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Congratulations to Neal Holmes, the winner of BBC Travel’s June photo competition! This month’s theme was epic travel selfies. Every month, a new winner will be inducted into our Photo Nomad Hall of Fame. We recently caught up with Holmes, 31 and an avid vlogger, to get the story behind his stunning shot. Not too long ago, my partner and I were working on a big show that was touring North America. Our schedules were pretty hectic and we were really looking forward to a break. It might seem a bit romantic, but Meka and I have always wanted to drop a pin on the map and go wherever it lands. So we did. We ended up on North America’s western seaboard, and after a little searching on Google Maps, we came across Vancouver Island in Canada. We wanted to spend our week deep in nature, and this looked like the perfect spot. Vancouver Island was truly spectacular. We rented a campervan and spent our days hiking anywhere we could. One day, as we were trekking to a lookout point above a forest, we came across an incredible little waterfall with a swimming spot beneath. We couldn’t wait to dive in. Meka and I made our way down to the water and prepared ourselves for a refreshing plunge. I put my camera in a waterproof case on the end of my selfie stick and then – without much thought – we jumped in. It was an amazing feeling. The water was cold and clear, and all around us sunlight was breaking through the surface. It was almost otherworldly. We didn’t get to see the photo until later that day, and I was pretty amazed at what I had captured. Here I was suspended in the water with Meka not far behind me. It is an epic shot that still helps us remember an epic trip. As told to Richard Conway, BBC Travel contributing editor Richard Conway, BBC Travel contributing editor: The key to an epic selfie is being able to convey a sense of place in an otherwise portrait-oriented style. As the entries flooded in, it wasn't long before we identified a frontrunner. Holmes' shot of the moment he and his partner dove underwater on Vancouver Island is striking, instantly transporting viewers into the moment with him. When we see it, we are there. It's certainly epic, and is a well-deserved winner. Jared Kohler, New York Times contributing photographer: Selfies are a great opportunity to record a story with ourselves as the central character, though it can be very easy to get so focused on ourselves that we forget to tell the story we are experiencing. Holmes' picture stood out because it balances the two perfectly. We are totally immersed in this underwater environment with its shafts of light and deep colours, but we also get a strong sense of the photographer and the experience he is having. There’s so much going on that we only later notice that Neal’s partner Meka swimming in the distance – a great addition to an already interesting and beautiful photograph. Erica Fahr Campbell, former Time photo editor: This photo works very well in two ways. Firstly, it makes the underwater environment look as though it’s on an alien planet. Secondly, it works as a piece of dynamic self-portraiture in which we get a definite sense of the photographer and his world. Neal seems like a lensman who likes to take risks. For a photo that was undoubtedly taken very quickly, there also seems to have been a lot of thought put into composition. What emerges is an exciting window into a world we want to visit. It is a very worthy winner!

Neal Holmes, the winner of June's photo competition, tells us how he got this epic selfie.

In the end, it wasn’t even close. In a 58 percent Democratic congressional district, the most Jewish congressional district in the country and one that has not voted for a Republican representative since 1922, Republican political newcomer Bob Turner creamed Democrat David Weprin 54 percent to 46 percent in the special election in New York’s 9th Congressional District. Former New York mayor Ed Koch had called the election a referendum on President Obama’s Israel policy. Democratic assemblyman Dov Hikind crossed party lines to endorse Turner and make a point of his dissatisfaction with Obama. In May, my colleague Greg Sargent, expressing skepticism about Koch’s predictions of a GOP victory, channeled the conventional Democratic wisdom that “it’s hard to believe that Obama’s Israel stance will really cost him a meaningful level of Jewish support.” Well, now in lieu of unreliable polling (of notoriously difficult-to-determine Jewish opinion) we have concrete electoral returns. The message is clear: Association with Obama, even for a pro-Israel Jewish candidate, is toxic. There were voters, of course, who likely wanted to send a message on other matters. Obama’ job speech was viewed with a high degree of skepticism, if not dismay, among many voters who simply have heard enough about how billions in government spending will create millions of new jobs. They aren’t buying it, and what’s more, they’ve heard quite enough from the president. There are many with bragging rights today. The Emergency Committee for Israel, which put out some eye-catching ads linking Weprin to Obama, has shown, as it did in the 2008 election, that it can make a splash. ECI made a strong push in the race, highlighting Obama’s Israel policy in TV ads, billboards and even in an ad on the New York Times home page. Bill Kristol, co-founder and chairman of ECI, told me this morning: “Voters in NY-9 — like millions of others across the nation — supported candidate Obama in 2008 in part because they believed his assurances he’d be a pro-Israel president. He hasn’t been. Last night’s results reflect that fact. His administration’s efforts to distance the U.S. from Israel have done nothing but embolden Israel’s enemies.” He continued, “So President Obama has a problem with the American people, who are pro-Israel. It can’t be solved by political rhetoric or patronizing reassurance. If he wants to be thought the friend of Israel he said he’d be, President Obama has to start behaving as one.” The Republican Jewish Coalition’s executive director, Matt Brooks, was bursting his buttons. His group had announced in early September an “advocacy campaign, with mail pieces going out in the coming days to every Jewish household in New York’s 9th congressional district. The campaign will call on voters to use the special House election on September 13th as an opportunity to send a clear message to President Obama: Enough is enough on Israel.” Last night Brooks released this statement: “This Republican win in an overwhelmingly Democrat district is a significant indicator of the problem that President Obama has in the Jewish community. While party leaders scramble to deny and try to stem the erosion of Jewish support for Democrats, the real issue is this President’s policies on Israel, on jobs, and on the economy. Jewish voters are coming to see that Republicans offer real solutions to our economic crisis, are resolute friends of Israel, and represent a way forward to a better future. Bob Turner’s win tonight has huge implications for 2012 races in states with large Jewish communities, such as Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.” We will see how transferrable the themes of this election are in a presidential race, but one can imagine that nothing short of panic is coursing through the halls of the Democratic National Committee and the veins of Obama’s newly appointed Jewish community outreach director, Ira Forman. Politico reported: “Even before the polls closed, the recriminations – something short of panic, and considerably more than mere grumbling – had begun. On a high-level campaign conference call Tuesday afternoon, Democratic donors and strategists commiserated over their disappointment in Obama. A source on the call described the mood as ‘awful.’ ‘People feel betrayed, disappointed, furious, disgusted, hopeless,’ said the source.” What is especially significant is that Jewish voters now number among the betrayed, disappointed, furious, disgusted and hopeless. What if, you know, it’s not simply a “messaging” problem for the Democrats? Might it be that the perfect storm — a rotten economy, an incompetent president and an administration uniquely hostile toward the Jewish state and inept in Middle East policy — might actually separate a chunk of the Jewish electorate from its historic fixation with the Democratic Party? Now that remains to be seen, but the signs are pointing in that direction. Let’s also not forget that it was a clean sweep for the GOP last night. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on the “blowout” 22-point win by the Republican in the Nevada-2 race: As the LVRJ noted, “The two special elections together suggest a deep discontent with Obama’s economic policies as unemployment remains high — 12.9 percent in Nevada — and debt continues to grow. In 2008, Obama won Nevada handily but is considered vulnerable to defeat in the battleground state in 2012.” And if Jewish voters start voting like other voters, rather than as a group that is reflexively Democratic no matter how that party performs, then we could finally see the emergence of a new sort of politics within the Jewish community, one in which both parties have to compete for and win the Jewish vote. Now, that’d be something.

A stinging rebuke to the president.

I was not surprised that left-leaning pundits, who gleefully tried to tar Mitt Romney with Rush Limbaugh’s comments, would be scornful of the notion that President Obama should be responsible for the remarks of Hilary Rosen, a former strategist (on health care) and frequent White House visitor. (Limbaugh doesn’t even like Romney all that much.) Certainly, Michelle Obama, David Axelrod and Jim Messina — who weighed in to defend Ann Romney — all were concerned that the public wouldn’t buy such a transparent double standard. Even the president got into the act. Aside from the rank hypocrisy by liberal spinners, the issue is not whether Hilary Rosen is a campaign operative (she isn’t). It is whether the comments touched a nerve with stay-at-home mothers, including conservative women and social conservatives, who had been lukewarm to Romney heretofore. From the immediate reaction yesterday it seems to have done that. Liberals might not fully “get” it, but social conservatives and stay-at-home mothers (think of Sarah Palin’s core fan base) feel elites denigrate and even mock them. They resent a feminist being defined as “a pro-choice career woman.” This is a sore point with these voters. Give Axelrod and company their due: They understand this phenomenon. But the damage may go beyond that. This was a week in which the once pliable national media pretty much called out a key campaign plank — the Buffett rule — as nothing more than a gimmick. So two gimmicks — soak the rich and paint Romney as anti-women — blew up in the White House’s face. And then my colleague Glenn Kessler pretty much shredded Obama’s invocation of Ronald Reagan to push his tax scheme. Kessler wrote: It is political karma when a substance-less campaign hinging largely on over-the-top negativity has gambits boomerang. It gives one hope that in the rigors of a campaign, at least some of the nonsense is teased out of the debate. You might excuse the GOP for being a wee bit gleeful. (“‘Talk about overplaying their hand,’ RNC deputy communications director Tim Miller told POLITICO. ‘Given the economic numbers showing the Obama economy disproportionately impacts women and a top Democrat attacking stay-at-home moms, it’s clear that the President has the woman problem.’”) And now what is Obama going to talk about? It’s quite possible that by election day Obamacare is invalidated in whole or in part, unemployment is still around 8 percent, no tax reform plan has passed and we have made no significant progress on the debt. Add to that the potential for Obama’s overly negative strategy to galvanize Republicans and turn off moderates. Is that a winning hand for Obama?

The president is hoisted with his own petards.

THE I’m A Celebrity campmates took on one of the most difficult celebrity cyclones in the show’s history tonight The annual trial often proves hilarious as the camp mates are forced to battle against the elements in order to keep their star and land themselves food for the evening. Scarlett Moffatt had previously shown her excitement at the idea she might face the challenge and told hosts Ant and Dec in her Critter Console trial that she was hoping to last long enough to face it. At the time she said: "I think I've calculated it right and it's only two more sleeps!" Meanwhile tonight's effort was tense from start to finish as the stars made it through with SECONDS to spare. Ant and Dec began by explaining how Celebrity Cyclone was going to work, saying: “You all stand on the Twister which spins round and you need to get the four large stars on the markers and keep them there until the end. "When you see the giant fireball, the first celebrity can get off the twister and go to the first marker. Then the second celebrity gets off the twister and goes to the second marker and so on, you have 10 minutes to do the trial." Joel Dommett could be seen struggling to make it to his star base and was spotted clutching his nethers as a water shoot took direct aim at his groin. Ant and Dec were laughing along on the sidelines but were left in shock when Joel took a tumble and landed on his head. Youching in pain for the comedian, Ant then said: "Ouch! That was a nasty one!" Meanwhile, the giant fireball went off and Scarlett set off with all four stars but really struggled to move up the cyclone and towards her marker. She eventually worked out a way of throwing the stars ahead of her on the cyclone and climbing out the water as balls and water kept hitting her. For more on I'm a Celeb, listen to JAKE YAPP from 8am. Call Jake on 0344 499 1000 Listen on DAB, via the talkRADIO app or online at talkradio.co.uk Eventually she reached her marker and Sam set off, she also lost a star as she got hit by a ball and fell over. Adam started off running at the cyclone but ended up crawling on his knees towards his marker as the power of the water was too much. Once Adam reached his marker, Joel set off and ran up the cyclone, even punching a big ball along the way before he fell over. Everyone cheered him on and he ran towards the final marker just as the super powerful water chute releases gallons of water on them all resulting in them sliding back to the beginning. With one minute to complete the trial they all managed to run back to their markers and with seconds to spare won the trial. They all cheered and hugged each other. Hours before taking on the challenge, Joel got cheeky in the camp as he got changed into his cape - flashing his bum to he cameras, and gaining a slap from Adam. It was a difficult day in camp for more reasons than one yesterday after a shock double eviction saw Homes Under the Hammer star Martin Roberts and footballer Wayne Bridge evicted from the camp. Wayne admitted he didn't expect to enjoy himself as much as he did in the jungle, but at the same time, he felt "drained". He said: "I can’t believe the way I’ve acted on TV, crying on TV." Having come into the camp late alongside Danny Baker, Martin said his time in the jungle "surpassed all expectations" as he opened up about what it was like to break into the close knit group. He said: “It was always going to be a difficult thing to break into. It got quite tough quite quickly.” On his hyper and over-eager behaviour when he first came in, he added: "It comes from being badly bullied at school, you over compensate. "One of things the jungle has taught me is, I’m OK. If you just chill out and be yourself people come to you." Joel Dommett, Scarlett Moffatt, Adam Thomas and Sam Quek are now the four remaining camp mates, with one more eviction happening tonight ahead of the grand finale tomorrow evening. Catch I'm a Celebrity tonight at 9.30pm on ITV1, followed by Extra Camp on ITV2. Got a story? email [email protected] or call us direct on 0207 782 4220

THE I’m A Celebrity campmates took on one of the most difficult celebrity cyclones in the show’s history tonight The annual trial often proves hilarious as the camp mates are forced to …

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Winter doldrums got you down? Here is the first wave of spring home furnishings and trends we’re seeing in stores. Give one or two a try to liven up your holiday-weary rooms.

Parents should talk with their children about peer pressure and alcohol abuse, experts say. Read this article in Spanish/Lea este artículo en español (CNN) -- News of students at the University of Tennessee using "alcohol enemas" to get drunk prompted a slew of comments from CNN readers in disbelief. "When I was in college we just did funnels and kegstands," said commenter LogicBomb101. "Is there a 12-step program for that?" FootnoteFad asked. But alcohol enemas are no laughing matter, experts say. One of the Tennessee students was taken to the hospital with a blood alcohol level of 0.40, officials said. That's five times the legal limit and in what doctors call the "death zone" for alcohol poisoning. Using an alcohol enema involves placing a small tube into someone's rectum and pouring alcohol into the colon. Because the alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream, the recipient gets drunk faster. Our stomachs and livers have an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase that breaks down ethanol to make it less toxic for our bodies, said Atlanta gastroenterologist Dr. Preston Stewart. The lower gastrointestinal tract doesn't have that enzyme, so alcohol molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining of the colon. Eventually the alcohol would still make its way to the liver, Stewart said, but the high alcohol content would overwhelm the organ. "It's extremely dangerous." No one is sure when alcohol enemas first appeared on the social scene or how frequently they're being used. In 2004, a Texas man died after his wife gave him a sherry enema, causing his blood alcohol level to soar to 0.47. "In the past year or so there have been several stories about young people finding unique ways to get alcohol in their bodies," said Dr. Aaron White, with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Fortunately, he said, they seem to be isolated incidents. While it's not known what motivated the young men in Tennessee to participate in this risky behavior, White said several factors could have been at play. One is the sense of competition among college drinkers who always want to "win" at games like beer pong and flip cup. It could also have been simple boredom, or curiosity. Many young adults believe inserting alcohol into another orifice will reduce the chance that they'll spend the night hung over a toilet vomiting. That makes it all the more dangerous, because your body can't reject the toxin, White said. "When you do it rectally you may still throw up, but there's nothing to throw up here. It's kind of like a point of no return once you put it in there that way." Robert Pfeifer, founder of the rehab center Sober College, said he's seen an increase in risky behavior in young adults over the last year, from "bath salts" drugs to synthetic marijuana to vodka tampons. As their bodies develop a tolerance for toxic substances, abusers seek out stronger and faster highs. "There certainly are signs that are out there that people have gone over the edge and need to get some help," Pfeifer said. "Behaviors like this -- that's definitely a sign." If you or someone you know has an alcohol abuse problem, please visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at http://www.samhsa.gov/ or call 1-800-662-HELP. Brief counseling may curb problem drinking Is underage drinking ever OK? Underage drinking: Talking to your teen about alcohol

Alcohol enemas bypass your body's ability to detoxify alcohol, making them a risky way to get drunk.

NASHVILLE – Complaints that the New International Version of the Bible (NIV) is inaccurate and too gender-inclusive are not going to stop one of the world's largest Christian resource producers from selling it. That translation was criticized at the 2011 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix. Church representatives there approved a resolution asking Nashville-based LifeWay Christian Resources — owned by the denomination — to take it off its shelves. Critics said the translation, which was updated in 2011, is filled with errors when it comes to language about gender, using "brothers and sisters" instead of "brothers" and "they" instead of "he" for a single pronoun. That kind of approach undermines the authority of the Bible, they said. After having a committee review the 2011 NIV, they voted unanimously this week to keep selling it, while making clear they don't endorse it. "We do not believe the 2011 NIV rises to the level to where it should be pulled or censored or not carried in our retail chain," said Adam Greenway, a trustee who is senior associate dean of the Billy Graham School at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a statement. That decision disappointed the Rev. Tim Overton of Halteman Village Baptist Church in Muncie, Ind. Overton wrote the resolution against the NIV that passed in Phoenix. His resolution initially was rejected by the committee that vets resolutions before they are presented at the annual meeting. But he brought it to a floor vote, where it was approved. Overton, like many other Southern Baptists, believes in verbal plenary inspiration — the idea that every word of the original texts of the Bible comes from God. Adding words to a translation undermines that belief, he said. "If it says 'brother' and you say 'brothers and sisters,' you are adding to the Scriptures," he said. Marty King, spokesman for LifeWay, said a committee of trustees reviewed the NIV to decide whether it was acceptable. Under Southern Baptist rules, he said, they were not required to comply with the resolution, and representatives at the annual meeting had inaccurate information about the translation. "People thought this Bible used female language for God," he said. "It does not. We think that messengers voted without accurate information." First published in 1978 and updated several times since, the NIV remains one of the best-selling Bibles in the United States. A previous update that used inclusive language, known as the Today's New International Version, flopped after being published in 2002. That year, Southern Baptists passed a resolution asking LifeWay not to sell the Today's New International Version, and the retailer agreed. The latest update is a better translation, said George Guthrie, Benjamin W. Perry Professor of the Bible at Union University, a Baptist school in Jackson, Tenn. Guthrie spoke to the LifeWay trustees at their meeting, saying that the NIV is a thought-for-thought translation, rather than a word-for-word translation. That's a common approach used by many translators. Guthrie said that the Committee on Bible Translation, which produced the NIV, did a good job. "The NIV is not perfect," he said. "But it is a good translation." The LifeWay decision was welcome news to the NIV's translators. Douglas Moo, the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., said he was confident that LifeWay would do the right thing and keep the NIV on the shelves. "I am grateful for the decision, but there is a part of me that regrets that the decision needed to be made," he said.

Complaints that the NIV Bible is inaccurate is not going to stop one of the world's largest Christian resource producers from selling it.

“I feel really good about where we are,” Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook told investors Monday in releasing yet another beyond-solid financial performance for the country’s most valuable company. “It’s tough to find something in the numbers not to like.” Indeed. Revenues for the company’s second fiscal quarter grew 27% from the year-earlier quarter to $58 billion. Apple earned $13.6 billion, up 33%. The company has done 27 acquisitions in the last year and a half, and it is dramatically upping its share repurchase and dividend program. Yet Apple AAPL , now has $194 billion in cash and cash-like investments, up $16 billion from last quarter. Wall Street analysts found a few things not to like because, well, that’s their job. Apple’s iPad sales are slowing, and while Cook predicts growth will re-accelerate, he won’t say when. (Bigger iPhones and snazzier Macbooks are cannibalizing iPads, he said.) Margins for the just-introduced Apple Watch are lower than the company’s overall margins, and Cook wouldn’t say if or when that will change. Beyond that, there is an awful lot to celebrate in Apple’s recent performance. What’s more, Apple continues to grow more than the competition in two key areas, phones and PCs. Both are astounding accomplishments if you stop and think about it. On phones, Apple was supposed to have been marginalized by now by phones running Google’s GOOG Android operating system. Android is mostly free, and any manufacturer can use it. Instead, Apple’s share has continued to grow. Cook said iPhone sales grew at a 40% clip during the quarter compared with a 15% rate for the overall market, as calculated by IDC. “In almost every country we grew at a multiple to the market,” Cook said. Even more remarkable is the continued resurgence of the Mac. For years Apple was a single-digit niche player in PCs, the choice of artists, educators, and other oddballs. Luca Maestri, Apple’s chief financial officer, said the company sold 4.6 million Macs in the quarter, a 10% year-over-year increase, compared with a 7% global contraction for personal computers, per IDC. The Mac remains a tiny portion of Apple’s overall business. But it’s an annuity business that amazingly is now picking up the slack from the slowing iPad. When Cook says, as he did Monday, that he doesn’t care which Apple products cannibalize others, it’s easy to believe that he means it. Apple has plenty of challenges ahead, not the least of which is satisfying the elevated expectations of its consumers and investors. (Cook said user feedback on the Apple Watch has been nearly 100% positive, which, judging from comments I’ve been seeing, may be a tad too exuberant.) That said, doing well while doing better than everyone else truly is tough not to like. For more about Apple’s earnings, watch this Fortune video:

iPhone and Mac sales beat the competition, leading to continued Apple success.

Most of us, apart from those lucky enough to live in Texas or Florida, have to pay state income taxes. State income-tax rates vary by state, as do the types of income taxed and the rates on various types of income, such as interest, dividends and retirement distributions. Therefore, it is important to determine the impact of an additional tax burden on long-term financial planning. For example, if a retiree is selling his or her home in a state with low income taxes and moves to a state such as Georgia or North Carolina, he or she will incur a tax of 6 percent on all income over $7,000, or 7 percent on all income over $60,000, respectively. Read MoreRetirement plans at the 11th hour If a retiree is planning on having a secondary or vacation home, it may be beneficial to maintain a primary residence in the state with a lower income tax. This can be an even bigger headache if one decides to move overseas, as income taxes both in the United States and in the new country of residence may apply. Additionally, a move out of the U.S. may raise some estate and probate issues that must be addressed in financial planning. These rules can be tricky, so please get professional tax advice before making the move overseas. One last thing: Don't forget about local sales tax, as that can also affect cost of living.

Before making a beeline for sunnier climes, retirees should consider several important tax, cost, health-care and housing implications.

Gina Rodriguez in emmy magazine 09/09/2015 AT 03:45 PM EDT might be one of the in Hollywood right now, but all of the star's motivation comes from one place – her father. When she was 15 years old, "My father got into a terrible car accident," Rodriguez tells for their October cover story (out Sept. 15). "The car was like an accordion, it was so smashed. They were totally sure we were going to lose him." It took Rodriguez's father, Genaro, nearly two years to fully recover from the accident, and in that time, he started driving the actress to school, playing motivational tapes during the drive. "It was like, ' This is ridiculous!'" she remembers, laughing. But it was on those car rides that Rodriguez's "Then he started making me look in the passenger-side mirror every day and say, 'Today's going to be a great day. I can and I will.' At the time, I thought it was so lame. The worst! But he wouldn't let me out of the car until I did it. "What I came to realize," she admitted of the phrase, which she used to title her upcoming book from Simon & Schuster, "is that there is no better way to live than the way that man lives." (And yes, she still recites it to herself every single day.) Gina Rodriguez on the cover of emmy magazine Inspired by the motivation and faith that her father instilled in her, Rodriguez, now 31, is determined to pay it forward for Latina women everywhere – even if that meant passing up a big, buzzy show like Lifetime's to find a project she believed in like she did "Jennie [Snyder Urman's] script encompassed this dual-culture identity so authentically," Rodriguez remembered about reading the pilot for the first time. "I met her and I was like, 'You don't see me as a brown baby. You see me as a woman, and that's why this show is so strong. Because you see people as people. You're writing about the human experience. And no matter the ethnicity, we all want love, success, a family. We all want to do it right. That's the human experience.' " Gina Rodriguez in emmy magazine for the first season of the show and an upcoming film – , where she'll share the screen with – under her belt, there's still plenty that Rodriguez still wants to accomplish, including, directing, producing and voicing an animated character. "And I want to be a superhero. I want to be an X-Man. Talk about Storm … .I want to create a f---ing storm! My dreams keep getting bigger. I don't expect them to happen tomorrow. But I believe they'll happen before I'm done." Gina Rodriguez in emmy magazine After all, she said, "I think you must believe something happen in order for it to happen. I definitely always believed I was capable of doing all this, as long as I didn't stop trying." Gina Rodriguez in emmy magazine returns Oct. 12 to The CW.

The Jane the Virgin star opens up to emmy magazine about the long road to success and what she learned from her father

Apple debuted the iPad mini on Tuesday. Apple's new iPad mini made a maximum impact at its unveiling on Tuesday. After months of rumors, speculation and alleged “leaked” photos, Apple’s worst-kept secret was finally introduced by CEO Tim Cook and other execs at an invitation-only event in San Jose, Calif. As expected, the new device comes with a 7.9-inch screen — nearly 2 inches smaller than the regular iPad — weighs half as much as its big brother, and was described by Apple marketing Vice President Philip Schiller as being “thin as a pencil” at just 7.22mm thick. About the only surprise to the tech heads and writers in attendance was its entry-level price. The iPad mini, which will compete with such 7-inch tablets as Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD, costs $329 for the basic 16GB, Wi-Fi-only model. Most people expected the mini to start at $249. “The $329 price point is high, but Apple's betting that many people will pay the premium,” Darren Murph, managing editor of tech site Engadget, told the Daily News. “There’s a huge market of people who have been holding off on buying an iPad, waiting for Apple to create a cheaper alternative. And this is it.” The device, which tops out at $659 for a 64GB model with a 4G network connection, will be available for pre-order on Friday, Apple said. The company also announced a fourth generation iPad with a faster processor, plus upgrades to several products, including the 13-inch MacBook Pro and iMac desktop computer.

New iPads and new Mac computers were among the products unveiled Tuesday at an Apple event in San Jose, Calif. The new Macs include a 13-inch version of a MacBook Pro with sharper, "Retina" display.

NEW YORK — If Amazon has its way — and it did not become one of the country’s most valuable companies by drifting with the current — even watching home movies of your sister’s adorable children or a friend’s crazy cat will become marketing opportunities. The company began selling a device Wednesday that lets consumers watch Amazon’s extensive video library and play a wide array of games on television sets. “Amazon has a vested interest in making sure it is present at every moment of possible consumption, which is all the time,” said James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research. “It wants to get into that television screen and start to build a relationship.” Amazon Fire TV is part of a multibillion-dollar effort by the company to move from selling goods produced by others, which is traditionally a low-margin business, to presiding over the entire process of creation and consumption. Physical formats such as books, CDs, and DVDs are disappearing, replaced by downloads and streaming. In books, Amazon has largely made this transition. It makes e-readers and tablets and then sells the content for them. Some writers produce their books exclusively for Amazon, happily living in the digital equivalent of a company town. Video is much more competitive. Netflix, which began by renting the same DVDs that Amazon was selling, is the leader both in streaming video and creating original shows to feature on it. “Streaming is the long-term future of video,” said William V. Power, an analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co. “Amazon needs to capitalize on that. The prize is controlling much of the living room and a big piece of the economy.” Fire TV, which arrives after years of explicit rumors and intense speculation, costs $99. In addition to content from Amazon’s own studios, it offers programming the retailer licenses for an estimated 20 million Amazon Prime subscribers. Those customers pay up to $99 a year for a membership that includes videos and shipping. Other Fire content will come from established players such as Hulu and Netflix. Yet another source will be homemade films. With a separate $40 controller, Fire TV can also be used to play games, including a version of the extremely popular “Minecraft.” “We’re missionaries about inventing and simplifying on behalf of customers,” Peter Larsen, an Amazon vice president, said at a Manhattan news conference held to reveal the device. Larsen, speaking on a stage outfitted to look like a living room, said devices from competitors, which include Roku, Google, and Apple, have three problems: It is too hard to search for content, performance is slow and unreliable, and the content is a closed system. He noted that Apple TV users could not get the full Amazon Prime experience. Among the improvements and enhancements promoted for Fire TV: a voice search function that allows users to say a name like George Clooney or a genre like horror and see results instantly pop up. Amazon is leveraging its position as a retailer to expand into new fields, something it has become very good at. “Because we’re selling millions” of set-top boxes already, “we hear what’s working and we hear what’s not working,” Larsen said. Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon’s founder and chief executive, was not present at the news conference. Dave Limp, another Amazon executive, dismissed all the new and old companies that will be duking it out with Amazon in the consumer’s living room. “We don’t go at it from the perspective of who you’re going to compete against,” he said. “We don’t think of this as a sporting event where there has to be one winner.” But in a chart on Amazon’s site, where the company has already started selling the Fire TV, it made explicit comparisons with those competitors, whom it judged wanting. Amazon’s chart was immediately attacked for leaving out things that its competitors did better. For instance, Roku offers streaming sports, and Amazon does not. Since set-top boxes give consumers an incentive to cut the cable cord, Fire TV also puts Amazon in the sights of Comcast, the country’s dominant cable system. Consultants are already laying their bets. “The likely winners are Apple and Amazon, both of which offer entire ecosystems, are excellent at merchandising content, and are capable of subsidizing prices and making up the revenue elsewhere,” said Bill Rosenblatt, president of GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies.

NEW YORK — If Amazon has its way — and it did not become one of the country’s most valuable companies by drifting with the current — even watching home movies of your sister’s adorable children or a friend’s crazy cat will become marketing opportunities. The company began selling a device Wednesday that lets consumers watch Amazon’s extensive video library as well as play a wide array of games on their television sets. “Amazon has a vested interest in making sure it is present at every moment of possible consumption, which is all the time,” said James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research. “It wants to get into that television screen and start to build a relationship.”

