metadata
stringlengths 18
1.44k
| text
stringlengths 20
1.91M
|
|---|---|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The U.S. women's national soccer team will not play its scheduled match Sunday at Aloha Stadium due to poor field conditions. The decision came hours after the team practiced for the first time at the stadium, where U.S. striker Alex Morgan called the conditions "horrible."
The decision is drastic, but not completely startling. The team spent the past 48 hours absorbing the bad news that star midfielder Megan Rapinoe had torn her ACL on a University of Hawaii practice field Friday and would require surgery. That field was grass, but also in poor condition.
U.S. coach Jill Ellis was infuriated at the conditions and let U.S. Soccer Federation officials at the site know her concerns. Ellis said Rapinoe's injury was unfortunate and a big loss for the team, which will seek to qualify in February for the 2016 Olympics. But Ellis was adamant that the poor conditions at Aloha Stadium are a separate matter from Rapinoe's ACL injury. Ellis cited the narrow width of the pitch at Aloha Stadium as problematic for the players' health. So was the buckling carpet and a huge, hazardous seam at one end of the field.
The team is here as part of a Victory Tour following its 2015 Women's World Cup win in July. The match against Trinidad and Tobago is part of FOX Sports commemorative weekend here to remember the 74th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After the team's decision was made known, an attempt was made to try and salvage the match.
However, Morgan scorched U.S. Soccer officials about what she charged was a lack of protection of the U.S. women's national team's health.
"I think the training grounds that we were given and the playing surface of the stadium were horrible. I think it's hard because no one's really going to protect us but ourselves. So we're put in a very hard position because obviously we want to play in front of these fans and we want to train before the game but injuries happen when you don't protect yourself and when you're not protected from those higher up from you,'' Morgan said.
Earlier in the day, Morgan telegraphed the hardline position the women took later that night: "I think the team needs to be a little more vocal ... about whether this is good for our bodies and whether we should be playing on it if the men wouldn't be playing on it. We've been told by U.S. Soccer that the field's condition and the size of the field are the first two talking points of when they decide on a field, so I'm not sure why eight or nine of our 10 Victory Tour games are on turf whereas the men haven't played on turf this year. There have been zero games, so that's a concern of mine,'' Morgan said.
The most popular player on the U.S. team, Morgan is worth millions of dollars in sponsorship deals and was the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade in the four-year-old National Women's Soccer League. It is no small matter when a player of Morgan's stature effectively charges U.S. Soccer Federation officials with failure to protect the U.S. women.
Ellis, too, could barely control her criticism of the process U.S. Soccer has used when picking stadiums for the women's team. After winning the 2015 Women's World Cup this summer, the team was contractually entitled to a 10-game Victory Tour -- an enterprise that would help promote the vaunted women's team while bringing some extra pay.
However, with many grass or better turf stadiums booked for football, and given U.S. Soccer's desire to promote the team in new cities across the U.S., the women have found themselves facing the same conditions that prompted them to mount a legal challenge against FIFA. U.S. Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe could not confirm whether the Aloha Stadium field had actually been vetted by anyone at U.S. Soccer.
"For me, what I hope for, is that we play on regulation fields in terms of size and quality. That's my expectation from U.S. Soccer,'' Ellis said, adding: "You'd have to ask them their process because I don't really understand the process. My hope is that quality of surface is at the top of the list for the quality of players that we have.''
The shame of it is that as eager as these U.S. women's team players are to share their World Cup win and to promote women's soccer, they continue to feel like second-class citizens not only in pay but also in something more elemental as in field conditions.
Poor field conditions, particularly on artificial turf, are a longstanding issue for the U.S. women's national team, as well as other international women players. A group of top international players, including star U.S. striker Abby Wambach and Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, moved to sue FIFA over the use of turf fields in the 2015 Women's World Cup. The group relented ahead of the tournament, not willing to sink their coveted tournament, but vowed to fight harder for better conditions, and more equitable treatment and pay.
In September, the U.S. backed the Australian women's national team in their boycott over pay issues. Australia's strike led to the Matilda's withdrawal from two of Victory Tour matches against the U.S. women in Detroit and Birmingham.
Now, it appears, the U.S. women are prepared to take a stand of their own -- despite whatever misgivings the players have about disappointing their fans. On her Instagram account, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo thanked those fans for "standing tall with us against unsafe field conditions and for #equal treatment.''
<bot>: USWNT backs out of match with Trinidad & Tobago, citing field conditions.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015120619id_/http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/uswnt-field-conditions-aloha-stadium-jill-ellis-alex-morgan-120615
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: 11/17/2015 AT 02:00 PM EST
is no stranger to body shaming, but the actress has learned how to rise above it all.
"It's just so ingrained in us, the idea that we should take up the right amount of space, literally and figuratively," Danes, 36, tells
in her December cover story. "I've wrestled with this my whole life, as just a person in the world and as somebody who makes images."
"It's OK to want to look and feel your best. It's OK to work at being attractive, whatever that means to you," she continues. "And it's also OK to not expect to be defined by that. It's OK to be powerful in every way: to be big, to take up space. To breathe and thrive."
star says she wants "to look pretty in the world" in terms of her personal life, she has different priorities at work. In the studio, she cares less about beauty and more about her perfecting her craft.
"I'm very vain about my performance," she says. "I want to give as honest a performance as I can. But I'm not so worried about being regarded as beautiful when I'm playing a character."
she felt her body is "monitored and commented on infinitely more than my male counterpart" – finds peace in not comparing herself to other actresses.
"I know some of the most beautiful women on the planet – unequivocally, objectively friggin' gorgeous – and they are rife with insecurity and self-doubt, and you just think, 'Well, how can that be?' " she says. "I'm attractive enough. I can do the work I want to do. I've found this wonderful man who wants to make out with me. I'm good."
<bot>: "It's just so ingrained in us, the idea that we should take up the right amount of space, literally and figuratively," says actress Claire Danes
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015111719id_/http://www.people.com/article/claire-danes-body-image-allure-cover
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Ronda Rousey is crushing the fast food world about as quickly as she does MMA opponents -- her sexy commercial has Carl's Jr. grill jockeys slangin' at near record levels.
Our sources over at Carl's Jr. tell us Rousey's spot for their Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich boosted sales almost immediately. They didn't want to give up specific numbers, but one source said the campaign "far exceeded" all goals.
The ad's been running nationwide for less than 2 weeks, and we're told it already has more than ONE BILLION media impressions. That puts Ronda in the same lofty neighborhood as the brand's other sexy spokesbabes Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Kate Upton.
Of course, Ronda could crush them all ... at the same time. With one arm.
<bot>: Ronda Rousey is crushing the fast food world about as quickly as she does MMA opponents -- her sexy commercial has Carl's Jr. grill jockeys slangin'…
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015101219id_/http://www.tmz.com/2015/09/12/ronda-rousey-carls-jr-sales-through-the-roof-after-sexy-commercial/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: 07/01/2016 AT 12:40 PM EDT
are ready to be a happy family of five.
The actress and Green, who
, are calling off their divorce, a source close to the 42-year-old tells PEOPLE.
"Brian and Megan are living together in Malibu with their boys," the insider says. "They have been getting along and seem very happy. They are just waiting for the baby to arrive."
with the couple's third child – they are already parents to sons Noah Shannon, 3, and Bodhi Ransom, 2.
after five years of marriage last August – especially following Fox's surprise pregnancy revelation.
In April, they even jetted off to Hawaii, together, for a
at the Four Seasons Hualalai.
"During their separation, Brian always hoped Megan would change her mind about the divorce and he is very happy that she did," the source says. "They both worked hard to figure out their marriage and things seem great."
Of the Hawaii trip, another source previously told PEOPLE that Fox and Green were "reconsidering the divorce" because "They don't want their kids to grow up in a broken home."
: at the film's May premiere, actress Brittany Ishibashi told PEOPLE she hoped the pair would get back together.
"[Green is] such a sweet guy," Ishibashi said. "They are both such sweet people – super chill. They're very spiritual people, very kind and generous. And she's an amazing mother. She was always talking about her kids and FaceTiming with her kids. And I think Brian's a great dad. They're such cool people."
<bot>: "They both worked hard to figure out their marriage," a source close to Brian Austin Green tells PEOPLE of the actor and Megan Fox
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20160702144035id_/http://www.people.com/article/megan-fox-brian-austin-green-back-together
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: <![if ! lte IE 8]> <![endif]>
NEW YORK—A simmering clash between leaders of New York’s Carnegie Hall boiled over on Wednesday as financier Ronald O. Perelman, who recently became chairman of the hall’s board of trustees, accused the prestigious music institution’s executive director of improprieties and said the hall has operated with poor oversight.
