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 Back-to-back explosions rattled two churches in a New Mexico town Sunday morning, police said.

 No one was injured in either explosion, and damage to each church was "relatively minor," according to a statement from the Las Cruces Police Department.

 Aaliyah Doninguez, 11, holds a sign advising parishioners in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that Mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church mass was canceled on Sunday. Robin Zielinski / AP

 A mailbox was blasted at Calvary Baptist Church in Las Cruces, about 50 miles from the Mexico border, around 8 a.m. local time, the police statement said. Parishioners were gathered inside the church at the time of the explosion, but services had not yet begun, the statement said.

 Less than half-hour later, police were called to Holy Cross Catholic Church, about three miles away, where an explosive device had gone off in a trash can near the entrance of the church, according to police. The service at Holy Cross had started, and worshippers were evacuated, police said.

 The churches remained closed Sunday afternoon while multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the nearly-simultaneous blasts, according to police.

 Holy Cross Catholic Church said activities at their adjoining school would be canceled Monday morning. "Please pray for our community," said a statement from the church.

 "Just the fact that they were at churches the same day a half an hour apart or so, that leads us to believe it could be something related," police spokesman Dan Trujillo told the Las Cruces News. Trujillo said police have advised other churches in the area "to be on the lookout for anything suspicious." ||||| No injuries: Devices placed just outside churches in trash can, mail box

 While waiting in a staging area, Holy Cross Catholic Church Pastor John Anderson tries to get in touch with other local churches to warn them of the two explosions that occurred Sunday morning and to be vigilant. (Robin Zielinski Sun-News)

 See photos from the scene at Holy Cross Catholic Church and Calvary Baptist Church.

 LAS CRUCES >> Explosions about a half hour apart shattered the serenity of morning services at two Las Cruces churches Sunday, but caused no injuries and only minor damage, police said.

 The explosions happened at Calvary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Locust, shortly after 8 a.m. and Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda, about a half hour later. The explosion at Holy Cross took place in a trash can just outside the entrance of the church as services for the 8 a.m. Mass were taking place.

 Robin Zielinski — Sun-News Holy Cross Catholic Church pastoral associate Elizabeth Behnke informs parishioners of ride arrangements and that their cars must be left at the church until the parking lot is searched on Sunday.

 Monsignor John Anderson had been in the part of the service where communion is passed.

 "I was right in the middle of saying the words 'take and eat, this is my body' and there was a Pow! I mean, I knew it had to be more than a gunshot," he said. "It didn't know if it was a shotgun blast, I didn't know what. But it was very loud and I just kept on saying the words."

 Ann Marie Sullivan, a college student and lifelong parishioner at Holy Cross, described it. "It sounded like something had fallen off and shattered the glass in the back."

 At the end of the Lord's Prayer, the pastor sent a deacon to find out what had happened, and it was reported that a bomb had exploded in a trash can outside the front glass doors, shattering the thick glass.

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 "I had just received communion and had gotten back to my chair when the police came up and said we need everyone to leave out the doors calmly," Sullivan said, saying police told parishioners. "We have it under control but we need you to leave the building."

 Ten minutes later, and it could have been much worse, Anderson said.

 Robin Zielinski — Sun-News Aaliyah Doninguez, 11, stands on North Alameda Boulevard advising parishioners of Holy Cross Catholic Church that Mass is canceled on Sunday.

 "I'm just thankful to God nobody was standing by the door, because there's usually always somebody standing there. But because it was the consecration part of the Mass, everybody was kneeling down and facing toward the altar," he said. "Ten minutes later we would have been leaving and standing around that space."

 At a press conference Sunday night, Gov. Susana Martinez said that only a "coward" would place an explosive device in a church. She vowed that the person responsible would be caught, and urged people to continue to attend church services.

 "Whoever did this will feel the full pressure of the law," she said. "If your intention was to bring fear to those who worship, you have failed."

 Robin Zielinski — Sun-News Las Cruces Police Officer Joseph Campa talks to Holy Cross Catholic Church parishioners on Sunday after an explosion occurred at the entrance of the church during Mass.

 State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said the acts were certainly intended to terrorize churchgoers, but he could not call it an act of terrorism at this time, or even confirm for certain that the two explosions were related.

 The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, New Mexico State Police, and an NMSU canine unit are all assisting in the investigation, as are federal officials with the FBI, ATF and Department of Homeland Security, Las Cruces Police spokesman Dan Trujillo said.

 The earlier explosion at Calvary Baptist Church took place in a mailbox on a wall near the administrative entrance to the church, Trujillo said. Several worshippers were gathering inside the church when the explosion happened, but services had not yet begun.

 Jett Loe — Sun-News Las Cruces police block portions of Locust Street in response to an explosion Sunday morning near Calvary Baptist Church.

 "It was a real bomb, I saw all the parts," said Cavalry Baptist member Dennis Llewellyn, who said he was outside the church when the explosive went off. Llewellyn said he was a former special forces member with the Marines and recognized bomb parts that included an Eveready battery. He and fellow church member Mike Stewart kept churchgoers arriving for the 8:30 a.m. service from going into the building during the five to 10 minutes it took for police to arrive. Stewart was the one to notice the debris and damaged mailbox, the two men said.

 Llewellyn described the explosion as loud, and Stewart, who was inside, said it shook the building. Llewellyn said there were about 30 people inside the building when the explosion occurred.

 Kassetas said they were not releasing information on the type of explosive device used while the investigation is ongoing, but said they "were not fireworks"

 "These devices were intended, I believe, to do harm and could have done harm to people."

 Trujillo said had no information yet as to possible motives, but police assume the two blasts are related.

 "Just the fact that they were at churches the same day a half and hour apart or so, that leads us to believe it could be something related," he said.

 "Somebody wanted attention, and somebody wanted to be very destructive against the Catholics, I guess," Monsignor John Anderson said. "I don't know how else to read that."

 "We'll well have to increase the security and have people in the parking lot all the time and have cameras in that gathering area to see who is there at all times. So, well have to be more vigilant."

 Trujillo said police were been contacted by other churches in town asking what they should do.

 "We can't tell them what to do, but we can tell them to be on the lookout for anything suspicious," he said. "Don't go poking around in trash cans or mailboxes. If you have any suspicion of anything that's out of the ordinary, please call to police and leave it up to the officers to look it over."

 During a rally Sunday night at Pioneer Park, faith leaders from throughout the community called for forgiveness and a stronger sense of community. A message was read from Bishop Oscar Cantú in which he expressed thanks that nobody was hurt, and vowed the church services would continue, but with more prudence.

 Sun-News staff members Robin Zielinski, Jett Loe, Lucas Peerman and Sylvia Ulloa contributed to this report. |||||

 Aaliyah Doninguez, 11, advises parishioners that Holy Cross Catholic Church mass is canceled in Las Cruces, N.M. (Robin Zielinski/Las Cruces Sun-News via AP)

 Three miles and only 20 minutes apart, dual explosions rocked two churches in Las Cruces, N.M., Sunday morning, injuring none but leaving both congregations shaken.

 The incidents are being investigated separately, Las Cruces Police Department spokesman Dan Trujillo said, but with an awareness of the “totality of the day’s events.”

 “It’s unlikely for us to have two incidents like this on the same day 20 minutes apart and have them not be connected,” he told The Washington Post in a phone interview.

 The first explosion, set off by a device planted in a mailbox, went off around 8:20 a.m. just as congregants at Calvary Baptist Church in southern Las Cruces were beginning to gather for the morning’s services. Twenty minutes later a second device exploded inside a trash can outside the Holy Cross Catholic Church just a short drive away, shattering the building’s glass front and startling worshipers in the midst of their morning Mass.

 “I was right in the middle of saying the words ‘take and eat, this is my body’ and there was a ‘Pow!’ I mean, I knew it had to be more than a gunshot,” Monsignor John Anderson told the Las Cruces Sun-News. “It didn’t know if it was a shotgun blast, I didn’t know what. But it was very loud and I just kept on saying the words.”

 Trujillo described the explosive devices as “dangerous, much more dangerous than just fireworks or firecrackers,” and intended to cause harm. But investigators do not yet have more details about what caused the explosions. Nor are they sure why these two churches in particular were targeted — Trujillo noted that Calvary Baptist is on the same street as at least five other churches, none of which were bombed.

 New Mexico State Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security are investigating the incidents alongside several local law enforcement agencies. As of late Sunday night they had no information about potential suspects.

 New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) headed to her hometown, a city of about 100,000 just an hour’s drive north of the Mexican border, for a news conference with law enforcement Sunday night.

