against the man who allegedly initiated a petition in March, calling for the Hurricane City Council to refuse Barista’s Restaurant’s business license renewal.

 He said what especially causes him concern is that the man who started the petition against his business is a teller at one of the places he banks, giving the petitioner-initiator access to much of Ward’s personal information.

 “He’s a teller and he’s never patronized this business,” Ward said. “He’s a teller at U.S. Bank and we started his lawsuit today.”

 Negative attention erecting positive results

 Since St. George News first broke the story of the bull controversy on March 19, the story has gained wide-spread momentum and popularity, making headlines across the nation.

 Ward’s wife, Pamela Ward, said the vindictive and slanderous comments made publicly by some Hurricane City residents in attempt to make Barista’s Restaurant go out of business, has only worked against those residents.

 Pamela Ward said:

 We’re still busy from it. People came in here – people love controversy, you know – they love it and they want to see what’s going on; and they’ll come in here and they’ll say ‘wow, we came in just because we read this article’ so it really helped us a lot. It did. It gave us probably double or triple the business for this time of the year, and the beautiful weather, too.

 Baristas Inc. is a corporation in good standing, according to filings on record with the Division of Commerce. Ward recently added an additional sign to his business, El Travatore, to advertise how long his family has been in the restaurant and tourism business, Ward said. There has been no change of business name.

 This is a developing story as more issues continue to come to light. Check back for more on this issue as the story unfolds.

 St. George News Editor-in-Chief Joyce Kuzmanic and Reporter-videographer Devan Chavez contributed to this report.

 Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

 Resources

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 Email: kscott@stgnews.com

 Twitter: @STGnews

 Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved. |||||
A summary of this is?

– An oversized bull penis at the center of a dispute in the small Utah town of Hurricane has been cut off—but restaurant owner Stephen Ward says it was because he decided he didn't like the look of it on the statue, not because he cares what his neighbors think. The owner of Barista's Restaurant tells the Spectrum that he told the city: "I am not removing the penis for you or because of your complaints. I don't like you. I'm doing it for me. I just decided it would look better without the weenie. And oh my God! It's beautiful." He tells the St. George News that he decided the conical penis—which sparked weeks of complaints from local residents—was "stupid because it looks like a party hat." Ward says he paid $130,000 in Las Vegas for the bull sculpture, which he placed on a perch outside the restaurant. The outrage over the statue's "party hat," which led to a petition to revoke the restaurant's license, was just the latest in a series of disputes between Ward and local residents, who accuse him of charging too much for food and having poor business practices, according to the AP. Ward counters that his food is some of the best in southern Utah and the statue has helped his business. "I am having fun with all the attention and it's brought in more customers," he says.


Article:
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The son of a Mexican wrestling legend died early Saturday from a blow suffered in the ring, the Baja California state prosecutor's office said.

 In this April 13, 2007 photo, Mexican wrestler Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo, top, tries to remove the mask of Mistico during a wrestling match in Mexico City. Ramirez, the son... (Associated Press)

 In this May 27, 2010 photo, Mexican wrestler Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo, poses for photographers at the start of a news conference in Mexico City. Ramirez, the son of a wrestling... (Associated Press)

 Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo, fell unconscious on the ropes, apparently after receiving a flying kick from fellow wrestler Oscar Gutierrez, known as Rey Mysterio Jr., according to video of the match in a municipal auditorium in Tijuana.

 The match continued for almost two minutes before other participants and the referee realized Aguayo was seriously injured and tended to him.

 He was taken to a hospital a block away and died about 1:30 a.m., prosecutor's spokesman Raul Gutierrez said.

 "I have no words for this terrible news," Joaquin Roldan, director of the AAA wrestling federation, said through his Twitter account. "My sincerest condolences for the Aguayo Ramirez family."

 The state prosecutor's office said the cause of death, based on the autopsy, was trauma to the neck and a cervical fracture. It has opened an investigation into possible manslaughter.

 The company that reportedly organized the event, The Crash, couldn't be reached for comment. The Tijuana Boxing and Wrestling Commission called the death an unfortunate accident like those that occur in other high-risk sports.

 Even though the match continued as Aguayo hung listless on the ropes, commission President Juan Carlos Pelayo said people moved immediately to check his condition. He said the doctor in charge was not at ringside because he was treating another injured wrestler, but paramedics and a doctor who was a spectator attended to Aguayo.

