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DETROIT, March 23 (AP) - The Ford Motor Company said today that its Ford EXP sport coupe would cost $7,253 and its Mercury LN7 sport coupe $7,750 when the two new models were introduced April 9. The front-wheel-drive two-seaters will be offered ''with a very short list of available optional equipment,'' said Philip E. Benton Jr., vice president for sales operations. Meanwhile, the company's Ford division announced it was cutting prices by $224 to $448 on optional equipment packages for 1981 Fairmonts and Granadas. Mr. Benton said the available options on the EXP and LN7 were limited because the cars carried many normal options as standard equipment. Louis E. Lataif, vice president and general manager of the Ford division, said the reduced prices for Fairmont and Granada option packages were part of Ford's program of buyer incentives to increase sales. The price cuts involve such options as tilt-steering wheels, split bench seats, remote-control deck lid release, two-tone paint treatment, vinyl roofs and wire wheel covers. Mr. Lataif said the price reductions would continue past the April 5 close of Ford's current $500 to $700 rebate offers on certain models.

RS00.6- DETROIT, March 23 (AP) - The Ford Motor Company said today that its Ford EXP sport coupe would cost $7,253 and its Mercury LN7 sport coupe $7,750 when the two new models were introduced April 9. The front-wheel-drive two-seaters will be offered ''with a very short list of available optional equipment,'' said Philip E. Benton Jr., vice president for sales operations.

The chains operate a total of 400 stores nationwide and employ 5,450 staff. Deloitte, the administrators, said the shops had not been closed and were continuing to trade as normal. Barratts and PriceLess are subsidiaries of Stylo, the Aim-listed company run by the Ziff family. The parent company is not in administration but trading in its shares have been suspended. Stylo said it did not anticipate any short-term improvement in trading conditions, which it said had "deteriorated markedly". "Against this background, the board has concluded that current and projected sales cannot support the current cost base of the business, in particular the high rent obligations," Stylo's statement said. "Therefore a more pro-active restructuring approach is required to return the business to profitability." Stylo said it wanted to repay all creditors in full and reach a new agreement with landlords. To do this Deloitte is seeking to place the companies into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), in which people who are owed money by a firm can vote on a repayment proposal put forward by its directors. If the proposal is approved by 75pc of creditors, the company can emerge from administration and pay what it owes within an agreed period of time. Stylo said it has support for the process from Prudential, Lloyds Group and Barclays. The Ziff family has confirmed its intention to make substantial further funds available to the Group Employee rights and pension scheme unaffected, Stylo said in a statement. Earlier today the Aim-listed company's requested the suspension pending clarification of its strategic options. It follows Friday's announcement from Stylo that its outlook was "challenging" and margins continued to be hit. The company added that it was managing stock and cost levels tightly while the board explored options for the business. The family-run business was floated on the stock market over 70 years ago under the name Stylo Boot Company (Northern) Limited. In 1964, with 150 stores nationwide, the company bid for W Barratt and Company. Shutopia, a large store concept to sell footwear on out of town retail parks, was launched in 2006.

Shoe chains Barratts and Priceless have gone into administration.

Although Princess Elizabeth always knew she would become the queen of England, the status change came rather abruptly — in 1952, when she was just 25 and her father, George VI, died of lung cancer at age 56. Elizabeth was a wife (to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh) and mother to two young children, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Anne, Princess Royal. Never one for the spotlight, Elizabeth was looking forward to a quiet life in Malta, where her husband could join the Navy and fly the occasional plane, but when duty came calling, her personal life (and his, unhappily) took a back seat. “The Crown,” which debuts on Friday on Netflix, tells the story of her sacrifice in the name of public service. Considering the monarch still reigns, steadfast at age 90, that’s quite a track record, unmatched in British history. Claire Foy, 32, and Matt Smith, 34, recently visited New York and spoke to The Post about what it was like to play the royal couple. When you were asked to play the queen, what did you say? Claire Foy: I asked them, “Are you sure?” It was a relatively pain-free, enjoyable experience. You would have thought with a big job you’d have to jump through all the hoops, that you should be put through the wringer, but the people [I worked with], they were really nice. It was always a joy to go on an audition for them. It was a joy to be in a room with [director] Stephen Daldry and have him tell me what to do. Matt, how do you think your “Doctor Who” fans will react to seeing you in this stately, slightly peevish role? Matt Smith: You never know, really. I hope they enjoy it. CF: He’s amazing in it. They’ll love it. On the show, Elizabeth and Philip compromise from the beginning, when Philip renounces his last name. And then Queen Mary (Eileen Atkins) writes a letter to Elizabeth after George VI’s death and explains that her life will be one of duty. What is her reaction? CF: It’s like your grandparents saying to you, “Don’t disappoint me.” She’s got all that as well. Philip doesn’t know the pressure she’s under or what she’s got to do. She’s in the middle of him, the Cabinet and the Church of England. She doesn’t question that much what she’s told to do, though. CF: I think that’s because she’s very duty-bound. She’s grown up doing the right thing. As a royal couple, how did the public react to them? MS: Thousands of people would show up to watch them catch a train. Tens of thousands to see them go to the theater. They were the celebrities of their day. She’s lived through that massive sense of glamour and celebrity. CF: They used to take the royal train. And now they take the public train. Sunday, 9 p.m., HBO Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and her human friends, William (Jimmi Simpson) and Logan (Ben Barnes), reach Pariah, a town built on decadence and transgression — and are recruited for a mission. Monday, 11 p.m., Destination America Katrina Weidman and Nick Groff spend 100 hours in the Black Monk House in Yorkshire, England, the home of reported poltergeist activity. The intrepid duo aim to capture the most convincing evidence ever to be recorded. Tuesday, 8:30 p.m., ABC Can the crayon really add 10 pounds? When Anna-Kat (Julia Butters) draws a Humpty Dumpty-shaped portrait of her mother for the school art show, a mortified Katie (Katy Mixon) sets out to retrieve it by any means necessary. Monday, 9 a.m., ABC Actor Jerry O’Connell joins Kelly Ripa for a jubilant Halloween celebration. Talk about costumes! As seen below left, O’Connell will appear as the gruesome villain Negan from “The Walking Dead” as well as one of the presidential candidates. The show will also include a tribute to the Broadway smash “Hamilton” and spoofs of Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” (with Ripa, below) and the popular HGTV show “House Hunters.” Tuesday, 9 p.m., NBC Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) wonder what to do when little Randall (Lonnie Chavis) tests as a gifted child. The grown-up Randall (Sterling K. Brown) questions his career choices. Monday, 6 a.m.-Tuesday, 4:30 a.m. If you want a Halloween scare, Turner Classic Movies has a great lineup. Vincent Price (inset, with Phyllis Kirk) plays a sculptor who fills his museum with corpses in “House of Wax” (11:15 a.m.). “The Haunting” (6 p.m.) stars Julie Harris as a woman tormented by her mother’s ghost. In “The Mummy” (9:45 p.m.), a resurrected mummy stalks the archaeologists who raided his tomb. Thursday, 9 p.m., Fox Upon signing a huge deal with Nike, Ginny (Kylie Bunbury) feels an overwhelming sense of pressure, which leads to a night of neurotic rebellion and a subsequent session with therapist Andrea Barton (Rita Wilson). Co-starring Meagan Holder and Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

Although Princess Elizabeth always knew she would become the queen of England, the status change came rather abruptly — in 1952, when she was just 25 and her father, George VI, died of lung cancer …

Black Friday is still weeks away, but Amazon is already starting its sales. The online retailer has launched its Black Friday Deals store, which features discounts on everything from smartphones to video games and sneakers. The idea is to get shoppers excited for the actual Black Friday, which takes place Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. Amazon is counting down the days by offering different deals daily in its “Deals of the Day” section. There’s a special bonus for Amazon Prime members this year, too — the company says those with Prime will get access to 30,000 deals 30 minutes before non-Prime customers. Amazon says that its Black Friday store will offer “tens of thousands” of deals between now and Dec. 22. Some notable tech deals on Nov. 2 include an unlocked 16GB Moto X smartphone for $200, which usually costs $300. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is on sale for $40, which is a notable discount off its usual price of about $60. Amazon is also selling a pair of AngLink Bluetooth 4.1 headphones for $21.50 as part of a Prime Early Access deal. The earbuds usually cost $60. Black Friday sales are usually big for Amazon, but the company saw even more success during Prime Day in July. The company promoted Prime Day as a Black Friday in July sales event, and said that it sold more units globally on that day than it did on Black Friday in 2014. Read next: 5 Big Retail Trends That’ll Help 2015 Holiday Shoppers Grab the Best Deals

The company is offering deals in a shopping countdown

If your job is traveling around California, as mine has been on and off since 1992, you get used to two things. First, wherever you go, the odds are good that Mark Twain beat you to it 140 years ago. Second, the odds are even better than Huell Howser, California's tourist laureate, beat you 14 years ago. If so, you can bet that the locals remember his visit fondly, and that legions of Californians remember it too. It’s happened to me at Lake Tahoe, in San Francisco, in Yosemite and up north in the land of drive-through trees. In fact, I suspect that among Californians these last two decades, Huell may have had more viewers than Twain had readers. This isn’t an ideal situation. But it’s not such a bad thing, either. Huell’s unflagging sense of wonder was always a welcome counterpoint to the been-there, done-that posture that you encounter so often in life and on television. (And yes, I’m calling him Huell, because what Californian has ever called him “Howser”?) Call up a few clips on YouTube. The visit to the Bagdad Café, maybe. The time he straddled the U.S.-Mexico border. Or Huell’s euphoric communion with the flies of Mono Lake. “They’re mating?” he asks the local expert in his Tennessee twang. “On my hand?” In November, when Huell’s production company announced his retirement, Times television critic Robert Lloyd explained his own soft spot for Howser’s work. I can only agree. And now that Huell has left us for good — he died Sunday night at age 67 — I want to offer up two more perspectives, one from the mountains, one from City Hall. “Working with Huell was different than with any other reporter or show,” said Yosemite National Park Assistant Supt. Scott Gediman, who did about 15 shows with Huell. On one hand, Gediman said, Howser’s approach was “the ultimate in low-tech, with him and his photographer.” But as Gediman sees it, Howser was actually doing something rare: listening carefully. Huell was in the moment, ready to swerve in conversation toward the topics that the speaker was most passionate about. With so many viewers and editors craving speed and brevity, this doesn't happen on the air a lot. Or in print, for that matter. “He didn’t have an agenda,” said Gediman. “It took a lot more effort, and a lot more skill and a lot more brilliance than he got credit for. I thought a lot of him, I really did.” With Gediman, Huell stood at Glacier Point, roamed Yosemite Valley, examined some of the park’s most historic buildings, took a boat out on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and hiked Yosemite Falls, where Huell complained on camera, “Scott, these mosquitoes are killing me!” In about 15 years at Yosemite, Gediman said, he’s done countless television interviews, including ““Nightline,” “Dateline” and “Larry King Live.” But when people walk up to Gediman at the park, the question they ask is: “Aren’t you the ranger who’s on 'Huell Howser'?” Howser, raised in Tennessee, came to Los Angeles in 1981, already a veteran television reporter. By 1987, he was shooting short episodes for public television station KCET. Beginning in 1990, he filmed two decades of episodes under the “California’s Gold” marquee and many more under a handful of other titles. He covered the missions, the parks, the coast, the desert (where he had a house in Twentynine Palms) and the resurgence of downtown Los Angeles. If Huell were political, “he could have been governor forever,” said City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who met Howser in the 1980s. At that time, LaBonge served as a deputy to City Councilman John Ferraro and Huell was a reporter at KNXT, eager to hear story pitches. Over the years, they’d talk California history, share dinners at Musso & Frank in Hollywood. LaBonge and his wife, Brigid, visited Huell at his artifact-filled desert house. When LaBonge took over Ferraro's old City Council seat in 2001, he chose his friend Huell to swear him in. “He would call me sometimes for story ideas, we’d sometimes drive around town,” LaBonge said. Sometimes, LaBonge said, “he’d tell me, ‘You’re full of baloney, Tom.’ He’d know what to pick. He’d listen and he’d let you know right away.” Like most of us, I didn’t really know Huell – I met him briefly once, at a Los Angeles Times Travel show just before he took the stage to utterly charm a packed house. But we all got to know Huell the way he wanted to be known – as a man of curiosity, energy and optimism, a California outsider who found his way into a great place and never took it for granted. Who wouldn’t want to follow that path? Follow us on Twitter @latimestravel Like us on Facebook @Los Angeles Times Travel

If your job is traveling around California, as mine has been on and off since 1992, you get used to two things. First, wherever you go, the odds are good that Mark Twain beat you to it 140 years ago.  

NAME OF TIMES IS WITHDRAWN FROM COLLEGE GUIDEBOOK TITLE (By The Associated Press) - The New York Times is withdrawing its name from the title of a new college guidebook compiled by its education editor. In future printings, the book, ''The New York Times Selective Guide to Colleges'' by Edward B. Fiske, will be renamed ''A Selective Guide to Colleges,'' according to Leonard R. Harris, corporate relations director of The Times. The book, which uses a star system to rate 265 colleges and universities much the way critics use stars to rate restaurants or movies, has drawn strong reaction from campuses, both favorable and critical. ''The Times is not dissociating itself from the book, except to clarify the title,'' Mr. Harris said, adding that the newspaper's name would still be on the book jacket because Mr. Fiske would remain identified as education editor of The Times. No Change in Contents ''There's no difference at all in terms of how the book will be put together, its contents,'' Mr. Fiske said. ''There's no element of repudiation.'' Mr. Harris said the decision to change the book's title was reached late last week after discussions with Mr. Fiske, with officials of Times Books, which published the guide, and with officials of the newspaper, including its publisher, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger. The change was disclosed in a letter from Mr. Sulzberger to David H. Bennett, a history professor at Syracuse University who had written a critical letter to The Times about the book. Mr. Sulzberger issued this statement: ''We think the 'Selective Guide to Colleges' is an excellent book that is based on solid reporting. We're pleased to be publishing it. Upon reflection, we feel that the use of the name of The New York Times so prominently in the title was inappropriate since the judgments about the colleges and universities are those of The Times's education editor, Edward B. Fiske, and not those of the newspaper. ''Therefore, future printings of the book will reflect a change in the title. Times Books and Ted Fiske agree that this is the best way to present a reference book that has already received widespread praise from critics and educators alike.'' Support in the Future The newspaper provided Mr. Fiske with extensive staff assistance in compiling the guide, and Mr. Fiske said he would get similar support from the newspaper in future editions. Mr. Harris said: ''I think this resulted from the fact that enormous attention was being paid to the system of stars used in the book, ranking such things as academics and quality of life, without terribly much attention to what the stars were supposed to signify. In a sense it was as if the newspaper had passed judgment on various aspects of universities, when Ted Fiske was making it quite plain that those were his personal judgments. ''We felt we were misleading readers by making them think these had the full, full weight of The Times behind it.''

NAME OF TIMES IS WITHDRAWN FROM COLLEGE GUIDEBOOK TITLE (By The Associated Press) - The New York Times is withdrawing its name from the title of a new college guidebook compiled by its education editor. In future printings, the book, ''The New York Times Selective Guide to Colleges'' by Edward B. Fiske, will be renamed ''A Selective Guide to Colleges,'' according to Leonard R. Harris, corporate relations director of The Times. The book, which uses a star system to rate 265 colleges and universities much the way critics use stars to rate restaurants or movies, has drawn strong reaction from campuses, both favorable and critical.

12/05/2008 AT 05:30 PM EST In a new PSA, debuting first on People.com, six-time Grammy-winner Toni Braxton urges parents and other adults to learn more about the warning signs of autism. "All of us – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers and family friends to children – must become familiar with the red flags for autism," Braxton says. "The earlier children are diagnosed and early intervention begins, the better chance a child has of a brighter future." Braxton speaks from experience. Her son, Diezel, now 5, was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Diezel appears in the ad with his mom, as she points out that one in 150 children are now diagnosed with the developmental disorder. "Our partnership with the Ad Council has already resulted in a remarkable increase in awareness of autism, and we are confident that Toni's star power and her courage in participating in this campaign will lead to even greater success," says Alison Singer, executive vice president of communications and awareness for Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism advocacy organization. The ad urges viewers to visit

The singer urges adults to learn about the "red flags" of the disorder

Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Nationals have placed right-hander Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list with neck tightness. Strasburg was removed from Friday's start against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning. He is 3-5 with a 6.55 ERA in 10 outings this season. The Nationals filled the roster spot by recalling pitcher Taylor Hill from Triple-A Syracuse. He was 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA in nine starts for the Chiefs. The 26-year-old right-hander reached the majors for the first time with the Nationals in 2014, making one start and two relief appearances.

Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Nationals have placed right-hander Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list with neck tightness.Strasburg was removed from Friday's start against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning

BUCHANAN, N.Y., May 29— The Indian Point No. 2 nuclear power plant, which had been shut down yesterday after operating only four days since a seven-month layoff, was put back in service this afternoon, the Consolidated Edison Company said. It was generating power at low levels, the utility said. The plant was put back in service last weekend for the first time since Oct. 17, when the utility discovered a water leak in the reactor containment building. It was shut down again yesterday morning after operators noticed that oil in the non-nuclear turbine system had overheated. The nuclear fission in the reactor continued, but the turbines were disengaged while the utility corrected a restriction in the oil flow. A utility spokesman, Pat Richardi, said that the plant went back in service at 2:45 P.M. today, but that the 865-megawatt plant was producing only 100 megawatts of electricity. She said the utility hoped to increase the production to 300 megawatts by Sunday. She said engineers were gradually increasing the speed of turbine generators to check the turbines' vibrations.

The Indian Point No. 2 nuclear power plant, which had been shut down yesterday after operating only four days since a seven-month layoff, was put back in service this afternoon, the Consolidated Edison Company said. It was generating power at low levels, the utility said.

On Thurday night, Mitt Romney made it through another debate with only a few scratches on his armor. Don’t underestimate how strange and surprising this is, especially when you recall how much hazing Romney endured four years ago. The common explanations for Romney’s recent success are true: He’s a smarter and stronger candidate than he was in ’08. He has chosen his media appearances wisely. He speaks more naturally and authoritatively, and less like a political consultant’s Charlie McCarthy doll. He’s quick on his feet. But Romney has also been very, very fortunate. For reasons mostly of chance, he’s managed to escape–so far–the the whipping-boy role that doomed his first White House campaign. How did this happen? For the better part of two years, Romney floated above the political fray, the GOP frontrunner-in-waiting, as the Republican field was slow to form and even slower to engage in intramural fighting. In the early Republican debates, Romney’s rivals focused on Obama-bashing and went easy on one another. (Exhibit A: Tim Pawlenty’s ObamneyCare chicken-out.) As fall approached, the time seemed night for an all-out assault on the frontrunner. But then Rick Perry came along, parachuting into the race to become its instant front-runner, and begging to be taken down a peg. Perry’s rivals promptly obliged him. Romney had obvious motives to go after Perry early and hard. But Perry also drew quick attacks from several the lesser candidates. Michele Bachmann, whose candidacy Perry effectively blew out of the water, has repaid him with her incessant attacks on the HPV vaccination issue (albeit to self-destructive ends). Familiarity with his state’s governor seems to have bred contempt in Ron Paul, who has whacked Perry in debates and on TV. Even Rick Santorum is going after Perry, presumably to steal away some socially-conservative voters. Romney, meanwhile, has hardly seen a ruffle in his his well-combed hair. Sure, his GOP rivals zap him from time to time, mostly over health care, though never terribly effectively. But they have barely aimed at the fat target of Romney’s numerous flip-flops on social issues, from abortion to gay rights to gun control. And when they have, well, more luck! Consider the way Rick Perry bungled the delivery of last night’s “flip-flopper” attack on Romney, rendering it incomprehensible and totally ineffective. At the same time another candidate with a motive to tear Romney up–Jon Huntsman, who is desperate to win New Hampshire–seems averse to harsh negative attacks. In the 2008 debates, Romney tended to get abused like a hapless freshman targeted by the school bullies. Check out this bit of analysis on ABC News after a January 5, 2008 debate in New Hampshire: [GEORGE] STEPHANOPOULOS: I think the predicate was set early on that Mitt Romney was going to be the center of this debate and on the defensive. And here’s one of the moments that mattered very early on. Mitt Romney was talking about his position on the war, and Mike Huckabee interjected. ROMNEY: Don’t try and characterize my position. Of course, this war has… STEPHANOPOULOS: Clean shot. A very clean shot by Mike Huckabee. And Diane, I counted up. These guys on the stage do not like Mitt Romney. He was attacked by Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee. He was the center of the debate even though he’s not the leader anymore. Back then, Romney’s rivals seemed to resent him personally in a way that’s less evident now. It’s also been a while since Romney blatantly flipped on a core position. But particularly if the now-forming conventional wisdom holds up that Perry isn’t ready for prime-time, Romney will at last become his rivals’ prime target. And the material is certainly there for anyone willing–and competent enough–to use it:

On Thurday night, Mitt Romney made it through another debate with only a few scratches on his armor. Don't underestimate how strange and surprising this is, especially when you recall how much hazing Romney endured four years ago.

Sam Stovall, CFP, Chief Investment Strategist, Standard & Poor’s Sam Stovall: We have just entered a new calendar year and it is also an election year. I think heading into this year, investors are a little bit unnerved because the third year of our president’s term in office is traditionally the strongest. Up until 2011, it had never fallen in the third year since World War II, and the average price advance was 17%. That all flew out the window in 2011. Stovall: Yep. The S&P was close to being break even in 2011, which is exactly what happened in 1947. We had a 0.0% change. This time we kicked the field goal. We hit the crossbar, but it bounced back onto the field rather than being a score. That was the first time since World War II that the S&P 500 declined in the third year of a president’s term in office. Historically you could say that is a little bit of a negative omen. But I think it’s too early to count out the market’s performance in 2012. It’s not like a perennial losing team where on opening day somebody holds up a sign that says, “Wait till next year.” I think that 2012 could be a good year, but definitely not a great year. I say that because the U.S. economy continues to show improvement. We’ve come to believe that the Chinese economy will engage in a soft landing and not suffer through a hard landing. And while Europe remains the wild card, we think that the IMF and the ECB, as well as the leaders in Europe, are trying to do whatever they can to contain the sovereign debt problem. Should the S&P 500 end up with the 8% earnings growth that we expect in 2012, we think that we could see a very low double-digit advance in the S&P in 2012.

S&P's Sam Stovall says recovery will continue through 2012, setting up a great 2013. Here's how to play it.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the USA, who is ranked 97th in the world in singles and 18th in doubles, is known for her fashion on the court, her new role as a U.S. Fed Cup star ... and her willingness to speak her mind. Mattek-Sands will provide USA TODAY a behind-the-scenes look at life of the WTA Tour as the US Open Series winds its way toward the U.S. Open in New York, the season's final major. Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the USA, who is ranked 98th in the world in singles and 18th in doubles, has been known for her fashion sense, her new role as a U.S. Fed Cup star ... and her willingness to speak her mind. Mattek-Sands will provide USA TODAY a behind-the-scenes look at life of the WTA Tour as the US Open Series winds its way toward the U.S. Open in New York, the season's final major. India and Pakistan are uncomfortable nuclear neighbors at best, warring enemies at worst and fierce cricket rivals whatever the situation. Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan are challenging these notions of mutual mistrust. Their unusual and increasingly successful doubles partnership is defying popular perceptions of their country's tangled political history. Two records were in the spotlight last weekend: The mark for Masters 1000 titles, and the standard for doubles victories. Top-ranked Roger Federer had to struggle at times in his first-round match at the Australian Open before beating Russia's Igor Andreev; Defending champion Serena Williams had a much easier time earning a straight-set win Tuesday over Polish teenager Urszula Radwanska. ...down fighting to Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli in a five-setter in the first round. March 22nd, 2010 NEW DELHI - India's Sania Mirza, out of action because of a chronic wrist injury, has dropped eight places to 92 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA)... ...tennis tournament. Dubois, of Laval, Que., was also scheduled to play a second-round doubles match later Thursday. Dubois and Sania Mirza of India will meet Kai-Chen Chang of Taiwan and Heidi El-Tabakh of Oakville, Ont. In other women's singles matches, top-seeded... ...some additional pressure as the defending champion she did not have last year, when she came through the draw to beat India’s Sania Mirza in the final. “For sure, there’s a little extra pressure this year,” she says. “But I like it. I’m just out to control... ...can't be reimbursed even for their coaching bills which are the easiest to process. “If the top four men players and Sania Mirza do not benefit under present rules, it's only correct that the Ministry should adjust its rules keeping in mind the needs of tennis,”... ...Sania Mirza defeated wildcard Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 6-2, 6-2 to move into the singles quarterfinals of the $75,000 Vancouver ITF tennis tournament on Thursday. In doubles, Sania and Stephanie Dubois entered the doubles quarterfinals with a fluent 6-0,... Draw for the Australian Open men's and women's singles competition starting Monday at Melbourne Park Venus Williams moved on, Rafael Nadal came back and Marat Safin said goodbye at the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Two engineering students smitten by Indian tennis star Sania Mirza have been arrested and accused of stalking her. Maria Sharapova's Wimbledon preparations received a setback Saturday in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Li Na of China in the Aegon Classic semifinals. The Russian served erratically to drop to 5-1 against the 20th-ranked Li. Maria Sharapova reached her first semifinal in more than a year Friday after beating Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 at the Aegon Classic.

Collection of all USATODAY.com coverage of Sania Mirza., including articles, videos, photos, and quotes.

In a letter sent to every member of Congress, Geithner said the national debt stands at $13.95 trillion - $335 billion short of the limit on borrowing that Congress set last year. Unless Congress acts to raise the limit, the letter says, the United States will default on its debt, an unprecedented event that could destroy "millions of American jobs," cause interest rates to spike, damage the dollar, and halt payments to millions of Social Security recipients, veterans and active U.S. troops. "Failure to increase the limit would be deeply irresponsible," Geithner wrote. "For these reasons, I am requesting that Congress act to increase the limit early this year, well before the threat of default becomes imminent." The letter comes one day after Republicans took control of the House, their membership reinforced with new lawmakers who have vowed to block further borrowing, a top priority of the conservative tea party movement. Newly elected House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) acknowledged Wednesday that default must be avoided, but he said Republicans would demand deep spending cuts and budget reforms in exchange for raising the limit on borrowing. "The American people will not stand for such an increase unless it is accompanied by meaningful action by the president and Congress to cut spending and end the job-killing spending binge in Washington," Boehner said in a statement. "While America cannot default on its debt, we also cannot continue to borrow recklessly, dig ourselves deeper into this hole and mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that he views the debate over the debt limit as "an opportunity, actually, for us to come together and make some significant strides toward beginning to reduce our spending and debt." Some Democrats, too, have said they would be reluctant to raise the limit above $14.3 trillion without a plan for balancing the budget. President Obama also is committed to deficit reduction, but Treasury officials said work on the deficit should occur separately from talks over extending the debt limit. Geithner's four-page letter - which warns that default would spur "catastrophic damage to the economy, potentially much more harmful than the effects of the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009" - comes as a growing number of GOP lawmakers are declaring their intention to vote against a higher debt limit. Some are campaigning against it. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has posted a petition on the Web site of her political action committee, encouraging voters to tell Congress that the "spending frenzy cannot continue. It's time to force our elected officials to stop spending cold turkey, and we can start by making sure they do not raise the debt ceiling." Administration officials say such views appear to reflect a deep misunderstanding of the consequences of default, and the White House has in recent days sought to head it off. On the Sunday talk shows, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Austan Goolsbee warned against "playing chicken with the debt ceiling," saying failure to increase the limit would spark "the first default in history caused purely by insanity." And on Thursday, the White House released remarks from a series of conservative commentators who agree that the debt ceiling must be allowed to rise. Among those supporting the White House position is former Bush administration Treasury secretary Henry M. Paulson, who released a statement Thursday warning that inaction "is simply not an option." "I applaud the commitment lawmakers have made to reduce spending and put the country on a more fiscally responsible path," Paulson said. "As they pursue smarter spending, it's also vital to protect America's creditworthiness, and therefore I'm confident Congress will act to increase the debt limit well before it is reached." The Treasury cannot predict with certainty when that date will arrive. In his letter, Geithner said it is likely to occur between March 31 and May 16. The Treasury could take steps to buy time, but those "exceptional actions" would delay default by no more than eight weeks, officials said. Immediate budget cuts won't help much either, they said. The debt is an accumulation of obligations incurred over many years when the government ran budget deficits. "Even if Congress were immediately to adopt the deep cuts in discretionary spending of the magnitude suggested by some members of Congress . . . the need to increase the debt limit would be delayed by no more than two weeks," Geithner wrote. Geithner did not specify how much additional borrowing authority he is asking Congress to approve. That decision is usually taken by lawmakers.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner warned lawmakers Thursday that the national debt could hit the legal limit on borrowing as soon as March 31, and he urged quick action to avoid a government default that would spark "catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades."

“I’m trying to be patient with this thing,” Mr. Powell said, having already completed the prayer-and-playing routine at least five times. In the Mid-City neighborhood, John Richie, a filmmaker, contemplated shaving his head and donating his blond locks because he had heard that hair absorbs oil. Bridget Joseph, an energy consultant, was eager to volunteer to clean oil off something, anything — but nothing needed cleaning yet. All over town, people felt frustrated and helpless, they said, as a disaster that could have the environmental and economic effect of a major hurricane crept toward them, like Hurricane Katrina redux, but this time in silent, excruciating slow motion. “Basically everybody’s like, what can we do? What are we supposed to do against this thing?” Mr. Powell said. “Every day I’m monitoring the situation and feel exactly the same way: I don’t know what to do.” It has been 17 days since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico about 130 miles from New Orleans, in water nearly 5,000 feet deep. The rig, about 50 miles from the Louisiana coast, had drilled a well in the sea floor that began to gush hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil upon the collapse. New Orleans, with an economy based on tourism and seafood, and dependent on fragile coastal wetlands for hurricane protection, has watched in horror as the oil, orange as rust, has snaked toward the coast — more slowly than at first expected, but in quantities much larger than originally estimated. On Thursday the Coast Guard confirmed that oil had hit the Chandeleur Islands miles off Louisiana’s southeast tip. “It’s hard to wrap your head around it,” said Geoff Douville, a video production manager and bar owner who lives in Mid-City. “Does anybody have any idea what’s going to be the ultimate result of this?” The timing is a devastating blow to the city’s psyche. Since the Saints won the Super Bowl upon the backdrop of Mardi Gras, followed by the landslide election of a popular new mayor, Mitchell J. Landrieu, New Orleans had been, by all accounts, getting its groove back. Five years removed from Hurricane Katrina, the tangible signs of a real recovery are everywhere: in rebuilt homes and refurbished parks, in old restaurants come back to life and in new businesses thriving. With hurricane season still weeks away, people were feeling optimistic for the first time in a long time. “It was a good winter, with the Saints and the rebuilding and the new mayor,” Mr. Powell said. “First time I felt that way since Katrina, for sure.” The echoes of the hurricane are everywhere now: from the map of the gulf showing something ominous moving closer, to the anxiety in the nervous waiting. Another man-made disaster, people say, akin to the levee failures. Residents also complain about a lack of good information, and about how the reports from the gulf keep changing: one day things look better, the next day, the situation looks worse. The local news media’s attention has been split by Mr. Landrieu’s inauguration on Monday, business developments within the city’s N.B.A. franchise, the Hornets, and the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival, which ended last weekend after 10 days of celebrating music and food. In the time of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleanians felt frustrated by a lack of trustworthy information about what was happening to the city while they were evacuated out of it. These days, in a reversal, people in the city are relying on people outside it — friends and family who work in the oil and gas or fishing industries, particularly people who live and work near the coast. “The best and most reliable information is coming from the ground up, just like in Katrina,” Mr. Douville said. And everybody knows somebody, as New Orleans and the coast are inextricably linked. For now, they are waiting together. And life goes on. College students are preparing for finals. Golfers are on the greens. Preservation Hall is packed. “Most people are just annoyed, rolling their eyes with a pessimistic attitude, like how could this even happen?” said Chris Monfort, a food-delivery man from the Bywater neighborhood. There are no windows to board up, no sandbags to fill. So a lot of people are doing what New Orleanians do best: they are filling up on gulf seafood as if it were the last supper. “To think that we might not have a good crayfish season anytime soon is a pretty scary thought to a New Orleanian,” said Cliff Hines, a musician. And, like Mr. Powell, some people are praying. “All we can do,” Mr. Hines said, “is hope that it’s not as bad as everybody’s saying it’s going to be.”

There were feelings of frustration and helplessness in New Orleans as another potential disaster crept closer.