Good news! Carolyn's archives have been updated. Check out the sidebar on Carolyn's archive page to find even more transcripts from past Hax chats. Dream, Meet Reality: Hi Carolyn, I just took my dream job. It feels funny to call it that, because it's not especially glamorous, but it pays extremely well and puts me in contact with a lot of great mentors and colleagues. But I am completely burnt out, and this dream job keeps me away from my 3- and 8-year-olds an unacceptable amount of the time. Every day as I drag myself home I fantasize about quitting, but I know the job won't be around anymore when my kids are older. What should I do? Carolyn Hax: Finish thinking it through. No, this job probably won't be there when your kids are older. Neither will your kids, though, most likely, but there may be other jobs. In other words, if you're going to try to weigh "now" against "later," use complete pictures of both. Obviously there will be some unknowns, but if you combine current certainties and future likelihoods with those unknowns, you'll probably have more than enough information to support a rational decision. That rational decision has to include your feelings about your kids, because those are real and certain. I think it's also important, as you figure this all out, to make sure you aren't ruling things out without exploring them fully, like going part-time. All those great mentors and colleagues can help you here, too. Chicago: My boss is chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out mean. It's kind of a gimmicky part of his persona, like a character he's playing. He seems to think it is funny to make people uncomfortable. I don't handle it as well as other people in my department, who seem to take it in stride. It hurts my feelings. Do you know any tricks for dealing with people who get a kick out of their own nastiness? Carolyn Hax: It sounds as if you've already figured out most of a strategy: If he's so mean that it almost seems like he's playing the role of the mean boss, then try casting yourself in the role of the person who sees through his gimmick and doesn't take it personally. Either that or start looking in earnest for a new job. Or both. Toronto: Hi Carolyn! I've just started seeing someone new and I think this one has potential. Most excellent! I'm coming off a bit of a dry spell (and don't have much previous experience), and I was wondering if you had any general dating advice. Just stuff to keep in mind or things that should have my attention. Many thanks! These chats and your column have helped me tremendously over the years... Carolyn Hax: Any time you find yourself editing what you say or working to maintain an image that you think will please him, cut it out. That's the No. 1 suggestion I have to avoid what I see as the No. 1 mistake people make, which is to force a relationship with someone who isn't quite right for them. Congrats, good luck, and thanks for the kind words. Washington, D.C: Carolyn - what's your take on dating a guy who has decided to take a 'stand' against marriage? Carolyn Hax: If you want to get married and you still want to date him knowing he's opposed to marriage, then you need to ask yourself why he's worth your blatantly undermining yourself. If you don't share his beliefs but you sympathize with them, then it might not hurt to see where it goes. The reasons for not wanting to get married can range from infantile to principled, so unless you've got your own mind made up, the reasons matter. If you agree with him or don't care about marriage, then I guess it's not a big deal. Though, for what it's worth, I think anyone is suspect who has such an absolute vision of such an unpredictable part of the future. Not wanting kids, for example, is the rejection of a very specific way of life; that makes sense to me. Marriage can fit into as many ways of life as there are married couples, so a rejection of it needs annotation for the whole picture to be clear. From one mom to another: Dear Carolyn, I know it's well established in your column that it's natural for moms to favor one child, or to secretly love one more than the other. But my question is, do you think it's even - possible- to have equal feelings about more than one child? Carolyn Hax: I do. Though I wouldn't use the word "equal"; equivalent seems more apt to me. It's a given--and yet an ongoing source of amazement to me--that kids can come from the same gene pool and grow up in the same home and still be completely different from each other. These differences bring out different facets of the people around them, including their parents and siblings. So, as a parent, you're probably going to have a different relationship with each kid. If each of these relationships hits high notes and the occasional lower notes, then it's possible not to feel dramatically more attached to one child than another, and instead feel you value them all. As kids grow, the attachments ebb and flow, too, so you might feel closer to one kid at one time, and then closer to another a year or so later, etc. Besides talking about it in this way, though, it's probably best -not- to think about it too much, and instead just take each kid and each day. Maybe you can help me work through a decision about my 10-year-old son's involvement in school sports. We signed him up for rec league basketball last year because we thought it would help him shed some baby fat, gain confidence and make friends. It achieved none of those goals. Instead, he was miserable, often crying in the car on the way to practice and on the way home afterward. I feel strongly that we should take the hint and refrain from signing him up this year, but my husband (a one-time school athlete) repeatedly says that failure is part of development. We are worried about our son's body image and I can't imagine he'll like the sport any better this year. The season starts in a couple of weeks. Should I go with my gut and pull him from the roster, or do you think my husband has a point? Carolyn Hax: Failure is part of development, sure, and resisting going -to- practice is hardly unusual. But crying on the way home is a really big deal, as is the fact that he's doing this at age 10, not 5. Forcing a child into a sport he hates is not going to foster any kind of love for sports. I actually find it upsetting that a father would force his somewhat-above-crying-age kid into a sport that makes him cry. Besides sounding like torture for your son, it also sounds like a recipe for him to gain weight, lose confidence and withdraw socially. The way you get those benefits from exercise that you name is through willing participation in an enjoyable activity. Those are the elements that motivate a child--or even an adult newcomer--to persevere through the awkward, failure-pocked stages of learning a new skill. Your son may need the activity for his health and need the challenge for his confidence, but he has told you very clearly that this is not the sport for him. There are so many choices available that I think it would be unconscionable not to explore alternatives, openly following your son's lead. I specifically suggest you consider individual sports he can learn through private lessons until he feels strong enough to play with his peers. Martial arts, tennis and swimming are three that come to mind. Tell him your only requirement is that he choose one sport, but he can choose anything, as long as it's feasible, and the choice is his. If he's drawn to a team sport, then pick a program that has a supportive entry level and consider supplementing it with private instruction on the side. It doesn't have to be forever; just long enough for him to get through the steepest part of the learning curve without the Lord of the Flies contingent looking on. Thanksgiving?: Will you be taking any pot-smoking in the bathroom questions today?? Carolyn Hax: If I get them, they're yours. Dec. 10 is the date for Hax's Annual Hootenanny of Holiday Horrors, 2010 Edition (I'm going to do my best to get that title slightly wrong every time I mention it, since I have no idea what the actual title is), so if you're not ready to leash up your albino hedgehog and take it out for a spin, there's still time to fatten it up. Carolyn Hax: Will post in a sec--rewriting my answer to something. Re: School Sports: How about if the sporty dad plays a sport with his son outside? That will get him active and increase his confidence, spending valuable time with dad. Carolyn Hax: That's fine, as long as father doesn't eclipse son. If Father is impatient or easily frustrated when Son doesn't catch on quickly, then this "quality time" could backfire. Divorced, ready to date: Dear Carolyn, Do you think it would be wildly inappropriate of me to ask my child's 2nd grade teacher on a date? Carolyn Hax: I think so. Anyone else? Arlington, VA - re 10 yr old and sports: Did the son say why he didn't like the sport? That would be helpful in figuring out what he might be interested in instead. And it doesn't have to be sports, either. What about other interests like drama, computers, science clubs, etc.? Carolyn Hax: You're right that his pursuit doesn't have to be a sport, but if his main interest doesn't have a physical element to it, it would be helpful if the family made the group effort to find some form of exercise that he enjoys and can carry with him into adulthood. So many aspects of modern life are sedentary that I don't think it's fair to kids to raise them unprepared to maintain their physical health. This boy can walk, hike, bike, play golf, play tennis, do martial arts, swim laps, etc., for the rest of his life. First Thanksgiving in VA: Hey Carolyn, I'm cooking a huuuuge turkey on Sunday for an equally huge Thanksgiving party for the mentoring group that I'm president of. I'm hoping that the bar will be set low because we're all college students, but I can get a little high-strung (i.e. panic attack-y) when things don't go exactly according to plan. Any advice for keeping the panic from taking over if I realize that the turkey isn't fully defrosted/no one is bringing forks/I should have 'brined' the turkey/I have 4 hours of cleaning to do afterward? Carolyn Hax: 1. Parties where something goes wrong are often (close to always) better than the ones that come off without a hitch. Just have some backup, pantry-friendly food ready in case the turkey refuses to cook. 2. Acting as the host's helper is often (close to always) one of the best ways to enjoy a party. Do you have anyone in the group who has a cool head, and with whom you have a friendly relationship? You can delegate the punch list to this person so that you don't have to worry about missing something. Don't expect this person to stay and clean, though; if you need extra hands there, you might want to ask a different person to help. Detroit, Mich.: I am dreading seeing my aunt tonight. I live away from our hometown and she's been asking when I'm going to invite her up for ages. My reply has always been 'let me know when you'd like to come' (cowardly, I know). Well, she's here ... for a conference and will be visiting me tonight. I need some advice/tips/combacks on how to deal with her. She just so happens to know everything ... more about law than a lawyer, more about health than a doctor ... everything! As I'm sure you can imagine this is difficult to deal with, especially now that I do know more than her about certain subjects. She also seems to think that the only purpose for children is to be little slaves - she is always asking me and my cousins to do things for her and get things for her at family gatherings. If we refuse, she'll say 'You're going to make your grandmother get it?' (her mom). I'm sure she'll have much to say about my place and more specifically my pets - she used to have the same animal (when she was young) and MUCH has changed regarding the care they should be entitled to. So, what to do and how to deal? I'd really appreciate some advice. Carolyn Hax: It's one night. Just smile and keep your eyes focused on the horizon. ready to date: Yes. Highly inappropriate. If the reader is still interested next year when their child is no longer in the classroom, they could revisit. But not now. Carolyn Hax: This is the consensus, and I'm not surprised. sports and crying: I would say the crying on the way TO practice is a much bigger flag than the crying on the way home. I loved, loved, loved swimming (swam on teams from age 6 through college), and I often cried on the way home because I wasn't very good at it, for a very long time (until junior year of HS), and it frustrated me. As a smart kid to whom most things came easily, it was GREAT for me to have something that didn't. The key was that it was something -I WANTED-; my parents asked me, neutrally, on a regular basis (when it was time to sign up again, not mid-season) if I wanted to try something else, and I always chose to continue swimming. I liked it, even though it was hard and I sometimes cried. What does this kid want? 10 is old enough to choose. Carolyn Hax: Interesting take, thanks. I said it the other way because a bad mood going there can often mean the kid really enjoyed what you pulled him away from, and a good mood on the way home means the kid enjoyed the sport (or whatever). It really comes down to, listen to your kid. Chicago: I feel like I'm parenting a 5 year old. Only he's in his mid-30s. My husband is unwilling to exercise without some coercion on my part - generally me delivering an ultimatum. I hate the pattern we've fallen into and I really do hate myself for having to resort to ultimatums but I'm at a loss as to what to do. He's a social person and really prefers having someone to do things with (vs going to the gym by himself) - so I've tried getting him to go running with me, or joining a pick up league at his gym (which he never goes to). But he just digs in his heels, won't do anything and I end up getting all frustrated and angry. I wish I could just ignore him but I can't seem to get past the feeling that I'm negotiating with a 5 year old and losing. Btw, his work commute doesn't allow for exercise - so we're talking about getting a minimum of exercise, not training for a marathon. Carolyn Hax: Cut it out. Yes, you want him to be healthy, and yes, you want him to live to a ripe and spry old age, but, really--that's not for you to decide. It would be nice if he wanted to do these things for you and/or for your marriage, but he's an adult, and he's saying no. How can you be at a loss when there's a very clear option staring right at you? Take no for an answer. Stop treating him like a 5-year-old. U.S.: Do you think there's any chance of falling back in love with my spouse after I've developed strong feelings for someone else who I want to be with, but can't due to distance? Carolyn Hax: Yes, but you have to unplug the myth machine (it's kind of like one of those fog machines they use in theaters). A real spouse can't compete with the idealized version of the one who got away. As long as you're enjoying the narrative of having a lost love, you're never going to be able to invest yourself fully at home. You need to poke real holes in the story with your and his/her real flaws. You need to embrace the idea that this forbidden love would transform into mundane love shortly after it stopped being forbidden. When your mind drift toward your someone else, think gas, socks, nose hair, flab, mildly annoying mannerisms, and whatever else sinks your boat. Re First Thanksgiving: Do as much as possible the day before. Carolyn Hax: That too, thanks. Oh, and pay attention to how long the turkey needs to defrost (check the company's web site). If it's not too late, consider a fresh turkey, since they cook much faster. Alexandria VA: You said about if you find yourself editing what you say, or working to uphold a certain image of yourself with a person, that's a bad thing. Well, why, exactly? I've been married for 24 years. I edit what I say and work to uphold a certain image of myself all the time. I can say things politely or rudely; I can live like a reasonably competent person or like a slob. Seems to work better when I think about how I want to phrase things and think about how my husband would react if I said hurtful things, or didn't hold up my end of the bargain re: spending, house cleaning, care of the dogs, all sorts of things. Why is it a bad sign to edit one's self? Makes the world tick along a little more smoothly, in my experience. Carolyn Hax: It's also a way to find yourself several years into a marriage and bearing no resemblance to the person you were before. What you're talking about is basic civility, and, you're right, it's not good for anyone to say every hateful thing that crosses your mind. But there's an important difference between that and living in a way that's inauthentic. Being civil is still being you.* Biting back any complaints or worries you have because your mate will yell at you for voicing them; or being super-social to please your super-social mate when you're naturally more reserved and would stay home if s/he quit pressuring you; or being the high-functioning, super-competent half of the couple who carries the load for both of you even though your mate is perfectly capable and when what you really want is to sleep for a month--that's going to kill, possibly in this order: your mood, your sense of self, your feelings for the other person, your will to invest another ounce of energy in the relationship, your relationship. That's what I'm talking about. *If you're naturally a nasty piece of work, then it's actually best not to put on a veneer of civility, but instead to either choose a mate who is unfazed by the real uncivil you, or to work on you attitude and temperament to the point where civility is real. I'm having a very hard time getting past a breakup that happened over three years ago. It hit me all of a sudden (literally, this week) that I had been continuing to use it as an excuse for opting out of everything--namely dating and attending a friend's wedding. Now that I've had my moment of clarity, what do I do to thrust myself into a more engaging future? Carolyn Hax: I'm not sure you have to do anything. You've had your aha moment, so now live your day-to-day life accordingly for a while. If you've given it a chance to become your new routine and you still aren't satisfied with the way your life is going, then you can start pushing yourself to get out more. Again, only if you have to; this week's revelation might be all the motivation you need. Washington, DC: Carolyn, why is it OK for a wife to live off a wealthy husband, but not vice versa? I retired after 30 years of the corporate rat race to be Mr. Mom for our teenage daughter. We have household help, but I do most of the cooking, shopping, laundry, carpooling and more. I also mentor at-risk youth and am active in my church and community. My wife is a high-powered DC lawyer. She loves her job and is good at it. We have more money than we know what to do with, give generously to charity and at last count were helping 6 nieces and nephews with their college expenses. She would be miserable at home, while I truly enjoy it. But when people hear of our situation, you would think I had two heads, or perhaps torture small animals on the side. I often get what I hope are mocking comments of, "Wow, I'd love to live off MY wife," with the "you moocher, you" left unsaid. Maybe I am a little uncomfortable with this situation, but most of the time I just count my blessings and wish other people would count theirs. Carolyn Hax: This is actually something I touch on in Sunday's column, so I'm not going to get into it too much. But i think it is just as okay for a man to be a househusband as it is for a woman to be a housewife--and while I have a real problem with the hypocrisy of people who give men a hard time but don't really blink at stay-at-home moms, my baseline attitude is that if the couple is okay with it, then I'm okay with it, period. By that measure, your verbal snipers are out of line on two counts: hypocrisy, and failing to mind their own business. It sounds as of you're taking the right attitude with people, but don't be afraid to say something along the lines of, "Yeah, she and I both feel lucky"--in other words, to respond to the snide comments as if they were meant to be taken at face value. Bethesda MD: My mother (who is not hurting for funds, but is notoriously cheap) often gives our family "recyled" presents. For example, in past years she has given me, as Christmas gifts, a distinctive piece of pottery which I previously gave to her, a picture frame which I witnessed my sister give to her at a previous Christmas, clothing which she ordered for herself and which did not fit her, and slightly-used designer soap. My husband and I laugh about it and pretend we don't notice, but her largesse (or lack of it) extends to our children. For his thirteenth birthday she gave my son a mens' grooming kit, complete with nose hair trimmer. (I believe it was unused -- but my father died 12 years ago, so she has presumably been saving it since then.) None of these gifts are given as "I thought you might like this, since I cannot use it...," or "Grandpa really wanted you to have his nose hair trimmer....", but they are wrapped and given like brand new. How can we tell her that the junk she gives us is just that -- junk? If she does not wish to buy us anything, fine with us. But the pseudo-presents are awful, and it is getting hard to get the kids to pretend to like them (for the record, my son did say thank you.) Do you have any suggestions? Carolyn Hax: You're focusing your attention on the wrong side of the equation. Your mom isn't going to change, nor is it your place to change her. As parents to your kids, though, it is your place to explain that this is the way your mother is, and the sooner they all learn to find joy in nose-hair trimmers, the merrier Christmas will be. If he were 4, that might be tough, but 13 is plenty old enough to see the sublime implications here. Given your mom's recycling proclivities, you can also pick out for her this year whatever you'd like you and your kids to receive next year. I joined an online dating site on a lark to get over a really sad breakup. Eventually I met "Mark," who truly seems great, and we have been emailing back and forth...for a little over a month. I'm talking upwards of 15 emails between us. I've thrown him every possible hint that he should go ahead and ASK ME OUT ALREADY, but for some reason he's not pulling the trigger. The reason I'm not going it for him is twofold: first, I like for the guy to take charge, and second, Mark's profile specifically says he's into chivalry and loves to surprise women with thoughtful plans. What should I say to move things along that doesn't sound confrontational? I'm liking him more and more with each email, but I'm ready to get together for some physical chemistry experimentation already. Carolyn Hax: A month? This isn't going anywhere. But here's the hedge answer anyway: What you're doing--holding back because you think that's what he wants, and so will make him like you more--is exactly what I was talking about earlier when I advised against in my third answer today. Be yourself, say what you want to say, ask what you want to ask. If he can't handle it, he's not the guy. You say you want the guy to take charge, okay, and if that's more natural to you, then don't spell out that you want him to ask you out already. But don't use that as justification to sit around waiting for something to happen, either. Instead, mentally cross this guy off your list unless and until he asks you out, and start looking for someone else. And make sure that if Mark does come through, you make your plans as if you're meeting a stranger, because that's still what he is to you. New York, NY: My husband has anxiety- diagnosed by doctors and most of the time is on medication for it. However, when he's not on medication (which he does not want to be) he says things that, at least, are borderline emotionally abusive. How do I reconcile "in sickness and in health" when the "in sickness" part is (probably) abusive? Things like telling me the anxiety is all my fault, infertility is due to my hobbies, telling me he doesn't want to see me, I take up too much time etc. Is this what marriage is all about? Carolyn Hax: You say he doesn't "want to be" on medication--does he take it because he knows he's mean to you and doesn't want to be? Or is he taking it for some other reason (a job, for example), and when that reason isn't applicable, he goes off the meds? My reflexive answer is, no, this is -not- what marriage is all about. It's not about putting up with abuse. And my follow-up answer is that anxiety doesn't excuse mistreatment of someone. Plenty of people live with anxiety and do not treat their spouses like dirt. Still, if he doesn't ever do this when he's on medication, if he is on medication "most of the time" as a conscious effort he makes toward you and the marriage, because he feels he owes it to you to do all he can to be well, then that's a situation you can work with (with professional help, I suggest). His not caring that he hurts you is one that I don't suggest you tolerate. You also mention infertility; if you are still trying to get pregnant or if you're trying to adopt a child, I hope you'll think carefully about bringing a child into a situation where s/he might be the target of Daddy's abuse. That's not fair. Please get this problem resolved in a sustainable way before you bring little people into it. Washington, DC: I'm a mother to two amazing children that I joined our family when I married their father. The older of the two, a 16 yr old girl, has her first boyfriend. She thinks that her dad and I believe this guy is just a friend. They only get the chance to meet in groups because they don't go to the same school. She emails and texts with him each day and he is a growing presence on her Facebook page. Does it matter that she doesn't want to tell us that this is actually her boyfriend? The guy has actually called her his girlfriend on Facebook. What do you think? Is it okay for her to be so private? Thanks for your thoughts on this! Carolyn Hax: It doesn't set off any alarms to me, because having a private life is so important at that age (and hers is visible to you by other means, apparently). HOwever, you still might want to go out of your way--without looking like you're going out of your way, of course--not to have big reactions to things she tells you, about the guy or anyone/anything else. That will create an environment where she will, I hope, eventually feel comfortable telling you things--as a result of both age/maturity and trust that you're not going to say "YOU HAVE A LITTLE BOYFRIEND?! THAT'S SO CUUUTE!" You also don't want to out her because you don't want her hiding her FB page from you. If you see other/more disturbing signs of hiding or dishonesty (or, that she doesn't see him as her BF but he's pressuring her and claiming her as his GF, also a possibility), then you might need to revisit the decision not to say anything, but till then, lie low. Washington DC: Hey Hax, My SIL is threatening to ruin Thanksgiving if we don't agree to go to her house for Christmas dinner. LSS, FIL is quite elderly and frail. SIL lives an hour away from him in a house with several stairs he can't go up and slippery tile that is a hazard. She can't/doesn't cook food he can eat and keeps the house too cold for him, to the point where he often shivers through the meal. We offered to cook dinner for FIL in -his- house, making the menu to -his- specifications. He was delighted. She is hurt and huffy. She refuses to leave her house on Christmas. Either we all go there or she's too busy to see us for the whole holiday season. She's the type to hold a grudge so this could blow up into a 'we haven't spoken in 50 years' sort of thing but I find myself wondering if that would be a blessing in the end. At what point do we give in? Carolyn Hax: Not sure what LSS means but if you believe dinner at FIL's house is genuinely the right thing to do, then do it. Caving to unreasonable people is something you do in isolated incidents when there's a larger goal to be accomplished (ref: dinner tonight with the obnoxious aunt)--and I'm having trouble envisioning the larger goal in this case. Or, at least, one that's bigger than the goal of taking sensitive care of your elderly FIL. re: anxiety: Although I do not condone the abuse, she needs to have a comeback. I take medicine to help me with anxiety. When I do not take it, I can get 'short' when my husband says minorly irritating things. He usually responds with "have you taken your medicine?" I hate it when he says it, but its usually true - I need to take my meds to take the 'edge' off. I do not like taking the meds, for no other reason than I hate taking pills everyday. But they make me a better person so I try to remember. It may be the same with him. Have a gentle reminder - one that won't make him upset - that he needs to take his meds. Carolyn Hax: Thanks. A few more on this topic coming. doesn't want to be on anxiety medication: Maybe he needs a different medication that has no side effects. I can tell you getting the right medication has been a lifesaver for me! I feel no side effects and feel happy and productive. Without it, I was so stressed and anxious, I couldn't drive across bridges any more! The right medication is out there. Carolyn Hax: I'd expect "try other meds" to be their default in a situation like this, but here it is just in case, thanks. Anxiety/abuse: My husband also suffers from bipolar disorder and anxiety and I've experienced the emotional abuse. It can get better but only if he realizes that he is hurting you. My husband denied it for a long time even after being confronted by his doctor. Take care of yourself so that you can take care of him. Only when that is accomplished will you have the energy to take care of a child. LSS - Long Story Short: Hope this helps! Carolyn Hax: It does, thanks. Now it seems like a duh, but it was new to me. Washington, DC: Hi Carolyn, Love the chats. How do I know if I'm depending on another person too much? Carolyn Hax: Take the other person out of the picture, and what happens? And if the person is never out of the picture, not even for a weekend away, then why not? New York anxiety: Sounds like the wife who wrote in is past this point, but I want to toss it out anyhow: sit down with him and say that his anxiety is becoming a problem for you, both indirectly (you worry about him) and directly(how he acts towards you). Be caring, but be as strong and direct as possible - this is a Big Deal, and he needs to address it for the sake of your relationship. I say this beacause I was on the receiving end of one of these talks. My problem was depression rather than anxiety, and I was prone to emotional paralysis rather than anger, but the situation was otherwise similar: I had been in treatment, I was out of treatment at that point. I could see my moods and behavior getting worse, but I was having a hard time getting myself to DO anything about it. And I figured that if I could handle it, it was OK. (Mental illness screws with your head...who knew?) My partner sat me down and made it clear that this wasn't just a problem for me, but a problem for US. Depression (and anxiety, I'm sure) is very isolating, so this was both a much-needed kick in the rear and a helpful reminder that she was there to help - as long as I was helping myself, too. Of course, once you've passed this point, if he still can't/won't help himself...disengage, carefully. Carolyn Hax: Well said, thank you. spokane, wa: My brother is graduating with his masters and wants me to attend, but it's on a school night and my children are performing in a school concert that night. At first I said no, and he got so upset he approached me and he wouldn't take no for an answer. We both said things we shouldn't. He is questioning our entire relationship based on this issue. He equates this event in his life with getting married or having children (of which he's only done the former) I'm torn between my children and my brother. I told him I would go to get him off my back but I feel coerced and in my heart of hearts I should be going to my kid's functions. What should I do? Carolyn Hax: I'm not sure I can answer this objectively, because 1. i find graduations to be unbearably dull, my own included; and 2. I find it somewhere between odd and offensive that a grown man would use emotional blackmail to keep you from going to your kids' concert. If someone out there can offer a sympathetic spin on the brother's approach, or even a way that the LW might have spun it unfairly, then I'm eager to see what you have to say. maybe the master's is the result of a lifelong struggle through X adversity? One that his sib witnessed up close, and maybe treated dismissively? I'm digging here. Until then, my only answer can be to think very hard about any possible Ancient Stuff your brother might be bringing to this issue, and try to talk about it with him. If you can't think of anything and you will only resent giving in to his coercion, then stick to your no and go see your kids. Boston, MA: Re Washington, DC Mr. Mom: While I understand that Dad at home is still in the minority, expressions like "Mr. Mom," just fuel the idea that the one at home should be the mother, and that Dad being at home is not-quite-normal. In a way, it reinforces the stereotype that he is trying to fight. Kid who doesn't like sports: I was a kid who was not good at sports. Like worst in the class/on the team bad. I tried, but it was never going to happen. When I was young it was okay, but by age 10 - 11 the other kids on the teams I was on became less tolerant of it. Eventually it became torture for me, and thank goodness, my parents were fine with me stopping. I think sometimes people tho whom sports come more naturally have NO idea how shameful/embarassing/awful not being good at sports can feel, especialy team sports where others can get angry at you. Carolyn Hax: You may be right about that, but there's no excuse for an athletic parent (or a parent naturally skilled at anything else) to have that kind of a blind spot. The inability to see others suffer at something just because you love it isn't about ability, it's about a lack of empathy. Applies to sports, reading, numbers, music, art, anything. Re: spokane: Were you the favorite by any chance? Mom and Dad fall all over themselves to get to your events but show little to no interest in his? Have you been to his other events in his life? Has he always gone to yours? Is he the youngest child of multiple children and by the time these events get to him no one seems to really care because all the other kids did it? I know you're not supposed to beancount, but I can't help but notice that my parents traveled oceans to go to my brother's special events but because I was baby #5 they barely made it any of mine. When they did it was grugdingly at first. And the brother in question has never been to any other sib's special event either, although I'm not sure he even realizes it. Carolyn Hax: One good thought, thanks (though if true, it's on the brother to articulate that). First, is there more than one performance for the concert? Even if there's just an in-school performance in the afternoon, maybe you can attend that, send your husband to the evening "official" concert, and get to attend both? Second, it's possible that this brother has attended all of the sister's big life events (graduations, etc), and is upset that now his are taking a back seat. Not that it's right or fair, but someone who has sat through a million (dull) graduations out of a sense of obligation might appreciate knowing that you feel the same obligation, even if ultimately you can't attend the graduation. Carolyn Hax: also useful, thanks. For Spokane...: Curious about this wording: "He equates this event in his life with getting married or having children (of which he's only done the former)" Seems derisive, or is it just me? Maybe that's his beef - I may not have Kids, but I have a Masters. Chicago, IL: Ugh, in response to the brother getting his masters degree. I didn't even attend MY OWN Ph.D. ceremony, and I certainly wouldn't expect anyone else too. But perhaps the letter writer has a history of diminishing the accomplishments of the brother. One solution might be to offer to take the brother out for celebratory drinks later that evening or on the first weekend night. This would let him feel special (still and indulgence, in my opinion) but wouldn't leave the letter writer feeling as if his/her values were compromised Carolyn Hax: More on the theme, thanks. If there is a family history of dismissiveness toward this brother, then I'd reverse my advice and say that she should go to the graduation--but after some sort of acknowledgment that 1. he has been given second-class treatment and that 2. blackmailing was not the way to get his sib to attend. Carolyn Hax: Hookay, I'm done. Thanks everyone, have a great weekend and Thanksgiving and broke Friday and whatever else you celebrate between now and Dec. 3. See you in two weeks, and start typing up those stories for Dec. 10--maybe even as they happen next week. Cambridge, UK: Hi Carolyn and lovely producer - I can't find a link to today's column in the usual places. Help? washingtonpost.com: Here you go! Should she marry her jobless boyfriend?. Looks like it got published later than usual. what stories...: are we typing up? Carolyn Hax: For the Holiday Horrors Hootenanny. I'll see if we can link to 2009's ... washingtonpost.com: 2009 Holiday Hootenanny of Horrors In her daily column in The Washington Post Style section, Carolyn Hax offers readers advice based on the experiences of someone who's been there. Hax is an ex-repatriated New Englander with a liberal arts degree and a lot of opinions and that's about it, really, when you get right down to it. Oh, and the shoes. A lot of shoes. Got more to say? Check out Carolyn's discussion group, Hax-Philes. Comments submitted to the chat may be used in the discussion group. Past Carolyn Hax Live Discussions Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.

Carolyn Hax takes your questions and comments about her columns and any other questions you might have about the strange train we call life.

Mengele. Kevorkian. Now Gosnell can be added to that awful list. Men who perverted the idea that medicine should indeed “first do no harm.” Dr. Kermit Gosnell was on trial for his life for the first degree murder of four babies born as a result of a failed late-term abortion. The American media that had resisted covering the gruesome case were also on trial. Followers of the Philadelphia case weren’t surprised with either result. Gosnell is a monster. He was initially charged “with killing seven babies born alive," along with Karnamaya Mongar a newly-arrived, 41-year-old refugee from Bhutan. Prosecutors say Gosnell's staff gave the 90-pound woman a lethal dose of anesthesia and painkillers during a 2009 abortion,” according to the Associated Press. Some charges were dropped and he was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of third-degree murder, as well as “211 counts of failing to comply with a state law that requires a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion is performed.” The facts read more like a demon’s resume than a description of a man sworn to heal. One former worker testified that she saw “a late-term baby who survived an abortion ‘swimming’ in a toilet and ‘trying to get out.’” Another child reportedly was big enough “that Gosnell joked it could have walked to the bus.” Child after child had life ended as scissors snipped spinal cords, decapitating them. Yet this “house of horrors” would never have seen the light of day if the American media had their way. Major outlets ignored the story until conservative anger called them out. The Media Research Center (where I work), Kirsten Powers, Fox News Channel, some in Congress and an army of conservatives on Twitter provided part of the pressure. Even then, news coverage was paltry – far less than outlets would devote to any story du jour from Manti Te’o and his invisible girlfriend to endless accounts of the Jodi Arias trial. ABC was the worst. It took that network a couple years after the arrest and 56 straight days of trial to acknowledge Gosnell existed. ABC found more than three hours of air time for other court cases during that time, but waited until Gosnell was convicted before it ever admitted he was even on trial. “Nightline” co-anchor Terry Moran inadvertently admitted the network’s failure during the May 13 “World News with Diane Sawyer” segment. “For two months, jurors heard often shocking, grisly testimony.” Yes, two months of “shocking, grisly testimony” and only one minute and 51 seconds of news coverage at the very end. In short, if you rely on ABC for your news coverage, you are out of luck. It’s that kind of timely newsgathering that would have viewers expecting to see reports on the end of WWII or the sinking of the Titanic later this week. The other two members of the Big Three didn’t impress either. NBC was bad and CBS only a little better. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie asked Obama a question about Gosnell but didn’t even bother to follow it up. And when NBC finally gave an actual report on the case on May 1, it hid the awful nature of the case. The network that had reported on the smell of a decomposing body in the Casey Anthony trial called Gosnell’s crimes “too gruesome” to tell viewers. Other outlets were just as averse to reporting the awful story of baby murder. The Washington Post committed to the story after health reporter Sarah Kliff defended her own failure to cover Gosnell because it was a “local crime” story. But it wasn’t a local crime story. It was part of a national belief in infanticide coming directly from the pro-abortion movement. Just in the time of the Gosnell trial, we’ve seen a Planned Parenthood lobbyist and an abortion doctor both show support for baby murder after the child is born. Abortion lobbyist Alisa LaPolt Snow told an astonished hearing that the life of a baby born after a botched abortion should be “left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.” The pro-life group Live Action caught a D.C. abortion doctor in an embarrassing admission of, you know, supporting baby murder. “One video features a D.C. doctor, Cesare Santangelo, who said that in the unlikely event that an abortion resulted in a live birth, ‘we would not help it,’” reported the Post. For that reveal, he said he considers the heroes of Live Action to be “terrorists.” That is the world that Kermit Gosnell introduced to America. It’s a world where the liberal fantasies of “safe, available and rare” abortions have been twisted into a convenient rationale for taxpayer-funded baby murder, even after a child is born. It’s an image the abortion community won’t be able to erase. Dan Gainor is the Boone Pickens Fellow and the Media Research Center’s Vice President for Business and Culture. He writes frequently about media for Fox News Opinion. He can also be contacted on Facebook and Twitter as dangainor.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell was on trial for his life for the first degree murder of four babies born as a result of a failed late-term abortion.

Andrew Burton / Getty Images Former U.S. Vice presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Donald Trump exit Trump Tower, in New York City on May 31st. Palin and Trump met for a dinner meeting in the city. Stops: 4 — Gettysburg National Civil War Park, coffee in Dillsburg, Penn., the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and Famous Famiglia Pizzeria in New York City Number of Palin sightings: 3 The surreal third Day of Sarah Palin’s pseudo-political bus tour through the mid-Atlantic started off in Gettysburg, Penn., where she visited the battlefield and the national soldier’s memorial. After a brief tour, she and an assortment of family and friends gathered for a group photo at the memorial. She greeted a few fans on her way out, including Janita Carlton, a 50-year-old homemaker from Green Forest, Arkansas, who waited nine and a half hours at the Gettysburg memorial on Monday when she heard the former Alaska governor was coming for a visit. “I was disappointed yesterday – it was hot!” Carlton said – the temperatures topped 100 degrees at the park. “But today we’re going to finally see the field. And it was so worth it to meet her! There’s hardly a politician I’d do this for.” Who else? “Mike Huckabee, I love him not just because he’s from Arkansas but because I think we needed someone with his values in the race – with Sarah’s values, too,” Carlton says. What about Barack Obama? “No way!” Mitt Romney? “Hmmm, don’t think so.” Tim Pawlenty or Jon Huntsman? “Who?” (PHOTOS: She’s Back. Sarah Palin on the Road in 2011) Palin then moved on to Dillsburg, Penn. (named for the town’s first settler, Matthew Dill, according to a sign) and picked up what she called “what I heard is the best coffee in town” at Coffee Express on South Baltimore Street. She greeted cafe-goers and took a couple of questions from reporters. One diner told Palin that he’s concerned about government spending. “See reporters?” Palin, sporting a white jacket with a pink leaf pattern, an American and Israeli flag pin, black pencil skirt and heels, said as she turned to the 20 members of the media crammed into the coffee shop behind her. “Don’t ask me what the challenge is. They know: It’s to cut spending.” “When are you gonna be on Dancing With the Stars?” another man asked. “Oh my gosh, I’m the biggest klutz in the world,” Palin said. “They should ask Todd, because that’s what people tease him about all the time, ‘Is it Todd’s turn on dancing with the stars?’” “You should make your announcement here in Dillsburg,” the same man pressed. “Hahahha, okay,” Palin said, turning towards the coffee counter. “I’ll let you know.” A reporter then asked Palin if she would do away with subsidies to oil and gas companies. Democrats – and some fiscal conservatives like House budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan – support such a move. But most Republicans oppose it, arguing the cost would be passed on to tax payers. “I think all our energy subsidies need to be re-looked at and eliminated,” Palin said, warming to one of her favorite topics. “And we need to make sure that we’re investing and allowing our businesses to invest in reliable energy products right now that aren’t going to necessitate subsidies because, bottom line, we can’t afford it. We can’t afford it,” she repeated. “We’ve got to allow the free market to dictate what’s going to be most efficient and economical for our nation’s economy.” Another reporter asked if she thought U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan? “It sounds like they’re going to start to come home,” Palin replied. “And I’ve said, with Senator McCain and so many others that it’s the conditions on the ground that need to dictate when our troops start coming home instead of having some kind of political decision being made with a drop dead deadline to send our troops home. You know, showing our enemy our playbook, that doesn’t make any sense and it’s not good war strategy.” “I agree with you 100%,” one of the men at the table said – they were the only customers in the coffee shop when Palin walked in. “Ask these guys,” Palin instructed the media. No one did. A minute later, Palin was heading to the door and reporters were running for their cars, worried they’d get left behind. Palin packed up and headed to Philadelphia where she hurried through the Liberty Bell exhibit – so quickly in fact that few reporters had time to follow her – and left so quickly that only two press cars managed to keep up. She rolled on to Jersey City to stay the night, but soon after arriving, Palin snuck out for the most eyeball-grabbing event of her trip to date: A New York City pizza dinner with none other than Donald Trump. Thus ended Day Three of Sarah Palin’s “learning tour” up the East Coast. Rumor has it she’ll visit the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday. After that, who knows.

Stops: 4 -- Gettysburg National Civil War Park, coffee in Dillsburg, Penn., the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and Famous Famiglia Pizzeria in New York City Miles: 239 Tanks of gas: 1 Number of Palin sightings: 3 The surreal third Day of Sarah Palin's pseudo-political bus tour through the ...

By David Millward, Transport Editor Last Updated: 6:37PM BST 09 Apr 2009 A large number of caravans have been seen heading towards Somerset and Wales Photo: SWNS Airports, roads, major stations and seaports were all described as busy as Britons tried to make the most of the holiday weekend. They did so as weather forecasters predicted a wet few days with heavy rain expected to hit many parts of the country, while temperatures are expected to hit the mid 60s Fahrenheit. Motoring organisations have predicted that around 10 million people will venture out this weekend. Their numbers are being swelled by cash-strapped families staying in the UK this year. After a quieter than normal morning rush hour, the AA and Trafficmaster have spotted a number of hot spots including the western section of the M25 between the Heathrow and Watford turn-offs. A large number of caravans have also been seen heading towards Somerset and Wales and traffic has also been busy on the M6 toll road. Elsewhere delays were reported on the M6 southbound near Warrington, Cheshire and on the northbound carriageway between Stafford and Stoke. Other congested stretches included the M3 eastbound between Camberley and Bagshot in Surrey. Commuter trains have been quieter than usual, confirming the belief that the holiday getaway has got off to an early start. The Association of Train Operating Companies expects to carry 10 million passengers over the weekend, with long distance rail services getting busier throughout the day, with a peak during the late afternoon and early evening. Virgin Trains is expecting the West Coast Main Line between London, north west England and Scotland to be busy throughout the day, especially. However with three services to Manchester and Birmingham an hour, Euston is expected to be less crowded than usual. By midafternoon, the pace was picking up. "People are leaving their desks for the weekend," a spokesman said. Meanwhile British Airways said that today will be the busiest day of the holiday weekend, during which it expects to carry half a million people. At Heathrow, which was described as "busy", hundreds of passengers were evacuated after a suspect package was discovered in Terminal 3. New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong remained the most popular destinations, while flights to Edinburgh, Paris and Geneva were also in demand. The strength of the euro has led to an influx of passengers coming in from the continent, with traffic up 15 per cent compared to last year. BA expects to carry more than 52,000 visitors are expected from Paris, Stockholm, Zurich, Munich and Frankfurt.

Millions of people have taken to the roads as the Easter exodus begins in earnest.

A Brooklyn judge revoked the bail of a drug dealer who she called "psychopathic" after viewing an amateur video of him to trying to deck a 12-year-old boy for knocking down his son at a basketball game. Raumel Johnson, 39, had pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking and was scheduled to self-surrender in July to begin serving a 41-month jail term. But Federal Judge Pamela Chen tossed Johnson in jail Tuesday based on the disturbing video which was recorded May 30 at a West Hempstead, L.I., school gym as the buzzer sounded ending the game. Chen watched the 30-second video in her chambers, then described the action: "There certainly was a young man who blatantly and without any provocation assaulted (Johnson's) son," she said. "The aggressor student was walking away and Mr. Johnson came flying out of nowhere and swung for his head." The boy ducked and fortunately, the punch missed. Defense lawyer Stuart Grossman admitted that Johnson "lost his cool," and claimed everyone involved shook hands later to resolve the beef. "You call it losing his cool, I call it violent and psychopathic," Chen said. "I view him as a danger." Johnson had previously been involved in an altercation in Brooklyn with the coach of his son's basketball team because the youngster was cut from the team. That arrest was dismissed, according to court papers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Amatruda said Johnson clearly lacks self-control and successfully appealed a magistrate judge's earlier ruling to allow Johnson to remain free on $200,000 bail under house arrest.

The dealer, who came after a boy who assaulted his son during a basketball game, was supposed to surrender in July.

Michael Harding for The New York Times Jim Lucas and Jennifer Mole, and their two daughters, Indie, 8, left, and Tilly, 6, in their home in Coldingham, Scotland. More Photos » Mr. Lucas wanted the stone facade facing the street to lend an element of surprise for what was to come. “Then, as you walk into the house you’ve got this canvas of glass providing you with your own perfect viewing platform to experience the countryside beyond,” said Mr. Lucas, 43, who shares the home with Jennifer Mole, 43, and their two daughters, Indie, 8 and Tilly, 6. The rectangular two-story home, carved into the steep slope of a hill, features a row of four bedrooms arranged one level above an open area that includes living and dining rooms and a galley kitchen. Both floors overlook a wildflower garden complete with a vegetable patch, fruit trees, and a tennis court. The house is not only eye-catching in its dramatic cantilevered form, it is also designed to meet the energy-efficient performance standards of a passive house, which combines airtight construction and minimal energy consumption. The house doesn’t require a heater or an air-conditioner; a mechanical ventilation system exchanges interior and exterior air. “I’ll tell you how efficient the house is,” said Mr. Lucas, a managing director in the London headquarters of Creditex, a New York-based financial brokerage house. Last Christmas, when the temperature was 3 degrees Fahrenheit, “we had to open the doors to cool down — it was too hot,” he said. “The house is even more efficient than we anticipated, which really is a nice problem to have.” Yet building a passive house had not entered the minds of Mr. Lucas and Ms. Mole, a stay-at-home mother, when in 2007 they started looking for properties in their native Scotland from their three-bedroom Georgian terraced house in the South London district of Greenwich. “We were keen to move our base to Scotland as the kids approached school age,” said Mr. Lucas, who has worked in London for nearly 20 years, and continues to commute home to Scotland on weekends. “We nearly bought a traditional country house. But then we thought, ‘why are we thinking of moving into a big old house that would involve major conversion and costs? Why don’t we start from scratch?’ That was our eureka moment.” Serendipitously, Mr. Lucas spotted the site of what would be the family’s new home while pursuing his hobby: buying, renovating and selling houses all over the United Kingdom. “The site was fantastic — a bungalow with about two acres of land, in the middle of a lovely village, right next to the school, and a few miles from Jennifer’s parents, ” he said. They bought the site in 2007, demolishing the existing property, but keeping its name, Sunnybank. Mr. Lucas and Ms. Mole collaborated on the design of the house with Tony Lucas, an eco-conscious principal of London-based Venner Lucas Architects, who had previously worked with the couple on the refurbishment of their Greenwich home. The architect suggested they use environmentally friendly techniques developed by the Passivhaus Institut in Germany more than a decade ago. The family moved into the home around Christmas 2009, following 16 months of construction that cost $955,858. “I was a bit mistrustful of the fact that we wouldn’t need heating at first, however the idea that it’s going to be a cheap house to run was appealing,” said Mr. Lucas, who is not related to the architect. “I think that’s where new housing is going.” Sunnybank is almost hidden, tucked back as it is off the street and behind a gate. From the driveway, a narrow stone path leads to the home, whose front exterior is whinstone, a dark-colored rock reclaimed from Ms. Mole’s family farm. Once inside, the house opens up as a light-filled revelation with a skylight running along the length of the rectangular building. From the front door, a long narrow entrance corridor also runs the length of the front of the house. Off this corridor, with stark white walls lined with family photos, are the family and master bathrooms. The corridor is linked to a parallel bedroom corridor in the cantilevered rear of the home by a short glass bridge. A wooden staircase, just past the front door, descends to the heart of the open plan living area. The kitchen and dining area are to the right , while the living room and playroom take up the remainder of the space. All the main rooms on both levels have southern exposure to take advantage of the natural light and feature glass walls and sliding doors with a view of the garden and countryside beyond. In designing the home’s interior, the couple had to reconcile their clashing aesthetic tastes. “I like sleek, clean Modernist lines, whereas Jennifer’s tastes are more homely, and towards clutter and mayhem!” Mr. Lucas said. “And then you have Tony, the architect, in the middle designing something to appeal to both of us.” A practical example is the master bedroom, Mr. Lucas said. “I didn’t want a bedroom with clutter, but Jen’s not going to be tidy so Tony created a room just big enough to get a bed in and created a dressing room off that, which Jennifer can use for her things. That was a good way of hiding the clutter.” Hiding clutter is the raison d’être behind many of Sunnybank’s features, including built-in storage, a utility room on the lower level with a laundry chute connected to the lime-green family bathroom above. “Although I’m still picking up clothes from the bathroom floor,” Ms. Mole said with a smile. The couple said their daughters are enamored by the idiosyncratic touches to the home, like the glass bridge and the wooden staircase, one side of which they delight in sliding down. “When the kids’ friends come to visit they immediately run around having fun, feeling at home,” Mr. Lucas said. “We’ve put in lots of durable things like solid wood floors, and tiles, so it’s a house to be used and abused, so to speak. And for a Modernist build, which can be quite stark, it’s a very family orientated, very relaxed home.” Mr. Lucas, with his commonsensical approach, and Ms. Mole, with her environmental awareness, said they had labored for many weeks over requirements for their new house. But in the end, their passive house met their needs. “It fits in perfectly with the way that we live, “ he said.

The two-story home, dubbed Sunnybank, is not only eye-catching but designed to meet the energy-efficient performance standards of a passive house.

An admitted rapist will find out this week whether or not he has contracted HIV after attacking a woman with the virus, his lawyer says. Richard Thomas, 27, of Manchester, England, has pleaded guilty to raping the woman and was sentenced to jail for five years and four months, Sky News reports. During court proceedings, Harry Pepper, a prosecutor, said Thomas broke into the woman’s home in the middle of the night on July 20 and she awoke to find him raping her. Thomas knew the woman had an illness, but collapsed when he learned from police that she has HIV, Sky News reports. Thomas’ lawyer, Virginia Hayton, said he will find out the results of the HIV test on Friday. Click for more from Sky News.

An England rapist will find out this week whether or not he has contracted HIV after attacking a woman with the virus, his lawyer says.

Instead of throwing down weedkiller, why not dig up dandelions for next winter’s food? Last year, I decided that instead of suffering through another winter without local greens, I would try my hand at forcing roots — an age-old practice that yields springy vegetables even in the middle of winter. The foraging guru Euell Gibbons forced pokeweed and dandelion roots in his cellar, documenting it in his 1962 book, “Stalking the Wild Asparagus,” and I was curious to see if I could recreate it in an apartment in New York City. In preparation for the long winter, I dug up dandelion roots last fall at the College of Staten Island, dreaming of the days when I’d be able to add young shoots to my pre-spring salads. (It’s best to dig roots before the first frost, and from places where no pesticides have been used.) In the process of forcing, you have to first trick the bulb or root into thinking it’s winter (a refrigerator is often used), and later the roots are moved to a warm space, signaling spring. This allows plants to bloom in their off-season. Forcing roots is a lot like forcing flower bulbs — you can try it provided there’s space in the bottom of your refrigerator. Since I don’t have a cellar and space in the refrigerator is limited, I planted mine in a dirt-filled pot and kept it outside a friend’s doorstep on Staten Island for a month and a half. Edible shoots benefit from a few good hard frosts, and, of course, mine had several. The year before, following Mr. Gibbon’s example, I had forced pokeweed roots (Phytolacca americana) — which, in maturity, is thoroughly toxic — growing in the darkened hallway of my apartment building. That tenacious plant’s young shoots were once popular in the South as poke salad or “salet.” The rather alien-looking sprouts were delicious, even twice-boiled (several changes of water are necessary to extract toxins). But I felt my mouth start to tingle as I ate them, so I put down my fork (and that project). (Many medical authorities consider all parts of Phytolacca americana poisonous, and I do not advise consuming it.) A few weeks ago, I brought my potted dandelion roots home, setting them on the kitchen floor, where the warmth and a good watering would simulate “spring.” Thinking they might need some time to adjust, I decided against watering the pot right away, and promptly forgot about it as I engaged in a frenzy of cooking braises, resulting in a steamy kitchen. A week later, I noticed several toothy-looking, one-inch dandelion shoots, the color of young corn, sprouting out of the pot. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), a k a lion’s tooth, blowball, faceclock, is one of our most ubiquitous and identifiable weedy plants. Native to Eurasia, it was first brought over by European colonists and is the bane of many American gardeners and homeowners. But William Cobbett, author of the 19th-century classic “The American Gardener,” considered its springtime shoots “one of the very best of greens.” He called it “a sort of wild Endive.” (When Mr. Cobbett arrived on Long Island in 1817, lacking a tended garden, he noticed the wild dandelions growing underfoot. “I have always, since that time, looked at this weed with a more friendly eye,” he wrote.) Dandelions — high in vitamins A, C and K and rich in calcium, iron and manganese — have a long culinary history in Europe as a salad green, leaf vegetable, jam, wine and even as a coffeelike beverage. Medicinally, the plant has been used as a diuretic, liver and kidney support, wart remover and respiratory aid. But this little pot of Taraxacum officinale is destined for our next salad, where each young shoot tastes like summer. After that, when they’ve matured, they’ll be transformed into a bitter-greens pie. Until then, I’m happy to watch the little basal rosettes, which I used to squash with my shoe as a child, growing under the cold glare of the kitchen window. Ava Chin is a professor of creative nonfiction and journalism at the College of Staten Island. The Urban Forager appears every other Saturday.

A pot of dandelion - high in vitamins A, C and K and rich in calcium, iron and manganese - is destined for the Urban Forager's next salad, where each young shoot tastes like summer.