The allegations include operating the hall with limited transparency and entering into “related-party transactions.” In such transactions, the individuals involved have a relationship prior to the deal.
Mr. Perelman said his criticisms, which he sent in an emailed letter to members of the Carnegie Hall board on Wednesday, were raised earlier in the summer and led to the brief suspension of the director, Clive Gillinson.
The claims have embroiled Carnegie Hall’s board, which includes some of the most powerful players in New York’s financial and cultural worlds.
Through a Carnegie Hall spokeswoman, Mr. Gillinson said: “In serving Carnegie Hall for 10 years, I am very proud of everything we have achieved together. I love the hall and everything it stands for, and will continue to give it my all.”
Mr. Perelman, who built a fortune with corporate acquisitions and investments, is no stranger to high-profile battles. The billionaire has sued investment bank Morgan Stanley, MS -1.65 % art megadealer Larry Gagosian and a key former business partner, among others.
Mr. Perelman’s letter, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, serves notice that he may be prepared to bring the bare-knuckle tactics of a corporate raider into the genteel precinct of one of America’s most august cultural institutions. Such disputes generally are handled discreetly and kept out of public view, much as they usually are at orchestras, museums and other art organizations.
In the letter, Mr. Perelman, who succeeded philanthropist and former Citigroup Inc. C -1.79 % leader Sanford I. Weill as chairman in February of this year, said he detected in the spring “a troubling lack of transparency and openness in the way Clive Gillinson was interacting with me and the Board.”
Mr. Weill couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Mr. Gillinson, a British cellist who joined the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra and rose up to become its managing director, has served as Carnegie Hall’s executive and artistic director for more than a decade.
“My concerns initially arose because of an inability to obtain a full picture of Carnegie Hall’s financial operations, especially as it related to profits and losses involving performances,” Mr. Perelman wrote. “I was told that such financial information was never shared with the Board or even the Chairman.”
Specifically, he continued, he was concerned about “the manner in which related-party transactions were being identified, vetted and approved.”
In the letter, Mr. Perelman said “issues arose” in Mr. Gillinson’s handling of the Warner Music Prize, something Mr. Perelman describes as a “related-party transaction.”
Established in 2014 to honor a promising young classical musician with a cash award of $100,000, the prize is presented in association with Carnegie Hall.
The prize was created with support from the family foundation of Len Blavatnik, the Warner Music Group owner who serves on hall’s board.
In Mr. Perelman’s letter, he said that “in light of various issues,” Mr. Gillinson was instructed to put the prize on hold. He went ahead and “executed a contract” for the prize, the letter said, “without the approval mandated by New York law.”
“These matters implicate Carnegie Hall’s obligations as a nonprofit organization and as a public trust,” according to Mr. Perelman’s letter.
Such lack of transparency, he said in the letter, fails to meet the standards of the New York State Nonprofit Revitalization Act, which mandates that board members take an active oversight role over staff action and, he wrote, “imposes greater restrictions and approvals in connection with related-party transactions.”
It wasn’t clear in the letter exactly what the related-party issue was.
On Aug. 18, Mr. Perelman and Edward Forst, the hall’s treasurer, suspended Mr. Gillinson, according to the letter, and called a meeting of Carnegie Hall’s executive committee. During the meeting, held the next day, Mr. Gillinson was reinstated by the executive committee, the letter said.
Emanuel Ax, a pianist who performs at Carnegie Hall and serves on its board, but not the executive committee, said the letter from Mr. Perelman was the first he had heard of the dispute.
“My contact with Clive has always been fantastic,” he said. “He’s a great guy. As far as I could tell, he was running everything wonderfully.”
Founded by Andrew Carnegie, the hall opened in 1891 and has since become a destination for top musicians and ensembles. Artists who have appeared there include Maria Callas, Jascha Heifetz and Gustav Mahler, as well as major orchestras and jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday and Miles Davis.
The hall was put up for sale in the mid-1950s and was saved from demolition when it was purchased by New York City in 1960 at the behest of the Committee to Save Carnegie Hall, led by violinist Isaac Stern, who later served as the venue’s president. Over the next few decades, its physical condition deteriorated to the point that “the bathrooms were leaking into the boxes,” Mr. Weill said earlier this year.
Mr. Perelman took the reins from Mr. Weill, who held the role of chairman of the hall since 1991. During Mr. Weill’s tenure, the famed music venue underwent a series of renovations and grew its endowment from $4 million in 1991 to $320 million. The hall also expanded its educational program and in 2003 opened Zankel Hall, a third auditorium that was previously used as a cinema.
The hall has embarked on a $125 million campaign to support its educational and performance offerings and develop digital initiatives.
—Pia Catton and Jennifer Maloney contributed to this article.
Write to Gregory Zuckerman at gregory.zuckerman@wsj.com and Jennifer Smith at jennifer.smith@wsj.com
<bot>: A simmering clash between leaders of New York’s Carnegie Hall boiled over on Wednesday as financier Ronald O. Perelman, who recently became the hall’s chairman of the board of trustees, accused the prestigious music institution’s executive director of improprieties.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015091619id_/http://www.wsj.com/articles/financier-accuses-carnegie-hall-board-of-poor-oversight-1442437620
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The Leadership Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question “As a leader, is it better to be feared or loved?” is written by Amy Errett, CEO and co-founder of Madison Reed.
Showing compassion and love for our employees is not usually thought of as an important leadership trait, but it should be — especially in Silicon Valley. As a woman CEO in Silicon Valley I strongly believe leadership by love (not fear) is essential. Here are a few ways being a loved leader can benefit the tech world:
Encourage mistakes Fear in the workplace is a by-product of the kind of tough-love leadership style we see too often. However, in my experience, the most successful team members are the ones that can be themselves at work and this means making mistakes. And leading with love means acknowledging that everyone can (and should) make mistakes. Focus on the long-term benefits of learning from mistakes and not the short-term setbacks. This will drive far more success than fear of failure.
Display empathy When you give your employees any type of feedback, show compassion. Displaying empathy lets people accept your feedback without feeling threatened – this builds trust. If your employees can’t trust that you have their best interest in mind, then they can’t successfully work towards their true potential. In other words, treat your people the same way you would treat your customers. At the end of each day, I compile a list of a few successes from the day and share them company-wide. This shows my employees I care about their accomplishments on a daily basis.
Build value Growing and scaling a business are the priorities of any CEO – that’s a given. But success should be measured by factors that go beyond dollars and cents. At the end of the quarter, the metric that matters most to me is: return on love. Did we display love to our customers and to each other? And most importantly, did we create long-lasting relationships where our customers are invested in Madison Reed’s success?
Read all answers to the Leadership Insider question: As a leader, is it better to be feared or loved?
Should leaders be loved or feared? by Robert Reffkin, co-founder and CEO of Urban Compass.
As a leader, is it better to be feared or loved? by Danae Ringelmann, founder and Chief Development Officer at Indiegogo.
<bot>: Show some love to your employees -- it may make them work harder (and better).
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20150313040815id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/03/10/amy-errett-silicon-valley/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: In his letter to shareholders, Bezos said the first year the offer is made, it's for $2,000. That increases by $1,000 a year to a maximum of $5,000. The idea was invented by subsidiary Zappos.
The Seattle-based online retailing behemoth has been criticized in the past for working conditions at its warehouses.
In 2011, The Morning Call newspaper in Pennsylvania detailed conditions in which workers were pushed to work harder and harder, or face the possibility of losing the job.
In 2012, a separate Seattle Times story detailed the grueling pace at the centers, which are key to Amazon's efforts to get items to customers quickly and cheaply.
Read MoreAmazon buying digital comic book biz comiXology
The company said at the time that its No. 1 priority is its employees' safety and well-being.
—By CNBC's Allison Linn. Follow her on Twitter: @allisondlinn.
<bot>: Amazon said it has started a program called Pay to Quit, in which it offers workers at its fulfillment centers between $2,000 and $5,000 to quit.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20150713024358id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/11/some-amazon-employees-may-get-5000-in-pay-to-quit.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Monday morning Westlake Chemical declared its quarterly dividend of 6.35 cents per share, an increase of about 9% over its prior dividend. Based on the current stock price, investors can expect a yield of about 1% going forward.
Shares of Westlake were heading lower on Monday, falling 0.4% despite the dividend increase.