You can wear a Muslim head scarf, and you can wear the uniform of the Junior ROTC. Just not at the same time. That’s the word from the U.S. Army, which is supporting an officer’s ruling last month that a 14-year-old Tennessee girl could not wear her traditional head covering while in uniform at a parade. The student, Demin Zawity, of Brentwood, Tenn., quit the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Ravenwood High School and returned to regular gym classes when commanding officers said she had to take off her hijab if she wanted to march in the homecoming parade. "It was during Spirit Week. We were getting ready for the homecoming parade and the head officer said that I wouldn't be able to wear the head scarf while I had the uniform on," Demin said. "I said that it was a religious thing and that I really couldn't take it off.” Demin said she asked the officer if an exception could be made, and “ he told me that he would see what he can do." But school officials and district lawyers determined that if Demin wanted to participate; she would have to comply with the rules. "We as a school system are bound to the regulations of the Army. We cannot conduct the program unless we follow the regulations," said Jason Golden, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for the school district. "We were practicing all week and the day before the parade he pulled me over to the side and said that I couldn't march," Demin recalled, speaking of her senior officer. "I wanted to break down and cry right there, but I held it in and went into stoic mode." But Demin’s family feels she is being discriminated against, and has reached out to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is calling on the school district and the Department of Defense to change a policy that it says "effectively bars a Muslim student from participating in the class." "It's an unwise policy,” CAIR staff attorney Gadeir Abbas said. “It's acceptable for a Jewish student to wear his yarmulke under his uniform hat. The regulations already reflect that there are religious obligations among members." "A yarmulke can be covered by military headgear," said Lt. Col. Matthew Hackathorn, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Cadet Command who further stated that regulations don't issue a ban on religious garb unless it is exposed or covers the uniform. Demin’s mother, Perishan Hussein, said her daughter “felt that they were dismissive toward her beliefs. It was very upsetting to her.” "It shouldn't have been a shock to them. She wears the headscarf every day. She has been wearing it ever since they approached her to join the program." "We think that it's un-American that anyone is not allowed to participate over religious beliefs, the mother continued. "The government has previously made rules that over time, they had to change because they didn't make sense. This rule makes no sense." She said her daughter has been "stressed" by the whole incident and now has no intention of returning to JROTC --even if she is allowed to wear the hijab. Demin's family and CAIR say they do not intend to sue unless they deem it necessary. CAIR sent a letter last week to the superintendent of Williamson County Schools asking that a formal apology be issued to Demin and that she be allowed to participate in the JROTC program wearing her hijab as part of her uniform. It also mailed a letter to the Department of Defense asking for a change to the policy. "We are reviewing the program's current policies, regulations and procedures to ensure consistent application and enforcement of uniform standards," said Lt. Col. Hackathorn. He said the senior officer in charge of Demin's class acted according to the regulations. "The JROTC tries to instill good values in the students who participate," Hackathorn said. "Wearing the uniform demonstrates personal responsibility, attention to detail, and being part of a team." "We're not discriminatory. She's invited to come back anytime, but it has to be in accordance with the regulations," he said.

The U.S. Army is forced to reconsider the regulations for religious wear in their JROTC program after a Muslim student from a Tennessee Middle School was barred from participating in a homecoming parade if she wore her headscarf while in uniform.

The annual Pride Parade in Seattle drew an estimated 300,000 revelers this year. The air was incredibly festive. Participants had seen victory after victory for their cause, and many others had jumped on the proverbial bandwagon, much as a winning sports team suddenly gathers a lot of new fans. In the providence of God, I was also preaching that day at our downtown church, located right alongside the parade route. This is the city Jesus has called me to serve, and I’ve been ministering here now for about two decades. I can assure you, it’s complicated. What does it look like to remain faithful to God while loving neighbors who passionately disagree with Christian convictions? If you’re looking for an answer that makes both God and everyone else happy, I can save you a lot of wasted time…it doesn’t exist (Romans 8:7). So how do we avoid the ditch on the left -- where we don’t call sin a sin -- as well as the ditch on the right -- where we are angry culture warriors battling unbelievers instead of evangelizing them? In my new book, "A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future?," I offer the following suggestions: 1. Come to terms with disagreement. For the Christian, changing God’s laws in Scripture, by popular opinion, makes as much sense as changing God’s laws in nature -- including gravity and the temperature at which substances freeze and boil. Non-Christians don’t need to accept these laws but tolerate them, if indeed they believe in tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, as they boast. Christians and non-Christians disagree on a lot of things including what to do with our money, sin, and genitals. We won’t agree because we don’t agree. Instead of trying to pretend that we do agree, we need to accept the fact that we agree to disagree and get on with evangelizing lost people, defending our religious freedoms, and loving our critics while leaning over the plate to take one for Team Jesus. 2. Turn the other cheek. Both homosexuals and Christians are, curiously enough, organized minority groups. If Christians war with homosexuals, we’re ignoring the majority -- all the people somewhere on the continuum between the two groups. As a general rule, those people in the middle are the very people we’ve been called to evangelize. If they see us as being mean spirited, they will be less likely to want to hear about the love of Jesus from unloving people. Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek, not because he likes it when we lose a fight, but because he likes it when we win people who are watching the fight (Matt. 5:39). 3. Welcome everyone to your church… The same Bible that talks about sin is equally clear about love. The church I serve as pastor includes people who are practicing homosexuals, as well as others who are struggling with same sex attraction to varying degrees. They sit in service next to single people cohabiting, people who watch porn, adulterers -- and the self-righteous religious people who look down on all of them. We all start in a bad place. When the Bible says that Jesus died for sin, he’s talking about evil people, like me. I was sleeping with a pastor’s daughter when I became a Christian and realized that worshiping God included my pants. We are all works in progress. We do not expect people to get their sin in order before attending church any more than a hospital expects people to get healed before they show up. 4. …but don’t allow everyone to lead your church. Christians who practice repentance should be the only ones allowed into official church membership and leadership (1 Tim. 3:1–12). This does not mean in any way that they are perfect, but that they agree with the Bible, and that when they are in sin, they are willing to fight to overcome sin by God’s grace. We’re not asking for perfection but rather for a desire for progress in victory over sin. 5. Distinguish between temptation and sin. The Bible is clear that Jesus was tempted and did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). Just because someone is tempted does not mean that person is in sin. Temptation is an opportunity for sin or for victory. We must not shame or condemn people who experience various kinds of temptation -- including sexual temptations such as same sex attraction or heterosexual fornication or even pornography -- if they desire to make a life U-turn. At the same time, we must not endorse or encourage caving in to sinful desires either. Instead, we need to walk lovingly with people, telling them that part of the Spirit’s work in their lives is self-control, and that so long as they want to fight for holiness, we want to fight not against them but for them. And as they gain victory, we ought to celebrate and encourage them all the more. 6. The best defense is a good offense. The best thing the church can do for marriage is encourage and assist good marriages. This includes lots of teaching on sex and marriage, great premarital counseling, a supportive community for married couples, and efforts to nurture marriages that are enduring and endearing so that God’s people are getting divorced only on rare occasion because of extreme circumstances. 7. Evangelize through suffering. Bible-believing Christians will need to toughen up -- rather than crumple in a heap -- when slapped with words like hateful, bigoted, intolerant, shameful, cruel, unloving, homophobic, prejudiced, discriminatory, and more. Jesus told us to love our enemies; his assumption was that we would have enemies to love (Matt. 5:44). If we say what Scripture says, we should expect to suffer as Scripture promises. In fact, Jesus promises that we’ll see trouble, experience hardship, and be hated. Rather than run away or fight back, however, he invites us to endure and persevere as an “opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12–19). We have been chosen by God to live at this time and in this culture with all its faults and flaws, as part of the church of Jesus Christ with all her faults and flaws, as people with our own faults and flaws (Acts 17:26). Because our society no longer values historically Christian beliefs, we have an unprecedented opportunity for a resurgence of biblically faithful, personally humble, evangelistically fruitful, missional Christianity. The truth of God’s Word is hard like an anvil meant to reshape us into something better. But we can deliver a hard word without having a hard heart toward the recipient. An honest explanation of sin is essential for our message of ultimate help, healing, and hope: Jesus Christ is alive. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus makes life, death, suffering, and persecution meaningful. And the backlash is a blessing. After all, you really don’t know how committed you are to Jesus until you have to start paying a price for that friendship. Pastor Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington and is one of the world's most-downloaded and quoted pastors. He was also named one of the "25 Most Influential Pastors of the Past 25 Years" by Preaching magazine, and his sermons are consistently #1 on iTunes each week for Religion & Spirituality with over 15 million of downloads each year. His latest book is "A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future?" was released on November 5, 2013, and is available now.

The annual Pride Parade in Seattle drew an estimated 300,000 revelers this year.

A decade’s absence makes the hearts of America grow fonder: nine years after their last franchise collaboration, Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass return to the top of the domestic box office as Jason Bourne grosses an estimated $60 million across its opening weekend. Continuing the Bourne collective’s massive haul since 2002 (over $1 billion in total receipts), Universal’s fifth theatrical adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s book series averages $14,093 from 4,026 screens in North America, earning the second-highest opening haul for a Bourne title in history (unadjusted for inflation) and a positive A- grade on CinemaScore. The debut also marks the second best opening weekend of Damon’s career, trailing just behind The Bourne Ultimatum’s $69.3 million. According to Universal, exit polling indicates men made up 55 percent of Bourne’s weekend audience, while 60 percent of ticket buyers were over the age of 35. Domestic numbers are up around 30 percent from the same frame last year, when Paramount’s Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation scored $55.5 million. Bourne additionally amasses an estimated $50.1 million from 46 international markets, bringing its worldwide total to just over $110 million. Topping $100 million in North America, Star Trek Beyond tumbles nearly 60 percent in its second weekend, adding an estimated $24 million to its total. The $185 million picture — the third in the rebooted lineage — is, adjusted for inflation, the second lowest-grossing title in franchise history, though its foreign numbers (currently at $54.8 million and counting) should push the film past its budget in the coming weeks. Whether the film pulls in enough to make a profit, however, remains to be seen. Giving Star Trek a run for its money at No. 3 is STX’s female-driven comedy Bad Moms, which earns a healthy estimated $23.4 million in its opening weekend. Fronted by an ensemble cast that includes Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Annie Mumolo, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Christina Applegate, the R-rated comedy’s total was fueled by an over-25, predominantly female audience as it averaged $7,278 on 3,215 screens. On top of doing solid business, Bad Moms earned a rare A grade on CinemaScore, besting other summer comedies like Keanu (B), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (B), and Ghostbusters (B+) on its way to a healthy overall run as it wisely taps into a recently underserved demographic. Rounding out the top five are The Secret Life of Pets and Lights Out, which pull in an estimated $18.2 and $10.8 million, respectively. In its fourth weekend of wide release, Pets’ domestic total sits just below $300 million. By mid-week, the film will become 2016’s sixth title overall (third animated) to cross that line. Lights Out’s 50 percent drop marks a relatively light decline for the horror genre, bringing the film’s U.S. and Canada total to an impressive $42.9 million on a $4.9 million budget. Also debuting in wide release is the Emma Roberts/Dave Franco thriller Nerve, which earns an estimated $9 million this weekend after its $6.1 million head start on Wednesday and Thursday. The film’s five-day gross hovers above $15 million as it, too, receives an A- grade on CinemaScore. Outside the top 10, Woody Allen’s Cafe Society expanded to 565 theaters on Friday, taking an estimated $2.3 million over the three-day frame, while Central Intelligence’s $910,000 gross adds to its worldwide total, which pushed past $200 million at the tail end of the week. Specialty titles like Equity and Indignation also impress in limited release, averaging a respective $20,182 and $22,268 from four theaters each. Check out the box office estimates for the July 29-31 weekend below. 1. Jason Bourne – $60 million 2. Star Trek Beyond – $24 million 3. Bad Moms – $23.4 million 4. The Secret Life of Pets – $18.2 million 5. Lights Out – $10.8 million 6. Ice Age: Collision Course – $10.5 million 7. Ghostbusters – $9.8 million 8. Nerve – $9 million 9. Finding Dory – $4.2 million 10. The Legend of Tarzan – $2.4 million This article originally appeared on EW.com

Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass returned to the top of the domestic box office

The world’s stock markets are in fine fettle and mere irritations like the euro zone debt crisis or a possible slowdown in the economic recovery probably won’t get in the way. That’s the headline message from Thursday’s Reuters poll of 300 strategists, brokerages and wealth managers, including some of the world’s foremost experts on stock markets. But before ringing your broker to scream “buy!” down the phone, there are some fairly big caveats to digest regarding this poll – not least the fact that the consensus view from our respondents has been very wrong in the recent past. In 2008, they didn’t foresee how far major stock indexes would fall as the global financial crisis took hold (or in many cases, foresee any fall at all), nor did they predict the strength of the spectacular rally of 2009. Also, the range of forecasts in the latest poll was conspicuously wide, signalling a high degree of uncertainty. For S&P 500 predictions at the end of 2010, our lowest forecast was 850 and the highest 1,375 – a 500 point difference. For the mid-2011 forecasts, the range was even wider at 750 points against 1,400. But most strategists are still typically optimistic, even if major business surveys in Europe and downbeat comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve this week showed businesses and policymakers are looking ahead with apprehension. While our poll respondents were right to single out recent robust corporate earnings as a key pillar of support for stocks, there was little mention of a nagging feeling that the global recovery will run into sand later this year as fiscal austerity measures in many Group of 20 countries bite. If our polls have shown anything over the last couple of years, it’s that if things are going to tail off, they’ll probably tail off more than our consensus of experts usually says.

The world’s stock markets are in fine fettle and irritations like the euro zone debt crisis or a slowing recovery won’t get in the way -- at least according to the consensus of the Reuters global stocks poll.

(CNN) -- A jetliner burst into flames Tuesday after landing in Sudan, killing at least 28 people, officials said. Officials say 28 are dead after a plane caught fire shortly after landing in Sudan. Khartoum Police Chief Mohammad Othman Mohammad Noor said "a defect" in the Sudan Airways plane caused it to catch fire as it touched down. "The fire then led to an explosion on the airplane," he said. "There was a large number of passengers on the plane, some of whom survived. The number of casualties is still unconfirmed at this time." Lighting up the night sky, flames consumed the plane as it sat on the runway at the airport, which is in the center of Khartoum near residential and business areas. Mortuary officials said that 28 people had been confirmed dead, though initial reports said that more than 100 had been killed. Police updated that information late Tuesday, saying 123 people survived. Dozens are unaccounted for. It's possible that some of those people may have simply gone home after escaping the burning plane, officials said. Hospitals said they were treating 11 patients from the plane. Sudanese television reported that more than 200 people were on the plane when the incident occurred about 8:45 p.m. (1:45 p.m. ET). Sudan Airways Flight 109 was arriving from Amman, Jordan, and Damascus, Syria, airport security officials said. Watch as flames engulf the wreckage » Abbas al-Fadini, a member of the Sudanese parliament who was on the plane, told Al-Jazeera that "fire was inside the plane." "It started from the right engine and then spread to the inside of the plane," he said. He was sitting in the front of the plane, he said, and was among those who got out first. Flight attendants and crew members were guiding passengers to the exit, he said. Some passengers who had minor injuries remained at the airport, he said. Journalist Andrew Heavens said relatives of those on the plane had gathered at the airport, talking on their cell phones and waiting for news as ambulances sped past. John Ukec, the Sudanese ambassador to the United States, confirmed that the plane was a Sudan Airways flight carrying 203 passengers and 14 crew members. Sudanese television said 13 of the crew members survived. Jordanian officials said the plane carried 34 passengers when it left Amman and picked up 169 passengers in Damascus. It made an initial landing outside Khartoum, at Port Sudan on the Red Sea, the Jordanian officials said, but took off again and landed in the city. Sources in Khartoum said the plane was an Airbus A310 with the capacity to carry 250 people. The weather in Khartoum as the plane attempted to land was terrible, the sources said. Low visibility and heavy rain and wind followed a big sandstorm earlier in the day. A pilot who landed a plane in Khartoum earlier in the evening reported a rough landing, the source said, and added that there was a lot of standing water on the runway. Sandstorms can cause crashes when sand gets into the engines and causes them to ignite, the pilot said. Video from the scene showed wreckage engulfed in flames. Media reports said the initial landing of the Sudan Airways flight was delayed because of the weather, and the plane landed after the weather cleared. CNN's Nic Robertson, who recently was in Sudan, said the nation is in its rainy season. "It's the time of year where you get massive rainstorms ... just coming in very quickly," he said. "The problem in Khartoum is not just the rain, but it mixes with a lot of dust in the air. Khartoum is right on the edge of the Sahara Desert. The city is famous almost for these huge dust storms that blow in. So at this time of year, you get the dust, you get the rain coming together. It's bad conditions." He said the Khartoum airport is very modern, with a large amount of air traffic passing through. The last crash of a Sudan Airways plane was July 8, 2003, when a Boeing 737 reported engine trouble after takeoff from Port Sudan and missed its return approach to the airport, crashing about three miles away. A 3-year-old boy was the only survivor of the 117 people aboard. It was Sudan's worst air disaster. The airline has connected Sudan with cities in the Middle East and Africa since 1947. CNN's Caroline Faraj contributed to this report. All About Sudan • Air Disasters

A jetliner burst into flames Tuesday after landing in Sudan, killing at least 28 people, officials said.

Most polls predict a sizable victory for Mitt Romney in Florida. How did this happen? How did Newt Gingrich lose his grip on the state? Money, that’s how. Gingrich’s shadow pockets were unable to defend his shallow politics. In fact, several new reports suggest that he was severely outspent by the Mitt Romney money machine. According to an ABC News report on Friday, for example: Newt Gingrich is not just getting outspent by Mitt Romney and his allies on the Florida airwaves, he’s getting creamed. The Romney campaign and a super PAC supporting him is spending nearly quadruple the amount that Gingrich and the pro-Gingrich super PAC, Winning Our Future, has spent to air television and radio ads ahead of the state’s Jan. 31 primary. So far, Romney has bought $5.6 million worth of airtime and the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, has shelled out a whopping $8.2 million, according to a Republican media buyer who is tracking ad spending in the state. Compare that to $837,000 spent by the Gingrich campaign and the nearly $3 million of airtime bought by Winning Our Future, a super PAC supporting the former House speaker, and it’s easy to understand one reason why Gingrich has slipped in the most recent polls in the Sunshine State. The final tally of ad spending could be even more lopsided, Talking Points Memo reported on Sunday: According to some final numbers shared with T.P.M. by a Democratic media observer, Mitt Romney’s lucky number in the final push is five. As in five-to-one: that’s the ratio — just about — by which Romney and his allies have outspent Newt Gingrich and his allies on TV. The narrative that Team Romney is pushing is that of a new-and-improved candidate, battle-hardened after his South Carolina woes, and sharpened as a candidate by having had to outsmart Newt Gingrich. The Dems think these spending figures suggest something else: that it’s not Romney who’s winning votes in Florida, but the size of his wallet. According to my Democratic source, the total ad spending through Tuesday in Florida by the Romney campaign and its allied super PAC, Restore Our Future, is $15,340,000. The total spending for Gingrich’s campaign and his super PAC, Winning Our Future, is $3,390,000. If you just look at super Pac spending, you see how damaging it can be. Here’s the Huffington Post on Saturday: The biggest spender in Florida — the most expensive state in the Republican primary to date — has been the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future. Run by a trio of former Romney advisers, the group has spent $10.7 million in the state. The vast majority of that — $9.9 million — has gone into a barrage of ads, on television and radio, and direct mail attacking Gingrich. That’s more than double what pro-Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future is spending in Florida. This is not what happened in South Carolina, where Winning Our Future was able to match the spending of Restore Our Future and provide Gingrich with room to win. There can be no doubt that this level of spending helped to reshape the race in Florida. It also didn’t help that Gingrich’s two Florida debates were not as full of bombast as the two in South Carolina. But the problem for Romney is that voting for him has never been about him. It has always been, and continues to be, about a dearth of options. Romney is the default candidate, not the preferred one. His money can buy him votes, but it can’t buy him love.

Mitt Romney may be winning votes again, but is he winning hearts?

Mackenzie Hughes figured he was down to his last chance to stay alive in a four-man playoff Monday morning in the RSM Classic. The 25-year-old rookie from Dundas Ont., with pluck and a pure putting stroke poured in an 18-foot par putt from off the 17th green at Sea Island, and that last chance turned into his first PGA Tour victory when the other three players all missed from 10 feet or closer. "I made the putt of my life right there," Hughes said. No case of the Mondays here.Mackenzie Hughes' clutch putt to claim his first PGA TOUR victory.#QuickHits https://t.co/uCMBFJ9n0f Hughes calmed his nerves and came up clutch in the morning chill, becoming the first PGA Tour rookie in 20 years to go wire-to-wire for his first victory. The final day of a long year on the PGA Tour brought a most unlikely finish. Hughes had a chance to end it Sunday night until his 10-foot birdie putt in the dark on the 18th hole turned away. The next morning, he was the only player who was never on the green at the par-3 17th until his ball was in the cup. Blayne Barber, Henrik Norlander and Camilo Villegas narrowly missed their par putts to extend the playoff. Hughes was watching from off the green, and the prospect of winning became more real with each putt that missed — first Barber, then Norlander. And when Villegas missed his 7-footer, Hughes dropped his putter, turned his back on the green and knocked off his cap as he rubbed his head in disbelief. "If I didn't make, I thought I was probably out," Hughes said. "Before I hit it, the thought was, 'Just make them think about it.' Put this putt in first, and if you can be the first guy in, put the pressure back on them. And that's what happened." The victory sends the 25-year-old Canadian to the Masters. One of his most vivid golf memories as a kid in Ontario was watching Mike Weir win the green jacket in 2003. "He was texting me last night a little bit," Hughes said. "It's pretty cool to have a guy like that to lean on for advice." Billy Horschel was eliminated from the five-man playoff on the first extra hole Sunday night when he narrowly missed a birdie putt, then shockingly missed a 2-foot putt. Hughes putts so well it was mildly surprising when he missed his 10-foot putt on the second playoff hole. "It ate at me a little bit knowing that I had 10 feet to win it," he said. "But I came out here to try to clear my mind, tell myself that I have a one-in-four chance." The odds looked worse when his 4-iron bounded over the green and down a steep slope. Making the pitch shot even more difficult is that the pin was 15 feet from the back edge, and the green ran quickly away from him. His pitch was a few feet from being perfect, but instead it stopped short of being on the green. Norlander was in the front bunker, while Barber was left of the green and Villegas was just over the back. Barber and Villegas used putter for their second shots. The last rookie to go wire-to-wire for his first win was Tim Herron at the 1996 Honda Classic. Hughes started this week with a 61, and he led after every round until he was posing with tournament host Davis Love III with the trophy. Hughes, who closed with a 69 and finished at 17-under 265, capped a memorable fall season. He began his rookie season by playing the final two rounds with Phil Mickelson and tying for 13th at the Safeway Open. Mickelson's caddie, Jim Mackay, said in a text message Saturday night, "I really like his moxie, he's got guts." In his only week off this fall, Hughes and his longtime girlfriend from Kent State, Jenna, were married. They plan a honeymoon in the off-season, and now he gets to plan a schedule that includes Kapalua, Augusta National and the PGA Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he lives. Hughes earned $1.08 million US. Villegas and Norlander do not have full PGA Tour cards, and a victory would have changed that. Villegas got into the field as a past champion, while Norlander has no PGA Tour status and received a sponsor's exemption. Villegas had made every big putt, from his birdies on the 16th and 17th in regulation to his 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to join the playoff, and another tough 4-foot putt in the dark Sunday night to stay alive. He missed from 7 feet Monday. "I just pushed it a tiny bit," Villegas. "But once again, I'm proud of myself. We want to win a golf tournament, so you go with a little bittersweet, but you've got to look at the positive and keep moving forward."

Canada's Mackenzie Hughes holed an 18-foot par putt from off the green Monday morning to win the RSM Classic and become the first rookie in 20 years to go wire-to-wire for his first PGA Tour victory.

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Warning: Viewing these 16 entries in the Food section’s sixth annual readers’ recipe contest may induce a mighty hankering for the red ripe fruit of summer.

Dozens of bikini-clad women and upset New York residents congregated outside New York City's public transit headquarters on Tuesday to protest the transport authority’s recent decision to ban a popular Georgi Vodka ad campaign, which features models donning sexy swimsuits, from appearing on buses that travel through certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn that are primarily populated by Hasidic Jewish communities. The Metropolitan Transit Authority's move was reportedly initiated in response to a string of complaints filed by religious groups in the New York borough. “We’re very upset about the censorship,” Georgi Vodka spokesperson Todd Shapiro told Pop Tarts. “We had about 50 girls pointing their backsides at the MTA as part of the protest, basically telling them to ‘butt’ out. The government should not be acting in a role of judging where an ad goes based on religious beliefs. The MTA has no place in segregating areas; it should be all or nothing.” Furthermore, Martin Silver, the President of Star Industries, which creates and supplies several premium liquors including Georgi Vodka, feels that MTA’s actions are a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment. “Both women [in the ads] are clothed. No inappropriate body parts are shown," Silver said at the protest. "These ads are clearly not pornography. The MTA has absolutely no right to censor these ads, and by doing so, they are directly denying Star Industries of its Constitutional rights.” However, Rabbi Shea Hecht, who serves as Chairman of the Board of the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education told us he has great respect for the First Amendment, but believes he also has a right to travel through his neighborhood with his children and not be offended. “Thirty years ago I was on the planning board in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and we approved shelters to be constructed at bus stops providing they did not show anything offensive to us. We're ecstatic that MTA made this decision and hope it sets a precedent for future advertising,” he said. “But where are the women’s rights activists in all of this? This campaign is insulting at least half the population. If they want to sell bikinis, then fine, put a girl in a bikini – but what does that have to do with vodka?” Nonetheless, the adult beverage company has no intention of resting until their controversial campaign is blasted across the backside of all buses that travel through Hasidic Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn. According to Shapiro, Georgi Vodka now plans to drive the billboard through these forbidden areas, encouraging locals to sign a petition for its reinstatement. MTA declined to comment on the issue. This is not the first time Georgi Vodka has come up against city officials. In 2006, a similar “Georgi Butt” advertisement, which showcased a woman’s backside in a string bikini, was yanked from city buses and deemed inappropriate for public viewing. It has since returned to MTA buses in New York City, with the exception of the restricted Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Bikini Models Protest Vodka Ad Ban in Hasidic Jewish Communities in Brooklyn

Tuesday, February 21th 1995, 3:71AM HOUSE SPEAKER Newt Gingrich talked bluntly to a Republican luncheon Thursday about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "The appropriation is gone," he said. "The game is over." Actually, what he means by "over" is that CPB, which recently fired his good friend, former congressman-turned-lobbyist Vin Weber, can go find its own money. To which National Public Radio President Delano Lewis is just as blunt: "Zero federal funding will kill public broadcasting." At the very least, it means the whole ballgame changes, because public radio stations (and TV stations, of course) now need more money from public donations, corporate underwriting and/or some form of "privatization," which Gingrich advocates, but which would work against the whole idea that this is programing that is not beholden to any special interest like an advertiser or private owner. Most public radio stations get 15%-20% of their operating budgets from federal funds less for big stations, more for smaller. But the bigger stations also produce much of the programing for smaller stations, so there's a reverse trickle-down effect. Gingrich and the Republicans earlier suggested they might preserve funding for the smaller stations like WPRL at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, a school that almost had a Heisman Trophy winner this fall in Steve McNair, but whose radio station gets half its money from the feds and would have to fire half its staff without it. Gingrich's comment last Thursday, however, suggests no one gets anything: "There's nothing public about public broadcasting. It's elitist. Rush Limbaugh is public broadcasting." Lewis doesn't think so: "To say Rush Limbaugh is public broadcasting reveals a total lack of understanding of objectivity, balance, journalistic standards and the need to provide accurate, in-depth information. It also suggests the Speaker's determination to kill public broadcasting has far more to do with ideology than economics." Lewis noted that polls show most Americans support public broadcasting, a fact he hopes will save some of the federal dollars for radio and TV. Meantime, not surprisingly, many public radio stations report greatly increased donations, as WNYC did last fall when Mayor Giuliani talked of selling it. WXPN and WHYY in Pennsylvania, WGBH in Boston, KCRW in Santa Monica, KQED in San Francisco and WETA in Washington all recently had record-breaking pledge drives. But this may be a one-time blip, whereas federal money could be gone for good. SMOOTH GROOVES: SW Networks, the radio syndication company whose "Pure Concrete" airs on WAXQ (104.3 FM) and which hopes to place a hip-hop show in New York soon, has also rolled out a seven-day, 24-hour network called "Smooth FM." Playing music like WQCD David Sanborn, Najee, etc. it doesn't have a New York station yet. But the deejays certainly have a New York flavor: Maria Milito of WXRK; Holly Levis of WQCD; Claire Stevens, formerly of Z-100; Paul Cavalconte, formerly of WDRE; Chris Frohne, formerly of WRCN; Ray Langert, formerly of WALK and WKJY, and Joe Marino of WYNY (who used to be Joe Davis on Z-100). "It's interesting," says Marino. "Now I'm playing instrumentals of tracks I used to play as rock songs." AROUND THE DIAL: Mayor Giuliani guests tomorrow, 7:40 a.m., on "Drivetime Dialog" over WWRL (1600 AM). . . . Ex-WCBS and WOR newsman Lou Adler is providing daily reports to WRKL (910 AM) one at 7:25 a.m. on law and one at 5:25 p.m. on health matters. Joanna Langfeld, formerly of WABC, will do a daily "People Report" at 8:25 a.m. and a video report at 6:25 p.m. . . . Joe Franklin and Richie Ornstein stumped their audience Saturday on WOR when they asked for the second song played by the station after it signed on in 1922. The first was Al Jolson's "April Showers," the second was Paul Whiteman's "Whispering."

HOUSE SPEAKER Newt Gingrich talked bluntly to a Republican luncheon Thursday about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "The appropriation is gone,"he said. "The game is over."Actually, what he means by "over"is that CPB, which recently fired his good friend, former congressman-turned-lobbyist Vin Weber, can go find its own money. To which National Public Radio President Delano Lewis is just as blunt: "Zero federal funding will kill public broadcasting."

NEW YORK – A man police say punched a 62-year-old New York City man in a park after threatening to "punch the first white man" he saw denies race played a role in the assault. Lashawn Marten told the Daily News (http://nydn.us/18gXdbW ) in a jailhouse interview Thursday he's punched people of various races and doesn't target anyone. Authorities say Jeffrey Babbitt died after he was struck, fell backward and hit his head last week in Union Square Park. Babbitt is white. Marten is black. The 31-year-old Marten declined to discuss details of the alleged attack but asked to see an autopsy report and a death certificate. Marten is being held on an assault charge, but upgraded charges are possible. A lawyer for Marten was not immediately available for comment. Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com

A man police say punched a 62-year-old New York City man in a park after threatening to punch the first white man he saw denies race played a role in the assault.

Germany, for so long criticised as the author of austerity, is being lavished with praise. Over the migrant crisis, it has demonstrated not just moral leadership, the German people have shown great acts of kindness to the refugees. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the German welcome as "breathtaking". In not many European countries would you find refugees being met with the chant: "Say it loud. Say it clear. Refugees are welcome here." The scale of the German undertaking is enormous. One state premier has now accepted publicly that the number of 800,000 refugees arriving in Germany "will need to be revised upwards". The deputy chancellor is now talking of Germany taking in 500,000 refugees annually for several years. The government in Berlin says that caring for the new arrivals will cost initially 6bn euros. For a long time, Angela Merkel believed her legacy would be determined by the fate of the eurozone. Not any more. The refugee crisis will define her years in power. She is already framing German hospitality through the prism of history: "I am happy that Germany has become a country that many people outside of Germany now associate with hope." In the background, however, there is growing criticism. Germany might have displayed leadership but has been "dangerously naive". The charge is that it has triggered a global migration that Europe will be unable to control. Germany misread the power of communication and globalisation. When Germany said that it would process asylum seekers wherever they had entered the EU, it sent a powerful signal that travel restrictions were easing. The policy was aimed at the Syrians and Iraqis fleeing the horrors of war, but on the roads and trains across Europe are thousands of people who see this as an opportunity to move to the EU. Among those fleeing war are groups of Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Nigerians. It is hard to calculate what percentage of those arriving are refugees or economic migrants. The UN believes that 50% of those arriving by sea are from Syria. The figure is much higher on the land-route north from Greece. And as several leaders have pointed out, Europe has a duty to offer asylum to those fleeing conflict. Another feature of this migration is the use of smartphones. Many of those moving through Europe follow the news closely. They are well informed and see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come to Europe. Many of them fear the window will close. The German government has tried to reassure the public by saying it will robustly separate economic migrants from refugees. It will not be easy. Will Europe really deport Pakistanis back home? Or will Germany just move against those who have arrived from the western Balkans, from Kosovo and Albania? Some of Europe's politicians - mainly from the right - are in full cry. The Hungarian leader Viktor Orban believes that Germany has acted in its own economic interest with little regard for the rest of Europe. In France, Marine Le Pen says: "Germany is probably thinking of its moribund demographics, and it is probably trying to lower salaries again." In truth, Berlin is more anxious about the path it has chosen than it reveals. Angela Merkel's coalition partners, the CSU, say the easing of the travel rules was a "wrong decision". Its leader, Horst Seehofer, says: "There is no society that can cope with something like this." So behind the scenes, Germany is exerting huge pressure on other countries to share the burden. Mrs Merkel persuaded French President Francois Hollande to ditch his doubts. She nudged the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, into softening his opposition to quotas. It has been a display of German power and influence. German warnings to those countries resistant to taking in refugees have a hint of threat about them. Angela Merkel says: "What isn't acceptable in my view is that some people are saying this has nothing to do with them. This won't work in the long run. There will be consequences." Her Deputy Chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, has warned that Europe's open borders - enshrined in the Schengen agreement - are at risk. This would not just be a political blow for Europe but also a "heavy economic blow". That focuses minds in Eastern Europe, so economically dependent on Germany. Angela Merkel has admitted that "what we are experiencing now is something that will change our country in the coming years". But in parts of Eastern Europe, they do not want to change their countries. The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, describes the idea of quotas as "irrational". "Migrants do not want to stay in Slovakia," he said. "There is no base for their religion here." The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, believes that the identity of Europe will be changed by the large number of Muslims among the refugees. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, warns that this exodus could last for years and that "it is important to learn how to live with it without blaming each other". Certainly Europe will be changed by these past weeks. The faces on the railway tracks will be the faces of new Europeans. Many will settle and stay. It will require enormous sensitivity and skill on the part of Europe's leaders to pass on Europe's values to new arrivals. It will be a historic challenge. Germany's generosity might transform the relationship between Europeans and people in the Middle East. But if the numbers prove impossible to manage, if ordinary Europeans become fearful that the nature of their societies will change, then Mrs Merkel will be blamed for a profound miscalculation with implications for European unity. The Schengen Agreement led to the creation of Europe's borderless Schengen Area. The treaty was signed on 14 June 1985 by five of the 10 member states of the European Economic Community, near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, but wasn't implemented for a further decade. It proposed the gradual abolition of border checks at the signatories' common borders. The Schengen Area operates very much like a single state for international travel purposes. There are external border controls for travellers entering and exiting the area and common visas, but no internal border controls. It currently consists of 26 European countries covering a population of more than 400 million people. The UK and Republic of Ireland have opted out.