Most grandmothers love cooking for their grandchildren, and Kris Jenner is no exception. So when mealtime comes for little North West, Mason and Penelope Disick, the famous matriarch happily whips up her signature dish, that also happens to be the kids’ favorite. “All three of them right now are in love with my pilaf,” says Jenner, whose first cookbook In the Kitchen With Kris: A Kollection of Kardashian-Jenner Family Favorites debuts October 21. “It’s the perfect little side dish to any dish we cook for the babies. Whether it’s lamb chops or grilled chicken or even with applesauce. It’s hysterical; all of my grandkids are into my pilaf!” And it’s no surprise why the dish is such a hit. The “family heirloom recipe” was passed down to Jenner from her late ex-husband, Robert Kardashian’s mother. And that is just what the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is hoping to do with her own cookbook. “As a family we love to entertain and have meals together, and now that I have grandchildren, I though it would be really fun to put together a lot of their favorite dishes,” Jenner tells PEOPLE. “It would be something they’d always have even when I’m not around. Just if for no other reason, it was for them.” And speaking of “them,” the Kardashian-Jenner clan are fully represented in the book. The reality star includes family-inspired dishes like Kim’s Super Cheesy Macaroni and Cheese, Khloe’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken and even something for her soon-to-be ex-husband — Bruce’s Meatloaf and Mashies. For a taste of Jenner’s family-friendly rice pilaf, which can also be found in her new book (now available for pre-sale), try her recipe. Nana’s “Wedding” Rice Pilaf Makes: 8 to 10 servings 1/2 cup blanched silvered almonds 3 tbsp. unsalted butter 1½ cups vermicelli, broken into 1½ to 2-inch pieces 2 cups long-grain rice 3½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, heated to steaming 1½ tsp. kosher salt ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper ½ cup seedless raisins 1. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate. Set aside. 2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the vermicelli and stir constantly until it is lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir constantly until most of the rice turns chalky white, about 1 minute more. Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the saucepan tightly. Simmer until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, about 18 minutes. 3. Remove from the heat. Add the toasted almonds and raisins (do not stir them in) and cover the saucepan again. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff the pilaf with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot.

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Most grandmothers love cooking for their grandchildren, and Kris Jenner is no exception. So when mealtime comes for little North West, Mason and Penelope Disick, the famous ...

“The Orphan Master’s Son” (Random House) Mr. Johnson, 45, was cited by the board for an “exquisitely crafted novel that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart.” While writing the novel, Mr. Johnson said, he read propaganda and books approved by the regime. He eventually included Kim Jong-il, the late North Korean leader, as a character in the book. “I came to, not feel for him, but to see a human dimension in him,” he said. “He was a very cunning person, a very witty person. He had flaws like all people. The more I studied him the more I realized that he was a very human figure.” Finalists Nathan Englander, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank”; Eowyn Ivey, “The Snow Child.” Mr. Akhtar, 42, a Pakistani-American, grew up admiring the films of Woody Allen and longed to set a play “in that milieu of the moneyed intelligentsia of New York — but with a character who shared my ethnicity.” In “Disgraced,” that character is Amir, a successful corporate lawyer whose deep-seated self-loathing is fully revealed at a dinner party that is classic Manhattan, with talk of art and money giving way to suspicion and hatred. Mr. Akhtar is also a novelist and actor, and is now at work on his second novel while preparing his next play, “The Who & The What,” for its world premiere in California next winter. If “Disgraced” was a metaphorical riff on “Othello,” the next play is a similar meditation on “The Taming of the Shrew,” he said on Monday. “Both plays are about Muslim Americans,” he said, “but the new one is a comedy.” Finalists Gina Gionfriddo, “Rapture, Blister, Burn”; Amy Herzog, “4000 Miles.” “Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam” (Random House) How did the United States get drawn into war in Vietnam, ignoring France’s bitter post-World War II experience there? In a follow-up to a book focused on America’s role in Vietnam in the 1960s, “Choosing War,” Mr. Logevall, a professor of history at Cornell, has provided what his Pulitzer citation called “a balanced, deeply researched history” of that long, unintended slide into a conflict that proved unwinnable. “In teaching the war to undergraduates, I became more and more interested in the French Indochina war,” Mr. Logevall said when asked what inspired him to write an 800-page prequel. “I had the sense that the French experience was the key to everything that happened later.” Finalists Bernard Bailyn, “The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675; John Fabian Witt, “Lincoln’s Code: The Laws of War in American History.” “The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo” (Crown) Alexandre Dumas’s famous novel was inspired by the life of his father, Thomas-Alexandre, who was born to a slave woman in Haiti but rose to a general’s rank in the French Army until he incurred the enmity of Napoleon. “For me the great thrill of this book is that I pulled somebody out of the pages of fiction, who was forgotten about in fact, and showed his exploits to be a true story,” said Mr. Reiss, who learned of his prize while sitting in a dentist’s chair. “It’s swashbuckling, but for a purpose. He was the highest-ranking black leader in a white society until modern times and really a very serious revolutionary.” Finalists Michael Gorra, “Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece”; David Nasaw, “The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy.” “Stag’s Leap” (Alfred A. Knopf) The poems in “Stag’s Leap” were written after the breakup of Ms. Olds’s 30-year marriage in 1997. Ms. Olds, 70, promised her children, fully grown at the time, that she wouldn’t publish the poems in a book for several years. “I didn’t want them to have to be concentrating on Mom’s writing while they were adjusting to the new family pattern of life,” Ms. Olds said on Monday from her home in New Hampshire. Finalists Jack Gilbert, “Collected Poems”; Bruce Weigl, “The Abundance of Nothing.” “Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America” (Harper) Mr. King, 51, said he had become fascinated by what he called “lost cases in civil rights history,” cases that were on the front pages of newspapers at the time but had been mostly forgotten since then. “They got glossed over,” he said. “I started looking into them and found these untold stories. Thurgood Marshall was this amazing trial lawyer and his life was threatened constantly. He wasn’t just about reconstructing the American dream. He was out there fighting for people’s lives.” Finalists Katherine Boo, “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity”; David George Haskell, “The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature.” “Partita for 8 Voices” (New Amsterdam Records) The Pulitzer Committee called “Partita” a “highly polished and inventive work” that incorporates “speech, whispers, sighs, murmurs, wordless melodies and novel vocal effects.” “It’s about things falling apart and coming together again,” said Ms. Shaw, 30, who wrote the piece for the vocal group she sings in, Roomful of Teeth. “I wanted to make sounds that I never heard before.” Finalists Aaron Jay Kernis, “Pieces of Winter Sky”; Wadada Leo Smith, “Ten Freedom Summers.”

“The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson won the fiction prize and “Disgraced” by Ayad Akhtar won for drama.

Canaccord Genuity’s Apple Apple analyst, Michael Walkley, does a monthly survey of the four major wireless carriers (AT&T AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile) to determine which smartphones are the top sellers. In his November survey Apple’s iPhone 5s has the #1 position with the 5c being in third place at all four. (Note that my family and I own Apple shares). Strong iPhone 5s and steady 5c across the board Walkley’s survey results are a positive indicator for Apple’s December quarter as the iPhone 5s has been the top seller at all four major wireless carriers since it was introduced and the 5c has been in either the #2 or #3 position. I believe one of the other takeaways from the table below is that Apple and Samsung have gained share at the expense of the tier two smartphone vendors HTC HTC, Nokia Nokia, Sony and Motorola since the last time they showed up was in August. Walkley wrote “Our U.S. and global handset surveys indicated strong ongoing sales of the iPhone 5s and solid sales of the Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 smartphones at all four tier-1 U.S. carriers and also in several international markets. Our global surveys indicated seasonally softer sales of low/mid-tier Android smartphones from Chinese OEMs in China following strong sales into the first week of the October holiday season. In addition, our surveys indicated steady global sales of Samsung’s mid/low-tier smartphones backed by Samsung’s aggressive promotions and pricing.” Fiksu’s tracking of the iPhone 5s and 5c provides another datapoint on how Apple’s 5s and 5c are doing. The company is able to track the usage of its Software Developers Kit (SDK) in individual devices and has found that the 5s and 5c have had steadily increased usage when analyzed as a percent of the total iPhone install base. The iPhone 5s’ adoption had been tracking along the same line as the 5 a year ago until about a week ago when the 5 had a major spike up. While Thanksgiving did fall a week earlier last year, which could explain the 5’s ramp, the 5s has not seen a similar spike. When you add the 5s and 5c together their 12.97% of the install base is a bit higher than the 5’s 11.89% at the same point in time post-launch. Increased fiscal 2014 and 2015 estimates Canaccord Genuity’s Apple analyst, Michael Walkley, raised his fiscal 2014 and 2015 revenue and EPS estimates due to strong demand for the iPhone 5s and healthy long-term China Mobile iPhone sales. He increased his fiscal 2014 revenue estimate from $184.8 billion to $187 billion and raised his EPS projection from $43.48 to $44.20. His fiscal 2015 revenue estimate increased from $197 billion to $201.4 billion with his EPS moving from $48.78 to $50.02. iPhone and iPad unit and revenue details for the December quarter Walkley had been estimating 52 million iPhones would be sold in the December quarter at an ASP of $624. He is now projecting 54 million with an ASP of $618 for revenue of $32.9 billion (up 7% year over year), which includes deferred revenue of $550 million, and is the second month in a row he has raised his estimates. His iPhone unit estimate of 54 million, up 13% year over year, is pretty much in-line with other sell-side analyst estimates I have seen vs. the 57 million, up 19%, that I am currently projecting (which has upside due to the iPhones strength in the U.S., China and Japan). He is keeping his iPad estimate the same at 24.8 million, up 8% year over year, with revenue of $11.3 billion, up 6%. His unit estimate is in-line with the other sell-side numbers I have seen and compares to the 27.5 million units, up 20%, and $12.1 billion, up 13%, that I am estimating. Follow me on Twitter @sandhillinsight. You can find my other Forbes posts here.

Canaccord Genuity's latest survey shows strong iPhone 5s and steady 5c sales. Michael Walkley raised his iPhone, revenue and EPS estimates.

Helen Grant, the sports and equalities minister, says: 'I am determined to do all I can to help tackle all forms of discrimination in sport.' Photograph: Yui Mok/PA The sports, tourism and equalities minister, Helen Grant, has called sexist email exchanges involving the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, "completely unacceptable". Grant, who has made increasing the number of women involved in sport a priority, became the first government minister to criticise Scudamore after private emails were leaked to a Sunday newspaper. "I found the content of those emails completely unacceptable and very disappointing, particularly at a time when there is so much good work and progress being made promoting women's sport," Grant said. "I am determined to do all I can to help tackle all forms of discrimination in sport. There is absolutely no place for it and all of us working in sport need to pull together on the issue. There is no room for complacency." The shadow minister for sport, Clive Efford, weighed in by writing to the Premier League to ask why no action has been taken against Scudamore. "Women's football is the third biggest participation sport in the country, a fact in which both the Premier League and the FA often express their pride," he said. "How can their support for women in the game, whether they are participants, supporters or employees, be taken on trust if the rules on equalities are set aside so easily when one of the figures at the head of the game breaks them in such an unspeakable way? "Football plays a major role in confronting discrimination in all its forms and they cannot get away with paying lip service to policies on sexism. Either they mean it when they speak out against discrimination or they do not." In exchanges with a lawyer friend who referred to females as "gash", Scudamore jokily warned him to keep a female colleague they nicknamed Edna "off your shaft" and told sexist jokes that mocked "female irrationality". The emails were seen by a former temporary PA who leaked them to the Sunday Mirror. Scudamore, who emphasised that they were "private emails exchanged between colleagues and friends of many years" that should not have been accessed by his PA, nevertheless apologised and said "it was an error of judgment that I will not make again". Grant was in Malaysia on a mission to drum up tourism, during which she appeared at a Premier League event on Monday, when senior figures from organisations including Fifa, Kick It Out and the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation called for a full investigation into the comments. The Football Association has declined to charge Scudamore with bringing the game into disrepute, saying that it was a private matter and referring it back to the Premier League. It is understood to have considered the precedent set by the Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, who was not charged when he was pictured in newspapers dressed as a suicide bomber because the pictures were taken at a private party. Grant is likely to raise the matter next time she meets Scudamore but the government does not have the same oversight of the Premier League as it does of governing bodies that receive public money. Depending on the recommendation of the audit and remuneration commission, headed by the stand-in Premier League chairman, Peter McCormick, the matter may be discussed at the next shareholders' meeting of all 20 clubs. Scudamore is considered likely to survive the storm, given that there is little appetite among the clubs for him to be challenged. Critics have called for a more transparent investigation. "We expect a strong process for those in the boardroom as well as players and supporters who are in the public eye, particularly for organisations which have a strong code of conduct, especially if you are somebody who preaches equality," said the Kick It Out chairman, Lord Ouseley. "But football appears to have a different rule for those in the boardroom." Moya Dodd, the Asian Football Confederation vice-chair who sits on Fifa's executive committee, said the game needed to "take sexism as seriously as we take racism". The former NBA player John Amaechi likened Scudamore's comments to the racist remarks of the disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was kicked out of the sport.

Helen Grant has criticised sexist email exchanges involving Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore

Canadians John Greyson and Dr. Tarek Loubani are now free to leave Egypt, news that comes after the two were released from jail last weekend but not allowed to leave the country. CBC's Derek Stoffel reported the news in a Twitter message Thursday morning. He also said that their clearance to leave the country has been confirmed by Egypt's Foreign Ministry. Stoffel also quoted a government spokesman who said the case is now "closed," and that the men will be allowed to re-enter the country. "There names were cleared," said the spokesman. CBC's Sasa Petricic is also reporting that the two Canadians are now free to leave the embattled country. "Their names have been taken off the no-fly list and they are basically free to go," Petricic reported on CBC News Network on Thursday. Greyson, a Toronto filmmaker, and Loubani, a London, Ont., doctor, have been in Egypt since their arrest in mid-August. The two were arrested, but never faced any formal charge. The had men arrived in Egypt the day before their arrest and planned to travel to Gaza. Loubani was planning to work at a hospital there, while Greyson was going to film a short documentary about Loubani's work, according to a statement the men issued during their time in jail. With the Gaza border closed because of the upheaval in Egypt, the men returned to Cairo. When a protest in Ramses Square suddenly turned violent, Loubani began treating victims, some with gunshot wounds, while Greyson filmed. Later that evening, the men were stopped and arrested at a police checkpoint as they made their way back to the hotel. And so began seven weeks of incarceration for the men, who claimed they were beaten, denied access to phone calls and forced to sleep in squalid conditions. Greyson and Loubani were suddenly released from prison last weekend, raising hopes that their return to Canada was imminent. But at the airport, they were not allowed to board a flight to Germany and were told their names were on a no-fly list. Since then, the men have been living in a Cairo hotel while lawyers pushed for their release. Lawyers had been told the men's cases would have to be processed along with the hundreds of protesters also arrested on Aug. 16. It now appears Egyptian prosecutors have backed down from that position. "The prosecutors were contemplating all kinds of charges against the group. The charges appear to have been dismissed," Petricic reported. "They are free to leave but it's not clear when exactly they will be boarding a plane to head back home." Stoffel also reported that the Egyptian government will not investigate claims the men were beaten and treated badly in jail, because no official complaint has been filed. The imprisonment of the two men has been called a "roller-coaster" for their families, and triggered a high-level diplomatic push for their release. Stoffel asked the Foreign Ministry spokesman if the men were wrong to be at the protest, given the turmoil in Egypt at the time and a travel advisory for the country issued by the Canadian government. “It’s better of course for all foreigners … to refrain from going to places of demonstration, especially in Cairo," the spokesman said. BREAKING: Cairo lawyer for John Greyson and Tarek Loubani says Egyptian officials have agreed to let the men leave Egypt. #FreeTarekandJohn Egypt's foreign ministry confirms that Loubani/Greyson are allowed to leave #Egypt. #FreeTarekandJohn

Canadians John Greyson and Tarek Loubani are now free to leave Egypt, news that comes after the two were released from jail last week but not allowed to leave the country.

variety series and specials, including "The Andy Williams Show," "The Perry Como Show," "The Carpenters at Christmas," "The Gladys Knight & the Pips Show," "The Captain & Tennille Special," "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters" and Emmy and Grammy telecasts. series and specials, including "The Andy Williams Show," "The Perry Como Show," "The Carpenters at Christmas," "The Gladys Knight & the Pips Show," "The Captain & Tennille Special," "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters" and Emmy and Grammy telecasts. In addition to these memorable guest features, she was heavily showcased on the 2002 “Doggystyle All Stars” album released on Snoop’s label and sung background for Gladys Knight and Yolanda Adams, earning her a large following eager to hear more from her. "American Idol" stage on Wednesday as teenage singer Scotty McCreery was crowned the series winner. Acts like Judas Priest and Gladys Knight turned out in force to perform with show... ... Read More » 05.25.2011 11:14AM EST A top doctor was called to the set

Collection of all USATODAY.com coverage of Gladys Knight, including articles, videos, photos, and quotes.

to the rash of holiday season break-ups -- his wife wants out of their marriage after just 10 months. According to docs filed earlier this month, Renner's wife is seeking the split over irreconcilable differences -- but get this ... she's demanding he return her stolen passport, birth certificate and SS card. The couple just copped to their secret marriage back in September ... and every indication is the break-up will be nasty. In her divorce docs ... Pacheco says they have a prenup, but adds it should be torn up because it was based on fraud. There's no further detail about what she means by "fraud." Pacheco wants the moon ... she's asking for spousal support and physical custody of their 1-year-old daughter, Ava Berlin. She's also looking to use the Range Rover until the smoke clears, and for Renner to pony up her rent and moving expenses.

Add Jeremy Renner to the rash of holiday season break-ups -- his wife wants out of their marriage after just 10 months.According to docs filed…

“We’re gonna burn this club to the motherfucking ground,” declares Killer Mike as he and his Run the Jewels collaborator El-P take to the stage to the sounds of Queen’s We Are the Champions. For anyone else, this might seem like a self-aggrandising entrance, but these are two of the biggest personalities in hip-hop, and compared to the explosion that is the rest of their set, it’s a positively low-key way to kick things off. This is the pair’s last show at SXSW and it is clear they have no intention of going quietly. “We’re going for the livest set at SXSW,” El-P roars, before they break into a furious rendition of 36” Chain. They may have made the album that topped almost every best of 2014 album countdown of note, but it is live that Run the Jewels are truly in their element. The chemistry between Killer Mike and El-P, who have collaborated since 2012, is almost unrivalled in hip-hop, with their enormous personalities and boundless energy bouncing off each other and fueling the pair in this 45 minute set. This is an initially irritable crowd, sodden through thanks to the unrelenting Austin downpour, but El-P and Killer Mike’s charismatic stage presence manages to evaporate these rain-soaked woes almost immediately. In fact, the audience throws themselves into the set with such reckless abandon that El-P stops at various points in the night to thank the security guards tasked with keeping the boisterous masses under control. If El-P’s request for “everybody to take two steps back and chill the fuck out” seems a little cautious for an artist whose reputation is built on aggressive hip-hop, he can’t really be blamed: he was almost punched by a stage-invading audience member during a set at the Spotify house on Thursday. The pair are both veteran rappers, and this live set allows them to show off the lyrical dexterity that has won them so much critical acclaim. Their performance of Blockbuster Part 1, from their second LP, Run the Jewels 2, is abrasive and dynamic, while Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck), their song about starting a prison riot, kicks the show up to an even higher notch. Run the Jewels are not a duo to shy away from political controversy, tackling race and police brutality in their tracks, with Killer Mike leading the chorus of condemnation following the events in Ferguson last year. Tonight is no different, with El-P taking a not-so-subtle jibe at the “driveling, warmongering, paedophile leaders that we’ve elected”, and dedicating another track to “everyone in Ferguson trying to do the right thing”. This is an entirely unrestrained set, helped along by a crowd who really do give it their all. Bodies are thrown carelessly into each other, and as El-P and Killer Mike break into the chant of “lie, cheat, steal, kill, win”, the air is filled with a pulsing sea of pumping fists. Run the Jewels may be a late-career renaissance for the pair, who are both entering their 40s, but as their set proves, they are worthy of every column inch of hype.

Cedar Street Courtyard, AustinThe critically acclaimed rap powerhouse deliver a no-holds-barred set that is breathtaking in its intensity and ecstatically received

07/19/2016 at 04:45 PM ET Chloë Grace Moretz might be feuding with Khloé and the rest of the Kardashian-Wests over the Taylor Swift drama, but her boyfriend, Brooklyn Beckham, isn’t shy about the fact that he’s a proud supporter of West’s Yeezy clothing line — and he’s proving his devotion by flaunting his Kanye-designed attire on social media. Beckham posted a series of photos on Instagram clad in a Yeezy t-shirt, prompting some of his followers to question his loyalty — and his relationship status. RELATED PHOTOS: Yeezy Mania: Every Star Seen So Far in Kanye West’s Super-Hot Sneakers Kanye takes his brand very seriously, and sees fans of the brand as loyal followers. His sister-in-law Kylie Jenner was nearly forced to turn down her Puma deal because she’d be betraying his Adidas partnership. Then there was the time Austin Swift publicly threw out his Yeezy sneakers to support Taylor in the “Famous” debate. A photo posted by bb (@brooklynbeckham) on Jul 19, 2016 at 9:46am PDT RELATED VIDEO: Kanye West Addresses Taylor Swift Controversy (Again): ‘I Just Said What Everybody Else Was Thinking’ So, the question remains: Does Beckham simply like the shirt, or is he silently telling the world which side of the feud he’s on? We’ll take Moretz’s own pair of Yeezy sneakers as a hint that the couple just wears what they want, feud or no feud. What do you think of Beckham wearing a Yeezy shirt? Tell us below. — Jillian Ruffo Follow @jillianruffo

Does Beckham's apparel choice determine which side he's on?...

But his paintings’ geometric simplicity, flatness of form and workmanlike brushwork exuded a quiet modernity, as did their wholeness of composition and feeling. In the catalog to a 1975 York exhibition at Davis & Long, the critic and painter Fairfield Porter wrote, “Certainly part of the strong emotional appeal of these paintings” is that Mr. York “is not clever, and in no sense superior to the nature of his medium or the nature of the subject, but that he is at one with both.” Albert Edward York was born in Detroit in 1928. His parents were not married, and he was raised by his father but lived mostly in boarding schools and foster homes while his father worked as an electroplater in the automobile industry. In his teens he lived with an aunt and uncle in Belleville, Ontario. He studied at the Ontario College of Art and then at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit; after serving in the Army during the Korean War, he moved to New York in 1952. He studied briefly with Raphael Soyer until Mr. York’s life was taken over by odd jobs and he stopped painting altogether. Things eased in 1957, when he found a steady job as a gilder with Robert Kulicke, the innovative frame maker who died in 2007 and was also a still life painter. Mr. York returned to painting in earnest in 1960, after four months spent in France with Virginia Mann Caldwell, whom he had met at a loft party in 1959, and her two children. They married later that year. He is survived by his wife; two stepchildren, Jonathan Caldwell of Santa Fe, N.M., and Kristin Caldwell of Carlisle, Pa.; and four step-grandchildren. In 1962 he reluctantly showed his paintings to Mr. Kulicke, who enthusiastically recommended them to Roy Davis, Mr. Kulicke’s art school friend and business partner, whose small gallery began as a showroom for Kulicke Frames. Mr. York had his first exhibition at the Davis Galleries in 1963 and his last (at Davis & Langdale) in 2007, for a total of 16 exhibitions there. Because Mr. York worked so slowly, some paintings were exhibited repeatedly, but that seemed to fit Mr. York’s sense of time. He painted only about 200 to 250 works in his lifetime. Most are in private collections and museums. A rare auction of his work took place after the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who owned six of his paintings. Mr. York and his family moved to the East End of Long Island in the early 1960s, and he earned money painting houses and doing rough carpentry; financial need was an important incentive to make paintings. When his mother, who he had been told was dead, reappeared in his life in the early 1970s and set up a trust fund for him, he worked even more slowly. Mr. York had a small solo show at Mills College in Oakland, Calif., in 1993, and his paintings appeared in numerous group exhibitions, about which Mr. Davis kept him uninformed for fear he might refuse to participate. In 1989, when the critic and curator Klaus Kertess organized an exhibition of landscape paintings by Jane Freilicher, April Gornik and Mr. York at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, he did so without meeting Mr. York and was never sure if he even saw the show, since no one knew what he looked like. Ms. Langdale said Mr. York did go to the show with her and Mr. Davis; she took a rare photograph of him on the occasion. In his New Yorker article, Mr. Tomkins wrote that after seeing his work at the Parrish, Mr. York said he was “pretty upset about what I’d been doing for these last years.” Robert Kulicke offered an explanation in the New Yorker piece: “What Al doesn’t understand is that in art you never hit what you’re aiming at, but the difference may not be downward.” A version of this article appears in print on November 1, 2009, on Page A36 of the New York edition with the headline: Albert York, Reclusive Landscape Painter, Dies at 80. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Mr. York was a painter of small, mysterious landscapes who shunned the art world yet had a fervent following within it.

A jury in Manhattan Supreme Court found three parachutists who leapt from One World Trade Center in 2013 guilty on all but the most serious charges they faced, sparing them felony records and the probability of a prison sentence. The defendants, Marco Markovich, 28 years old, Andrew Rossig, 34, and James Brady, 33, considered Monday’s verdicts a victory. “This verdict is the same as the plea we would have taken over a year...

Jurors convict World Trade Center BASE jumpers, except on felony charge.

The Tehran government has postponed Tuesday’s scheduled execution of a 26-year-old Iranian woman charged with killing a man accused of attempting to rape her. Following last minute pleas, the regime pushed back the hanging of Rayhaneh Jabbari, who was headed to the gallows on charges that in 2007 she stabbed and killed Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry. The government announced that the execution will be postponed but did not give any indication the sentence had been overturned. It also did not disclose if any future execution date had been set. Jabbari, who has already served seven years in prison, claims Sarbandi drugged her and attempted to have physical contact with her. Activists around the globe have been working tirelessly to prove Jabbari’s innocence and to have her death sentence revoked. Then 19-year-old Jabbari met Sarbandi at a café, where he learned that she was an interior designer. He then asked her to meet him in his office to discuss a remodeling project, according to Jabbari’s accounts. When Jabbari arrived, she realized the location, a remote, rundown site, did not resemble an office. At that time, Sarbandi offered her a fruit juice, which contained a date-rape drug, or “roofie,” based on forensic tests conducted by the police during investigation and related to Fox News by human rights activists. Jabbari then attempted to defend herself by stabbing Sarbandi in the shoulder with a small pocket knife and fled the scene. Sarbandi bled to death, and Jabbari was later arrested and imprisoned. “She has been tortured in so many ways in prison. They may have pressured her to confess,” said Shabnam Assadollahi, an Iranian activist based in Canada. Assadollahi and three other women, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Shadi Paveh and Mina Ahadi, launched an international campaign to shed light on Jabbari's case They successfully circulated a petition that gathered more than 126,700 signatures from around the world. “This is a verdict of "Ghessas" ["an eye for an eye"], but the details of the case don’t make sense,” Assadollhai said. Jabbari’s family and advocates, including Assadollahi, have pointed to the fact that a small pocket knife and two stabs in the shoulder would not result in fatal consequences for a large man, which is how Sarbandi was described. Those petitioning against her execution believe that a third party may have been involved in the case and that Jabbari was set up. There is also skepticism that there may have been interference in the case and that crucial evidence that would potentially save Jabbari’s life was either tampered with or destroyed. Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations’ special investigator on human rights also spoke up against the execution, stating that Jabbari did not receive a fair trial and that she should be re-tried because she acted out of self-defense. Lisa Daftari is a Fox News contributor specializing in Middle Eastern affairs.

The Tehran government  has postponed Tuesday’s scheduled execution of a 26-year-old Iranian woman charged with killing her accused rapist.

just learned a hard lesson about being a tenant ... because a judge just socked him hard for making what the actor felt were "improvements" on his Malibu rental. , claiming he made drastic improvements on the crib by painting the fireplace and slapping wallpaper on the wooden cabinets in the kitchen. Problem is ... the lease required the landlord's prior approval, and Val didn't get it. When Kilmer moved out, the landlord returned only around $16K of the $23,500 security deposit ... withholding around $7,400 for undoing Val's handiwork. The judge just laid down the law ... saying the landlord was indeed allowed to withhold money but he got greedy. The judge allowed the landlord to keep a little more than $5K but return $2,210. So note to Val: Get your landlord's approval before doing it again ... and don't wallpaper over wooden cabinets -- it's gross.

Val Kilmer just learned a hard lesson about being a tenant ... because a judge just socked him hard for making what the actor felt were…

Tracey Emin sits besides her My Bed artwork, which she created in 1998. Photograph: Rob Stothard/Getty Images The most famous bed in contemporary art, a tangle of stained and rumpled sheets bearing expensive witness to a time of heartbreak for the artist Tracey Emin, is coming to the Tate gallery on long loan from its new owner, the German businessman and collector Count Christian Duerckheim. Although Emin described the Tate as "the natural home" for her 1998 My Bed, the gallery couldn't afford to bid at the recent Christie's auction where it eventually sold for £2.54m, more than twice the top pre-sale estimate. Bidding opened at £650,000, and was bought minutes later by the dealer Jay Jopling, but as it has now emerged, on behalf of Duerckheim, who explained his admiration for the work: "I always admired the honesty of Tracey, but I bought My Bed because it is a metaphor for life, where troubles begin and logics die." Tate director Nicholas Serota said: "I am absolutely delighted that Count Duerckheim has agreed to loan such an important work to Tate for a period of at least 10 years. We look forward to displaying the work and are most grateful to Count Duerckheim for his generosity in creating an opportunity for visitors to see a work that now has iconic status." The Tate will announce in the autumn when the bed will go on display. The piece, which she describes as a self-portrait, was made by Emin in 1998, when she was living in a council flat in Waterloo. It is her own bed, covered in stained sheets, used condoms, blood-stained knickers and empty bottles of alcohol, testimony to a lost weekend after the breakdown of a relationship. It helped win her Turner Prize nomination in 1999, and was bought the following year for £150,000 by the collector Charles Saatchi, who was then buying the so-called Young British Artists' work on an epic scale. According to the artist, Saatchi once displayed the piece in the dining room of his Belgravia home, surrounded by 19th century baroque silver tableware. His investment has now blossomed almost 20-fold at the Christie's auction. Although not as familiar a name as the flamboyant Russian and Middle East collectors, Duerckheim has been quietly buying German and English contemporary art since the 1970s. The British Museum recently exhibited a spectacular collection of his German 20th-century prints and drawings, and he presented 34 of them, including 11 drawings by Georg Baselitz, to the museum. He has been buying art, often through Sotheby's, for many years and recently gave one of the auction house directors, Cheyenne Westphal, a tour of his contemporary German collection, a visit which began as an invitation to value his apparently equally impressive wine collection.

My Bed, featuring artist's stained sheets, loaned to gallery for at least 10 years by German owner Count Christian Duerckheim

"It was being pregnant," she responds with a laugh. "It takes every ounce of your strength and psyche. You work extremely hard to create another human being." For some, the joyous and unexpected news might have been a good reason to shelve the project. But the Oscar-nominated actress (Up in the Air) was pulled too deeply into the story of a woman struggling with her devout faith to change course. "This film was unstoppable. It was grasping me in a way that was beyond my control," says Farmiga, 38. "I had valid excuses, but I couldn't use them. 'Not now' becomes 'never' in this industry. "This was a curve ball that gets thrown at you," she adds, referring to her pregnancy. "I could have chosen to duck, but I opted to receive." Farmiga dramatically broke the news to the film's financier during a tour of his new, sprawling studio in spring of 2010. "I fainted," Farmiga says, laughing. "And when I came to, I said, 'By the way, I'm pregnant.''' Rather than being deterred, the financier simply insisted that Farmiga get to work immediately before her pregnancy began to show too much. Pre-production began the next day. To add to the complex situation, Farmiga juggled the rapidly accelerated pace of the project with intense morning sickness ("morning, afternoon, night, it's relentless with me") and the Montreal filming for her starring role in Source Code. "I was BlackBerry-ing with my casting directors under the desk in between every close-up," she says. Back on the Upstate New York set of Higher Ground, "we set the production schedule around my belly," Farmiga says. She immediately shot scenes in which her character was not pregnant and wore support hosiery to disguise the pregnancy. For later scenes, her team embraced the blossoming condition and wrote a pregnancy into the script. "It was only natural. We were telling the story of a mother," Farmiga says. She counted on the support of her tight-knit family to help her through the trying 26-day shoot in stifling summer heat. Her son, Fynn, now 2, was a comforting constant on set and played the role of an infant in the movie. Producer and husband Renn Hawkey helped ease the burden each night. "My husband got the brunt of it," she says. "It was beyond exhaustion. My feet were swelling, everything was swelling. But he was there to cheer me on and massage me — until the alarm went off the next morning. And it was off to the field of battle. … It was the hardest thing I have ever done.'' Co-producer Carly Hugo says Farmiga's gracious, fighting spirit was infectious on the set. "The feeling across the board was, if she's still smiling, we're going to smile," Hugo says. "That went from cast to crew." Taissa Farmiga, 17, who plays the younger version of Vera's character, says she was inspired by her older sister's courage. "There were a couple of breakdowns," she says. "But we pushed through. We did it." Farmiga gave birth in November and says her bubbling daughter was the force that carried her through the film, which has received strong critical praise since its Sundance premiere. Gytta (Ukranian for "gift" ) received a special thanks in the film's end credits. "I was operating from two heartbeats," Farmiga says. "Her energy was there. Now that she's out of the womb, I see what I was tapping into. This is one energetic child."

There was no stopping the pregnant but determined actress, who created 'Higher Ground' and 'another human being.'

Michelle Rodriguez upstaged the NY Knicks from her courtside seats by drunkenly posing for ridiculous selfies ... and snuggling up to smoking hot model Cara Delevingne.Michelle was all over Cara -- and looked totally out of it -- while putting on what has to be the greatest party chick clinic in NBA history last night at Madison Square Garden.It's unclear if Michelle -- who's proudly stated going "both ways" in the past -- scored after the game ... but click through the gallery.Looks to us like Michelle put in enough work to earn some overtime. Oh, the Knicks won the game. But who cares?

Michelle Rodriguez upstaged the NY Knicks from her courtside seats by drunkenly posing for ridiculous selfies ... and snuggling up to smoking hot…

There is the timbre of his voice — pitched somewhere between a squawk and a scream. The propulsive cadence of his sentences. And of course, those distinctive habits of pronunciation (“yuuuge”). Donald Trump's supporters often praise how the politician gives voice to harsh truths. But that voice itself, that unmistakable instrument, has been a noteworthy element of Trump’s populist image. Though he grew up in privilege, eventually attending college at Wharton, Trump never shed his Queens accent. Today, that accent helps him summon the stereotype of the blunt, no-nonsense New Yorker. “He wants to sound macho,” explains John Baugh, a linguistics professor at Washington University in St. Louis. “As part of his whole tough-guy persona, he adopts almost a working-class style of speech.” To understand how this accent is pivotal to our perception of Trump, consider the following video, recently posted by comedian Peter Serafinowicz: Serafinowicz took an interview clip from Fox News and dubbed over Trump’s New York accent with a posh, British one. “What if Trump had elocution lessons?” reads the description. "I watch a lot of his speeches," Serafinowicz remarked in an e-mail. "He pretty much says the same things over and over — the ‘wall’, immigrants, politicians are stupid, his constant boasting … can you imagine Obama or Bush or Clinton saying to a crowd 'Has anyone read my book?'" The video pokes fun at Trump’s macho stylings by assigning him one of the world’s fanciest-sounding accents. The words are still Trump’s, but when they come through in those British tones, Trump’s entire demeanor seem to change. He appears smarter. More refined. “I found it quite amusing,” Baugh says, of the juxtaposition. “This isn’t just a British accent,” he explains. “It’s what the British call Received Pronunciation — it’s the upper class variety of the British accent, which conveys a very lofty and haughty linguistic demeanor.” The video illustrates that the way politicians talk can have a profound impact on how we understand them. This is no secret, of course. Every day, we judge people — consciously or subconsciously — by their styles of speaking. Our voices contain clues to where we grew up, where our parents came from, where we learned English. People often modify their natural accents to avoid stigma, or to invite a favorable assumption, because linguistic discrimination is real. “It’s pretty much universal,” says Nicole Holliday, a linguistics PhD candidate at New York University who studies language and identity. “You can go anywhere in the world and ask who speaks the ‘bad’ version of the language — and invariably, it’s the people who are marginalized, who are rural, poor, or belong to religious minorities.” Accents activate stereotypes. People do not perceive the New York style of speaking as particularly attractive or high-status. But they do associate it with competence, aggressiveness, and directness. “Democrat or Republican, in an age where trust in politicians is at a minimum, it is not hard to see the attraction of that blunt aspect of the New York image,” Michael Newman, a linguist at Queens College and CUNY’s Graduate Center, writes. “It’s a quality that can be profoundly appealing.” Polls show that Republicans don’t think Trump is likable, honest, or compassionate . But they do consider him decisive and competent, which Republican voters say are the most important qualities in a presidential candidate. In this way, Trump’s New York accent is a perfect fit for his shark-like political persona. “Traditionally, the New York City accent has been stigmatized as rough and not necessarily intelligent,” Holliday says. “But people do perceive it as authoritative. So he’s got an accent that people don’t like, but that they find credible. Trump sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, because of his accent.” Trump’s working-class New York accent may also help the billionaire appear a bit more relatable on the stump. Though he is stratospherically wealthy, his average-Joe way of speaking makes him sound a little more down to earth. Many other politicians have been accused of sounding folksier on the campaign trail, especially when they have been making rounds in the Heartland. Last year, Bloomberg Politics traced the history of Hillary Clinton’s speaking style, which took on southern shadings when she was a politician’s wife in Arkansas, but shifted northward when she became a First Lady and later a New York senator. Recently, Clinton’s drawl resurfaced as she was campaigning in Tennessee: Barack Obama does something similar. When he gives speeches at black churches, for instance, his voice develops a twang. “When Hillary’s down south, she’s more likely to say ‘y’all’ or something along those lines, even though she would never say that in one of her Wall Street meetings,” Baugh says. “And with Obama, it absolutely shows up when he’s speaking to a black audience. I notice it mostly in words like ‘history’ and ‘geography’ — the vowel is a little longer and the intonation rises slightly.” The habit is not unique to politicians, and it is not always an affectation. People naturally adjust the way they speak depending on their audience, often without being aware of it. Researchers believe the habit helps foster a closer connection between by emphasizing people's similarities. “We call that linguistic accommodation, or dialect leveling, and it’s pretty common,” Baugh says. “When you’re interacting with someone whose dialect is different from your own, you subconsciously adjust your speech to reflect the way they speak. For a lot of people it’s considered to be a sign of linguistic empathy.” Because people attach such social significance to accents, the way that a politician talks becomes a rhetorical tool — another way to connect with voters or to burnish a certain public image. As it turns out, Donald Trump is a beneficiary not only of his family's wealth, but also of his family's way of talking, which appeals to our biases about accents and New Yawkers. John Di Domenico, Robert Heck and Tim Beasley are all professional Donald Trump impersonators. They are often hired for corporate events, trade shows and retirement parties. But if Donald Trump's campaign flames out, who will want to hire a fake Donald Trump? (Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post)

Why we should care about Donald Trump's accent

Tank Johnson (David Trotman-Wilkins/AP/Chicago Tribune) Perhaps, NFL players just need something to take the edge off after getting slammed by 300-pound human torpedoes all day, or maybe it’s that a good deal of them are still going through their experimental phases in their 20s. Whatever the case, it’s no secret that at least some football players use marijuana. Some get caught, such as Cardinals defensive tackle Daryl Washington, who was suspended today for an incident involving marijuana. But Washington isn’t in the minority, according to veteran defensive tackle Terry “Tank” Johnson. The ex-Chicago Bear estimates to Fusion TV that “70 to 80 percent” of NFL players use marijuana. “I hate to say that as if it’s a bad thing, but I think that would be about accurate.” As to why players use the illegal substance knowing full well the consequences of getting caught violating the NFL’s drug policy, Tank said, “It’s a good way to relax and enjoy yourself and have a good time, so I think that’s why guys gravitate toward the green.” Um… Seeing as though there are quite a few, more legal ways to have a good time that don’t result in suspensions or fines, that seems like a pretty poor excuse. The Fusion report, which seems to skew toward the pro-legalization lobby, offers an alternative explanation for the possible widespread use of pot — self-medication. “Managing and tolerating your pain is how you make your money in this game,” Johnson said, who added he’s broken multiple bones, suffered “a few concussions here and there” and experienced various other types of pain on the job. Although Fusion’s report is based on the anecdotes of Johnson and a couple of other football players, it is likely that at least some players probably prefer to manage their pain through marijuana. It could be that they prefer “the green” to more traditional prescription pain medications, which have come under fire in the NFL for misuse. Recently, a group of former players filed suit against the NFL, alleging the league advocated them to use prescription pain medications without disclosing the risks of addiction. ESPN.com columnist Gregg Easterbrook writes about the problem of prescription drugs in his new book “The King of Sports: Football’s Impact on America,” as well: “Just as head trauma is coming into the light of day as a football problem, so is painkiller abuse. Professional football players are major consumers of three kinds of painkillers: Narcotic pills such as Vicodin, injected local anesthesia, and Toradol, an all-purpose pain reliever that a disturbing number of NFL players have injected even when they are feeling fine.” With that in mind, it’s logical to ask whether using marijuana for medical reasons should be allowed in the NFL. That’s a sticky question as surely some players, as insinuated by Johnson, would continue to use it purely for recreational purposes, with or without a prescription. Ergo, if someone were to test positive, it’d be hard to know whether to cite him for a violation or not. As for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s view on medical marijuana, he has said he would considering allowing it. Goodell told USA Today: “I’m not a medical expert. We will obviously follow signs. We will follow medicine and if they determine this could be a proper usage in any context, we will consider that.” At the moment, though, he added, “our medical experts are not saying that.” In other words, nothing will change regarding the NFL’s drug policy anytime soon. It seems for now, if Johnson’s estimate is correct, those 70 percent to 80 percent of marijuana users in the NFL might want to think twice before their next puff, no matter the reason.