In other dividend news, Lowe's ( LOW - news - people ) maintained its quarterly dividend of 11 cents per share. FedEx ( FDX - news - people ) maintained its quarterly dividend of 12 cents per share. Waste Management ( WMI - news - people ) maintained its quarterly dividend of 31.5 cents per share. And CBS ( CBS - news - people ) maintained its quarterly dividend of 5 cents per share.
Market News Video produces and distributes online videos about stocks and investing.
<bot>: This morning, Westlake Chemical (WLK) declared its quarterly dividend of 6. 35 cents per share, an increase of about 9% over its prior dividend.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010082319id_/http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/23/daily-dividend-report-wlk-low-fdx-wm-cbs-marketnewsvideo.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Even if you're a devout gym-goer, it can be hard to resist the lure of a fresh-air jog or bike ride once summer arrives.
But forging ahead with an outdoor workout routine without giving much thought to the details can have health consequences ranging from an annoying allergy attack to a serious incidence of heat exhaustion. And that's not to mention how much simply moving from the treadmill to a trail without the proper preparation can affect your performance.
"To me, it's like starting over," says Dr. Howard Palamarchuk, a Temple University podiatrist who frequently cares for runners' feet. "You may have been maintaining an aerobic base during the winter, but when you go outdoors you should consider it starting new training."
Take It Easy When you make the transition from exercising indoors to outdoors, Palamarchuk says it's important to start slow. Working out on an indoor bike, whether it's a recumbent or a spinner, is a far cry from riding in the open air, where you're dealing with elements like heat and wind.
Likewise, if you spent the winter on an elliptical trainer or a treadmill, you're probably in shape aerobically, but your body will be in for somewhat of a shock once you hit the road--again and again.
When you run on the street, your joints not only experience a higher impact, but the way you move also changes to help you deal with pot holes and uneven surfaces. Give yourself a week or two to adjust by easing the intensity of your workout, Palamarchuk says, and don't be surprised if you experience some pain in your shins and arches.
Once you've figured out how to switch gears, if you live in a city, you should consider taking a few more precautions. Ozone, fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide in the air pose a health threat to runners, bikers and skaters, irritating the lungs and respiratory system and making exercise more stressful. These pollutants can be particularly harmful for people with heart or lung disease, says Dr. Ronald Crystal, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, since they make it more difficult to breathe. They also reduce the amount of oxygen the blood can carry.
To lessen the effect air pollution will have on you, Crystal suggests avoiding running on or near roads with heavy bus or truck traffic, since diesel engines release harmful pollutants. Working out in the early morning or late evening is smart, since you'll avoid rush-hour pollution and peak ozone levels. In doing so, you'll also avoid sun exposure during the hours when ultraviolet light is strongest.
Protect Yourself While you likely know how important it is to wear sunscreen during an outdoor workout, you're probably not wearing enough or applying it as regularly as you should. To get the true benefits of sunscreen, you need to apply it like it's wedding-cake frosting, not moisturizer, says Dr. Omeed Memar, a Chicago-based member of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and a Northwestern University assistant professor of dermatology.
In 2004, more than 50,000 people were diagnosed with the most serious form of skin cancer, melanoma, which can be caused by sun exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So if you're working out in the sun and, likely, sweating, you should bring a small spray bottle of sunscreen with you to make sure you're covered. Rather than relying on the fact that a product has a high SPF or is waterproof, apply and reapply based on the amount of exposure you're experiencing, Memar says.
"When you feel like you're getting sun or you're turning pink, apply again," Memar says. "It's just like changing the clothing you're wearing. Be in tune with what's going on."
Excessive heat exposure also has been known to kill up to a few hundred people each year, so make sure you keep yourself cool and well hydrated.
But most importantly, be sure to enjoy the change of pace and scenery--even if they trip you up a little bit--while the warm weather lasts. Like it or not, you'll be back in the gym before you know it.
<bot>: When the weather warms up, take some precautions to avoid injury or illness before you start exercising outdoors.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2008052919id_/http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2008/05/27/fitness-outdoor-workout-forbeslife-cx_avd_0527health.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Sunday, September 21st 2008, 4:00 AM
The centuries-old Brandenburg Gate is Berlin's most famous landmark.
Slabs of stone represent Nazi atrocities at the Holocaust Memorial.
Berlin's night owls like to flock to the Hackesche Hofe, a series of renovated courtyards in the city's center.
Maybe it sunk in the moment I entered a bar festooned with petrified piranhas and desiccated bat carcasses.
Or maybe it was when I poked into another bar decorated with decapitated Barbie dolls where the owner offered me a drink that spewed from the nasty end of a mannequin.
Yes, it was then it hit me: Visiting Berlin is like being trapped in a "Sprockets" skit from "Saturday Night Live," with a Dieter lurking around every corner, ever ready to insist you pet his monkey.
Of course, that's just one side of this complex and gigantic city (seven times the size of Paris including its extremities). But it's a telling one.
For more than a century, Berlin has been identified with decadence, pretension and the avant-garde, as established by seminal city figures from author Christopher Isherwood to actress Marlene Dietrich. Right now it's going overboard on the cool quotient, something Vogue magazine recently certified by anointing it the au courant art capital of the world.
Nearly 20 years after the Wall came down (anniversary alert: Sept. 25, 2009), Berlin has been steadily growing as a magnet for the young and the artsy - and not just from Germany but from all over Europe and even the U.S. Currently, the city contains five or six equivalents of New York's Williamsburg. That is, developing areas overrun with aspiring artists and techno deejays, followed heatedly by families on the gentrifying make.
Berlin has always been the Manhattan of Germany. Its citizens retain a similar distance and disdain for the rest of the country. These days it can be most specifically compared to New York in the 1980s - minus the crime. Rents are cheap, graffiti is pervasive, creativity flows and nightlife pushes the outer limits. Since the city has no official closing times for clubs and bars, people party well into the next day if they feel like it, and they often do.
True to form, mornings have that hung-over feel, with streets deserted until 11 a.m., when breakfast begins. It's during these early, drowsy hours that you should knock off the most touristy sites, many of which you can find in the former East Berlin area of Mitte (middle).
Begin by advancing down the grand boulevard Unter den Linden, starting with the grand, commercial Alexanderplatz at its easternmost point. There you'll see this city's answer to La Tour Eiffel: the TV Tower, a spire of Sputnik-like, Communist-era architecture with an odd coolness that transcends its kitsch. Soon you'll hit Museum Island, an area crammed with them. Across the boulevard you might literally stumble over a solemn memorial to the Nazi book burnings (a library of empty shelves submerged in the pavement). As you move west, gobbling museums as you go, the boulevard finally collides with the best known symbol of the city: the Brandenburg Gate, a bold structure dating from the 16th century.
<bot>: For more than a century, Berlin has been identified with decadence, pretension and the avant-garde. Right now it's going overboard on the cool quotient, something Vogue magazine recently certified by anointing it the au courant art capital of the world.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2008100419id_/http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/travel/2008/09/21/2008-09-21_postwall_berlin_is_a_hot_spot_for_the_yo.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Winchester Homes recently launched its Xavier model townhouse at the Cabin Branch community in Clarksburg, Md.
Cabin Branch, set on 540 acres of woodland in Montgomery County and bordered by county-owned parkland, features hiking and biking trails, lakes and picnic areas. The community, just off Interstate 270, includes single-family houses priced from $479,900 and townhouses priced from $374,900.
The Xavier townhouse model has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths and up to 2,429 square feet and is base-priced from $437,900. This home includes a rooftop terrace off the loft level and allows buyers to customize their home with additional bedrooms and baths.
The loft level can be configured with a full bath or as a master bedroom suite with a walk-in closet and a luxury bath with a soaking tub and separate shower. The lower level can be finished as a recreation room or as a bedroom and bath.
The second level has two options for the placement of the kitchen, great room and dining area. Buyers can choose between a master bedroom and two additional bedrooms on the third level or three secondary bedrooms on the third level when they opt for the loft level master suite.
Models are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the Cabin Branch Sales Center at 22828 Broadway Ave. in Clarksburg. For more information, call 240-454-5500 or go to www.WinchesterHomes.com.
Condo is renovated for formerly homeless family
HomeAid Northern Virginia, a chapter of HomeAid America started by members of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, recently completed a $95,000 renovation for a formerly homeless family.
Led by regional builder Miller & Smith, along with 19 trade partners, the project involved the repair a distressed condominium owned by Homestretch in Falls Church, which provided a new home for a single mother and her children.
The renovation included new floors, windows and doors; a new kitchen and appliances, a new bathroom, a new HVAC system, electrical fixtures, plumbing fixtures, window coverings and interior doors. The group went beyond a simple renovation and provided furnishings and décor specifically for the age and gender of the children who now live in the home.