 "The reaction for medical attention was quick, in my opinion," Pelayo said in a news conference Saturday.

 Mexico is famous for its colorful characters and costumes in professional wrestling, popularly known as lucha libre, where fighters perform daring aerial maneuvers inside and outside the ring.

 Aguayo, 35, had wrestled for 20 years and was the son of the legendary Pedro "Perro" Aguayo, now retired and a member of the Aztec lucha hall of fame.

 The younger Aguayo was also popular and led a group called "Los Perros de Mal," or the bad dogs. He won numerous titles, including national pairs with his father, a national heavyweight championship and the Consejo Mundial Lucha Libre world trios championship.

 "It makes me very sad because he was a professional colleague and I have great affection for his father," the wrestler Hijo del Santo said in a telephone interview. "I think the fans in Japan, the U.S. and Mexico, of course, where he was very popular, must be in mourning, especially because of his youth. He had much ahead of him." ||||| A Mexican wrestler died early Saturday from a blow suffered in the ring, the Baja California state prosecutor's office said.

 Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo, fell unconscious on the ropes, apparently after receiving a flying kick from fellow wrestler and former WWE star Oscar Gutierrez, known as Rey Mysterio Jr., according to video of the match in a municipal auditorium in Tijuana.

 The match continued for almost two minutes before other participants and the referee realized Aguayo was seriously injured and tended to him. He was taken to a hospital a block away and died about 1:30 a.m. local time, prosecutor's spokesman Raul Gutierrez said.

 Mexican wrestler Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, known as Hijo del Perro Aguayo, during a news conference in Mexico City on May 27, 2010. AP

 The state prosecutor's office said it has opened an investigation into possible manslaughter. The company that reportedly organized the event, The Crash, couldn't be reached for comment.

 Aguayo, 35, had wrestled for 20 years and was the son of Mexican wrestling legend Pedro "Perro" Aguayo, now retired and a member of the Aztec lucha hall of fame.

 The younger Aguayo was also popular and led a group called "Los Perros de Mal," or the bad dogs. He won numerous titles, including national pairs with his father, a national heavyweight championship and the Consejo Mundial Lucha Libre world trios championship.

 SOCIAL

 Some don't get it that wrestlers put their lives on the line every time they step into the ring. RIP Perro Aguayo Jr. pic.twitter.com/ueDeytIwFt — Mike Mooneyham (@ByMikeMooneyham) March 21, 2015

 RIP Perro Aguayo jr. Please honor his memory. We all risk our bodies & lives to entertain. Heartfelt sympathy to his family and Rey/Tigre/TJ — Magnus (@MagnusOfficial) March 21, 2015

 Many of you will remember Perro Jr.'s dad from When Worlds Collide main event vs. Konnan. Stunning loss for entire Lucha community. — Mike Tenay (@RealMikeTenay) March 21, 2015

 — The Associated Press |||||Summary:

– A Mexican lucha libre wrestler died early yesterday from a flying kick he took inside the ring in a match that continued for almost two minutes before anyone realized he was injured. As NBC News reports, Pedro Aguayo Ramirez was rushed to a hospital a block away from the Tijuana match, but died at 1:30am local time. The state prosecutor's office says that it's opened a manslaughter investigation into his death; his cause of death is listed as "trauma to the neck and a cervical fracture," reports the AP. Aguayo Ramirez, the 35-year-old son of another revered wrestler, had competed in the sport for 20 years and went by Hijo de Perro Aguayo in the ring. "I have no words for this terrible news," said the director of the AAA wrestling federation.


Write an article based on this summary:

– Some 400,000 people have now fled South Sudan amid weeks of fighting, the UN says; at least 200 drowned on a ferry trying to escape. "The reports we have are of between 200 to 300 people, including women and children. The boat was overloaded," an army rep tells AFP. He says the incident occurred today, while other reports indicate it was overnight Sunday. "They all drowned." He said they were fleeing Upper Nile state capital Malakal, which has been under both rebel and government control; it’s situated near the state’s oil fields. The rebels have launched a new attack on the area, where some 19,000 people have sought shelter at a peacekeeping base, a UN spokesman says. Malakal, the BBC notes, sits near the White Nile, which thousands of civilians have tried to cross in a bid to escape. Many, however, can’t afford a boat ride; one refugee tells the BBC she had to borrow $66 to get across. A recent estimate puts the death toll of the conflict at 10,000.