 “Only a coward would place an explosive device in a place of peace and a place of worship,” she told reporters. “… If your intention was to bring fear to those who worship, you have failed. Our faith is too strong and our fellowship is unbreakable.”

 Asked if the bombings were an act of terrorism, State Police Chief Pete Kassetas responded that he could only say for sure that the explosions certainly provoked terror.

 “But if you’re asking me to put it in a nice, little, neat box to say that I can link this … to any one group or individual, we’re not there yet,” he said.

 Later, in response to a different question, he added, “Someone put some time and effort into this, we believe.”

 The first explosion, at Calvary Baptist, went off outside an administrative entrance on the opposite side of the church from the door where worshipers were streaming in. About 30 people were already inside the building when they heard a loud noise and felt the building shake.

 Church member Dennis Llewellyn, who said he was a former special forces member with the Marines, recognized bomb parts among the debris.

 “It was a real bomb, I saw all the parts,” he told the Sun-News.

 Services were already underway when the second device went off at Holy Cross Catholic Church 20 minutes later, the sound of splintering glass interrupting communion. The pastor finished the Lord’s Prayer, then sent a deacon to investigate the noise. Minutes later police arrived.

 “We have it under control but we need you to leave the building,” they instructed the congregation, college student and lifelong Holy Cross parishioner Ann-Marie Sullivan told the Sun-News.

 None of the roughly 200 people inside the building were injured, though the church’s glass front was destroyed. The congregation was saved by the fact that the explosion happened during the communion; normally someone is posted at the building’s entrance, Anderson told the Sun-News, but everyone had come inside for that part of the service. If the bomb had gone off just 10 minutes later, the church members would have been gathering in the building’s entrance and it’s likely several would have been hurt.

 He added that the church needs to increase its security, adding patrols to its parking lot and cameras to its front entrance in the wake of the incident.

 “Somebody wanted attention, and somebody wanted to be very destructive against the Catholics, I guess,” he told the Sun-News. “I don’t know how else to read that.” |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Police are investigating a pair of blasts that rocked two New Mexico churches where parishioners had gathered yesterday morning, though there were no injuries and damage was "relatively minor," authorities tell NBC News. One explosion came from a mailbox outside an administrative entrance to Calvary Baptist Church in Las Cruces at about 8:20am local time, reports the Washington Post. About 30 people had gathered inside and witnesses say they felt the building shake. Twenty minutes later, the pastor at Holy Cross Catholic Church, three miles away, said he heard a "pow" while passing out communion. "I didn't know if it was a shotgun blast…but it was very loud," he tells the Las Cruces News. The bomb exploded in a trash can outside the church's glass front doors, which shattered. "I'm just thankful to God nobody was standing by the door, because there's usually always somebody standing there," the pastor says. "Ten minutes later we would have been leaving and standing around that space." A churchgoer at Calvary Baptist—which is on the same street as several other churches that weren't targeted—says he recognized bomb parts at the scene, including an Eveready battery. A police rep says only that the two devices "were not fireworks" and "were intended, I believe, to do harm and could have done harm to people." Police add the blasts are considered related and authorities have warned other nearby churches "to be on the lookout for anything suspicious." Both churches remained closed yesterday afternoon, while classes at Holy Cross' adjoining school were canceled today.


Write a summary based on this article:

On the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) slammed President Obama's nominee for attorney general Loretta Lynch for her responses at her confirmation hearing to questions on issues like immigration and executive overreach. (AP)

 Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz argued against nominating Loretta Lynch as Attorney General, calling her unsuitable for the job.

 "I wanted to see a new Attorney General who would be faithful to law, but her answers made that impossible," Cruz said of Lynch's confirmation hearing, saying in a 10-minute speech on the Senate floor that she had "embraced the lawlessness" of Eric Holder's tenure.

 Then he missed the final vote on her nomination -- the only senator to do so.

 "He voted for cloture, that was the vote that mattered," said Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler. "He made the case against her, he voted against her in cloture and he didn’t prevail."

 Why exactly did Cruz miss the final vote? Tyler wouldn't say. Cruz attended a Dallas fundraiser Thursday night before traveling to Las Vegas, where he will attend a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition meeting. ||||| WASHINGTON — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took to the Senate floor on Thursday to urge his Republican colleagues to vote against attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch.

 When the final confirmation vote came a few hours later, Cruz — a candidate for the 2016 presidential nomination— skipped the vote.

 Cruz's communications direction Amanda Carpenter did not provide a reason for the senator's absence but said in an emailed statement that his "opposition to the nomination has been clear," noting that earlier in the day he had voted to filibuster her nomination. That key procedural vote ended up passing, clearing the way to her eventual confirmation.

 "He voted against her in committee and opposed cloture. That is why he spoke on the floor about it, has given numerous interviews, and written an op-ed the topic.

 Once cloture was invoked it was clear she would be confirmed and Cruz strongly chastised his Republican colleagues who supported her."

 Carpenter added that his vote against cloture was "the only vote that mattered."

 "After that it was done deal," she said.

 Cruz had opposed Lynch's confirmation on the grounds that she, like outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder, would continue to support President Obama's executive action on immigration.

 "The Republican majority, if it so chose, could defeat this nomination, but the Republican majority has chosen to go forward and allow Loretta Lynch to be confirmed," Cruz said on the Senate floor. "I would note there are more than a few voters back home that are asking what exactly is the difference between a Democratic and Republican majority when the exact same individual gets confirmed as Attorney General, promising the exact same lawlessness, what's the difference?"

 Lynch was confirmed 56-43, five months after Obama nominated her. ||||| John Shinkle/POLITICO Cruz, vocal Lynch critic, skips confirmation vote

 Sen. Ted Cruz skipped the vote to confirm Loretta Lynch as attorney general on Thursday — just three hours after he took to the Senate floor to rail against her nomination.

 “Eric Holder began disregarding the Constitution and laws after he was confirmed as attorney general,” the Texas Republican, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, said on the Senate floor shortly after 11 a.m. “Ms. Lynch has told the Senate that’s what she’s going to do.

 Story Continued Below

 “And that means each and every one of us bears responsibility,” Cruz continued. “In my view, no senator can vote for this confirmation consistent with his or her oath.”

 The Senate later voted 56-43 to confirm Lynch. Cruz was the only member of the chamber not to vote. He did participate on a procedural vote earlier, opposing clearing the path for final confirmation.

 A spokeswoman for Cruz’s presidential campaign said he missed the vote because he had to fly home to Texas for a fundraiser.

 “He voted against cloture which was the most important vote — once invoked, her confirmation was guaranteed,” spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said. “As you know, Sen. Cruz led the charge to oppose her nomination, in interviews, op-eds and a floor speech today. Those responsible for her confirmation are the ones who voted for cloture.”

 The senator has drawn scrutiny over his attendance record in his short time on Capitol Hill. POLITICO reported earlier this week that Cruz has missed the vast majority of hearings for the Armed Services Committee, is below-average in attendance on his other major committees and ranks 97th during the first three months of this year in showing up for Senate floor votes.

 Cruz missed another key Senate vote this week — to pass a sex trafficking bill that was caught up for weeks due to an abortion-related dispute. The vote was 99-0, and Cruz was the sole missing senator then, too. ||||| WASHINGTON–After missing votes on two Texas judicial nominees and a pivotal human trafficking bill, Sen. Ted Cruz came back to the Capitol on Thursday to oppose attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch’s confirmation — and to accuse fellow Republicans of rolling over for the White House by agreeing to install her as nation’s chief law enforcement officer.

 The nomination passed by a 56-43 vote Thursday afternoon. Sen. John Cornyn voted no and Cruz was the only senator to miss it, despite his objections.

 Cruz missed the confirmation vote so he could catch to Texas, said spokeswoman Catherine Frazier in an email. She also said Cruz led the charge against Lynch’s confirmation and those who allowed the vote to proceed are responsible for its success.

 Cruz is expected to be in Dallas on Thursday for a fundraiser hosted by investor Tom Hicks.

 “The Republican majority, if it so chose, could defeat this nomination. But the Republican majority has chosen to go forward and allow Loretta Lynch to be confirmed,” he said on the Senate floor. “There are more than a few voters back home that are asking what exactly is the difference between a Democratic and Republican majority when the exact same individual gets confirmed as Attorney General, promising the exact same lawlessness.”

 Cruz asserted that Lynch would continue a pattern of partisan lawlessness started by current Attorney General Eric Holder.