The reasons, he says, range from recreational use to self-medication.

Paul Walker, a star of “The Fast and the Furious” film franchise, has died after a car crash. According to the Associated Press, a publicist said Walker passed away after a car crash in California. A publicist confirmed the actor’s death to the Journal. Walker was 40 years old. The actor’s Twitter account posted a link to the following note: “It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide. He was a passenger in a friend’s car, in which both lost their lives. We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news. Thank you for keeping his family and friends in your prayers during this very difficult time. We will do our best to keep you apprised on where to send condolences. – #‎TeamPW” Born Paul William Walker IV in Glendale, Calif., Walker starred in such films as “Varsity Blues,” “Into the Blue” and “Takers,” but it was “The Fast and the Furious” in 2001 that won him his greatest fame. The movie, which spawned several sequels, featured high-powered vehicles, car chases and street-racing scenes. “Fast & Furious 6″ has taken in $238,679,850 at the box office so far, according to Box Office Mojo. The news that Walker had died after a car crash spurred stunned tributes to him on Twitter from friends and fellow actors. “Paul Walker is the reason I wanted to drive a car in the first place,” one tweet said.

Paul Walker, a star of "The Fast and the Furious" film franchise, has died after a car crash. According to the AP, a publicist said Walker passed away after a car crash in California. A publicist confirmed the actor's death to the Journal. He was 40 years old.

The Philippines just elected a president who vows to be a “dictator” in the battle against evil. Here are the five facts you need to know about Rodrigo Duterte, and what his victory means for his country and for others. He’s a genuine punisher People throw around the term “strongman” a lot these days, but Duterte lives up to the billing. Known as “Duterte Harry” and “The Punisher,” Duterte served as mayor of Davao City for more than 22 years. Trained as a lawyer, he vowed to clean up a city so notorious for its crime it was once tagged the “Nicaragua of Asia.” Today, Davao’s per capita crime rate is the lowest in the country. But the methods Duterte allegedly used to pull this off have drawn condemnation from international human rights groups. It’s widely believed that Duterte sanctioned extrajudicial killings by roving packs of vigilantes. These death squads targeted petty criminals, street children and drug dealers, according to Human Rights Watch, claiming the lives of more than 1,000 people, 132 of them children. Duterte appointed himself judge, jury and executioner—and the people of Davao loved him for it. In a March survey conducted in the city by Ateneo de Davao University, 88 percent of people polled said they would vote for Duterte as president. (BBC, The Diplomat, The Guardian) He’s unapologetically brash Duterte made security the focal point of his campaign, and he didn’t go much further than that. But whatever Duterte lacked in serious policy proposals, he more than made up for in Donald Trump-like rhetoric. In 1989, an Australian missionary was raped and murdered in Davao, where Duterte was mayor at the time. A month ago, an old video surfaced of Duterte telling a crowd that “she was so beautiful, I think the mayor should have been first. What a waste.” He’s refused to apologize for the comment. He’s called Pope Francis a “son of a whore” for causing a traffic jam on the pontiff’s visit to the country; he’s promised to execute 100,000 criminals and throw them into Manila Bay if elected president. While such crass language would sink the campaigns of typical presidential hopefuls, Duterte has used it to burnish his anti-establishment credentials—even though he’s actually the son of a former provincial governor. (CNN) He’s not a member of the elite Duterte’s candidacy also got a boost from growing awareness that Philippine citizens remain under the thumb of political and economic elites. 83 percent consider corruption a “problem”; 64 percent of those say it’s a “serious problem.” That up to 70 percent of Philippine legislators come from political families doesn’t help that perception. And while the Philippine economy has taken off in recent years thanks to serious pro-market reforms, very little of that wealth has made its way to the impoverished majority. More than 45 percent of the population still lives on less than $2 a day. Duterte has demonstrated no understanding of economics, but as mayor he appointed competent economic advisors, which has reassured many international observers. (Transparency International, CNN, LA Times) He’s willing to take a stand against China… All of southeast Asia lives in the shadow of China, and there is no more hotly contested issue right now than the historic conflict over boundaries in the South China Sea (SCS). One third of global maritime trade travels through the SCS, including more than 60 percent of South Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese energy supplies and 80 percent of China’s crude oil imports. And that’s before we get to the vast oil and gas reserves believed to lie beneath the seabed. China has been aggressively building artificial islands in the SCS to strengthen its legal claims over the waters, which has provoked a backlash from neighboring countries. First among them was the Philippines; outgoing Philippine President Benigno Aquino took a strong line against China, even taking it to arbitration court in the Hague in a case Beijing refuses to recognize. Duterte meanwhile has offered to jet ski to the contested islands and hoist the Philippine flag there himself. Beijing and the Philippine people were amused by the braggadocio; the Philippines’ fellow claimants were anything but. (Business Insider) …But it’s not the stand that his allies want The real concern are Duterte’s comments about what follows once the Hague issues its ruling on the SCS sometime in the next few weeks. China wants to engage its neighbors one-on-one to strike individual deals that strengthen its broader negotiating position. The neighbors should know they are stronger when they band together and speak to China with a single voice, one backed by support from the United States. But Duterte has said that if multilateral talks fail to produce an agreement within two years, the Philippines should go it alone and strike a separate deal with Beijing—provided that China pay for some infrastructure improvements like trains around Davao City and between Manila and Bicol. That gives Beijing an obvious incentive to make sure that multilateral talks fail. This isn’t just a problem for southeast Asia. The US has more than 75,000 troops already stationed in the region and formal alliances with Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines. Washington is bound by treaty to defend them if push comes to shove. And Duterte’s “Philippines First” approach to foreign policy makes it much more likely that southeast Asia will end up in a shoving match over the South China Sea. That’s why Roderigo Duterte is the region’s new wildcard. (TIME)

The "Punisher" is a wildcard in the pack of world leaders

Helena Price was always drawn to technology, even while growing up in her small town in North Carolina. But she didn’t discover the mechanics of the industry behind some of her favorite services like AOL’s AIM chat until she got to college and eventually joined a couple of startups after graduation. Worse: She spent years feeling like an outsider because everyone she met had fancy pedigrees and degrees from prestigious schools. But fast forward to today, and Price is a sought after photographer living in San Francisco who has worked with the who’s who of the tech industry. Her camera has seen the offices of every major company including Facebook, Uber, Twitter, Instagram, Airbnb, and Microsoft. Her latest project, however, goes back to those feelings of inadequacy and searching for others in the tech industry who, like her, weren’t the usual suspects when it comes to typecasting tech workers. On Monday, she unveiled the fruits of a three month-long project, completed with the help of designer Alonzo Felix and developer Martha Schumann, that seeks to showcase the 100 members of the tech industry whose backgrounds are diverse and unique. She titled the project “Techies,” a common term for tech workers and one that, as tensions in San Francisco have grown heavy thanks to astronomical rent prices and cultural clashes, has become “derogatory,” according to Price. “I want people from outside of tech to realize that there are lots of different people here in tech,” Price told me last week. “I want to show that people are here because they love what they do, but there’s a lot of adversity,” she added. Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter. Scrolling through the website, each of the project’s subjects stands out despite being photographed on the same dark background in one of a couple of poses, a testament to their diversity. Some are better known faces to Silicon Valley insiders like journalist and investor Om Malik, investor John Maeda, entrepreneur Tristan Walker, entrepreneur Laura Weidman Powers, engineer Tracy Chou, designer Julie Ann Horvath, entrepreneur and journalist Evelyn Rusli, investor Kanyi Maqubela, and entrepreneur and journalist Brian Lam. Others, however, aren’t well known startup founders or investors. And in some cases, their portrait doesn’t immediately divulge the type of challenges they have faced. “How do you look at these people and not think that they’re incredible?” Price exclaimed, with an obvious awe at her own subjects’ stories and journeys to the tech industry. “Your idea of qualifications needs to expand a bit,” she added, as if speaking to the tech industry’s hiring managers and investors. Over the last couple of years, Silicon Valley’s lack of diversity among its ranks has gained increasing attention. Major companies like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, and others have begun to release annual reports that detail the demographic breakdown of their workforces. They consistently reveal an underrepresentation of women and especially Latino and black employees. (Check out Fortune‘s comparison of several tech giants’ numbers from last summer.) On the venture capital side, the numbers are even more dismal, with women making up only 6% of decision-making investors are major funds, according to a recent Fortune report. “We’re all in this race, and some people start a mile or two back,” Price said to describe the challenges of people from disadvantaged backgrounds. “In many ways, this project is an exploration of what this mile or two back looks like.” Eventually, Price hopes to expand her project beyond this initial website. She’s currently working on an event, tentatively scheduled for May, and eventually would like to create a book that would encompass many more stories than the 100 she started with. Facebook, Medium, Ueno sponsored this project, and she hopes to get more backers for future undertakings. Though she says she’ll never go back to working in the tech industry (she spent several years doing marketing, business development, and other non-technical jobs for a few startups before becoming a full-time photographer in 2013) she’s not a tech hater at all. Rather, she says that she’s “grateful for tech” and the opportunities it has brought her. And luckily, that’s a sentiment echoed frequently throughout the interviews with her subjects, weaved alongside their incredible stories of overcoming challenges.

A photography project shares the stories 100 members of the tech community.

How can you win at the Kentucky Derby? Bet on the horse that ran the fastest before the Derby. Or if that's too complicated, just bet on the favorite. According to a Wall Street Journal analysis aided by some prominent thoroughbred-racing number crunchers, these two strategies would have produced handsome returns if applied consistently over the past 12 years. Since 1997, a bet on the horse with the fastest average speed in the major "prep" races preceding the Kentucky Derby -- such as the Florida Derby, the Wood Memorial Stakes and the Illinois Derby -- would have yielded a 40% return, or $168 on 12 $10 bets. Betting on the favorite each year would have produced $177, for a 48% gain -- as good as the total return for the Dow Jones Industrial Average over the period. Kentucky Derby contender Dunkirk is a decent bet at Saturday's Run for the Roses. Past performance, of course, is no guarantee of future results -- whether on the track or in the stock market -- so don't bet the house that these techniques will come through in Saturday's 135th Run for the Roses. As gambling propositions go, horseracing has never been a winner. At the Derby's venue, Churchill Downs, 16% to 17% of all the money wagered goes to the house, the winning owners and tax collectors -- versus 5% at a typical casino roulette table. Moreover, the horses at the Derby have short but impressive résumés that are open to many interpretations -- many of them completely misguided. Derby horses are so evenly matched, the race hasn't had an odds-on favorite (that is, a horse so expected to win that the gain on a $1 bet would be less than $1) since 1992. Then, almost half of all bets were placed on a horse named Arazi -- who disappointed his legion of fans by finishing eighth in a field of 18. Saturday's Derby will have no overwhelming favorite. Get a daily roundup of the top sports headlines and analysis, plus features and video. To sign up for the email newsletter, click the link below. "The Derby isn't like handicapping any other race," says Len Friedman, a professional horse-picker at Len Ragozin's The Sheets, a New York handicapping publisher. "It's got 20 horses in it, which means there's an enormous amount of bumping and trouble." A typical race has fewer than half as many. Mr. Friedman has successfully picked the winner in three of the last 12 races. "I'm happy that I can look back here and see that I broke even," he says. "I figure that's a friggin' miracle." Saturday's Derby will find horseracing under the most scrutiny in years. The sport has suffered from the recession, with betting down 9% to $3.1 billion in the first quarter compared with 2008. North America's largest racetrack owner, Magna Entertainment Corp. of Ontario, filed for bankruptcy protection in March. Pioneerof the Nile, right, is also a decent bet at Saturday's Run for the Roses. The sport's glory days -- romanticized in "Guys and Dolls" and "The Sting" -- seem long behind it. The on-track euthanization last year of the filly Eight Belles, who fractured both forelegs after finishing second in the Derby, brought concerns about the safety and health of thoroughbreds to the fore. But as the sport of kings grapples with these issues, it seems to have become a more-attractive proposition for bettors. The Journal's statistical analysis found that lately, the Derby has been pretty predictable, especially if one looks at the results of the 33 prep races that lead up to the big race. We asked Equibase Co., which tabulates horseracing data and is owned by major racetracks and breeders, to mine its archives for data on every contender in Kentucky Derby history, to see how well we could predict each year's eventual winner. It turns out that eight of the last 12 Derbys were won by a horse judged among the three fastest in its prep races, based on simply averaging Equibase's speed measurements in the races, which are adjusted for differing track conditions and distances. Last year's Kentucky Derby winner, Big Brown, won the Florida Derby with a blistering Equibase "speed rating" of 113, the highest in the field in last year's Derby (that comes out to about 37.4 miles per hour). Three other winners in the last 12 Derbys were the "fastest" pre-Derby horses -- Silver Charm in 1997, Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000, and Smarty Jones in 2004. According to data provided by Equibase, the fastest average speed in major prep races this year has been recorded by the California colt Pioneerof the Nile, who has an average Equibase speed rating of 110.8. Early odds on Pioneerof the Nile are 4-to-1. We also looked at a simpler betting technique: choosing the favorite each year. Horserace wagering works like a state lottery -- the bets on every horse are pooled together, the track takes its cut and what's left is divided among those who bet on the winning horse. The favorite -- the horse with the lowest odds, or betting return -- is the one that receives the most bets, something that can't necessarily be judged until minutes before the race begins. This year, four top horses are drawing a large portion of the wagering -- which means the early favorite, I Want Revenge, isn't much of a favorite. Four times in the past 12 years, the favorite has won -- Big Brown, Street Sense in 2007, Smarty Jones and Fusaichi Pegasus. The 48% return gained from betting on them -- after subtracting the money lost betting on the losing favorites in the other eight years -- stacks up pretty well. The average bettor loses money at the Kentucky Derby. Mr. Friedman, the handicapper, isn't impressed by either strategy. "The fact that you found a 12-year period where you won doesn't mean anything," he said. "As far as the Derby is concerned, almost any sample is too small to be meaningful. They only run it once a year." Mr. Friedman may have a point. Although betting on the favorite horse was a winning strategy over the last 12 years, that's not enough data to conclude that the method would consistently beat the house in the long run. Write to Keith J. Winstein at [email protected]

How can you win at the Derby? Bet on the horse that ran the fastest before, or just bet on the favorite.

Daym Drops, the internet’s most awesome fast food reviewer, hit up a Connecticut Five Guys Burgers & Fries earlier this year and released an epic bacon cheeseburger review. But then he was auto-tuned. This is now even more epically awesome. “YOU BITE THE FRY, THE FRY BITES BACK, THATS HOW YOU KNOW IT’S OFFICIAL” Posted By: Chris Preovolos ( Email ) | Aug 16 at 7:07 am Daym Drops, the internet’s most awesome fast food reviewer, hit up a Connecticut Five Guys Burgers & Fries earlier this year and released an epic bacon cheeseburger review. But then he was auto-tuned. This is now even more epically awesome. “YOU BITE THE FRY, THE FRY BITES BACK, THATS HOW YOU KNOW IT’S OFFICIAL”

Crazy cheeseburger guy, auto-tuned

GLENDALE, Calif. – For more than two years, inside a Walt Disney laboratory built to resemble a child’s bedroom, grade schoolers have been secretly testing an at-home version of Iron Man’s high-tech armor. Disney’s goal: Use wireless systems, motion sensors and wearable technology to strike a balance between what children want to do (tap screens and play video games) and what parents would prefer (more running around). The Walt Disney Company unveiled a resulting toy line on Tuesday called Playmation, which will arrive in stores in October. For about $120, an “Avengers” theme starter pack will include a red Iron Man “repulsor” glove that players wear on their right hand and forearm and four smart toys, including two action figures. Used together, the parts lead players on villain-destroying missions – run, duck, dodge, jump, shoot. A related app provides access to additional assignments and powers. “It’s physical play for a digital generation,” Thomas O. Staggs, Disney’s chief operating officer, said in an email. Analysts who have had the opportunity to scrutinize Playmation said it could solve a puzzle that had largely stumped the traditional toy industry: What if toys could play back? The answer could ensure the relevancy of companies like Hasbro and Mattel – and Disney — to future generations of children. “I see this as a breakthrough item, especially in the action and role-play aisle,” Jim Silver, the editor of TTPM, a toy review website, said in an interview. “What Disney has done here is so sophisticated that I actually don’t like the word ‘toy’ for it.” This can be tricky terrain. Smart toy efforts tend to prompt swift and severe reactions from watchdog organizations, with privacy as a main concern. The latest example is Mattel’s new Internet-connected Hello Barbie, which records children’s speech, analyzes it and provides pertinent responses. Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a Boston advocacy group, instantly deemed that toy “Eavesdropping Barbie” and began organizing parents against Mattel. The toymaker, whose profit fell 45 percent last year, in part because of declining interest in traditional Barbie products, has defended the digital doll, citing substantial privacy safeguards. Mindful of this pitfall, Disney has “doggedly designed Playmation with privacy in mind,” said Kareem Daniel, senior vice president of strategy and business development for Disney Consumer Products. The Playmation components, for instance, are intentionally not tethered to an Internet connection during play, he said. Disney is speeding ahead with the rollout of Playmation. “Star Wars” theme sets will arrive next year; prototypes shown last week to a reporter involved Jedi training and Darth Vader skulduggery. A “Frozen” version is scheduled for 2017. Aimed at children 6 to 12, the toys are also wearable by adults. With a plethora of characters in the Disney stable and a flexible technology platform to tap into, “Playmation’s potential is tremendous,” Mr. Staggs said. The core Playmation toys reveal a subtle but important shift at Disney Consumer Products, which has recently experienced rapid growth. (The unit generated $1.4 billion in operating profit last year, a 22 percent increase from 2013.) Disney traditionally has not designed its own toys but rather has licensed its characters to companies like Hasbro and Mattel. But Playmation was created inside Disney, reflecting an attempt by the company to become more assertive in the creation of new toy categories and generate more growth. Playmation has a few challenges. For starters, the line arrives during a management change at Disney Consumer Products. Bob Chapek, the executive who most ardently supported Playmation, was promoted in February to take over the company’s theme parks. His merchandising successor, Leslie Ferraro, has adopted Playmation, but her experience has been entirely in marketing. In addition, only two Playmation users can play the full experience at one time, at least initially; that could frustrate children. Playmation works outdoors, but bright sunlight may interfere with certain motion sensor functions, according to Afsoun Yazdian, director of Playmation user experience and product management. Depending on how Playmation is marketed, the toy line could also bump into Disney Infinity, a video game and toy product sold by a separate Disney division. To play Infinity, users collect character figurines, which resemble the Playmation action figures. Infinity 3.0, focused on “Star Wars” and costing a cheaper $65 for the starter set, will also arrive in stores in the fall. (Disney said it saw no threat of cannibalization.) Still, toy analysts said they were encouraged by the depth of Playmation. The “Avengers” set comes with 25 missions out of the box. Disney will also sell add-on Playmation toys – Hulk hands, various action figures – starting around $15 each. “I don’t think this is something that kids are going to play once and forget about,” Mr. Silver said.

Disney’s new Playmation uses wireless systems, motion sensors and wearable technology to engage children with interactive missions.

Celebrities and politicians are speaking out about Donald Trump‘s controversial claim that Vice President-elect Mike Pence was “harassed” while attending the Friday evening showing of Hamilton. The 70-year-old President-elect had tweeted that Pence “was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing” — before calling for an apology from the cast. “The Theater must always be a safe and special place,” he wrote. “The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!” Pence, 57 — who has been a crusader for anti-LGBTQ legislation throughout his career — paid a visit to the hottest musical on Broadway and received heavy boos from the audience upon his arrival. Broadway has been a safe-haven for the LGBTQ community for years — accepting, employing and championing many of its members. Hamilton itself stars a diverse cast lead by Javier Muñoz in the title role — an openly gay, HIV-positive actor. During a post-curtain call speech at New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre, the Broadway cast addressed him directly and asked the audience not to boo, saying “we’re all sharing a story of love.” “We welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton: An American Musical — we really do,” Brandon Victor Dixon — who plays former vice president Aaron Burr in the show — said. “We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of all of us.” Video of the speech quickly went viral online — with many weighing in throughout the evening and into early morning as to whether Trump’s harassment claims were justified. Alec Baldwin — who plays Trump on Saturday Night Live — noted that “all dissent is harassment to [Trump]” — before saying “2020 is coming.” Pence "harassed", says Trump.All dissent is harassment to him.Maybe even criminal.2020 is coming. — ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) November 19, 2016 Rosie O’Donnell — a longtime Trump foe — laughed off his call for apology. “That’s rich — coming from you,” she said. “A lecture? A request for a peaceful 4 years? I’m so sorry they had to endure that,” tweeted Chrissy Teigen. “You cannot pretend real life s— isn’t happening.” “Look who wants a f—— safe space now,” she continued. “The very thing him and his supporters make fun of as liberal political correctness. God, what a POS” She added: “Donald knows very well what he is doing. He knows the Hamilton speech was NBD. He knows his tweet will fire both sides up to distract from the 25 million dollar settlement of yesterday. Most conniving human on planet earth.” Gay rights advocate George Takei said that Trump should actually be the one to apologize. “AMERICA must always be a safe and special place,” he wrote. “The Trump administration has been very cruel to many good people. Apologize!” “If Trump gets upset at a NY theater audience booing his VP, imagine what he’ll feel like on inauguration when millions cry out against him,” he said. If Trump gets upset at a NY theater audience booing his VP, imagine what he'll feel like on inauguration when millions cry out against him. — George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 19, 2016 Model Brooklyn Decker called for Trump to stop tweeting, writing “Someone please take away his Twitter. It’s time.” Someone please take away his twitter. It's time. — Brooklyn Decker (@BrooklynDecker) November 19, 2016 “President & VP Elect Trump and Pence feel harassed when politely asked to respect Americans’ equality and inalienable rights. Telling,” wrote former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin. “@realDonaldTrump wants a safe space in the theater for his team, while he threatens the inalienable rights of Americans across the country.” President & VP Elect Trump and Pence feel harassed when politely asked to respect Americans' equality and inalienable rights. Telling. https://t.co/rUql7ci9ay — Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) November 19, 2016 Chicago Med star and Broadway vet Colin Donnell alluded to Trump’s previous bad behavior. “It’s ok Donald it’s just ‘Theatre Talk,’ ” he wrote. “Sorta like ‘locker room talk’ except in that it was completely thought out and respectful.” It's ok Donald it's just "Theatre Talk". Sorta like "locker room talk" except in that it was completely thought out & respectful. https://t.co/aGtEbgc1vo — Colin Donnell (@colindonnell) November 19, 2016 Josh Gad —a Tony-nominee for his role in The Book of Mormon who dressed as Trump on Lip Sync Battle – penned a message on Twitter on Saturday. “I know the booing upsets some of you,” he wrote. “But this is what happens when you run on a platform of hate. When you spend a year demonizing races and faiths. When your running mate teases assassinating and jailing his rival. When you openly supported conversion therapy for Gays.” “I personally would never boo someone at the a theater,” he added. “But this feels different.” Other people who spoke out where Republican pundit Ana Navarro, the N.Y.C. Mayor’s Office — and even Lin-Manuel Miranda himself. It's called "Hamilton", not "Stalin". Nothing wrong w/this diverse cast respectfully asking our VPEOTUS to protect/defend ALL Americans.🇺🇸 https://t.co/23RVc84D8o — Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) November 19, 2016 Also, while you're fired up. Maybe you could take the time to denounce the 400+ actual HATE CRIMES that have been perpetrated in your name? https://t.co/qAQHZf5JLV — Laura Benanti (@LauraBenanti) November 19, 2016 The Hamilton staff received a request from Pence to attend Friday’s performance earlier that afternoon, producer Jeffrey Seller told The Hollywood Reporter. “The cast, the creators, we all felt that we must express our feelings to vice president-elect Pence. This is not a normal time, this is not a normal election,” Seller said. “This has not been a normal result. And in a democracy, one must let his and her voice be heard, and we were not going to the show tonight without expressing how we feel.” “Everybody should be able to see this show, regardless of their politics,” he continued. “But it does just so happen that the politics of this administration have been so negative toward minorities, people of color, gay people that we felt the need to speak up. As a cast comprised of minorities, women, gay people, it was necessary. We had to speak. We had to express how we feel.”

Celebrities and politicians are speaking out about Donald Trump’s controversial claim that Vice President-elect Mike Pence was “harassed” while attending the Friday evening showin…

Friday night on All In with Chris Hayes: Oprah Winfrey is one of the world’s richest women, so why did a Zurich boutique refuse to sell her an expensive handbag? Winfrey told Entertainment Tonight the Swiss saleswoman made prejudicial assumptions based on the color of her skin. According to Winfrey, she was told that she would “not be able to afford” the $38,000 crocodile leather Tom Ford bag she asked to look at. After asking two more times to view the bag, Winfrey gave up and left the store, preferring to give her business to a more tolerant salesperson elsewhere. “[Racism] still exists, of course it does,” she said. Obviously, the Swiss are not aware of The Oprah Winfrey Show. After Winfrey recounted the incident this week, Swiss officials were highly apologetic, saying the saleswoman’s behavior was “terribly wrong” and calling the situation a “misunderstanding.” Racism is not uncommon in Switzerland, where the nationalist, anti-immigrant Swiss People’s Party holds the largest number of seats in parliament. Some Swiss towns are even working to ban people seeking asylum in the country from public places like swimming pools and libraries. Melissa Harris-Perry, Tulane University professor and host of msnbc’s Melissa Harris-Perry, will join guest host Ezra Klein to talk about Oprah Winfrey’s experience with racism in light of the broader conversation about race happening in this country since the Trayvon Martin verdict. Plus: NBC Political Analyst and former Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Newsweek and The Daily Beast Special Correspondent Michael Tomasky, The Guardian National Security Editor Spencer Ackerman, and Chicago Sun-Times Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet will join the table to talk about the president’s wide-ranging press conference Friday afternoon. Also, Andrea Peterson of The Washington Post, Julian Sanchez, Fellow at The Cato Institute, and Elizabeth Goitein, Co-Director of the Liberty & National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, will join a discussion about the news that encrypted e-mail providers reportedly used by Edward Snowden voluntarily shut down rather than face government investigation.

Friday night on All In with Chris Hayes: Oprah Winfrey is one of the world's richest women, so why did a Zurich boutique refuse to sell her an expensive handbag

AN eight-year-old boy called his dad to tell him “Mum’s not moving” moments after she suffered a fatal epileptic fit. Mum-of-two Kelly Duncan, described as a “happy-go-lucky” woman who doted on her family, was just 36 when she died. Partner Paul Field, 38, said: “She was a loving, caring mum who couldn’t do enough for the kids or myself. “I still can’t believe she’s gone – it feels like a dream. “It seems surreal and I can’t get it into my head she’s gone.” He said Kelly feared she would never have children, yet eight years ago, her dream came true when son Alex was born. “I was her angel,” he beamed. But on July 15, Alex and his four-year-old sister Maisie were with Kelly at home when she suffered the tragic fit. Alex knew of his mum’s condition. As she stopped breathing he phoned 999, calmly doing everything he could to save her. “I was working away near Nottingham and Alex called me up at 6.10am on the Friday,” said Paul. “He said Mum’s had a fit – Mum’s not moving. “I said I’m driving home, you call 999 and get an ambulance. “I got in touch with a friend and he went to see how the kids were and the police were already there. “The police told me ‘they are working on her, they’ve been working on her for 45 minutes’. “Once I got home, when the police were still there, I knew she was gone.” Fighting back tears, he added: “I just broke down – I was heartbroken.” Kelly was diagnosed with epilepsy at 16, and had frequent fits, but an operation eight years ago significantly reduced her fitting. Since then, she’d suffered just half a dozen. It meant Paul could take more work away from their Harvey Walk home, in Hartlepool. And he added: “She was finally getting on with her life.” But now Kelly’s gone, Paul has to plan her funeral, which is pencilled in for Thursday, July 28, at Hartlepool Crematorium. A GoFund me page has been set up to help cover the funeral bill that nobody saw coming. Due to her epilepsy, life insurance would have cost more than their mortgage. So far, £1,280 has been raised of a £5,000 goal. And for Paul, he will now have the task of raising the couple’s two “bright and brilliant” children. As he grieves for the partner he met in 1999 at Fifth Avenue nightclub, he said Alex in particular has been a “rock” for him. “I’ve been feeling the worst first thing in the morning and last thing at night, as that’s the hardest part,” said Paul. “But when I’ve broke down Alex will say ‘don’t worry dad we will get through it’ and he will just cuddle me. “He just tells me to be brave.” And despite her passing away too soon, he said there are memories from their 17 years together that he will cherish for a lifetime. Recalling the moment they met, he said: “I was a bit intoxicated at the time but she took my number anyway – she phoned me a week later and said: ‘Have you forgot about me?’ I’d put her number in a bag but I’d lost it, so I told her and she said ‘oh yeah, likely story’. “That was Kelly though, if she had anything to say she would say it – she was very straight forward.” But with over 500,000 Brits estimated to have epilepsy, he has issued a warning to anybody with symptoms. “Make sure you get it checked,” he said. To help with funeral costs, visit www.gofundme.com/2ec55rgk

AN eight-year-old boy called his dad to tell him “Mum’s not moving” moments after she suffered a fatal epileptic fit. Mum-of-two Kelly Duncan, described as a “happy-go-lucky” woma…

(Image credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images) Three men were indicted this week for shipping millions of packs of untaxed contraband Marlboro cigarettes that were part of a sting conducted by the FBI. Jia Yongming, Yazhou Wu, and Ricky Le were indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Monday in a U.S. District Court in New Jersey. They are charged with conspiracy to transport contraband cigarettes and trafficking in goods bearing counterfeit marks. Thomas Dunn, an attorney for Yongmin, had no comment. An attorney for Wu and Le could not be reached for comment. Read more: How to Spot Fake Luxury Goods Last July, the U.S. Attorney’s Office arrested the three California residents in Los Angeles and charged them with conspiring to ship and distribute more than 4,600 cases of Marlboro and Marlboro Light cigarettes. Like many other states, California requires a stamp to be placed on packs of cigarettes to show the state tax has been paid. California had a $0.87 tax on each pack of cigarettes while the illegal operation had been underway for over a year. The cigarettes were shipped from China to ports in Newark, N.J., and New York City. From warehouses, they were headed for their final destination, California, where they were delivered by undercover FBI agents, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer. The agents were paid about $225,000 in commissions for delivering five loads of cigarettes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the state of California lost more than $2 million in taxes from this conspiracy. David Sutton, a spokesman for Altria, which owns the Marlboro brand, said this had the “classic elements” of a counterfeiting cigarette case. “In this case, it shows you that this kind of activity is invariably driven by higher and higher excise taxes,” Sutton said. This case began two months after the last Federal excise tax increase on cigarettes — to 62 cents per pack — in April 2009. In the president’s budget this week, there is a proposal to raise the Federal tax again by 94 cents to $1.95 a pack. If passed, Sutton said it “will definitely create a significant incentive for additional counterfeit cigarette smuggling.” Sutton said Altria supported this investigation. “The counterfeit product almost always comes from China,” Sutton said. “You see it in L.A., south Florida, the port of Newark – because of the New York City market. The criminals are sophisticated in counterfeit cigarette trafficking.” Sutton said counterfeiters rely on organized crime units to distribute the products. “You see counterfeit trafficking in dense urban centers, like New York and Chicago, because you have established criminal organizations in place for distribution of the product,” he said.

(Image credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images) Three men were indicted this week for shipping millions of packs of untaxed contraband Marlboro cigarettes that were part of a sting conducted by the FBI. Jia Yongming, Yazhou Wu, and Ricky Le were indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Monday in a U.S. District Court in New Jersey. They are charged with conspiracy to transport contraband cigarettes and trafficking in goods bearing counterfeit marks. Thomas Dunn, an attorney for Yongmin, had no comment. An attorney for Wu and Le could not be reached for comment. Read more: How to Spot Fake Luxury Goods Last July,…

General Motors is going to modify its Chevrolet Volt plug-in car to strength it to eliminate the possibility that its batteries can catch on fire hours or days after a serious side-impact crash. GM says it was a "customer satisfaction" action and would not be considered a recall. It turns out that battery coolant could leak on an electronic board, causing the fire, GM said today in a conference call. The leaks were discovered in tests in which a Volt was rotated until it was inverted. Only a small amount of coolant, a few cupfuls, were involved. To fix it, GM will modify the car to strengthen the protection around the battery. It will only add a few pounds. "It is a structural reinforcement that distributes the load," said GM's Mary Barra. But GM's North American chief Mark Reuss says the battery itself is safe and doesn't not need modification. He says only about 250 owners asked GM for loaners or to have their car bought back. GM has sold more than 8,000 Volts, which can travel 25 miles or more on electric power alone before a backup gas engine kicks in.

General Motors is going to modify its Chevrolet Volt plug-in car to strength it to eliminate the possibility that its batteries can catch on fire hours or days after a serious side-impact crash. GM says it was a "customer satisfaction" action and would not be considered a recall.

(Want to get California Today by email? Sign up.) For a second night on Wednesday, thousands of protesters gathered in cities across the state to denounce the idea of a Donald J. Trump-led America, with some chanting, ”Not my president!” On social media, the hashtag #Calexit took off, echoing the British decision to leave the European Union. And in Sacramento, a joint statement from legislative leaders said, “Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land.” For one group, the postelection reaction has been electrifying. Yes California, a grass-roots organization with 3,000 or so supporters, has for years been trying to persuade Californians to take up the cause of secession. “We hit it big with Trump being elected,” Marcus Ruiz Evans, a spokesman, said on Wednesday. California cannot, of course, just pick up and leave. Even if the state wanted to, an exit would require two-thirds approval of both the House and Senate in Washington, along with the blessing of 38 state legislatures — a feat analysts say is implausible. But Mr. Evans may be on to something. After Mr. Trump clinched his victory late Tuesday, at least three tech investors signaled a willingness to finance a secession effort. Shervin Pishevar, a co-founder of Hyperloop One, announced on Twitter that he would back a “legitimate campaign” for California to become its own nation. Marc Hemeon, another entrepreneur, responded to Mr. Pishevar saying to count him in. So did Dave Morin, a founder of the social network Path. Speaking by phone, Mr. Hemeon, who is the founder of Design Inc. in Orange County, said he was “reeling” from Mr. Trump’s win. He felt compelled to do something. “Fighting for your family — that’s what it comes down to,” said Mr. Hemeon, who has two daughters and a son. Calls for secession are not new in California. There have been at least 200 such proposals since the state’s founding in 1850. Modern secessionists have argued that Californians have simply drifted too far culturally from the rest of the country. What’s more, they say, with an economy larger than France, the state doesn’t need America. Mr. Evans, of Yes California, said help from sympathizers in Silicon Valley, where anti-Trump sentiment runs deep, could help speed the way toward his group’s nearest goal: a referendum on the ballot. One purchase he would make right away, he said: billboard space along Interstate 5 heading into Sacramento. The design is already created. It reads, “Welcome to Our Nation’s Capital.” • With more states voting in favor of marijuana, a small business prepares to cross state lines, as legally as possible. [The New York Times] • The pharmaceutical industry scored a victory as voters rejected Proposition 61, which would have added price controls. [The Associated Press] • Congressional races: Darrell Issa, a Republican, and Ami Bera, a Democrat, held narrow leads. Steve Knight and Jeff Denham, both Republicans, prevailed. [The Associated Press] • “The horror, the horror”: Silicon Valley’s reaction to a Trump presidency was grim. [The New York Times] • Peter Thiel was the only prominent Silicon Valley investor to back Mr. Trump. Now, he’s positioned to reap rewards. [The New York Times] • A slate of rent control measures in the Bay Area got mixed results. [San Francisco Business Times] • Voters rejected a measure to abolish the death penalty, but approved another that would streamline the process. [Sacramento Bee] • Hillary Clinton beat Mr. Trump in Orange County, the first time since 1936 the county went blue in a presidential election. [Orange County Register] • After San Diego voters rejected funding of a new football stadium, the Chargers were left with questions about their future. [The New York Times] • Half a century on, playing vintage blues is an act of preservation and reclamation for the Rolling Stones. [The New York Times] Nick Offerman, the actor and comedian, wants you to love woodworking the way he does. So he has written a book, “Good Clean Fun,” a how-to on crafting useful objects like a coaster or a birdhouse. The book, Mr. Offerman’s third, also takes readers on a tour of the Offerman Woodshop, a collective of woodworkers that he started in Los Angeles in 2001. We caught up with Mr. Offerman by phone. What inspired you to write “Good Clean Fun”? My obsession with woodworking is one that I can’t seem to shake, but also my evangelism — encouraging my readership to make things with their hands. And when I had the idea to do a woodworking book, I realized that would afford me some months in my shop where I could tell my agents to leave me alone. What does woodworking do for you? It’s an intrinsic part of my manhood. It’s not something that I think much about. I just have an organic need to keep altering my world for the better with tools. It seems as if these manly arts are fading. That’s what awakens the evangelist in me to say, ‘Hey guys, I understand you’re depressed. Trust me, if you paint a closet in your house or if you go out and change your tire on your car, I can’t tell you what an incredible feeling of accomplishment awaits you.’ Is it hard to make a living these days as a woodworker? There are six workers in my shop making a living. It’s not the most exorbitant living but they do get a lot of recompense that can’t be counted in dollars. I think that they are much more satisfied with their lives at a lower salary than many people working in cubicles. California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: [email protected]. The California Today columnist, Mike McPhate, is a third-generation Californian — born outside Sacramento and raised in San Juan Capistrano. He lives in Davis. Follow him on Twitter. California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and attended U.C. Berkeley.

Thursday: Donald J. Trump’s victory energizes a #Calexit movement, Peter Thiel is positioned to reap rewards, and a check-in with Nick Offerman.