If ordinary Europeans become fearful the migrant crisis will change the nature of their societies, then German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be blamed for a profound miscalculation with implications for European unity, says Gavin Hewitt.

The State Department has no new information on the whereabouts or welfare of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, detained two weeks ago in Iran, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Tuesday. “We remain concerned about his detention in Iran,” along with others seized July 22, Psaki said. “Our focus is on doing everything possible to secure the safe return and release of Mr. Rezaian and the others detained with him,” Psaki said. “We, of course, call on the Iranian government and continue to call on the Iranian government to immediately release him and the other individuals.” Rezaian was arrested with his wife, Iranian journalist Yeganeh Salehi, and two other people. One was released but the others remain jailed and have not been heard from. Iran has announced no charges. The names of the others arrested with Rezaian and Salehi have not been made widely public, but Psaki noted that both Rezaian and the third person held hold dual citizenship. Mary Rezaian pleads for the Iranian government to release her son, Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, and his wife Yeganeh Salehi. The two were arrested last week on undetermined charges in Tehran along with two others, one of whom has since been released. (Provided to The Washington Post) The State Department has requested access to Rezaian and the other dual national, working through Switzerland, which has acted as an intermediary since the rupture of U.S.-Iranian diplomatic relations following the 1979 revolution. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, considering those who hold it to be Iranian only, and thus routinely denies such requests for jailhouse visits by the Swiss. Psaki said there was no update to report on the Swiss request, indicating that Iran has either denied the request or has not responded. Psaki also said she could not corroborate or refute media reports on Monday that a caretaker or doorman at Rezaian’s apartment building died after an altercation with Iranian security agents seeking Rezaian’s arrest. “We, of course, have seen the reports that an individual in Mr. Rezaian’s building died from injuries sustained” at the time of the arrest, Psaki said. “We don't have any further information or confirmation of those reports.” The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not respond to a question about the veracity of those reports or queries about Rezaian’s whereabouts or status. Iran has periodically arrested dual nationals visiting or working in Iran, in some cases holding them for many months. Asked Tuesday about the United States’ continued negotiations with Iran while it holds Americans, Psaki said the matters are separate. The talks, which will resume within a month, are aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Anne Gearan is The Washington Post's diplomatic correspondent. SECTION: {section=world, subsection=national-security}!!! 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State Department seeking access to jailed Post reporter in Iran

Sitting next to Stew at a lodge outside Park City last Friday on the day of the premiere, Mr. Lee said that he saw the musical at the Public and had a visceral, immediate response. “When you are a young black kid, you see three options,” he said, tearing into a salmon filet while he talked. “You can be a rapper, a baller in the N.B.A. or N.F.L., or end up slinging drugs on the corner. But being an artist? C’mon.” Mr. Lee, 51, became a filmmaker when there were few role models, so watching a musical about a young man who riffs his way through church choir, punk rock and an Amsterdam and Berlin sojourn on his way to becoming a rocker hit him hard. “I was blown away,” Mr. Lee said. “It knocked me out, and I told everyone I knew. I brought my wife back, I told Wesley Snipes, I told everyone, but the thing that killed me is that I know a lot of very hip black folks in New York, and you know what, for whatever reason — marketing, maybe because it had a lot of rock and roll, no R&B, no hip-hop — they never heard of it. But if it wasn’t for Bo Diddley and Little Richard, there wouldn’t be such a thing as rock ’n’ roll.” “Passing Strange” is a bit of a corrective, a reminder that historical tropes are just that: old news. Stew and Mr. Lee had their eyes very much on the presidential inauguration on Tuesday, not just for what it means for the country, but also for what it means in terms of knocking down notions of what black people want or care about. “I mean, look at what’s on Obama’s iPod,” Stew said. “He’s lived abroad, he’s interested in all kinds of music and all kinds of things. I get really tired of what is expected of a race or a people. All kinds of people want all kinds of things.” “I can remember the shock when ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ came out,” he added, referring to Mr. Lee’s 1986 film that took the notion that black women just danced in attendance to men who always seem to be players, and flipped it. “I knew every single type of person in that movie, but those people had never been on screen before.” “Same thing with the play,” he added. “You’ve seen this kid before, but never in a play.” Mr. Lee, who is not generally short on demands on his time, said the decision to turn his camera on “Passing Strange” was a simple one. “I wanted to meet the crazy genius who put this together — I had to know him — but more importantly, I had a really personal connection to a lot of the elements in the story,” he said. “I thought that making a film about it seemed like a way to make sure the most people saw what this guy had accomplished.” Stew, 47, whose full name is Mark Stewart, has already accomplished a great deal. “Passing Strange” was nominated for seven Tony awards and won best book in addition to two Obies and a Drama Desk Award. Given its history at the Sundance Institute Theater lab in 2004, it is a sweet turn that it ended up back at the festival that bears its name five years later. “We’re thrilled,” said Robert Redford, sitting in a booth at Zoom restaurant in Park City. “We worked with Stew a lot because it was clear that he was enormously talented and that he had a wonderful story to tell. And now to have Spike here with the film is a remarkable moment for the festival.” Stew said that after the musical was commissioned by the Public, pairing him and his partner, Heidi Rodewald, with the director Annie Dorsen, he went to the theater lab, where he began to write seriously. “I had been a songwriter,” he said, “but I came here, I had a room with a view, a desk and a deadline.” Mr. Lee said that having a songbook serve as the bones of a narrative has its perils, “but this guy had lived a life.” “He had something to write about,” he added. In his storied career as a filmmaker, Mr. Lee has made big movies and little movies, indies and studio, flops and hits, but has never been to Sundance before now. Grabbing some lunch before the premiere in a white Yankees cap trimmed in fluffy white fake fur — “I’m not taking a poll, I’m just trying to stay warm” — he just shrugged when he was asked how that might be. “Just never happened.” From under the brim of his fedora, Stew riffed a bit as he spoke of their joint presence here in a place known for Mormonism and snow. “He and I, just by being here, have had an impact on the black people demographic in Utah.,” Stew said. “You know those signs that say, ‘Welcome to Utah’ and list the population? They added a few little black squares in our honor. They’re going to take ’em off when we leave.”

The musical “Passing Strange” is back, this time as a filmed version of the live show, directed by Spike Lee.

Nintendo’s announcements at E3 will please long-time loyalists but the company is taking steps to attract new fans too — something it has struggled with since the launch of the Wii U console. Nintendo provided some details on its plans for a line of figurines that will work with its videogames. The toys, which operate along the lines of the hit “Skylanders” and “Disney: Infinity” games, will be called “Amiibo” and will use near-field communication chips that can store and share data from games. The first game that will work with Amiibo will be the new “Super Smash Bros.” title coming to the Wii U this holiday season. There will be about 10 figures launching alongside the game. Here’s how it works: Tapping the base of an Amiibo toy on the Wii U tablet controller brings that character into Smash Bros. to fight. Amiibo characters won’t be controllable in Smash Bros. — players will just have sit back and watch. But players will be allowed to train their Amiibo to build up fighting skills. This, Nintendo said, will make it so that each person’s Amiibo has its own unique attributes. No two figurines will have the same data. Eventually, other Wii U games will be compatible with Amiibo, including the recently released “Mario Kart 8,” the next entry in the long-running “Mario Party” franchise, and two new games: ”Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker” and “Yoshi’s Woolly World.” An NFC reader accessory for Nintendo’s 3DS handhelds and Amiibo will launch in 2015 as well. Even More ‘Super Smash Bros.’ The Amiibo integration wasn’t the only Smash Bros. news. The Wii U version of the forthcoming fighting game will let players use their Mii characters — the avatars that Nintendo introduced on prior-generation Wii console. Including the custom-made characters, which have been featured already in games such as Wii Sports, will allow gamers to play as themselves or any other Miis they create (Nintendo showed Miis they made for Abe Lincoln, Ice T and Elijah Wood). Though Smash Bros. doesn’t come out until later this year, Nintendo and Best Buy have teamed up to host a “Smash Fest” that will let people try the game in stores over the next few weeks. Nintendo also will sell a reissued GameCube controller and adapter (that works with up to four controllers) for the Wii U, so gamers can use the old-school style controller when Smash Bros. goes on sale. The adapter will sell for $20 and the controller will sell for $30. There will also be a special bundle that will include the Wii U game, a GameCube controller and the adapter, for $99.99. ‘Zelda’ in the Open World If you love Nintendo, it’s a good bet you love Zelda. In 2015, an entirely new “Legend of Zelda” — one of the company’s best-selling franchises — will hit the Wii U. Nintendo promises to push the series in a new direction. The as-yet untitled Zelda game will be an open-world game, which will allow players to roam around taking on puzzles and dungeons and tasks in any order they wish. The Zelda series has experimented with nonlinear gameplay before, with “The Ocarina of Time” on the Nintendo 64. But Nintendo says the world of this game will be larger and more expansive than any other Zelda game before it, and players will even have the ability to roam and trek distant mountains if they prefer. Meanwhile, three Zelda characters (Link, Princess Zelda and Impa) will show up in a new hack-and-slash adventure game called “Hyrule Warriors” for Wii U. “Hyrule Warriors” is set for a Sept. 26, 2014, release date. While most of Nintendo’s news involved new games starring well-known characters, the company has one wholly new property in Splatoon, a kid-friendly shooting game. The game centers around multiplayer battles where two different teams of players square off, shooting colored ink on the ground to claim their respective territory. Each character can also turn into a squid and swim around in the ink—you swim faster in your own color and slower in a rival’s. Splatoon is set to launch in the first half of 2015 and is playable at E3. Mario Sidekicks in Their Own Games For the first time, Toadstool from “Super Mario Bros.” will star in his own title: “Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.” Nintendo didn’t offer many details on the Wii U game, but the Wii U touchscreen tablet will be used to change the perspective of the on-screen camera to help Toad collect coins, gems, stars and through various levels—similar to the gameplay seen in “Super Mario 3D World.” Caption Toad goes on sale later this year. Yoshi, Mario’s dinosaur companion and sometimes steed, has had games of his own for years. The next one will be “Yoshi’s Woolly World,” set for a 2015 release. In this platforming Wii U game, Yoshi looks like he’s made of knitted yarn, and he’ll travel through worlds made of felt, cotton and … yes … more yarn. The game is a sort of spiritual successor to “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” from the Wii, which first introduced this theme. Kirby is getting a new Wii U game, too, but instead of yarn he’ll be made of clay. “Kirby and the Rainbow Curse,” set for 2015, and is a platfomer that will look and play like a stop-motion claymation film. The new Kirby title will use the Wii U GamePad to bring some drawing mechanics into play as well. A new Wii U title called “Mario Maker” is coming in 2015. Players will be able to create their own Mario levels in the style of the original “Super Mario Bros.” game or the “New Super Mario Bros. U” game. Nintendo is also resurrecting one of its most popular franchises, “Star Fox,” with a planned Wii U game. In it, the view of Fox McCloud’s cockpit will be on the GamePad, while what’s seen on TV will be the perspective from behind the hero’s Arwing plane. The game will let players fly or drive a tank on the ground, switching between the two with the press of a button. A new helicopter will be introduced as well. The game is currently set for a 2015 release.

Nintendo’s announcements at E3 will please long-time loyalists but the company is taking steps to attract new fans too -- something it has struggled with since the launch of the Wii U console.

Two presidential elections ago, the conventional wisdom said that George W. Bush was a likable, honest fellow. But those of us who actually analyzed what he was saying about policy came to a different conclusion — namely, that he was irresponsible and deeply dishonest. His numbers didn’t add up, and in his speeches he simply lied about the content of his own proposals. In the fifth year of the disastrous war Mr. Bush started on false pretenses, it’s clear who was right. What a candidate says about policy, not the supposedly revealing personal anecdotes political reporters love to dwell on, is the best way to judge his or her character. So what are the current presidential candidates saying about policy, and what does it tell us about them? Well, none of the leading Republican candidates have said anything substantive about policy. Go through their speeches and campaign materials and you’ll see a lot of posturing, especially about how tough they are on terrorists — but nothing at all about what they actually plan to do. In fact, I suspect that the real reason most of the Republicans are ducking a YouTube debate is that they’re afraid they would be asked questions about policy, rather than being invited to compare themselves to Ronald Reagan. But didn’t Rudy Giuliani just announce a health care plan? No, he vaguely described a tax cut proposal that he says would do something good for health care. (Most experts disagree.) But he offered no specifics about how the plan would work, how much it would cost or how he would pay for it. As Ezra Klein of The American Prospect has pointed out, in the speech announcing his “plan” — and since no policy document has been released, the speech is all we have to go on — Mr. Giuliani never uttered the word “uninsured.” He did, however, repeatedly denounce “socialized medicine” or some variant thereof. The entire G.O.P. field, then, fails the substance test. There is, by contrast, a lot of substance on the Democratic side, with John Edwards forcing the pace. Most notably, in February, Mr. Edwards transformed the whole health care debate with a plan that offers a politically and fiscally plausible path to universal health insurance. Whatever the fate of the Edwards candidacy, Mr. Edwards will deserve a lot of the credit if and when we do get universal care in this country. Mr. Edwards has also offered a detailed, sensible plan for tax reform, and some serious antipoverty initiatives. Four months after the Edwards health care plan was announced, Barack Obama followed with a broadly similar but somewhat less comprehensive plan. Like Mr. Edwards, Mr. Obama has also announced a serious plan to fight poverty. Hillary Clinton, however, has been evasive. She conveys the impression that there’s not much difference between her policy positions and those of the other candidates — but she’s offered few specifics. In particular, unlike Mr. Edwards or Mr. Obama, she hasn’t announced a specific universal care plan, or explicitly committed herself to paying for health reform by letting some of the Bush tax cuts expire. For those who believe that the time for universal care has come, this lack of specifics is disturbing. In fact, what Mrs. Clinton said about health care in February’s Democratic debate suggested a notable lack of urgency: “Well, I want to have universal health care coverage by the end of my second term.” On Saturday, at the YearlyKos Convention in Chicago, she sounded more forceful: “Universal health care will be my highest domestic priority as president.” But does this represent a real change in position? It’s hard to know, since she has said nothing about how she would cover the uninsured. And even if you believe Mrs. Clinton’s contention that her positions could never be influenced by lobbyists’ money — a remark that drew boos and hisses from the Chicago crowd — there’s reason to worry about the big contributions she receives from the insurance and drug industries. Are they simply betting on the front-runner, or are they also backing the Democratic candidate least likely to hurt their profits? All of the leading Democratic candidates are articulate and impressive. It’s easy to imagine any of them as president. But after what happened in 2000, it worries me that Mrs. Clinton is showing an almost Republican aversion to talking about substance.

What are the presidential candidates saying about policy, and what does it tell us about them?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Fitch Ratings on Tuesday reaffirmed the United States' AAA credit rating. The move comes less than two weeks after Standard & Poor's downgraded the United States' long-term debt to AA+. "[T]he key pillars of US's exceptional creditworthiness remains intact: its pivotal role in the global financial system and the flexible, diversified and wealthy economy that provides its revenue base. Monetary and exchange rate flexibility further enhances the capacity of the economy to absorb and adjust to 'shocks,' " Fitch said in a statement. Fitch did add a caveat, however. It would likely revise its outlook on the U.S. rating to negative from stable if the congressional committee charged with proposing at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction fails to reach agreement, or if the economic recovery proves weaker than expected. That means there would be a greater than 50% chance that Fitch would downgrade the country within two years. Still, that's more lenient than Moody's, which reaffirmed the United States' AAA status in early August but announced it was also lowering its outlook on U.S. debt to "negative." Moody's left open the possibility that it might downgrade the United States if the recent debt ceiling deal fails to achieve the deficit reduction promised, if the economic outlook deteriorates significantly or if interest rates spike and increase the government's borrowing costs. Reaffirmation of the U.S. sterling rating by Fitch and Moody's is no doubt some comfort to the Obama administration, which expressed anger and frustration when Standard & Poor's on Aug. 5 downgraded the United States, citing the "political brinksmanship" in the debt-ceiling debate as indication that governance in Washington has become "less stable, less effective, and less predictable." The difference in opinion between the credit rating agencies is less about the facts of U.S. debt than about their level of skepticism regarding lawmakers' ability to compromise and follow through on meaningful debt reduction. The Fitch news didn't appear to offer much support to stocks on Tuesday morning, as traders were consumed by news of the European debt crisis and slower-than-expected growth.

Fitch Ratings on Tuesday morning reaffirmed the United States' AAA credit rating. The move comes less than two weeks after Standard & Poor's downgraded the United States' long-term debt to AA+.

BAGHDAD — A series of daring but little noticed breakouts from Iraqi prisons has freed hundreds of hardened militants who are now among the leaders and foot soldiers of the radical Sunni groups operating in neighboring Syria and, increasingly, in Iraq itself. The role of the former inmates in fueling a new wave of Sunni jihad across the region is an unfortunate reminder of the breakdown of authority in Iraq since the United States departed in 2011, of the security vacuum that has spread around the region and of the continuing threat of Sunni-led terrorist groups that the United States said it was fighting during its occupation of Iraq. The prison breaks also reflect the surging demand for experienced fighters, which led to a concerted effort by militant groups, particularly the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, to seek them in the one place where they were held en masse — Iraq’s prison cells. That group even had a name for its prison strategy, “Operation Breaking the Walls,” which unfolded during a 12-month campaign from July 2012 until a major break at Abu Ghraib, the main Iraqi prison, on the western outskirts of the capital, in July 2013. In all, American officials estimate, a few hundred of the escapees have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, several in senior leadership roles. While the group was already gaining strength in this period, an American counterterrorism official said, “The influx of these terrorists, who collectively have decades of battlefield experience, probably has strengthened the group and deepened its leadership bench.” One such escapee was Abu Aisha, who declined to be identified by his full name and is now leading a group of Qaeda fighters on the western edge of Falluja, his hometown, which for nearly six weeks has been held by antigovernment Sunni fighters. With Falluja under siege, the American government has been rushing guns, ammunition and missiles to help the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces and allied tribal fighters retake the city, where so many American Marines once fought — and died — nearly 10 years ago. Abu Aisha was a car mechanic before 2003 but found new purpose in fighting the Americans. Many detainees, himself included, he said, spent their time in prison learning the ways of militant Islam, studying the Quran and Shariah law and preparing to return to waging jihad once free. Abu Aisha was originally arrested by the Americans and then released from Camp Bucca, the infamous American prison in southern Iraq, in 2008. He was rearrested by the Iraqis in 2010. “Finally, they put me in Abu Ghraib, and I again met some of the leaders and fighters I knew, including princes from Al Qaeda — Iraqis, Arabs and other nationalities,” he said. “Most of them had been at Bucca as well.” One night last summer, as Abu Aisha sat in his cell waiting, as he did each day, for his date with the executioner, explosions and gunfire erupted and a familiar prison guard opened the doors to his cell and told him to leave immediately. With hundreds of others, Abu Aisha ran through the prison’s corridors until he escaped through a hole that had been blasted through a wall. He hopped into a waiting Kia truck that took him to freedom — and back to the battlefield. Abu Aisha said leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria gave him a choice: leave and fight with them in Syria, or stay and fight in Iraq. “Many of the leaders that I know went to Syria and the jihad there once they fled from Abu Ghraib,” he said in a recent interview. “Other fighters went there after a while because they felt they would be freer in Syria. I decided to stay with my group.” The prison breaks, and the mayhem they helped fuel in Syria, also had the effect of altering the calculus of many Western officials toward the war there. In the beginning, they saw the conflict in the terms of a dictator — President Bashar al-Assad — brutally oppressing his largely peaceful opponents. But after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria took on an increasingly important role in the fighting there — often battling with more moderate insurgent groups, to the dismay of Al Qaeda, which broke ties with ISIS over the issue — Western powers were even more reluctant to intervene. Osama al-Nujaifi, the speaker of Iraq’s Parliament and the country’s most important Sunni politician, said that the escaped fighters “went to Syria to lead large fighting groups there.” “So, people started thinking, Is Bashar better, or is Qaeda better?” he said. Many Western experts have blamed Turkey’s open-door policy along its southern border with Syria for fostering the growth of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and other extremist groups. But Turkish officials have pushed back, citing intelligence reports that trace the growth of the group to the Iraqi prison breaks. More than 600 prisoners are believed to have escaped in the largest of these sophisticated attacks, facilitated by corrupt prison guards who were easily bought, the officials said. Two prison breaks in particular — the one at Abu Ghraib and the other, in September 2012, in the northern city of Tikrit — have had a significant impact on the group’s overall capacity to undermine Iraqi security and contributed to its expansion in Syria, the officials said. In the Tikrit break, for instance, 47 death row detainees escaped, and they appear to have been instrumental in facilitating the group’s re-energizing and escalation of operations throughout 2013, according to Charles Lister, a visiting scholar at the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. American officials said more than 500 prisoners escaped in the Abu Ghraib operation alone. They also say that “the majority” of the escapees had been originally detained by Iraqi forces, but acknowledged that large numbers — perhaps scores — had been captured during American operations in Iraq before the United States military left the country at the end of 2011. Shaker Waheeb, perhaps the most dangerous Al Qaeda figure to emerge here recently, was one of those captured. Mr. Waheeb was studying computer science at a university in Anbar when the American invasion of Iraq led him to quickly change paths and fight the Americans. He was detained and held in Camp Bucca before being turned over to the Iraqis. He escaped from the prison in Tikrit in late 2012. In Iraq, Mr. Waheeb has become something of a cult figure for up-and-coming jihadis — he has been referred to as the heir apparent to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the brutal Qaeda leader who was killed by American forces in 2006 — and public enemy No. 1 to the broader public. Iraqi officials have claimed more than once to have killed him, but today he is a key figure leading the fighting within Falluja. Last summer, he was seen on a grisly video executing three Shiite truck drivers on the side of a highway in the deserts of Anbar Province and was linked to an attack in which 14 Shiite truck drivers in Iraq were found beheaded. Among the more moderate fighting groups within Syria, the prison breaks have helped stoke conspiracy theories that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which has been fighting recently with the groups, is a pawn of the Assad government. While there is no evidence to back that up, some said they believed that the Syrian government — with assistance from the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, which has largely sided with Mr. Assad — helped orchestrate the escapes. “By doing this, exporting more foreign fighters to Syrian territory, the Maliki government did Assad’s regime a favor by supporting his claim of fighting terrorism inside Syria,” said Abduljabbar Osso, a rebel leader in Aleppo who has been fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Another rebel commander, Lt. Col. Ahmad al-Aboud, said that the moment his people heard about the prison escapes in Iraq, “We knew we would face more trouble after that.” “We have always faced difficulties smuggling light weapons from Iraq to Syria through the Iraq border,” he said, “but it was very easy for ISIS to get full patrols of vehicles, weapons and fighters across to Syria.” The Iraqi government has done little to explain how the prison breaks happened, although most agree that the inmates had help from the inside. Parliament members said that when they tried to investigate the Abu Ghraib break, they were stymied by security forces and top government officials. “Unfortunately, the government did not allow us to even get close to the prison for a week,” said Shwan Muhammed, a member of Parliament and one of the investigators. Not all of the escaped prisoners returned to the fight. Ahmed al-Dulaymi, 31, who fled from Abu Ghraib, is working as a farmer in Diyala Province, another Qaeda stronghold, using fake identification. Like many Sunnis in Iraq, he explains the recent resurgence of Sunni extremism as a reaction to the policies of the Shiite-dominated government, including broad security sweeps that have landed many innocent Sunni men in prison. “Many of my friends were good people, but because of the government’s actions, my friends have become dangerous people and leaders in Al Qaeda,” he said. “Injustice is what gives birth to Al Qaeda.” Tim Arango reported from Baghdad, and Eric Schmitt from Washington. Reporting was contributed by Duraid Adnan and Yasir Ghazi from Baghdad, Karam Shoumali from Istanbul, and employees of The New York Times from Anbar and Diyala Provinces, Iraq. A version of this article appears in print on February 13, 2014, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Escaped Inmates From Iraq Fuel Syria Insurgency. 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Prison breakouts in Iraq have freed hundreds of militants who have joined radical Sunni groups operating in neighboring Syria and in Iraq itself.

“Silent Night” has new meaning for a Louisiana church after they were issued criminal sanctions because their worship services exceeded 60 decibels – which is about the same noise level of a dishwasher. The executive pastor of Vintage Church was issued a criminal summons and the rest of the staff was threatened with “physical arrest” if they used any microphones or amplified sound in their worship services, according to a lawsuit filed by Liberty Institute. Click here to join Todd’s American Dispatch – a must-read for conservatives! Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office are named in the lawsuit – alleging that the local government is “imposing unwarranted and unreasonable demands on the members of Vintage Church.” If it’s okay to use a jackhammer on Sunday morning, why isn’t it okay to worship Jesus? “Federal and Louisiana law both protect Vintage Church from this sort of targeted enforcement,” Liberty Institute attorney Justin Butterfield said. For the record, I reached out to the sheriff for comment – but he declined to speak to me. The trouble started back in August when the small evangelical congregation announced plans to expand its existing sanctuary – located within a subdivision. However, that meant the church had to temporarily relocate its two Sunday morning worship services to an enclosed outdoor tent. The church applied for, and was granted a permit to erect the structure. On Aug. 9, a neighbor called authorities to complain about the noise levels. On Aug. 18, the church was told by the sheriff’s office that any sounds before 8:50 a.m. had to be kept below 60 decibels. They also told the church they could not set up for the Sunday service until after 8:50 a.m. Pastor Rob Wilton told me that was the start of what would become weekly visits by heavy-handed authorities. “It’s been difficult,” he told me. “We have been consistently hassled by our neighbors and by the parish officials since the first of August - every single week.” By Nov. 12 the sheriff’s office escalated their bullying tactics by issuing a stern warning to the church – vowing to either “issue summons or even ‘physically arrest’ Vintage Church personnel if any amplified sound were used by the church for the first service, including the pastor’s use of a microphone to preach, regardless of the sound levels.” So that meant no microphones, no electric guitars, no musical instruments that required amplification. The church complied with those demands – but it turned out not to matter. The following was written in the lawsuit: “On Nov. 15th, 2015, six JPSO officers in six marked JPSO vehicles, plus Sheriff (Newell) Normand in an unmarked black SUV, arrived at Vintage Church in response to a neighbor’s call. Vintage Church was not using any sound amplification, but JPSO officers demanded to inspect the equipment in the Vintage Church’s tent to ensure that there was no sound amplification. Vintage Church’s pastors showed the JPSO officers that all sound equipment was unplugged. JPSO nevertheless issued a second summons to Pastor (Matt) Brichetto, stating that the sound levels were above 60 dB without any amplification at all.” What the heck were they supposed to do – whisper the morning sermon? “I preached without a microphone but we still received a second criminal summons,” the pastor told me. “They literally issued the summons in front of the congregation. Thankfully they allowed me to continue to preach.” The executive pastor had previously been slapped with a criminal summons – delivered in front of stunned church members. “They even took his fingerprints on our property,” Pastor Wilton told me. Let’s put this in some perspective, folks. The church was not hosting a weekly Guns & Roses concert. It was a worship service. Liberty Institute says parish ordinances allow local residents to engage in all sorts of activities on Sunday morning that are much louder than 60 decibels. “The parish allows things like lawn mowers and jackhammers starting at 8 a.m. on Sunday while placing these burdensome restrictions on the church,” attorney Butterfield told me. If it’s okay to use a jackhammer on Sunday morning, why isn’t it okay to worship Jesus? There are always two sides to a story. The neighbors may very well have a valid argument. But since neither the neighbors nor the sheriff’s office want to go on the record, we don’t know what that argument might be. Regardless, the storm trooper tactics of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office are uncalled for. “We are seeing more and more of this sort of hostility toward churches in the United States,” Butterfield told me. “Five or ten years ago the idea that a church would be issued a criminal summons and would be subjected to this sort of continuous investigation just for having a worship service would be unthinkable.” I’m certain that Sheriff Normand has much more important things to do on a Sunday morning than bully and harass a small evangelical church. Perhaps he might consider spending next Sunday reading the Good Book or the U.S. Constitution. Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter@ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.

“Silent Night” has new meaning to a Louisiana church after they were issued criminal sanctions because their worship services exceeded 60 decibels

After Russian scientists finally reached an Antarctic lake cut off from the world for thousands of years, Quentin Cooper wonders why reports suggest they might encounter dinosaurs. As a child of, oh, about seven, I decided to tunnel from my back garden to the other side of the world. My reasoning was sound – provided each day I dug a little deeper it would only be a matter of time before I reached Australia. After a week I got bored and gave up. Which is why I marvel at the Russians who did not. The ones two-and-a-half miles above Lake Vostok in the Antarctic who – despite having to brave the coldest recorded temperature on Earth – kept their gaze resolutely downwards for more than a decade, drilling a little deeper every year until just weeks ago, when they finally reached the surface of this largest and most secluded subglacial lake. An amazing achievement... providing they haven’t already gone too far and contaminated the pristine waters and fragile ecosystems it is presumed to contain. There is general agreement in much of the media coverage that its untouched waters have been cut off from the outside world for a staggering 10-20 million years – “isolated from earthly life forms since before Man existed”, as one newspaper put it. The researchers insist they have been ultra-careful... although according to a Russian state-owned news agency they have already sampled the lake water and gifted some to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who said it was “interesting” because “dinosaurs drank it”. Curiouser still, the liquid was apparently yellowish. Inevitably, given such elements, some articles have made references to Arthur Conan Doyle’s 100-year-old novel The Lost World, suggesting the tunnelling Russians could break through to find, if not actual dinosaurs, then all manner of strange creatures previously thought extinct. A far better fictional forerunner for these eager ice burrowers is Edgar Rice Burroughs, and his novels The Land That Time Forgot and The People That Time Forgot, both filmed with dodgy special effects in the 1970s. As with The Lost World you get stop-motion dinosaurs still at large, but here just like Lake Vostok the long cut-off ecosystem is close to the South Pole, surrounded by ice and accessed by going under water. The tag line for one of the films was even “A lost world shut off by a wall of ice, roamed by beasts unknown to science”, which could have come straight from tabloid reports of the Russian drilling. These and other fantasy sources all trickle into the news coverage, polluting our expectations. It seems almost churlish to point out that 10-20 million years is how long Lake Vostok has been under ice, not how long the water within it has been isolated. There is growing evidence that its contents are perpetually freezing and being replaced by water from other parts of the ice sheet melting under high pressure, and that it may be more realistic to think in terms of whatever is down there being cut off for 10-20 thousand years rather than 10-20 million. Even if the water had been locked away untouched for 20 million years, this is nowhere near long enough for the dinosaurs mentioned by Putin to put in an appearance – they were wiped out around 65 million years ago. However, 20,000 years is still enough to mean there is a good chance of finding some unknown microbes in the lake. Drilling through the ice has already produced cores containing bacteria, fungi and algae, related to, but different from species at the surface today. Or just as intriguing would be if there is nothing – making it the only spot on Earth to have natural water without life.