 “I very much wanted to support Loretta Lynch’s nomination,” said Cruz. But he said, her defense of Obama’s executive actions on immigration and refusal to distance herself from Holder’s views on assorted views maker her unfit and unsuitable for the job.

 Cruz has been intensely critical of Holder and has repeatedly called for his resignation. But he’s been in no hurry to see Lynch installed as the replacement. He voted against cloture – the procedure to end a filibuster – but was on the losing end of a 66-34 vote that cleared the way for a final vote on confirmation.

 Unlike Cruz, Cornyn, the party’s deputy leader, voted for cloture. A dispute over his bill to combat human trafficking had stalled the Lynch vote. Cornyn also has called for Holder to resign.

 Video of Cruz’s floor remarks here. |||||

– Today's vote in the Senate to make Loretta Lynch the next attorney general was 56-43. So who was the lone missing senator out of 100? Ted Cruz, which is generating some head scratches considering that he spoke for 10 minutes on the floor of the Senate prior to the vote pleading with his colleagues to reject her. It turns out that Cruz had to catch a flight back to Texas for a fundraiser before the final vote, reports the Dallas Morning News. His spokesperson is downplaying the move, noting that Cruz voted against the procedure for ending a filibuster that cleared the way for a final vote. "He voted for cloture, that was the vote that mattered," says Rick Tyler. "He made the case against her, he voted against her in cloture, and he didn’t prevail." Still, the unusual combination of the presidential candidate blasting Lynch and then being the only senator to skip the vote is making headlines at Politico, BuzzFeed, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. As for Cruz's objection to Lynch, he says she "embraced the lawlessness" that marked the tenure of Eric Holder.


Here is a news article: New study shows filling a shopping cart with store brands saves an average of 30 percent on groceries

 YONKERS, N.Y., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Store brand products can compete with their name-brand counterparts and save shoppers more than a thousand dollars a year on grocery bills, according to a new study from Consumer Reports. In 21 head-to-head taste match-ups, national brands won seven times, the store brand came out on top in three instances, and the remainder resulted in ties. The article can be found on www.consumerreportsenespanol.org.

 "The study reaffirms that store brands are worth a try," said Tod Marks, senior projects editor for Consumer Reports. "For a family that spends $100 a week on groceries, the savings could add up to more than $1,500 a year."

 Consumer Reports' price study evaluated five supermarket chains and compared store- and name-brand prices for 30 everyday items at five chains, collecting a total of 283 price quotes. Consumer Reports found the average savings with store brands was 30 percent, but shoppers saved as much as 52 percent on some items.

 Store-brand stigma

 Although the savings are significant, some shoppers are still reluctant to try store-brand products, according to a Consumer Reports nationally-represented survey. The top reasons for those who don't buy store brands are: "I prefer name brands," "The name brand tastes better," and "I don't know if store brands are as high in quality." Respondents 18 to 39 years old were particularly likely to question the quality of store brands.

 Still, 84 percent of Americans purchased store brands in the past year, and 93 percent of store-brand shoppers said they would keep buying as many store brands after the economy recovers. Nationwide, store brands accounted for almost one of four products sold in supermarkets and a record $55.5 billion in sales last year.

 Consumer Reports found nutrition similar for most of the tested products, despite the perception among 17 percent of survey respondents who said that "name-brand foods are more nutritious." The most notable differences: Mott's applesauce has more sugar than Publix, Ore-Ida fries have more sodium than Jewel, and Kellogg's Froot Loops have 3 grams of fiber vs. 1 gram in Stop & Shop Fruit Swirls.

 Shoppers are devoted to certain categories as well. Though they'll purchase store-brand paper goods and plastics, at least half of respondents rarely or never buy store-brand wine, pet food, soda, or soup. But Consumer Reports trained testers found that when it came to products like soup, the name brand didn't always reign:

 Chicken soup : Food Lion's ( 36 cents per serving) Lotsa' Noodles soup beat out Campbell 's Chicken Noodle ( 41 cents per serving) for having a little more intense flavor. Campbell 's had oily broth, with fatty pieces of chicken.

 : Food Lion's ( per serving) Lotsa' Noodles soup beat out 's Chicken Noodle ( per serving) for having a little more intense flavor. 's had oily broth, with fatty pieces of chicken. Orange juice : Publix Premium won over Tropicana for having a bit less of a cooked flavor with slightly less bitter taste.

 : Publix Premium won over Tropicana for having a bit less of a cooked flavor with slightly less bitter taste. Hot dogs: America's Choice (A&P, $2.64 per package) beef hot dogs trumped Oscar Mayer ( $3.65 per package) for their juicy and flavorful franks.

 Name brands did win in seven of the categories, including mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese, and frozen French fries, but the majority of the match-ups found that the store brand and name brand were of similar quality. A tie doesn't mean the taste was identical. Two products may be equally fresh and flavorful, with ingredients of similar quality, but taste dissimilar because the recipe or seasonings differ. Some products that tied include:

 Ketchup: Heinz ( $2.76 per bottle) is spicier, while Target's Market Pantry ( $1.174 per bottle) brand is more tomatoey.

 Heinz ( per bottle) is spicier, while Target's Market Pantry ( per bottle) brand is more tomatoey. Peanut butter: Tasters detected more deeply roasted nuts in Skippy ( 19 cents per serving), while Albertsons ( 15 cents per serving) has a hint of molasses flavor.

 Tasters detected more deeply roasted nuts in Skippy ( per serving), while Albertsons ( per serving) has a hint of molasses flavor. Potato chips: Both Lays ( 29 cents per serving) and Walmart's Great Value ( 15 cents per serving) have a nice balance of real potato flavor, fat, and saltiness.

 Significant Savings

 National brands are generally pricier than store brands, not so much because of what's in the package but because of the cost of developing the product and turning it into a household name.

 There's no reason store brands shouldn't hold their own, since some companies manufacture both, including Sara Lee, Reynolds, 4C, McCormick, Feit, Manischewitz, Joy Cone, Stonewall Kitchen, and Royal Oak. Plus, most grocers offer a money-back guarantee if their products can't meet the consumer's expectations. (National brands stand behind their products too, of course).

 Despite the savings, the price advantage may be narrowing. In recent years, some national-brand makers have lowered prices and stepped up promotional activities. The full results on how all the brands stacked up, Consumer Reports' study are available in the October issue on newsstands September 7 and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.

 SEPTEMBER 2010

 The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. We accept no advertising and pay for all the products we test. We are not beholden to any commercial interest. Our income is derived from the sale of Consumer Reports®, ConsumerReports.org® and our other publications and information products, services, fees, and noncommercial contributions and grants. Our Ratings and reports are intended solely for the use of our readers. Neither the Ratings nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose without our permission. Consumers Union will take all steps open to it to prevent commercial use of its materials, its name, or the name of Consumer Reports®.

 SOURCE Consumer Reports ||||| It's been a long time since store brands were relegated to the bottom shelf of the grocery store, saddled with those generic black-and-white labels ("Ketchup," "Pickles") that made them look like provisions in a Soviet commissary.Still, despite fancier labels, a lot of shoppers are leery of anything that doesn't sport a name brand. "That's just plain silly," your penny-pinching grandmother might have said. "You're just paying for the name."According to the findings of a recent study by Consumer Reports , it turns out that she might have been right.The consumer watchdog that's better known for road testing cars and troubleshooting cell phones has turned its attention to the grocery store. The group had tasters sample 21 different food products and compare national brands with their store-brand equivalents.The results?Store brands either beat or tied their national-brand counterparts 14 times, with store brands trouncing such iconic household names as Campbell's, Tropicana, and Oscar Mayer.And as Consumer Reports points out, picking up a few store brands here and there can save big bucks. The magazine's survey found that store brands cost an average of 30 percent less than their national-brand equivalents."The study reaffirms that store brands are worth a try," said Tod Marks, senior projects editor for Consumer Reports. "For a family that spends $100 a week on groceries, the savings could add up to more than $1,500 a year." |||||
A summary of this is?

– Consumer Reports offers some age-old advice the next time you're cruising the grocery aisle: Don't pay for the brand name. It recently sampled 21 food products and found that generic brands beat or tied the brand-name version in taste on 14 of them. Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, for instance, lost to Food Lion's Lotsa Noodles, while America's Choice hot dogs outdid Oscar Mayer. Bonus: A family that spends $100 a week on groceries will save $1,500 a year by buying generic. More details here and at SlashFood.


Here is a news article: It is a big time to be a Chicago Cubs fan.

 The team is hoping to win their first World Series title since 1908.

 With that being said, a chunk of big named celebrities have turned out for the games at Wrigley Field.