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders don’t think much of each other. One is a billionaire capitalist builder, the other a democratic socialist who rails against billionaires. Each believes that the other would be a disaster for the country as president. But there is more to their story than that. The two outsiders have rattled the political establishment. Each has created a movement of passionate supporters who want them to upend the political status quo. And for two men who seemingly couldn’t be more different, their views have sometimes converged in surprising ways — no doubt more than they’d want to admit. Start with some aspects of their campaigns. Both like to talk about polls. No poll seems to escape Trump’s attention — good polls, bad polls, scientific polls, unscientific polls. He cites them for proof of his popularity and mercilessly to put down his opponents. Here’s how Sanders started his opening statement at Thursday’s rowdy debate with Hillary Clinton in Brooklyn: “When we began this campaign almost a year ago, we started off at 3 percent in the polls. We were about 70 points behind Secretary Clinton. In the last couple of weeks, there were two polls out there that had us ahead.” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump complained about the delegate voting process at his Rochester, N.Y., rally on April 10, saying, "We're supposed to be a democracy." (Reuters) Both denounce super PACs and neither has to spend time asking wealthy people for money, as Clinton must do constantly. Trump is largely self-funding his own campaign, though he does get contributions from individual supporters. Sanders has a grass-roots money machine that has produced a record number of individual contributions, which he says average $27. Both have grievances about party rules. Trump says the delegate selection process, particularly in states such as Colorado, where voters didn’t cast ballots, is fundamentally unfair — rigged against him. Sanders has a beef about the potential role of superdelegates, those party leaders and elected officials who have automatic slots at the convention and a big majority of whom already are pledged to Clinton. [Trump’s fight with GOP hierarchy escalates.] The rules cut both ways, of course. Both Trump and Sanders have been beneficiaries of the quirks of the their party’s regulations. Trump won only about one-third of the popular vote in the South Carolina primary but got all 50 delegates. Meanwhile, Sanders would be much further behind in pledged delegates if Democrats allowed winner-take-all primaries, as Clinton has captured more of the big-state primaries. Both Trump and Sanders feel under attack — probably for good reason. Trump believes the national party leadership wants to deny him the nomination, and there’s good evidence of that. Sanders not only sees the party hierarchy favoring Clinton — although Democratic National Committee officials swear they have maintained their neutrality — but also points to corporate leaders as his enemies. On some policy issues, Sanders and Trump also agree. The most obvious is trade, where they share almost identical positions. From the start of his campaign Trump has railed against what he says are horrendously bad trade deals that have hurt the country, setting himself at odds with mainstream Republican policy. Many more Democrats agree with Sanders’s opposition to trade agreements. He’s not really out of the mainstream. But his position runs counter to the policies of President Obama and former president Bill Clinton, and he has pushed Hillary Clinton to the left on this during the campaign. Iraq is another issue on which they have agreed. Sanders has made his opposition to the war and Clinton’s vote for the 2002 congressional measuring authorizing it a central line of demarcation in his campaign — a test of presidential judgment. Trump has gone rogue with the GOP, not only by declaring that the decision to invade was a costly mistake, but also by arguing during a debate earlier this year that then-President George W. Bush lied about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to justify the 2003 invasion. Thursday’s Democratic Party debate highlighted two other policy issues where the Sanders and Trump sound alike: the U.S. role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and this country’s posture with regard to Israel and Palestinians. [Sanders, Clinton stage acrimonious debate in Brooklyn] Trump made headlines recently when he spoke to The Washington Post editorial board and questioned whether NATO had become obsolete. He argued that European nations should carry a bigger share of the financial burden. “I do think it’s a different world today, and I don’t think we should be nation-building anymore,” he said. “I think it’s proven not to work, and we have a different country than we did then.” That’s not a lot different than the position Sanders enunciated many years ago. At Thursday’s debate, CNN’s Dana Bash confronted Sanders with a 1997 quotation in which he said, “It is not the time to continue wasting tens of billions of dollars helping to defend Europe, let alone assuming more than our share of any cost associated with expanding NATO.” Bash asked Sanders how he differed from Trump. “You got to ask Trump,” he replied. Noting problems of poverty and crumbling inner cities, he also sounded like a candidate who thinks nation-building should start at home. “I would not be embarrassed as president of the United States to say to our European allies, ‘You know what, the United States of America cannot just support your economies,’ ” he said. “You got to put up your own fair share of the defense burden. Nothing wrong with that.” Trump raised a ruckus in February when he told MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough that he would be even-handed — “a neutral guy” — when it came to negotiations between Israel and Palestinians. He was denounced by his rivals and tried to make amends by backpedaling when he spoke to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ). He has said since that nobody is more pro-Israel than he, but his initial comments continue to raise questions about his true feelings. On Thursday night, Sanders called himself “100 percent pro-Israel,” but he also criticized Clinton for not speaking about the plight of Palestinians when she recently addressed AIPAC, and he laid out a view that sounded quite similar to Trump’s earlier comments. “Of course Israel has a right to defend itself,” Sanders said. “But long term there will never be peace in that region unless the United States plays a role, an even-handed role, trying to bring people together and recognizing the serious problems that exist among the Palestinian people.” There are obviously profound differences between Trump and Sanders. The senator has called Trump “a pathological liar” and has denounced Trump’s comments about immigration, abortion and other issues. Trump sees Sanders as a wild-eyed leftist who would raise taxes or spend the country into bankruptcy or both. That makes the areas in which they seem to be in agreement one more oddity of this surprising campaign season. Dan Balz is Chief Correspondent at The Washington Post. He has served as the paper’s National Editor, Political Editor, White House correspondent and Southwest correspondent.

On trade, Iraq, Middle East, NATO and rigged systems, the outsiders share similar views.

ROME – Celebrated American painter Cy Twombly, whose large-scale paintings featuring scribbles, graffiti and references to ancient empires fetched millions at auction, died Tuesday. He was 83. Twombly, who had cancer, died in Rome, said Eric Mezil, director of the Lambert Collection in Avignon, France, where the artist opened a show in June. Twombly had lived in Italy since 1957. "A great American painter who deeply loved old Europe has just left us," French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said in a statement. "His work was deeply marked by his passion for Greek and Roman antiquity, and its mythology, which for him was a source of bottomless inspiration." Twombly was known for his abstract works combining painting and drawing techniques, repetitive lines, scribbles and the use of words and graffiti. He is often linked to the legendary American artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, whom he met as a student in New York in the early 1950s. "Whether it's making sculpture or working across canvas or making small drawings with quite elaborate and detailed elements in them, you have this very strong sense of the physical presence of these paintings and sculptures, and you have the sense of an artist at work," the Tate's director Nicholas Serota said in an in-house interview ahead of a 2008 show of his work. Though recognition came late for his work -- and he was often overshadowed by the famous company he kept, like Johns and Rauschenberg -- Twombly was asked to paint a ceiling of the Louvre museum in Paris in 2010, the first artist given the honor since Georges Braque in the 1950s. For that work he chose something simple: a deep blue background punctuated with floating disks and emblazoned with the names of sculptors from ancient Greece, apt for a gallery of bronzes. "I got into something new in old age," he said of his choice of color, which was unusual. The Lexington, Virginia-born artist said he was inspired by the colors he found in a Chinese print as well the blue of early Italian Renaissance artist Giotto, who used paint made from lapis lazuli. "I was just thinking of the blue with the disks on it, it's totally abstract. ... It's that simple," Twombly told The Associated Press at the time. Simple or not, his work fetched millions at auction: An untitled Twombly painting set an auction record for the artist at a 2002 Sotheby's sale, fetching euro5.6 million. Before that, a 1990 Christie's auction set a record for Twombly, with his 1971 untitled blackboard painting going for $5.5 million. His canvases also ignited the passions of his followers. In 2007, a woman was arrested in France for kissing an all-white canvas he painted, worth about $2 million. Restorers had trouble getting the lipstick off, and she was ordered to pay hundreds of dollars to the owner and the gallery -- and $1.50 to the artist himself. Born Edwin Parker Twombly in 1928, the artist got his nickname from his father, who was a baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and had been called Cy after another famous slugger, "Cyclone" Young. Eventually Twombly Jr. got the same nickname. Between 1942-46, he studied modern European art under Pierre Daura, a Spanish artist who was living in his hometown of Lexington, according to a catalog for a 2009 Twombly exhibit in Rome organized by the Tate Modern and Rome's National Museum of Modern Art. In 1950, he won a scholarship to the Art Students League in New York, where he was exposed to the works of Rothko, Pollock and others. There he met Rauschenburg, a few years his senior but also a student at the League. On Rauschenburg's advice, Twombly enrolled at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, the experimental school whose alumni are a Who's Who of contemporary arts. He opened his first solo exhibit at the Seven Stairs Gallery in Chicago in 1951 and a year later sailed from New York with Rauschenburg for his first trip to Europe -- which would eventually become his home -- and North Africa, the catalog said. In 1954, he was drafted and trained as a cryptographer in the U.S. Army. While serving, he would draw in the dark -- following a Surrealist technique -- and the practice was later evident in his work. Three years later he moved to Rome and never really left. Later in life, he spent more time in the seaside town of Gaeta south of the Eternal City. In 1959, he married Luisa Tatiana Franchetti and they had a son, Alessandro Cyrus, the catalog said. Twombly, who had a gallery in his name at the Menil Collection museum in Houston, Texas, won a series of awards, including a knight in France's Legion of Honor bestowed at the inauguration of the Louvre ceiling. He won Japan's highest and most prestigious art award in 1998, the Praemium Imperiale prize, which honors fields not covered by the Nobels. In 2001 he snapped up the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Biennale, where he first exhibited his work in 1980. The same year, he opened his first major sculpture show at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The exhibit was still able to ignite the old controversy about whether what he made was really art and whether what he possessed was really talent. To some it looked like the debris in a carpenter's shop with planks and crudely nailed boxes slathered with white paint and plaster. For others, it was an eloquent reminder of the ancient Mediterranean. "In painting, drawings and sculpture, Cy Twombly constantly held himself apart from the great conflicts that would upset the artistic scene of the 20th century," Mitterrand said. Mezil, the Avignon gallery director, said that his work only got better with time. Twombly's June show there was "the most beautiful exhibit before his death," he said. Funeral arrangements were not immediately known.

Celebrated American painter Cy Twombly, whose large-scale paintings featuring scribbles, graffiti and unusual materials fetched millions at auction, has died. He was 83.

Unless you're the product of a feral childhood or a member of a hunter-gathering tribe from the third world, there's a really good chance that you're familiar with the comic-book legend of Superman. Even 74 years after he made his debut on the front page of Action Comics, he remains a powerful force in the American cultural landscape. In fact, the only thing that can match the power he exudes on pop culture is his godlike supernatural physical abilities. It is precisely those stupendous superpowers that elicit our adulation. We love Superman because he can do things that we can only dream of. That will change very soon as we undergo the "biotech revolution." We are currently at the beginning stages of this revolution that will prove to be one of the most transformative eras in human history, and our bodies will be the beneficiary of most of the innovations. To elucidate the sorts of innovations we can expect within the next 20 years, I defer to renown futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil (who has arguably the most stunning track-record of technological predictions). Kurzweil suggests that by 2030 many of our bodies will have nanobots, the size of red blood cells, which are billions of times more powerful than our computers today. These nanobots will be instrumental in regulating our immune systems and various aspects of our bodies. The nanobots, which will be inside most of us, will basically get rid of the bad stuff and reinforce the good parts of our DNA. This has huge implications for the future of the sports world as athletes will be able to make their genes (and hence their entire bodies) more powerful and more resilient to injury. Barry Ptolemy, director of the highly acclaimed film on Kurzweil, Transcendent Man, echoes the renown futurist's predictions. Ptolemy suggests that very soon we will have access to pill that can be ingested to rewrite our entire software code. Consider this. As you read this, the ends of your DNA in all the cells of your body are slowly eroding. The body repairs the ends (called telomeres), but it loses the battle over time. Wrinkles appear in your skin, but that's only one obvious change while millions of degenerations like wrinkles happen to cells throughout the organs of your body. Like your skin's visible deterioration, your thoughts become cloudier, your muscles weaker. Today we elucidate how the body tries to fight this process, but tomorrow we aim to master it. We will approach the day that we can repair our DNA ad infinitum. The cycle of aging is built into all of the systems of our society. Consider the implications of profoundly extending (or perhaps ending) this cycle. You can maintain your youthful physique for decades. For the world of sports this is significant because it means that athlete could presumably play at a professional level well into their 50s or beyond. ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to read them first! So much like Superman, future athletes will be able to use technology to maintain their prime physique and develop immunity to various injuries currently plaguing some of our best talents. But perhaps the most exciting thing to come out of the biotech revolution will be the performance-enhancers. As we've seen, the same technology that can help us become more resilient to injury can be used to make us stronger and faster than ever before. Similarly the supplements of the future will alter our DNA to make us both healthier and more athletically dominant. We've already witnessed the impact that steroids have had on sports, but the next generation of performance-enhancing drugs will make steroids look like child's play. Unlike the stuff that Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong used, these supplements will likely be legal in the sporting community because of their innocuous nature and proliferation. We can only speculate about the impact that these performance-enhancing drugs will have on the individual's athletic ability. We don't know how far these future drugs will take us. But due to their ability to completely alter almost every fiber of our body, we can say with confidence that their impact on the individual, and thus the sports-world, will be unprecedented. In addition to performance-enhancing supplements, the athletes of the very near-future will be assisted by bionic technology. Similar to Lee Majors' character, The Six Million Dollar Man, bionic implants of various kinds will be the norm. Many of these bionic enhancers won;t be visible (they could be the size of the nanobots that Ray Kurzweil referenced), but they will be extremely effective. Bionic limbs have only recently become manifest in the sports world. The Most notable example of this technology being used (against able-bodied athletes) was the 2012 London Olympics. This event marked the first time an athlete competed with two bionic limbs. South African sprinter Oscar Pistorious demonstrated the benefit that bionic technology can have in athletic competition as he ran the 4 x 400 meter sprint. His bionic limbs didn't enable him to outcompete the other sprinters but the bionic innovations of the next 20 years will probably enable humans to surpass human limitations. It is likely that the next generation of athletes, aided by biotech innovations, will be the ones to break commonly-held conceptions of what is physically possible. The effects of technology can be subtle, as well. Tiger Woods underwent laser eye surgery to see better than 20/20 vision. Although she received the procedure for medical reasons, Diane van Deren's brain surgery altered her perception of time in a way that has enabled her to become one of the most successful female extreme distance runners in human history. Both she and Woods show no immediate outward sign of their superior physical structures they possess. Thus, in a very short period of time, we will see true superhumans. Athletes who can outpace horses, bench-press thousands of pounds and jump ten feet in the air, will likely emerge on the scene. The Superman-athlete is about to make his mark on the sports world and there will be no turning back. This text will be replaced This text will be replaced

Unless you're the product of a feral childhood or a member of a hunter-gathering tribe from the third world, there's a really good chance that you're ...

John Shea reporting from the ballpark . . . Pablo Sandoval was activated but is not in the lineup. He’ll start Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games and is available off the bench in the series opener. “If they want me, I’ll be there, man,” said Sandoval, who’s coming off a left hamstring strain. The Giants saw enough of the third baseman in three games for Class A San Jose, however limited. “Zero ground balls, man, in three days,” he said. “I was waiting for one, but . . . “ Manager Bruce Bochy is open to playing Sandoval on some occasions at first base even though that’s where he was hurt, doing the splits stretching for a throw. “I’m ready for anything,” Sandoval said. Asked if he pushed himself running or went easy, he said, “Kind of easy. It’s going to be day by day. I don’t want to push it now. But every day I feel better and better.” To which Bochy said, “We don’t want him to go 100 percent, but he’s real close to it. I think he puts it at 90 percent. That’s pretty good. That’s going to work until he gets better.” The Giants optioned first baseman Brett Pill to create a roster space for Sandoval. The lineup: CF Pagan, 3B Scutaro, LF Cabrera, C Posey, RF Pence, 2B Theriot, 1B Belt, SS Arias, RH Vogelsong.

Pablo Sandoval activated, not in Giants’ lineup for series opener; Brett Pill optioned

In joining with the liberal justices, perennial swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy helped deliver a victory to abortion rights activists and signaled the court's majority in their favor could continue regardless of the presidential election and the filling of the empty seat on the bench left by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the majority opinion, which was joined in full by Kennedy. Breyer wrote that despite arguments that the restrictions were designed to protect women's health, the reality is that they merely amounted to burdening women who seek abortions. "There was no significant health-related problem that the new law helped to cure," Breyer wrote. "We agree with the District Court that the surgical-center requirement, like the admitting-privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an "undue burden" on their constitutional right to do so." Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined Breyer's opinion and wrote a brief concurring opinion, which focused on what she called women in "desperate circumstances." "When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety," she wrote. The ruling will have reverberations on the presidential election, where the fate of the Supreme Court has been front-and-center after the death of Scalia in February. Senate Republicans have refused to act on President Barack Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, leaving the court with eight justices. But Monday's ruling signals that even if Republicans were to name that replacement, the court still has a five-justice majority that could rule against abortion restrictions. And if Hillary Clinton were to win, the majority could even grow. Hillary Clinton immediately praised the ruling. "SCOTUS's decision is a victory for women in Texas and across America. Safe abortion should be a right—not just on paper, but in reality. -H" President Barack Obama said he is "pleased" by the ruling. "We remain strongly committed to the protection of women's health, including protecting a woman's access to safe, affordable health care and her right to determine her own future, the President said. The court's decision has major implications for the future political battles over abortion beyond Texas. Anti-abortion activists since Roe v. Wade have worked to pass a slew of laws across the country restricting abortions or making them more difficult, like the law struck down in Texas. But Monday's ruling strengthened the premise of the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v Casey, sending a message to states that might pass such laws and lower courts that would uphold them that they have a high hurdle to prove they're constitutional. The Casey ruling said that states could impose restrictions as long as they didn't impose an undue burden on the woman. "By clarifying exactly what the 'undue burden' test requires, I suspect the majority was hoping to dissuade states like Oklahoma from continuing to pass laws that so directly challenge the central premise of Roe v. Wade -- that the Constitution protects a pregnant woman's right to an abortion in a meaningful percentage of cases," said Steve Vladeck, CNN contributor and professor of law at American University Washington College of Law. "In the process, the Court today has called into question everything from categorical bans on abortions to so-called 'fetal heartbeat' restrictions, and perhaps plenty of other laws in between," Vladeck added. Already, both sides signaled they intend to keep fighting. "Our fight is far from over," Clinton said in a statement. "In Texas and across the country, a woman's constitutional right to make her own health decisions is under attack. In the first three months of 2016, states introduced more than 400 measures restricting access to abortion." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott decried the ruling. "The decision erodes States' lawmaking authority to safeguard the health and safety of women and subjects more innocent life to being lost," the Republican governor said in a statement. "Texas' goal is to protect innocent life, while ensuring the highest health and safety standards for women." "I'm disappointed in the Court's decision. But our fight to protect women's health & promote life will not stop here," House Speaker Paul Ryan All eyes were on Kennedy entering oral arguments -- a position the 79-year-old justice has often found himself in on the abortion issue. Kennedy was one of the authors of Casey, but then disappointed supporters of abortion rights when he upheld the federal partial birth abortion ban in 2007. All eyes were on him for this case to see if he would take the opportunity to clarify Casey. Instead, as the most senior justice in the majority it was his choice to allow Breyer to write. "The fact that Justice Kennedy gave away this opinion assignment and didn't write separately is striking," said Vladeck. "Kennedy has not only been the swing vote on abortion issues since he joined the Court in 1988, but he has written an opinion in virtually every major abortion case during that time, including the majority opinion in the Court's controversial 2007 decision upholding the federal ban on so-called 'partial-birth' abortions. "It's not stunning that he sided with the liberals in striking down the Texas law in this case, but it is stunning that he didn't feel the need to explain why," Vladeck added. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito wrote dissents. Thomas wrote a bitter dissent for himself, accusing the court of eroding the Constitution. "The Court has simultaneously transformed judicially created rights like the right to abortion into preferred constitutional rights, while disfavoring many of the rights actually enumerated in the Constitution," Thomas wrote. "But our Constitution renounces the notion that some constitutional rights are more equal than others. ... A law either infringes a constitutional right, or not; there is no room for the judiciary to invent tolerable degrees of encroachment. Unless the Court abides by one set of rules to adjudicate constitutional rights, it will continue reducing constitutional law to policy-driven value judgments until the last shreds of its legitimacy disappear." While Thomas would have upheld the laws, in Alito's dissent, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, the justices would have sent the laws back to the lower courts to be decided after more evidence was presented. Alito accused the justices in the majority of fabricating claims for the attorneys in the case. "Determined to strike down two provisions of a new Texas abortion statute in all of their applications, the Court simply disregards basic rules that apply in all other cases," Alito wrote. "The Court favors petitioners with a victory that they did not have the audacity to seek." Alito thought the two provisions of the law should have been dealt with separately and he condemns the majority for failing to do that analysis. "If some applications are unconstitutional, the severability clause plainly requires that those applications be severed and that the rest be left intact....How can the Court possibly escape this painfully obvious conclusion. Its main argument is that it need not honor the severability provision because doing so would be too burdensome." Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network and former clerk to Thomas, said the ruling "made clear that some constitutional rights are more equal than others." In a statement, she added that "by throwing out the regular legal rules in order to carry water for the abortion industry, the Court has further threatened its own legitimacy. It's no wonder the Supreme Court is suffering record levels of disapproval with the American people." There were two provisions of the law at issue. The first said that doctors have to have local admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, the second says that the clinics have to upgrade their facilities to hospital-like standards. Critics say if the 2013 law, known as H.B. 2, is allowed to go into effect it could shutter all but a handful of clinics in a state with 5.4 million women of reproductive age. Texas countered that the law was passed in response to the Kermit Gosnell scandal. The Pennsylvania man was convicted in 2013 of first-degree murder for killing babies that were born alive in his clinic. State Solicitor General Scott Keller argued in court papers that if the court were to uphold the law, an abortion clinic "will remain open in each area where one will close, meaning that over 90% of Texas women of reproductive age will live within 150 miles of an open abortion clinic." A federal appeals court upheld the Texas law in 2015, and last spring a majority of the Supreme Court voted to stay that ruling pending appeal. The four conservative justices at the time: John Roberts, along with Thomas, Alito and the late Justice Antonin Scalia, publicly noted that they would have denied the stay. Protesters gathered outside the court in the hot, humid weather said they were ready to continue the abortion battle at the ballot box in November. Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, told CNN that the electoral fight would extend from the race for the White House, to the races in statehouses throughout the nation. "I think it's a wake-up call to most Americans who value freedom, who value dignity that we need to get out and make our voices heard against a vocal minority, especially in November," Hogue said. "It's not just at the top of the ticket, but at the statehouse, too." Teresa Stormes, 57, a CPA from Paragould, Arkansas, was visiting Washington with her children, Will Robbins, 18, and Ashley Robbins, 29. Even after a loss at the nation's highest court, people opposing abortion should turn to their local races and candidates, and their neighbors, she said. "There's a lot of people on the planet and there's only a certain circle of people we can influence," Stormes said. "It's kind of like you have to go back to square one and be an example where you are and support life where you are." Joe Aquilante, 42, a high school theology teacher from Philadelphia, said he had traveled down to Washington the previous weeks with other students and teachers from his school, expecting a ruling. When it was announced Monday, he said he had "mixed emotions." "You know, I was saddened, but I'm emboldened as well because we've got to continue to fight," he said. Fiorella Spalvieri, 53, a mental health administrator who was visiting Washington and walked over to the protest in support of pro-abortion rights groups, took a sober view of the ruling Monday: "I'm not sure the debate will ever be over." CNN's Tom LoBianco contributed to this report.

In a dramatic ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday threw out a Texas abortion access law in a victory to supporters of abortion rights who argued it would have shuttered all but a handful of clinics in the state.

NEW YORK — I had very high hopes for Barack Obama. I still do. He’s smart, curious, informed — and he has a sense of humor, if only he’d display it more. But he inherited a nation in a funk and, one year into his presidency, he’s not found a way to lift the mood. Americans feel mired. At a fundamental level, that funk is about a power shift. The United States is not what it was. It got attacked and the response has proved draining in blood and treasure. Anger accumulated, frustrations and debt grew. America’s 20th-century role is unraveling, albeit slowly, but its 21st-century role is not yet born. Like it or not, we are witnessing the relative decline of the West. It’s going to be a long, slow movie but I don’t think the plot is going to reverse itself. This transition prompts a couple of reactions. One is “To heck with the world.” Many Republicans (and Sarah Palin comes to mind) are in this my-way-or-the-highway place. The other is: Let’s adjust to the new reality through outreach and a new modesty. Obama is somewhere in that zone. The thing is the president needs some results. I see him caught in a kind of halfway house. His gut tells him the world has changed and demands new policies but Washington politics keep him stuck in the conventional. His first year on the world stage has offered innovative speeches but largely unoriginal policy. I suspect he’s not yet confident enough to have the courage of his convictions. Or perhaps he just needs more grown-ups in the White House. The transition from a very successful campaign to power is still a work in progress. If I get another mass e-mailing from the White House about what Obama’s “movement” needs next, the response will be ugly. That’s not how you govern. The issue is change. Obama has spoken of “a new foundation.” It’s needed within and without, where the vital centers of growth have shifted to China, India, Brazil. But change is not about speeches. It’s about conviction and courage. I don’t see it happening for the moment — not with respect to Beijing, or Tehran, or Jerusalem, or Havana, or ... Well, the list could go on. In the 1950s, as he watched his country getting embroiled in the conflict that would become the Vietnam War, a U.S. official observed: “Whether the French like it or not, independence is coming to Indochina. Why therefore do we tie ourselves to the tail of their battered kite?” Obama is still hitched to too many battered kites. There was the $6 billion-plus arms sale to Taiwan, which predictably enraged Beijing. No re-imagined relationship with China is going to emerge as long as Beijing views Washington as meddling with its core strategic interests in this way. How Obama thinks he can double U.S. exports by 2015 while provoking China is a mystery. How he expects any meaningful cooperation on Iran is equally hard to fathom. When I was in China last month, I asked the Foreign Ministry about Iran policy. I got a pretty clear written response: “We think sanctions would not fundamentally solve the problem. There are still diplomatic means that we can try regarding the nuclear issue.” The Foreign Ministry told me China stood strongly behind nonproliferation but called for patience in “resolving the Iranian nuclear issue in a comprehensive and peaceful way.” That’s a very considerable distance from Obama’s tone in his State of the Union address, where he lumped Iran with North Korea (being so utterly different, they should not be paired) and warned Iranian leaders that they “will face growing consequences. That is a promise.” What did I say about a halfway house? Obama wants a new relationship with China but he’s stuck with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. He seeks a new relationship with Tehran but is relapsing into the old, sterile sanctions-threatening pattern at a moment of great political fluidity in Iran when American saber-rattling is counterproductive. It is outreach that has unnerved the Iranian regime; threats serve the hard-liners. I’m with Chinese patience for now. In the Middle East, where he wants to redefine America’s relationship with the Muslim world, and advance peace between Israel and Palestine, Obama finds himself listening to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent vows to keep some settlements in the West Bank “for eternity.” He has been unable to change the dynamic of ever widening estrangement between Israelis and Palestinians. I’ve seen no big new ideas, just a cool acquiescence to the Netanyahu’s “nyets” that help make “two-state solution” one of the weariest phrases on the planet. The only area where Obama’s actions have been more eloquent than words is in the elimination last year of Al Qaeda fighters — “far more than in 2008,” the president said. This is a new but so far undeclared Obama doctrine: large-scale targeted killings. It’s cheaper and more effective than ground invasions but raises issues that can’t be passed over in silence. New foundations are needed. But they can’t be built in halfway houses.

President Obama’s gut tells him the world demands new policies, but Washington politics keep him stuck in the conventional.

With a verve usually reserved for major sporting events, cultural festivals or something resembling fun, the South Korean capital has amped up its attitude for this week's gathering of the Group of 20, a group of world leaders who will debate things like macroprudential bank regulations and currency policy - not raise the roof with a street party. Nevertheless, there are banners draped from major buildings, specially developed cocktails and a public plaza set up with displays about global growth and economic policy. Fresh flowers line the streets, covered from a fall chill so they can be unveiled for arriving heads of state, and large, G-20-themed lanterns provide the opening motif of this year's lantern festival on the Cheonggye stream in central Seoul. It is not so much a testament to any public fascination with the content of the meetings as evidence of the importance that the Korean government, and particularly President Lee Myung-bak, have attached to the event. This is the first time the group - the self-styled board of directors for the global economy - has met outside the Western industrialized world, and Lee has made it a national mission to ensure that the session is, in image and substance, a success. The effort has included Lee's personal lobbying to keep on track what has developed into an unexpectedly difficult agenda, and a pull-out-the-stops approach to the city's preparations. "In terms of diplomacy, he has decided this event should be one of the major achievements" of a five-year term marked by stalled talks with North Korea, the economic crisis and the sinking of a warship last spring, said Yoon Young-kwan, an international relations professor at Seoul National University and former foreign affairs minister. "He has invested much time and energy." "The circumstances have not been so easy," Lee said in an interview this weekend previewing the meeting. A dispute over world currency values expanded beyond the U.S. and China to pose larger risks of economic protectionism, and efforts to overhaul the management of the International Monetary Fund appeared to stall. Lee personally intervened in the latter issue, appearing at a preparatory meeting of finance ministers last month and urging them to resolve the dispute before their heads of state arrived in Seoul. They did, setting the stage for a notable turnaround: a country with lingering bad memories of strict conditions set by the IMF during a financial crisis in the 1990s helping to broker changes to give the fund more influence and credibility in emerging markets. It's part of what Lee sees as South Korea's role as a bridge between cultures and economies - a nation culturally close to China and, in recent decades, politically close to the U.S.; an industrialized country with still recent memories of postwar poverty and, it argues, a strong example to offer other developing nations. World summits often seem more a logistical burden for the host than an opportunity to show off the country, but that isn't the case here. "This is historically important for Korea in terms of transforming from a peripheral state to a core state in the management of the global economy," said Park Jin, a member of the South Korean Parliament from Lee's ruling party. "Korea went through a successful democratization and economic modernization at the same time. ... Now we're in a position to coordinate." MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST: South Korea, U.S. in trade talks before G-20 summit

SEOUL - Could a city get more excited about exchange rates?

It looks like concern within Mitt Romney’s campaign that the prolonged Republican presidential primary could damage his standing among undecided voters has some legitimacy. A new USA Today/Gallup poll gauging support among independents in swing states finds that President Obama holds a 48% to 39% advantage over the presumptive GOP nominee Romney, a significant change from polling conducted last year. The poll, conducted before Romney’s primary victories on Tuesday, also places Obama’s overall support in 12 swing states above Romney’s, 51% to 42%. The key to these results is the sizable departure of independent women from Romney’s camp over the last few months to Obama's. In polls conducted between October and December 2011, Romney led Obama 48% to 43% among independent women. But since then, the aggregated data from February to March bode well for Obama, with independent women now preferring the president 51% to 37%. That’s a whopping 19% swing – Romney down 11 percentage points and Obama up 8 – and it was seen within the male independent electorate as well, with a 12% swing accounting for Obama’s current slim 46% to 45% lead. Interestingly, though the initial thought would be to chalk up the shift to the recent debate over contraceptives and health insurance, 8 out of 10 independent women polled were unaware of Romney’s stance. Of those who were aware of Romney’s position on contraception, the majority disagreed with him, by a 2-to-1 margin. For Obama, 58% were unfamiliar with his position on contraception, and of those who did know where he stood, there was an even split between those for and against his views. The poll, conducted March 20-26, surveyed voters in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. The poll was conducted through telephone interviews with a random sample of 933 voters and a sampling error of 6%. Original source: Independent women lead exodus of support from Romney

It looks like concern within Mitt Romney ’s campaign that the prolonged Republican presidential primary could damage his standing among undecided voters has some legitimacy.

FOR years, Gregory Turner wanted a second home in the city. He and his wife, Veronica Helgans, who met in medical school at Tufts University and settled in Storrs, Conn., assumed they would buy a pied-à-terre at some future date, possibly when their youngest child left for college. One weekend a few years ago, Dr. Helgans, an obstetrician-gynecologist, was attending a conference in Midtown while Dr. Turner, a radiologist, went for a long run. He found himself on the far Upper East Side, on lovely streets lined with “what I call Philadelphia-style walk-ups,” he said — not too ornate. He was in his kind of neighborhood, a thought he filed away for future reference. Last winter he decided it was unwise to wait. “All of a sudden I woke up and realized I am almost 50 years old and I am not going to get another 50,” he said. So, with visions of quaintness in his head, Dr. Turner began the hunt for a one-bedroom costing no more than $400,000 in a prewar co-op building. He concentrated on blocks between East 79th and East 86th Streets, an “easy-on, easy-off” location for driving to and from his saltbox in Connecticut. He made the two-hour trip on occasional weekends, sometimes with his wife or one of the children, Graham, now 16, or Isabel, 12. Dr. Helgans had little interest in the search. “I have enough busyness in my life,” she said. “Greg is always looking at real estate sections on his own. It’s kind of a hobby.” All she cared about was not having to bother with renovations. Attending open houses, Dr. Turner said, “was an education unto itself.” A topic of frequent debate was whether the Second Avenue subway would alleviate crowding on the East Side line. People besieged the agent on duty, he said, “firing away with questions about is there an outstanding lien and why is the maintenance so high and what’s the reserve and when does the heat go on and off.” He had no idea about any of it. “I thought everybody controlled their own heat.” Dr. Turner was charmed by a small one-bedroom on East 81st Street in a white clapboard house hidden behind a courtyard shared with a brick walk-up building. He later returned with the whole family. “I tried to talk them into it,” he said. But the ceiling sloped and so did the floor. The courtyard made Dr. Helgans feel exposed. “I didn’t want to have people watching me or to be impinged upon,” she said. “Sometimes going to a coffee shop locally is a hard time because people keep walking over to talk to me and I can’t read. It is good to have a little anonymity.” That one remains for sale for $350,000, with monthly maintenance of almost $1,100. On East 83rd Street, Dr. Turner found a co-op for $349,000, with monthly maintenance in the mid-$700s. A frosted-glass wall partitioned off the windowed sleeping area. Dr. Helgans loved the renovated interior. But Dr. Turner didn’t like the rectangular floor plan or eye-level streetlight outside, a potential source of nighttime glare. Also, the apartment was on a courtyard, on view to several dozen windows. “How could you relax?” he said. At a nice walk-up building on East 82nd Street, a one-bedroom, with an exposed brick wall and a windowed bathroom, was beautifully renovated, though with a drab view of backyards. The price was $350,000, with monthly maintenance in the mid-$600s. There Dr. Turner met the listing agent, Therese Bateman, then of the Corcoran Group and now at Town Residential. She noted that the bedroom radiator, against a wall rather than beneath the window, wasn’t ideal for bed placement. Dr. Turner appreciated her forthrightness, so he asked her if she would represent them once they got around to a purchase. In the meantime, however, he was having so much fun looking on his own that he declined her help with the legwork. Dr. Turner screened out places with boring views and dingy common areas. He also held out for a pretty block. “I actually got to a point where I walked down every single street from Central Park to Carl Schurz Park, and ranked every block,” he said.

Gregory Turner and Veronica Helgans went looking for a pied-à-terre on the Upper East Side.

"America's Got Talent," NBC's top-rated summer series from producer Simon Cowell's Syco Television and FremantleMedia North America, celebrates its landmark 10th season with the hottest performers from across the country competing for America's vote. With the talent search open to acts of all ages, "America's Got Talent" has brought the variety format back to the forefront of American culture by showcasing unique performers from across the country. The series is a true celebration of the American spirit, featuring a colorful array of singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists and hopeful stars, all vying for their chance to win America's hearts and the $1 million prize. Last summer, "America's Got Talent" remained the number-one summer show in total viewers for the ninth consecutive year. For the first time in the show's history, America chose a magician as their winner: Rhode Island native Mat Franco, who went on to headline the "America's Got Talent Live" stage show in Las Vegas. Previously, self-taught dancer Kenichi Ebina was named the Season 8 winner. Ebina infuses illusion, mime and special effects of sound, light and video into each dance performance. In 2012, Olate Dogs was named the winner of Season 7. Olate Dogs is a high-energy, fast-paced dog act filled with impressive pet tricks led by Richard Olate and his son Nicholas Olate. In 2011, West Virginia native Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. beat out thousands of acts to take home the coveted $1 million grand prize for Season 6. He signed with Columbia Records and Syco Music and released his first album, "That's Life," in November of that year. Mississippi-born soul singer Michael Grimm was named the winner of the fifth season's competition. After headlining the national "America's Got Talent Tour," he toured with the legendary Stevie Nicks and Heart. Season 5 also brought national attention to then-10-year-old classical singer Jackie Evancho, who has gone on to release several best-selling albums. Season 4 winner Kevin Skinner released his debut album, "Long Ride," in 2010. Pop opera singer Neal E. Boyd won Season 3, and has since performed for audiences that included U.S. presidents. Season 2 winner Terry Fator, a ventriloquist, singer and comedian from Dallas, went on to sign a deal to headline at the Mirage in Las Vegas, where he continues to perform. Singer and songwriter Bianca Ryan won the premiere season of "America's Got Talent" in 2006, when she was just 11 years old. "America's Got Talent" is produced by FremantleMedia North America and Syco Entertainment. Simon Cowell, Sam Donnelly, Jason Raff, Trish Kinane and Richard Wallace are the executive producers.

Watch Season 10 full episodes of summer's top-rated competition series, hosted by Nick Cannon with judges Heidi Klum, Howard Stern, Mel B and Howie Mandel.

This week the conservative Heritage Foundation announced that the U.S. is no longer an economically free nation. Our score on the Index of Economic Freedom has fallen from 80.7 in 2009 to 78 in 2010, with a score of 80 being the cutoff between free and "mostly free." It's not hard to get depressed about the prospects for economic freedom these days, given all of the government interventions of the past 18 months in response to the Great Recession. However, I think it's important to remember that freedom encompasses much more than escaping government's oppression and intrusion, and growth in government spending and taxation don't automatically lead to totalitarianism. I think many conservatives and libertarians look at government's share of the gross domestic product as the central measure of freedom. Implicitly, they assume that if there were no government we would be 100% free. If government taxing and spending consume one-third of GDP, then we are only two-thirds free and so on. Obviously, there is something to this. But because it's so easy to measure government's share of the economy, I think there is too much attention paid to it to the exclusion of other important factors. On the one hand, we underestimate the importance of government regulations because they are hard to quantify yet may affect our lives more significantly than taxation or other governmental actions. On the other, I think we tend to underappreciate the ways in which technology frees us. The blessings of things like cellphones, PDAs and the Internet compensate for an enormous amount of waste and inefficiency elsewhere in society and the economy. To the extent that technology boosts productivity, it makes the burden of government more bearable. Another thing we tend to forget is the great benefit of the wealth that almost all Americans have today. Not that many years ago, people had to spend an enormous percentage of their waking hours simply acquiring and preparing food. Now, even among poor households, obtaining adequate food is a minor concern. Indeed, obesity is a far bigger problem among the poor than malnutrition. The freedom to do things other than grow crops, raise livestock and cook on a wood stove is not one to be underestimated. Because of the declining cost of things essential to life, burdens that might have been unbearable in the past can be borne with relative ease today. Consider taxation. If much of society is barely able to produce enough to live on then even the smallest tax can be extremely burdensome. That's the main reason why tax burdens before the 20th century were minuscule by today's standards: There was simply nothing to tax. Wealth, incomes, output and productivity were too low for there to be much for government to take. Now that the cost (both absolutely and relative to income) of basics--food, water, clothing--have fallen dramatically from just a few generations ago, people can afford to pay more taxes without suffering the deprivation that similar burdens would have imposed in the past. And we get more back for our tax dollars. In the past most government spending went for wars. Today, at the federal level, the vast majority of people will get back every dollar they pay in Social Security taxes plus a lot more, and Medicare provides a valuable service that will eventually benefit almost everyone. At the state and local level, spending mostly goes for things that people want, like police and fire protection, schools, parks and roads. This brings me to an unappreciated point about how Social Security and Medicare add to freedom. Conservatives and libertarians tend to look at these programs solely in terms of the way they diminish it. But before these programs came along, care for the aged imposed an enormous burden on families that decreased their freedom.

There's more to freedom than low taxes.

A U.S. Secret Service audiotape 30 years old sheds light on the chaotic aftermath of Ronald Reagan's shooting when neither the president nor his guardians realized he had been shot, and an agent's snap decision to get him to a hospital might have saved his life. "Let's hustle," agent Jerry Parr is heard barking as Reagan's limousine suddenly changed course, the sight of the president's blood signaling there was more wrong with him than a bruised rib or two, as everyone thought right after the March 30, 1981, attack. The car, which had been spiriting Reagan back to the security of the White House after the spray of gunfire, sped to George Washington University Hospital instead. Reagan lost about half his blood and came closer to death that day than Americans realized for years later. The Secret Service released the tape Friday in response to a public-records request from Del Wilber, a Washington Post reporter whose book, "Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan," comes out next week. Just over 10 minutes, the tape captures the urgent, confused yet coolly methodical radio communications among agents on the scene and the Secret Service command post, starting when the president and his entourage walked out of the Washington Hilton hotel while John Hinckley Jr., with a pistol, stood waiting. Hinckley opened fire, wounding press secretary James Brady in the head, police officer Thomas Delahanty in the back and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy in the abdomen before his last bullet ricocheted off the limousine, grazing Reagan's rib and lodging in his lung. As has been known, Reagan and his protectors at first thought he had merely hurt his ribs from being shoved into the vehicle by Parr. At 2:27 p.m., 19 seconds into the tape, agent Ray Shaddick radios: "Advise, we've had shots fired. Shots fired. There are some injuries, uh, lay one on." Sixteen seconds later, Parr radios assurance about a president whose Secret Service code name was drawn from the Westerns he loved: "Rawhide is OK. Follow-up. Rawhide is OK." "You wanna go to the hospital or back to the White House?" Shaddick asks. "We're going right. we're going to Crown," Parr says, using a code word for the White House. "Back to the White House," Shaddick repeats. "Rawhide is OK." Twenty-four seconds later, a voice asserts again: "Rawhide's alright." But 25 seconds after that, the plan abruptly changes: "We want to go to the emergency room of George Washington." Nowhere in the tape does anyone state that the president is hurt. Inside the car, however, as participants have told it, Reagan was worsening. Parr had quickly checked Reagan as they sped away and finding nothing terribly amiss, preferred the safety and medical facilities of the White House to an unsecured hospital. And when Reagan found blood in his mouth, the president told his men he must have cut his lip. But Reagan was becoming more ashen, complained of trouble breathing and the bleeding did not appear to be from a mere cut. Parr ordered the diversion to the hospital. "Go to George Washington fast," agent Drew Unrue is heard saying, at 01:57 minutes into the tape. "Get an ambulance," Parr tells the command post, known as Horsepower. "I mean get the, um, stretcher out there." He wants the hospital to be ready to wheel the president in. "We've made the call," Horsepower replies. Sirens are heard, and a voice confirms that authorities have captured a suspect. Hinckley was piled on and arrested at the scene. Less than four minutes after Reagan left the Hilton, the car carrying the stricken president arrives at the hospital. Moments later, "Rainbow" -- Nancy Reagan -- is on her way. Reagan had suffered extensive internal bleeding, but his gunshot wound was not discovered until doctors examined him. As it turned out, he did not enter on a stretcher but got out of the car, walked in with the help of agents and began to collapse before those around him picked him up and carried him to the emergency room. Doctors were able to stabilize his blood pressure in short order before removing the bullet in surgery.