DC Design House chosen for 2015
The 8th Annual DC Design House, a benefit for Children’s National Health System that provides local interior designers an opportunity to showcase their talents, will be held April 11 to May 10 at a newly built country estate at 956 Mackall Farm Lane in McLean.
Constructed by Artisan Builders and designed by Harrison Design, the 8,869-square-foot home replicates the style of an old American farmhouse yet features all modern amenities.
The L-shaped floor plan provides light-filled interior rooms and mimics the plans of early farmers who preferred this layout so they could add rooms easily in the future. Antique features in this home include stones from an old Virginia farmhouse and a library paneled in quarter-sawn oak. The exterior features covered porches, antique-style lighting and natural stone in a random, hand-cut pattern.
Local designers compete to participate in the Design House event and will be notified in early December of their selection. The landscape design for the home is by Fine Landscapes and sales for the home will be handled by Yeonas & Shafran Real Estate.
The DC Design House, founded in 2008 by business partners and husband-and-wife Skip and Debbie Singleton, principals of DC Living Real Estate, has raised more than $1.2 million for Children’s National Health System over the past seven years.
More than 62,000 people have visited the Design Houses. For more information, go to www.dcdesignhouse.com.
Fund helps Prince George’s homebuyers
The Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) last week introduced a program offering down payment assistance and lower fees for homebuyers in Prince George’s County.
Eligible buyers in the so-called MMP Triple Play program can get up to $20,000 in down payment assistance, a 0.25 percent discount on the interest rate and a Maryland HomeCredit for up to $350 or $700 in fees associated with the loan program.
The program is open only to first-time homebuyers in Prince George’s County with the following exceptions:
•You’re purchasing in a targeted area and sold your current home prior to closing on the new property.
•It’s been more than three years since you owned a principal residence.
•You’re an honorably discharged veteran who had not previously used the Veteran First-time Homebuyer Exemption.
Borrowers must qualify for the mortgage based on their credit score and income limitations and take a homebuyer education class in order to be eligible for the $10,000 down payment assistance in the form of a zero down payment loan and $10,000 as a forgivable grant for closing cost funds.
For more information, go to www.mmp.maryland.gov/TriplePlay.
Free housing summit for veterans and service members
The Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals is hosting a free Veterans Housing Summit on Dec. 6 for veterans and active duty members to learn about all of the VA financial assistance programs in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
At the summit, veterans and military service members will be able to get their VA certificate of eligibility, which is required for any VA loan application. They can also get a home loan pre-approval, free financial counseling and information on down payment assistance programs.
The summit, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes a continental lunch. It will take place at Prince George’s Community College, 301 Largo Rd., Largo.
For more information, click here.
Michele Lerner is a freelance writer. To pass on a tip or news item, contact us at realestate@washpost.com and put “Town Square” in the subject line.
<bot>: DC Design House chosen for 2015.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014112419id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/where-we-live/wp/2014/11/24/town-square-new-model-home-opens-in-clarksburg/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Currently the president and CEO of New America Foundation, a public policy nonprofit, Steve Coll is trained as a journalist. After 20 years at The Washington Post , where he served as a foreign correspondent, senior editor and managing editor, Coll became a staff writer at the New Yorker . The Washington, D.C., resident has authored six books, including Eagle on the Street (1991), which was inspired by a Pulitzer Prize-winning series Coll co-wrote on the battle between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Wall Street. He won a second Pulitzer for his book Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (2004), an in-depth account of the secret U.S. involvement in Afghanistan in the decade leading up to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
His most recent book, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century (2008), opens with the rags-to-riches tale of Mohamed bin Laden, who immigrated from Yemen to Saudi Arabia and became a successful builder of royal real estate. More widely known as the father of Osama bin Laden, Mohamed bin Laden, his business empire and a complex familial network all converged, Coll writes, to shape the man we now know as the founder of al-Qaida.
In an interview with Forbes.com Executive Editor David A. Andelman, Coll discusses how Osama bin Laden benefited from business and marketing strategies gleaned from the family company.
Steve Coll: Well, I think the most surprising thing to me, even though I've been studying Osama bin Laden since 1993, was to discover the extent to which the influence of his businessman father and his own studies of marketing and business helped to explain so much of his own success as a global terrorist leader.
He's a brand builder. He is an administrator and a marketer who is inspired by his family's example and also by what he learned in business school.
Forbes.com: What lessons does a businessman, for instance, learn from this visionary family?
Coll: Well, the theme that's present in this whole story, across the 20th century, is the theme of globalization. And what's remarkable is that even in pre-modern Saudi Arabia--and even in the case of Osama's father--success came from a vision that crossed national borders.
And that he was a globalizer before anyone used such an awkward phrase, and the first owner of private aircraft, and the first Saudi to start to use agencies in New York, and think about labor supplies from all over the Arab world and even bring in engineers from Italy and [elsewhere in] Europe. So this vision of a global family, and almost pioneers of what we now think of as globalization in the Middle East, I think, is a very powerful theme.
<bot>: Steve Coll on how business and marketing skills helped create a successful global terrorist leader.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20120122231129id_/http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/29/transcript-osama-business-marketing-oped-cx_daa_0429coll.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON Investigators probing a commuter plane crash near Buffalo criticized federal regulators Thursday for failing to impose safety improvements that might have prevented the deadly accident.
Before the Feb. 12 crash, which killed 50 people, the Federal Aviation Administration had sent safety alerts to airlines on some of the issues that surfaced in the accident, such as fatigue and training for poorly performing pilots.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that Colgan Air, which operated the flight for Continental Airlines, did not act on the FAA's alerts. The alerts were not mandatory, and the agency does not check whether airlines follow them, its officials testified during the three-day hearing.
"That, from my perspective as a board member, is a major flaw in the system," said the NTSB's Kitty Higgins. "If it's safety-critical, why isn't it being required?"
The FAA's Rick Clarke, whose office develops the safety alerts, defended the voluntary system, saying that it allowed regulators to act quickly to warn airlines about known safety hazards.
The pilots of Flight 3407 failed to notice that the plane was moving too slowly, then jerked the turboprop into a steep climb that caused it to swing out of control, according to NTSB records. Neither Captain Marvin Renslow, 47, nor co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, 24, had a full night's sleep before the crash, records show.
One of the safety alerts urged airlines to better train pilots in how to recognize and prevent fatigue. Colgan instituted such a program after the crash, the records said.
Another alert urged airlines to identify pilots who had "persistent performance deficiencies" and to give them remedial training. Renslow had failed three flight tests prior to his employment at Colgan in 2005 and two more after he joined the carrier, according to NTSB records. Colgan did not have such a program, according to the NTSB. Renslow had told the airline about only one of the failures that occurred before 2005.
Meanwhile, an expert in how pilots make mistakes said the apparent string of errors that led to the crash was typical of how pilots react when they are startled. "You're surprised, you're under stress, you're flailing around," said Key Dismukes, a NASA researcher.
You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference.
<bot>: The National Transportation Safety Board investigation of a Feb. 12 Buffalo plane crash found that Colgan Air, which operated the flight for Continental Airlines, did not act on the FAA's alerts. The alerts were not mandatory, and the agency does...
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2009051619id_/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-14-buffalocrash_N.htm
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: This item was written by Johanna Jainchill, who covers the travel industry for Travel Weekly. Jainchill is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.
Bookings for Costa Cruises have rebounded significantly since the Costa Concordia accident earlier this year.
Costa's parent company Carnival Corp. said on Friday that booking volumes at Costa were up 25% compared with the same time one year ago.
"The attractive pricing we have in the marketplace is clearly stimulating demand, especially for the Costa brand," said Carnival Chairman Micky Arison, in a statement.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tour a Costa cruise shipRELATED: Salvage firm says Concordia wreckage gone by early '13
A Costa cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, partially sank on January 13 after hitting rocks near Giglio, Italy, resulting in 32 deaths.
Carnival Corp. COO Howard Frank said during a conference call about Carnival Corp.'s second-quarter earnings that Costa had suffered a "significant loss" in bookings right after the accident.
The line introduced deep discounts to try and get some of that business back.
"The picture has improved" at Costa, Frank said. "Costa's booking volumes, stimulated by significant pricing initiatives as part of their re-marketing campaign introduced in April, have shown considerable strength."
Frank added that the company expected Costa's cruise pricing to begin to "firm up" for 2013.
"We are pleased to see the resurgence in consumer demand for Costa, which is a testament to the brand's long-standing reputation for quality built over many decades," said Arison.