 Check it out:

 Lifelong fan Bill Murray with the winning shirt

 Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder

 Eddie Vedder heartbroken after loud out by David Ross. Theo Epstein still likes his chances. #Cubs #SFGiants https://t.co/Fzw9HeIN23 — Matthew Schwerha (@MSchwerha) October 8, 2016

 Chicago Bulls player Dwayne Wayde and Jimmy Butler

 #Bulls players @DwyaneWade & @JimmyButler taking in the @Cubs postseason game while Taj & Isaiah Canaan take in the Yeezy concert at the UC. pic.twitter.com/elWNRg7Fe6 — Erick Montoya (@BullsBulletin) October 8, 2016

 Blackhawks Captains Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews who sang the 7th inning stretch:

 Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith singing "Take me out to the ball game" at the Cubs game tonight pic.twitter.com/Ouj05bgEQM — Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) October 17, 2016

 CELEB Cubs fans we haven’t seen yet: Vince Vaughn who was last spotted on Aug 1.

 Parks and Rec’s Nick Offerman who is a die-hard Cubs fan

 Hillary Clinton, born and raised in Park Ridge, grew up watching the Cubs. We understand she’s a little busy right now. ||||| The Curse of the Billy Goat was a sports-related curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in 1945, by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis. The curse lasted 71 years, from 1945 to 2016. Because the odor of his pet goat, named Murphy, was bothering other fans, Sianis was asked to leave Wrigley Field, the Cubs' home ballpark, during game 4 of the 1945 World Series.[1][2] Outraged, Sianis allegedly declared, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more," which had been interpreted to mean that the Cubs would never win another National League (NL) pennant (at least for the remainder of Sianis's life).

 The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series to the Detroit Tigers, and did not win a World Series championship again until 2016. The Cubs had last won the World Series in 1908. After the incident with Sianis and Murphy, the Cubs did not play in the World Series for the next 71 years until, on the 46th anniversary of Billy Sianis's death,[3] the "curse" was broken when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5–0 in game 6 of the 2016 National League Championship Series to win the NL pennant.[4] The Cubs then defeated the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians 8–7 in 10 innings in game 7 to win the 2016 World Series, 108 years after their last win.[5]

 Origins of the curse [ edit ]

 The exact nature of Sianis's curse differs in various accounts of the incident. Some state that he declared that no World Series games would ever again be played at Wrigley Field, while others believe that his ban was on the Cubs appearing in the World Series, making no mention of a specific venue. Sianis’s family claims that he dispatched a telegram to team owner Philip K. Wrigley which read, “You are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again. You are never going to win a World Series again because you insulted my goat.”[6][7]

 Whatever the truth, the Cubs were up two games to one in the 1945 Series, but ended up losing Game 4, as well as the best-of-seven series, four games to three. The curse was immortalized in newspaper columns over the years, particularly by syndicated columnist Mike Royko. The curse gained widespread attention during the 2003 postseason, when Fox television commentators played it up during the Cubs-Marlins matchup in the National League Championship Series (NLCS).[8] According to an account in the Chicago Sun of October 7, 1945, the goat was turned away at the gate, and Sianis left the goat tied to a stake in a parking lot and went into the game alone. There was mention of a lawsuit that day, but no mention of a curse.

 Between that 1908 triumph, which was the Cubs' second world championship (they'd also won the Series in 1907 to become baseball's first back-to-back winners as well as the first franchise to appear in three consecutive World Series), and 1945, the first year of the alleged Billy Goat curse, the Cubs won the National League pennant six times but failed to win the Series: in 1910, in 1918 (won by the Boston Red Sox who themselves would soon become victims of an alleged baseball curse and not win another Series for 86 years), in 1929, in 1932 (known for Babe Ruth's called shot at Wrigley Field), in 1935 (a re-match of the 1908 series against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning this time, their first Series triumph in five appearances dating back to the early 1900s), and in 1938.

 Alleged curse incidents [ edit ]

 On September 9, 1969, at Shea Stadium, the Cubs played the New York Mets in a critical pennant race game. A stray black cat walked between Cubs captain Ron Santo, who was on deck, and the Cubs dugout. The Mets would pull ahead of the Cubs in that series and eventually win both the newly formed NL East and the 1969 World Series.[9]

 In 1984, the Cubs’ postseason appearance was dashed by the San Diego Padres. The Cubs were victorious in the first two games of the best-of-five series. However, in game five, first baseman Leon Durham let a ground ball get past his allegedly wet glove in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Padres went on to score four runs to win the game and the series.[10]

 In 1989, the Cubs won 93 games and faced the San Francisco Giants in the National League Championship Series, now a best-of-seven series. After splitting the first two games at home, the Cubs headed to the Bay Area, where despite holding a lead at some point in each of the next three games, bullpen meltdowns and managerial blunders ultimately led to three straight losses.

 In 1998, behind NL MVP Sammy Sosa, the Cubs won the Wild Card after winning a tiebreaker game vs the Giants. However, they were swept in the National League Division Series by the Atlanta Braves.

 On October 14, 2003, in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the NLCS, with Chicago ahead 3–0 and holding a three games to two lead in the best of seven series, several spectators attempted to catch a foul ball off the bat of Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo. One of the fans, Steve Bartman, reached for the ball, deflecting it and disrupting a potential catch by Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou. If Alou had caught the ball, it would have been the second out in the inning and the Cubs would have been just four outs away from winning their first National League pennant since 1945. Instead, the Cubs ended up surrendering eight runs in the inning and losing the game, 8–3. When they were eliminated in the seventh game the next day, the incident was seen as the "first domino" in the turning point of the series.[11]

 The Cubs won their division in both 2007 and 2008, but were swept in the NLDS both years by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers respectively.

 In 2015, the Cubs finished second in the National League Wild Card race and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card Game and the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS to advance to the NLCS against the New York Mets. However, the Cubs batted an NLCS record low of .164 and lost the series in a 4-game sweep. (The Cubs thus became the first team ever to get swept in a playoff series by a team they swept in their regular season series.)

 Sianis's goat was named Murphy. In the 2015 National League Championship Series, this was referenced by fans of the New York Mets, who joked that Daniel Murphy, the Mets second baseman and series MVP, was "not the first GOAT (Greatest of All Time, in reference to Murphy's postseason heroics to that point) named Murphy to keep the Cubs out of the World Series".[12]

 Attempts to break the curse [ edit ]

 Prior to his death on October 22, 1970, Billy Sianis himself attempted to lift the curse. Sam Sianis, his nephew, has gone to Wrigley Field with a goat multiple times in attempts to break the curse, including on Opening Day in 1984 and again in 1989, both years in which the Cubs went on to win their division. In 1994, Sam Sianis went again, with a goat, to stop a home losing streak, and in 1998 for the Wild Card tie-breaker game, which the Cubs won.[13]

 In 2003 (the Chinese zodiac's Year of the Goat), a group of Cubs fans headed to Houston with a billy goat named "Virgil Homer" and attempted to gain entrance to Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros, division rivals of the Cubs at the time.[14] After they were denied entrance, they unfurled a scroll, read a verse and proclaimed they were "reversing the curse". The Cubs won the division that year and then came within five outs of playing in the World Series, but were undone by the Florida Marlins' eight-run rally immediately following the Steve Bartman incident. The Cubs then lost the following game and with it the series. (The Marlins went on to win the World Series against the New York Yankees.) Further salting the wound, the Astros earned their first World Series berth two years later and their crosstown rival the Chicago White Sox won the series.

 On February 26, 2004, at the Harry Caray Restaurant in downtown Chicago, the Bartman baseball was electrocuted in an attempt to break the curse, leaving nothing but a heap of string behind.

 In another bizarre twist, it was reported that a butchered goat was hung from the Harry Caray statue on October 3, 2007, to which The Chicago Sun-Times noted: "If the prankster intended to reverse the supposed billy goat curse with the stunt, it doesn't appear to have worked."[15] While the Cubs did win the NL Central division title in 2007 and 2008, they were swept in the first round of the postseason in both years: by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. The elimination by Arizona came on October 6, the same date that the goat appeared at Wrigley Field in 1945.[16] The act was repeated before the home opener in 2009, this time a goat's butchered head being hung from the statue. The act was futile as the Cubs were eliminated from postseason contention on September 26, 2009.[17]

 In 2008, a Greek Orthodox priest sought to end the curse during the 2008 playoffs with a spraying of holy water in and around the Cubs dugout to no avail.[18]

 On April 1, 2011, a social enterprise called Reverse The Curse, dedicated to bringing innovations to poverty by giving goats to families in developing countries, was initiated.[19] The goats provide the family with milk, cheese, and alternative income to help lift them out of poverty. Reverse The Curse has expanded into reversing the "curses" that afflict the world's children in education and obesity.