BBC Future description goes here

By the end of this year, the world is projected to reach an unheralded but historic milestone: Half of the fish and shellfish we consume will be raised by humans, rather than caught in the wild. Reaching this tipping point is reshaping everything from our oceans to the livelihoods and diets of people across the globe. It has also prompted a new round of scientific and political scrutiny, as researchers and public officials examine how aquaculture is affecting the world's environment and seafood supply. "Hunting and gathering has reached its maximum," said Ronald W. Hardy, who directs the University of Idaho's Aquaculture Research Institute and co-authored a study on the subject in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "We've got to grow more." The drive to bring fish "from egg to plate," as Hardy puts it, has the potential to answer a growing demand for seafood worldwide, as well as reduce some of the imports that compose more than 80 percent of the fish and shellfish Americans eat each year. But without technological advances to improve efficiency, it could threaten to wipe out the forage fish that lie at the bottom of the ocean's food chain and potentially contaminate parts of the sea. And consumers will have to accept that they are eating a different kind of fish than the ones that swim wild: ones that might have eaten unused poultry trimmings, been vaccinated, consumed antibiotics or been selected for certain genetic traits. Although there is still debate about farming's share of the world fish supply -- the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization estimates it stood at 44.3 percent in 2007, whereas the PNAS study says it will reach over half in a matter of months -- no one questions that aquaculture has grown exponentially as the world's wild catch has flattened out. In 1970, farmed fish accounted for 6.3 percent of global seafood supply. This trend reflects global urbanization -- studies show that as more people move to cities, they are consuming more seafood -- but it is changing the world's seascape as well. Vessels now venture to the Antarctic Ocean to catch the tiny krill that have sustained penguins and seals there for millennia, and slender poles strung with farmed oysters and seaweed jut out of Japan's once-pristine Matsushima Bay. Chinese freshwater fish farms are replacing traditional agricultural plots there, according to Karen Seto of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Nature Conservancy senior scientist Mike Beck said some Chinese bays are so crammed with net pens that they are no longer navigable. Moreover, fishermen such as Shannon Moore, who catches salmon in Washington state's Puget Sound, worries about how farmed fish's parasites are affecting wild stocks. "These young wild critters are pretty small, and they can ill afford to have these hitchhikers on them," Moore said, referring to parasites that plague juveniles migrating near Canadian fish farms. But aquaculture's proponents suggest that farming represents the best chance of giving people a chance to make a living off the sea. Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, noted that three-quarters of his group's members are either current or former commercial fishermen, and although the average age of Mainers with a fishing lease permit is 57, the average for those with a fish-farm permit is 33. "It's really the next generation of watermen," Belle said. Jane Lubchenco, who used to write about aquaculture's environmental impacts as an academic before taking the helm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced this month that her agency will come up with a national policy to address fish farming. "It's important that aquaculture be done in a way that's sustainable," she said in an interview. America now ranks as a minor player in global aquaculture: It accounts for 5 percent of the nation's seafood supply, but the $1.2 billion in annual production is 1.5 percent of the world's total. In 2006, China supplied 62 percent of the world's farmed fish and shellfish, according to FAO.

By the end of this year, the world is projected to reach an unheralded but historic milestone: Half of the fish and shellfish we consume will be raised by humans, rather than caught in the wild.

Thursday, October 13th 2011, 4:00 AM Give us a break. It should be impossible in this city to rack up, oh, 186 arrests without someone stepping in to say enough. Hasn't happened, and so Greg Washington has become well known to the NYPD as New York's Squeegee King. You pull up to a light. Washington comes forward with windshield-washing equipment and sets intimidatingly to work. If cops are around, you see Washington busted and, likely, you believe the criminal justice system will take its deterrent toll. Not even close, because Washington is about to be processed through Criminal Court, the place where New York's quality of life goes to die. Yesterday, after the Daily News featured Washington's latest arrest on the front page, he was arraigned before Judge Michelle Armstrong and was quite amenable to pleading guilty. The Manhattan district attorney's office asked for a 15-day sentence, essentially the maximum punishment for the misdemeanor of aggressive solicitation. Armstrong meted out 10 days, a short sojourn to three hots and a cot on Rikers Island for Washington. Homeless and apparently mentally ill, he'll soon enough be back to squeezing drivers for money, because that's just what he does. Washington's spin in the revolving door illustrates two important points. The first is that the Legislature, notably the Democratic-controlled Assembly, won't get tough with repeat misdemeanants. DA Cy Vance is among those who have called for converting, say, an eighth misdemeanor conviction into a felony. Had such a statute been in effect, Washington, who has been arrested 17 times in 2011 alone, would have faced serious jail time. That prospect would likely have focused the minds of the judge and Washington's court-appointed lawyer on diverting him into a mental health program aimed at curbing his obsession. Without such leverage, the path of least resistance will keep returning the Squeegee King to the street, where he will happily harass the hell out of whomever.

Give us a eak. It should be impossible in this city to rack up, oh, 186 arrests without someone stepping in to say enough.

Keeping Fido happy ain’t cheap. Americans spent a record $55.7 billion on their pets last year, an industry trade group said Thursday, a figure that could increase to a whopping $60 billion this year. The amount Americans shelled out for puppy chow, cat litter, toys, grooming and all matter of indulgences last year is equivalent to the gross domestic product of Croatia, and $10 billion more than Germany’s entire defense budget. The American Pet Products Association, which has been tracking spending on pets since the mid-1990s, unveiled the latest figures Thursday during the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla. Spending increased 4.5 percent from 2012 to 2013. “People are pampering their pets more than ever,” said Bob Vetere, the president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association, citing spending on everything “from interactive and innovative toys to dog walking, doggy day-care and pet-friendly hotels, restaurants and airlines.” Spending on pets has surged since the group first started tracking it: In 1996, total spending was $31.1 billion, adjusted for inflation. Most of the money spent last year was on food, $21.5 billion in total, the association said. Another $14.3 billion was spent on veterinary care, $13.1 billion on supplies, and $2.2 billion on the actual purchase of pets. Services like grooming and pet-sitting are among the strongest growth sectors of the industry.

New figures released Thursday show Americans are spending more money than ever on their pets. They forked out a record $55.7 billion in 2013—or about $10 billion more than Germany's entire defense budget—and are expected to top that this year

“I would like to go to sleep today and not wake up tomorrow,” she said. “The truth is life is too hard and I am alone.” A cheap and quick way of destroying a woman’s life, acid attacks in India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have received widespread attention in recent years, with a documentary about victims in Pakistan winning an Oscar this year. While the gruesome assaults have been rare in the West, a rising number of attacks in Colombia has alarmed prosecutors and public health officials and terrified women. Dozens of such attacks, in which assailants soak their victims with sulfuric or nitric acids, are believed to take place here each year. The precise reason for the spike here — and not in, say, neighboring Peru — is not known. But women’s rights advocates in Colombia talk about an epidemic of violence against women, from spouse-battering cases so extreme that they make the nightly news to reports of illegal armed groups using rape as a weapon in a murky rural conflict. “Sometimes in the West we make fast judgments and say, ‘Look how terrible they treat women in the East,’ and we don’t look first at ourselves,” said Monica Roa, the Bogota-based international programs director of Women’s Link Worldwide, a rights group. “The violence here may be different, but it emanates from the same place. This is a culture where machismo reigns, where men do what they want to do.” If a woman is attacked over a dowry in India or because she ventured outside without a veil in Pakistan, in Colombia a woman might be attacked because of sheer rage over her independence or even by a disturbed man she doesn’t know. That’s what happened in 2004 to Maria Cuervo when a complete stranger shouted, “This is so you don’t think you’re so pretty” and drenched her face with acid. Mostly, though, a jilted boyfriend or a husband intoxicated with jealousy is behind the attack. “He had hit me because of jealousy, so I ended it,” Erica Vanessa Vargas, a slight, soft-spoken woman of 20, said of the day she ended her relationship with a boyfriend four years ago. “He then said, ‘If you’re not mine, than no one will have you.’ ” Her former boyfriend paid a small boy $1.75 to throw acid at her — changing the course of a young life. “I stopped going to school, I can’t work, I can’t depend on my own self,” said Vargas, wearing a scarf to shield her scarred neck and chin. The statistics on acid attacks are hazy in Colombia, as in other countries where they take place. Bogota city councilwoman Olga Rubio, a victims’ advocate, said about 100 of the assaults have taken place so far this year across Colombia. It is a pace that would easily surpass last year’s total of 150.

Dozens of women are assaulted each year by perpetrators looking for a quick way to destroy a life.

An anti-Syria government protester with a pre-Baath Syrian flag, which has been adopted by the opposition movement. Editor's note: Randa Slim is a scholar at the Middle East Institute and a research fellow at the New America Foundation. Follow her on Twitter. (CNN) -- The six-point peace plan for Syria proposed by Kofi Annan is doomed to fail for one simple reason: Neither President Bashar al-Assad nor the government opposition is interested in making it work. For al-Assad, full implementation of the plan, which includes a political settlement through dialogue and respect for the rights of citizens to demonstrate peacefully, will bring an end to his regime. From the onset of the uprisings, his government knew that a repeat of the protests in Egypt's Tahrir Square or Bahrain's Pearl Square in Damascus or Aleppo will mean regime change. Al-Assad and his inner circle are not about to create conditions that are conducive for such sit-ins just because the Annan plan calls on them to do so. For the opposition groups, Annan could spend all the time he wants on negotiations, but any talks not predicated on al-Assad's stepping aside will not be acceptable. The activists who are spearheading Syria's revolution insist that the opposition exile leadership has a limited mandate and that is to discuss details for the transfer of power from the Assad family to the opposition. The bottom line is that the two main protagonists in the conflict look at the Annan plan as a means to achieve their respective, mutually exclusive objectives. By agreeing to the Annan plan, al-Assad pursues a dual-track strategy: He appeases his Russian and Iranian allies, who have been pressuring him to accept a political solution, while working to kill his way out of the crisis under the pretext that he is confronting "armed terrorists and gangs." The opposition wants the cease-fire in order to field mass protests. As one activist from Hama put it to me recently: "We don't need military intervention, we don't need humanitarian corridors, we don't need safe areas. Enforce the cease-fire and millions will march toward the presidential palace demanding Assad's ouster." After more than a year of uprisings, Syria is still stuck in a violent stalemate. Al-Assad has not been able to crush the opposition, and opposition seems nowhere near to dislodging al-Assad. Increasingly, the conflict is being framed in existential terms, with some involved becoming more radicalized. The majority of Alawites believe their physical survival is at stake, because they are convinced al-Assad's demise will engender wide-scale revenge killings on them. Hence, they will not accept a solution that will produce a new regime in which they are not guaranteed a leading role. Similarly, the opposition groups believe that if they stop now and al-Assad remains in power, he will hunt them down. Absent a game changer that will tip the balance in favor of one side or the other, the crisis in Syria will become a full-blown sectarian war pitting Sunnis against Alawites, which will likely spill over into the neighboring countries of Iraq and Lebanon. Although military options have been considered by the West, it's hard to say whether that would make a difference in reversing the dynamics in the country. A military operation might cause a regional war involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, with each country supporting its allies in Syria. For now, Iran's Supreme Leader has cast his support firmly with al-Assad. A well-informed Iranian source told me that the Iranian regime will support al-Assad no matter what until the end. On the other hand, Russia's Syria policy seems to be in flux judging by its vote in the United Nations recently. It's too early to tell whether Russia will ease al-Assad out the way Saudi Arabia did in the case of Yemen's Abdullah Saleh. Russia and Iran will probably not abandon al-Assad until they are part of the deal-making process about Syria's future government. One possible game changer is if the protest movement in Syria becomes widespread and covers large stretches of the country. To date, only four of Syria's 14 governorates constitute the major hubs of the protest movement: Homs, Hama, Idlib and Daraa. While we have seen protests in other regions, they have not been as sustained and extensive as those in the four governorates. This is partly due to the state of fragmentation in the opposition ranks, especially among the exile groups, which do not inspire confidence among fence-sitters. Although large segments of fence-sitters including businessmen have come around to supporting the opposition, many remain ambivalent because they doubt the opposition will succeed in overthrowing al-Assad. This perception is reinforced by the fact that Annan's plan does not call for al-Assad to step down -- a detail that is not missed by the Assad regime propaganda machine. While the exile opposition remains divided, there are hopeful signs that the opposition ranks within Syria are becoming better organized, better trained and gaining legitimacy. The future leaders of Syria will not come from the Syrian National Council or the National Coordination Committee for Change; they will emerge from the ranks of the revolutionary councils that are forming in different parts of the country. These councils bring together an eclectic mix of the most active local coordinating committees, independent activists, community and business leaders and military defectors. They are putting in place an administrative infrastructure that is akin to a local provincial council, handling everything from media affairs to helping families who lost their homes to providing legal aid to jailed activists. They are also coordinating with each other to protect relief supply lines that cross their respective territories. In the process, the leaders in these councils, who hail from Syria's different religious and ethnic groups, are developing political skills, cultivating local constituencies and learning through trial and error the business of governing. In a country that is increasingly polarized along sectarian and ethnic lines, these councils can perhaps provide the glue that keeps the country stitched together. Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Randa Slim.

Randa Slim says that with the country still stuck in a violent stalemate, one way out is if the protest movement becomes more widespread.

Brazil's economy is facing a bleak outlook, plagued with increasing inflation, a plunging currency and contracting GDP. The Dow Jones Brazil Index has fallen almost 45 percent in the past year. But one trader says that all those negative factors are actually creating the perfect environment for a significant bounce. "I think we're going to get another 10, possibly 20 percent bear market rally, of which since 2012 we've had four," Larry McDonald, head of U.S. strategy at Societe Generale, said Wednesday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." According to McDonald, economic challenges will force Brazil's central bank to ease its monetary policy, which will prompt a relief rally for Brazilian stocks. The Brazil central bank decided Wednesday to implement another rate hike, bringing the country's interest rates to a nine-year high. However, the central bank signaled that this would be the end of its tightening cycle. Read More Brazil opts for steep rate hike, signals end of tightening "They're going to go into a more accommodating policy, which should be very good for Brazilian stocks," McDonald said. In the past three years, McDonald said the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) has seen several rebounds between 20 and 40 percent, one of which was at the end of the last rate hike cycle. The EWZ, which tracks Brazilian stocks, fell to 28 this week, hitting lows it hasn't seen since 2005. The ETF is down about 42 percent from a year rallied on Wednesday, gaining about 2 percent. However, Boris Schlossberg of BK Asset Management said risk is still rampant in Brazil. "I think Brazil is very serious trouble," Schlossberg said Wednesday. "The only reason to own EWZ is if there is a regime change, and that seems unlikely now." Brazil's controversial President Dilma Rousseff is dealing with impeachment calls, low approval ratings and political scandal. Schlossberg said Brazil also faces trouble in commodities and declining market demand from China. Hosting the 2016 Olympics could be another huge fiscal hit to the country, he added. And if Brazilian stocks rally, Schlossberg said this could be the time to re-establish new short positions. Incidentally, McDonald agrees with that sentiment. "Each bear market rally has failed, and we've gone back to retest the lows," McDonald said. "The risk reward right here for the next two months is very good, in terms of your upside vs your downside. But when you get the upside, history has proven, if you didn't sell any of those rallies, you lost money."

It's been a bumpy ride for Brazil, but one trader says economic challenges could set it up for a rally.

A 19-year-old man who is in the U.S. illegally has been charged in the brutal and "almost unimaginable" murder of three people in Florida, including a pregnant teen. Brian Omar Hyde, who apparently has a violent history in his native Belize, is accused of killing his 37-year-old aunt Dorla Pitts, her 17-year-old pregnant daughter Starlett Pitts and the girl's 19-year-old boyfriend, Michael Kelly, Jr. Dorla Pitts' husband told detectives he was on the phone with her when he heard her scream out "Brian! What happened here? What happened?" The three bodies were found in a Lehigh Acres home on Tuesday. All three died from "repeated sharp force trauma to the head and neck," the Lee County Sheriff's Office said. Miraculously, the 18-month-old daughter of the two young victims was found unharmed in the house. "This was an extremely violent scene, even for us," Lt. Matt Sands said during Thursday's press conference. "All homicide scenes are normally violent, but even for us, this scene was what we consider almost unimaginable." Hyde was arrested later Tuesday when he was stopped in nearby Fort Myers for driving his white Range Rover on the wrong side of the road. He was caught driving without a license. The Range Rover was registered to the same address as the crime scene. "That's when the first connection was made," Lt. Sands said. Hyde also had blood on his pants and shoes. He was charged with three counts of second-degree murder and one count of killing an unborn child. Starlett Pitts was six months pregnant when she was killed, authorities said. Michael Kelly's sister, Derquiasha Henderson, told NBC they had been picking baby names recently. "We were just doing all of that, we were supposed to hang out," she told the station. Hyde sneaked into the U.S. through Texas approximately seven months ago and found a home with his relatives, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said. He and two other men were suspects in a double murder case in Belize in 2013, NBC reported. Hyde comes from a "criminal" family, according to the station. His uncle was reportedly a suspect in two Belize murders. Michael Kelly's mother told NBC that she was suspicious of Hyde, but accepted him because of his relation to Starlett. "This could happen to anybody, so be careful who you bring into your house," Sherri Flemming told NBC. "It could be your own family member." ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

A 19-year-old man in the U.S. illegally has been charged in the "almost unimaginable" murders of three people in Florida.

(Adds details, analyst estimates, shares,) Aug 12 (Reuters) - News Corp, owner of the Wall Street Journal, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit as strong growth in its digital real estate services and book publishing business partially offset the weakness in its print business. Shares of the company, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, rose about 4 percent in extended trading. News Corp, whose revenue is largely dependent on its newspaper holdings in the United States, Australia and Great Britain, has been diversifying its business. The company has benefited from strong growth in its digital real estate websites, which include U.S. site Move Inc and its stake in Australian REA Group. The company had said realtor.com, controlled by Move, surpassed Trulia in the first quarter to become the second most popular real estate listings website in the United States. The company is also carrying out a major reorganization at its Dow Jones news publishing unit that involves job cuts and a shift to digital media. Book publishing revenue rose 8 percent to $390 million in the fourth quarter, while revenue from digital real estate services rose 67 percent to $189 million. Total revenue fell to $2.14 billion from $2.19 billion. Net loss available to the company's stockholders was $379 million, or 65 cents per share, in the quarter ended June 30, compared with a profit of $12 million, or 2 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, the company earned 7 cents per share. The company recorded an impairment charge of $371 million related to its digital education business in the quarter. Total impairment and restructuring charges were $424 million, compared with $21 million a year earlier. Analysts on average expected the company to earn 5 cents per share on revenue of $2.19 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. (Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Don Sebastian)

Aug 12- News Corp, owner of the Wall Street Journal, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit as strong growth in its digital real estate services and book publishing business partially offset the weakness in its print business. News Corp, whose revenue is largely dependent on its newspaper holdings in the United States, Australia and Great Britain,...

It comes just days after the computer systems of another law firm, ACS:Law, were hacked, exposing the names, addresses and credit card details of 8,000 Sky subscribers who were alleged to have infringed copyright laws. Internet service providers and copyright holders are worried that the ACS:Law data breach could undermine wider antipiracy efforts by the entertainment industry. “ACS:Law’s actions have undermined the current legal process,” PlusNet told the BBC. “It is in everyone’s interests to restore confidence in this process so that broadband users are safeguarded. “We are actively reviewing our approach to these disclosure requests to achieve this objective, and this will inform our approach to Monday’s hearing.” ACS:Law could be fined up to £500,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office for breaching data security laws.

Law firms will continue to pursue those suspected of piracy and illegal filesharing, despite the ACS:Law data breach scandal.

Does it violate Massachusetts regulations to have your nails painted in an empty conference room at work? A startup that dispatches manicurists to offices in Boston and other cities is attracting scrutiny from the Massachusetts board that licenses cosmetologists and nail salons. At issue: whether it’s legal — and fair — for New York-based Manicube to offer manicures outside a licensed nail salon. In Massachusetts, manicures must be done in a licensed salon as a way of ensuring safe and hygienic conditions. The investigation by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology, prompted by complaints from salon owners, is the latest tussle between regulators and startups taking new approaches to established industries, similar to the ride service Uber in transportation or home-sharing network Airbnb in hospitality. The people who work for Manicube are licensed manicurists, but they perform manicures in about 50 corporate offices around Boston as a convenience to employees. Sometimes, the $15 manicures are covered by employers as a perk, and sometimes they’re paid for by employees. In a letter obtained by the Globe, the cosmetology board told Manicube officials that “they are in violation of state regulations” and the board would determine whether to impose fines or take other actions after an investigation. Amie O’Hearn, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, declined to comment. Founded by two alumnae of Harvard Business School, Manicube launched its services in Boston last fall. The goal was to help working women use their time more efficiently, while also building a salon-type business without real estate and other overhead costs. Companies can invite a manicurist in on a weekly or monthly basis, using free space like a conference room or workout facility. Customers can sign up for Manicube’s services and pay using the company’s website. Manicube cofounder Elizabeth Whitman said the Massachusetts rules are outdated and, if strictly interpreted, would prevent practices such as a bridal party having hair, makeup, and nails done in a home or hotel before a wedding. Whitman said the company hopes to work with regulators to modernize rules that don’t consider “new, innovative models that perform services outside of a brick-and-mortar salon.” For instance, rather than sterilizing implements, Whitman said, Manicube’s manicurists use disposable ones. But salon owners said services such as Manicube’s should have to follow the same rules they do. Among those who filed complaints with the cosmetology board was Conan Owen, co-owner of Virginia-based Relax & Rejuvenate, which offers mobile spa services to hotels in 16 cities nationwide. Owen said that his company offered manicures at hotels in Boston about a decade ago, but had to stop when the regulators cracked down. “I didn’t know it was illegal,” he said. Owen said he still gets requests “from private individuals and companies wanting us to do nail services in Boston. And we tell them we can’t.” Boston salon managers said they devote significant time and money to comply with state regulations on ventilation, tool sterilization, and other measures. They also must undergo regular inspections to ensure salons meet requirements for first aid kits and eye wash stations, said Christine Haddad, the spa and nail director at G20 Spa & Salon in Boston. “I don’t see how they could regulate that if you are performing manicures in a few dozen different offices around the city,” Haddad said. Christine Perkins, owner of Pyara Salon in Cambridge, said it’s unfair to have a competitor that doesn’t have to jump through the same hoops. Her business pays more than $30,000 a month to rent its Harvard Square site, she said, and when she moves to a new location nearby next month, she’ll need approval from the cosmetology board to open. “They’re going to look at my floor plans, the sinks, the utensils I use, and sanitation,” Perkins said. To a degree, the nail salon controversy echoes the battle between Uber and the taxi industry. Uber enables people to use a mobile app to request and pay for a ride, relying on a network of drivers using their own cars. Taxi drivers complain that Uber undercuts them because its drivers aren’t subject to the same licensing, rules, and associated costs. Some cities, such as Cambridge, have considered imposing new regulations on ride-sharing services. In April, Manicube raised $5 million in venture capital, most of it from Bain Capital Ventures, an arm of the Boston investment firm. Scott Friend, a managing director at Bain who led the investment, said in an e-mail that his firm recognized that Manicube’s business model could create conflicts with existing rules, but “that ultimately, regulators will latch onto what matters most — consumer protection based on better hygienic standards and worker protection based on hygiene, work environment, and compensation.” Two of the three states in which Manicube operates, New York and Illinois, don’t have similar restrictions. But the company’s planned launch in California has attracted the notice of that state’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, which said Manicube’s service would be prohibited there. Helen Peveri, who retired last month as executive director of the Massachusetts cosmetology board, said regulators are considering changes to manicure rules. “The public wants more services and more availability, like mobile salons for example, and all that is being discussed,” she said.

Under Massachusetts rules, manicures must be done in a licensed salon as a way of ensuring safe and hygenic conditions. Manicube, a New York-based startup that dispatches manicurists to offices, is under scrutiny by regulators.

Sahar is too weak to move her body, which has black bruise marks all over from being beaten, and the nurses gave her diapers because she can't get to the toilet, Frogh said. The girl's eyes are bruised and she can't speak. Her hair was also cut short by her in-laws as a punishment after she refused to sleep with other men. A photograph provided by the Afghan Women's Network shows her asleep in a hospital bed, the bruising on her face obvious and her head bandaged. The mental trauma she suffered is also affecting her, and is under medication to help her deal with it, Frogh said. "We've also provided her with a trauma counselor because she is very traumatized and even when I wanted to take her hand, she resisted," despite being unconscious, Frogh said. Because the teenager was beaten and assaulted, she added, "now she doesn't want anyone to even touch her." Last month, authorities in Baghlan said they rescued the girl after hearing reports that she was tortured after she refused to be forced into prostitution. But, they said, they were waiting for her to fully recover to talk to her and learn more. Sahar was married off to a 30-year-old man about seven months ago. After her parents reported not seeing her for months, police launched their investigation, Baghlan police official Jawid Basharat said at the time. Meanwhile, Sahar's father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law have been arrested but her husband -- who Frogh said is thought to be a soldier serving in Helmand province -- has not been caught. The Women's Network is determined to do its best to ensure she gets the care she needs -- but Frogh warned that her recovery won't be easy. "She needs proper food, proper care that our government's hospitals don't have, therefore we have been collecting donations to provide to the hospital to buy her good food, clothing and other basic needs," she said. "We also have to think of her shelter once she is back into normal life, which is going to take some months." At the same time, the Women's Network has found a lawyer for Sahar and has persuaded the Afghan authorities to move the investigation to Kabul, where there will be less influence from the local community, Frogh said. It has also contacted the attorney general to appeal for a faster investigation before the girl's in-laws are released from custody. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called for the abuse to be "seriously investigated," his office said in a statement Sunday.

A 15-year-old girl allegedly tortured by her in-laws in Afghanistan after she refused to be forced into prostitution is not doing well in hospital, aid workers say.Sahar Gul was rescued by police...

I’m not going to speculate on what decision Mike Huckabee will make when he provides “clarity” tonight on his Fox News program about whether or not he will run for president. But we can do some educated guessing about which other Republican candidates will spend the most time sweating the decision. Mr. Huckabee is the first choice of quite a few Republicans — usually somewhere between 15 and 20 percent when he’s polled — so his choice will have quite a bit of impact upon the field. Here’s how this is going to work. I’m going to list six characteristics of Mike Huckabee, each one of which has some salience as to the sorts of voters that he’s liable to appeal to. We’ll then see which of the other Republican contenders share this characteristic in common with him. The more like Mr. Huckabee the other candidates are, the more they’ll benefit if he chooses not to run — and the more they’ll be harmed if he does. 1. Mike Huckabee is a social conservative. Although Mr. Huckabee does not always wear his social conservatism on his sleeve, his credentials are not really in question. How many other Republican candidates does this describe? I don’t think I’d get any debate on Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, or Herman Cain. Tim Pawlenty gets a point in this category — he’s more socially conservative than people realize. Newt Gingrich may be considered hypocritical because of his multiple marriages — but his positions are down-the-line social conservative, so he gets a point. Mitch Daniels, like Mr. Pawlenty, is more conservative on social issues that he’s usually given credit for — but he’s also called for a “truce” on them; we’ll give Mr. Daniels half a point. The other major candidates are either explicitly moderate on some key social issues or, like Mitt Romney and Donald Trump, have held inconsistent positions throughout their careers. 2. Mike Huckabee is an evangelical Protestant. It’s important to distinguish this characteristic from the previous one. Rick Santorum may be extremely socially conservative — but he’s Roman Catholic, and not an evangelical Protestant — and to some religious voters, that makes a difference. The candidates who, as best as I can tell, would consider themselves to be evangelical Protestants are as follows: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty. They score a point in this category. 3. Mike Huckabee is a Southerner. This is true of surprisingly few other candidates, given the dominant role the South often plays in shaping the G.O.P.’s electoral coalition. The exceptions are Mr. Cain, Mr. Gingrich, and Mr. Paul. 4. Mike Huckabee is an outsider. This characteristic may be a little harder to define than the others — but that doesn’t make it any less important. In a primary field, candidates often work to differentiate themselves as much by whether they operate from inside or outside the party establishment as by their policy positions. To score this category, we’ll give half a point to every candidate who is not a member of what I call the “Fairfax Five”, which are the candidates who are most lauded by Republican elites in and around Washington, D.C. We’ll also give half a point to each candidate that I classified as an “outsider” when I sorted the candidates by this criterion in February. (On that list, I classified Mr. Pawlenty, Mr. Daniels and Mr. Santorum rate as being somewhere between insiders and outsiders, so we’ll give them a quarter-point for this.) 5. Mike Huckabee runs strongly in Iowa. He won the caucuses in 2008 and leads in almost all polls of it now. If Mr. Huckabee does not run, the candidate who runs a clear second place in the Iowa polls — Mr. Romney — would benefit, possibly opening up the door for him to sweep both Iowa and New Hampshire. Mr. Romney scores a full point. After that, the field in Iowa looks pretty muddy. But I think we can give half a point to the three Midwesterners in the race, who are Ms. Bachmann, Mr. Pawlenty, and Mr. Daniels, who might have some regional advantage in the state. And we can give another half-point to those candidates who have spent the most time in Iowa so far, who are Mr. Cain, Mr. Pawlenty, Ms. Bachmann, Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Santorum. 6. Mike Huckabee is a paid contributor to Fox News. You’ll sometimes hear pundits talk about the “Fox News Primary”, which is the idea that the network, because of its strongly Republican-leaning viewership, has a lot of influence over who the party’s nominee will be. But we can take this one step further — four Republican candidates have been on the network’s payroll at some point or another during this campaign cycle, and may be especially familiar to those viewers. In addition to Mr. Huckabee, they are Ms. Palin, Mr. Santorum, and Mr. Gingrich, the latter two of whom no longer appear as Fox News contributors now that their intentions to run for president have become clear. If we add up the points across all six categories, the clubhouse leader, with 4.5 points, is Herman Cain of Georgia, the radio talk show host and entrepreneur who is beginning to get more attention lately. He’s the most Huckabee-like of the other Republican candidates. Closely behind him, with 4 points each, are Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and Michele Bachmann. Mr. Pawlenty, Mr. Santorum and (somewhat to my surprise) Mr. Paul also score reasonably well. Other candidates, however, share little in common with Mr. Huckabee. Jon Huntsman of Utah might be closest to his opposite number — socially moderate rather than socially conservative, Mormon rather than evangelical Protestant, rarely seen in the cornfields of Iowa or on the airwaves of Fox News. Mr. Romney doesn’t share much in common with Mr. Huckabee — although his not having to compete against Mr. Huckabee in Iowa would be a big deal. Donald Trump and Mr. Huckabee don’t have much in common. That isn’t to say that a candidate like Mr. Huntsman would prefer that Mr. Huckabee enter the race. Unless one of your opponents splits the vote in an extremely fortuitous way with his rivals, you’d almost always rather that he stay on the sidelines. But common sense and our little exercise here would dictate that Ms. Palin, Mr. Cain, Mr. Gingrich and Ms. Bachmann would be in the strongest position to fill the hole created by Mr. Huckabee’s exit from the race, while Mr. Pawlenty and Mr. Santorum would also have some opportunities to exploit.

Some educated guessing about which Republican candidates will sweating Mike Huckabee's decision.

Sim Chi Yin/VII Mentor, for The New York Times Wilson Chandler has learned to embrace his time in China, including the demands of media and fans, while the N.B.A. goes on without him. He has been playing as a forward for the Zhejiang Lions. Wilson Chandler was about six weeks into China, and having mostly acclimated to his strange new life, he wanted a tat. But even at 6-foot-8, Chandler had little available real estate — he already had approximately 100 tattoos, including a tribute inked across his neck to his grandmother Olivia, who raised him in Michigan, which is memorialized on his forearm, not far from the gothic lettering of his nickname, Thrill, stripped across his bicep. So the Chinese tattoo artist had to search before he found a space near Chandler’s left elbow. There he slowly etched “Qian De Le,” the Mandarin rendering of Chandler’s name, into his skin. A few mildly painful minutes later, China was indelibly stamped onto Chandler. How Kenyon Martin beat the China trap. Chandler has had six new tattoos done while in China, including the Mandarin rendering of his name, "Qian De Le," above his left elbow. It is a souvenir from Chandler’s unlikely Chinese adventure. He has visited the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing, ridden the bullet train to Shanghai and begun his own Chinese microblog (a version of Twitter, with Chinese censors) while playing forward for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association in the eastern city of Hangzhou. Had this been a normal year, Chandler, 24, a restricted free agent and rising star with the Denver Nuggets, would have most likely spent last summer considering lucrative offers from the Nuggets and other teams in the National Basketball Association. But because of the N.B.A. lockout, and the prospect of losing an entire N.B.A. season, Chandler bolted overseas in September, among the first of several players to sign in China. Then in November, earlier than many anticipated, the lockout ended. Players who signed in Europe or elsewhere opted out of their contracts and returned, like swallows, to the familiarity and multiyear contracts of the N.B.A. Not Chandler. If the Turkish league or the Spanish league was content to rent N.B.A. players for a few months, the Chinese league most definitely was not. China had demanded its own indelible stamp from the foreign players: a signature on a binding contract that forbade them to return to the N.B.A. before the end of the Chinese season, no matter what. They were trapped. “I made a decision,” Chandler told me when I visited him in Hangzhou in the middle of December. “You make a decision, you live with it.” The C.B.A. regular season ends on Feb. 15, but because the Zhejiang Lions are likely headed to the playoffs, Chandler’s exile will probably last a few more weeks after that. If Chandler is frustrated by his predicament, Commissioner David Stern can probably sympathize. Stern and the N.B.A. are confronting their own China trap, having misjudged what, for now, is possible there. Not too long ago, the N.B.A. had visions of empire: it formed a Chinese subsidiary, N.B.A. China, and made plans for an N.B.A. league in the country, complete with state-of-the-art arenas and retail N.B.A. stores selling licensed merchandise. What made all this seem possible, even logical, was that the Chinese league was kind of a joke. I saw this firsthand when I spent the 2008-9 season following the Shanxi Brave Dragons, a team owned by an eccentric Chinese steel baron. The C.B.A. fervently wanted to emulate the N.B.A., but it was more like a crazy carnival instead. The refereeing was often shady, the coaching at best mediocre and the level of play sometimes downright awful. Even though basketball was one of China’s most popular sports, several teams struggled to attract more than a few thousand fans. The N.B.A. was far more popular, with higher television ratings and a huge fan base crazy about Kobe Bryant and other stars. The N.B.A. also had Yao Ming, the Chinese center who became an All-Star with the Houston Rockets and was so popular in China that domestic television ratings doubled and tripled for Rockets games. Those advantages are now fading. Unable to overcome injuries, Yao retired from the N.B.A. after last season and is a part of the C.B.A. as the owner and public face of its team in Shanghai. Television ratings for the Chinese league have jumped, partly because of the added star appeal of exiled N.B.A. players like Chandler, while ratings for the N.B.A. have declined since Yao’s peak years. The C.B.A. has also received a boost from its most surprising star, Stephon Marbury, who has proved unexpectedly adroit at public relations in China after his tumultuous time in the N.B.A. Perhaps the N.B.A.’s biggest challenge of all is that the C.B.A. is part of the Chinese government, under the control of the ruling Communist Party.