<bot>: Costa's parent company Carnival Corp. said on Friday that booking volumes at Costa were up 25% compared with the same time one year ago.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012062519id_/http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/06/costa-cruises-bookings-concordia-/789874/1
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: These gay rights activists in St. Petersburg, like their peers in Central Asia, are fighting an uphill battle. (Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters)
In Almaty, Kazakhstan's biggest city, dozens of antigay activists set about building a wall around a gay nightclub, reports Radio Free Europe. It's unclear whether the brick wall, set up as a protest against gay marriage, was designed to prevent people from entering or leaving, but according to RFE, the establishment's owner opted against notifying police.
Homosexuality has been decriminalized in Kazakhstan, a Muslim-majority country, but gay marriage is not recognized. The agit-prop around the gay nightclub comes at a dark moment: Earlier in the month, a lesbian woman who had engaged in Kazakhstan's first "public" gay wedding in 2013 was found brutally murdered, her body reportedly dismembered and burned, according to the BBC.
It's unclear whether the government in Astana will institute the same harsh penalties on homosexuality that have been enacted in Russia by President Vladimir Putin. They are, though, being drafted in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Here's the Economist:
Civil-society activists in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital, fear that Russia, still the dominant economic force in the region, is pushing an anti-liberal ideology on its neighbours. But Russia may have simply provided a legislative model to reinforce existing conservative attitudes. Either way, with Russian media dominating Central Asians’ television screens, gay, bisexual and transgender rights have become synonymous with a degenerate West. At a recent anti-gay rally outside the American embassy in Bishkek, angry young men burned a picture of a young blogger, equating his support for the pro-European movement in Ukraine with gay rights.
A report in the Guardian today says as many as 2.7 billion on the planet live in societies where being gay can lead to imprisonment or violent torture and punishment.
Tomorrow, May 17, marks the annual International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, but rights activists fear they don't have much to celebrate. A statement issued by Amnesty International today summed up the situation:
Ahead of a season of Pride events, governments across the globe need to step up and fulfil their responsibility to allow people to express themselves, protected from homophobic violence,” said Michael Bochenek, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Law and Policy...
“It’s outrageous that in 2014 authorities around the world are failing to legislate against or investigate homophobic and transphobic hate crimes. Even more grating is the fact that in many countries [LGBT] people are themselves the target of criminal charges and state violence,” said Michael Bochenek.
There are many walls outside of Kazakhstan that still need to be torn down.
<bot>: The protest marks a dark turn against gays in Central Asia
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014051819id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/05/16/in-kazakhstan-homophobes-build-wall-around-gay-nightclub/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: This is a rush transcript from "The Kelly File," June 26, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MEGYN KELLY, HOST: Developing tonight, new fallout after the Supreme Court rules that the President went seriously too far with his pen and his phone. Welcome to "The Kelly File," everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. The Supremes very clear in their decision today. Not one dissenting voice, not even the justices who owe their high court seat to the presidents. The 13th time they have ruled against this administration unanimously. Today all of the nine justices agree that President Obama went too far when he made three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board back in 2012 when he could not get some controversial candidates on the board. Actually, he didn't even offer them a chance at confirmation. He just assumed they weren't going to get it and he decided to go around Congress by declaring that the Senate was not in session, even though they were and that he had the power to bypass Senate approval. It was exactly this kind of action that then candidate Barack Obama frequently complained about when he was running for president back in 2008.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: This is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he's going along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for 10 years, I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States.
KELLY: Well, you didn't, say the Supreme Court justices. Senator Mike Lee who was in those Supreme Courts hearings today joins us now.
Senator, he just didn't. And at the time the White House was pressed on how he could possibly be arguing that a recess appointment made while the Senate was not in recess could be constitutional and we had the likes of Jay Carney telling us, well it just was.
SEN. MIKE LEE, R-UTAH: That's right. And you have the president of the United States in one segment telling us that he's going to follow the Constitution. And now you've had 13 consecutive instances in which the Supreme Court has concluded unanimously, nine-to-zero, that the president was wrong. Today, they really lowered the boom, and they concluded once and for all, that ours is not a government of one. The president tried to make it then the Supreme Court smacked him down yet again. It's good day for America but it's sad that it had to get to this point, Megyn.
KELLY: You know, Harry Reid is not dissuaded. He came out with this statement today and said as follows: "President Obama did the right thing when he made these appointments on behalf of the American people." He says, "The NLRB had ceased to function due to Senate Republican obstruction of these three qualified nominees." And he goes on to talk about how the NLRB, you know, was really suffering and they needed, you know, people on there to resolve these labor disputes, that go up there between big labor and corporations. He neglects to point out, however, Senator, that the Republicans had tried to fill those very seats and who was it again who refused to give those candidates votes to get them on the NLRB?
LEE: Yes. Well, it was Harry Reid.
Look, the fact is --
KELLY: But now he's so shocked about what's happening.
KELLY: They need those nominees.
LEE: Yes. He said they needed them. And yet the president didn't even bother to give us a chance to process these nominations first. And it's quite ironic moreover, Megyn, that Harry Reid is talking about how this was a tragic day in American history. The Supreme Court actually enforced the Constitution and Harry Reid is talking about how it was so necessary for him to invoke the nuclear option. Really what he did was to break the Senate rules in order to change the Senate rules.
KELLY: Just tell the viewer what you're talking about for the ones who don't know.
LEE: OK. So, what Harry Reid did when he invoke the nuclear option back in November was that he broke the Senate rules that require a 67-vote super majority in order to change the Senate rules, Senate rules requiring 60 votes to get to what we call cloture on the presidential nominee.
KELLY: My bad for asking a lawyer and U.S. senator to try to explain something so complex in a quick 30 seconds. Basically he's talking about the fact that he changed the rules to make it easier for the Democrats to get judicial nominees through. Now, however, here's my question to you. Will this dissuade President Obama do you think from the pen and the phone on a go forward basis? Thirteen unanimous Supreme Court smack downs.
LEE: I certainly hope that it will. But so far every indication is that this president is going to continue openly flouting the Constitution. But I think we can change that. I think we can change this November when the American people show up in really strong overwhelming numbers in House and Senate elections across the country, and they vote to elect Republicans. I think the president at that point might get the message. I think at that point, at a minimum, we can see that the president will have his power stripped or at least significantly pushed back by a strong Republican majority in both houses.
KELLY: I don't -- we'll see. Senator, good to see you.
LEE: Good to see you.
Content and Programming Copyright 2014 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2014 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
<bot>: The Kelly File airs Weekdays 9 PM ET on Fox News Channel. Megyn Kelly covers late-breaking stories, investigative reports and analyzes the day's biggest news.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014062919id_/http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/the-kelly-file/transcript/2014/06/27/sen-mike-lee-supreme-courts-blow-obama-admin
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: If you're in the throes of contemplating divorce at this time of year, you've probably already figured out this is a difficult time to make your intentions known to family and friends. The perfect moment you've been waiting for to make this all-important announcement is being foiled by another round of impending holidays. You have as much chance of getting this wrapped up now as Boston has of having a snowless winter.
READ: The Odd Way Katy Perry Dealth With Divorce
If your toes are already dangling over the divorce threshold, this is a particularly tough time of year. Perhaps you're thisclose and then, suddenly — seemingly sprung from ashes — holiday decor is everywhere, assaulting your senses and damping down every ounce of courage and wherewithal you’ve worked so hard to accrue. You just don't know how much longer you can stay, but how can you leave now?
January has been dubbed "divorce month" and with good reason. It shows the highest number of divorce filings than any other month. Why? Well, happy holidays! People aren't usually in a big hurry to call it quits — and tell their kids — right before the family-est time of the year. So, you put on your cheesiest Christmas sweater, deck the halls and accept your Oscars for Best Actor and Actress in a Real Life Drama.
READ: Nagging or Cheating: What's Worse For Your Marriage?
The reality is there is no perfect time to insist on divorce or tell your kids their lives are about to change exponentially. Certainly, you don't want to announce your divorce while you're putting up the tree. Why would you? But are you hiding behind the holidays to avoid the unavoidable? You know getting in that last Thanksgiving or Hannukah or New Year's really isn't going to change much. But the holidays come with huge expectations attached and you capitulate. You convince yourself it's only right to give your kids one more holiday season with their family intact. And there's nothing wrong with that.
One of the more confusing things about the road to divorce is that family life pretty much continues on its merry way — until it no longer does. You're busy buying gifts, sending cards, singing in your church choir while impending divorce provides a grim backdrop for your best efforts at maintaining normalcy. Your holiday preparations are done with a heavy heart.