 On February 25, 2012, a group of five Chicago Cubs fans calling themselves Crack the Curse set out on foot from Mesa, Arizona (home to the Cubs' spring training facilities) to Wrigley Field. They brought along a goat named Wrigley whom they believed would be able to break the Curse of the Billy Goat upon arrival at Wrigley Field. Additionally, they attempted to raise $100,000 for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.[20]

 On April 10, 2013, a severed goat's head was delivered to the Cubs in a possible effort to lift the curse on the team. It was addressed to the club's owner Thomas S. Ricketts.[21]

 On September 22, 2015, Patrick Bertoletti, Tim Brown, Takeru Kobayashi, Kevin Strahle and Bob Shoudt consumed a 40-pound goat in 13 minutes and 22 seconds at Taco in a Bag restaurant in Chicago.[22]

 On October 7, 2016, the owners of The Chicago Diner, a local vegetarian eatery near Wrigley Field, teamed up with Farm Sanctuary to try to reverse the Curse of the Billy Goat by displaying posters in the windows at their locations. The posters feature a goat named Peanut who urges Chicagoans to “reverse the curse” by going meat-free.[23]

 Former Cubs who won a World Series title elsewhere [ edit ]

 Another factor that may play a role in the curse is the number of players (42 of them are listed below) who won World Series titles after leaving the Cubs (known as the Ex-Cubs Factor). These players include Andy Pafko (who, coincidentally, played in the 1945 World Series as a member of the Cubs), Gene Baker, Smoky Burgess, Don Hoak, Dale Long, Lou Brock (whose first title was in 1964 after a mid-season trade to the St. Louis Cardinals), Lou Johnson, Jim Brewer, Moe Drabowsky, Don Cardwell, Ken Holtzman, Paul Noce, Billy North, Fred Norman, Bill Madlock, Manny Trillo, Greg Gross, Rick Monday, Burt Hooton, Bruce Sutter, Willie Hernández, Milt Wilcox, Joe Niekro, Dennis Eckersley, Joe Carter, Greg Maddux, Joe Girardi (as both a player and a manager), José Vizcaíno, Glenallen Hill (after his second stint with the Cubs; his title came in 2000 after a mid-season trade), Luis Gonzalez, Mike Morgan, Mark Grace, Mark Bellhorn, Bill Mueller, Scott Eyre (whose title came in 2008 after he had been traded from the Cubs during the season), Tom Gordon, Matt Stairs, Jamie Moyer, Mark DeRosa, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot, Ángel Pagán, and, in 2013, Ryan Dempster. Dontrelle Willis and Jon Garland were traded as minor leaguers (coincidentally, the former won a World Series ring with the Marlins team that defeated the Cubs in the 2003 NLCS). Tim Lincecum, who went on to win three World Series titles, was originally drafted by the Cubs, but he did not sign with them.[24]

 End of the curse [ edit ]

 The Cubs ended the 2016 season with a 103–58 (.640) record. It was their first 100-win season since 1935 ( 100–54 , .649), their best since 1910 ( 104–50 , .675), and the sixth 100-win season in franchise history.

 The Cubs won the National League Championship Series (NLCS), their first pennant in 71 years, with a 5–0 shutout in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field on October 22, 2016, the "curse" was broken on the 46th anniversary of Billy Sianis's death.[3][4]

 The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians play Game 7 of the 2016 World Series in Cleveland on November 2, 2016. The Cubs won, ending their 108-year losing streak.

 In 2016, the Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908, ending the historic 108-year drought.

 The Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series in seven games after trailing in the series 3 games to 1. They won game 7 by a score of 8–7 in 10 innings at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.[5]

 See also [ edit ]

 Cookies for sale in Chicago during the 2016 season |||||
A summary of this is?

– The Chicago Cubs need to beat the Cleveland Indians both Tuesday and Wednesday nights if they want to win the World Series for the first time since 1908—and there are a number of celebrities hoping they do just that. CBS rounds up celebrities who have been spotted rooting for the Cubs at Wrigley Field this season, as well as a couple other notable fans: Bill Murray: The avid Cubs fan, who also did a White House press briefing focused on the team, has been spotted at Wrigley numerous times—and once he was wearing a shirt stating, "I ain't afraid of no goat," a reference to a goat-related curse that is said to plague the Cubs. Dwayne Wayde and Jimmy Butler: They're sort of required to support the Cubs, since they play for another Chicago team—the Bulls. Blackhawks captains Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Jonathan Toews: CBS even has video of these Chicago sports VIPs singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch. Vince Vaughn: The actor was last spotted at Wrigley for an August game. Click for the complete list, including video of a dejected Eddie Vedder.


I just heated up a mug of water in a microwave. It got hot. The difference is that I used the new AmazonBasics Microwave, which works with Alexa. That “works with Alexa” phrasing and the fact that this isn’t the “Echo Microwave” should tell you that this thing doesn’t have any microphones or a speaker (beyond one that can beep) on it. Instead, it’s a $59.99 device meant to showcase Amazon’s new system for companies to make their regular gadgets into smart gadgets.

 The way the Alexa integration works is pretty clever: when you set it up, it will get paired to your Alexa system as “the microwave,” and then you can command Alexa to, you know, cook stuff. There are very few buttons on the microwave because all the presets for various food types have been stored in Amazon’s cloud instead.

 It is, indeed, a microwave

 There is an Alexa button on the microwave, and it does two things: it turns on the microphone on one of your Echo speakers so you don’t have to use the “Alexa” wake word, and, more importantly, it sends a signal so that whatever you’re about to say will be in the context of controlling the microwave. For example, you can hit the button and just say “stop,” and it’ll stop the microwave. (How this is more efficient than just hitting the stop button is unclear.)

 The fun feature is the popcorn, though. When you set it up for the first time, you’ll have an option to sign up for a subscription to buy microwave popcorn from Amazon. Then, as you pop it, Alexa will keep track of how many times you have said, “Alexa, make popcorn,” and it’ll reorder automatically when you’re running low. There’s also a popcorn button on the device.

 Is all this worth $59.99? Sure, it’s a pretty dead-ahead 700W microwave after all. It’s black and boxy and simple. I don’t have a lot more to tell you about the hardware. It has a rotating tray on the inside. There are vents and a metal enclosure. It ships on November 14th.

 The point isn’t to wow you, though. The point is for Amazon to wow gadget makers with how simple, secure, and easy it is to integrate its Alexa Connection Kit. That little module includes Amazon’s new Real Time OS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and so on. The idea is that it’s a more plug-and-play solution for making more things talk to Alexa. It’s a smart move for Amazon, and it’s increasing its lead as the de-facto hub of gadgets in your house. ||||| SEATTLE—In a bid to control the smart home of the future, Amazon.com Inc. is offering makers of electronics a small chip that would let people use their voice to command everything from microwaves and coffee machines to room fans and guitar amplifiers.

 The online retail giant is hoping big manufacturers will sign up to incorporate the Alexa-enabled chips—which cost a few dollars each—in lower-end, everyday household devices.

 The... ||||| At its event, senior vice president of Amazon Devices Dave Limp said "Alexa, one potato" to the microwave, and it set a timer and turned on. He then said "Alexa, add 30 seconds to the microwave," and the assistant updated the countdown. He also told Alexa to stop the microwave. The nice thing about telling Alexa to cook your food is you won't have to agonize over how long to heat different things. The new microwave will come with "dozens of quick-cook voice presets," much like traditional microwaves already offer, except you won't have to lift a finger.

 Of course, this isn't the first microwave with Alexa voice control features, other companies like GE, Whirlpool, Kenmore, LG and Samsung have either made or are working on appliances with Amazon's cooking Skill. But this is the first Amazon-branded microwave, meaning it's hardware from the company itself and offers better integration with Alexa. The AmazonBasics brand also tends to be cheaper than competitors, giving consumers greater options. The new microwave will be shipping later this year, and you can pre-order it now for $60.