China loves basketball. But as American players — and the N.B.A. itself — have discovered, the country has its own rules.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid declined to rule out QB Kevin Kolb, who suffered a concussion on Sunday, for the team's Week 2 game against the Detroit Lions. Reid said Kolb won't be able to practice until at least Friday, when NFL-mandated guidelines for concussions call for the third in a series of tests for Kolb and LB Stewart Bradley, who also suffered a concussion in a loss to the Green Bay Packers. But Reid said he does not envision a QB controversy developing between Kolb and Michael Vick, who played well in relief on Sunday. "Kevin Kolb is the No. 1 quarterback," Reid said. Kolb and Bradley failed the first in the series of concussions tests on Monday, Reid said. The team sent the players home after to rest. Vick said Sunday night that he would still like to be a starter in the NFL. -- Sean LeahyHat tip: CSN Philly To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to

Andy Reid: There is no QB controvsersy for Philadelphia Eagles - The Huddle: Football News from the NFL - USATODAY.com

At the same time, however, the company can also be saddled with a list of striking failures, missteps that would have doomed lesser firms. McKinsey consultants were on the scene when General Motors drove itself into the ground. They were Kmart's advisers when the retailer tumbled into disarray. They pushed Swissair in a direction that led to its collapse. They played a critical role in building the bomb known as Enron and collected massive fees right up until the moment of its spectacular explosion. And these are just the clients unlucky enough to have had their woes splashed across headlines. Many more have paid handsomely for guidance that shortchanged shareholders, led to unnecessary layoffs, and even prompted bankruptcies. And yet the consultants are rarely blamed for their bad advice—at least not publicly so. Remarkably, that pervasive influence has come even though McKinsey contains more contradictions than the Bible. The firm is well known, but there is almost nothing known about it. Precious few McKinsey employees have ever become acclaimed in the outside world. The employees are trusted and distrusted—and loved and despised—in equal measure. They are a collection of huge egos that are yet content to stay behind the scenes. They are confident but also paranoid. And they are helpful yet manipulative with their clientele—and even their own people. What do they actually do? They are managerial experts, cost cutters, scapegoats, and catalysts for corporate change. They are the businessman's businessmen. They are the corporate Mandarin elite, a private corps, far from prying eyes, doing behind-the-scenes work for the most powerful people in the world. How do they do it? Well, their methods have been compared (by others and by themselves) to the Jesuits, the U.S. Marines, and the Catholic Church. They feel so strongly about themselves that they have insisted on a proper noun where one need not exist. To an outsider, they are a consulting firm.To themselves, simply, The Firm. But the McKinsey story is even more than all of that. It's also about the rise and reach of American business in the twentieth century—and its remarkable adaptability to changing times. American capitalism may be under stress now, but modern American management technique—which McKinsey has played a part in both creating and disseminating—has distinguished itself as much by its innovative ability as by its sheer might. Today McKinsey is a global success story. But first it was a distinctly American one. —Duff McDonald is a contributing editor at Fortune and the New York Observer.

In his new book, financial journalist Duff McDonald provides an intimate and incisive behind-the-scenes history and analysis of this enigmatic firm.

A commencement address is just that — an address. It travels in a single line, from the person on the podium to the masses baking in the sun. That may be fine for your typical speaker, an alumna who has become a senior vice president or mid-level public official. But when it comes to lightning-rod speakers such as former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice or the anti-Islam women’s rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali — figures who inspire passionate disagreement — a speech from on high leaves students feeling slighted and voiceless. Short of heckling or walking out, hollering until the speaker backs out is one of the only ways to express disapproval. In a world where even airlines tweet enthusiastic apologies to disgruntled customers, why do our universities cling to a form of communication that can trace its lineage to the Sermon on the Mount? I do not advocate that we eliminate these addresses. (Among other things, they provide speechwriters like me with a steady income.) Nor would I suggest avoiding controversial speakers and turning commencement into an event of all pomp and no substance. Instead, imagine what might happen if universities invited controversial speakers to teach a pre-commencement seminar before their big addresses. Gather a cross section of the student body — activists, artists, football players — in an auditorium, hand out a couple of microphones, and let them have at it. After all, if a speaker is to receive an honorary degree, shouldn’t he or she at least participate in a single honorary seminar? Rutgers University’s antiwar activists could ask Rice why she ginned up support for a preemptive war, despite precious little intelligence suggesting that the next smoking gun would be a mushroom cloud. Instead of protesting her speech, they could ask her face to face: Why do you continue to defend the George W. Bush administration’s torture of detainees? Similarly, I think that Hirsi Ali, who has attacked Islam as “a destructive, nihilistic cult of death ,” and the Brandeis University student who called those views “pure hate speech” would benefit from hearing about each other’s divergent experiences with Islam. And I imagine Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund, would have quite a response to the young women at Smith College protesting her for leading a historically “imperialist and patriarchal” institution. Ditto Robert Birgeneau, an outspoken liberal and former chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, whom students at Haverford College deemed responsible for police mistreatment of Berkeley Occupy protesters. By entering the lion’s den, the speakers would establish what speechwriters call a “handshake” — creating a connection with detractors by acknowledging their concerns. Such a move would show that the speakers respect the students and their views. It would recognize that even those in positions of authority are not above fielding questions about themselves and their actions. Most important, it would honor the purpose of a university education — to train students to listen to competing arguments, marshal their own and ultimately, perhaps, agree to disagree. Moreover, this exchange would yield better commencement speeches. Some of the best commencements are ones whose speakers — face to face or via e-mail — solicit student input about themselves and how they view the world they’ll be entering. A pre-commencement seminar could serve as both focus group and discussion about the controversy at hand. If “The Matrix” is right that “you do not truly know someone until you fight them,” by the same token, speakers should get to know students before pronouncing them incredible, good-looking and the future of the human race. After debating them, such praise might feel more sincere. A brief dialogue wouldn’t solve everything. But at a minimum, it would offer a practical outlet for student criticism and reaffirm the value of the degrees they’ll soon receive. It says to the students: “Like it or not, you still have something to learn — and to teach.” At my own college commencement three years ago, as I and my 5,000 fellow almost-graduates listlessly listened to then-Mexican President Felipe Calderón, all I could focus on was the small plane circling counterclockwise above the stadium. The bright yellow banner streaming behind it read: “40,000 DEAD! HOW MANY MORE?” It was a protest of Calderón’s drug-war policies, though that wasn’t clear at the time. I didn’t know who was upset or why, and I didn’t know what Calderón thought about their arguments. All I saw was a world leader — gamely but vainly trying to reach a few thousand students — and the block capitals billowing above him. Read more from Outlook, friend us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

Instead of forcing speakers out, students should debate them.

Before you go, we thought you'd like these... Kate Middleton's style for less Pale peach makes Kate’s form-fitting lace dress a demure ensemble appropriate for a reception in honor of the Queen. We plan to wear this look-alike from Sequin Hearts to impress on date night! Get it now: Sequin Hearts lace illusion dress, $69 at dillards.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) I Can See Your Halo The Duchess’s whopping sapphire engagement ring may be out of reach to us mere mortals, but we can get surprisingly close to wearing her matching earrings with these halo-style stunners from Emitations. Get it now: Emitations ‘Tawana’s’ Oval Stud Sapphire Earrings,’ $39 at emitations.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Leave it to Kate to find the most demure version of this season’s hot skater dress silhouette: Sweet, swingy and the perfect shade of pale pink! Our pick from ASOS has the same dusty hue and soft, flattering pleats. Get it now: ASOS skater dress with cap sleeves, $24.86 at asos.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Here’s a smart way to bring summer dresses into fall -- top ‘em with a tailored navy blazer, one of Kate’s go-to pieces! Get it now: Topshop ponte blazer, $70 at topshop.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Black accents up the polish of Kate’s little red jacket, which she wore on a trip to her alma mater St Andrews. We found a similar style for under $30; add your own skinny black belt and slim turtleneck to complete the look. Get it now: Forever 21 ‘Classic Jacket,’ $27.80 at forever21.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Owning a pair of Wellies is practically a requirement of being British! That said, we love this olive green pair from American brand Western Chief just as much as Kate’s Hunters -- and at less than half the price! Get it now: Western Chief solid rainboot, $32.99 at 6pm.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) One of Kate’s most talked-about “re-wears,” her sailor-inspired McQueen dress looked as lovely at Wimbledon as it did on a trip to Canada. Try the nautical trend for yourself with this cute dress from ModCloth. Get it now: Modcloth ‘Cast A-line’ dress, $89.99 at modcloth.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) While most of us don’t rely on coatdresses too often, this chic shade of pale yellow is a welcome addition to any wardrobe. Modcloth’s double-breasted dress, for example, works with everything from prim heels to casual boots and a denim jacket. Get it now: ModCloth ‘The Necessity of Style’ dress, $64.99 at modcloth.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Kate’s jewelry is always classic, fresh and effortless. Her long multi-ring necklace is a prime example -- especially when worn against the clean background of a solid dress or tee. Get it now: Technibond oval gemstone circle drop necklace, $41.93 at hsn.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) At a pre-Olympic event, Kate hit the mats in a gray-and-white dress from British brand Hobbs. Our version is just as breezy and easy! Get it now: M.S.S.P plaid empire dress, $44.80 at dillards.com Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Rainy weather didn't stop the future queen from turning out to the UK premiere of African Cats. Accompanied by her royal husband, Kate wore a dove gray Matthew Williamson frock with green embellishments on the collar and sleeves. Looking for a demure sheath like Kate's? Try this Calvin Klein dress ($118 at nordstrom.com). Pop on a big statement necklace or add chunky, bright bangles to your wrists to mirror the duchess's signature style. Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) While William is away on military assignment for several weeks, the future queen-in-training has made several solo public appearances, including her first official public speech at a children’s hospice in Ipswich, England. The philanthropic brunette donned a long-sleeved blue dress with a flirty hem above the knee. Scoping out a royal blue dress to match this royal? Try this Lauren by Ralph Lauren jersey sheath ($134 at nordstrom.com) Pair it with a wide black belt and matching pumps to emulate the duchess. Click here to see Kate Middleton’s most stylish moments! Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Kate did not disappoint in her chic jade Emilia Wickstead coat dress for a visit to the Irish Guards. Emulating another look during her Canadian tour, Kate donned a gold shamrock brooch, once worn by the Queen Mother herself. For a sleeveless version, we love this deep jade Laviniaturra dress ($158 at yoox.com). Pair with a simple blazer for an easy day-to-night look. Click here to see Kate Middleton’s most stylish moments! Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Middleton shows off her casual side for a visit to London’s Olympic Park and a meet-and-greet with the women’s hockey team. Before dressing down to tennis shoes and a sweatshirt, Kate sported one of her go-to cropped blazers and impressed in ankle-length peach skinnies. To emulate Kate, ditch the dresses and pumps for black flats and these Levi’s high rise ankle jeans ($68 at piperlime.com). Toss on a silk scarf and you’ll be ready to conquer spring! Click here to see Kate Middleton’s most stylish moments! Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Kate attended a Gary Barlow benefit concert in the South Kensington, London while wearing a Zara lace dress and chic cropped blazer. Although she's been seen in many a blazer, the three-quarter length sleeves really make this dark jacket stand out from the rest. Looking for a cropped blazer similar to Kate's? Try this Mango jacket (on sale for $54.99 at Mango.com). Pair it with a slimming cocktail dress for evenings out. Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Swapping out her casual blazers and dark jeans, Kate turned heads with a glamorous purple dress -- cinched at the waist to show off her figure. Kate takes the simple frock to the next level with a diamond maple leaf brooch that was also worn by none other than the Queen herself. For a similar style, try this Christin Michaels Noelle Wrap Dress ($89 at Zappos.com). Don't have a diamond maple leaf brooch lying around? A chunky statement necklace will kick the frock up a notch. Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) For a visit to the Americas, the Duchess of Cambridge donned a stylish fitted Smythe navy blazer with cropped, dark J Brand jeans. Want a jacket to rival Kate's best? Try this Asos Boyfriend Blazer ($99.99 at asos.com). Pair it with your best pair of cropped denim and wedges to replicate the duchess's casual look. Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) The Duchess of Cambridge found this Diane von Furstenberg green silk dress so fetching that she wore it twice: First at an event in Los Angeles and then again at a yacht party during Zara Phillips’s wedding festivities. For a similar style you’re guaranteed to wear more than once, check out Alice by Temperley’s ‘Alisha’ dress ($126 at theoutnet.com). Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) During their tour of the northern Canadian city Yellowknife the newlyweds took time out from their busy itinerary for a romantic canoe ride to ‘Honeymoon Island.’ Kate dressed down for the jaunt, looking effortlessly chic by pairing her trademark J Brand jeans with a classic tan button down. Get Kate’s style by wearing your own skinny jeans with Quiksilver’s QSW shirt ($74 at quiksilver.com). Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) The Duchess of Cambridge looked summery and sophisticated in this Joseph dress while greeting fans outside Quebec’s City Hall, where the couple attended a ceremony honoring Canada's Royal 22nd Regiment. Get her look for a fraction of the price with T Tahari’s ‘Julia’ dress ($70.80 at dillards.com). Click here to see Kate Middleton’s most stylish moments! Photo Credit: Landov (Courtesy: iVillage) Kate Middleton looked flawless in the navy and white ensemble that she wore while visiting kids at Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles. Not the types to sit on the sidelines, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge even took part in a children’s painting class, where the down-to-earth princess just threw an apron over the look and joined the fun. Steal Kate’s style by pairing a navy top with Trina Turk’s ‘Shaye’ pleated skirt ($99.20 at trinaturk.com). Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) When Prince William and Kate Middleton visited northern Ireland, the bride-to-be was spotted in a very ladylike trench. We love the piping! Like the look? Try this Eyelet Trench Coat ($149 at Bebe) for rainy days. Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Not many can pull off a fascinator, but Kate Middleton is the exception. She wore the fun accessory during a visit to the Trearddur Bay RNLI Lifeboat Station. Daring enough to try the intimidating headwear? Go with the ASOS Sinamay Pill Box Fascinator with Arrow ($44.83 at ASOS). Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) We love red on Kate Middleton. During a trip to the University of Saint Andrews she wore the vibrant color that really complimented her tone and style. Think red will also look good on you? Try this Soho Jacket ($67 at Boden USA). Wear it with a matching skirt just like Kate or with a pair of black pencil pants. Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) Kate Middleton wore Reiss' "Nanette" dress (from last season) for the official engagement photos. Although the dress goes for about $284 and will be available this month as part of the Reiss spring/summer 2011 collection, you might want an even cheaper version of the look. Consider the Patrizia Pepe Shoulder Pad Fitted Dress ($101.72 at ASOS). Top the number off with a white cropped sweater, and you've got the look! Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) There's no question, the LBB (as in, little black blazer) is this season's must-have. Take the trend up a notch like Kate Middleton by trying a different fabric than the usual -- velvet. Like the look? We think the Daisy Fuentes Velvet Blazer ($24 at Kohl's) looks just like hers! Photo Credit: Bauer Griffin (Courtesy: iVillage) Kate Middleton attended a Christmas reception in England with fiance Prince William wearing a white and black block dress and tuxedo jacket. We love the style so much, we went on a hunt for something similar. Like it, too? Try the Two-Tone Ponte Dress ($99 at Last Call by Neiman Marcus). Don't forget to pair it with a black blazer. Photo Credit: Getty Images (Courtesy: iVillage) We can't get enough of Kate Middleton's classic, easy style. During a night out on the town, she styled herself casual with a beige pashmina and cute riding boots. We think this Journee Collection Paisly Print Faux Pashmina Scarf ($19.99 at Target) looks just like hers! It's the ultimate cold-weather staple! Photo Credit: Bauer Griffin (Courtesy: iVillage) Kate Middleton has been known to sport riding boots with light jackets and skinny jeans. You could say it's her signature style. To get the look, wear these Paris Blues Stretch Black Slub Skinny Jeans ($15 at 15DollarStore.com) with any light jacket and flat boots in your closet. Photo Credit: Bauer Griffin (Courtesy: iVillage) This Kate Middleton ensemble is ready for a party. Even though New Year's celebrations have passed, this special-occasion outfit will never go out of style. For the look for less, go with the Sequin Mesh Top Dress ($34.50 at Charlotte Russe). Wear it with flat suede boots with minimal accessories to keep the look classy. Photo Credit: Bauer Griffin (Courtesy: iVillage) Click through the gallery to find out how you can get the stylish royal's best looks, for less! More from iVillage: Michelle Obama Style for Less Denim Finds Under $50 Handbags for Fall Coat Trends: Fall's 25 Most-Wanted Toppers Photo Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment

Kate Middleton has made her first year as a royal a stylish one! Get the Duche of Cambridge's best look

L-R: Susan Spencer, Richard Schlesinger, Maureen Maher, Erin Moriarty, Troy Roberts, Peter Van Sant CBS L-R: Susan Spencer, Richard Schlesinger, Maureen Maher, Erin Moriarty, Troy Roberts, Peter Van Sant Program Facts | Contact Us | Tapes and Transcripts "48 Hours" is television's most popular true-crime series, investigating shocking cases and compelling real-life dramas with journalistic integrity and cutting-edge style. PROGRAM FACTS:"48 Hours"' in-depth approach has earned the program and its teams numerous awards including three Peabodys, 20 Emmys, five RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award. The 2014-15 season - our 27th - began on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. ***DVR USER ALERT***: Our show name now is simply "48 Hours". If you use a series or season pass on your DVR, you may need to reset so you don't miss a mystery! WHO WE ARE:Senior Executive Producer:Susan Zirinsky Correspondents:Erin MoriartyTroy RobertsSusan SpencerPeter Van SantRichard SchlesingerMaureen MaherDirector: Rob KlugExecutive Editor:Al BrigantiSenior Story Editors:Kathleen O'ConnellNancy KramerSenior Broadcast ProducerAnthony BatsonSenior Producers: Peter SchweitzerJudy Tygard Senior Coordinating Producer: Suzy AllenCONTACT US: "48 Hours"524 West 57th St.New York, NY 10019E-MAIL: [email protected]: (212) 975-3247 E-ALERT: Sign up for our weekly e-mailON DEMAND: Want to read or watch a show again? Full episodes and web extras are available online at CBSNews.com/48hoursiPad: "48 Hours" is available on your iPad. Download now.iTunes: Download your favorite showsGET SOCIAL: Follow "48 Hours" on Facebook and Twitter #48hoursDVDs & TRANSCRIPTS: CBS News Archives: [email protected] | 212-975-6441(Transcripts are not available online.) © 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Learn more about television's most popular true-crime series

The Olympics have always been the most powerful creator of athletic household names. The World Cup and Super Bowl are in the same category. Television builds the athlete's back story, and millions of viewers who don't follow these sports normally are caught up in the drama and pageantry. The audience transcends hardcore fans and creates household names. The athletes are young and fresh-faced and generally display the best in fundamental values. National pride is a heavy factor in attracting a huge audience. Athletes who perform well in critical situations and have an interesting story are catapulted post-games into a celebrity-making machine of talk shows and print press. Athletes and their agents prepare an endorsement profile far in advance of the Games. They are in contact with corporations and sponsors that might want to feature the athlete in advertising done during the Games or after. Marketing decks and presentations extolling individual athletes sit in the hands of key executives. Sometimes an unexpected athlete grabs center stage, as did gymnast Kerri Strug in 1996. We had to move rapidly to strategize how to keep her profile high as the games faded in memory. Here are U.S. athletes with the best chance to star-build in the Rio Olympics: Talented and rugged, and he's from Newport Beach. 9) U.S. Men's Basketball Team Too many superstars to list. These are pros, and the competitions are one-sided. The fact they are representing the country shows character and will enhance an already endorsement-laden group. 8) Allyson Felix And LeShawn Merritt: Track Felix is the best known face in women's track and has an interesting story. Merritt has a chance to win two gold medals. Men's track and field is traditionally an American stronghold, but individual stars have yet to emerge. 7) Nathan Adrian And Caeleb Dressel, Swimming: The next generation of talented men's swimmers have a chance to emerge. In photo above, Adrian and Dressel flank Ryan Held and Michael Phelps after winning goal in freestyle relay. 6) Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman And Laurie Hernandez: Gymnastics These women all have interesting stories, and their enthusiasm and camaraderie jump off the television screen. America will fall in love with these young superstars. 5) Kerri Walsh-Jennings And April Ross: Beach Volleyball Kerri Walsh has a new partner in April Ross, and their pairing is dynamic. 4) Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan And Christen Press: Soccer The U.S. team may win gold, and these three women are telegenic and talented. Here is Press practicing yoga. The all-time medals winner in Olympic history is back, and he's closing out his career in spectacular fashion. He went through tough times and has bounced back. Under Armour, Subway, Visa, Power Bar, AT&T Wireless, and Speedo are a few of his deals. Another familiar face who may dominate the pool events. Charming and likable. The women's team dominated the competition, and this pretty, charismatic star may win the gold for individual all-around. She has deals with Nike, Core Power and GK Elite Sportswear, and will have many more. NBC Sports and the way in which it showcases stars and competitions is the major factor in the development of post-Olympic stars. Some stars not listed above will undoubtedly end up taking center stage during these two weeks. -- Leigh Steinberg has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing and golf, including the first overall pick in the NFL draft an unprecedented eight times, among more than 60 first-round selections. His clients have included Hall of Fame quarterbacks Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Warren Moon, and he served as the inspiration for the movie "Jerry Maguire." Follow him on Twitter @leighsteinberg. More Leigh Steinberg: -- Breaking Down Decision To Bring Super Bowl Back To L.A. -- 12 Essential Steps of Win-Win Negotiations -- Why Football Will Be Better With Less Contact At Practice Alex Morgan, Allyson Felix, Aly Raisman, April Ross, Caeleb Dressel, Carli Lloyd, christen press, Gabby Douglas, Katie Ledecky, Kerri Walsh, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Laurie Hernandez, Leigh Steinberg, LeShawn Merritt, Michael Phelps, Nathan Adrian, Olympics, Sam Mikulak, Simone Biles

Top 10 Most Marketable U.S. Olympians: There are some familiar names like Michael Phelps, but there are others ready to make an impact in Rio.

If you look for love on Tinder, the person you are least likely to fancy is yourself, new research out of the US suggests. Psychologists found that both men and women who turn to the popular dating app tend to have a poorer self image than non-users. They were less satisfied with their bodies and appearance, a study showed. In addition, men alone who used Tinder appeared to have generally lower levels of self esteem. Tinder, which has a reported 50 million active users worldwide, allows people to "like" or "pass" members of the opposite sex with a right or left swipe of their smart phones. If two users "like" each other, they are "matched" and can begin communicating. Scientists asked 1,044 women and 273 men - mostly university students - to complete questionnaires detailing their use of Tinder. They were also quizzed about their body image, socio-cultural factors, perceived objectification and psychological well-being. Around 10 per cent of participants said they had used the dating app. While both male and female users reported less satisfaction with their bodies and looks compared with non-users, only men had lower levels of self esteem. "We found that being actively involved with Tinder, regardless of the user's gender, was associated with body dissatisfaction, body shame, body monitoring, internalisation of societal expectations of beauty, comparing oneself physically to others, and reliance on media for information on appearance and attractiveness," said Dr Jessica Strubel, from the University of North Texas, US, who co-led the research. Because of the way the app works, Tinder users were at risk of feeling "depersonalised and disposable", said Dr Strubel. While feeling insecure themselves, they were also tempted to believe something better might turn up with the next swipe of the screen. The study focused primarily on women, hence the larger number of women participants. But the results showed that men were just as negatively affected by Tinder as women, if not more so, said the researchers. "Although current body image interventions primarily have been directed toward women, our findings suggest that men are equally and negatively affected by their involvement in social media," Dr Strubel added. More research is needed to investigate the long-term psychological effects of social media platforms such as Tinder, she said. The findings were presented at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting in Denver.

Tinder users have worse self-image than those who don't use dating app, a US study has found.

To follow up her performance of Nelly’s “Dilemma” on Thursday night’s Lip Sync Battle, Olivia Munn pulled out the big guns. As in, she literally carried around a big gun for her recreation of Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.” Read More: Watch Beyoncé Join Channing Tatum in Epic Lip Sync Battle The 35-year-old X-Men: Apocalypse actress competed against Kevin Hart on the latest episode of the hit Spike show and pulled out a big win against the comedian. While Hart’s rendition of Onyx’s “Slam” was a crowd-pleaser, Munn’s decision to bring out her very own T-Swift-esque squad — WWE wrestler Big Show, Chanel Iman, Charlotte McKinney and Jaime King — ultimately landed her on top. Watch the full battle above.

She even brought her own squad as backup

At 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) tomorrow, Jan. 12, streaming live exclusively on Mashable, Klout founder Joe Fernandez will be answering questions from readers. As part of the Young Entrepreneur Council’s new program called YEC Global, Fernandez will be answering questions live via video chat broadcast exclusively on this site. Joe Fernandez is the Founder and CEO of Klout. While his jaw was wired shut for nearly three months after surgery, Joe began to develop a deep fascination with the evolution of influence on the social web. The way individuals could instantly broadcast questions, opinions, and ideas to their trusted network sparked his curiosity. In 2008, Joe started Klout in an effort to help businesses understand this individual user impact and provide context around who a person influences and what topics he or she is particularly influential in. Klout is currently the standard for influence on the social web. Joe grew up in Las Vegas and attended the University of Miami and Oxford University. YEC Global is an international mentorship program of the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only non-profit comprised of promising young entrepreneurs. Its goal is to promote and support young entrepreneurs around the world, as well as foster the thriving global entrepreneurial ecosystem by sending delegations to various countries around the world to lead in-person, peer-to-peer mentorship programs, creative sessions, panel discussions and business competitions. The program also offers one-to-two week internships at YEC member-owned companies. Check Mashable tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) where Fernandez will be answering questions from the audience live via video chat. You can also sign up for an email reminder of the chat by visiting this registration page.

Joe Fernandez, founder and CEO of Klout, will be answering your questions about social media on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. ET. Join us!

Updated: Wednesday, November 18, 2015, 7:25 PM A teacher from a French Jewish school was stabbed by three Islamic State supporters who shouted anti-Semitic slurs during the assault in Marseille Wednesday night, officials said. The attackers, one of whom displayed an ISIS T-shirt, rode up on the kippa-clad man on two scooters and stabbed him in the street near the school and a synagogue around 8 p.m. local time, police prefect Laurent Nunez told Agence France-Presse. The history and geography teacher’s injuries aren’t life-threatening, but the three suspects were still at large Wednesday. FULL COVERAGE: LATEST NEWS ON THE PARIS TERROR ATTACKS Another one of the assailants forced the 57-year-old victim to look at a cellphone picture of Mohamed Merah, a homegrown terrorist who killed seven people in a 2012 attack targeting a different Jewish school in southern France, Marseille public prosecutor Brice Robin said. "The three people insulted, threatened and then stabbed their victim in the arm and leg. They were interrupted by the arrival of a car and fled," Robin said. POLICE DOG DIES IN RAID THAT KILLED PARIS ATTACKS MASTERMIND The UEJF Jewish students' union called on police to use all means to catch the attackers and said in a statement that the teacher had suffered three knife wounds. A rabbi elsewhere in France's second largest city was attacked several weeks ago. Michele Teboul, the regional president of the Jewish group CRIF, told AFP she's "worried" about further attacks in the area. "I'm very shocked. because this is the second incident of its kind in a very short time," Teboul said. Wednesday night's stabbing follows the ISIS-linked terror attacks in Paris on Friday that killed at least 129 people. La Belle Equipe café, where 19 people died, has a Jewish majority owner.

A teacher from a French Jewish school was stabbed by three Islamic State supporters Wednesday night, officials said.