South Sudan's military battled rebels in the streets of the key northern oil town of Malakal Wednesday, the army said, as conflict in the world's newest nation entered its second month.

 The battle for Malakal, the main town in Upper Nile state, is now turning into one of the most bitter in the conflict, with the United Nations reporting tank battles in the streets.

 "There is heavy fighting in Malakal," army spokesman Philip Aguer said, dismissing rebel claims they had taken control of the town.

 Rebel forces staged a fresh attack Tuesday to seize the town, which has already changed hands twice since the conflict began, with rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Kong, boasting the insurgents had "recaptured Malakal".

 "This is not over yet," Aguer said. "The fighting is ongoing."

 South Sudan has been gripped by violence since December 15, when clashes broke out between army units loyal to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and those supporting ex-vice president Riek Machar.

 According to the United Nations, about 400,000 civilians have fled their homes over the past month, many of them to escape a wave of ethnic violence between members of Kiir's Dinka people -- the country's largest group -- and Machar's Nuer community.

 Up to 10,000 people are believed to have been killed in the fighting, aid sources and analysts say, including over 200 civilians who drowned in a boat fleeing the latest round of fighting in Malakal.

 The East African regional bloc IGAD has been brokering peace talks in neighbouring Ethiopia, although with still little sign of a hoped-for ceasefire agreement.

 Late Tuesday, Minister of Information Michael Makuei spoke optimistically that the two sides may soon "agree on the cessation of hostilities", but the rebel delegation said the key sticking point was still the release of political leaders arrested in Juba.

 Signing a ceasefire and the release of the prisoners are "hooked together", rebel delegate Hussein Mar Nyout told AFP, adding that a truce would only be signed at the same time as a deal on the prisoners.

 The army is also trying to recapture the town of Bor from the rebels, the capital of restive Jonglei state. Aguer, in a statement he has repeated for over a week, said that the army was "still marching on Bor".

 "Frontlines there have so far been quiet this morning, but clashes can break out at any time," he said. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andrew Harding explains why the Nile is such an important boundary for those fleeing the fighting

 More than 200 civilians in South Sudan have drowned in a Nile ferry accident while fleeing fighting in the town of Malakal, an army spokesman has said.

 He said women and children were among the victims in Sunday's disaster.

 More than 350,000 people have been displaced by the fighting between the South Sudanese government and rebel forces, according to the UN.

 Rebels say they have captured Malakal, which is the gateway to the oilfields of the Upper Nile region.

 However, this was denied by an army spokesman, who said the rebels had been pushed back after heavy fighting in the city.

 "The reports we have are of between 200 to 300 people, including women and children. The boat was overloaded," army spokesman Philip Aguer told the AFP news agency.

 Image copyright AFP Image caption Malakal lies on the east bank of the River Nile

 "They all drowned. They were fleeing the fighting that broke out again in Malakal," he added.

 Malakal is located on the banks of the White Nile - just north of its confluence with the Sobat River.

 Thousands of civilians have been trying to escape the clashes by crossing the river, but many say they simply cannot afford to pay for a boat, says the BBC's Andrew Harding in South Sudan.

 One refugee, Akuch, told our correspondent that she had had to borrow as much as 150 Sudanese pounds (£40; $66) to cross the river.

 Some 9,000 civilians have recently arrived at a UN base in Malakal, almost doubling the number of people seeking shelter there, our correspondent says.

 Image copyright AFP Image caption Some 19,000 people are now seeking shelter at a UN base in Malakal

 Image copyright AFP Image caption Government troops are said to be advancing on the rebel-held town of Bor

 Malakal has already changed hands several times since the conflict began last month.

 In the south, government troops are believed to be advancing on Bor - the only major town previously in rebel hands.

 Meanwhile, talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in South Sudan are currently taking place in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

 The negotiations are being overseen by the East African regional bloc, Igad.

 The violence erupted on 15 December between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and soldiers backing Riek Machar, his former vice-president.

 President Kiir is a member of South Sudan's largest ethnic group, the Dinka, while Mr Machar is from the Nuer community - the country's second largest.

 The conflict has seen reports of mass killings along ethnic lines even though both men have prominent supporters among their rival's community.

 The UN estimates that more than 1,000 people have died since the conflict began on 15 December.

 South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 after a long and bloody conflict, to become the world's newest state. |||||