 Follow all the latest news from Amazon's Alexa event here! |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Running out of things to do with Alexa? Don't despair. Soon, you'll be able to tell your Amazon personal assistant to heat a mug of water, defrost a chicken, or prepare some popcorn. It's all thanks to the new AmazonBasics microwave that connects to Amazon's Echo device so you can give it voice commands. The microwave was unveiled Thursday in Seattle, Engadget reports. The appliance will sell for $59.99 and will ship starting Nov. 14th, per The Verge, which calls it "a pretty dead-ahead 700W microwave." It features many of the standard microwave buttons, but most of the cooking presets are voice activated (such as "Alexa, one potato," a command used by Amazon's David Limp a demonstration). You can also set it up to automatically order products from Amazon. "What this microwave does is keep track of how many times you cook popcorn and make sure you never run out," Amazon VP Daniel Rausch tells the Wall Street Journal. Also debuted on Thursday were other smart devices, such as an Echo for cars and a home security system, as well as improvements to Alexa like the abilities to whisper and hold conversations. It all adds up to Amazon's push to "unite a scattered industry," the WSJ notes. Through products like the new AmazonBasics microwave, the company hopes to get big manufacturers to use its Alexa-enabled chips affordable household appliances. As The Verge puts it: "The point is to wow gadget makers with how simple, secure, and easy it is to integrate its Alexa Connection Kit."


Here is a news article: Fresh clashes have broken out in the South Sudanese capital Juba, and at least 66 soldiers have been killed, a day after President Salva Kiir said security forces had put down an attempted coup by supporters of his former deputy.

 The US embassy said on its Twitter account late on Tuesday that that all of its citizens in the country should "depart immediately". The account tweeted that it would outline evacuation options on Wednesday morning.

 "So far we have lost seven soldiers who died while they were waiting for medical attention and a further 59 who were killed outside," doctor Ajak Bullen said on the local Radio Miraya.

 Poor communications in Juba, where the mobile phone system has not operated since Monday evening, meant it was difficult to obtain a broad picture of the number of dead during the clashes, which have involved heavy arms and artillery.

 Kiir said on Monday the fighting between army factions was a bid to seize power by the former vice president, Riek Machar, whom he sacked in July.

 The two men, from different ethnic groups, which have clashed in the past, have long been political rivals. Analysts said divisions between them run deep and rivalries in army ranks have long simmmered.

 Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from neighbouring Nairobi, spoke to South Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth who confirmed at least 10 very senior former government officials have been arrested, including six cabinet ministers. The government named the men on its website.

 There are conflicting reports about the whereabouts of Riek Machar. The government claims he is on his way to Unity State, whereas Machar's spokesperson said he is in fine condition and "very much still in Juba", Rageh said.

 Heavy weapons

 Gunfire - including the sporadic firing of heavy weapons - resumed in the early hours of Tuesday and was still audible at 9am (0600 GMT). It appeared to come from a military headquarters, a few kilometres from the centre of town.

 Residents near Juba airport, which has been closed since Monday, were woken before dawn by gunshots and blasts, a UN worker said. Others also reported bouts of shooting.

 The streets of Juba were deserted, with only military vehicles to be seen and civilians barricaded in their homes.

 Kiir had said in a statement on Monday that security forces had regained control, although a dawn-to-dusk curfew had been imposed.

 "The attackers went and [the] armed forces are pursuing them," Kiir said. "I promise you today that justice will prevail."

 Details of the claimed coup remained sketchy, but South Sudan's Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the Associated Press news agency that troops in the main army base raided a weapons store in Juba but were repulsed.

 Civilians take refuge

 The UN deputy special representative for South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that about 16,000 civilians were now taking refuge from the fighting in two UN compounds.

 "We will of course do everything we can do protect people. Many people who are coming require health care of all types," he said.

 "Some people have been injured. We've got challenges of a variety - and the water and sanitation situation is also something that we are grappling with."

 Tension had been mounting in South Sudan since Kiir's sacking of Machar. The men belong to different ethnic groups - Kiir to the Dinka, the most powerful, and Machar to the Nuer, but it is not clear whether this latest tension is due to ethnic or political divisions.

 Machar, who has expressed a willingness to contest the presidency in 2015, told Al Jazeera in July that if the country is to be united it cannot tolerate "one man's rule or it cannot tolerate dictatorship."

 His sacking, part of a wider dismissal of the entire cabinet by Kiir, had followed reports of a power struggle within the ruling party.

 South Sudan's government has struggled to create a functioning state since it declared independence from Sudan in 2011 after years conflict with Khartoum during a war that often saw south-south clashes. ||||| Story highlights "It's dozens and dozens, scores of casualties," the head of the U.N. Security Council says

 About 15,000 to 20,000 civilians have fled to United Nations bases in the city, he says

 State Department says U.S. Embassy suspending normal operations until further notice

 Sporadic gunfire still rattling Juba, diplomats say

 The death toll from violence in South Sudan is "heavy," the United Nations said Tuesday, and thousands of people have sought refuge in the organization's compounds in Juba.

 Gunfire rang out again in the capital of in Africa's newest nation just hours after the country's President said his forces had halted a coup attempt.

 Clashes, which began on Sunday evening, have left hundreds in urgent need of medical care, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

 Gerard Araud, the French representative to the United Nations and the current President of the Security Council, said precise figures on the death toll weren't available.

 "But it's heavy," he said. "It's dozens and dozens, scores of casualties, it's really not a minor incident."

 Officials at the United Nations are "extremely concerned" about the violence, Araud said, due to the high number of casualties and because the fighting appears to be between different ethnic groups in South Sudan.

 On Tuesday, sporadic gunshots were heard in the area of Tonping, the U.S. Embassy said on its Twitter feed, quoting U.N. radio. It recommended that U.S. citizens currently in the country depart immediately.

 Women and children carrying bags, kettles, pots and basic belongings arriving at a U.N compound to seek shelter could be seen in pictures posted on the U.N. mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Facebook page.

 Araud said Tuesday evening that around 15,000 to 20,000 civilians were taking refuge in the two UNMISS compounds in Juba, putting a strain on supplies of medicine, food, water and security resources.

 In a televised address Monday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir blamed soldiers loyal to his sacked deputy Riek Machar for starting the fighting Sunday evening.

 Dressed in fatigues, he said the government was in full control of the capital and announced a nighttime curfew.

 Ten people were arrested in connection with the foiled coup, according to a statement posted Tuesday on the South Sudan government website.

 Hundreds in need of medical care

 The ICRC said it was providing Juba's two major hospitals with support, such as wound-dressing materials, to cope with the heavy influx of patients.

 More than 300 people have been admitted to Juba Teaching Hospital and Juba Military Hospital over the past two days, it said.

 "We know there are more people who need care, but they are having difficulty reaching healthcare facilities because of the security situation and the lack of available transportation," Felicity Gapes, an ICRC delegate leading the medical response on the ground, said in a statement.

 "Staff in both hospitals have been working around the clock, but they are struggling because of the sheer volume of patients and the severity of the injuries."

 The United Nations said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke with Kiir by phone Tuesday, expressing his concern about the fighting.

 He urged "all parties to cease hostilities immediately, and called on the government to exercise restraint in the management of the situation and to guarantee the protection of all civilians regardless of their ethnicities."

 Deep-running tensions

 Kiir's dismissal of his Cabinet in July further inflamed deep tensions between his Dinka community and Machar's Nuer community.

 South Sudan formally split from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum, after decades of conflict. Numerous armed groups remain active in the oil-rich country.

 UNMISS said Hilde F. Johnson, special representative of the U.N. secretary-general, called on "all parties in the current situation to refrain from any community-motivated violence."

 "At a time when unity among South Sudanese is more needed than ever, I call on the leaders of this new country and all political factions and parties, as well as community leaders to refrain from any action that fuels ethnic tensions and exacerbates violence," Johnson said.

 Juba's international airport remained closed. And with phone networks sketchy, embassies were turning to social media to stay in touch with their citizens, mainly calling on them to stay home and avoid unnecessary movement.

 The State Department said U.S. citizens currently in South Sudan should leave immediately, and it ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from the country.

 "The Embassy is also suspending normal operations until further notice and cannot provide routine consular services to U.S. citizens in South Sudan," it said.

 The African Union said it was "deeply concerned" about the events in South Sudan, urging the government, leadership and other stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint and avert any further escalation. ||||| The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all travel to the Republic of South Sudan and recommends that U.S. citizens currently in South Sudan depart immediately. U.S. citizens who choose to stay in South Sudan despite this warning should review their personal security situation and seriously reconsider their plans to remain. This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning issued on October 22, 2013, to reflect the current lack of security and risk of remaining in South Sudan.

 On December 17, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from South Sudan because of ongoing political and social unrest. The Embassy is also suspending normal operations until further notice and cannot provide routine consular services to U.S. citizens in South Sudan.