The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image The power of a still image Editor's note: CNN contributor Bob Greene is a best-selling author whose books include "Late Edition: A Love Story" and "Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen." (CNN) -- Winston Churchill, glaring, resolute, combative, left hand on hip, stares straight off the page -- a moment, and an image, like no other. (How did the photographer, Yousuf Karsh, get that iconic pose from Churchill, Britain's prime minister, in 1941? Churchill told Karsh that he had very little time for the session. Karsh reached over and took Churchill's cigar from him -- then, as Churchill reacted, snapped the photo.) Marilyn Monroe, at her most beautiful in 1953, leans back, wearing white slacks and a black sweater, and gazes off dreamily to her right. Somehow, even though being photographed for a national magazine, she appears supremely relaxed and right at home. Why? She was at home -- she knew that the photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt, and the magazine, Life, would do right by her, and she had invited them in. Prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945, their faces haunted, their bodies gaunt, their eyes showing nothing and everything, look out from behind the wire fence that imprisons them, just before they are liberated. How did Margaret Bourke-White happen to be there to shoot that photo? Gen. George Patton wanted the world to see why his soldiers were fighting. Patton understood that Bourke-White and her magazine -- Life -- were the best way for the world to witness and understand. All these photos and hundreds more are in a book called "75 Years: The Very Best of Life." It was published just before the holidays; I bought copies for friends around the country, and all of them have told me the same thing: They are spending hours with it, looking for long minutes at individual photos, treasuring the talent of the photographers, many long dead. It is the photographers that I keep thinking about as I have spent my own hours and days with the book. To be a Life staff photographer meant that you were among the best in the world. Professional news photographers, even the most highly regarded of them, find themselves in tenuous times today; it is expensive to have them on staff and to send them places to do their work. There is always going to be someone with a camera around to snap a close-to-good-enough image and sell it inexpensively or give it away. So to linger over the photos in the Life 75th anniversary book -- it is a very large book, because Life's pages were large by design, for maximum impact -- is to marvel at the commitment the magazine made, especially in the days before television, to do whatever was necessary to bring the world to its readers. And to spend time with those images is to honor the talent and courage of the photographers whose best work is on the level of fine art -- fine art produced as the deadline clock is ticking. They were there. They seemed always to be there, at the moments that mattered. Larry Burrows in Vietnam in 1966 as Marine Sgt. Jeremiah Purdie, grievously wounded, reaches for a comrade who is also hurt; Ralph Morse virtually living with the first astronauts, capturing Alan Shepard, in 1961, running toward the Redstone rocket booster that will propel him toward space; Bill Eppridge at Robert Kennedy's side in that California hotel kitchen in 1968, somehow, in the anguished confusion, getting the shattering photograph of busboy Juan Romero who is down on the floor with Kennedy, trying to comfort the dying senator. . . . W. Eugene Smith in 1948 with Dr. Ernest Ceriani, the country doctor who was the subject of one of the most famous photo essays ever published, as Ceriani, on the edge of exhaustion, wearily holds a cup of coffee; Gordon Parks in Rio de Janeiro in 1961, paying tribute to the heartbreaking life of 12-year-old Flavio Da Silva, a boy who is malnourished and ill but who must care for his brothers and sisters; Eisenstaedt in Times Square on V-J Day in 1945, with the impossible task of trying to sum up in a single shot the nation's joy as the war ends, and doing so with that photo of photos: the sailor and the nurse. . . . Life featured words, too, of course, but it was the photographers who were the stars. During my own tenure as Life's columnist, my first assignment took me to rural Kentucky with the Everly Brothers, as the singers returned to their late father's home. I was glad to be in the company of Don and Phil Everly, but the real thrill came from the days spent on the road with the great Life photographer Harry Benson. I kept looking over at him. So this is Harry Benson. So this is how he works. I didn't want to miss or forget a moment of it. I should mention that Life and CNN reside under the same corporate roof. But I fell in love with Life long before there was such a thing as CNN; Life brought the world to my parents' Ohio home, and when the mailman delivered it each week, he was bringing us more than just a magazine. He was bringing us . . . Well, he was bringing us life. Life observed with as much skill and guts and heart as those photographers could push themselves to produce. Life, as a regularly scheduled magazine, is no more; it continues as a series of single-topic issues and special books, and its photography is featured on its popular website. But the Life that was read in America's homes each week, and then, later, each month, is gone. "I can't stop looking at that book," Gary Griffin, one of the friends to whom I gave copies, told me on the phone from California the other night. Me, either. Jackie Robinson rounds third base in the 1955 World Series, the expression on his face the stuff of novels, and Ralph Morse freezes it in time and gives us the chills all these years later. Man, oh man. That was the life. Join CNN Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on Twitter The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene says Life magazine's photographers captured the world in photos that were works of art

11/20/2014 AT 06:10 PM EST When it comes to bad fashion, Stacy London isn't afraid to speak up, and she's back at it on a new show for TLC. "I'm super excited to be back," the TV host tells PEOPLE of her new series . "I was burnt out after . It was a good amount of time for me to take off. I rested and did a lot of traveling, it was amazing!" While the new show, which premieres Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. on TLC, is still fashion-focused, this time London works her magic by "making under" women – toning down some very over-the-top looks. "It was an easy thing to say yes to," she says of her new gig. "Everyone here is like family and it felt like the right time." And even though London enjoyed her time off since her , she never stopped handing out fashion advice – even if it was sometimes unsolicited. "I try to do it in the nicest way possible, she says. "But you might as well let people know." "I'll be like, 'Hey, not that you asked me, but just a quick thought.' "

The former What Not To Wear star will host Love, Lust or Run

Kanye West‘s new video for his lastest single “Bound 2″ is a family affair. In the visuals, the 36-year-old rapper links up with his fiancé Kim Kardashian for a steamy joyride. Kardashian, 33, appears topless in the clip, lounging on a motorcycle gas tank and handlebars and facing Kanye as he steers the couple through a bumpy ride. West debuted the video Tuesday (Nov 19) during an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show where the “Yeezus” artist also dished on his new family life. When asked if he and Kardashian had planned to conceive the couple’s 4-month-old daughter, North West, the new dad admitted it was a pleasant surprise. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s Engagement - Inside the Romantic Proposal! “I mean, we were just practicing all the time” West quipped, adding, “Practice made perfect.” In the interview, West also dished on how having a baby has changed his life. “Just being super focused,” he told Ellen. “Like even more determined to get these ideas, you know, across and establish the exact foundation I want for my family.” Still, the rapper confessed he won’t be altering his raunchy lyrics on account of his new baby girl. “I’m not as concerned with the idea of profanity or nudity its more the messaging behind it,” he said. “She’s going to be in the real world so she’s going to hear things and see things. I think she’s got to be prepared for that.” See: Kim Kardashian Through the Years While West is admittedly smitten with baby North, he is also very much in love with his wife-to-be, Kim Kardashian. When asked why he considers Kardashian to be his “dream girl,” West had this to say: ”She’s an important person that when I was at my lowest moments I could get on the phone with her and she would make me feel like, you know, I was here for a reason… It’s incredible to have a woman like that, that you know is not using you for money.” “Her personality is so calming,” he added. “And I don’t know if that’s the way people would describe my personality.” This is not the first time Kardashian has appeared in one of West’s music video. In 2012, she made in a brief cameo in his video for the track “Theraflu,” in which West professed his love for the starlet. Watch the “Bound 2″ Music Video below. video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Ellen Kanye West‘s new video for his lastest single “Bound 2″ is a family affair. In the visuals, the 36-year-old rapper links up with his fiancé Kim Kardashian for a steamy joyride. Kardashian, 33, appears topless in the clip, lounging on a motorcycle gas tank and handlebars and facing Kanye as he steers the couple through a bumpy ride. West debuted the video Tuesday (Nov 19) during an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show where the “Yeezus” artist also dished on his new family life. When asked if he and Kardashian had planned to conceive the couple’s 4-month-old daughter, North…

updated 02/23/2016 AT 08:05 PM EST •originally published 02/23/2016 AT 04:25 PM EST claims in a new episode of that his public outbursts following may have been caused by his use of testosterone cream. "It was really that whole post- meltdown. That was a very specific period of time that did feel very out of body and very, just detached from all things real," Sheen says in the episode, according to an advance transcript provided to PEOPLE. "I felt superhuman during some of that. It was a lot of highs and lows." Sheen, who on a previous episode of , adds that he looks back with regret on that period. "I was taking a lot of testosterone cream and I think I went too far with it," Sheen says. "It was, kind of, like, a borderline, not a 'roid rage, but a 'roid disengage. That's the stuff that I do look at [and] cringe a little bit behind. There were things about that person that were empowering, that were vibrant, that I felt alive, whether or not I was in some suspended state or not, but I didn't like the anger. I tend to be victimized by my anger at times." 's medical interpretation of Sheen's claims about the testosterone cream wasn't immediately known. , the actor recalled Sheen discussing his use of testosterone cream. "Three times a day you rub the cream on your thighs, and it's deceptive, because you feel the same, but suddenly you're flying into a rage," Cryer recalled Sheen saying in 2014. Dr. Oz recently spoke with PEOPLE about Sheen's claim that he may have bipolar disorder, with Oz acknowledging Sheen is "not diagnosed" with it, "but he has manic episodes." Oz, 55, said he has connected Sheen, 50, with a psychiatrist to work through issues related to bipolar disorder. "He's actually making inroads," Oz said. "He was very resistant to this possibility. The fact of the matter is, if he doesn't banish this, he's going to keep making the same mistakes he's been making." Sheen previously opened up to Oz about his airs weekdays (check local listings).

The star appears on Wednesday's Dr. Oz

I found it both encouraging and discouraging. I sat surrounded by a roomful of Chinese teenagers who were asking probing questions about my academic experiences and other countries. They represented China's best, China's future, and they represented it well. But there was one big problem. They were all there to be interviewed by admissions officers from America's top prep schools, because none of them felt they'd be adequately challenged in China's schools. I was in Beijing, accompanying my niece to school interviews. Like those other kids, she was thinking about going to high school in America. Why? Even at China's most elite schools, many complain that their curriculum is all about rote learning, with little creativity. They don't get enough opportunity to study art and drama or to pursue their passions. I talked to parents, too, including a billionaire couple and a pair of high government officials. The billionaire father confided, "I worry my child is not getting taught morality and the whole human person. Everything is about test scores, not how to handle challenges in real life." Other parents nodded in agreement. These were some of the people who have benefited most from China's reforms over the last 30 years, and they all supported the direction the government has been taking the country in, yet, they worried about their children's futures if more changes weren't made. [On Dec. 7, 2010, the day after this article was published, The New York Times ran an article titled "Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators," which told of how students in Shanghai had outscored their counterparts in dozens of other countries in standardized exams. What those scores represented, though, was not Chinese educational superiority but an unhealthy focus on standardized testing. --S.R.] Since the Great Recession began there has been a palpable shift in power away from America and toward China. Its effect on everything from commodity markets to global supply chains and military plans is undeniable. Unfortunately, not all the reforms in China are keeping up with the great economic and human rights ones the government has implemented. To cement its superpower status, China needs to improve its educational system so it doesn't just produce great academic research and innovation but also attracts the world's top students. All great powers draw in the world's best and train the future leaders of their allies and vassal states. That is soft power at its finest. The British have had Eton and Oxford, the U.S. St. Paul's and Harvard. China needs its own global centers of learning. China's educational system at present causes its best and brightest to move abroad for their studies. Several hundred thousand Chinese study abroad every year, 128,000 in the U.S. alone this year. Nearly 20% of the non-European Union international students in the United Kingdom are Chinese. When I was a graduate student at Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences a decade ago I had more classmates from China than from any other nation except the U.S. Even those who cannot afford to go abroad realize the weakness of China's education system. In 1,000 interviews my firm, the China Market Research Group, conducted with 24- to 28-year-olds in five cities, 70% said they were willing to spend 10% or more of their disposable income on training, and 10% said they'd spend 20%. Chartered financial analyst preparation centers, as well as education and training companies like New Oriental, are booming, as people not only equip themselves to get ahead but work to acquire basic skills they realize they lack. Unqualified college graduates are a serious problem. Many grads are underemployed, working as shop attendants or on factory lines, and not because there aren't white-collar jobs open but because they aren't qualified for any available positions. Companies from Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ) to Starbucks ( SBUX - news - people ) to Intel ( INTC - news - people ) have announced large hiring sprees in China, and Citigroup ( C - news - people ) plans to triple its staff in the country to 10,000 within three years. Yet nearly 25% of this year's Chinese university graduates have failed to find jobs, and multinationals report that their biggest headache is finding qualified talent. What should be done? China should continue to encourage students to go abroad to gain expertise to bring back, but it also needs to strengthen its education system internally. Aside from introducing more liberal arts at the university level, as I have written before, reform needs to start at the primary school level.

It needs to overhaul its educational system.

Not, interestingly, religion. That was the angst last time around, and the extent to which the dynamic has changed, with mammon supplanting Mormon as the bejeweled albatross around his neck, was reflected in another recent comment of his, one that prompted less notice and was interpreted in a particular and highly revealing way. At one of the debates just before the Florida primary, as he and Newt Gingrich jousted over the Latino vote, he answered Gingrich’s charges that he was anti-immigrant by calling them “repulsive” and declaiming, “My father was born in Mexico.” Many news reports mentioned the moment, casting it as an example of his newfound readiness to take the fight back to Gingrich. But only a few of those reports recognized what an odd line of defense Romney had employed, given why his father was born there. The family lived south of the border because Miles Park Romney, Mitt’s great-grandfather, had fled the United States after the passage of an 1882 law that explicitly banned polygamy, which he practiced. He was reputedly instructed to till a polygamous Mormon colony on foreign soil. When Romney first ran for president in 2008, there was so much discussion about the potential impact of his Mormonism, and his own concern about it was deep enough, that he delivered a set-piece speech designed to rebut any lingering impression of the religion as an exotic, even loopy sect. In that painstakingly calibrated address, he said the word Mormon all of once. Christ or Christianity came up repeatedly. Four years later, he still avoids the word, trumpeting his faithfulness without specifying the faith. What’s surprising is that no one around him — not reporters, not rivals — talks about it all that much, either. The Romney-Gingrich showdowns in South Carolina and Florida got plenty nasty: at one point the Gingrich camp, flashing back to Romney’s term as Massachusetts governor, falsely accused him of pretty much wresting kosher food from the mouths of Holocaust survivors. But neither Gingrich nor his allies played the Mormon card, even though nearly 20 percent of the Republicans and independents surveyed by Gallup last year said they wouldn’t support a Mormon presidential candidate. Steve Schmidt, who managed John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, said there was a simple, good reason to let Romney’s Mormonism be. “It’s baked into the cake,” he said, explaining that at this point, voters are well aware of it, have already decided if it matters to them, and that’s that. Anyone trying to use it against Romney, even obliquely, might succeed only in being branded a religious bigot, especially in a country “that becomes more tolerant of difference all the time,” Schmidt said. His assessment is borne out by what happened when Politico, in a report last August, said that President Obama’s tacticians were contemplating a general-election strategy that would underscore ways in which Romney seemed “weird.” The adjective sounded suspiciously like a stand-in for Mormon, as Romney’s enraged lieutenants noted, and the White House hastily denounced the Politico report as dead wrong. Two months later, a prominent Baptist pastor at the Values Voter Summit in Washington called Mormonism a cult and encountered an instant — and warranted — backlash. Will that be the end of it? One longtime Republican strategist I talked with predicted that Gingrich would broach Romney’s Mormonism yet, with the aim of mobilizing the Mormon-wary evangelicals who vote in southern primaries on March 6, “Super Tuesday.” That’s a regrettable motive. But there are valid reasons for the rest of us to home in on Romney’s religion, not in terms of its historical eccentricities but in terms of its cultural, psychological and emotional imprint on him. His aloofness, guardedness and sporadic defensiveness: are these entwined with the experience of belonging to a minority tribe that has often been maligned and has operated in secret? Do his stamina and resilience as a candidate reflect his years of Mormon missionary work in France, during which he learned not to be daunted in the face of so much resistance that he won a mere 10 to 20 converts, according to “The Real Romney,” a biography published last month? And what of his sometimes huffy expectation that voters accept his current stances against abortion and gun control, to name two flips, and stop fussing over so many contrary positions in the past? Does that track with Mormonism’s blithe reluctance, according to its critics, to explain controversial tenets that it has jettisoned, like a ban on black clergy members that was in place until 1978? A tactful desire to avoid any sensationalizing of Romney’s faith has created a tendency not to give it appropriate due. To read “The Real Romney,” which represents an exception, is to realize the utter centrality of religion in his life. One of the book’s most arresting passages describes a moment when Ann, his wife-to-be and then a Protestant, asks him what Mormons believe. His detailed explanation moves her to tears, perhaps because it’s so heartfelt, perhaps also because he’s so nervous about her reaction. The news media’s caution about focusing on Romney’s religion mirrors his own reticence, which, as Frank Rich pointed out in New York magazine last week, may be a big reason he can’t connect with voters in a visceral, intimate way. He’s editing out the core of his identity. He’s muffling his soul. “His church experience is, I think, one of the great humanizing influences in Mitt Romney’s life,” said Patrick Mason, a professor of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University. Mason noted that if Romney would embrace that side of himself, he could beat the rap that he’s never been exposed to hardship by recounting his missionary experience. “That’s usually a very spartan lifestyle, and by definition most of the people you’re talking to are going to be poor.” Romney’s even longer period as a Mormon lay leader in Boston involved counseling and consoling people dealing with marriage problems, addiction, unemployment: some of life’s messiest, scariest stuff. He must have gained a fluency in human frailty. But when The Times’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg was researching an article about that time, Romney predictably declined her interview request. He has released tax returns, putting his Swiss accounts in the foreground. But he still cloaks his church duties, consigning his French proselytizing to the background. Is it the right political calculation? I’m not sure. But I know it makes for a woefully incomplete portrait, denying voters something that they deserve — and that might well cut his way.

Romney’s Mormon faith is too central to his biography and identity to be swept to the side.

Stocks sold off more than 1 percent on Tuesday, under pressure from strength in the dollar and better housing data that renewed anxiety over imminent central bank tightening. Read MoreEl-Erian: Correction in stocks could happen if … "The stock market is really a knee-jerk reaction to the Fed," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of BMO Private Bank. He said investors will continue to focus on when the Federal Reserve will raise rates and the situation in Greece. That nation faces a 300 million euro ($326 million) payment deadline to the International Monetary Fund on June 5, the first of four payments due that month to the organization that total 1.6 billion euros. On Tuesday, both Greek and European officials attempted to calm fears that Athens would default on the payment. "When there's a vacuum the market headlines become very important," Krosby said. "The Greece headlines become very important because there's nothing (else) to focus on." Read MoreDisciplinary actions: See which firms made the list The S&P 500 closed down 1 percent for its worst day since May 5. The index did hold the key 2,100 level that JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade, was watching. The Dow Jones Industrial average had its poorest performance of the month, dropping 190 points to close at 18,041. The Nasdaq also had its worst day since May 5, falling 1.11 percent as tech stocks led by a 2.2 percent decline in Apple weighed on the index. Analysts said the massive selloff could result in a bounce back on Wednesday, bringing volatility back into focus. Read MoreThis is giving a sense of a major top: Jim Paulsen The CBOE Volatility Index, considered the best gauge of fear in the market, spiked 16 percent on Tuesday to 14.06 after dipping below 12 for the first time in six months on Friday. Against "the backdrop of what's going on globally and the question of when rates are going to rise in the United States ... if you see the VIX continue to go up at these levels then you'll see significant correction pricing in," said Andrew W. Ferraro, wealth advisor at Strategic Wealth Partners. To be sure, the VIX is still at relatively low levels, trading below 15, Kinahan said. "People aren't necessarily buying volatility protection until needed," he said. He said a factor in the stock selloff and the decline in longer-term bond yields may be traders rotating assets out of equities into the longer end of the Treasury market where yields are more attractive. Read MoreConsumer confidence inches up in May The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield fell to 2.14 percent in late trading Tuesday. The two-year yield dropped to 0.61 percent. "The front end is holding up in response to decent economic data today as well as recent comments from the Fed restating their desire for a rate hike in 2015," said Brandon Swensen, co-head of U.S. fixed income at RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.). "The safe-haven bid for Treasurys remains as strong as ever, which is why they are always dangerous to short. Sentiment can turn quickly." After a slew of economic data on Tuesday and ahead of Friday's GDP report, Wednesday is relatively quiet with only weekly mortgage applications due. Tiffany, DSW and Costco report earnings before the bell on Wednesday and may shed further light on the retail environment. Luxury home builder Toll Brothers also posts results before the bell.

Dollar strength and bond yields, in the context of Federal Reserve tightening, will continue to dominate market movements on Wednesday.

The World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood, New Jersey updated 12/12/2015 AT 09:00 AM EST •originally published 12/10/2015 AT 01:40 PM EST For two years, Michele Colón believed with complete conviction that the end of the world was imminent and that an elderly lady from South Korea was God. For those same two years, Colon, a nurse, attended services at the World Mission Society Church of God in the New Jersey suburb of Ridgewood. Colón tells PEOPLE she defected from the World Mission Society Church of God more than four years ago. She says she did so because she believes she had been brainwashed into what she alleges is a doomsday cult. Colón further claims in a civil suit she filed against the 50-year-old World Mission Society Church of God, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE, that the group is a "profit-making" cult that "uses a number of psychological control tactics...to prevent its members from exposing its criminal and tortious behavior." In its motion to dismiss Colón's complaint, the church called her allegations "entirely fabricated." The motion states that Colon's claim is part of a larger effort by her to "position herself as a veteran of the 'cult war' and build a career as 'cult expert' to the detriment" of the World Mission Society Church of God's reputation. But interviews conducted with six other former World Mission Society Church of God members, including a former member of 12 years, echo Colón's claims. All seven former members tell PEOPLE the religious faction isolates its acolytes from their families and friends by controlling information and using brainwashing techniques. "Fear and guilt – that is what fuels this cult," Colón tells PEOPLE. "They fill you with this fear that the world is going to end at any moment and you feel guilty for not doing enough good before the end comes." In a prepared statement, the World Mission Society Church of God dismissed all cult characterizations as "religious intolerance" and urged any examination of it include "how the Church serves the community and how it adheres to the standard of Christianity, which is the Bible."

Former members claim they were told the world would end in 2012

LOS ANGELES – Actress Jessica Capshaw, pregnant with her third child, is taking time out this Mother’s Day to draw attention to the many mothers in the developing world in need of medical care. Best known for her role as pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Capshaw has penned a heartfelt message and PSA on behalf of the International Medical Corps, a global humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. “Being a mom has been my most important job to date, and I take my job very seriously, and I have a lot of fun doing it. At the same time, I realize how lucky I am to have something that too many mothers don't have: access to medical care that supports their health and that of their families,” she wrote. “Maternal health remains a staggering challenge, particularly in the developing world. Globally, a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute.” Capshaw said the real life savers are those doing work far from the limelight. “I play a pediatric surgeon fiercely determined to give mothers the chance to see their children grow up healthy. In the real world, I see this dedication in the courageous and committed health professionals who work for International Medical Corps. They are the ones saving lives in some of the world's toughest environments – places like Darfur, Afghanistan, the Congo and Haiti,” she continued. “They are making motherhood the blessing that it should be, instead of the health risk that it can be.”

Being a mom has been my most important job to date, and I take my job very seriously, Capshaw said.

Chris Brown I Had a Seizure Because Everyone's Mean to Me 's seizure Friday was triggered by a giant pain in his ass -- aka the media and lawyers. TMZ broke the story ... the L.A. City Fire Dept. rushed to a recording studio just after 1 AM after someone called 911 and said CB ​. When EMT's arrived CB refused treatment. Chris' rep says the seizure was triggered by "intense fatigue and extreme emotional stress, both due to the continued onslaught of unfounded legal matters and the nonstop negativity." The good news ... the rep says the seizure was nonepileptic -- it's called a NES. TMZ -- sometimes we trigger seizures. Get TMZ Breaking News alerts to your inbox

Chris Brown's seizure Friday was triggered by a giant pain in his ass -- aka the media and lawyers.TMZ broke the story ... the L.A. City Fire Dept. rushed…

Nvidia Shield owners will be able to stream games to their handheld devices from the cloud starting next week, the company announced Thursday. A streaming service called Grid will launch on Nov. 18 in the United States, and will offer users of the Nvidia Shield handheld gaming device a library of 20 titles at launch. All the games will be free to stream until June 30, 2015. The Nvidia Shield, which debuted in Oct. 2013, is an Android-powered handheld device that plays any game from that ecosystem with a connected controller but can also stream games from powerful PCs running Nvidia graphics cards. The Grid streaming service will allow Shield owners to not need a PC to enjoy the same quality game, the company said. A Shield tablet was also released in 2014. Streaming should work on both. Music and movie streaming services like Spotify and Netflix have already caught on, but Nvidia thinks "gaming gratification" should be just a moment away, too. Though there are game streaming services available, like PlayStation Now, they haven't become as popular as other streaming media. Some of the games that will be available to Grid users are Batman: Arkham City, Borderlands 2, Brutal Legend and Psychonauts. The company said it took a decade to perfect Grid. The reason? "Streaming games is hard," Nvidia said in ablog post. It added that users don't want streaming services that have long load times or lag. Nvidia said it will amp up its cloud-based graphics processing power to equal "the fastest supercomputer in the U.S.," too. Nvidia also announced on Thursday that the Shield tablet can upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop, the latest operating system available, on Nov. 18. New buyers of the 32GB/LTE Shield tablet will also get Half Life 2, Portal and Half Life 2: Episode One included on the device at no extra cost. The tablet costs $400. BONUS: This Oculus Rift game will scare the crap out of you Rex Santus contributed to this report. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Nvidia Shield owners will be able to stream games to their handheld devices starting next week.

The harmonica is suddenly in the news because the Democratic candidate for Vice President, Senator Tim Kaine, is a devoted player. Kaine was introduced to the instrument at a young age by a friend. Nearly 50 years later, Kaine says he remains passionate about this humble instrument. But do his devotion to it, and the life skills he has learned through his association with it, lend themselves to skills he may need if elected Vice President of the United States? As a longtime harmonica player myself, I’d like to provide some answers. His harmonica playing speaks to his outgoingness and ability to relate to people: Kaine is not shy about joining in on the harmonica. He will play at country store “picking parties,” join in “jam sessions” and jump on stage at bluegrass festivals and other events. If a group will welcome him, he is glad to be with them—no matter their beliefs and politics. They’re united by music. This shows Kaine is expert at group dynamics, able to understand when he should play his role as a sideman, wait his turn and play only as long as he is expected to. He can read the non-verbal cues from the other musicians, and especially the leaders, as to when to jump in, and when to step back. His sense of community and unification: Kaine has a keen sense for what is appropriate, whether the musical event is one attended by dozens, hundreds or thousands. He understands the extent to which he is just a musician in these situations, no more special than anyone else on the stage or in the audience. His everyman persona—“just a harmonica player”—belies a sense of fitting in with the music community. And his boyish enthusiasm, low-key modesty, respect for his fellow musicians and clear love for live music all serve to unite people with him—because he fits into that community in a sincere, genuine manner. Kaine has studied his musical history. His favorites include acoustic blues musicians Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, bluegrass icons Doc Watson and Flatt & Scruggs, and Belgian jazz giant Toots Thielemans. He revered the experience of performing at the Carter Family Fold, considered by many to be the birthplace of country music. He respects those who came before, and greatly admires them, infusing his own playing with lessons he picked up from studying their works closely. There’s not much to suggest Kaine has written much of his own music. But he has learned to improvise—thinking on the spot of what to play when the song leader nods to him, and how to develop a theme, with a build-up, high point and swift conclusion. For solos more purely rhythmic in nature, he echoes the themes of others and improvises off them, adding his own notes and accents, but staying on rhythm and “on message,” as it were. Kaine has said that the reason he carries “an emergency supply” of four harmonicas in his briefcase at all times is so that when a moment allows, he can pull away from his daily duties for a brief respite. He immerses himself in the music when he plays, and that reverie can carry him back to days studying the records of Flatt & Scruggs, or the simple joys of playing on one of his close-knit family’s many camping trips. A little time with the “mouth harp” offers a relaxing escape, a slowing down from the rush of the day, and provides refreshment when his battery is running low. His reactions and decision-making ability: Playing within a group is a true collaborative effort, marked by teamwork, mutual respect, knowing one’s place and time, as well as sometimes just sensing that some precious silence and appreciative listening are the right choice for that moment. When called upon to play, often just with a nod of the head, Kaine, like other harmonica players, must be able to think on his feet, react quickly to the tempo and spirit of the performance of the song, and the most recent “speaker,” and make an almost instant decision of how to approach the blank space that has been presented to him by his fellow musicians. He can play slow or fast, few notes or many, follow others’ ideas, or go in a new direction—and then he must, at the proper time, return “the floor” to someone else, or back to another leader. Given what he’s learned as a harmonica player, which began long before he got into politics, you might conclude those harmonica “life lessons” have served him well in the corridors of public service. He’s been an elected City Councilman, Mayor, Lieutenant Governor, Governor and Senator—and never lost an election. Not a bad payoff for a hobby that started out on the swings of an elementary school, trying to find the right notes to match the melody in his head.

The mouth harp is the most democratic of instruments

Petroleum exporters have long used delaying tactics during climate talks. They view any attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by developed countries as a menace to their economies. The original treaty meant to combat global warming, the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, contains provisions that in Saudi Arabia’s view require such compensation. Mr. Sabban outlined his stance at climate talks in Bangkok this month. Environmental advocates denounced the idea, saying the Saudi stance hampered progress to assist poor nations that are already suffering from the effect of climate change, and that genuinely need financial assistance. “It is like the tobacco industry asking for compensation for lost revenues as a part of a settlement to address the health risks of smoking,” said Jake Schmidt, the international climate policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The worst of this racket is that they have held up progress on supporting adaptation funding for the most vulnerable for years because of this demand.” Saudi Arabia is highly dependent on oil exports, which account for most of the government’s budget. Last year, when prices peaked, the kingdom’s oil revenue swelled by 37 percent, to $281 billion, according to Jadwa Investment, a Saudi bank. That was more than four times the 2002 level. At one point in 2008, the average gasoline price in the United States surpassed $4 a gallon. Saudi exports are expected to drop to $115 billion this year, after oil prices fell. American gasoline prices are hovering around $2.50 a gallon. The one-year swing in the kingdom’s revenues shows that oil prices are likely to be a bigger factor in Saudi Arabia’s future that any restrictions on greenhouse gases, said David G. Victor, an energy expert at the University of California, San Diego. Mr. Victor dismissed the Saudi stance as a stunt, saying that the real threat for petroleum exporters came from improvements in fuel economy and rising mandates for alternative fuels in the transportation sector, both of which would reduce the need for petroleum products. “Oil exporters have always, in my view, far overblown the near-term effects of carbon limits on demand for their products,” Mr. Victor said. “For the Saudis this may be a deal-breaker, but the Saudis are not essential players. In some sense, one sign that a climate agreement is effective is that big hydrocarbon exporters hate it.” A recent study by the International Energy Agency, which advises industrialized nations, found that the cumulative revenue of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would drop by 16 percent from 2008 to 2030 if the world agreed to slash emissions, as opposed to the projection if there were no treaty. But with oil projected to average $100 a barrel, the energy agency estimated that OPEC members would still earn $23 trillion over that period. Mr. Sabban, however, cited an older study by Charles River, a consulting firm, which found that the losses in revenue for Saudi Arabia alone would be $19 billion a year starting in 2012. The Copenhagen talks were a major point on the agenda of the last OPEC conference. But not every oil-exporting country is falling in line with the Saudi position. Some have been trying a different approach that has earned the backing of environmental groups. For example, Ecuador, OPEC’s newest member, said last year that it was willing to freeze oil exploration in the Amazon forest if it got some financial rewards for doing so. The Saudi negotiator said that the compensation mechanism was an integral part of the global climate regime that has been in place since the 1990s and that was not up for renegotiation. “It is a very serious trend that we need to follow and influence if we want to minimize its adverse impacts on our economies and our people,” Mr. Sabban said in an e-mail message to other OPEC officials. “That does not mean we would like to obstruct any progress or that we do not want to join any international agreement. We will do that if the deal is fair and equitable and does not transfer the burden to us.” A version of this article appears in print on October 14, 2009, on Page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: A Push for Payments If Oil Exports Drop. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Saudi officials reiterated a call for oil-producing countries to be compensated if rich nations reduce their consumption, in advance of negotiations in December.

In a previous column, I covered how to cobble useful market research on the cheap. At some point, though, you need to take a deeper, more focused cut--you need to survey your audience. Gathering that data can be tricky if you are using inexpensive, do-it-yourself online-survey tools. Here's some help. First, when it comes to crafting surveys, keep these three maxims in mind: Keep it focused. If you want to gather today on multiple issues, then issue multiple surveys. Don't cram in more than one specific line of questioning per survey. Example: If you want to learn about people's eating habits, don't also ask them about their tastes in clothing; the answers may be related, but tackle them separately in different surveys. You'll get a higher response rate and more useful data. Keep it simple. Give survey-takers check-boxes, lists and scales to simplify their tasks and make their responses easy to measure. (Short-answer text boxes should be optional.) Mete out the questions in logical, building-block fashion. Top Tips: 16 Must-Try Marketing Maneuvers In Depth: 21 Top Twitter Tips Keep it short. Do not overburden respondents--limit completion time to 10 minutes or less. Time the survey after you have written it to see what you are actually asking your respondents to do. (I guarantee you will underestimate the amount of time it took to complete.) Also be sure to have a few disinterested third parties run through it to uncover any confusing language. Now for a simple case study. I recently fielded a survey for a local Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Chapter. It's a great example of how surveys, done right, can yield critical, actionable data. Here was the situation: Motivate ex-Peace Corps volunteers to join the local alumni chapter and stay involved with local non-profit development work. It costs $20 annually to be a member. Only 10% of ex-volunteers bother to join. Anecdotal feedback indicates that ex-volunteers do not see value in joining for $20. What must the chapter offer ex-volunteers to make joining worth the $20? The goal of the research was clear. Yet everyone involved in the organization had a particular angle he wanted to investigate. At bottom, what they wanted to know from people was: "Why do you not join the group?" After a lot of cat-herding, here's what we did. Step One. We created three separate lists to properly identify respondents: a) people who had never joined the organization; b) people who had belonged, but quit; and c) people who were current members Step Two. We asked a "profiling question" to separate responses into the three groups. The introductory page set up the survey by describing our organization, and the strategic purpose of the survey (along with a hearty thank-you to the participants). Then, we separated the three target segments by allowing them to self-select by type. Our question: "What is your relationship with NorCalPCA?" I am currently a member I was a member in the past, but am not now I have never been a member of NorCalPCA By asking this seemingly simple question, we discovered great confusion about what being a member actually meant. (Many who were not members thought they were.) This data alone taught us that our communication was poor. Step Three. We wanted to get an initial reading before we reminded participants about specific NorCalPCA programming. Our question: "Based on what you know about NorCalPCA, please indicate your overall satisfaction with the organization." Step Four. We then dug deeper to measure awareness of NorCalPCA and its activities. Our question: "Are you familiar with the following NorCalPCA programs?" Mentor Program for Recent Returnees Step Five. We went after feedback on individual activities. We used the following structure to measure satisfaction with a list of events (the nice thing here was that respondents didn't have to click through multiple pages to register their opinions): Please rate the following events, with "5" being very satisfied and "1" being very unsatisfied: Step Six. If a respondent rated a particular event 1 or 2, that response triggered a follow-up question: "You indicated a dissatisfaction with [event name]. Please indicate why you were dissatisfied." The respondent was then presented a list of possible reasons, along with an open text box for any further explication. Step Seven. Finally, we asked respondents for suggestions about how to make the organization more valuable to them. We offered a list of possible improvements, again with the 1-5 scale rating system to gauge their opinions (and again, and open text box for any additional insight). Results. We discovered quite clearly that the main problem was communication. Most respondents simply did not know all the benefits of membership, and had never been to a local event. The issue was not the quality of the events, but building awareness about them. (That information was critical to determining how the organization should invest its capital.) The sites for the events needed to be rotated a bit so that all potential members in a given geography could attend. The Costs Of Doing It Yourself The key benefit to do-it-yourself surveying is that it's cheap. Online services such as Constant Contact or SwiftPages offer survey tools to their subscribers for as little as $10/month, and you may be able to turn it on and off without losing data from past surveys. More robust options include SurveyMonkey.com, Surveygizmo.com or Zoomerang.com. Their prices range from free to $600 annually for smaller do-it-yourself survey development. For perhaps $1,000 a month, you can get more help with writing and structuring your surveys. You can also pay yet more for access to a database of potential customers who fit your profile. Want more professional help? Market research advisors charge $200 per hour or more, but you tend to get what you pay for. "An expert can craft the questions to be objective, giving you data that you can truly rely on," recommends Amy Barr, of A2B Strategy, a small business planning and research advisor: "You also must be consistent with the questions asked, so that you can compare data from different surveys with confidence." However you choose to tackle market research, get it right. It is the foundation of your success, in any economy. Kern Lewis is President of GrowthFocus, Inc., a small business marketing consultancy in Castro Vally, Calif. You may reach Kern at [email protected]. Top Tips: 16 Must-Try Marketing Maneuvers In Depth: 21 Top Twitter Tips

The difference between gathering good data and bad lies in how you ask the questions.