READ: Why Divorce is More Stressful for Men Than Women
And that's the sadness in all of it, isn't it? That divorce is going to bring about change even where change isn't required. The cruel conundrum is that family life can be so darn functional in so many ways, even when divorce is on the horizon. And, for many, there's no reminder of that like the holidays.
So you slog through, feeling like you’re walking through Jell-O, knowing this is the last time you'll set the table with your mother-in-law's china or go as a family to Midnight Mass. Every Hannukah candle lit, every Christmas ornament hung, every Kwanzaa song sung, carries an enormous weight of finality.
READ: 4 Things To Consider Before Getting A Pre-Nup
You've spent so many years creating your traditions and now it's time to dismantle them like the browning Christmas tree that's ready for the curb. Now's the part where I assure you that you will create new traditions post-divorce. You may choose to mimic those of your former life or create something entirely different. Either way, it's challenging and often heart-wrenching. But wonderful and satisfying things can and do come from it. Not least of all your chance at blessed peace and happiness.
There's no good answer for when you should make your decision to divorce known. My clients ask me when they'll know, when the best time will be. You'll know when you don't have any other choice, I tell them. But I suspect I'll hear those questions less frequently as they gear up for another go at the holidays while, silently perhaps, they await January with a shiver of cold anticipation.
READ: Annulment vs. Divorce: What's The Difference?
<bot>: There is no "good" time to file for divorce but the holidays are the hardest time, by far.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013123019id_/http://magazine.foxnews.com/love/why-couples-wait-until-january-file-divorce
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Simon Johnson, former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is the Ronald A. Kurtz professor of entrepreneurship at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management and co-author of “White House Burning: The Founding Fathers, Our National Debt, and Why It Matters to You.”
There is a tendency in recent American political discourse to use the term “populism” as a form of putdown. The implication is that that while populists may have some legitimate grievances, they are rebelling in a disorganized and ill-informed way. As President Obama implied in early 2009, the populists have pitchforks, while his administration represented the responsible mainstream.
This is an inaccurate portrayal of populism in America, both historically and today. Occupy Wall Street is a perfect example. To be sure, part of that 2011 movement was purely about expressing frustration – justified frustration – at how very powerful people in the finance sector had behaved and continue to behave. But the movement also led to an important offshoot or related development, Occupy the S.E.C., which focused on the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This group wrote a brilliant commentary on the originally proposed Volcker Rule, which is designed to limit proprietary trading and other forms of excessive risk-taking at very large banks. Their comments, along with the work of others who wanted more effective reform, were helpful in pushing officials toward the final Volcker Rule, which was just unveiled.
At a hearing of the House Committee on Financial Services on Wednesday, at which I testified, some technical issues were raised by representatives of big banks and parts of the securities industry, but the broad outlines of the Volcker Rule are no longer resisted. When asked, none of the witnesses suggested that the Volcker Rule should be repealed. This is a big victory for Occupy the S.E.C. and all its allies.
This point is well made by Alexis Goldstein, writing in The Nation. Ms. Goldstein was a co-author of the original Occupy the S.E.C. letter (see her article for relevant links) and reading that letter or her column makes it clear why this form of “populism” has been so effective.
Ms. Goldstein and her colleagues are experts; they worked on Wall Street and, as a result, have compelling and highly relevant insights into how the very large trading operations there really work. This is not inside information so much as it is a granular understanding of who takes very large risks and why these so often go wrong.
Of course, articulate criticism in a vacuum or in an authoritarian setting will often achieve nothing – at least not for decades. But in our democracy, with a wide variety of people in regulatory positions, well-informed outside voices help insiders push for sensible reforms.
The same process lies behind every successful engagement between the International Monetary Fund and a country that is struggling to get its economic policies in order. When and if some sensible people try to push for reform, they are helped if well-informed pressure is brought to bear from the outside. In particular, when strong vested interests resist change – again, a common experience around the world – it is important to have someone pushing hard the other way.
Of course, Occupy the S.E.C. had many friends and allies in working for a strong Volcker Rule. Paul Volcker has unequaled prestige among economic policy makers. Senators Carl Levin of Michigan and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, both Democrats, devised legislative language and fought to get this into Dodd-Frank. Within official circles, Gary Gensler played an important role in keeping the Volcker Rule meaningful, and the late arrival of Kara Stein at the S.E.C. was essential for strengthening some crucial details.
And, as Ms. Goldstein points out, Better Markets – a pro-reform group headed by Dennis Kelleher – has been tireless in pushing for a better Volcker Rule. (Caitlin Kline, a co-author of the Occupy the S.E.C. letter on the Volcker Rule, now works at Better Markets.)The groups Public Citizen and Americans for Financial Reform have also been consistently helpful.
In terms of historical comparisons, Occupy the S.E.C. reminds me of various elements of populism that the United States experienced at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
Those who criticized concentrated economic and financial power were not held in esteem by J.P. Morgan and his friends. But antitrust policies made a lot of sense when they began to be carried out under President Theodore Roosevelt – and I don’t think anyone would want to go back to the levels of monopoly permitted before 1900.
And important figures in those populist circles, such as Louis Brandeis, who wrote brilliantly on financial-sector issues, went on to play leading roles in making responsible economic policy. (Brandeis, of course, was subsequently appointed to the Supreme Court.)
The modern world is complicated, but so it was in 1900, too. The details of policy will be made by experts, which is why it is so important to have experts on the outside, providing detailed critiques and guidance. (And Occupy the S.E.C. has already published a number of important concerns about how the published rule will be implemented..)
Whether the Volcker Rule will actually work remains to be seen; a lot depends on how it will be put in effect by regulators. But the fact that Occupy the S.E.C. is watching carefully from the outside should give us greater confidence that at least this element of financial reform will prove helpful.
<bot>: Outside expertise brought to bear on policy makers can be a formidable ally, and that has been the case in the promulgation of the Volcker Rule, an economist writes.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014011619id_/http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/occupy-the-s-e-c-has-its-day/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Mets third baseman David Wright’s father was a policeman, and he reached out to two sons of the late NYPD officer Rafael Ramos, who was one of two policemen tragically killed in Brooklyn last week.
Wright spent 15 minutes on the phone with the two boys, and offered them tickets to Mets games next year, as well as an opportunity to come to spring training and hang with the team in the dugout during Grapefruit League games.
“My heart breaks for the friends, family and fellow law enforcement officers,” Wright said on Tuesday.
“As the son of a police officer, I have the utmost respect for the brave men and women that put their lives on the line on a daily basis.
“They are heroes in every sense of the word,” he added.
Wright’s father was a policeman in Norfolk, Virginia, and throughout his career with the Mets he has been a staunch supporter of NYPD. His charity, Wright Thing, has often supported various NYPD officers and initiatives.
(Thanks to SB Nation for sharing.)
Like FTW on Facebook! Follow on Twitter!
<bot>: Wright spent 15 minutes on the phone with the boys and offered them Mets tickets and a trip to spring training.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014122519id_/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/12/david-wright-called-up-sons-of-late-nypd-officer-to-offer-his-support/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Google unveiled its new lineup of Nexus devices Monday, as well as the first video spot promoting them. The lineup includes a Nexus 4 smartphone, a 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet and a 10-inch Nexus 10 tablet.
The one-minute ad, developed in collaboration with Boston-based ad agency Mullen, touts the devices’ educational — or rather explorative — capabilities. Various individuals are shown using the new Nexus devices to run voice and text-based searches, to navigate a street using augmented reality and to investigate a famous landmark (the Coliseum) via satellite imagery.
The devices were scheduled to be unveiled at a press event in New York City Monday, which was cancelled on account of an impending storm. Google decided to go ahead with the announcement online.
All three devices run Android 4.2, which Google describes as “a new flavor of Jelly Bean.” The Nexus 4 smartphone is priced at $299 for the 8GB version and $349 for the 16GB version (unlocked). The 7-inch Nexus 7 is priced at $199 for 16GB of storage, and $249 for 32GB; an HSPA+ version with 32GB of data is also available for $299. The 10-inch Nexus 10 tablet is available in a 16GB version for $399 and a 32GB for $499.
Both tablets will be available beginning Nov. 13 in the U.S., UK, Australia, France, Canada, Spain, Germany and Japan.
Starting at $399 (for 16GB), the Nexus 10 has an ultra-high-res 10-inch display, with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 -- even more pixels than the Apple iPad.
Google Now on the Nexus 10
Made by LG, the Nexus 4 costs $299 and runs Android 4.2, which includes new features like 360-degree panoramas and gesture typing.