 U.S. citizens who choose to remain in South Sudan and seek routine consular services should contact the U.S. embassies in Uganda, Ethiopia, or Kenya. U.S. citizens requiring emergency assistance should contact the U.S. Embassy by phone at 211-955-456-050 or by email at SouthSudanEmergencyUSC@state.gov.

 U.S. citizens can obtain global updates from the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website, where you can find the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information. U.S. citizens in South Sudan can obtain the latest security information by contacting the U.S. Department of State at southsudanemergencyusc@state.gov. Families and friends of U.S. citizens in South Sudan can email southsudanemergencyusc@state.gov with as much of the following information as possible about U.S. citizens in South Sudan: name, age or date of birth, passport number, phone number(s) or e-mail address(es), current location and status in South Sudan.

 Current information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States, or for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

 If you are going to live in or travel to South Sudan despite this Travel Warning, the Embassy strongly urges you to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). By enrolling in STEP, we can keep you up to date with important safety and security announcements. Enrolling in STEP will also make it easier for us to contact you in the event of an emergency. You should remember to keep all of your information in STEP up to date; it is particularly important when you enroll or update your information to include a current phone number and e-mail address |||||
A summary of this is?

– The State Department today issued a travel warning for South Sudan, recommending that all Americans "depart immediately," as violence rises in the wake of an attempted coup. That includes non-emergency US personnel, who have already been ordered to depart, forcing the US to suspend normal operations at its embassy there until further notice. At least 66 soldiers have been killed so far in clashes in Juba, the capital of the world's newest country, al-Jazeera reports. Gunshots rang out within earshot of the embassy, and military vehicles roamed the mostly empty streets as residents barricaded themselves inside. The UN says that roughly 10,000 people have sought refuge at the two UN compounds there, according to CNN, and hospitals are straining to deal with an influx of patients.


Article:
In an extraordinary public statement, all five Republican members of the House ethics committee are calling on Democrats to schedule ethics trials for Reps. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) before the November elections.

 Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), ranking member of the committee, was joined by his four Republican colleagues on the bipartisan committee in slamming ethics committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) for not scheduling the trials even as the House prepares to adjourn until after Nov. 2.

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 “It is in the best interests of the transparency and fairness to the American people, Representatives Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters, and other Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, that the House Ethics Committee stop stalling the resolution of the Rangel and Waters matters and complete those public trials prior to the November elections,” the Republican members of the normally secretive panel declared in their statement.

 Bonner and the Republican blamed Lofgren for the delays in moving forward with the proceedings, saying she alone has the authority under ethics committee rules to set a trial date for the Rangel and Waters cases.

 “The Chairwoman has repeatedly refused to set either the Rangel or Waters trial before the November election,” the Republicans wrote in a statement released Tuesday. “While we regret that the Committee has not worked together in a bipartisan fashion to ensure the transparent and fair resolution of these matters to date, we look forward to working with the Chairwoman in a bipartisan manner to accomplish this – and other important unfinished Committee business – in the coming weeks.”

 Bonner’s public criticism of Lofgren is a surprising move, considering the usually secretive nature of congressional ethics committees, and it opens up a divisive partisan clash over the Rangel and Waters cases. Lofgren and Bonner have been at pains since the start of the 111th Congress to play up their bipartisan cooperation on ethics cases, issuing frequent public statements highlighting their cooperation.

 The clash over the schedule for the Rangel-Waters trials is the worst public fight for the ethics committee since early 2005, when Republicans moved to replace former Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), the committee chairman, and top panel staffers following an investigation into then Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas).

 Democrats were privately furious over the decision by Bonner and the other four Republicans to go public with their complaints about Lofgren.

 “The whole ruse of it being a bipartisan, non-politicized committee has blown up in their face,” said one Democratic aide who follows the ethics panel closely. “The fact that they can put out this statement shows how damned partisan it is.”

 The Democratic aide also said that Lofgren “has lost control of the process.” ||||| GOP wants Waters, Rangel on trial before midterm election

 By Susan Crabtree -

 Republicans on the House ethics committee are calling on Democrats to schedule the public trials of charges against Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) before the November elections.

 In an unusual break from the bipartisan secrecy the panel normally maintains, Rep. Jo Bonner (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the ethics committee, issued a public statement accusing Democrats of “stalling” the resolution of the Rangel and Waters matters.

 “It is in the best interest of transparency and fairness to the American people, Representatives Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters, and other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, that the House ethics committee stop stalling the resolution of the Rangel and Waters matters and complete these public trails prior to the November elections,” Bonner said in a lengthy written statement signed by himself and the four other GOP members of the ethics panel.

 The ethics committee has been struggling to set a date for the public trials. Last Thursday the committee huddled in its basement office to try to hash out an agreement on the scheduling, but Republicans and Democrats were still at an impasse as of late last week.

 Democratic leaders would no doubt like to avoid the spectacle of back-to-back public ethics trials for two of their members before the November elections. They have been frustrated with Rangel and Waters ever since they both rejected attempts to negotiate punishments and avoid a public trial.

 Republicans, who stand to gain seats in the November election and possibly retake the majority, have every interest in showcasing the ethics charges against two prominent Democrats. Rangel, too, said he would like to have a chance to clear his name before the midterm vote and has expressed frustration over the ethics committee’s failure to produce a trial schedule.

 Waters has urged the panel to hold the trial before the election, but last week said only that she would comment at the appropriate time.

 Watchdogs are expecting those trials to take place after the elections so the ethics committee can avoid any accusations of politicizing the process.

 In his public statement, Bonner specifically took issue with comments House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) made this past weekend. Bonner blasted Hoyer for inaccurately saying that the scheduling of the trials is “up to Jo Bonner, and Zoe Lofgren, the Democrat.”

 Hoyer also called for the trials to “be resolved as quickly as possible” and attributed the unwillingness of the committee to set trial dates prior to the November election to “their own scheduling problems.”

 Bonner pointed to committee rules allowing adjudicatory subcommittees to meet “at the discretion of the chair.”

 “After months of trial preparation — and, in the Rangel matter, two years of investigation — Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren should have already issued notices of public trial schedules in both the Rangel and Waters matters,” Bonner said in the statement.

 He also said that members of the committee have “repeatedly” expressed their willingness to meet in October and hold the trial and noted that in the past committee members have returned to Washington to conclude “pressing” ethics issues.

 “Representative Rangel and Representative Waters have publicly and rightfully — demanded the setting of their respective trials prior to the November election to ensure swift and fair resolution of their matters,” Bonner wrote. “In our opinion, Representatives Rangel and Waters deserve the opportunity to publicly and timely address the charges against them.”

  |||||Summary:

– The ethics troubles of Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel have led to what both the Hill and Politico call a rare bit of public infighting on the House ethics panel. The Republicans on the panel demanded today that Democrats schedule separate trials for the two Democrats before the November elections. Anything else is just stalling to avoid negative headlines, said ranking GOP member Jo Bonner. “After months of trial preparation—and, in the Rangel matter, two years of investigation—Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren should have already issued notices of public trial schedules in both the Rangel and Waters matters,” said Bonner. Congressional ethics committees general work in bipartisan secrecy to settle such things. Both Waters (earlier stories here) and Rangel (earlier stories here) have fiercely denied any wrongdoing.


Here is a news article: A California man has captured on video the terrifying moment a great white shark breaks open and enters a shark cage with a diver inside.

 Interested in Sharks? Add Sharks as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Sharks news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest

 The man shot the video last week off the coast of Mexico's Guadalupe Island.

 "On a recent great white shark cage diving trip we experienced a very rare event, a shark breaching the side of the cage," the man, who asked that his name not be used, wrote on YouTube, where he posted the video. "What might appear to be an aggressive great white shark trying to attack the cage, this is not the case."

 In the video, the shark smashes through a diving cage and leaps out the top -- with a diver inside.

 Spoiler alert: The diver emerges shaken, but miraculously unharmed.

 Ming Chan, the diver, told ABC News today, ”It happened so fast. The other divers just kept telling me how lucky I am.”

 The Shanghai man said the incident will not keep him out of the water, and that he plans to stay in touch with the other divers.

 He said his wife didn't believe him until he showed off the video, which rattled her. She told him, “I love you but you better be ... careful when you go again," he said.

 The videographer said, "These awesome sharks are biting at large chunks of tuna tied to a rope. When a great white shark lunges and bites something, it is temporarily blinded. They also cannot swim backwards. So this shark lunged at the bait, accidentally hit the side of the cage, was most likely confused and not able to swim backwards, it thrust forward and broke the metal rail of the cage.

 "There was a single diver inside the cage. He ended up outside the bottom of the cage, looking down on two great white sharks. The diver is a very experienced dive instructor, remained calm, and when the shark thrashed back outside the cage, the diver calmly swam back up and climbed out completely uninjured."