A U.S. Secret Service audiotape 30 years old sheds light on the chaotic aftermath of Ronald Reagan's shooting when neither the president nor his guardians realized he had been shot, and an agent's snap decision to get him to a hospital might have saved his life.

The New York Times won five Pulitzer Prizes in journalism on Monday, the second-most in its history, for work on subjects as varied as America’s wars in Asia, the sudden downfall of a political titan, art from ancient to modern and a history-making presidential campaign. The prestigious prize for public service went to The Las Vegas Sun for its exploration of a large number of construction worker deaths at some of that city’s biggest building sites. The St. Petersburg Times won two awards, including one in the national reporting category, for its PolitiFact project, which checks the truth of political claims. The other was won by Lane DeGregory, for feature writing. The award for PolitiFact broke new ground, in that most of the work was published on PolitiFact.com, but not in print. Works appearing primarily online were first eligible for awards in 2007. The New York Times’s five awards give it 101 since the Pulitzers were first awarded in 1917, by far the most of any news organization. Only twice has an organization won more than five in a year: in 2002, when The Times won seven, and last year, when The Washington Post won six. The Los Angeles Times won five in 2004. Speaking in the newsroom, Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, said that while budget cuts have convinced many newspapers that they cannot pay for expensive work like investigations and overseas reporting, “this paper has decided it can’t afford not to do those things.” But “prizes are not the reason we do what we do, or the measure of it,” he added, saying that he was especially proud of The Times’s coverage of the financial crisis, a finalist in the public service category that did not win a Pulitzer. In fact, no organization won for economic coverage. The Times won the prize for breaking news reporting, for its coverage of the rapid disintegration of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s political career when the newspaper revealed he had been a client of a prostitution ring. The Times’s coverage of the war and political struggle in Afghanistan and Pakistan won for international reporting. And an examination by David Barstow of conflicts of interest among the military analysts who help television networks cover the wars in Asia won the Pulitzer for investigative reporting. Holland Cotter of The Times won the prize for criticism, for his coverage of art that spanned continents and millennia. And Damon Winter won for feature photography, for his images of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. The prize for breaking news photography went to Patrick Farrell of The Miami Herald for his images from Haiti of the destruction left by a hurricane. Several of the prizes indirectly highlighted the precarious state of American newspapers, going to papers that have adopted unorthodox printing and delivery practices. The Sun in 2005 became an insert inside The Las Vegas Review-Journal; The Detroit Free Press recently halted home delivery four days of the week and prints an abbreviated edition on those days. In January, The East Valley Tribune, in Mesa, Ariz., stopped printing three days of the week and laid off 40 percent of its staff — including Paul Giblin, one of the reporters on its prize-winning project, and Patti Epler, the editor who guided it. The Free Press and The Tribune both won prizes for local reporting. The Free Press, and in particular the reporters Jim Schaefer and M. L. Elrick, were cited for uncovering the misconduct that sent Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick to jail. Ryan Gabrielson and Mr. Giblin of The Tribune won for a critical examination of a popular local sheriff. Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of The Los Angeles Times won the prize for explanatory reporting, for their examination of wildfires in the West. Eugene H. Robinson of The Washington Post, won for commentary; the award for editorial writing went to Mark Mahoney of The Post-Star in tiny Glens Falls, N.Y.; and Steve Breen of The San Diego Union-Tribune won in the editorial cartooning category. In the arts and letters, Elizabeth Strout won the fiction prize for her book, “Olive Kitteridge.” Lynn Nottage won the drama prize for “Ruined.” The poetry prize went to W. S. Merwin for “The Shadow of Sirius.” Works on American history swept the nonfiction awards. Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek, won the biography prize for “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.” The history prize went to Annette Gordon-Reed, for “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.” And Douglas A. Blackmon took the prize for general nonfiction, for “Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II.” The composer Steve Reich won the prize in music, for “Double Sextet.” This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: April 23, 2009 An article on Tuesday about this year’s Pulitzer Prize winners referred incorrectly to submissions of work that appeared online. This was the first year work published only online — not primarily online — was accepted. (Works appearing primarily online were first eligible in 2007.)

The five prizes for The New York Times were the second most in its history. The Las Vegas Sun won the public service prize.

He was sprawled on the floor of his apartment surrounded by empty beer and wine bottles when E.M.S. broke down the door. He was 63, but his elderly mother still kept tabs on him. When he hadn’t answered the phone for three days, she’d called 911. He was an alcoholic, she told E.M.S., with many admissions to the hospital for “alcohol withdrawal,” but was otherwise healthy. Working in an inner-city hospital, our medical teams admit so many alcohol withdrawal cases that the treatment is nearly second nature. Basically, all you have to do is treat the shakes with sedatives like Valium until the withdrawal symptoms abate, or the patient ducks out of the hospital for another drink. Our patient exhibited every sign of alcohol withdrawal – a rapid heart rate (tachycardia), hypertension and tremors. He was awake but lethargic. He was given intravenous Valium every few hours through the night, but the next day, he still had the shakes, as well as the elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Hard-core alcoholics are known to be “tolerant” of sedatives, so we cranked up the dose. We continued to increase his Valium dose, and by the end of the day, his shakes were starting to improve, though his heart rate hadn’t yet come down. But he was a textbook case of alcohol withdrawal, we told ourselves, he just needed more sedative. We were about to leave for the day… and about to fall into a trap. The trap that we nearly fell into is called anchoring bias. The patient was admitted to our team with the diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal. Once we had that label in our minds, we fit everything into that diagnostic box, anchoring all of his symptoms to that diagnosis, even ones that didn’t quite fit. Just before we left, one of the medical residents reviewed the patient’s vital signs for the previous 24 hours and noted that the heart rate did not drop — even transiently — after each Valium injection. That gave us pause. Was it still alcohol withdrawal, with an “atypical” presentation, or was there something else going on? Occam’s razor is the principle that one should hunt for the simplest single diagnosis to explain a patient’s condition. Certainly this patient, who reeked of alcohol when he first arrived in the E.R., had every symptom of withdrawal. But Hickam’s dictum is the opposite philosophy, that patients can have as many illnesses as they damn well please. Maybe there was something else in addition to alcohol withdrawal. Lots of things cause a rapid heart rate in addition to alcohol intoxication: dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities, hypoglycemia, fever, anxiety, drugs, bleeding, heart attacks, blood clots, infections, hyperthyroidism, even too much coffee. We’d already hydrated him, corrected his electrolyte problems, checked for infections, heart attacks and thyroid disease. His oxygen saturation was 100 percent, without any supplemental oxygen needed. A CT scan of his head and chest X-ray were normal. Other than the rapid heart rate, so was his EKG. But then the d-dimer, a nonspecific blood test for clots, was elevated. A stat CT scan of the chest demonstrated clots in both lungs — a life-threatening condition called pulmonary embolus that required immediate treatment with blood thinners. In the textbooks, patients with pulmonary embolus are short of breath and complain of sharp pain when breathing in deeply. Their oxygen saturation is low, and their EKGs show a classic “right-heart strain pattern.” Our patient had none of those symptoms, and he had another condition, alcohol withdrawal, that could account for his rapid heart rate. This was a frightening near miss, a potentially fatal condition almost undiagnosed because of our anchoring bias. Only the astute observation — that the patient’s heart rate was not dipping after the Valium injections — led us to the additional diagnosis. Anchoring bias is often considered the Achilles’ heel of diagnostic reasoning. It’s as though our brains close ranks around our first impression, then refuse to consider anything else. Once a patient is “billed” as a heart attack, or gastroenteritis, or anxiety, we view every data point through that particular lens. If the data don’t fit, we tend to assume that it’s merely because the illness is presenting atypically rather than that our diagnosis might be wrong or incomplete. Anchoring bias casts an even longer shadow in today’s shift-oriented medical world, in which patients are serially handed off from one team to another. The label that is attached to them takes on a life of its own. Once our patient was treated with blood thinners, the clots could no longer grow bigger. As they began to heal, his heart rate normalized. He still needed heavy doses of Valium to ease his alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but those, too, eventually subsided. For the doctors, this was a harrowing lesson in the trap of anchoring bias. It is so easy to slip into it without even knowing. But this case reminded us to keep reciting the mantra: if something doesn’t fit, don’t try to make it fit. Ask what else might be going on. Don’t fall into the trap. The patient, though, ended up in another clinical dilemma. He needed to stay on blood thinners to prevent a future clots, but his history of alcohol use made this a risky proposition. A drunken fall while on blood thinners is a recipe for a brain hemorrhage. Without blood thinners, however, his next blood clot could be fatal. But that’s a treatment quandary, rather than a diagnostic one. Fodder for another discussion. Danielle Ofri is an associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine and editor in chief of the Bellevue Literary Review. Her most recent book is “Medicine in Translation: Journeys With My Patients.”

The patient was found in his room, surrounded by alcohol bottles. But while he was battling alcohol withdrawal, the medical team almost missed a life-threatening diagnosis. It's as though our brains close ranks around our first impression, then refuse to consider anything else.

Delegates durring the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. A delegate reacts during the roll call of states on the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. On Tuesday, the second day of the Republican National Convention, Ohio Minutemen gather in downtown Cleveland to express their feeling on the 2nd amendment. Donald Trump, Jr., son of Donald Trump, speaks on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on July 19, 2016. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) gives two thumbs up after delivering a speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson delivers a speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. A gun rights activist stands in front of police lines during a rally outside the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio on July 19, 2016. Republican Presedential candidate Donald Trump speaks via video message on the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat Christie react during Donald Trump, Jr's speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. A woman hands out water with the message "Elect Jesus" on the bottles at the Cleveland Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday July 19, 2016. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker takes a photo with a delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. World War II veteran and former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) (L) listens to a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani speaks on stage during the Republican National Convention Monday, July 18, 2016, in Cleveland. Photo: Chad Rachman/New York Post Former U.S. Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell speaks at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 18, 2016. A member of the activist group Code Pink (C) demonstrates during Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. A delegate stands as she listens to the speech of Pat Smith, mother of Sean Smith, one of the four Americans killed in the September 11, 2012 terror attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Antonio Sabato Jr. delivers a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. A delegate holds a Donald Trump doll as she sits in her seat at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., July 18, 2016. Delegates hold up signs saying "Make America Safe Again", the new GOP slogan, during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, USA on July 18, 2016. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry waves to the crowd after delivering a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Street vendor Steve Scanlon sells convention related souvenir buttons near Public Square ahead of the Republican National Convention Monday, July 18, 2016, in Cleveland. Photo: Chad Rachman/New York Post Scott Baio gives two thumbs up during his speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Sen. Mike Lee, (R-UT) and Phill Wright, Vice Chair of the Utah State Delegation (L) shout no to the adoption of rules without a roll call vote on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Delegates from Texas wear cowboy hats during the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. People hold Donald and Melania Trump, and Lebron James signs Monday, July 18, 2016, on E4th Street in Cleveland. Photo: Chad Rachman/New York Post An anti-Trump activist gestures during a protest outside the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Gary Mathes walks the streets of downtown Cleveland on July 18, 2016. Mathes came to town for the Republican National Convention which started today. CODEPINK founder Medea Benjamin along with members of the activist group Code Pink demonstrate near the site of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Donald Trump supporters gather at Settlers Park to attend a rally for Trump on the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 18, 2016 in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Delaware delegate Hank McCann smokes a cigar outside of the Quicken Loans Arena on first day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18, 2016. 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The 2016 Republican National Convention is upon us and with it all the hats, pins, and speeches from politicians of all backgrounds within the GOP. Here is a selection of some of the best moments f…

LOS ANGELES — Cinephiles will undoubtedly hold their noses in horror over “Marmaduke,” a forthcoming live-action adaptation of the newspaper comic. Middlebrow drivel! Cinematic sewage! Monica Almeida/The New York Times John Davis, the producer of the movie “Marmaduke,” with the film’s star George. The producer John Davis has heard it all before, and then some. After all, “Marmaduke” is cut from the same cloth as “Garfield,” his critically reviled comic-strip adaptation from 2004. His response? “Garfield,” made for a comparatively inexpensive $58 million, when adjusted for inflation, sold more than $230 million at box offices around the world and spawned a sequel and several direct-to-DVD spinoffs. “My taste tends to be pretty much the taste of the public,” Mr. Davis said. “I don’t really design movies to be commercial. I just make movies I want to see.” It would be hard to find a producer whose approach to motion pictures is more in sync with what studios want right now than Mr. Davis. Indeed, as complaints increase from cinema buffs and Hollywood’s creative ranks about the lack of studio interest in original ideas, Mr. Davis is busy churning out movies based on what studios do want: so-called branded characters, source material that already has currency in the marketplace. Aside from “Marmaduke,” Mr. Davis is working on an ambitious adaptation of “Gulliver’s Travels,” starring Jack Black, and “The Sims,” based on the popular computer game. A movie version of the classic children’s book “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” is in the works, and Mr. Davis is in advanced negotiations to secure the movie rights to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Mr. Davis, 55, is successful at navigating this mainstream swath of the film business partly because he has a rare ability to charm reluctant rights holders, said Emma Watts, the president of production at 20th Century Fox, where Mr. Davis has a first-look deal through 2014. “He’s very adept at securing rights that have been historically hard to get,” she said. Some of his tricks are standard operating procedure for a producer. “I kept calling the agents and calling the agents and calling the agents,” Mr. Davis said, referring to “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” Counterintuitively, he also advises rights holders to lawyer up. “You have successful rights holders who have done it their way and don’t understand the studio ways,” he said. “I often recommend they hire a great entertainment attorney so it doesn’t feel like they’re dealing with alien culture. They will know what studio precedents can be changed and not changed.” If a historic property has never been made into a movie, there is usually a protective owner behind it who is worried about what Hollywood will do. “This is why you have to become personally friendly with the rights holders,” Mr. Davis said. Take Jim Davis (the men are not related), the creator of Garfield and friends. “Getting that deal done took a tremendous amount of time,” Mr. Davis said. “This was Jim’s baby.” Marmaduke, a galumphing Great Dane, pales in the shadow of Garfield, of course. The “Garfield” strip, published since 1978, appears in more than 2,500 publications worldwide. “Marmaduke” was created by Brad Anderson in 1954 — that makes the character roughly 392 in dog years — and appears in about 500 newspapers around the world, according to Doug Stern, the chief executive of United Media, which owns the property. The single-panel canine cartoon has seen its popularity increase in recent years — as the butt of jokes. A 2008 headline in the satirical newspaper The Onion read, “Some Old Man Still Churning Out Marmaduke.” Blogs have sprung up to mock the comic, including Joe Mathlete Explains Today’s Marmaduke (marmadukeexplained.blogspot.com). Even so, a parade of producers has tried to obtain the movie rights and failed, Mr. Stern said. “I’ve had a lot of interest in movies built around that character over the years,” he said, “but I finally decided to do it with John because he has a reputation for getting stuff done. John is also wonderfully unslick.” That’s true enough, and surprising for someone with Mr. Davis’s pedigree. He has worked on more than 80 movies — including “Predator,” “The Firm,” “Grumpy Old Men” and “Norbit” — that, combined, have earned more than $4 billion at the worldwide box office. He is the oldest son of Marvin Davis, the billionaire oilman and onetime owner of 20th Century Fox, who died in 2004. But like any good showman, Mr. Davis does have a flair for the dramatic. To pitch the idea of “Marmaduke” to Fox, he put a Great Dane inside a Mini Cooper — the dog was so large that its head stuck prominently through the sun roof — and parked it outside the office of the studio’s co-chairman, Tom Rothman. Fox ordered the movie, teaming with New Regency Pictures for a budget of about $50 million. Like “Family Circus,” the “Marmaduke” cartoon is the product of the Eisenhower era and is written with little irony or attitude. The challenge for Mr. Davis was to figure out how to retool the character in a way that would reliably tickle modern funny bones. The solution: move the dog from Kansas to California and remake him as an awkward teenager trying to fit in with a bunch of snooty purebreds. “He took a brand and then found a story that updates the character and makes it feel fresh again,” Ms. Watts of Fox said. Owen Wilson supplies Marmaduke’s voice; George Lopez voices the dog’s feline sidekick, Carlos. Box office expectations for “Marmaduke,” to be released on Friday, range from a spare opening weekend of $10 million to a solid $25 million, according to surveys that monitor advance interest. “Cinema snobs may roll their eyes, but from way back in film history, talking animals have been a very good business bet,” said Jeanine Basinger, the chairwoman of the film studies department at Wesleyan University. As an example, Ms. Basinger gave Francis the Talking Mule, which starred in seven Universal Pictures comedies in the 1950s. Mr. Davis said he would move away from animal pictures — he was also behind the “Dr. Dolittle” series starring Eddie Murphy — as his three children get older. Now in their early teens, they have been motivation, Mr. Davis said, in his pursuit of family movies. Still, he does have a soft spot for furry performers. “For ‘Dr. Dolittle 2,’ I auditioned four bears on a sound stage,” he said. “Do I have a great job or what?”

John Davis, who brought “Garfield” to the big screen, now escorts “Marmaduke.”

From the very first scene of UnReal’s second-season premiere, we know what kind of main character we’re dealing with. Shiri Appleby’s Rachel, a TV producer, gets a new tattoo on her inner wrist listing her priorities: “Money. Power.” And a third we can’t print referring to her male-objectifying lust. Throughout the episode, she checks them off: she gets a promotion – she’ll now run the Bachelor-style reality programme Everlasting, where she’s been honing her stellar manipulation skills as a lower-level producer for the past several years. At a party celebrating her female boss and mentor’s new “seven-figure” production deal in Vegas, Rachel snorts cocaine and sleeps with the latest Everlasting star’s manager. Then she talks a junior producer through her first exploitative on-camera interview, directing her to bring a contestant to tears over her fiancé’s recent death. The junior producer vomits afterward, then chokes, and gasps “That was amazing!” This isn’t just a show about an anti-heroine. It’s a show about the making of more anti-heroines – and what a heady trip being bad can be. We’ve seen few women with the same privilege of being bad while staying in viewers’ good graces UnReal proves that the anti-heroine is finally, unequivocally, here. We have been living in the era of the TV anti-hero – to the point of oversaturation – since Tony Soprano strode onto the scene 17 years ago with a complicated family life and a gun in his pocket. Walter White, Don Draper and many others followed. But we saw few women with the same privilege of being bad while staying in viewers’ good graces. Now, at last, with UnReal’s Rachel – as well as, arguably, The Good Wife’s Alicia Florrick, the title character of Jessica Jones, Veep’s Selina Meyer, and most of the women of Orange Is the New Black, among others – we have entered the era of the anti-heroine. If you’re wondering why this is important, think about how the men I mentioned above – Tony Soprano, Walter White, Don Draper – make men feel. We like our characters at extremes. We’re not likely to take on any of those men’s lifestyles wholesale, but bringing a little Tony Soprano to your accounting job, or a little Don Draper to your first Tinder date, feels good. Seeing people like ourselves on TV with the entire spectrum of human traits – from very bad to very good – is empowering. It makes for better stories, and better roles for the stars. Walter White’s wife couldn’t catch a break with viewers, though she deserved our sympathy far more than our ire Naturally, that means women have been left behind in the anti-hero trend. That’s partly because grounding stories in even a hint of realism favours the anti-hero, at least when you’re looking at the obvious ‘bad guys’: men have always been more likely to be crime bosses than women. They were obviously more likely to be cheating, promiscuous ad agency executives of the 1950s; that blatant sexism is, after all, one of the main points of Mad Men. But history shows that it’s harder for unlikeable female characters to pass even network approval, much less gain the affection of the general public. Walter White’s wife couldn’t catch a break with viewers, even though she was married to an anti-hero, and thus deserved our sympathy far more than our ire. Throughout film and television history, women have sometimes been allowed to serve as pure villains or femmes fatales. But elevate that flawed woman to main-character status, and she has a much tougher time. The modern TV anti-heroine likely began with Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw. Interestingly, she debuted six months before Tony Soprano on the same network, HBO, which launched the current ‘golden age of drama’ by making gritty series with strong artistic visions and often aggressively unlikeable characters – Carrie included, though she rarely gets the same credit as Tony. Of course, anything she did that was bad was several levels below murder: her worst crime was cheating on a very nice boyfriend, Aidan, with a married ex, Big. But she gets short shrift in TV history because of what a phenomenon Sex and the City became, complete with every traditionally girly accoutrement possible – designer shoes, purses, pink cupcakes, pink drinks, girl talk over expensive brunch. Carrie’s otherwise transgressive achievement was adorned with, and drowned in, stereotypes. Carrie did, however, break down a barrier that would allow her successors to go much further. Shonda Rhimes, who has almost single-handedly integrated and complicated female-driven broadcast drama, started with Meredith Grey of Grey’s Anatomy, who’s essentially a medical doctor version of Carrie Bradshaw. Our first introduction to Meredith was seeing her run out on a drunken one-night stand without exchanging names. Later she found out he just so happened to be her boss at her new job. Meredith has never made a play for sympathy since, instead leaning into her “dark and twisty” tendencies; she slowly earned our affection with time. We’re not supposed to like them; we’re supposed to cringe as we relate to them anyway Rhimes’s more recent leading ladies have treaded into Soprano territory: How to Get Away With Murder is not kidding with its title, and its main character, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) is unapologetically the cause of a shocking number of dead bodies. And Scandal, starring Kerry Washington as DC strategist Olivia Pope, stands as Rhimes’s clearest morality play yet. This past season, its fifth, has made it clear that the show is, for all its soapy dramatics, the story of how an anti-heroine is made, how she goes from wearing the white hat to committing murder. The fact that these last two shows are led by women of colour is even more extraordinary. But they’re such finely drawn characters, played by such great actresses, that they’re working on a Tony Soprano level. Viewers love them despite their crimes. Lena Dunham and her Girls characters somehow don’t fare as well with viewers, even though they haven’t physically harmed a soul. The show’s very first promo posters in 2012 had the tagline, “Living the Dream. One mistake at a time.” In other words, the whole point of the show is to follow young women through the time in their lives when many of us are far from our best, their early 20s. And yet only perhaps Hillary Clinton has felt as much public ire as Dunham. Perhaps it’s her sense of entitlement that has grated on people so much. (In the very first episode, she responds to her parents cutting her off financially by snapping, “This is nuts. I could be a drug addict. Do you realise how lucky you are?”) What it’s taken viewers a while to realise is that Dunham isn’t condoning the behaviour of her character, Hannah Horvath, nor that of her friends. She is, if anything, making fun of it; she’s giving us a comedy of manners for the 2010s, full of young adults lacking self-awareness who will likely cringe at their own behaviour in hindsight. We’re not supposed to like them; we’re supposed to cringe, even as we relate to them. Herein lies the key to any effective anti-hero, male or female: they serve a purpose. They’re more interesting to watch than a traditionally likeable character because they have somewhere to go and something to do. They might hold up a mirror to our society’s own worst traits, the way Seinfeld and The Sopranos both ultimately held their audiences accountable for cheering the characters on. They might offer a story of redemption (Don Draper looked like he was headed there, but stopped short) or comeuppance (like Walter White’s). UnReal shows us the depths to which a woman must stoop to give us what we often see as harmless, brainless entertainment like The Bachelor. The Good Wife and Scandal demonstrate the corrosive effects of politics on even well-meaning souls. Veep shows us the absurd inhumanity of political office, and what kind of person it takes to endure that. And some of the best of our anti-heroines also trace their fatal flaws back to their struggles with, specifically, womanhood. An anti-heroine doesn’t have to be a crime boss or a powerful executive (though she could be). UnReal’s Rachel draws her power from exploiting other women, making a show for women. The Good Wife’s Alicia cheated, lied, and shut down emotionally to avoid the pain she’d experienced with her politician husband’s public betrayal. Jessica Jones became an uncaring, alcoholic badass – and a superhero – in reaction to being sexually and emotionally assaulted by a mind-controlling man. These are the stories in which women find their power. These are the anti-heroines we’ve been waiting for. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital, Travel and Autos, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Why hasn’t there been a female version of the TV anti-hero? Perhaps, with UnReal, Veep and Jessica Jones, that's changing, writes Jennifer Keishin Armstrong.

The video above contains footage that some people may find distressing. At two separate sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo, wild bonobo mothers have been observed eating their dead infants. It was a meal they shared with other bonobos, with the dominant female deciding who got access to the meat. The behaviour has only been observed once before, which suggests it is extremely rare. You can see the unexpected behaviour in the video above. One of the study's authors, Nahoko Tokuyama of Kyoto University in Japan, says she does not know why the behaviour occurred. "It may be explained by nutritional benefit. However, the number of cases is too small to find biological reasons." She was shocked when she saw Hideo (pictured below), an older brother of one of the dead babies appearing to look "happy when he was eating his dead younger sibling". She says they treated the dead infants as they would any other meat. The research was published in the journal Primates. Melissa Hogenboom is BBC Earth's feature writer. She is @melissasuzanneh on Twitter. Join over five million BBC Earth fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter called "If You Only Read 6 Things This Week". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital, Travel and Autos, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Two bonobo mothers have been seen cannibalising their own offspring, in what is believed to be an extremely rare act

Entering the day with 4,255 combined hits between Japan and the MLB, Ichiro Suzuki first tied Pete Rose with his 4,256th career hit, a leadoff infield single off San Diego’s Luis Perdomo in the first inning Wednesday. The Japanese future Hall-of-Famer then passed “Charlie Hustle” in the ninth, lining a double down the right field line off Padres closer Fernando Rodney. Ichiro broke into the big leagues in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners, winning the AL MVP and batting title as a rookie. It was his first of 10-straight seasons with at least a .300 batting average and 200 hits, including his 262 hits in 2004 that broke the single-season record. The Japanese outfielder also inches closer to the Major League 3,000-hit club, now just 21 hits away from becoming the 30th player to reach the milestone.

Ichiro Suzuki tied Pete Rose with his 4,256th career hit, a leadoff infield single off San Diego’s Luis Perdomo.

Earlier this week, virtual reality sports training company EON Sports VR announced a partnership with Major League Baseball team the Tampa Bay Rays. This new collaboration will see the team having batting practice in virtual reality. The Rays will use a simulator from EON Sports VR called the iCube, a 10-ft. x 10-ft. x 10-ft. box. Players get to practice swinging, with 30 VR at-bats, against a virtual pitcher that mimics a vast array of human MLB pitchers. One pitch may be a 90 mile per hour fastball from San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and the next could be New York Yankees star Masahiro Tanaka's dangerous splitter coming down across the virtual plate. Related: The NCAA Final Four will be taking place in virtual reality EON Sports VR employs the Sidekiq VR Headset, a mobile smartphone VR headset similar to the Samsung Gear VR, with eye tracking technology to get your swings as accurate as possible. Batters are trained in two specific areas: strike zone awareness and pitch tracking. For strike zone awareness, the batter deduces which pitches thrown were balls and which were strikes after each at-bat. For pitch tracking, batters will have to do the same, but in this case will have to decide if each pitch was a fastball, slider, curve ball, or change up. The Kansas City-based EON Sports VR is turning into a popular training source for Tampa Bay sporting teams. Last July, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team in the National Football League to purchase EON Sports VR's Sidekiq football-simulator software. Even without the iCube, anyone can practice their batting. EON Sports sells the complete baseball training simulation with a Sidekiq headset, as part of a Project OPS bundle, for $200. Included in the bundle are seven batting lessons from five-time All Star Jason Giambi in virtual reality. EON Sports also sells personalized VR football training sessions for $50 each. One day, you may be able to train like any player in the world … virtually.

Earlier this week, virtual reality sports training company EON Sports VR announced a partnership with Major League Baseball team the Tampa Bay Rays.

Shifty Shellshock (born Seth Brooks Binzer on August 23, 1974) is an American music artist, best known as founder and front man of Crazy Town. He has also had a solo music career after the break up of the band and has had many appearances in various reality television series Celebrity Rehab 1 & 2 and Sober House 1 & 2. A native to California, Seth Binzer had the love of music since the day he was born. Shifty's father, was a well-known artist and... Shifty Shellshock (born Seth Brooks Binzer on August 23, 1974) is an American music artist, best known as founder and front man of Crazy Town. He has also had a solo music career after the break up of the band and has had many appearances in various reality television series Celebrity Rehab 1 & 2 and Sober House 1 & 2. A native to California, Seth Binzer had the love of music since the day he was born. Shifty's father, was a well-known artist and filmmaker. He had directed the Rolling Stones’ live movie Ladies and Gentlemen. Binzer had love for a wide genre of bands (such as The Cure, Cypress Hill, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and others. He began to discover his own personal style of music and started to record albums of his own with the Beastie Boys serving as his big inspiration. Binzer met fellow Crazy Town front-man, Bret Mazur, in 1992; they started collaborating under the name The Brimstone Sluggers.

Shifty Shellshock on TMZ, your go-to source for celebrity gossip. Get the latest Shifty Shellshock news, gossip, pictures. and videos today!

When we began work on our Age of Unicorns cover for Fortune, one internal conversation was about cautionary tales. Fab? Sure. Box? Seemed so at the time, not so much today. “What about Groupon?” someone asked with a chuckle. Social buying site Groupon GRPN was one of the original unicorns, becoming valued at more than $1 billion by venture capitalists less than two years after its founding. It later would turn down a reported $6 billion acquisition offer from Google GOOG , before going public in November 2011 at an initial market cap of $12.65 billion and closing its first day of trading worth more than $23 billion. But it didn’t take long for the wheels to fall off: By June 2012, the company was valued below Google’s proposed acquisition price. The following March, founding CEO Andrew Mason was fired. The company that was supposed to re-energize Chicago’s startup scene — replete with a warehouse chic headquarters that also served as a new business incubator — had run out of gas. And then everyone seemed to forget about it, as a much larger group of billion-dollar startups emerged. Everyone, that is, except for people who wanted to make jokes about past valuation excess. But from where I sit, the laughter is unwarranted. Groupon not only was an original unicorn, but it remains a successful one. The company currently has a market cap of $4.9 billion, which is higher than it ever was valued by venture capitalists. Its revenue and EBITDA have consistently climbed in each year since going public, and there is plenty of cash on hand without a single cent of debt. If you want to criticize someone for overvaluing Groupon, take a good long look at public market investors. You know, the folks who are supposed to use all sorts of clear-headed, quantitative metrics (as opposed to VCs, who are said to pull unicorn valuations out of thin air). In fact, even Groupon’s final deals in the private market were largely driven by mutual fund managers dipping down to buy secondary shares from VCs who were smart enough to bake in some early gains. It would be like if the smartest guys in the room convinced everyone that this year’s Boston Celtics were going to win 60 games, and then making fun of the Celtics when they failed to achieve such lofty goals. Obviously the team isn’t where it ultimately wants to be, but it wasn’t the one making bold predictions. Nor has it collapsed. If Groupon is a cautionary tale for other unicorns, perhaps it only is in the context of going public. Groupon’s decision to IPO when it did is arguably the reason it remains in business. As venture capitalist Bill Gurley noted, it is much easier to survive a valuation decline as a public company than as a private one. Had Groupon waited a couple more years, perhaps it would have been worthy of derision. But it didn’t. And it isn’t. Sign up for Term Sheet, Dan’s daily newsletter on deals and deal-makers.

Groupon is not a cautionary tale of unicorns past.

A woman looks at a painting by US painter Cy Twombly. Photograph: Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images Cy Twombly's paintings are today on view at Dulwich Picture Gallery in south London, cheek by jowl with works by the 17th century master Nicolas Poussin, and a stone's throw from paintings by Rubens and Rembrandt. It is a company in which he manifestly belongs. In an age when some said painting was finished, he proved otherwise. His ambitious and convincing epics of charismatic colour and vertigo-inducing space do what painting has always done, and tell stories of sex, death, history and the gods. Here is an artist who can teach you to read. Few of us read as Twombly did, steeping himself in Greek, Latin and English verse, and teasing the beholder to follow up enigmatic quotations scrawled in a languid stain on his sighs of paintings. At Dulwich is a painting, Hero and Leandro (for Christopher Marlowe), that is a white misty spume of oceanic spray assailed by a bloody smear of red. Blood in water, it seemed to me. Only later did I read Marlowe's poem Hero and Leander that begins: "On Hellespont, guilty of true love's blood..." Twombly came of agein the America of Jackson Pollock and the Abstract Expressionists. It was surely, in part, a sense that imperial New York's historical double is ancient Rome that made him emigrate to Italy. What he found there was low life and sex in a landscape of ruins: his way of responding to the dolce vita was to turn the arabesques of Pollock's style into outbursts of graffiti. In his paintings the myths of the gods found in Roman frescoes are retold with obscene pink smears for buttocks and breasts. Out of this comes a deeply romantic art of colour and time and place that brutally breathes new life into the mythologies of Greece and Rome. Above all, he came from America's south; when born in 1928 the civil war and the (albeit deserved) destruction of southern pride was a living memory for some in his native Virginia. Classical architecture has a history there going back to Thomas Jefferson; and no southerner can fail to see history as a melancholic process. He found in the Mediterranean a world even more crumbling with ruins and memories, where it is still possible to imagine the sea stained with the blood of old battles. He may have seemed apolitical, yet shortly before 9/11 he unveiled paintings of the sea battle of Lepanto, the traumatic 16th century conflict between Christians and Muslims. While Twombly was alive and working – and his last paintings of flowers were ripely beautiful – it was possible to see a connection between the art of today and the noble legacy of Greece and Rome as it has been perpetuated by artists such as Raphael and Picasso. His death really hurts, it leaves a black hole. A link has been cut, a lifeline lost. Some artists fade from memory when they die. Twombly will grow in stature. He will be mourned by all who truly love painting. The great god Pan is dead, as a voice was heard to cry by sailors in the age of the Roman emperor Augustus.

He painted supremely ambitious and convincing epics of charismatic colour and vertigo-inducing space

In many ways, the “Family Guy” episode “Partial Terms of Endearment” is typical of that audacious Fox animated comedy, teeming with rapid-fire jokes and willfully offensive non sequiturs about disabled animals, God, Nazis, bodily functions and the sexual habits of “Sesame Street” characters. A DVD cover of the “Family Guy”episode that Fox declined to show on television. The latest on the arts, coverage of live events, critical reviews, multimedia extravaganzas and much more. Join the discussion. Lois Griffin, left, visits the doctor after agreeing to be a surrogate for her friends Naomi and Dale. It is also an episode in which a central character finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy and contemplates an abortion, a subject that is frankly discussed — and flagrantly satirized — by the cartoon’s cast. The Fox network has said it will not broadcast “Partial Terms of Endearment,” which was produced for the 2009-10 season. However, the home video arm of 20th Century Fox plans to release the episode as a stand-alone DVD in September, in packaging that plays up its polarizing qualities. When it does, many “Family Guy” fans will get their first look at an unlikely reminder of the television networks’ aversion to the issue of abortion, and a rare boundary encountered by an often rebellious series. “Times really have changed,” said Seth MacFarlane, the creator of “Family Guy.” “The network is making a decision that is, unfortunately, probably based on people’s current ability to handle and dissect controversial narratives.” As a longtime admirer of the comedies of Norman Lear — to the point that the “Family Guy” opening credits pay homage to “All in the Family” — Mr. MacFarlane said he tried to include two to three episodes each season that are issue-oriented. When the topic of abortion came up in the “Family Guy” writers’ room, he said, “There’s nothing about that issue that should be any different than doing an episode about gay marriage or an episode about the oil spill.” Mr. MacFarlane enlisted Danny Smith, a veteran “Family Guy” writer and producer, to draft the episode’s script, assigning him to read a part of Carl Sagan’s book “Billions and Billions” that tries to find common ground between the “absolutist positions” of abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion groups. In the script that Mr. Smith delivered, Lois Griffin, the wife of the titular “Family Guy” lummox, Peter Griffin, agrees to be a surrogate mother for a college friend who cannot conceive. When the friend and her husband are killed in a car accident, Lois debates whether she should keep the child, frequently finding herself in opposition to Peter’s wishes. Mr. Smith, who describes himself as “a recovering Catholic,” said the script was not especially contentious when it was revised by the show’s mostly male writing staff. “We’ve had more spirited debates about whether or not we should state whether Santa Claus is real,” Mr. Smith said. When Mr. MacFarlane presented the concept to Fox, it warned him that the subject matter raised a red flag, but allowed him to produce the episode anyway. He said he believed that the network would eventually run it, as it had an earlier episode called “When You Wish Upon a Weinstein” that it rejected in 2000. That installment, in which Peter yearns for his son Chris to become smarter by converting to Judaism, was first shown on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network in 2003, and then on Fox in 2004. (“Nobody got too offended,” Mr. MacFarlane said. “Most of the time these things turn out to be nothing.”) But the Fox network decided not to show “Partial Terms of Endearment.” The network said in a statement that it fully supported “the producers’ right to make the episode and distribute it in whatever way they want,” and declined to elaborate on its decision. A spokeswoman for Adult Swim also said in an e-mail message that there were “no plans to air that episode of ‘Family Guy.’ ” Last August Kevin Reilly, Fox’s entertainment president, told reporters at the Television Critics Association tour that the rejection of the episode “was a business decision” because it represented “fragile subject matter at a sensitive time.” But the “Family Guy” staff remains unclear on Fox’s rationale. It’s not that abortion is a totally forbidden subject on network television: a recent episode of the NBC drama “Friday Night Lights” dealt with it, and the best-known treatment of the issue, a two-episode arc of “Maude,” was produced by Mr. Lear in 1972. On one level the “Family Guy” producers understand that some of their jokes — a scene in which Lois is impregnated by Peruvian natives wielding blow-dart guns; a lengthy Warner Brothers parody in which Peter stalks Lois with an Acme Miscarriage Kit — may not have treated the abortion debate with proper gravity. But they say there is no way to predict what material will offend audiences. Mr. Smith pointed to an episode in which the family dog, Brian, becomes an advocate for marijuana legalization. “I have two sons,” Mr. Smith said, “and I don’t know if I feel comfortable with this cartoon dog telling people that life is better with a bag of weed.” Mr. Smith said more viewers complained about a scene in which Peter accidentally kills a neighbor’s cat. There was also support from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, which felt that issues of taste would not discourage “Family Guy” fans from seeking the episode on DVD, and determined that DVD sales could cover the production costs of “Partial Terms of Endearment” if the network did not broadcast it. “Seth and I have had arguments where I’m the nervous Nellie, and he’s pushing the envelope,” said Mike Dunn, the president of Fox’s home entertainment unit. “Finally it’s like, O.K., you win. This franchise does better when it’s pushed.” Mr. MacFarlane said that the word abortion may simply be a “comedy red zone that you just shouldn’t enter,” noting that Fox had also made him change a joke because it contained the phrase World Trade Center. But he did not criticize Fox for its decisions, which he said revealed more about mass audiences than about the networks. “People in America, they’re getting dumber,” Mr. MacFarlane said. “They’re getting less and less able to analyze something and think critically, and pick apart the underlying elements. And more and more ready to make a snap judgment regarding something at face value, which is too bad.” Whatever Fox’s reasons for refusing to broadcast “Partial Terms of Endearment,” Mr. MacFarlane said it was unlikely that the decision came from the corporation’s politically conservative chairman, Rupert Murdoch. “My assessment of him has always been that he is a shrewd businessman first and a conservative second,” Mr. MacFarlane said, adding: “If he felt that something like this would be profitable to the corporation, he would have no issue airing it.” Meanwhile, Mr. Smith joked that he was more worried about what the loss of network residuals for the episode would mean for his own bottom line. “I have two kids in private school, man,” he said. “Fox is hitting me where it hurts. I’m always going to have a creative outlet here, but jeez, don’t take my money away.”