On Saturday afternoons for 21 years, dedicated listeners would "get their bannock and tea," and tune into CBC Radio for news from Our Native Land. The first - and so far only - national radio program focused on native issues and cultures, it chronicled the rejuvenation of native literature, art, culture and political activism beginning in 1965. Hosts included Johnny Yesno, Bernelda Wheeler, Albert Angus and Brian Maracle, who were part of the all-aboriginal production team. In the second segment of a two-part 1984 interview, Buffy Sainte-Marie talks about her work as an author and Sesame Street performer. She says her "great unfulfilled ambition" is to portray Pauline Johnson, a woman she sees as her forerunner, in a film about the Mohawk poet's life. Johnson also talks about her spiritual practice and offers advice to aspiring native stars: " you have to be bold enough to ask for what you need and you have to be good enough to get it." • CBC Digital Archives also has a 1979 interview with Buffy Sainte-Marie in which she talks about working on with her young son, native people getting shut out of Hollywood movies, and the importance of breast feeding. Medium: Radio Program: Our Native Land Broadcast Date: Aug. 25, 1984 Guest(s): Buffy Sainte-Marie Host: Brian Maracle Duration: 11:41 This clip has been edited for copyright reasons. Last updated: June 5, 2012 Page consulted on March 27, 2013 Canada's first aboriginal radio show is reaching maturity - and it's t... The Hudson's Bay story according to native people, and what it's like ... Johnny Cash on the American Indian, and a report on Vancouver Island's... Looking at the unhappy marriage of the RCMP and Aboriginal people - ti... Our Native Land turns ... The best of the first ten years of Canada's only national aboriginal r... Canadian and American AIM members salute Red Power. Our Native Land: On th... In 1974, native youth are hitting the road to escape the city and find... Native women's groups are sprouting up across Canada, this clip finds ... Our Native Land: In ou... Writers Maria Campbell, Howard Adams, George Manuel and Mike Polsuns a... Get your bannock and t... George Clutesi, an Aztec fire dancer, wild rice harvesting and the red... Meet folksinger, aboriginal activist and Sesame Street star Buffy Sain... Native elders from across Canada share their nation's stories and lege... What the Indian Act is all about and how native mothers in Regin... Alcohol, cons and despair: aboriginal people living on skid row. Indians should move to cities, says one report featured in this 1983 p... Unusually high numbers of aboriginal kids have been forced into the ch... Our Native Land: Rise ... Looking back at the rise of Canada's native rights movement beginning ... In 1984, Buffy Sainte-Marie tells Our Native Land about her childhood,... Buffy Sainte-Marie on writing, Pauline Johnson, spirituality and succe... In this 1985 episode of Our Native Land, guests debate the role of gov...

Buffy Sainte-Marie on writing, Pauline Johnson, spirituality and success.</p>

Violence flared on the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday after more than a 1,000 demonstrators protested in against Brazil's hosting of the football World Cup later this year. Waving flags, carrying banners and chanting "there will be no Cup", the demonstrators took to the streets in what the Anonymous Rio protest group billed as the first act in its "Operation Stop the World Cup" campaign. The event was largely peaceful but police later clashed with some protesters. The demonstrators gathered in front of the Sao Paulo Art Museum for about an hour before heading out to another part of the city chanting slogans against the tournament. As they approached the downtown area, some "Black Block" anarchist demonstrators attacked an empty police car and tried to overturn it, while others torched a small car and smashed the windows of banks, as they have in previous protests since last year. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, dispersing the crowd. More than 100 demonstrators were detained. During the demonstration several protesters chanted: "If we have no rights, there will be no Cup." "By rights we mean the people's right to decent public services," said university student Leonardo Pelegrini dos Santos. "We are against the millions and millions of dollars being spent for the Cup. It is money that should be invested in better health and education services and better transportation and housing." Fellow student Juliana Turno said "this is a small sample of the protests that will happen when the World Cup begins." Last year, millions of people took to the streets across Brazil complaining of higher bus fares, poor public services and corruption while the country spends billions on the World Cup, which is scheduled to start in June. Those demonstrations coincided with the Confederations Cup soccer tournament, a warm-up tournament for the World Cup. In Rio de Janeiro, about 50 protesters gathered in front of the Copacabana Palace hotel, holding signs blasting the World Cup. After about an hour, the crowd moved onto a main street that runs along Copacabana beach, halting traffic as police watched from the side. Small demonstrations were also held in several other cities.

Dozens arrested after demonstration against high cost of this year's football tournament turns ugly

Is there a reason to be against gay marriage? Current claims 1) "it goes against tradition" - well so do interracial marriages (laws not changed completely until 1970s), un-arranged marriages, marriages for love & not financial arrangements etc. 2) "marriage is for procreation" - well seniors are allowed to marry, as are infertal couples, and people with physical handicaps that make reproduction impossible; plus lesbians are able to carry children using donated sperm (straight women use sperm donations to, so it must be OK, right?) 3) "It'll devalue the meaning of marriage" - seriously, 10 milion dollars was spent to hold a wedding on TV for a marriage that lasted 72 days, drunk people can use a drive-thru and get married by Elvis. 50% of straight marriages end in divorce - are we really blaming the devaluing of marriage on gay people? That's all I could come up with besides a religious reasoning. Am I missing a valid arguement? I jsut don't see one - besides just not accepting gay people as a concept. FWIW, does anyone really believe that if you ban gay marriage that gays will cease being gay and find some straight person to marry? Talk about screwing up a family and ruining kids (this happend to a friend of mine, it would have been much better if his gay dad had never married a straight woman and lived a huge lie until he couldn't take it any more.)

Bradley Hirschfield discusses gay marriage in Maryland, and whether civil rights should be left up to popular vote.

The Americans, FX; Better Call Saul, AMC; Downton Abbey, PBS; Game of Thrones, HBO; Homeland, Showtime; House of Cards, Netflix; Mr. Robot, USA Should win: The Americans, FX While several of this category’s nominees feel carried over simply by default, some gems found their way in. Game of Thrones began, by the end of its sixth season, to thrillingly move toward an endgame. Mr. Robot took massive and, within the confines of its first season, successful creative risks (ones that are not paying substantial dividends in the current, lagging second season, but the show may yet pick up). And Better Call Saul, in a season that expanded its crooked-lawyer story to examine Jimmy McGill’s malign influence on all around him, was TV’s second-best drama—just behind The Americans, which feels unlike any of its fellow nominees or any traditional multi-season show. It’s a show that feels as though it has in mind not just its narrative endpoint but the exact mix of thorny ideas it hopes to work through before it gets there, and yet, by some magic, it never feels methodical. Will win: Game of Thrones, HBO Television’s current defining hit by any metric, Game of Thrones will make for a worthy winner—if it could win for its transitional fifth season, less cohesive than the most recent set of episodes, it’s not unreasonable to expect it mounts a Breaking Bad-style streak through the rest of its run.

This year's Emmys broke new ground up and down the ballot. Mr. Robot and The Americans entered the Best Drama race for the first time,…

The tragic mum-of-two was snapped inspiring the next generation at school talk JO Cox inspires the next generation as she gives a talk to pupils — barely a day before she was gunned down in the street. Labour MP Jo addressed a class of school kids on the EU referendum at Whitcliffe Mount School in Cleckheaton, West Yorks, on Wednesday. The image, posted to her Twitter account, would be one of the final images of the tragic young mum devoted to public service. In a caption under the photo, she wrote: “The #EUref debate @WMount in Cleckheaton was excellent. Lots of interest and great questions from students #Remain”. Heartbreaking moment Canadian MP and friend of Jo Cox breaks down in tears as tributes pour in A day later she would lay dead after a horrific attack at the hands of a barbaric gun and knife attack following an advice surgery in her constituency of Batley and Spen. The final days of Jo’s life detail her commitment to the community in her Yorkshire seat. On Tuesday the mother of two children, aged three and five, spoke with local kids at the Batley Parish School, where she talked to youngsters about their aspirations. The snap catches Jo standing in front of the engrossed children while she poses questions to them during school assembly. She wrote alongside the picture: “Led the assembly at the wonderful Batley Parish School, we focused on good citizenship, democracy and aspiration.” Only one day earlier she met with MacMillan Cancer Support staff, working in the local community to help those affected by the disease. Later that day she visited staff at a chippy that was now offering gluten-free fish and chips to customers. And last week the 41-year-old highlighted the work done by local church-goers in the community. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368

JO Cox inspires the next generation as she gives a talk to pupils — barely a day before she was gunned down in the street. Labour MP Jo addressed a class of school kids on the EU referendum at Whit…

By Marc A. Thiessen September 22 at 10:40 AM When John Kerry ran for president in 2004, he dismissed the allies fighting alongside the United States in Iraq as a “trumped-up, so-called coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought and the extorted.” Now, as secretary of state, Kerry is going hat-in-hand to many of the same nations he insulted, asking them to join a U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. No wonder he’s having so much trouble. As Kerry lobbies potential coalition partners at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York this week, it is worth recalling how he offended the 30-plus nations that sent ground troops to fight alongside us in Iraq — including the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Australia, Romania, South Korea, Japan, Denmark, Bulgaria, Thailand, El Salvador, Hungary, Singapore, Norway, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Mongolia, Latvia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia, Albania, New Zealand, Tonga, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, the Philippines, Armenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina — plus the many others who supported the mission with basing, overflight and other crucialassistance. Kerry dismissed as “window dressing” the sacrifice of those nations, including the 14 coalition countries who by then had seen their soldiers die on the battlefield in Iraq. His cavalier comments prompted the president of Poland (a country that led Multinational Division in Central-South Iraq and lost 23 soldiers in battle) to declare, “It’s sad that a Senator with twenty years of experience does not appreciate Polish sacrifice . . . I don’t think it’s a question of ignorance. . . . It’s immoral not to see this involvement we undertook.” Kerry mocked the contributions of smaller nations, declaring “When they talk about a coalition, that’s the phoniest thing I ever heard. You’ve got 500 troops here, 500 troops there.” Never mind he’s now working for a president who just used a prime-time address to announce that he is deploying — wait for it — 475 troops to Iraq (but insists they will not have a “combat role”). Now, Kerry is meeting resistance from nations small and large as he seeks allies to join the fight against the Islamic State. Turkey has forbidden the United States from using Incirlik air base for military strikes on Islamic State targets. Egypt’s foreign minister told Kerry that Egypt’s “hands were full” with its own fight against terrorism. In Jordan, the New York Times reports, King Abdullah II “told Secretary of State John Kerry . . . that Jordan was focusing on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.” Looking at Kerry’s efforts, CNN reports that “it looks like a coalition of the not-so-willing.” Kerry claimed at the U.N. on Friday that “we have seen more than 50 countries come forward with critical commitments.” But in his U.N. speech, he named just two countries — Australia and France — that are providing fighter jets and military personnel, while explaining that “the coalition required to eliminate ISIL is not only, or even primarily, military in nature.” Bahrain, Kerry said, “has offered to host an international conference in the near future to . . . counter terrorist financing,” Germany is providing “lethal aid,” and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea are contributing “to the UN-led humanitarian response in Iraq.” How many of these contributions would have passed Kerry’s “window dressing” test in 2004? Not many. Let’s be clear: If countries want to keep their cooperation with the United States a secret, that should be fine by us. When the George W. Bush administration formed coalitions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the broader war on terror, it did not insist that every nation publicly declare if and how it was contributing. The policy was to accept help from countries on a basis that was comfortable to them, and then let them characterize how they were helping the coalition. Many contributed openly, while many others cooperated privately. But this was not good enough for Kerry in 2004. He declared that 30 nations with actual boots on the ground was evidence of a “go-it-alone policy in Iraq.” Now he expects to get credit for the support of any nation that issues a strongly worded statement. To be fair, Kerry’s difficulties are not entirely his fault. No one believes President Obama’s strategy in Iraq will work — not the Republicans, not the Democrats, not the generals, not the American people. So it’s little wonder that our allies are questioning the strategy as well and finding ways to avoid making specific commitments. After all, in 2004, Kerry declared that the United States could take preemptive action abroad only if it “passes the global test.” Well, if the current Iraq coalition is any indication, Kerry is failing his own global test. Read more from Marc Thiessen’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. SECTION: {section=opinions, subsection=null}!!! 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Thiessen, content_category=Editorial-Opinion, in_url_headline=marc-thiessen-kerrys-coalition-against-the-islamic-state-fails-his-global-test, section={section=opinions, subsection=null}, show_ads=true, show_comments=true, ugc={allow_comments=true, allow_photos=false, allow_videos=false, comments_period=14, comments_source=washpost.com, default_sort=, default_tab=, display_comments=true, is_ugc_gallery=false, max_items_to_display=15, max_items_to_display_top=3, moderation_required=false, stream_id=}} allow_comments: true published_date:Sep 22, 2014 2:40:17 PM close date: Oct 6, 2014 2:40:17 PM SECTION: {section=opinions, subsection=null}!!! 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The secretary of state is having trouble enlisting allies in the fight against the Islamic State.

‘You met, and then?” people say when they ask how my husband, Nico, and I got together. “And then,” Nico says, somewhat embarrassed: “Google Translate.” We met in 2010 at a hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where I was reporting on the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that year. He, a U.N. peacekeeper from France who spoke practically no English, and I, an American with equal amounts of French, communicated with a lot of pantomime. But once we’d started “talking,” we stuck close by each other, him leading me across the lobby by the hand at one point. We kissed that night. I woke up early the next morning to an e-mail from him. “Hey Miss!” Nico’s words, suddenly prolific, greeted me. “How are you? For me, it was a magic evening, magic moment, magic woman.” Google’s translations are not perfect. In that first missive, Nico complimented me heartily on my “hornbeam,” which for some reason the software was giving him as a synonym for “charm.” And he expressed frustration, at times comically, about not being able to shower me with “lovely words” the night before. When he stole away to my hotel again a couple of nights later, I knew, thanks to dozens of additional e-mails and text messages sent in the interim, that he was driven there as much by emotion as by desire. I was no prude, as a sexually active single gal. But as a standing policy, I did not sleep with strangers. I slept with Nico that night because, thanks to those Google-assisted communications, he didn’t feel like one. And so, the next day, I was gut-punched by the e-mail I received. “I’m glad to have could to see you. It was very sweet and ardor this night. I like the contact with your skin.” But also: “I don’t think I see you again. I don’t think this is a good idea to stay in touch.” My mouth went dry. My instincts and his ardent transliterations had removed my usual reservations about one-night stands — and look where it had gotten me. I wrote back, calling him a swear word. He responded immediately. The swear word “in google translate is not very good word!” he said, alarmed. “I want see you again, I want talk with you again. . . . It’s not the problem!” The problem, several subsequent messages made clear, was that he had almost gotten caught absconding from his unit’s camp, which visiting French soldiers like himself were forbidden to leave except on business. He’d endangered his career and put anyone who’d seen him doing so in an awkward position. He couldn’t come to my hotel again. Of course, that’s not what “stay in touch” means. Nuance! With the help of algorithms, no matter how clumsy, what could have been a fleeting hookup became a long-distance relationship. After I went home to San Francisco and he returned to France, we sent countless, constant e-mails. English was our official language; he was dying to learn it. Any day we could find the time, we both logged on to a video chat. After smiling at each other and typing our hellos, I would write a topical sentence: I had a meeting at work today. Or: I’m not sure if I want to have kids. I’d watch his eyes move from one browser window to another on his screen as he copied the sentence from the chat, pasted it into Translate and hit enter. It was the Translate window he responded to, not my face directly, as he read what I had written, saying “ah” or laughing or frowning. Then he would glance at me to repeat whatever face he’d just made, with eye contact this time, before turning back to Translate to type his response in French, get the translation, copy and paste it into the chat window, and hit send. And I would read that. We did this for hours at a time, over many months, with translations sometimes so garbled they raised more questions than they answered. Nico, once: “Be careful it’s of rhetoric! Lol.” Nico, another time: “My apartment is a whorehouse.” That one took us quite a few minutes to figure out. In French, “bordel” does mean “whorehouse”; the expression “C’est un bordel,” though, means “It’s a mess.” Google Translate was still easier than the truly old-fashioned way by a mile — or roughly 6,000 miles, in this case. Imagine doing what we were doing with a dictionary: flipping the pages for every word, conjugating verbs. Could we have exhaustively pieced together our interactions with phrasebooks? Sure, though we might have been less likely to stick with it. Despite the modern tools at our disposal, this nascent relationship still didn’t seem practical. Our friends were flummoxed. But our chats kept Nico in my life in a manageable way, somewhat predictable and scheduled. We got to know each other slowly. And that may have been for the best: At the time, I was struggling with an emotional disorder. Between depressive symptoms and an intense career, I was already juggling more than I could handle. Our distance, though painful, felt safe. With each e-mail and chat session, our divide narrowed. Immersed in computer-generated English, Nico started to pick up the language. Him: “My English is very bad this evening!!! SUCKS! (like this?)” Me: “Your use of ‘sucks’ was perfect.” Him (signing off): “Stay contact every day every time. . . .” Seven months after we met in Haiti, we finally saw each other in person again, in a rendezvous arranged, obviously, over chat and e-mail. He could speak enough for us to have simple conversations over dinner. He knew so much more English than the first time we’d met. All learned from our interactions. All translated by Google. The process continued, and his English kept improving. A year and a half after chancing into each other at that Port-au-Prince hotel, Nico and I moved in together in San Francisco. A few months later, we got married. The more we talked, the more we confirmed that we were as in love as we’d thought from that first, pantomime-heavy interaction. Translations had validated our gut feelings. Since then, our relationship and communication — as well as my mental health — have continued to strengthen. This year, Google released a newer, faster smartphone app that can translate spoken language and pictures of foreign text. Early reviewers report that there are still a lot of mistakes. But the software is likely to get better with time. Even the older method of translating by typing text into computers was advanced enough to make our union possible. Less than a year after our wedding, Google drastically altered our lives again, when a Google employee bought the house where we rented our basement apartment. She came downstairs one night and informed us that we would be evicted. I’d lived in the rent-controlled apartment for five years. I was devastated and bitter. Google giveth, and Google taketh away. Not everything, though. I still had my deep and abiding love, the joy and most cherished treasure of my life: my husband. And he had something, thanks to our diligence and patience and, yes, Google, that could never be taken. He used his English to comfort me, and to help make plans for moving forward, in words we both could understand. Read more from Outlook and follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.

He spoke only French. I spoke only English. Google to the rescue.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston's Adrian Gonzalez proved a thorn in the side of his former team as the first baseman's seventh-inning hit set the surging Red Sox on course for a crushing 14-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday. Gonzalez, who spent the previous five campaigns with the Padres before being traded to Boston in the off-season, broke open a 3-3 tie with an RBI double that opened the floodgates as the Red Sox added 10 runs in the top of the inning. "It's just great at-bats," Gonzalez told reporters after he finished with three hits to raise his Major League-leading batting average to .353. He also leads baseball in RBIs with 67. "It's a line-up that consistently has good at-bats, professional at-bats and you wear down a pitcher." Padres starter Wade LeBlanc left the game in the fourth inning and Boston exploited a shaky San Diego bullpen that walked four and hit two batters in the marathon seventh. Padres reliever Cory Luebke gave up two runs in 3 1/3 innings and was charged with struggling San Diego's (30-44) sixth consecutive loss. "Our bullpen has been the best in baseball, top to bottom," Padres manager Bud Black countered. "Tonight showed that these guys aren't invincible. Bad inning. That's the only way you can write it." Boston (44-28) got a lift on the mound from Andrew Miller, making his season debut in place of injured starter Clay Buchholz. He allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings of the no-decision. Matt Albers came on to finish the sixth and pitched the seventh to earn the win for the red-hot Red Sox, who have won 14 of their last 16 games, and lead the American League East by 1 1/2 games despite a 2-10 start to the season. Boston took an early 3-0 lead with runs in the first, third and fourth innings but the Padres battled back and tied the game in the sixth on a three-run homer from Orlando Hudson. Hudson finished with three hits and Chase Headley went 4-for-5 in the loss for the Padres. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)

BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston's Adrian Gonzalez returned to haunt his former team as the Red Sox crushed the San Diego Padres 14-5 on Monday.

A new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics finds that playing video games for up to an hour a day can be beneficial for 10-to-15-year-olds. "Electronic gaming and psychosocial adjustment," believed to be the largest study of its kind, was carried out by Oxford University and examined the positive and negative effects of video gaming on a representative sample of 5,000 UK children and teenagers. It found that a little gaming goes a long way to helping children feel well adjusted, even when compared to 10-to-15-year-olds when compared to kids who don't partake of console games at all. Children who play console or computer games for up to an hour a day were the most likely to express satisfaction with their lives; had the highest levels of sociability, and appeared to have fewer friendship, emotional or hyperactivity issues than other subjects in the study. However, there appears to be a tipping point. When children play for three hours or more a day, they are less well adjusted. The study's author, Dr. Andrew Przybylski, speculates that this could be related to how much of a child's free time is taken up by video gaming. If a child has three-to-four hours' free time a day and the majority of it is taken up by gaming, then he or she is missing out on other valuable, enriching activities. However, whether good or bad, the research suggests that the impact of video games on children is very small when compared with what it describes as the more "enduring factors" of family life and material deprivation. "These results support recent laboratory-based experiments that have identified the downsides to playing electronic games. However, high levels of video game-playing appear to be only weakly linked to children's behavioural problems in the real world. Likewise, the small, positive effects we observed for low levels of play on electronic games do not support the idea that video games on their own can help children develop in an increasingly digital world," said Dr. Przybylski, who believes that more research will now need to be done into understanding what types of games have the biggest positive benefit on children and how other external factors impact on childhood and adolescent development.

A new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics finds that playing video games for up to an hour a day can be beneficial for 10-to-15-year-olds.

The ritual bath (miqwe) (Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority) The engraved graffiti left by the Australian soldiers. (Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority) The engraved graffiti left by the Australian soldiers. (Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority) Archaeologists in Israel have discovered an ancient ritual bath, as well as a 1,700 year-old water cistern with some surprising graffiti. The 1,900 year-old ritual bath, or miqwe, was recently discovered at Ha-Ela junction near Jerusalem. The excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority took place prior to the widening of a highway. “We exposed a miqwe in which there are five steps; the fifth step being a bench where one could sit at the edge of the immersion pool,” said Yoav Tsur, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in a statement. “We found fragments of magnificent pottery vessels there dating to the second century CE, among them lamps, red burnished vessels, a jug and cooking pots.” Tsur believes that the miqwe ceased to be used in the second century, perhaps following the Bar Kokhba revolt, a Jewish uprising which was brutally suppressed by the Romans. The ancient water cistern, which is located near the ritual bath, also revealed some fascinating details about more recent history. Graffiti engraved on the ceiling of the cistern by two Australian soldiers indicates that it had been exposed until the 1940’s. The inscriptions were read by by Assaf Peretz, an archaeologist and historian with the Israel Antiquities Authority, who identified two names - Cpl Scarlett and Walsh. The date 30/05/1940 also appeared below the graffiti. Research suggest that that the two soldiers were members of the Australian Sixth Division stationed in what was then British Mandate Palestine. “The fins of British mortar bombs were found while searching the site, as were twenty-seven rifle cartridges, six of which were manufactured in Australia and fired in the region,” said Peretz, in a statement. “The finds from this excavation allow us to reconstruct a double story: about the Jewish settlement in the second century CE, probably against the background of the events of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and another story, no less fascinating, about a group of Australian soldiers who visited the site c. 1,700 years later and left their mark there,” added Tsur.

Archaeologists in Israel have discovered an ancient ritual bath, as well as a 1,700 year-old water cistern with some surprising graffiti.

An independent review released this week identified a series of missteps in the Baltimore police handling of protests that occurred after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. The report, authored by the Police Executive Research Forum, found that the police department planned poorly, lacked adequate equipment and failed to articulate clear arrest policies. Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died in April after sustaining injuries in the back of a police van. The city erupted in violence in the aftermath of the death, causing millions in damage. The new report argued that adequate police preparation could have helped avoid much of the damage. Leaders during the crisis were unclear and sometimes changed without notice, according to the report. Officers were also unclear regarding arrest policies and certain orders from higher ranking officials. The Baltimore Police Department wrote that the report “confirmed many of our own critiques” in a statement that accompanied the release of the report. Nonetheless, police vowed to improve its practices. The report comes just days after 2015 became the deadliest year for the city in more than a decade. More than 300 homicides have occurred this year, more than any year since 1999.

Police planned poorly and lacked adequate equipment, report says

'There is a feeling within the airline - and outside it - that BA's cabin staff have led a charmed life but now have to face up to reality' Photo: GETTY British Airways cabin crew lead lives that seem outside the real world, with the sort of perks that would make most of us green with envy – never mind their salaries. So why do they seem to be preparing an extended suicide note? The roots of the problem – and of much of current cabin crew thinking – go back decades; back to BA's long-lost ancestor, Imperial Airways, founded in 1924 – note that "Imperial" – and then BOAC, a state-owned monolith created in 1939. "There's still a hangover from those days," said one crew member I spoke to. "It's as if some crew, especially the older ones, feel as if they're somehow part of the Civil Service, waving the flag, with all the old-fashioned sense of entitlement that implies. "BA may have been a private company since 1987, but many older staff still have a jobs-for-life mentality; the sort of outlook you'd find in more backward-looking parts of the public sector. "For example, you'd get people throwing sickies if they didn't like their shift pattern. Some would say BA's inflexible rota system forced them into it – but others would call in sick so they could go to parties." It's not surprising that with BA's losses, there is a feeling within the airline – and outside it – that BA's cabin staff have led a charmed life but now have to face up to reality. "You have had it too good for too long," an Air France crew-member told one of my BA stewardess friends, reflecting widespread industry opinion. The crews' view from BA's great rival, Virgin, is similar. The Virgin steward I spoke to sympathised with anyone who had to take a salary cut, but felt BA staff needed to be realistic. "The BA crews do earn an awful lot of money and they've had it cushy for a long time," he said. I used to share a house with someone who was BA crew and I couldn't believe his salary. He was earning double what I was." My BA stewardess friend agreed. "Some elements have definitely got to change and most crew accept that. But there's no doubt everyone wants to work for BA because they know their crews get the best deal…" Another crew member, who has been with the airline for 24 years and is now a purser, said she and her colleagues had been prepared to take temporary pay cuts and unpaid leave, just as they did after the attacks of September 11. "The last thing I want to do is strike, but the airline doesn't want to listen. It doesn't want to talk," she said. "They want to cut costs at any price. When you join BA now, you're given a number: and from then on, that's how it feels as if you're being treated – like a number." If the attitudes of some crew are shaped by the past and a misplaced sense of entitlement, then BA's management over many years must take some of the blame. Never mind the ins and outs of the present dispute, John King, appointed to BA in 1981 in the buildup to the 1987 privatisation, may have appeared ruthless, but he was aware that he would have to take a cosseted workforce with him. Despite the cuts and tough-talking, King was rather more emollient behind the scenes, and staff were allowed to get used to the idea of generous salaries, perks and conditions. King's successors – Colin Marshall, Rod Eddington and Bob Ayling – all dabbled, but, as the current dispute shows, the good times continued to roll – and how. Now push really has come to shove and Willie Walsh, current head of BA, means business. The airline is in a hole, and a big one: a vast pensions liability, huge losses, declining business-class revenues, and competition on short-haul routes from leaner, hungrier – and lower-paying – no-frills carriers. Had they known it, the glory years for BA cabin crew were over a long time ago. Unfortunately, no one told them. Now they're being told. It's no wonder they don't want to listen. A long-haul pilot who has worked for BA for more than 20 years gives his opinion on the dispute. "Do some staff still think they're in the public sector? Absolutely right they do. I've heard some people say we can't go bust and my jaw drops – look at TWA, PanAm, Swissair, Sabina and other airlines that were never supposed to go under. There's a perception that we are still somehow the national airline and the government will bail us out and everything will be rosy. And there are certainly parts of the airline that are still stuck in the Seventies. I heard one of my cabin crew say: "I've been here for 30 years: I must be paid this amount." I said: "well why, if the company you work for can't afford it and goes bust because they are paying too much in wages?" We have working practices which you would never dream of having if you started an airline today: the fact that we always stay in four- or five-star hotels in city centres, for example – and I'm not complaining: I think it's marvellous. It doesn't add up, of course, but there is no way they are going to listen. The problem is, people come to BA, stay for 20 years, and have no idea of what it's like in the real world. I've given up discussing it: so many crew are stuck in an unreal old-world mindset."

The Seventies are to blame for the current dispute, British Airways cabin crew members tell Sara Macefield.

Mozilla has just unleashed Firefox Beta for mobile on the waiting world. Formerly codenamed “Fennec,” Mozilla’s mobile project is now simply called FirefoxFirefox. The initial rollout is available for owners of Nokia N900 phones and any device running AndroidAndroid 2.0 (a.k.a. Eclair) or higher. Tested and supported devices include the Droid, Droid 2, Droid X, Desire, Evo, Galaxy S and more. iPhoneiPhone users, we’re sorry, but you’ll have to stick with the Firefox Home app in the App StoreApp Store for now. Mozilla has no plans to work on BlackBerryBlackBerry Rocks! for now. Mozilla says this mobile browser is “built on the same technology platform as Firefox 4 for desktop computers, just optimized for browsing on a mobile device.” The browser includes such features as syncing, add-ons and the Awesome Bar. The product is still in beta; updates will be rolled out regularly before a final version is announced. What do you think: Will you be downloading Firefox 4 for your phone? If you’re an iPhone user, do you wish you could? Let us know your opinions in the comments. Jobs Come join the Windows Web Services (WWS) site management team and be a part of delivering outstanding consumer web experiences for Windows customers. The WWS site management team is looking for an exp...

Mozilla has just released Firefox Beta for mobile on the waiting world.

A number of homes in Victoria's flood-affected northwest are on alert as floodwaters inch closer. Four homes in between Horsham and Quangton could be impacted as the Wimmera River continues to rise. The river near the Quantong Bridge is above major flood levels, sitting at 6.58 metres by 3.30pm and rising. It's expected to peak late on Monday night. SES crews have been notifying residents in the affected area but over-floor flooding isn't expected. "It will be more that they will be cut off and have paddocks and things go underwater," SES spokeswoman Jacque Quaine told AAP. Residents further downstream in Dimboola along the Wimmera River were also doorknocked on Monday. Horsham incident controller Stephen Warren said some of the floodwater had been transferred to lakes in the Horsham region. "That means for the summer some recreation facilities will have some water in them, so that's one good thing," he told AAP. Also in the western region, the Avoca River still remains on major flood watch but continues to drop in Charlton where it peaked at 7.55m on Saturday afternoon. It had receded to 3.6m on Monday afternoon. Authorities are now bracing for more rain from Tuesday. A rainband will start moving across the northwest of Victoria from Tuesday with rain picking up from the afternoon. The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting about 15mm-30mm of rain, with the potential for localised heavier falls. There have been 21 people rescued from floodwaters across the state and a man has died in the past 10 days. Severe structural damage from landslides and heavy rain also closed sections of the Great Ocean Road. The tourist route is open to all traffic from Moggs Creek to Lorne, closed from Lorne to Wye River, and open but with restrictions on heavy buses and trucks from Wye River to Skenes Creek.

Towns affected by flooding in Victoria after heavy rain for days will be on alert again as more rain is forecast early in the week.

A young man charged with several gun offences by counter-terrorism police investigating the murder of Curtis Cheng will remain behind bars after withdrawing a bail application. Masood Zakaria was in custody at Parramatta Courthouse but didn't appear in the local court where his defence lawyer Winston Terracini SC told Magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis he would not be seeking bail for his client during a brief hearing on Thursday. The 21-year-old is due to front court via audio visual link when his matter is next mentioned on February 15. Zakaria was also before the court on Wednesday, hours after he was arrested at Westmead, in Sydney's west, by counter-terror police from Strike Force Peqin. He was subsequently charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol, supplying a pistol to an unauthorised person and acquiring a pistol subject to a prohibition order. The strike force was created to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr Cheng's murder outside the Parramatta police headquarters in October 2015.

A man facing several gun charges laid by NSW counter-terror police has withdrawn a bail application.