 Just like Chan, the videographer's love of shark-infested waters hasn't been shaken. "I want to return next year for another great white shark adventure," he said. ||||| Published on Oct 13, 2016

 YouTube Shark. **This may not be appropriate for our younger viewers.**

 Contact for licensing inquiries email: buckforester@yahoo.com

 Follow up video showing the full story here: https://youtu.be/UffOvJnD-4s

 This became one of the biggest viral videos of 2016.

 This is not our usual kids content and Gabe and Garrett did not go on this trip, this video is from my trip to Guadalupe Island (I'm their dad).

 On a recent great white shark cage diving trip we experienced a very rare horrifying shark encounter event, a shark breaching the side of the cage. What might appear to be an aggressive great white shark trying to attack the cage, this is not the case. These awesome sharks are biting at large chunks of tuna tied to a rope. When a great white shark lunges and bites something, it is temporarily blinded. They also cannot swim backwards. So this shark lunged at the bait, accidentally hit the side of the cage, was most likely confused and not able to swim backwards, it thrust forward and broke the metal rail of the cage. There was a single diver inside the cage. He ended up outside the bottom of the cage, looking down on two great white sharks. The diver is a very experienced dive instructor, remained calm, and when the shark thrashed back outside the cage, the diver calmly swam back up and climbed out completely uninjured. The boat crew did an outstanding job, lifting the top of the cage, analyzing the frenzied situation, and the shark was out after a few long seconds. Everyone on the boat returned to the cages the next day, realizing this was a very rare event. The boat owner, captain, and crew are to be commended for making what could've been a tragic event into a happy ending. I'm sure God and luck had a bit to do with it too!

 I want to return next year for another great white shark adventure!

 FYI, being a kids channel, bad language in the comments gets caught in the filter.

 Update based on comments:

 1. Crew knows there's a diver in the cage, it's passengers asking if anyone is in there.

 2. Shark had very minor injury and is confirmed okay.

 3. These tour operators work with the gov't, non-profit agencies, sanctuaries, marine biologists for the good of the sharks.

 4. Cage design and bait techniques are being reviewed and changes made if necessary to ensure safety for sharks and divers.

 5. 'Leave the sharks alone' got them on the endangered species list because poachers won't leave them alone.

 6. No video footage from diver.

 7. If you want your post read, don't cuss because it will be auto-filtered.

 Follow Gabe and Garrett on social media!

 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GabeAndGarrett

 INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/gabe_and_garrett

 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/gabe_n_garrett

 Thank you for watching the Gabe and Garrett Channel! |||||
A summary of this is?

– Going scuba diving specifically to spot great white sharks maybe already didn't sound like a super safe idea, and after watching the terrifying video captured by a California man on vacation in Mexico, you may take it off your bucket list once and for all. The man captured the moment a great white shark managed to break into, and then quickly out of, a cage that had a diver inside at the time. The diver emerged unscathed, and the man who shot the video explains to ABC News that the shark was not being aggressive. "These awesome sharks are biting at large chunks of tuna tied to a rope," he explains. "When a great white shark lunges and bites something, it is temporarily blinded. They also cannot swim backwards. So this shark lunged at the bait, accidentally hit the side of the cage, was most likely confused and not able to swim backwards, it thrust forward and broke the metal rail of the cage." So go ahead and put shark viewing back on your bucket list, we guess.


Summarize this article:

14. A spokesperson for Allegro told BuzzFeed News said they wanted the advert to reflect the lives of the millions of Polish people who have left the country, but have family in Poland.

 “For years, we’ve strived to make both Allegro - the largest e-commerce platform in the CEE region - as well as our communication to customers bring joy, touch the heart and cause a mile. Such is this ad: about a grandfather who overcomes obstacles to reunite with his loved ones living abroad. Many Polish people share the same experience. Nearly one million Poles have decided to leave the country in search for a job, mainly heading the United Kingdom. Despite the relatively close distance between the countries, family ties tend to weaken.

 Therefore, Christmas for many is a difficult time in which we yearn for more. But the story we are telling is all-purpose and can be easily understood by any other nation or community who can easily link the happy ending of a smile and tears of emotion to their daily human experience.

 We also put a fundamental question of what we look for in life, ‘what are you looking for,’ as the slogan of our campaign. In this way, the reality mingles with the feelings of each of us. “ ||||| Forget John Lewis – this year's Christmas advert tear-jerker comes from Poland.

 More than two and a half million people from around the globe have watched this year's advertisement from Allegro, an online auction website.

 It features a grandfather, who orders an 'English for beginners' set from the website.

 He then sets about becoming fluent, sticking Post-It notes around the house with English words on. ||||| One of the best things about social media is that it can bring families together even when they’re far apart. One grandfather is a shining example of this, as he learned Instagram for the sole purpose of drawing pictures for his grandkids who moved away.

 Ji Lee, a designer from New York, shared his father’s sweet story in a Facebook video on Monday.

 In the four-minute clip, Lee explains that his 75-year-old dad is Korean, but lives in Brazil. He used to drive his grandkids to school every day, until their parents (Lee’s sister and her husband) decided to move their family back to Korea.

 “After they left, there was nothing for him to do anymore,” Lee explains in the video.

 The family began to worry about the 75-year-old, which is when Lee got a brilliant idea: “I remembered when I was a kid, my dad used to draw for us. So I thought he could draw again and post it on Instagram.”

 Lee’s father was completely opposed to the idea at first as he had “never heard of Instagram, never used email, not even Google.” So Lee teamed up with his mom, who is far more tech-savvy, to persuade his father to come around.

 Unfortunately, it didn’t work. It wasn’t until Lee’s own son, Astro, was born that Lee’s father reconsidered. He then began drawing pictures for his grandchildren every day.

 While his first drawings started off okay, the grandfather’s skills steadily improved over time. He now draws images of almost anything, including plants, animals, landscapes, and even his grandchildren.

 Lee’s mother often writes stories for the photos, too. Together, the grandparents' Instagram posts help teach their grandkids about their Korean ancestry and culture, as well as important life lessons.

 But sometimes they're just silly because, hey, kids love silly drawings.

 “Because of my dad’s project, our family talks to each other every day,” Lee explains. “On Facebook Messenger, my mom sends the new story in Korean. Then my dad sends his drawing. I translate it into English, and my sister, into Portuguese.”

 After Lee posted the video about his father, it quickly went viral. In just one day, the grandfather’s Instagram page went from 1,000 followers to 32,000. And now two days later, his followers are over 63,000!

 “My grumpy dad had been saying his drawings are not that great and he can't imagine why anyone would be interested in them. Now, I think he will stop saying that,” Lee wrote in a new Facebook post.

 He also noted that the positive responses his family has received from strangers has been overwhelming.

 “There were hundreds of messages saying our story inspired them to speak to their own aging parents to awake their inner passion and talent by teaching them new technologies to express themselves and connect their families,” Lee wrote. “Hearing such messages was the most rewarding aspect of the whole experience so far.”

 Lee’s father has now been drawing a picture for his grandchildren, Astro, Arthur and Allan, every day for over a year.

 Keep it up, grandpa!

 Also on HuffPost ||||| Tweet with a location

 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more |||||

– The tear-jerker Christmas ad of the year has arrived from Poland. The ad from auction website Allegro shows an elderly man using the site to search for "English." A package soon arrives on the man's doorstep with learning materials titled, "English for Beginners." We watch as the man slowly begins to learn a few words, from "toilet" to "dog," before picking up more—including a curse word—from English movies. Soon, he's loudly reciting phrases like "I love you" and "you are perfect" on a bus. Why all the effort? It soon becomes clear as the man packs his "toothbrush" and "passport" in a "suitcase" and boards a plane to England, where he visits his son for Christmas. Then a face peeks out from behind a door. The man approaches the little kid, crouches down, and says in perfect English, "Hi. I am your grandpa." A rep tells BuzzFeed that the ad and Allegro have the same goal: to "bring joy, touch the heart, and cause a [smile]." In only a week, the ad has been watched more than 2.7 million times on YouTube, and at least some viewers were left blubbering. "That was a beautiful ad ... I got tears in my eyes," says a commenter, per the Telegraph. "I'm not crying. Dust in my eye. You're crying. Shut up," adds a Twitter user. In a real-life equivalent, the Huffington Post reports a 75-year-old grandfather living in Brazil joined Instagram so he could share his daily drawings with his grandchildren, who live in the US and Korea. He now has 151,000 followers.