A “Family Guy” episode satirizing abortion that Fox declined to broadcast is to be released as a stand-alone DVD in September.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that he is opening all jobs in combat units to women, after years of research and debate on the role of women in the military. (Reuters) Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said Thursday that he is opening all jobs in combat units to women, a landmark decision that would for the first time allow female service members to join the country’s most elite military forces. Women will now be eligible to join the Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and other Special Operations Units. It also opens the Marine Corps infantry, a battle-hardened force that many service officials had openly advocated keeping closed to female service members. “There will be no exceptions,” Carter said. “This means that, as long as they qualify and meet the standards, women will now be able to contribute to our mission in ways they could not before.” Carter’s announcement caps three years of experimentation at the Pentagon and breakthroughs for women in the armed services. Earlier this year, two female soldiers became the first women to ever graduate from the Army’s grueling Ranger School. But the Pentagon’s project also set off a bitter debate about how women should be integrated. Carter said that top leaders in the Army, Navy, Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command all recommended that all jobs be opened to women. The Marine Corps recommended that certain jobs such as machine gunner be kept closed, but the secretary said that the military is a joint force, and his decision will apply to everyone. The top Marine officer who made that recommendation, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September, and did not appear alongside Carter on Thursday. The services will have 30 days to provide plans to Carter on how they will implement the policy change, he said. By law, the military also must notify Congress formally and wait that long before making any changes. The roots of the secretary’s decision date back to January 2013, when then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced he was rescinding a longtime ban on women serving directly in ground combat units. Panetta gave the services until this fall to research the issue. About 220,000 jobs and 10 percent of the military remained closed to women before Tuesday’s announcement, Carter said. Another 110,000 jobs in careers like artillery officer were opened in a series of decisions since 2013. President Obama said in a statement that the Defense Department is “taking another historic step forward” by opening up all positions to women. “As Commander in Chief, I know that this change, like others before it, will again make our military even stronger. Our armed forces will draw on an even wider pool of talent,” Obama said. “Women who can meet the high standards required will have new opportunities to serve. I know that, under the leadership of Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford, our men and women in uniform will implement this transition — as they have others — in a responsible manner that maintains military readiness and the unparalleled professionalism and strength of our armed forces.” The issue has at times opened an uncommonly public rift between senior military leaders. In particular, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus took issue with a Marine Corps study that found that the average woman struggled to keep up with men, according to a number of metrics. The study did not track individual performance, drawing fire from Mabus and others in favor of full integration. As the Marine Corps commandant, Dunford recommended to keep a number of jobs in infantry and reconnaissance units closed.Carter, asked why Dunford was not present for the announcement on Thursday, said that he and the general have talked extensively on the subject, and he “will be with me” as the services proceeds with making related changes. [Marine experiment finds women shoot less accurately, get injured more frequently than men] “He understands what my decision is, and my decision is my decision, and we will implement it accordingly,” Carter said. Dunford said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that it is his job to provide his “candid best military advice” to Carter on issues ranging from military readiness, to combat effectiveness, to how the services are employed. “I have had the opportunity to provide my advice on the issue of full integration of women into the Armed Forces,” Dunford’s statement said. “In the wake of the Secretary’s decision, my responsibility is to ensure his decision is properly implemented. Moving forward my focus is to lead the full integration of women in a manner that maintains our joint warfighting capability, ensures the health and welfare of our people, and optimizes how we leverage talent across the Joint Force.” Dunford did not respond to questions about why he did not appear alongside Carter as the secretary announced the policy change Thursday. Three years ago, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, then the Joint Chiefs chairman, did so as Panetta announced that he was rescinding the combat exclusion policy. Carter said the important factor in him opening all jobs to women was to give the military access to every American who can add strength to it. Studies carried out by the services since 2013 found that some of the standards the military previously used to determine whether a service member was fit for a job were outdated or didn’t reflect the actual tasks required in combat, he said. “It’s been evidence-based, and iterative,” Carter said of the review. “I’m confident the Defense Department can implement this successfully, because throughout our history we’ve consistently proven ourselves to be a learning organization.” The Marine Corps will immediately begin the process of implementing the policy change, and share plans and lessons learned with the other services, said Maj. Chris Devine, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon. “We are well-informed by our combat experience, as well as our objective approach and data obtained from the past two years of study,” Devine said. “As we move forward with full integration, we’ll continue to maintain our standards, while leveraging every opportunity to optimize individual performance, talent and skills to maximize the warfighting capabilities of our [Marine air ground task forces] in an increasingly complex operating environment.” Carter cited the military’s 2011 repeal on a policy banning gay service members from serving openly as an example of how gender integration can be completed successfully. The repeal of that “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy raised questions in many corners of the military at the time, but is now widely considered to have been implemented smoothly and without hurting the military’s ability to fight. The secretary also noted that three women have successfully been able to complete the Army’s Ranger School this year as part of the research into how to better integrate women in the military. The service opened it to women on a full-time basis in September, although the elite 75th Ranger Regiment remained closed to women at the time. [Focus and determination marked women’s path to Ranger School graduation] Skeptics remain, however. Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R.-Texas), chairmen of the Senate and House armed services committees, said in a statement released jointly on Thursday that they intend to “carefully and thoroughly review all relevant documentation related to today’s decision,” including the Marine Corps gender integration study that caused the rift between the service and Mabus. “We expect the Department to send over its implementation plans as quickly as possible to ensure our Committees have all the information necessary to conduct proper and rigorous oversight,” the statement said. “We also look forward to receiving the Department’s views on any changes to the Selective Service Act that may be required as a result of this decision.” Other members of Congress applauded Carter’s decision. Rep. Martha McSally (R.-Ariz.), a retired Air Force colonel and A-10 attack jet pilot, said in a statement that the move recognizes that the military is strongest when it prioritizes merit and capability. “It’s about damn time,” McSally said in the statement. “Women have been fighting and dying for our country since its earliest wars. They have shown they can compete with the best of the best, and succeed. We are a country that looks at people as individuals, not groups. We select the best man for the job, even if it’s a woman.” Another female combat veteran and member of Congress, Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D.-Ill.), released an even more pointed statement of support reflecting her time as an Army helicopter pilot in Iraq and injuries suffered there. “I didn’t lose my legs in a bar fight — of course women can serve in combat,” she said. “This decision is long overdue.” Mabus said in a statement that Carter’s decision will maximize the combat effectiveness of the Navy and Marine Corps alike. “Our process and studies showed that as long as someone can meet operationally relevant, occupation-specific, gender-neutral individual standards, that person is qualified to serve,” Mabus said. “Gender does not define the Service of a United States Sailor or Marine — instead, it is their character, selflessness, and abilities.” Previous coverage: Navy secretary criticizes controversial Marine Corps gender integration study Will the Army open its elite Ranger Regiment to women? A controversial decision awaits. As Marines take heat for handling of gender integration, Army stays quiet on plan

The decision will apply to everyone -- "no exceptions."

Sometimes in life, a goofball preacher tells a tiny group of mourners in “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” we may feel “like a sheep trapped in a maze designed by wolves.” (The preacher is played by the film’s writer-director, Taika Waititi.) Watching this lovely little lark from New Zealand, you may feel like a happy camper on a twisty trail blazed by a cockeyed comic prodigy. The center of attention, from the moment he arrives in a police car at a cabin in the boondocks, is a kid named Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison). With his gangsta scowl and incipient jowls, Ricky sees himself as a menace to society, and his dim-bulb social worker, Paula (Rachel House), could not agree more. In fact, he has a tender heart and a head stuffed with pop-culture rubbish, and he menaces only himself, having already flunked out of so many foster-care placements that his last chance lies with a scruffy backwoods couple who are more or less willing to take him in. (The wife, Rima Te Wiata’s Bella, covers him with unconditional love. Her husband, Hec, played by Sam Neill, can’t bear the sight of him.) Ricky is a wonderfully fresh creation, the embodiment of hilarity—as well as the embodiment of embodiment, given his alarming girth—because he doesn’t see anything funny about anything, least of all himself. Mr. Waititi perpetrated some very funny stuff as a performer and filmmaker in his previous feature, “What We Do in the Shadows,” a vampire comedy that he co-wrote and co-directed with Jemaine Clement. Yet this new one operates in a far more accessible realm where whimsy and absurdity mingle freely with real feelings and droll social satire. (The closest analogy that comes to mind is the alternate universe of Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom.”) As an urban child of the digital age, besotted by video games, movies and TV, Ricky doesn’t make rigid distinctions between the reality of rural life and what he makes out to be a forest from “The Lord of the Rings” enhanced by smells and real dirt. That forest is where most of the movie plays out after a surprise plot turn—a genuine shocker—sends Ricky and Hec fleeing from their cabin, accompanied by Tupac, Ricky’s dog. For the kid it’s a great adventure, a chance to chase around with a real gun playing outlaw. For Hec it’s pure misery, at least at first, playing father to a kid he deplores. “Stick to the tracks,” he warns Ricky, who goes off to look for help at one point. “If you get desperate eat your dog.” For the cops, then the army and always the Javert-like social worker, Paula, it’s a nationwide manhunt for a presumed pervert who has abducted a child. Mr. Neill is superb as a curmudgeon coming around to conditional love, grudging kindness and finally overt pleasure, even in such unlikely disputes as whether “majestical” is a real word. Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne—what a marvelous name—is a vision of sylvan beauty as Kahu, a Maori girl who makes her entrance on horseback. “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” which was based on a book by Barry Crump called “Wild Pork and Watercress,” has its share of misfired jokes and pseudo-mythic sequences that semi-fizzle. All in all, though, it’s majestical nonsense that is anything but nonsensical. In Taika Waititi’s second feature as a director, the 11-year-old hero is played engagingly by James Rolleston. The time is 1984. The setting is a poor Maori community on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It’s the town where Mr. Waititi grew up, and he plays Boy’s father, a goony stoner and scuzzy crook who has come home after years of absence to dig up a bag of money he’d buried in a nearby field.

After a kid obsessed with pop culture and a senior grouch flee their rural home, a large-scale manhunt ensues in this picaresque New Zealand film; directed by Taika Waititi, starring Julian Dennison, Rachel House, Rima Te Wiata, Sam Neill and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne

Tuesday's midterm elections and the record amounts outside groups spent to oust Democratic incumbents are just a warm-up for 2012. The voter coalition that elected President Obama and fortified Democratic congressional ranks just two years ago -- independents, women, young people, blue-collar workers and more -- fractured in the midterm elections Tuesday, either swinging to Republicans or staying home. Republicans picked up several seats in the Senate Tuesday but fell short of a majority, giving Democrats one major bright spot in an otherwise dreary election for President Obama's party. Californians chose two veteran Democrats for governor and U.S. Senate on Tuesday over Silicon Valley businesswomen and rejected an effort to legalize marijuana. President Obama waxed enthusiastic about California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and gunerbatorial candidiate Jerry Brown this morning during an interview with a Los Angeles radio station. ...and Republican victors is highly revealing. The biggest Democratic success stories involved re-elected Sens. Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid, and new California governor Jerry Brown – all age 70 or above! The GOP, meanwhile, hailed breakthrough victories for... Repudiation as defined in Webster’s dictionary - 1. to disown, 2. to disavow Reports continue to come in describing Barry's rather stubborn refusal to accept, in any way, shape, manner or form, the premise that it was the blatant abuse of power by both ...the Democratic Party to retain a majority in the U.S. Senate. In California, 65 percent of Latinos voted for Democrat Barbara Boxer, and only 28 percent favored Carly Fiorina. In Colorado, the Democrat, Sen. Michael Bennet, was re-elected with overwhelming... ...Marijuana usage remains fairly stigmatized in polite society in America, enough so that even liberal politicians like Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Jerry Brown and Barack Obama have refused to state their support for legalizing the drug. But as most Americans... ...strong position as states tackle redistricting following the 2010 census. It won't hurt his presidential prospects, either. ☀ Barbara Boxer Targeted for defeat by Republicans, conservative groups, the business community and free-spending, secretly funded organizations,... Although Republicans are in position to win big in races in midterm races across the USA, California is proving difficult terrain for the GOP. The battle for control of the Senate focused on a handful of tossup races Tuesday, even as the House fight expanded by Democratic districts. GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was hospitalized for what her campaign said was an infection related to her recovery from breast cancer. California Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina has been admitted to the hospital for an infection associated with surgery she had in her battle with breast cancer, her campaign said today in a statement. The head of the GOP predicted "an unprecedented wave" on Election Day, even as polls in some states showed Democrats gaining ground.

Collection of all USATODAY.com coverage of Barbara Boxer., including articles, videos, photos, and quotes.

Two good, new books are now shedding light on the controversial environmental lawsuit filed in Lago Agrio, Ecuador, in 2003, which culminated in a $18.2 billion judgment against Chevron CVX in February 2011, later reduced to $9.5 billion. But Steven Donziger, the plaintiffs lead U.S. lawyer, is alleging that one of the books defames him, and appears to be leading a smear campaign against its author. The suit stems from contamination allegedly left behind by Texaco (acquired by Chevron in 2001) when it drilled for oil in the Amazon rainforest of eastern Ecuador from 1964 to 1992. Many environmentalists and human-rights advocates regard the case as a historic victory for third-world peoples. It’s also the case, however, in which a Manhattan federal judge concluded last March, in a 485–page, 1842-footnote ruling, that Donziger achieved the historic judgment through bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and other crimes. The jurist, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, barred any American court from enforcing the Ecuadorian judgment, and barred Donziger from personally benefiting from it, even if some non-U.S. court ever does enforce it. Donziger denies wrongdoing and has appealed. (Chevron has virtually no assets in Ecuador, so the judgment is worthless unless the plaintiffs can persuade a court to honor it in a country where Chevron does have assets.) Paul M. Barrett’s book, The Law of the Jungle: The $19 Billion Legal Battle Over Oil in the Rain Forest and the Lawyer Who’d Stop at Nothing to Win It (Crown Publishers, 304 pages, $26), is due for release on September 23, while Michael Goldhaber’s Kindle Single ebook, Crude Awakening: Chevron in Ecuador (RosettaBooks, 27,000 words, $2.99), came out last month. Both authors are highly experienced, well-credentialed journalists. Barrett, an assistant managing editor and senior writer for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, while Goldhaber, the “The Global Lawyer” columnist for The American Lawyer, has degrees from Harvard College, Columbia Journalism School, and Yale Law School. The Law of the Jungle is Barrett’s fourth book (his last one, Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun, became a New York Times bestseller), while Crude Awakening is Goldhaber’s second, after A People’s History of the European Court of Human Rights. The books are complementary, rather than redundant, because the authors have different aspirations. Barrett has written an accessible, fast-paced read for the generalist, providing both an overview of the whole environmental dispute and vivid portrait of Donziger, the larger-than-life enigma at the center of the litigation. Goldhaber’s more specialized work is aimed at lawyers and others in the field, focusing on the detective work that enabled Chevron to unearth Donziger’s alleged crimes, on the baroque intricacy of the alleged wrongdoing, and on broad legal questions presented by global human rights litigation generally. Goldhaber is a less mellifluous writer than Barrett, so his book will be a tougher read, even for lawyers. Still, in litigation, the devil is in the details, and Goldhaber presents more of those appalling details. Both authors attended much of Chevron’s civil racketeering trial against Donziger in Manhattan last fall, and both appear to conclude that Donziger was guilty of almost all of the wrongdoing Chevron alleged. (For a summary of the key accusations, see my companion piece, “Where’s Preet?” also being published today.) At the same time, both authors—like Judge Kaplan himself, as he acknowledged in his ruling—remain troubled about the unresolved merits of the underlying dispute, i.e., the question of whether Texaco behaved improperly in Ecuador and whether Chevron, as a consequence, still owes recompense, notwithstanding Texaco’s prior environmental settlement with the Ecuadorian government in 1998. Goldhaber even pledges to donate his book royalties to “the indigenous peoples of Ecuador,” and closes his book by calling upon Chevron, “without honoring its corrupt adversaries or their false narratives, to make a similar gesture of good will for all residents of the region.” Barrett wrote a very sympathetic cover story about Donziger for BusinessWeek in March 2011—one that Donziger’s public relations person, Karen Hinton, was so pleased with at the time that she distributed it to all the reporters covering the case. Barrett’s views have evolved since then, however, and the portrait of Donziger here is less forgiving. The book culminates in an exceedingly telling incident that plays out between Barrett and Donziger in a bistro near Donziger’s Upper West Side apartment late last year. To preserve suspense, I won’t give that one away. Despite the focus on Donziger, Barrett also provides a valuable and, for the most part, scrupulously even-handed account of the context of the underlying case. He begins, for instance, with the memories of a Cofán Indian leader, whose life was turned upside down shortly after Texaco’s helicopters first began hovering over his homeland in 1964. “Before long, a multicolored sheen appeared on the surface of the streams where the Cofán fished and bathed and gathered drinking water,” Barrett writes. “Cofán children began to suffer from unfamiliar stomach ailments that neither the shaman’s roots, nor the missionaries’ medicine, could cure.” Later, two of the leader’s children died from diseases that the man believes were caused by oil contamination. At the same time, Barrett suggests that the Republic of Ecuador shares plenty of responsibility for everything that happened, having invited Texaco into the country; having ignored the environmental problems as they were occurring; having been the majority partner in the drilling venture from 1977 onwards; and having, when taxes are taken into account, extracted 93 percent of the profits from the joint venture during its years of operation. Ecuador’s state-owned oil company, Petroecuador, also continued drilling in the region after Texaco pulled out 22 years ago, compiling an even worse environmental record than its former joint-venture partner, Barrett suggests, and complicating efforts to separate out Texaco’s responsibility today. While Barrett does provide a basically fair overview, my subjective opinion is that he is sometimes too uncritical in permiting Donziger, when attacking Chevron, to gin up mountains out of molehills and to level unsubstantiated accusations. This enables Barrett to conclude that “both sides were doing business of one sort or another with the devil.” But if Barrett does sometimes give Donziger’s bare accusations too much credence, it’s unlikely he will make the same mistake again in the future, because Donziger is now dishing out unsubstantiated smears at Barrett himself in an effort to dissuade people from reading or crediting his book. In fact, both Goldhaber and Barrett deserve commendation for ever having enlisted for the project of writing about this case. It had to have been clear from the outset that anyone who did so conscientiously—a task that would necessarily include discussing the overwhelming evidence of Donziger’s use of mendacity and intimidation to achieve his goals—would end up being tarred with baseless attacks on their integrity emanating from Donziger’s camp. (A Google search of my own name—for I, too, have been writing about this case for the past four years—usually turns up at least two of these retaliatory, search-optimized, diatribes.) Though Donziger’s team is also taking Goldhaber to task, it is Barrett who is getting pelted with most of the mud at the moment, doubtless because Donziger’s people recognize that his book, aimed at the general reader, stands the greater chance of scoring wide impact. The attacks on Barrett began on July 31 with an 1650-word, unsigned broadside on The Chevron Pit, a web site that has, in the past at least, been controlled by Donziger and his public relations person, Karen Hinton, according to testimony and emails that emerged during the civil racketeering litigation. Hinton says she no longer works on that site, and it’s difficult to say authoritatively who controls it now since most of its posts are signed only “Admin.” and it identifies its staff only as “the team working to hold oil giant Chevron accountable for its human rights and environmental abuses in Ecuador.” (I’m not linking here to the Chevron Pit post attacking Barrett—or those attacking me, for that matter—in part because I think they’re defamatory, but also because Google takes such links into account in determining the prominence to give such blogposts in search results. Why Google still allows its results to be so easily manipulated by malevolent, anonymous smear campaigns is a topic for another day.) In any case, the initial Chevron Pit assault was followed by an unsigned, 1200-word “critique” that Hinton emailed to reporters on September 3. The broadsides claim that Barrett’s book is “riddled” or “replete” with “errors,” but neither gives specific, verifiable examples. Each accuses Barrett of suffering from “conflicts of interest,” but the specifics are vapid to the point of unintelligibility. The first alleged “blatant conflict” is that Barrett wrote the book while also continuing to write for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, an arrangement that his employer and publisher both knew about and approved of, and one that is obviously both benign and routine. The second alleged conflict is that Barrett accepted the invitation of a U.S. House Foreign Affairs subcommittee to testify about the case last July. The calumniators speculate that Chevron arranged for the hearing to take place (which a spokesperson for Chevron denies), and then further speculate that Chevron arranged for Barrett to be called as a witness (which Chevron and Barrett both deny). A Chevron spokesman told me he was surprised—and chagrined—to discover that Barrett was testifying, since Barrett’s book suggests that Texaco behaved improperly in Ecuador, a proposition that is obviously inimical to Chevron’s core legal position. In an email Barrett tells me that he knows how the invitation came about: “A Latin American journalist I know has friends who work on the subcommittee staff. He told them about my book. When their hearing came up, they called me to ask if I would testify. That’s it.” Next, and more seriously, the attacks accuse Barrett of bias—specifically, of having told unidentified people that he “planned to use his book to ‘take down’ Donziger.” In an email to me, Barrett says, “This is a lie. I never said this.” Asked when, where, and to whom Barrett made these “explicit threats,” as the Pit post calls them, Hinton said that she was “not involved in writing” either the Chevron Pit post or the “critique” that she blast-emailed to reporters. She said she would forward my inquiries to Donziger. In an emailed statement, Donziger said, first of all, that I should not be writing a review of the Barrett or Goldhaber books at all, because I, too, have a “conflict of interest,” in that he does not deem my coverage of the case to have been “balanced.” As for Barrett’s alleged “threat,” he says it was made to “a person on our legal team,” but “I am not going to provide more details at this point for various litigation-related reasons.” Donziger added that he had written a detailed letter to Barrett, his agent, and his publisher “outlining some of the defamatory statements in the book” which, he claims, “create exposure for Barrett and the publisher,” though he did not indicate which statements those were. (Matthew Martin, senior vice president and associate general counsel for Penguin Random House—Crown’s parent—said, “While we generally refrain from commenting on pending legal claims or litigation, I can tell you that Law of the Jungle was carefully and diligently researched over many years and we stand fully behind Paul Barrett’s reporting.” ) The Chevron Pit post also asserts that Barrett “never interviewed a single member of the legal team for the villagers,” and both broadsides fault Barrett for giving too little attention to the team’s key Ecuadorian leaders, Pablo Fajardo and Luis Yanza. The assertions are both inaccurate and highly misleading. As Barrett explains in the book itself, “Steve Donziger spoke to me at length for the initial [BusinessWeek] magazine profile [in March 2011] and in the months thereafter. When my attention turned to this book, however, he cut off communication and discouraged certain other people from cooperating.” In an interview with me, Barrett specifies that he had actually already booked interviews with Fajardo and Yanza, among others, and was at the Miami airport waiting for his flight to depart, when Donziger intervened and saw to it that those were cancelled. Donziger admitted to me that he stopped speaking to Barrett—citing both qualms with Barrett’s reporting and legal advice from his attorney. He also admitted having “shared [his] thoughts” about speaking to Barrett with “members of his local team, including Fajardo and Yanza,” but said that they “decided independently to not cooperate with Barrett. . . . These sentient beings make their own decisions about their lives, including whether to conduct interviews with reporters like Barrett.” But whatever their reasons for not talking to Barrett, there is no dispute that it was their decision—not Barrett’s. The calumniators are implying that Barrett failed to reach out to these people for their perspectives when in fact, as they well know, Barrett reached out, but the people in question refused to speak to him. That’s absurdly misleading. Finally, the Chevron Pit blog poster asserts that he or she knows of “multiple reports” that “Chevron is quietly helping to promote” Barrett’s book. The post doesn’t link to any of those “reports,” though, and, for the reasons mentioned above, the allegation seems preposterous on its face. Barrett’s book is very sympathetic to the plight of the people Donziger represents, critical of Texaco and Chevron, and quite harsh—sometimes unduly so, in my view—toward Chevron’s counsel at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. It likens Gibson Dunn at one point, for instance, to “a ‘cleaner,’” that is, “an underworld specialist in the art of tidying up bloody crime scenes.” When I asked for more specifics about the alleged “reports” that Chevron was promoting Barrett’s book, Donziger provided none, except to claim that they emanated from somewhere in Ecuador. He then repeated the calumniators’ rank speculation that Chevron engineered Barrett’s testimony before the House committee. The mendacity and intimidation evinced in these reckless attacks on Barrett are of a piece with the conduct that Judge Kaplan found to have marred so many key aspects of Donziger’s case against Chevron in Ecuador. Again and again, Donziger has undermined a plausible legal case with needless, transparent, and despicable lies.

Two clear-eyed books shed light on the murky suit over oil spilled in the Amazon. And a lawyer at the center of the case is attacking one of the authors.

For a man who once weighed 980 pounds and had already lost 650 of them, the loss of 50 more — the amount that vanished after Paul Mason’s nine-and-a-half-hour operation last month — might not seem like a big deal. But Mr. Mason, who at his heaviest was known informally as the world’s fattest man, had been all but crippled by those 50 pounds, loose skin that hung over his body like melted wax over a candlestick. And so its absence has made all the difference. It means he can get out of his wheelchair and go for a walk. It means he can take a shower standing up. It means that his knees no longer ache, that he can slip easily in and out of bed without feeling like he has anvils strapped to his thighs, that he has sensation in his feet, and that when he puts his pants on he does not have to contend with an apron of extra flesh flopping from his waist to his thighs. “It seems a bit weird,” Mr. Mason said recently. “I’d got so used to maneuvering my excess skin out of the way.” It took a lot of planning and a great deal of good fortune for Mr. Mason, who is 54 and comes from Ipswich, England, to have the operation at all. Lenox Hill Hospital on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where it was performed, waived all its fees. So did the four plastic surgeons who operated, and so did the general surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the nurses who took part. Mr. Mason’s bills would probably have exceeded $250,000, said Dr. Jennifer Capla, the surgeon who led the team at Lenox Hill. It took Mr. Mason a long time to get as fat as he was, and it has taken him a long time to try to shed all that weight and find a life approaching normalcy. Bullied, sexually abused and unloved as a child, he said he dulled his feelings with more and more food. Eventually he got into bed and kept eating until he became too heavy to get out. Finally, spurred by a sympathetic therapist, he had gastric bypass surgery, in England, overhauled his diet and dropped to 350 pounds. This latest operation, in early May, was the culmination of two years of effort by Dr. Capla, a plastic surgeon in Manhattan who learned of Mr. Mason’s affliction when her mother, Judith Capla, also a doctor, saw news reports about him. Dr. Jennifer Capla specializes in loose-skin removal after extreme weight loss, but she had never operated on anyone whose weight loss was so extreme. It was a complex case, and not only because of the logistics or the simple fact that there was more of Mr. Mason to remove than there usually is for patients in his position. His excessive weight had left him with a host of medical issues, including a history of blood clots, and Dr. Capla brought in three other plastic surgeons to assist in the operation: Dr. Wojciech Dec from Lenox Hill, and Dr. J. Peter Rubin and Dr. Joseph Michaels, former colleagues in Pittsburgh and Maryland. The biggest challenge was presented by the many blood vessels in the skin to be removed. There were hundreds, each about four times normal size, Dr. Capla said, and they had to be identified and then individually cauterized and tied or clipped, a process that took hours. “If you miss just one, he could bleed out,” she said. It took the doctors more than four hours to remove the first piece of skin, from the area around Mr. Mason’s midsection, and there was a feeling of triumph as they finally cut it away and laid it out on a table. The anesthesiologist monitoring Mr. Mason’s vital signs said that when that piece was removed, his CVP, which measures how hard the heart has to work to pump blood, fell instantly. In the end, the surgeons excised about 25 pounds from Mr. Mason’s midsection and perhaps 25 to 30 from his legs, much of it concentrated in his right leg, which was so swollen with fluid that he was unable to walk more than a few steps. They went through about 140 suture packs, each representing about eight or nine sutures. “We’re talking about eight feet of incisions,” Dr. Capla said. After he left the hospital, Mr. Mason recuperated for a few weeks in a Midtown Manhattan hotel room paid for by another benefactor, a businessman from Illinois. The businessman, who did not want to be identified, told Mr. Mason that he was donating the money in honor of his late mother, who had also struggled with her weight, said Mr. Mason’s fiancée, Rebecca Mountain. (They met when she read about him online and got in touch with him through Facebook.) “His mom was really heavy and he felt a connection with what Paul was going through,” Ms. Mountain said. Back at home now in Orange, Mass., where Mr. Mason has moved to be with Ms. Mountain, the couple still faces many obstacles. Though her cat-furniture business is beginning to take off, Ms. Mountain said, she does all the work herself and she struggles to keep up with orders. Money is very tight, and there are issues surrounding Mr. Mason’s immigration status. His visa is scheduled to run out in a few months. He and Ms. Mountain cannot get married and live together in the United States until she can prove to the authorities that she has the means to support him as well as herself, she said. “Somehow or other he will find a way to stay, and then he can maybe take a part-time job in town,” she said. “Stacking shelves, whatever I can do,” Mr. Mason said. “I don’t mind.” Down the line, he hopes to have at least one more operation, to remove the flesh that still hangs from his upper arms. But that is in the future. At the moment Mr. Mason is just adjusting to his new self, emerging into a different life; one with more possibility. He does not get as tired as he did just after the operation and is now walking his dog, Duke, in the garden every morning, something that was unthinkable before. He and Ms. Mountain have done some gardening, and are starting to make plans to grow vegetables and fruit. The other day, they went to the movies. It seems like a small thing, but it wasn’t. “I was able to sit in a cinema seat for the first time in 30 years and hold hands and cuddle, like couples do,” he said. A version of this article appears in print on June 15, 2015, on page A15 of the New York edition with the headline: Down From 980 Pounds, With New Battles to Wage. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

For Paul Mason, who dropped 700 pounds, the last 50 made the biggest difference, when a team of surgeons in Manhattan removed his excess skin.

The main difference between aggressive and conservative portfolios comes down to the balance between stocks and bonds. There's little difference between the stock portfolio of a 20-something and that of a retiree, other than the amount of stocks each owns. Within equities, financial professionals urge investors to make sure to diversify among domestic and international stocks, since they often move in opposite directions. Also include small- and large-cap stocks to capture the performance of different company sizes. But investors don't need to slice their equities too thinly with alternative investments. "Alternatives are very confusing, and even a lot of advisors aren't that familiar with them," said Dory Rodriguez, wealth advisor with HighPoint Planning Partners. Read MoreHow to solve the Social Security puzzle Real estate is an exception, and many financial advisors recommend 5 percent to 10 percent allocation toward real estate investment trusts in most portfolios. However, REIT dividends are taxed as ordinary income, so hold them in tax-sheltered accounts, such as 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts, to avoid the tax hit. When it comes to bonds, a mix of corporate, Treasury and high-yield bonds diversifies across industries and interest-rate exposure.

Finding the right mix of stocks, bonds and other investments in a portfolio depends on a combination of age, needs and experience.

Matt Spaccarelli, an unemployed student who won a small-claims fight with AT&T over its throttling, or slowing down, of his smartphone, wants to make it easier for anyone whose smartphone was throttled to fight the carrier in court. Over the weekend, he published a Web site containing the documentation he presented to a judge on Friday, which helped him win $850. Mr. Spaccarelli filed the court case in mid-February and went to court with AT&T on Friday in Ventura Superior Court in Simi Valley, Calif. He claimed that AT&T had reduced the Internet transfer speeds of his iPhone to the point where it was so slow that it was unusable — in other words, severely limiting his “unlimited” data plan. The judge ruled in his favor. On his Web site, www.taporc.com, Mr. Spaccarelli lists the forms a customer needs to go to small-claims court, as well a subpoena document that someone can use to request information from AT&T. He also includes documents describing what he read to the judge, as well as information about data speeds and government policies on networks. “I don’t want people to think this dude just got lucky,” said Mr. Spaccarelli, emphasizing the importance of doing all your research before going to court. Mr. Spaccarelli said he used these materials to help his brother, who has also been throttled by AT&T, file a court case on Monday night. He said he would be an expert witness for his brother, and for anyone who wanted to take AT&T to small-claims court, as long as they paid for his travel expenses. “I said, ‘I’ll file it for you because I’m your brother,’” he said. “We’ll make it two-for-two and do it in L.A. County. Different county with a different judge, same evidence.” AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon each have data throttling policies that they enforce differently on customers with unlimited data plans. They say throttling is necessary to ensure that networks remain speedy and usable for the millions of customers switching from traditional cellphones to data-guzzling smartphones.

Matt Spaccarelli, an unemployed student who won a small-claims fight with AT&T over its throttling, or slowing down, of his smartphone, wants to make it easier for anyone whose smartphone was throttled to fight the carrier in court. Over the weekend, he published a Web site containing all the documentation he presented to a judge when he presented his case on Friday and won $850.

Who remembers the Scottish composer Ernest Bryson? He wrote a couple of forgotten symphonies and an even more forgotten opera called The Leper's Flute. But he has now found his place in history as the man who denounced Sir Edward Elgar as "stupid" and "impertinent". It was all a bit of fuss about nothing much, according to letters found in the archive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and now on show in the Picton reading room at the city's central library. In 1924, officers of the Rodewald chamber music society wrote to Elgar, who by then had completed most of his greatest works, to invite him to become the society's president. Alfred Rodewald, a Liverpool businessman and musician who died in 1905, had founded and bankrolled the Liverpool Orchestral Society. Elgar was not delighted by the invitation, apparently upset that the wishes of a close friend had been betrayed. "I am much honoured by the invitation; I cannot accept the post of president," he replied. "Alfred Rodewald was a very dear friend and if it were possible to carry on, under his name, some orchestral concerts I would be proud to be associated with the executive. "Chamber music, in this case, is inadequate and it is a reproach to the musical taste of Liverpool that the orchestral concerts should have been allowed to disappear." The society then invited Bryson to take on the job Elgar had spurned and forwarded to him the great composer's letter. In his reply, Bryson accepted the presidency and then went in for a bit of self-righteous spluttering: "I return Sir Edward Elgar's letter and do not understand why he should have seen fit to combine stupidity and impertinence in his reply to the society." Ouch. "The benefits of insulting the leading composer of the day are dubious but the correspondence with Elgar certainly makes interesting reading and says a lot about the way things were done back then," said Vasily Petrenko, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's dynamic principal conductor, who helped launch Liverpool's year as capital of culture while leading his band from the top of a scissor lift. Much of the archive has been collated by RLPO patron Vin Tyndall. The orchestra was then awarded a £50,000 heritage lottery grant to catalogue the collection, a process that took a full-time archivist and 30 volunteers two years to complete. Items on show include programmes, autograph books (with the signatures of the Queen, Dickens, Paul McCartney and Rachmaninov), letters from Max Bruch, Sir Henry Wood and Sir Charles Hallé, and material relating to the all-woman McCullagh string quartet, founded in the 1920s. The archive also shows the rows did not only concern music: there was outrage when birth control campaigner Marie Stopes tried to book the Philharmonic Hall for a lecture.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra unveils archive of letters from composers Ernest Bryson and Edward Elgar, as well as historical collection of programmes and autograph books

If you're untroubled by dreams of falling and believe a floating sensation makes for a sound night's sleep, these daredevil pitches could be for you. In the German Alps, campers can feel at one with nature in tents hung from tree branches high up in the forest canopy. The only way to reach these unusual sleeping quarters, found in an activity park in Kappel, is with the assistance of a rope. Those that dare to do so are rewarded with majestic views of the Pfronten mountains, near the Austrian border, at a cost of £211 a night. A second option for extreme campers is to spend the afternoon rock climbing before getting cosy halfway up a sheer 2000m rock face. Campers can experience the ultimate in peace and quiet (provided there is no wind) on these suspended "portaledges", built around a sturdy frame, strong camping ropes... and that's about it. Those attempting to sleep here can only carry the bare essentials up with them - a sleeping bag, rope and some basic dinner. There's no going back for your toothbrush on this mini-break, only available during the summer and for £753 per person. The activity company that offers such adventurous camping, Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht (www.waldseilgarten-hoellschlucht.de), also organises a night's stay in igloos, with time set aside in the day to have a go at building your own.

Adventurous types can camp in the branches of a tree or mid-way up a cliff in the German Alps.

Facebook has been in talks for months with U.S. government officials and wireless carriers with an eye toward unveiling an American version of an app that has caused controversy abroad, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The social media giant is trying to determine how to roll out its program, known as Free Basics, in the United States without triggering the regulatory scrutiny that effectively killed a version of the app in India earlier this year. If Facebook succeeds with its U.S. agenda for Free Basics — which has not been previously reported — it would mark a major victory for the company as it seeks to connect millions more to the Web, and to its own platform. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in New Delhi Friday. The two discussed using Facebook as a tool to engage a wider audience in "the service of humanity." (YouTube: Narendra Modi) The U.S. version of Free Basics would target low-income and rural Americans who cannot afford reliable, high-speed Internet at home or on smartphones. The app does not directly pay for users' mobile data. Rather, it allows users to stretch their data plans by offering, in partnership with wireless carriers, free Internet access to resources such as online news, health information and job leads. Exactly what specific services would be offered in the U.S. app has not been determined. But the idea to bring Free Basics to the United States is likely to rekindle a long-running debate about the future of the Internet. On one side are those who view services such as Facebook's as a critical tool in connecting underserved populations to the Internet, in some cases for the first time. On the other side are those who argue that exempting services from data caps creates a multitiered playing field that favors businesses with the expertise and budgets to participate in such programs. The fight over this tactic, known as “zero-rating,” has largely taken place overseas where local start-ups are mixing with globally established firms in still-nascent Internet economies. But a U.S. launch of Free Basics would bring the discussion to American shores in a major way. Since at least the spring, Facebook has been trying to persuade numerous small and rural cellular service providers to support Free Basics, which is already available in 49 countries, and waive any data charges the app may incur. It has also floated the idea to White House officials involved with President Obama's technology agenda. “While we have nothing to announce,” the company said in a statement, “Facebook’s mission is to connect the world and we’re always exploring ways to do that, including in the United States.” The effort to offer a U.S.-based version of Free Basics is moving forward in fits and starts, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the effort has not been publicly revealed. In particular, the company wants to ensure that Free Basics will be viewed favorably by the U.S. government before it launches, thus avoiding a costly repeat of its experience in India. Regulators there banned the app in February after consumer advocates argued Facebook was handpicking the services users could see and access on Free Basics, potentially disadvantaging any competing companies and nonprofit groups that were left out of the program. In the wake of the uproar, Facebook updated its approach to Free Basics. It currently allows any third-party organization to offer its services as part of the program, provided that the organization's developers abide by terms that, for example, prohibit the use of high-definition images or video that could consume a great deal of mobile data. U.S. Internet advocates have called on the Federal Communications Commission to regulate zero-rating under its net neutrality rules. The practice, they argue, risks tilting the online marketplace to benefit large, established firms, or the corporate partners of those firms. “Zero-rating is pernicious, unfair and unnecessary,” said Susan Crawford, a law professor at Harvard who has advocated for strong regulation of the broadband industry. Permitting the practice would simply enable “the gameplaying of companies who have a strong interest in maintaining the status quo.” The agency has not decided whether to take action. Earlier this year, FCC officials met with Internet providers including Comcast, T-Mobile and Verizon to study the issue. The agency's chairman, Tom Wheeler, told reporters last month that he is still “trying to make sure we understand” the full implications of the practice, despite months of deliberation. “Things move at the pace that is appropriate,” he said. “I think we're doing a good job.” Facebook has not attempted to strike a deal with national wireless carriers such as T-Mobile or AT&T, said the people familiar with the matter, over concerns that regulators may perceive the move as anti-competitive. Instead, it has pursued relationships with lesser-known carriers. While Free Basics may give these wireless companies a new way to reach consumers, some analysts say Facebook's pitch could give those businesses pause. FCC scrutiny over zero-rating could raise legal and regulatory costs for these carriers as they seek to explain their role in the program in Washington, said Craig Moffett, a telecom analyst at MoffettNathanson. He added that carriers mulling a relationship with Facebook must also consider how the terms of that relationship might change in the future. “There's a bigger question of opening a Pandora's box,” Moffett said. “You'd have to be concerned that Facebook might ultimately usurp the customer relationship and, at renewal time, demand to be paid rather than just carried [by the wireless company]." Still, other policy advocates say that Free Basics could help close a persistent economic divide in the United States when it comes to connectivity. By making it easier for underserved populations to access civic and social services online, more Americans could join the ranks of those who benefit from high-speed Internet, said Nicol Turner-Lee, a vice president at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council. “It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring that here, because we face many of the same challenges in historically disadvantaged communities” as developing countries do, said Turner-Lee. Cost remains a significant factor in preventing some Americans, particularly minorities and the poor, from getting online. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that 15 percent of adults have few options other than a cellphone for accessing the Internet. And 48 percent of those who depend on a smartphone to get online have reported having to cancel or suspend their wireless service because they can't afford it. Others who have eschewed an Internet connection cite relevance and ease of use as reasons for not getting online. Sixty-eight percent of adults in Pew's survey said the Internet is a waste of time, too hard to use or some other related reason. A program such as Free Basics could reverse some of these trends, Turner-Lee said, acting as a portal to access education, financial services or even Healthcare.gov, the federal health insurance marketplace, without the need to pay for mobile data. For needy populations, it could provide a financial leg up. For the skeptical, it may help demonstrate the benefits of an Internet connection. And for Obama, it may be a way to shore up some of his signature policy initiatives. “This is another way to ensure that this administration has a legacy with some of those programs, if they become part of the Free Basics suite,” Turner-Lee said. Wireless carriers have an incentive to participate in Free Basics as well, Facebook has said. Many may be able to convert Free Basics users into regular paying customers. About half of those who log on to the Internet for the first time as a result of Free Basics wind up paying for a mobile data plan within the first 30 days of use, according to Facebook. While there often isn't a business case for building mobile Internet access in rural areas, Facebook could help improve that case, according to a trade group that represents multiple carriers that have spoken to Facebook about Free Basics. "Facebook’s Free Basics is yet another way competitive carriers can improve the lives of rural Americans," the Competitive Carriers Association said, "by increasing access to and adoption of broadband, and a partnership with Facebook would certainly further CCA’s mission."