Gesture Typing on Nexus 4
Google's Nexus 7 tablet, which now starts at $199 for 16GB, is also getting an upgrade to Android 4.2.
Gesture Typing on Nexus 7
<bot>: Google's first ad for its new Nexus smartphone and tablet lineup showcase it's educational capabilities.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012102919id_/http://mashable.com/2012/10/29/google-nexus-ad-video/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Amanda Bynes Smokin' From Drug Pipe Driving Illegally
was driving aimlessly for hours Tuesday ... while smoking out of what appears to be a marijuana pipe and tooling around L.A. on a suspended license.
The photos -- obtained by TMZ -- show Bynes taking multiple hits out of a pipe that is designed to look like a cigarette lighter in your car.
In one shot, you see what appears to be remnants of marijuana in a cup holder. Some of the nugs appear burnt -- as if they had already been smoked.
The car is a mess. Trash is strewn everywhere. There are stains on the seat, empty bottles, dog hair and various other items.
Amanda started her journey at Baja Fresh in the San Fernando Valley, where she smoked from the pipe in the restaurant parking lot and ate tacos. She then went to a spa, where she spent 3 hours. We're told Amanda then drove without purpose for several hours, sometimes cutting off other drivers and violating various traffic laws. Amanda ended up at Home Depot, where she again took a hit from the pipe in the parking lot.
TMZ has confirmed ... Amanda is driving illegally, because the DMV suspended her license on August 25. As for why her license was yanked, we believe it's because she refused to take a sobriety test when she was busted for DUI in April. In California, such refusal results in automatic license suspension.
TMZ broke the story ... Amanda
with 2 hit-and-runs and various drivers have complained that she has either hit them as well or created peril.
-- We now know what Amanda was buying at Home Depot -- multi-colored light bulbs ... including a pink one.
Get TMZ Breaking News alerts to your inbox
<bot>: Amanda Bynes was driving aimlessly for hours Tuesday ... while smoking out of what appears to be a marijuana pipe and tooling around L.A. on a suspended…
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013072319id_/http://www.tmz.com/2012/09/13/amanda-bynes-marijuana-photos-pot-driving-illegally-suspended-license/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: On Saturday Heritage Auctions kicks off what it's billing as the "Ultimate Elvis Auction" in Memphis. Items include Elvis' clothing, furniture ... and hair.
Yep, the King's locks are hitting the auction block, and they're expected to go for as much as $20,000. (Current bid: $13,000.) They come from the legend's personal barber; this photo was sent to me along with a press release, so I'm assuming it's the actual hair. Try to contain yourselves!
How much would you pay for "thousands of strands" of EP DNA? I must say, that's one artifact you don't see every day.
The auction takes place at Memphis' Peabody Hotel. Wish I could be there (and not just because I love the ducks.)
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor
. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to
. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
<bot>: Elvis' hair goes up for auction - Pop Candy: Unwrapping pop culture's hip and hidden treasures
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010081219id_/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2010/08/elvis-hair-goes-up-for-auction/1
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Updated MAR 09, 2015 5:55p ET
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Defensive end Jerry Hughes had no intention of leaving the Bills just when things are beginning to look up in Buffalo.
The chance to play under new coach Rex Ryan, a defensive specialist, and alongside three Pro Bowl linemen were among the key reasons Hughes re-signed with the Bills on Monday. He signed a five-year contract with a potential worth of more than $45 million a day before having the opportunity to test his value on the NFL's free-agent market.
A person familiar with negotiations provided the player's contract details and spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team did not release those figures.
"We have a lot of unfinished business," Hughes said. "And I'm someone who doesn't like to leave anything undone. I wanted to come back with these guys so we could take care of that and get that accomplished."
He is referring to the unfinished business of helping the Bills make the playoffs, something that suddenly doesn't seem far-fetched after a 9-7 finish last season. It was Buffalo's best record in a decade, though the team still missed the playoffs to extend the NFL's longest active postseason drought to 15 years.
With Hughes under contract, the Bills talent-laden defensive front remains intact, rounded out by tackles Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and right end Mario Williams. The line has been the Bills' strength, and contributed to the team topping 50 sacks in each of the past two seasons -- including a league-leading 54 last year.
Hughes spent the past two seasons playing on the left side, where he has blossomed into a pass-rushing threat since the Bills acquired him in a trade with Indianapolis. The 2010 first-round draft pick has 10 sacks in each of his past two seasons after combining for just five in his first three years in Indianapolis.
And now Hughes gets the chance to play under Ryan, the former New York Jets coach who took over after Doug Marrone opted out of his contract on Dec. 31.
"You know what he's bringing to the organization. You know he knows how to get to the playoffs," Hughes said. "So you want to be part of something special."
Hughes is expected to shift to an outside linebacker spot on a defense making the switch to a 3-4 alignment under Ryan.
The faith the Bills showed in Hughes by acquiring him was another reason he chose to stay.
"When someone goes about making a trade like that, I definitely want to give it back tenfold," Hughes said. "These two years were really something to me to be a part of the team and watch everyone grow. So you want to stick around and be a part of that."
Re-signing Hughes was the Bills' top offseason priority.
"We thought we need to keep the core together as long as possible," general manager Doug Whaley said. "When you have a free agent come up that's been as productive as he has, and an integral part in our success as a defense, we just say, `Hey, let's go all in with Jerry.'"
It still wasn't easy. Negotiations lasted more than two weeks before the framework of a deal was agreed to late Sunday.
*By clicking "SUBSCRIBE", you have read and agreed to the Fox Sports Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
With Hughes signed, the Bills have a large amount of payroll invested into a defensive line that already includes the six-year, $100 million contract Mario Williams signed in 2012. And the Bills need to free up room to re-sign Dareus, whose contract expires after this season.
Whaley isn't concerned by a potential imbalance, because the team doesn't have much salary committed at quarterback. EJ Manuel is still playing under his rookie deal, while the Bills acquired veteran journeyman Matt Cassel from Minnesota last week to compete for starting job.
"We're going to heavily invest in the defensive line," Whaley said. "That's one of the ways that we're going to have to play to win with the makeup of our squad: play good defense, run the ball, and have the quarterback protect the ball."
NOTES: Whaley declined to comment to The Associated Press on growing speculation the Bills might part ways with veteran running back Fred Jackson. On his way out of the media room, Whaley smiled without saying anything before a Bills employee closed the door and said, "Thank you." ... The Bills re-signed kickoff specialist Jordan Gay, an exclusive rights free agent, to a contract extension. Gay strictly handled kickoffs last year, and had 49 touchbacks on 80 attempts.
<bot>: Hughes staying in Buffalo after signing 5-year contract
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015030919id_/http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/buffalo-bills-jerry-hughes-re-signed-to-5-year-contract-030915
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Last year the World Wildlife Fund ominously reported that ocean fish populations had dropped by 50% from 1970 to 2012, and those of some commercially important groups, such as tuna, had fallen further still. This huge decline in fish numbers was seen by many as an impending disaster—for the fishing industry, for people who depend on fish for much of their food, and, more generally, for the health of marine ecosystems that affect almost all life on the planet.
The WWF’s statistics entailed the demise of trillions of...
<bot>: Alan de Queiroz reviews “What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins” by Jonathan Balcombe.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016071719id_/http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-soul-on-your-plate-1468601279
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Young people who appear healthy are at risk of clogged arteries, Canadian researchers said Tuesday.
Scientists from the University of Quebec studied 168 adults, aged between 18 and 35, and found that a "staggering" proportion of them have a buildup of fat in the walls of arteries, known as atherosclerosis.
The participants of the study had no family history of heart disease and no other known risk factors, such as diabetes, obesity, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure or smoking.
"The proportion of young, apparently healthy adults who are presumably 'the picture of health' who already have atherosclerosis is staggering," Dr. Eric Larose, an interventional cardiologist at the university, told Canada's Cardiovascular Congress in Vancouver.
Some of the volunteers were found to have greater waist circumference and visceral fat covering internal organs within the chest and abdomen.
Larose said that young people with higher amounts of visceral fat were at greater risk of heart attack or stroke.
Dr. Beth Abramson from Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation said, "You can think of it as a ticking time bomb inside your body that might explode later in life."
The foundation advised people to maintain a healthy lifestyle and control blood pressure and stress.
<bot>: Young people who appear healthy are at risk of clogged arteries. Researchers found a staggering proportion of teens and young adults have a buildup of fat in the walls of arteries
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2011102519id_/http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/25/healthy-young-adults-at-risk-clogged-arteries/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Saskatchewan Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski has denied that he referred to a female politician as a "whore" — and interim party leader Rona Ambrose says she accepts his explanation.