LENE LOVICH is at Studio 54 tonight. The spacious disco, which reopened last week under new management, has presented a few rock concerts before, but tonight's is the first in a regular Wednesday night series, and the fact that Miss Lovich is the performer makes it doubly special. She earned her reputation in the late 70's with eccentric vocal improvisations - birdlike twittering, swooping sirenlike sounds - and brooding melodies that had a distinctly Slavic flavor. What one tends to forget is that she is more than an intriguing vocal improviser; she is an exceptional writer, arranger and singer of songs. Miss Lovich, who was born and raised in Detroit and lives in London with her boyfriend, guitarist and songwriting partner, Les Chappell, was in town this week to rehearse her band for the concert and an appearance at the Left Bank in Mount Vernon, N.Y., the following night. ''I'm not sure where that Slavic influence came from,'' she said during a break. ''It must be from my earliest childhood; my father was really keen on Tchaikovsky and that sort of music and used to play it really loud. But I didn't try to recreate that; it just came out.'' The newest recording from Miss Lovich is a six-song ''mini-lp'' called ''New Toy.'' It includes some of her richest, most mature music to date. The arrangements emphasize the songs, but they are full of imaginative effects and bewitching textures. ''A lot of the things you think are synthesizers are actually my vocals,'' she noted. ''I like that kind of singing to work as instruments rather than as something gimmicky. And I like the idea that each time you listen to the music you hear different, almost subliminal details.'' Miss Lovich a nd Mr. Chappell have been busy building their own recording stu dio outside London and working on a still incomplete newalbum. ''It's difficult to get most recording engineers to take notice of wha t you want to do,'' she said, ''especially when what youwant to do is n't conventional. We like to experiment in the studio, because we ha ve a lot of ideas and most of them seem to work.'' There's an abundance of ideas on ''New Toy,'' and they do work. It will be interesting to see how this new music, which sounds more intricately detailed than anything Miss Lovich attempted before, will translate in concert.

LENE LOVICH is at Studio 54 tonight. The spacious disco, which reopened last week under new management, has presented a few rock concerts before, but tonight's is the first in a regular Wednesday night series, and the fact that Miss Lovich is the performer makes it doubly special. She earned her reputation in the late 70's with eccentric vocal improvisations - birdlike twittering, swooping sirenlike sounds - and brooding melodies that had a distinctly Slavic flavor. What one tends to forget is that she is more than an intriguing vocal improviser; she is an exceptional writer, arranger and singer of songs.

it’s been a struggle to find a location for his new restaurant, , but happily the former Kin Khao chef and Dogpatch neighborhood resident has settled on a space in his own back yard. The fast-casual tacos and margaritas concept will be located on the corner of Third and 20th streets. Gaines will oversee the kitchen, while his wife, Stephanie Gaines, will serve as general manager. Gaines is keeping details of the menu on the low-down for now, but says it will be about 12 to 15 items, including dessert, and he’ll try to keep prices below $20. The beverage menu will feature about 4 different mixed drinks, as well as beer and wine. In addition to dine-in guests, Gaines also hopes to do a lot to-go business. The 500-square-foot dining room and bar, which will seat about 30 people, will be designed by architect Wiley Price (State Bird Provisions, The Progress, Trick Dog, Ramen Shop). Gaines is aiming for a January 2017 opening. Hours will be 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Glena’s, 632 20th St., S.F. glenassf.com

We’re moving into the Dogpatch ! Looking forward to seeing this space transform and opening early 2017 to bring Tacos and Margaritas. A photo posted by Glena’s SF (@glenassf) on Sep 2, …

Sony announced the PlayStation 4 with a lot of fanfare and in-your-face visuals. The two-hour presentation inundated the media and gaming industry with a lot of pretty lights and sounds, but left more questions that needed answering. While we're not expecting to see the PlayStation 4 on store shelves until late in the year, there's a lot we hope to learn before then. Even Sony doesn't have all the answers right now — the company admitted that many things are still being ironed out. With so many gaming options on the marketplace for 2013, including Microsoft's rumored next-generation Xbox, gamers have a lot of choice, so here are the biggest things we'd like to see answered soon. This figure could be all over the place. Sony had the most expensive console by far at the last cycle; a PS3 was $600 at launch, a number plenty of people balked at. This was in 2006, too, a time before powerful tablets and cellphones took our gaming mobile, or Android-based consoles were on the horizon. While these might not have the processing power of the PlayStation 4, the market's diversity proves gamers can find content in a lot of places, and Sony will have to consider that in the price. Along with the system cost, there are the potential extra monthly costs of playing. While the PlayStation Network has been free for years, with the exception of the premium PlayStation Plus membership, Sony might take another look at pricing. Its presentation confirmed free-to-try games in the store, a powerful social service that allowed players to share game video, and games served to other devices. In a roundtable with journalists Thursday, Sony's worldwide studios president Shuhei Yoshida said the company was investigating a lot of different pricing structures dependent on what consumers want. He couldn't confirm if any part of the online experience would remain free, or if Sony would offer it all to gamers without charging them. After Sony patents were uncovered last month that discussed technology that would associate a game disc's identifier with an account, there was speculation if the upcoming console would refuse to play used games. (Similar rumors are also circulating about the next Xbox.) Sony didn't exactly put this rumor to rest. Yoshida says that "PlayStation 4 discs will work on any of the consoles." But then he added that publishers could decide to lock their titles, similar to what EA has already begun doing on recent games like Dead Space 3, which requires a code from the box if players want to play online. When a reporter in the room pointed out the console maker was also a game publisher, Yoshida admitted Sony had not yet decided how to handle used games that it publishes. How Sony's first party games will be handled will likely set a precedent for others publishing on its console. Sony doesn't even know that yet, Yoshida confirmed. We'll probably see something closer to E3 in June. We originally wondered if Sony would do something bold like ditch the optical drive, but Yoshida's other comments about used games dissuaded that idea. The PlayStation 4 is not backwards compatible, Yoshida said. Neither game discs nor old games bought on the PlayStation Network will work on the system. But Sony talked about the power of Gaikai's streaming services harnessed with PlayStation Cloud, and said that older generations of PlayStation games would eventually be accessible. While this is exciting news, it leaves us with two questions: can we re-download games we already own for free? It would be total gouging to have to pay full price for games twice. And when will these older libraries come to the PS4? The PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller's touch pad can't be ignored. It's prominently placed in the center of the controller's face, and changes its whole look. While Sony was happy to brag about this addition, there is little idea of what it does. A Killzone Shadow Fall developer said on Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel that the touch pad was useful for navigating between menus, but that's a lot of real estate to devote to that function. Will we see more games moving from mobile to the PlayStation Store that feature touch controls? Was this influenced by the OUYA design? We have yet to see this demonstrated with any of the game technology. The PlayStation 4 presentation focused on how great the console is for developers, and included a video talking to those working at studios large and small on how great the new features are. 2012 was also a big year for indie games in the PSN Store, with such massive successes like Journey and Sound Shapes. With a bigger store potentially coming to the PlayStation 4 ecosystem, how will Sony attract indies to provide quality content for the system? Yoshida said he already respected the iTunes model, and hoped Sony could do something similar with the next-gen PlayStation Store, but of course couldn't announce any specific plans. With so many indies focusing on mobile because of the ease of publishing, can Sony attract them with a self-publishing model that resemble's Apple or the upcoming Android home consoles? Launch lineups are ridiculously hard to set up, with games often taking longer to develop than anticipated. At the same time, launching with an anemic list of games doesn't help a console's chances. While lots of publishers and developers partnering with Sony spoke at the presentation, not all were even showing games; Square Enix, Quantic Dream and Media Molecule only showed concepts. A couple of those titles have been confirmed for launch: first-party Killzone Shadow Fall and Ubisoft's highly anticipated Watch Dogs. While there are still many months for games to pop up between now and launch, Sony is also still promoting huge games for the current-gen PlayStation 3, including Naughty Dog's The Last of Us and Quantic Dreams' Beyond. Let's hope they fill out the lineup much more before launch. Holiday 2013 is the best answer we could get for that, which is reasonable. We don't expect to get a clear answer on this until June at the earliest, though it's worth noting that Nintendo announced its Wii U launch date only 80 days before it was to arrive in stores. What questions do you have about the PlayStation 4? Let us know what you're curious about in the comments. Controller and game images courtesy Sony Computer Entertainment America. Used games image courtesy wlodi.

Sony announced the PlayStation 4 with a lot of fanfare and in-your-face visuals. The two-hour presentation inundated the media and gaming industry with a lot of pretty lights and sounds, but left more...

Soraya Chemaly is a media critic and activist. Last week, two studies revealed that unexamined teacher biases are having a significant effect on girls’ education. The first found that gender stereotypes are negatively affecting girls’ math grades and positively affecting boys’. The second revealed how disproportionately penalized young black girls are for being assertive in classroom settings. Together, they make the clearest possible case for making it mandatory for teachers to be trained in spotting and striving to overcome their implicit biases. The findings of the first study reveal both the short and long-term effects of primary school teachers’ implicit beliefs about gender on children’s math skills and ambitions. Researchers found that girls often score higher than boys on name-blind math tests, but once presented with recognizable boy and girl names on the same tests, teachers award higher scores to boys. The long-term effects are amplified by socioeconomic factors and family structure—girls from families where fathers were better educated than mothers and who are from lower socioeconomic communities were the most negatively affected. The impact of unconscious teacher bias is long understood and well-documented. This new research confirms decades of work done by Myra and David Sadker and Karen R. Zittleman. Through thousands of hours of classroom observations, the Sadkers and Zittleman identified specific ways in which implicit and stereotypical ideas about gender govern classroom dynamics. They, as others have, found that teachers spend up to two thirds of their time talking to male students; they also are more likely to interrupt girls but allow boys to talk over them. Teachers also tend to acknowledge girls but praise and encourage boys. They spend more time prompting boys to seek deeper answers while rewarding girls for being quiet. Boys are also more frequently called to the front of the class for demonstrations. When teachers ask questions, they direct their gaze towards boys more often, especially when the questions are open-ended. Biases such as these are at the root of why the United States has one of the world’s largest gender gaps in math and science performance. Until they view their videotaped interactions, teachers believe they are being balanced in their exchanges. The two reports released last week were focused on girls. However, the same biases have been implicated in teachers unconsciously undermining boys’ interest in the arts and language, enabling harmful gender gaps in self-regulation, and tacitly accepting certain male students’ propensity to believe that studying is “for girls” – all factors that contribute to boys’ lower academic performance. An understanding of implicit bias, coupled with data analysis, shows the degree to which what is typically portrayed as a “boy crisis” in education is actually more a crisis of income disparity and related to class-based constructions of masculinity. However, while boys lives are impoverished in these ways, boys within each racial/class category benefit overall from beliefs that institutionalize “boys being boys” attitudes, a problem directly related to the second report released last week. The report, which included data on black girls’ heightened vulnerability and overpolicing, showed extraordinarily high rates of school suspension for African American girls in New York, where Black girls are twelve times more likely than their white counterparts to be suspended. In Boston, eleven Black girls face suspension for every white girl that does. U.S. government surveys show that while Black children make up less than 20% of preschoolers, they make up more than half of out-of-school suspensions. Black boys have the highest rates of suspension overall, but nationally up to 12% of black girls are suspended annually. This is twice the rate of suspension of white boys. In effect, teacher biases are resulting in black girls being disproportionately punished for behavior that boys-crisis-in-education advocates want schools to accommodate by becoming more “boy friendly.” In the words of researcher Megan McClelland, “In general, there is more tolerance for active play in boys than in girls. Girls are expected to be quiet and not make a fuss. This expectation may be coloring some teachers’ perceptions.” Teacher (and parent) biases regarding science and math reflect the profound degree to which the “target student” implicitly remains white, male and of higher social status. Last year, rates of girls taking STEM-related advanced placement tests reached a record low. In two states not a single girl (in some states there were also no boys of color) took the Computer Science AP. Parental and teacher biases are the root cause of the systemic inhibition of diversity in the tech pipeline that we face today. Our two-decade long flat lining of girls’ STEM participation will affect sex-segregated wage and wealth gaps for years to come. If we want to disrupt this reality, we need to understand why, by the time American girls reach the age of 10, simply checking off a “female” box at the top of a test results in lower test scores. For girls of color, gender and race create a double jeopardy stereotype threat. If anything at all is evident from studies of classroom interactions it is how dynamic the interplay between gender, race, ethnicity and social class are. The issue of whose assertive qualities, self-expression, and imagination are being cultivated and whose are being penalized speaks directly to the broader harms of not taking a nuanced intersectional approach to the problem of education. Everyone’s lives are impoverished by these bias and the stereotype threats they cultivate in children. When we tackle the ugly sexism of the tech industry, try to understand why young boys are killing themselves, or contemplate the aggrieved racialized and gendered entitlement at the heart of so much of our violence, we are fighting rear-guard actions. It’s too little, too late. Very little of this is done with malicious forethought. Training teachers to understand bias will not eliminate it, but it could create an institutional environment in which it is clear that understanding bias and its effects is critically important. The long-term return on investment is inestimable. TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary and expertise on the most compelling events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. To submit a piece, email [email protected].

Teachers may not mean to play favorites, but it's happening with dire consequences.

02/10/2016 AT 11:55 AM EST wins the popular vote for this one. The actor slips into his best mode for a hilarious Funny or Die spoof, impersonating the presidential hopeful in a cheeky biopic that features a slew of star-studded appearances. , is a 1980s-set 50-minute romp that jumps off the mogul's best-selling book of the same name – but with a twist. "Thought to be lost in the Cybill Shepherd blouse fire of '89, is a TV movie based on the best-selling Donald Trump autobiography of the same name," the film's narrator, none other than Ron Howard, says before revealing that Trump himself – aka Depp in full bouffant form – wrote, directed and starred in it himself. And he's got ample backup: The film also features cameos by Alfred Molina, Patton Oswalt, Jack McBrayer and Andy Richter, among others. "It was a crazy, completely nuts idea that somehow we pulled off," Funny or Die cofounder Adam McKay told

The faux film is a 1980s-set 50-minute romp that jumps off the mogul's best-selling book of the same name – but with a twist.

Volkswagen could be slammed with penalties of up to $18 billion. U.S. regulators accuse the German automaker of deliberately avoiding clean air rules in nearly half a million of its vehicles. EPA officials said they will require Volkswagen to fix the cars for free, indicating a recall is likely. The automaker said in a statement it is cooperating with investigators but wouldn't comment further. (Reuters) In ads, Volkswagen touted its popular Jetta and Beetle diesels as paragons of clean-fuel technology: Buyers were promised a car that was “clean, fuel efficient, and powerful,” according to one 2013 testimonial. In reality, the claims were based in part on a clever ruse, U.S. officials alleged on Friday. For at least five years, Volkswagen officials illegally rigged their vehicles’ pollution-control systems so they would run cleanly only during emissions tests, while spewing higher levels of pollutants on the highway, the Environmental Protection Agency said. The EPA joined California state officials in accusing the German automaker of deliberately circumventing air-pollution laws with the use of a software “defeat device” installed on nearly 500,000 Volkswagen and Audi diesel models sold in the United States since 2008. If substantiated, the violation could lead to billions of dollars in penalties and repair costs, agency officials said. “Volkswagen was concealing the facts from the EPA, from the state of California and consumers,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said at a news conference announcing legal action against the company. “We expected better from VW.” A notice of violation posted Friday said the rigged software was used in five diesel models, including several of the company’s best-sellers. An EPA statement hinted of a future recall, saying it was “incumbent on Volkswagen to initiate the process” to fix the affected cars’ emissions systems. “Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean air standards is illegal and a threat to public health,” Giles said. The alleged scheme employed a sophisticated algorithm, installed in the emissions-control modules, that could detect when a vehicle was undergoing emissions testing. The software, which the EPA called a “defeat device,” would turn on full emissions controls during testing and switch them off again under normal driving conditions. As a result, the cars emitted far more pollution than advertised—up to 40 times the federal standard for NOx, a component in urban smog, the EPA said. NOx can contribute to asthmatic attacks and other respiratory illnesses that send millions of people to the hospital each year. Volkswagen had no comment about the allegations Friday. Agency officials said the problem was first detected last year by a group of West Virginia University researchers. The team was conducting tests of Volkswagen’s 2.0-liter diesel engine when it noticed variations in emissions levels. The results were shared with EPA and discussed in conversations with company officials, who acknowledged that a software change accounted for the varying emissions rates. Investigators later found the software in diesel versions of Golfs, Jettas and Beetles and Audi A3s beginning with the model year 2009, and in Volkswagen Passats beginning with 2014 models, according to an agency fact sheet. Officials said no immediate action is required by car owners and that Volkswagen ultimately will be required to fix the problem. Legally, the EPA could assess the company a $37,500 fine for each car that violated clear-air standards — which could total $18 billion. In all likelihood, though, the final penalties will be less than that amount. “While the diesel vehicles do not meet air pollution standards, they continue to be safe and legal to drive,” said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “We will hold VW responsible for recalling the affected vehicles…at no cost to consumers.” The EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to order a recall, though it could take up to a year for a formal notice to be issued, officials said. “Our goal now is to ensure that the affected cars are brought into compliance,” said Richard Corey, executive officer of California’s Air Resources Board. He said federal and state agencies intended to “dig more deeply into the extent and implications of Volkswagen’s efforts to cheat on clean air rules and to take appropriate further action.” The allegations prompted sharp criticism of Volkswagen from environmental and consumer protection groups. “The charges here are truly appalling,” said Frank O’Donnell, director of Clean Air Watch. “It was cheating not just car buyers but the breathing public.” Ellen Bloom, senior director of federal policy for Consumers Union, said the allegations, if confirmed, amounted to a “serious violation of the law.” “Volkswagen was ripping off the consumer and hurting the environment at the same time,” she said. Automakers have a long history of using defeat devices. In 1998, the EPA reached a $1 billion settlement with diesel-engine companies such as Caterpiller, Renault and Volvo for installing equipment that defeated emission controls. It was, at the time, the largest U.S. civil penalty for violating environmental law. The EPA said the firms installed the devices in an estimated 1.3 million engines in tractor trailers and large pick-ups. That same year, Honda and Ford settled EPA cases also accusing them of using defeat devices. With Ford, the problem was found in 60,000 Econoline vans, allowing for excessive pollution at highway speeds. Honda was found to have disabled the misfire monitoring device on 1.6 million cars, depriving emission control inspectors of that information. Todd Frankel contributed to this post. Also in Energy & Environment: The world’s 3 trillion trees, mapped Global warming ‘pause’ never happened, scientists say Why storing solar energy and using it at night is closer than you think For more, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter here. Joby Warrick joined the Post’s national staff in 1996. He has covered national security, intelligence and the Middle East, and currently writes about the environment.

Volkswagen deliberately circumvented pollution controls by installing special software on Volkswagen and Audi models, EPA says.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s media lab has unveiled an extension for Google Chrome called “Meow Met,” which shows a work of art featuring a cat from the museum’s collection every time a new browser tab is opened. Designed by Emily McAllister, the extension features pieces by famous artists such as Mary Cassatt, Édouard Manet, Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, and Walker Evans. The plug-in is the latest example of how museums have taken to curating cat art to attract millennial visitors. The Brooklyn Museum presented an exhibit about cats in ancient Egypt while Japan Society put on a show about the history of cats in Japanese art, and most famously, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis started a cat video festival that has toured the country.

Thanks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's cat art Chrome plug-in

Paris Hilton I'd NEVER Kidnap Kim K ... We're Friends! is no Kardashian abductor ... in fact, she tells TMZ the leaked Ford print ad that shows her kidnapping Kim's family is "stupid" 'cause they're still good friends. Ms. Hilton was signing autographs for fans at LAX this weekend when she was asked how she felt about the controversy stemming from the ad ... which depicted Paris driving off with Kim, Khloe and Kourtney tied up in the back of a Ford Figo. Paris blew the whole thing off ... calling the situation "ridiculous" and "stupid" -- but the most shocking part was how she described her relationship with Kim ... considering they had a huge falling out a while back. Hey North and South Korea ... you guys payin' attention?

Paris Hilton is no Kardashian abductor ... in fact, she tells TMZ the leaked Ford print ad that shows her kidnapping Kim's family is "stupid" 'cause…

To Prepare: Whole-Wheat Pasta and Its Cousins Community Grains guarantees 100 percent whole grains in its nutty-tasting pastas, which are still delicate enough to seduce you into the whole-wheat pasta camp. The California company gets its various types of wheat directly from small growers there, and identifies the exact type of grains used in its products. In addition to pappardelle, fusilli, linguine and rigatoni, it also produces whole grain flours, an excellent coarse-grain cornmeal for polenta and an array of dried beans: Available at Fairway Markets and communitygrains.com. To Drink: Blending the Philippines and Morocco in a Shake The pale celadon color announces springtime, which is one reason to whip up a lightly sweetened Filipino avocado shake, the tagaytay, that is served at Jeepney, in the East Village. But I had another motive. During last year’s family trip to Morocco, we became hooked on an avocado and almond smoothie made at a pastry shop just off the main square in Marrakesh, but could not reproduce it at home. Now, using Jeepney’s recipe, I nailed it; the key was the ice. Put half an avocado, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 ounces coconut milk and 4 ounces whole milk in a blender with a cup of ice. Whirl and serve. For the Moroccan version, replace the two milks with almond milk. Either way, it’s cool velvet. To Indulge: An Essence of Blond Chocolate In his book “Beard on Bread,” James Beard tells of accidentally turning his oven to broil instead of bake at first, a felicitous blunder that resulted in a fine loaf and a recipe that was a keeper. Incidents like this fuel kitchen legends. Recently, at the Valrhona chocolate school in France, the director, Frédéric Bau, forgot that he had some white chocolate melting in a double boiler, and discovered it 10 hours later when its intense buttery aroma came wafting his way. The chocolate had taken on a golden color and a rich, toasty flavor. Valrhona has now introduced this blond chocolate as Dulcey, an alluring, satiny, golden bar. It’s 32 percent cocoa butter, plus sugar, milk powder, butter and lecithin. It melts easily, so pay attention: $7.99 for a 2.99-ounce bar, www.valrhona-chocolate.com. To Read: French Deputies Represent Their Foods France is divided into departments, and in “French Country Cooking: Authentic Recipes From Every Region,” 95 are represented, along with another 9 scattered around the globe, including islands like Martinique in the Caribbean and Réunion in the Indian Ocean. This cookbook is the English translation by Jeannette Seaver of one published in France in 2011. The recipes, many with personal stories and fetching four-color photos, were contributed by deputies from each constituency in the National Assembly. Hearty home-style flans, chowders, stews and bread puddings do not stint on the eggs, cream, butter and pork. There are a handful of restaurant dishes like a chicken in cream from La Mère Blanc and the famous salmon in sorrel sauce from Maison Troisgros, as well as two versions of lobster Amoricaine. (Go for the simpler one, from Finistère in Brittany.) A wonderfully basic trout in butter assumes you have just caught the fish. Do your best. I came away from an immersion in some of the 180 recipes wondering why anyone would cook anything but French food. Occasionally, pan sizes are not indicated, but any reasonably accomplished cook can figure it out: Arcade Publishing (2012), $35. To Study: When Manors Ruled on Long Island In the 17th century, Sylvester Manor consisted of about 8,000 acres, covering all of Shelter Island, in Peconic and Gardiners Bays between the North and South Forks of Long Island. Today the 243 acres that remain of the Sylvester family estate have become a nonprofit organic teaching farm, mainly for young people, established in 2010 by Bennett Konesni, an 11th-generation descendant. The manor figured significantly in the infamous triangle trade involving slaves, sugar and rum, as the provisioning plantation for the family’s sugar estate on Barbados. “Food was the dominant thread in the history of Sylvester Manor,” said Mr. Konesni, who has donated 10,000 documents from the manor to New York University. An exhibition of about 80 — including Nathaniel Sylvester’s 1680 will — opens Wednesday. “Sylvester Manor: Land, Food and Power on a New York Plantation” will be on display, free, Mondays to Fridays through July 15 at the Fales Library of the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library of New York University, 70 Washington Square South. Visits to the manor can also be arranged: sylvestermanor.org. To Sip: A Vintage Lillet to Age Gracefully Lillet, the classic French aperitif, has made a single-vintage product since the 1960s. Called Réserve Jean de Lillet, it’s released in France every now and then in small amounts when a superior crop in Bordeaux (where Lillet gets its grapes) warrants it. In a few weeks, 1,000 bottles of the 2009 Réserve will reach the United States. Priced at roughly $40 for 750 milliliters, they will be available in New York and San Francisco, but can be ordered nationally on the Web site of Astor Wines and Spirits. The Réserve uses white grapes from a single vineyard in the Sauternes region, and ages for 12 months in French oak barrels, unlike Lillet Blanc, a blend that ages 6 to 12 months in larger grand-cru vats. The result is darker, fuller and thicker, with a more intense note of orange and stone fruit. It also has aging potential, and is best drunk on its own, over ice, the better to savor its complexity: Astorwines.com. — ROBERT SIMONSON

This week, Community Grains whole-grain pastas and flours, perfecting the avocado shake and a new indulgence from Valrhona.

It seems like every four years we re-learn about the existence of sports like skeleton and biathlon, but that doesn't mean they simply disappear in the meantime. In the years between Vancouver and Sochi, athletes have been training and competing, fans have been watching and -- yes -- amateurs have even been participating for fun and fitness. Want to your chance to play the Olympian, too? We found ways to try 10 of the sports you'll soon be watching on TV. Not surprisingly, the best places to try many of these sports are past Olympic venues. Olympic parks in and around Vancouver, Salt Lake City, Lake Placid, N.Y. and Calgary still have the dedicated facilities like ski jump ramps and bobsled tracks. In several cases, though, these sports are more accessible than you may have thought: There are curling clubs in most states, for example, and you don't have to be a performance athlete to join. Who knows? All that spectating may spark an interest. One of the most accessible Olympic sports for newbies, curling is like shuffleboard on ice. Although most popular in the Midwest and Northeast, there are curling clubs both official and unofficial in 44 states, according to kccurling.com, the website of Kansas City Curling. In hot spots (cold spots?) like Wisconsin in Minnesota, many of these clubs have dedicated curling facilities, and in most other places -- like Olive Branch, Mississippi's Mid-South Ice House -- curlers rent time at an ice rink. This foot-first cousin of skeleton has racers sliding down an icy track and negotiating turns at speeds up to 90 miles per hour. The sport is so dangerous that a Georgian luger died on a training run at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics after flying over the sidewall of a turn. Still want to give it a try? Canada Olympic Park, host of the 1988 Calgary Olympics, offers luge rides on the Olympic track, complete with a coaching session by professional athletes. If you're stoked about Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones' attempt at Winter Games glory, you, too, can try your legs at bobsledding. Utah Olympic park offers the Comet Bobsled Ride, in which a professional pilot and three passengers rip through the entire Olympic track, hitting speeds up to 80 miles per hour. Lake Placid, Whistler and Calgary have similar bobsled rides. For East Coast skiers and boarders with aerial aspirations, Killington Resort in Vermont is the place. But beyond its six terrain parks, Killington's famed mogul run, Outer Limits—the longest and steepest in the East -- is the kind of place where Olympians are made. Not only did gold medalist Donna Weinbrecht train there, she now teaches mogul skiing teaches mogul skiing at Killington. If you think your thighs are up to the task, you can also participate in the amateur-only Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge for a chance at glory on a smaller scale. Target shooting and cross country skiing may seem like an odd pairing, but the sport, with its roots said to be in Norwegian military training, is a hit in many European countries. In the U.S. there are more than 50 local clubs that practice the sport, according to the U.S. Biathlon Association. The International Biathlon Union lists five stateside training centers, including Lake Placid's with its beginner "Be a Biathlete" program. Apolo Ohno may only be in Sochi as a TV commentator, but his sport, with a history going back centuries, lives on. It also happens to provide a great low-impact workout and was the sport that gave rise to the now-famous Tabata method of high-intensity interval training. US Speed Skating lists clubs in 23 states. In this discipline, which combines elements of downhill racing with freestyle features, four snowboarders -- or skiers, as the case may be --race down a course in the style of a motocross or BMX event. Since the introduction of snowboard cross in the 2006 Turin Olympics, American Seth Wescott has dominated, twice taking home the gold. That home is Sugarloaf, Maine, where Wescott helped design Sidewinder, the resort's permanent snowboard and ski cross course. For the complete list of the Winter Olympic Sports To Try Yourself, go to TheActiveTimes.com. More Stories from The Active Times: -- 32 Tropical Island Getaways -- 10 Wintertime Adventures in Yellowstone -- 8 Ways You're Wasting Time at The Gym -- The A to Z of Gym Etiquette Like us on facebook, follow us on twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. VIDEO OF THE DAY:Wrestler 'Uses The Force' This text will be replaced

By Mark Lebetkin TheActiveTimes.com It seems like every four years we re-learn about the existence of sports like skeleton and biathlon, but that does...

Who says NBA players are too old and wealthy to listen to their mothers? DeAndre Jordan, despite his 6.3 rebounds per game last year, is apparently still consulting with his on fashion choices. So I have a date to the @ESPYS and its my mom @callmeMISSKIM but it seems that she's not into my outfit idea...lol pic.twitter.com/3hBot0K3s5 — DeAndre Jordan (@deandrejordan) July 10, 2013 Maybe he should think about switching agents to someone who can help him out with that? jay-z truly is the greatest of all time...#mchg — DeAndre Jordan (@deandrejordan) July 7, 2013 For the record, here's some of Jordan's past fashion choices: ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to read them first! This text will be replaced

Who says NBA players are too old and wealthy to listen to their mothers? DeAndre Jordan, despite his 6.3 rebounds per game last year, is apparently st...

U.S. refiners haven't built a major new fuel-processing plant since 1976, in part because of environmental regulations. But a flood of oil from Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota has companies rushing to expand existing plants and build small new processors around the country. Valero Energy Corp., Marathon Petroleum Corp. and other refiners are engineering ways to expand fuel-making capacity at their aging plants without the cost of...

American refiners are set to add at least 400,000 barrels a day of oil processing capacity through 2018 to accommodate the nation's shale-oil boom.

A hotel in Hudson, N.Y. that advertises itself as a great option for weddings and gatherings has some hidden fine print: if you or your guests post a negative review of your stay online, you’ll be charged $500. The PR tactic totally backfired, since the Union Street Guest House’s punitive online review policy has now been written up in the New York Post and Business Insider. And the wording of the policy is hilariously stuffy: Please know that despite the fact that wedding couples love Hudson and our Inn, your friends and families may not. This is due to the fact that your guests may not understand what we offer – therefore we expect you to explain that to them. USGH & Hudson are historic. The buildings here are old (but restored). Our bathrooms and kitchens are designed to look old in an artistic “vintage” way. Our furniture is mostly hip, period furniture that you would see in many design magazines. (although comfortable and functional – obviously all beds are brand new.) If your guests are looking for a Marriott type hotel they may not like it here. In other words, your idiot guests probably won’t appreciate how nice this hotel is, since they are Marriott-loving philistines who don’t understand “hip, period furniture” and “vintage” design. Therefore: If you have booked the Inn for a wedding or other type of event anywhere in the region and given us a deposit of any kind for guests to stay at USGH there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review of USGH placed on any internet site by anyone in your party and/or attending your wedding or event. If you stay here to attend a wedding anywhere in the area and leave us a negative review on any internet site you agree to a $500 fine for each negative review. Consider it a fine for having friends without a sophisticated understanding of modern antiques. The hotel said it would refund the fine if the review was deleted, but guests/trolls are already flooding the Union Street Guest House’s Yelp page to rage against the policy. The Union Street Guest House could not be immediately reached for comment.

Since your dumb wedding guests probably don't understand how great this New York hotel actually is

Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who stepped down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee earlier this year because of questions about his travel and personal finances, has been formally charged with violating congressional ethics rules. The Committee on Standards and Official Conduct just made the bombshell announcement in a terse statement that set an initial hearing date for next week. It's a potential public relations disaster for Democrats, who took over the House in 2007 promising to "drain the swamp," in one of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's favorite phrases, after several prominent Republicans, including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, ran into ethics problems. Update, 5:23 p.m. ET: USA TODAY's John Fritze just caught up with Rangel on Capitol Hill and the longtime Harlem lawmaker insisted that he will be vindicated. "I've waited a long time and at long last the sun will be piercing the cloud that I have been carrying," Rangel said. He "looks forward to responding" to the committee's charges, the congressman continued, adding that he hopes the case will be resolved before New York's Sept. 14 primary election. Rangel is facing a primary opponent with a familiar name: Adam Clayton Powell. Powell, a member of the New York legislature, is the son and namesake of a legendary lawmaker whom Rangel defeated 40 years ago to launch his House career. We happened to be speaking to Powell earlier today -- before the ethics committee's announcement -- and he was touting a recent poll that showed Rangel's approval ratings sagging. "He has lost a lot of respect," Powell said. "This is going to be a close race." Rangel, 80, known for his dapper wardrobe and rapier repartee, is now one of the most senior members of the Democratic caucus. First elected in 1970, he rose through the ranks to become the first African American to chair the Ways and Means Committee, widely regarded as one of the most powerful panels on Capitol Hill because it oversees the nation's tax code. Earlier this year, the House ethics panel admonished Rangel for letting private corporations pick up the tab for trips to the Caribbean. Left unresolved at the time were questions about other alleged ethics violations, including Rangel's failure to report rental income from his villa in the Dominican Republic on his annual congressional financial disclosure forms. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to

Veteran House Rep. Charles Rangel facing ethics charges - On Politics: Covering the US Congress, Governors, and the 2010 Election - USATODAY.com