The company has spent the past half-year in conversations with officials.

NORFOLK, Feb. 18 -- Fellow conservative religious leaders have expressed concern over and open criticism of Pat Robertson's habit of shooting from the lip on his daily religious news-and-talk television program, "The 700 Club." The Christian Coalition founder and former GOP presidential candidate has said U.S. agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip. Some observers say Robertson, who will be 76 next month, courts controversy as a strategy to remain in the public eye and to keep his followers mobilized. Others say that he is important to the evangelical movement that he helped create when he established the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network in 1960, but that he needs to stop damaging it with his words. He canceled a speech planned for Tuesday at the closing banquet of the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Dallas after NRB leaders said they were worried that his appearance could detract from the event. "He is in a very visible leadership position, and comments such as recent ones related to Mr. Sharon and so many others are misinformed and presumptuous and border on arrogance," said David S. Dockery, president of Union University, a private college affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. "It puts the evangelical movement in a bad light." Robertson, through a spokesman, declined to be interviewed. He apologized after facing swift condemnation for his Jan. 5 statement that Sharon was punished for "dividing God's land." Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's ethics and religious liberty commission, has said he was "appalled that Pat Robertson would claim to know the mind of God concerning whether particular tragic events . . . were the judgments of God." Barry Hankins, professor of history and church-state studies at Baylor University, said Robertson tries to interpret contemporary events as "being part of the drama of God's activity in the world." Brian Britt, director of the religious studies program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, said Robertson's remarks are not just "off-the-wall" but part of a strategy that earns him headlines. When people attack Robertson, he wins sympathy for appearing to be an underdog, Britt said. "It reinforces an image of Christianity as a persecuted religion, a religion that is being hounded by the secularists," he said.

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Caitlyn Jenner (left) and Kim Kardashian West 01/02/2016 AT 09:30 AM EST skipped the wild club night on New Year's Eve in favor of a low-key party with family and friends – including The new mom shared photos from her New Year's Eve celebration on Instagram, showing her posing with friends Clara DiBello and Tracy Nguyen as well as sister . Kardashian West even skipped the sexy New Year's Eve dress in favor of a black sweatshirt and French braids. that the night involved pajamas and games: "We rang in the New Year in our pajamas with family, friends and a competitive game of Taboo (and yes, the girls won)!" A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Jan 1, 2016 at 3:07am PST A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Jan 1, 2016 at 3:10am PST Not everyone in the Kardashian-Jenner family was spending New Year's Eve at home. spent the holiday with NBA boyfriend James Harden, where the pair . Scott Disick also took the club route, . Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner was over the holiday. Kendall's mother, Kris Jenner, with her boyfriend, Corey Gamble. Earlier this week, Kardashian West revealed , saying she'd like to "shed the baby weight" she gained while pregnant with Saint West and finish renovations on the family's home. She added, "I also want to plan a West family vacation – it's a project in itself to find the time!" The holiday season hasn't just been about parties and vacations for the Kardashian family.

The night involved pajamas and board games

The European Union’s top antitrust official doesn’t sound very happy with the information Google goog has so far given her after she charged the company with violating competition law. “Google gave us a very substantial answer, and what we need to do is ask them for more data to have a comprehensive picture so they aren’t just giving us data that solely substantiates their position,” competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a New York Times interview. It is now just under 11 months since the European Commission issued a so-called statement of objections against Google, alleging that it has abused its position (it holds over 90% of the EU search market) to favor its own comparison shopping services. Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter. The company stands accused of boosting the prominence of its own service’s results over that of its rivals by displaying its own comparison shopping service at the top of its search results pages. Google is now in the process of defending itself and trying to ward off sanctions by the commission that would force it to change its ways. Google CEO Sundar Pichai visited Vestager last month, with the case being a likely topic of conversation. The commission is also investigating many other complaints against Google, notably to do with its control over the Android ecosystem and the way in which it operates in the ad industry. However, so far it has only issued charges over the comparison-shopping issue. For more on the antitrust suit, watch: Vestager described that case as a “huge task” for her directorate. A spokesman for the department declined to say which data it was that Google wasn’t offering up to Vestager’s liking, nor when the case was likely to see some kind of resolution. A Google spokesman had not replied to a request for comment at the time of writing.

Margrethe Vestager said in an interview that the data Google has so far given in its defense is very selective.

On September 30, the two decided to ride their personal watercraft to the Mexican side of the lake to see a historical church, Hartley said. But she said the couple was confronted by three boats, and men -- believed to be linked to a Mexican drug gang -- began shooting at them when they tried to flee. She said she saw her husband shot and attempted to pull him on board her watercraft. David Hartley's body has not been found, despite extensive searches by both U.S. and Mexican authorities. Most recently, Mexican authorities suspended their search after the head of the lead investigator in the case was found on the side of the road. On Tuesday, however, Mexican investigators conducted a re-enactment at the lake, State Department spokeswoman Virginia Staab said. Young said the move to Colorado does not signal an end to their search for justice. "We are not giving up. We will continue to call congressmen and lawmakers until they find David, and we will return immediately when they find his body," she said. "Just because I'm going to Colorado doesn't mean I'm done," she said. "You'll still hear from me. I'm still going to be out fighting for my husband and fighting for everyone on the border." Earlier this week, Hartley pleaded for help in finding her husband. "I plea to the people who did this. To anybody who knows who did this," she said on CNN's "AC360" on Monday night. "Just give me my husband back. I want to take him home and honor him. And I am sure somebody out there knows. Just help me bring my husband home."

Tiffany Hartley, who reported that her husband was shot by gunmen in Mexico last month, is moving from Texas to Colorado with a trace of his body yet to be found."This is a very difficult day for

Girl Scout cookie milk is in stores now. (Nestle Nesquik) Now, you can dunk your Girl Scout cookies into Girl Scout cookie-flavored milk. The unmistakably addictive flavor of two of the most popular cookies of all time have made their way into Nesquik milk. Girl Scout’s Thin Mints and Samoas are lending their signature sweetness to the On-the-Go beverage, available at select stores now. We’ve seen Girl Scout ice cream, candy bars and coffee creamer but this may be the first calcium fortified cookie-flavored product out there. But at 300 calories per each 16-ounce bottle of the Caramel Coconut (Samoa), it’s about twice the calories for a similar serving of skim milk. According to Nesquik's homepage, these drinkable treats are only around for a limited time.

Dunk your cookies into cookie flavored milk.

01/09/2015 AT 02:35 PM EST "Elastic Heart" Wednesday, controversy ensued. alum Maddie Ziegler dancing half-dressed in a bird cage. Detractors deemed the piece inappropriate, criticizing the clip for its sexual undertones – namely the physical contact between LaBeouf, 28, and 12-year-old Ziegler – that some believe took to social media Wednesday to say sorry over the course of several Tweets: "I anticipated some '[pedophilia]'!!!' Cries for this video. All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could play … These two [warring] 'Sia' self states," : "I apologize to those who feel triggered by #ElasticHeart My intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody." While the clip – co-directed by Daniel Askill – picked up its fair share of flak, came to its defense, citing that it's art, not pedophilia. Popular music site Consequence of Sound's Michelle Geslani , writing: "Interpretive dance is just that – interpretive. Also, as we've come to learn more about Sia and the kind of artist she is, I think it's safe to say that the art which she puts forth always has a deeper meaning. Skin doesn't always = Sex. Touching doesn't always = Lust. Dancing doesn't always indicate something carnal." As for the stars of the video, LaBeouf has yet to comment on the controversy (he just Tweeted the video the day of its release). Ziegler talked to about working with the older "I felt like I knew him when I met him. Before we started filming 'Elastic Heart,' he took my mom and I to eat, just to start to know each other and stuff. You have to get used to your dance partner. Even though we're battling and fighting against each other, we still have to know each other, you know? You can't just walk in and be like, 'Hey, let's start dancing with each other!'" Ziegler I anticipated some 'pedophelia!!!' Cries for this video. All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could play These two warring 'sia' self states. I apologize to those who feel triggered by #ElasticHeart My intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody.

"My intention was to create some emotional content, not upset anybody," the singer Tweeted

Michael G. Oxley, a former Ohio representative who helped write landmark anti-fraud legislation, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, after a wave of corporate scandals that brought down the Enron Corporation and WorldCom, died on Friday in McLean, Va. He was 71. The cause was non-small cell lung cancer, a type of lung cancer seen in nonsmokers, said his wife, Patricia. Mr. Oxley was chairman of the Lung Cancer Alliance board of directors. Mr. Oxley, a Republican, left Congress in 2007 after 25 years in the House, where he devoted most of his time to issues involving corporate oversight and insurance protection. He led an effort to investigate Enron, the failed energy company, and helped create new accounting requirements in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which took effect in 2002. Senator Paul S. Sarbanes, Democrat of Maryland, also sponsored the legislation. The law reshaped corporate oversight after accounting scandals in 2001 and 2002 at Enron, WorldCom and other major corporations exposed inadequate internal controls and auditors who had become too cozy with the companies whose books they examined. Those scandals and others wiped out retirement accounts and cost investors billions of dollars. Small companies later complained that the law brought added costs to comply with reporting requirements. Pro-business conservatives argued that a board established to oversee the accounting industry and the industry’s own regulators had violated the separation of powers and challenged the law in court. The Supreme Court in 2010 agreed that the law violated the Constitution’s separation of powers mandate. But its decision required only a slight change in allowing the removal of members of the oversight board. In the House, Mr. Oxley was chairman of the financial services committee, which has jurisdiction over banking and Wall Street issues. Michael Garver Oxley was born on Feb. 11, 1944, in Findlay, Ohio. He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and received a law degree from Ohio State. Mr. Oxley, a former F.B.I. agent, advocated giving the police greater ability to unscramble encrypted computer files. He was the main sponsor of legislation in the House requiring operators of commercial websites to restrict young people’s access to sexually explicit material. He was an F.B.I. agent for three years before he was elected to the Ohio House in 1972. He won a special election to Congress in 1981 by 341 votes to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Tennyson Guyer. Mr. Oxley rarely faced a close election after that. After his retirement, Mr. Oxley became a lobbyist in the financial sector. In addition to his wife, survivors include a son, Michael Chadd Oxley, and a grandson. A version of this article appears in print on January 2, 2016, on page B6 of the New York edition with the headline: Michael G. Oxley, 71, Co-Author of Anti-Fraud Legislation . Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Mr. Oxley, a former Ohio representative helped write the Sarbanes-Oxley Act after a wave of corporate scandals that brought down the Enron Corporation and WorldCom.

Stephen Colbert frets over news of a global bacon shortage on "Colbert Report." Stephen Colbert was in rare form on Wednesday, offending a laundry list of religions with his political theories behind the pending bacon shortage and the movement to get people praying for a Romney win. Not surprisingly, the bacon story came first. The expected dearth in the supply of America’s favorite breakfast meat has been all over the news, and Colbert isn’t buying the explanation that a drought is the cause. “Just think about it -- who’s not supposed to eat bacon? Well, Jews first, but most of the Jews I know eat it anyway. No, I’m talking about the really observant Jews -- Muslims. They won’t even touch bacon. Which means this bacon shortage is nothing less than creeping Sharia law.” And like the commentators whose opinions he channels, Colbert knows who’s at fault. “You know who I blame? Barack Obama. I have been warning you for years about his kowtowing to Islamic extremists, and now the chicken schwarma is coming home to roost,” he said. The next thing you know, Cat Deeley is hosting ‘So You Think You Can Dervish.” Which would be far from the most bizarre reality show on TV today. But anyone worried that Colbert would spend the whole show on Islam didn’t need to worry. He soon turned the topic over to Christianity. More specifically, the “40 Days to Save America” website that asks pastors and congregations to commit to asking God for help electing their desired candidates, arguing that “prayer + fasting + action equals change” “That’s amazing. Usually prayer plus fasting plus action equals passing out,” Colbert said. The pastor behind the movement, Rick Scarborough, helped launch Rick Perry’s presidential campaign with a prayer rally. We all know how that turned out. But as Colbert noted: “Pastor Scarborough did credit the rally with ending the drought in Texas. So clearly his prayers work on natural disasters, which is a perfect match for the Romney campaign.” “This prayer will help Mitt Romney win over undecided voters, especially the biggest undecided voter of them all -- God. I mean, he may be all-knowing, but he would still like to know a little bit more about Mitt’s tax returns," according to Colbert. "In fact, God is three undecided voters – the father, son and holy spirit. And you have to figure the son is leaning Obama, what with the long hair and the loaves and fishes handouts to the poor. Get a job, hippie!” But if Jesus is a long shot under that scenario, Colbert thinks this approach has a better shot with God, who as traditionally depicted fits the Romney demographic. “He’s old, male, vengeful, and he lives in a gated community.” But there's someone who doesn't connect with either Romney or Obama, at least when it comes to the bottom line. On Wednesday night's "Late Show," David Letterman spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who scoffed at the billion-plus budgets of American political campaigns. "It's a really big difference between us," Cameron said of the campaign process. "We don't allow political parties to advertise on television, so that massively cuts the cost." With applause from the "Late Show" audience, Cameron added, "I've never uttered the words, 'I'm David Cameron, and I approve this message.'" In honor of the gathering of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, Letterman then turned his focus to a Top Ten roundup on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- specifically, "words that almost rhyme with Mahmoud." "I'm sure in Iran, it's probably a very common name," the host began, "But to us, it has an odd sound to our ear." So with the help of a rhyming dictionary and a "special thesaurus," he offered such entries as "muumuu," "Brit Hume," "mom nude," and his No. 1 pick, "Mets booed."

Stephen Colbert was in rare form on Wednesday, offending a laundry list of religions with his political theories behind the pending bacon shortage and the movement to get people praying for a Romney win. Not surprisingly, the bacon story came first. The expected dearth in the su …

The latest winter storm to hit the U.S. East Coast grounded more than 6,000 flights Thursday, while hundreds of thousands in the ice-encrusted South remained without power. “Snow has become a four-letter word,” said Tom McGarrigle, chairman of the Delaware County Council in suburban Philadelphia. Washington, D.C., had at least 8 inches (203 millimeters), and federal offices and the city’s two main airports were closed. New York City had at least 8 inches. At least 18 deaths, most of them in traffic accidents, were blamed on the storm as it made its way across the South and up the coast. Among the victims was a pregnant woman who was struck and killed by a snowplow in New York City. Her baby was delivered in critical condition via cesarean section. About 750,000 homes and businesses were left without power in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama, with scattered outages reported in the mid-Atlantic. More than 200,000 households and businesses in the Atlanta area alone were waiting for the electricity to come back on. Temperatures were expected to drop below freezing again overnight.

Many New York streets deserted and Washington’s airports closed after heavy snowstorm. Follow the latest details here

Actualizado nov 28, 2012 12:37 a.m. ET México - El ex portero Miguel Calero presenta una inflamación, la cual estaba contemplada, por lo que se estudia la posibilidad de practicarle un procedimiento, pero en general su estado de salud se mantiene estable, tras la trombosis cerebral que sufrió el pasado domingo. De acuerdo a un boletín del equipo Pachuca, se le realizó una tomografía la cual muestra una inflamación, contemplada por el neurocirujano Edgar Nathal, así como José Antonio Torres, jefe de los servicios médicos del cuadro hidalguense. "Se muestra una inflamación, misma que será considerada por el cuerpo médico esta tarde noche y se determinará si se le practican maniobras de descompresión quirúrgica", estableció Asimismo, se explicó que "lo anterior es un procedimiento de carácter preventivo, que el mismo cuerpo médico desde del inicio del tratamiento tenían considerado practicar". Calero sufrió una trombosis, por lo que fue trasladado en helicóptero a un hospital al sur de la capital del país, donde está internado.

Médico del club Pachuca sigue al pendiente de la evolución de Miguel Calero

USA TODAY spins you through the league with keys to each teams' victory, injury information, fast facts and more for the NFL's Week 7: Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes to lead the New York Giants to a 28-20 victory over Detroit and send the error-prone Lions to an NFL record-tying 24th straight road loss. Justin Tuck swears this is all about trust. One week, the New York Giants defense ravages the Chicago Bears for 10 sacks. The next week, it dismantles the Houston Texans and holds the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack to a paltry 24 yards. Every week, the Bruno Boys take a look at the top-10 defenses in terms of sacks and their opponents' ability to protect their signal callers. USA TODAY spins you through the league with keys to each teams' victory, injury information, fast facts and more for the NFL's Week 6: I don't want to be the one to rain on the parade of positivity about the Giants' safety play this year, but for all of the good things Antrel Rolle has done this season, he had two very notable gaffes in the contest against the Lions last week. The ...up crazy penalty yardage, the Cowboys will finally get it together enough to keep this one tight while Eli Manning just does his Eli Manning thing: handing off and managing the clock. Smells like under. Pick: Under Last week: 1-2 Season record: 8-11... ...High Offense is through the air, look for a healthy Moreno to go BOOM against the league's 31st-ranked rush defense. Eli Manning @ the Cowboys: After a sub-200-yard outing against the lowly Detroit Lions (yes, those Lions), expect Manning to be at his best... ...at Tennessee, he tutored Heath Shuler and Peyton Manning. During his tenor as Mississippi's coach, Cutcliffe coached Eli Manning. At Duke, he helped Thaddeus Lewis earn second team All-ACC honors twice. With that kind of resume, Cutcliffe is obviously qualified... 1 Carolina: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU Notes: With young players at quarterback and defensive end, Carolina goes for the best available player and the best cornerback we've seen in college for a long time. 2 Buffalo: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford Notes: It was garbage time, the final minutes of an embarrassing 34-10 rout on Sunday that sent thousands streaming out of Reliant Stadium to get an early jump on the traffic jam and left the Houston Texans with a bushel of questions about their legitimacy as a playoff contender. But Brian Cushing wanted to keep playing. Baseball could not have planned this better if the fix had been in. They have center stage to themselves tonight in an elimination game with two of the best pitches in baseball. Cliff Lee vs. David Price for the right to play the most iconic franchise in sports history. You can't make this stuff up. Every Monday, we examine whether what we saw over the weekend was real or a fluke: Eli Manning might have been one of the most vilified fantasy players heading into Sunday after his back-to-back zero-TD games the prior two weeks. Hopefully, though, you stuck with Manning, who responded with 297 yards and three touchdowns as one of the best quarterbacks of the week. Gary Kubiak was as stunned as anybody. After a good week of practice and with the stakes of a big game in the wind, the Houston Texans coached never expected that he would be left to explain the complete collapse that occurred during a deflating 34-10 beat down from the New York Giants.

Collection of all USATODAY.com coverage of Eli Manning., including articles, videos, photos, and quotes.

New York’s international graffiti mecca 5 Pointz was erased overnight when the paintings were buffed over on the orders of the property's owners. The five-story warehouse complex in Queens, which has hosted a curated selection of graffiti since 2002, was a popular gathering place for art fans; its murals were a familiar sight to New York subway passengers as they passed through the Long Island City neighborhood. But in August, city officials granted Jerry and David Wolkoff, who own the building, permission to demolish the site. The surprise overnight whitewash brought condemnation from artists, fans and volunteers who had gathered at the spot on Tuesday, many in tears. “What’s super disrespectful is that the whole thing about 5 Pointz is: it’s legal painting," said 5 Pointz volunteer Rebekah Kennedy. "For someone to come in and wash it away … that's the biggest vandal." She said that before the destruction, volunteers had been working on a way to preserve the art or the building as a landmark. “To just take it away is the biggest 'fuck you' that can happen,” Kennedy said. On Tuesday afternoon, volunteers taped large pieces of white to the walls inside the building’s loading dock center, where halal cart workers were still driving in and out of the yard. People had taken markers to the signs in tribute: “We played by the rules,” read one. Another bore a quote from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, which was delivered 150 years ago, today: “We are met on a great battlefield of that war.” Owner Jerry Wolkoff defended the overnight destruction in an interview with NBC 4 New York. "I can imagine going one piece, one piece, and going through hell, torture to everybody," he said. "So I said, 'Let me do it one time and end this torture one time,’” he said. He compared the action to forcing a child to take medicine. "In the new building we're going to let them come back, and it's going to be similar and better," Wolkoff said, explaining that the new building will have a 60-foot wraparound wall for graffiti. "They're upset with me now, but it's the right thing for both of us.” He later expanded his defence in an interview with New York magazine: "I told the police to be there. The last thing I wanted was any confrontation. I didn't want any of them to be arrested. I have so much respect for them. It's my building, I can paint on it. I would feel terrible if someone got arrested." Comedy writer Joe Garden, who passes the spot on his way to work, called the destruction "an abomination" and said it "really seems spiteful and unnecessary, verging on cruel". Confirmed 5 Pointz graffiti Mecca was painted over last night pic.twitter.com/tweDokQR2Y Painting over 5 Pointz before tearing it down is one of the most artistically and culturally disrespectful moves I've seen in a while. Damn. Danny Simmons, a gallery owner and artist who testified in a lawsuit brought by 5 Pointz representatives, said the building has been “a repository of hip-hop history and a place of beauty and wonder”. Simmons is the older brother of hip-hop mogul Russell, and Joseph, or Rev Run, of Run DMC, and all three were closely tied to the rise of hip-hop culture. Danny Simmons said: “It’s been a major tourist attraction for the city – a place where young and old could go for free and let their imaginations run wild. It was an inspiration to art’s free spirit and spoke volumes to artists like myself about color and form. With the painting over and razing of this building, the arts and NYC has been sorely diminished. It will be missed, but the spirit of art for and by the people lives on.” Artists have been painting on the property since the early 1990s, with permission from the Wolkoffs. But the owners decided in 2010 to demolish the building to make room for two luxury residential towers. 5 Pointz representatives, led by curator Jonathan Cohen, also known as Meres One, had been at odds with the Wolkoffs for several years after an artist was seriously injured in 2009 when an outdoor staircase broke. New York’s building department ordered the largest structure in the complex to close following the incident, but in mid-October the building was still standing. Since the city granted the property owners permission to demolish the building, Meres and fellow curator Marie Cecile Flageul have been fighting a losing battle. With a band of other graffiti artists, 5 Pointz launched a lawsuit against the Wolkoffs, but federal district judge Frederic Block ruled last week in the Wolkoffs' favour. On Saturday, the 5 Pointz crew held what would be the final rally to preserve the building. There were also plans to appeal Block’s decision, and petitions from around the world were submitted in support. The decision to paint over the murals comes just after Banksy held a month-long New York residency in October, which ended with him writing a brief comment on his website to "Save 5 Pointz."

Artworks at Queens graffiti site buffed over at the behest of the property owners, who want to pull it down to build luxury condos

When Fox unveiled its 2014-15 schedule to advertisers in May, soon-to-be-former network head Kevin Reilly introduced one of its new sitcoms, Mulaney, as having “the makings of a Seinfeld for a new generation.” It was an eyebrow-raiser, partly because (1) talk about setting the bar high for the poor show and (2) how many shows over the past 25 years have even tried, let alone been able to legitimately claim, to be the next Seinfeld? There’s a lot of talk around the show’s quarter-century anniversary (July 5) about its legacy, and sure, it has plenty, beyond its continuing ubiquity, quotability and popularity in reruns. You could argue that it allowed future sitcoms to assume a more sophisticated comedy audience (OK, though it’s not like Cheers was exactly Hee Haw). In New York magazine, Matt Zoller Seitz argues incisively that its influence was at least as much in drama as comedy, as its unlikeable-yet-much-loved characters “paved the way” for antiheroes like Tony Soprano. And yet–as maybe befits a show that didn’t go soft and have its characters start families–Seinfeld doesn’t have nearly as many kids running around the neighborhood as its contemporaries or followers. Friends begat a zillion young-adult hangout comedies. The surrogate-family structure of Cheers is everywhere, as is the reality-TV influenced mock-realism of The Office and the machine-gun jokestream of The Simpsons. The X-Files, Lost, The Sopranos, American Idol have been relentlessly homaged and stolen from. Seinfeld, on the other hand, is at best echoed, and only rarely well. Excepting Curb Your Enthusiasm–can Larry David be influenced by himself?–maybe the only current comedy that’s reproduced Seinfeld‘s gleeful mercenary approach to comedy is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. For the most part, though, after 25 years, Seinfeld is like its quartet of incarcerated characters were at the end of its finale–alone in its world, sufficient unto itself. That’s not a criticism of Seinfeld. It’s one more reason the show is great. There’s a tendency in criticism, not just TV criticism, to define greatness by influence. Great artists don’t just paint canvases, they launch movements. Great musicians pass on their DNA–like The Velvet Underground, of whom it was said everyone who bought their first album started a band. Maybe it’s a way of quantifying what’s ultimately a subjective judgment: if you can point to a legacy, to followers, to a school, you’re saying that history agrees with your verdict. Influence is one measure of greatness, but another, opposite one is inimitability. Some great art reproduces virally. And some is the product of a perspective (or in the case of Seinfeld and David, two) that nature can’t come up with twice. There will always be wild-eyed poets, but there was exactly one William Blake. Which is why in many ways Seinfeld seems as different from anything on the air today as it did 25 years ago. (OK, 24 years ago–it took a while for Seinfeld to really become Seinfeld.) It has a comedian’s purity of focus on the sanctity of the joke above all–above sentiment, “relatability,” larger social meaning–that still feels bracingly we-don’t-give-a-damn. (Bryan Cranston’s dentist, who converted to Judaism out of no larger social agenda but simply “for the jokes” may have been the most echt-Seinfeldian of all Seinfeld bit characters.) Sex and the City mirrored its quartet structure and observed New York City minutely, but God help Seinfeld if it ever tapped out a what-it-all-means on its laptop. There are many sitcoms today of equal or greater ambition, but Louie and Girls, say, are still devoted to being about things: Jerry, George and company would sooner spend life in prison than wax philosophical about love or be the voice of anyone’s generation, even ironically. And “no hugging, no learning”? Cosby-esque “learning” may be out of fashion but there’s plenty of hugging on the brilliant likes of Parks and Recreation. Arrested Development had a Seinfeldian darkness, but it still told you that family was more important than breakfast. (Jerry had a kitchen full of cereal to refute that argument.) Hell, even antihero dramas like Breaking Bad assume a moral universe of good and bad and judgment. George may not have poisoned his wedding envelopes, but his shrugging off Susan’s death was in its way colder and more gangster than anything Walter White did with Lily of the Valley. People have had a lot of fun imagining how Seinfeld might be received today in the Outrage Dome of social media. College Humor, for instance, wondered what if would be like “If People Talked About Seinfeld Like They Talk About Girls.” It’s a funny bit, but in fact people did assail the show’s whiteness and privilege back then, its racial missteps like the Puerto Rican Day Parade episode and its alleged nihilism–there just weren’t as many platforms to do it from. The Twitter account Modern Seinfeld, likewise, imagines the show in the era of Instagram, but honestly, there’s no modernizing Seinfeld: it’s as audacious, timeless, and unparalleled as when it was made. Which is why I don’t expect, or really want, ever to see a “Seinfeld for a new generation”: the show exists outside generations and time. Oh, and Mulaney? I’ve seen the pilot. It’s fine, and there are some superficial Seinfeld similarities (standup comedy segments, friends hanging out in the lead character’s apartment) but it probably needs time to find itself, just like a certain sitcom did 25 years ago. If it does–who knows?–it could become something that is like nothing else. This is the Zen koan of TV comedy: How do you become the next Seinfeld? By not being it.

Some TV shows are classics because of all the followers they influenced. Seinfeld is one great that's never truly been imitated.

Alibaba said today it will spend $1 billion to buy control of the top e-commerce player in Southeast Asia, signalling a strategy to control the majority of markets around China. The company said the move expands Alibaba’s footprint, and in effect the Western brands selling on its sites, to six countries in the region comprising 560 million people. Alibaba’s new president Michael Evans, a former Goldman Sachs banker tasked with growing Alibaba internationally, said the deal supported “our ecosystem expansion in Southeast Asia to better serve our customers.” Lazada, a practical unknown in the West, was started by the Berlin-based Rocket Internet AG in 2011 to take advantage of Amazon’s weak presence in the region. Since then it’s grown via an Amazon-type warehouse model and, latterly, a third party selling site. The company says gross merchandise volume last year passed $1 billion, although it still posted losses due to the costs of expansion. Lazada runs sites in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The draw for Alibaba was likely Lazada’s infrastructure investments in delivery and supply chain in the region that has been difficult for any e-commerce sellers because of weak transportation and payment systems. Jack Ma has said Alibaba’s goal is to get half its revenue from overseas. Right now it has only tiny presences outside China and less than 10% of revenues come from abroad. With its latest move for Southeast Asia, that should climb. It’s not yet clear whether the move will face any regulatory or political opposition, against a background of increasing tension between China and its neighbors over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

It gives Alibaba instant footprint across six countries.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), center, with his sons, Tanner, left, and Dallin, right, photographed last week by a camera with an automatic timer on Biggarenn, an unoccupied island in the South Pacific. (Photo courtesy of the Office of Sen. Jeff Flake.) Nearly four years after sneaking away to a deserted island in the North Pacific, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) took a secret four-day trip during the Memorial Day congressional recess to the same region where he fulfilled his lifelong dream of spending a survivalist week alone. But this time Flake took along his two youngest sons — and didn’t completely disconnect from the office. Flake, 50, spent six terms in the House before winning his Senate seat last November and quickly joined the “Gang of Eight” senators that spent months negotiating a bipartisan deal to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws. Their plan was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, and the full Senate is expected to spend most of June debating the bill. As if being a freshman senator deeply involved in the contentious fight over immigration isn’t enough for one guy, Flake, 50, and his wife, Cheryl, celebrated the marriage of their only daughter, Alexis, in early May. The Flakes have five children and one young grandson from his oldest son’s marriage. When he launched his Senate bid nearly two years ago, Flake said he promised his two youngest sons, Tanner, 15, and Dallin, 13, that he would find the time to take them on a similar survivalist trip when the campaign was over. His office announced earlier this year that he planned to take the trip, but never disclosed the exact dates — mostly for security reasons. Flake didn’t publicly disclose the trip until he called a Washington Post reporter on Saturday afternoon. “We came back a little thinner. Maybe a little wiser. We had an awesome time, it was great,” Flake said in the interview. They also produced a video of the trip, which you can watch here: Flake and his sons set off from Phoenix last Sunday on what would be a 10,400-mile round-trip journey. They flew first to Hawaii and then eventually to Kwajalein Island, a part of the Marshall Islands where the United States still has a lease for missile testing. From there, father and sons hopped on a friend’s fishing boat and traveled 62 miles to Biggarenn, an unoccupied island that Flake estimated was just 55 to 70 acres in size. The fishing boat left them behind. “Tens of thousands of coconuts littered the island,” Flake said. “You just had to pick up the ones that were still ripe. We ate coconut and crab and fish.” The Flakes brought along a lobster trap in hopes of capturing meatier fare, but lost it within the first few hours after it was attacked by a shark. They also carried two pumps to desalinate ocean water, requiring them to spend hours each night pumping for just a few gallons. “For a dad it was a wonderful thing. No video games around, no television, no distractions, no texting,” Flake recalled. “To just sit there and pump water, that was my favorite time, frankly, on the island. Just talking. Just to have no distractions.” Flake did, however, bring along a satellite phone — at his wife’s insistence — and aides said Flake received regular updates by phone, especially on the case of Yanira Maldonado, a Phoenix-area woman who was detained while traveling in Mexico after authorities said they found 12 pounds of marijuana under her bus seat. Flake spoke with Maldonado shortly after he returned from the trip Friday night, he said. When he took his trip four years ago, Flake set up camp on Jabonwod, an island just a third of a mile long and 100 yards wide at high tide. He carried just a few items: A mask, fins and a pole-spear, a manual desalination pump, a magnifying glass to help start fires with the sun, a hammock for sleeping, a knife, hatchet, sunscreen, cooking pot, salt and pepper — and a satellite phone, just in case. Later after he returned, Flake allowed The Washington Post to publish excerpts from his travel journal, in part to assuage any doubts about the trip, which occurred shortly after then-Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) secretly traveled to Argentina to see his girlfriend. In his journal, Flake wrote about how he had long deferred his dream of escaping to a tiny island as he raised his children and entered elective politics. “I have the best job in the world,” he wrote, “but still the islands beckon.” Last time, he marveled at the sunsets and taught himself how to peel a coconut and used a permanent marker to write numbers on the shells of crabs he encountered. This time, he said the most memorable moment was racing to shore with a fish on the end of his spear with sharks in close pursuit. And the only political decision Flake made on the trip? “That this ought to be mandatory” for senators, he said. “We’d all discover that no man is an island. There are a lot of metaphors — sharks and everything else you can come up with — but for me, it was just a great time to be alone with a couple of my boys.” Correction: An earlier version of this post said Flake was in the South Pacific. A transcript of an interview with Flake about his trip appears below. It has been slightly edited for clarity and space: Ed O’Keefe: As a first-term senator, this trip must have been heaven? Flake: Yeah, I did take a satellite phone, my wife insisted on that. Especially with the potential dangers of sharks. But there wasn’t much contact, it was great. Was it the same island as before? Flake: No, about 20 miles away across the lagoon from Jabonwod, called Baggarenn. Same arrangements as before. The ambassador to the U.S. from the Marshall Islands is a friend. So one of his friends with a fishing boat took us out there, and they dropped us off and fished on their way back. It’s on the biggest lagoon in the world. We traveled through the lagoon, I think 62 miles from Kwajalein to Baggarenn, which is an unoccupied island, probably 55 to 70 acres big. Thousands of coconut trees, tens of thousands of coconuts littered the island. You just had to pick up the ones that were still ripe. We ate coconut and crab and fish. I took a lobster trap, but we set the lobster trap with a fish that we speared inside of it. Went back to it a half hour later and a shark was trying to get its nose in it. Went back a half hour later and the trap was gone. And we never saw the shark with the trap on its head either. It was good. And your sons had a good time? Flake: They did. When I came back nearly four years ago, it was August 2009, and obviously they were fascinated by the tales of it. We talked ever since then about going back. My first thought after leaving the first time was, where can I get a cheeseburger? My second thought was this would be a lot more fun if I could have a few of my kids with me. And we talked about it during the Senate campaign and during the campaign, which was a two-year ordeal, I said that if we got through that we’d schedule time to get to the island. Did you or the boys have any training in advance? Flake: No. We had been to Hawaii, they’d spearfished a few times, and we’ve had no other training. I didn’t have any training the first time, I just hoped that my farm training would translate. It kind of roughly did. They lit fires with a magnifying glass and a coconut husk and cooked coconuts and crab and fish over the fire. We slept in hammocks off the ground, and it’s not just a regular Boy Scout camp, it’s more survival. We didn’t take any food, nor water, just two pumps where you could desalinate the water. So every night we’d sit and pump a couple gallons of water. I tell ya, for a dad it was a wonderful thing. No video games around, no television, no distractions, no texting. To just sit there and pump water, that was my favorite time, frankly on the island. Just talking. Just to have no distractions. Did you keep a journal similar to the one you wrote in 2009 (and later had published in The Washington Post)? Flake: Yeah. In the coming days I’ll be putting that out. Why did you keep a journal the last time? I heard it has something to do with Mark Sanford’s disappearance at the time? Flake: I didn’t give it much thought until I got back, and that was just a few months after the Sanford ordeal. A few members of Congress knew I had gone, Paul Ryan knew I had gone, and the Parliamentarian was helping me with the moon cycles, and he did those kinds of things. And when it started leaking out, my wife said, you know that nobody’s going to believe you were out on the island alone, right? And that’s when I decided to go through the Post and just gave her my journal entries and the pictures I’d taken, and I thought that was better, so people knew more that they wouldn’t assume. So how long was this trip? Flake: Just about a week. It takes a while to get there, you fly to Hawaii, then to Majuro, then to Kwajalein. You go across the International Date Line and that messes you all up on what day it is or time it was. It was about a week, but four days on the island. What major political decisions were you able to make while away from it all? Flake: That this ought to be mandatory. We’d all discover that no man is an island. There are a lot of metaphors — sharks and everything else you can come up with — but for me, it was just a great time to be alone with a couple of my boys. So ultimately, what will you remember most from this trip? Flake: I don’t know which one, being out racing the shore with a fish on the end of your spear, with sharks chasing the fish on the end of the spear. That’s memorable. The most memorable I’m sure would be holding that fish on the end of the spear in the water while we got the fire going. And having the sharks come up about 20 feet from the fish where they couldn’t get it, coming out of the water to watch him. That was interesting for him. Those were interesting memories. Racing to shore with a fish on the end of the spear and sharks chasing you. But for me, like I said, my most memorable is probably all the boys pumping water and talking, just the three of us, with no distractions. Part of it what would be the first meal they’d have when they got back, which was Costa Vida. Then listing their favorite meals. After eating coconut, crab and fish for four days, you appreciate good food. And some of the playful things. You’ll see some of the pictures. Tanner convinced me, he threw in a yoga ball or medicine ball — or whatever they are — that he’d seen in the YouTube video. You bury it in the sand halfway and then jump up on it and do flips. He and Dallin did a lot of that. Follow Ed O’Keefe on Twitter: @edatpost

The senator brought along his two youngest sons -- and a satellite phone, on which he received updates from staff.

Celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee in style with quintessentially British beauty products. With the Olympics fast approaching there’s no better time to sport Brit-inspired cosmetics. It’s the perfect opportunity to try out trends such as postbox-red pouts, Union Jack-adorned nails and London skyline lashes. Whether you’re sipping a cup of tea or nibbling a Victoria sponge, make sure your pillar box-red lippy has staying power. Fill your lips in with a corresponding red lip pencil. This helps give them a dry “stain” for double-layered longevity. A catwalk trick is to layer over a lightweight application of red shadow to mattify your hue. When choosing your shade, pick a colour to complement the tone of your complexion. Sky's the limit ... Paperself Paper Lashes Hot, orange-based reds suit those with tanned or olive skin, while porcelain dolls should don cooler-toned, racy scarlet reds. Blue-toned reds suit fair maidens and English rose types, such as the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Blue sounds odd for a red lipstick, but it means one that is more ink toned and has no orange or coral hues. Cooler reds give the illusion of whiter teeth, while orangey reds tend to enhance ugly discolouring. One will not be amused if one’s lipstick doesn’t live up to its hype. Supple skin ... Kiehl's Creme de Corps Sportsaid edition moisturiser Prepare your skin with Benefit’s “That Gal”, with its funky, patriotic packaging featuring Big Ben and the London Eye, £21.50, at Debenhams nationwide. Every savvy girl knows if you want your make-up to stay put, pop some primer on as your base – one will NOT have her make-up slipping in the sun. Keep skin super-supple with Kiehl’s Creme de Corps SportsAid edition moisturiser, available from July 1 from Selfridges and Kiehl’s, at £16 for 125ml, with £1 going to the charity that supports young sportsmen and women in achieving their ambitions. Be Queen bee with Union Jack lashes from Shu Uemura, £50, or Paperself Paper Lashes with London Skyline print, £12, from asos.com (pictured on model). The intricate limited edition cut-out design will have you flying the flag for Britain. Rule Britannia! ... Nail that look with Union Jack nail wraps or multi-coloured nail polishes Nail this special occasion with jewelled fingers that sparkle and shine. We love Nails Inc Jubilee crystal nail colour, £15, with multi-coloured red, blue and silver glitter. Pop it over a base colour of ruby red and expect it to twinkle like the crown jewels. Try Nail Rock’s designer nail wraps. The United Kingdom design is perfect for any Pimms supping. Keep hands soft and supple with Clarins’ 200ml Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. Clarins give £1 from each sale to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust. Thanks to Amy at allamycakes.com for props.

TRY out trends such as postbox-red pouts and Union Jack-adorned nails