"I did not say 'whore,'" Lukiwski told CBC News on Thursday. "I said 'horde,' as in NDP gang."
Lukiwski's comment came after Saskatchewan journalist Mickey Djuric blogged about Lukiwski's victory speech at the Eagles Club in Moose Jaw, Sask., on election night, Oct. 19.
Lukiwski, the member for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan, was thanking supporters when he turned to provincial politics, urging the crowd to help get Moose Jaw Wakamow member of the legislature Greg Lawrence re-elected.
Lawrence will represent the Saskatchewan Party in the election set for next April.
Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski says he said 'NDP horde,' not 'NDP whore,' during a speech on election night. (Canadian Press)
The New Democrats have nominated Karen Purdy as their candidate in the constituency.
In the video that Djuric posted to YouTube, Lukiwski appears to use the phrase that some say was "NDP whore."
"This is a very important election provincially," Lukiwski said. "We got to get Greg back elected."
"He's too important of an MLA to let go down to an NDP" — and at this point Lukiwski says either "whore" or "horde" —"just because of a bad boundary."
Later in the day, interim Conservative Party Leader Rona Ambrose released a statement saying she had spoken with Lukiwski about the matter and accepted his explanation.
"I have seen the video in question and it is very difficult to determine what was said," Ambrose said. "Mr. Lukiwski strongly denies that he used the word in question. He has also reached out to the NDP candidate in order to assure her that no such insult was ever used or intended."
If derogatory language had been used, any caucus member would already have been removed, she said.
"I have accepted Mr. Lukiwski's explanation in regards to these comments," she said.
Djuric says her newspaper, the Moose Jaw Times Herald, decided not to run a story about the incident. She says she resigned on Tuesday in response.
Craig Slater, the managing editor of the paper, told CBC News that when he reviewed the audio he was almost sure he heard the word "whore" but had some doubt. When his reporter spoke to Lukiwski and the politician insisted the word he said was "horde," Slater said he and his superiors paused to consider what to do.
"Whenever there's a maybe, whenever there's a slight grey area — we erred on the side of caution," Slater said. "Because there was a slight area of grey, I wanted to be responsible. I wanted to have the responsible journalism come out and not the tabloid journalism come out."
Djuric said she posted the video so people could make up their own minds about what Lukiwski said.
Lukiwski "categorically denies" he said "whore."
Karen Purdy, NDP candidate in Moose Jaw Wakamow, says it's 'crystal clear' that Tom Lukiwski said 'NDP whore.' (Bonnie Allen/CBC)
"If you want to hear 'whore' you can hear it. If you want to hear 'horde,' you'll hear that," he told CBC.
He went on to say that he often uses the phrase "NDP horde" in his speeches.
"At no point did I use any sort of profanity to describe the NDP," Lukiwski said later in a written statement.
He said on election night, he didn't even know who the local provincial NDP candidate was — or whether the person was a man or woman.
NDP candidate Karen Purdy says she watched the video and, as far as she's concerned, it's "crystal clear" what he said.
Mickey Djuric says she posted the video so people could make up their own minds about what was said. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)
"There is no doubt in my mind that he said 'whore,'" Purdy said. "I'm disappointed that an MP would say something like this."
It's not the first time Lukiwski has been in a controversy over a video recording.
In 2008, the Saskatchewan NDP released a 17-year-old video of Lukiwski in which the former provincial Progressive Conservative official used the phrase "homosexual faggots."
Amid a firestorm of outrage over that video, Lukiwski apologized.
<bot>: Saskatchewan Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski has denied that he referred to a female politician as a "whore" — and interim party leader Rona Ambrose says she accepts his explanation.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015111919id_/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/lukiwski-called-female-politician-a-whore-journalist-says-1.3326284
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: FT. MYERS, Fla. — The Mets knew coming into 2015 that Zack Wheeler’s elbow would be an issue. And now it has become a huge blow to the Mets' high expectations. An MRI has confirmed a full tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in the hard-throwing righthander's right elbow, and he likely faces season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The Mets are not surprised, but it is a huge blow to their lofty expectations for 2015.
“It’s a blow but at the same time, we knew there would be a lot of uncertainty with Zack and his elbow over the course of the season,” said Sandy Alderson, who revealed that Wheeler struggled through elbow issues last season far more than was previously revealed.
The return of 2013 National League All-Star Matt Harvey was supposed to give the Mets a core of young, hard-throwing pitchers with Wheeler and 2014 NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, which was going to carry the Mets to their first winning season in seven years and possibly to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
But those hopes were partially built on an arm they knew was at risk and would have to be carefully managed.
“Obviously we are unhappy he won’t be with us this year," Alderson said. "The silver lining is that now we know, and we know there is a solution for this. He won’t have to manage the pain over the course of the season, and ultimately, he would have had to over the course of his career."
Dillon Gee, who had been moved to the bullpen to accommodate Harvey’s return, will make a start on Thursday and is a likely candidate to slip back into the rotation. Alderson did not rule out top prospects Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz making the roster out of camp, but it seems unlikely.
Alderson said the Mets have not discussed how they will go forward with the rotation yet. They were still "digesting" the diagnosis, which will be confirmed when Wheeler gets to New York and meets with team doctor David Altchek within the next two days.
Last year, Wheeler frequently skipped bullpen sessions in between starts, and at the end of the season, he received a plasma-rich platelet injection in the elbow, Alderson said.
“Zack was seen at the end of last season, November and January, and we had been forewarned that his elbow was a concern and was going to have to be managed over the season,” he said. “It wasn’t clear the ligament was involved, but we would have managed his medical condition over the course of the season.”
Wheeler suffered enough discomfort during his offseason throwing program that he was brought to New York in January to be seen by Altchek.
Still on Friday when they announced that Wheeler would miss the next day start, Alderson said at the time Wheeler did not need an MRI on the elbow. Altchek, who checked out Wheeler in January, requested the exam.
“The area of pain had increased in size,” Alderson explained of the quick turnaround. “That’s when the MRI was ordered on Saturday and read this morning by Dr. Altchek.”
The Mets announced that Wheeler missed the start Saturday because he had a blister under the nail of his right index finger, an annual occurrence in spring training. And they downplayed the elbow “tenderness” as something Wheeler had battled through in 2014. He did make all 32 starts and finished the season with a 6-3 record in his last 16 starts.
It is a big loss to the Mets, said Michael Cuddyer, who added that one reason he signed with the team was the strong young pitching.
“It’s a huge blow,” the veteran outfielder said. “But that is where the depth (of young starting pitching) comes in to play.”
<bot>: After professing much optimism the last few days, the Mets got the worst news they could: Zack Wheeler was diagnosed with a torn UCL.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015031619id_/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/wheeler-torn-ucl-tommy-john-surgery-article-1.2150762
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: When veteran mediator Vince Ready declared an impasse and walked away from talks between British Columbia teachers and their employer Saturday, parents' hopes for the school year to start on time walked out with him.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender said he was "disappointed" at the outcome of this week's failed negotiations, and wishes he had better news to share with students, parents and teachers.
"What should be a time of excitement and anticipation will instead be marked by frustration and uncertainty," he said in a written statement Saturday.
"I wish I could tell British Columbians when students will be back in school. But right now, I don't see any quick or easy solutions."
Since Thursday, Ready had been trying to develop a framework for mediation to bring the province's 40,000 public school teachers back to work, but he said the positions of both sides seemed to him to be intractable.
"I just see no basis at this point for meaningful negotiations or mediation," he told reporters in Richmond, B.C., Saturday.
'I'm stepping away': Vince Ready RAW interview2:19
'I'm stepping away': Vince Ready RAW interview2:19
Peter Cameron, negotiator for the B.C. Public School Employers' Association, which has been bargaining on behalf of government, said his side made concessions but there was obviously not enough common ground and the current round of talks was now over.
"I hope we can get back as soon as possible, but at this point it's clear there will not be school on Tuesday, and that teachers will be striking Tuesday and for several more days next week, at least," he told CBC News.
Cameron says the teachers need to reduce their demands for more money before the issues around class size and composition can be discussed.
Jim Iker, president of the B.C. Teachers' Federation, had been optimistic earlier this week that classes would get underway next week, but admitted after Saturday's failed talks that the strike would continue after Labour Day.
No school year start on Tuesday2:47
No school year start on Tuesday2:47
"As of right now, school will not be starting on the second of September, though our teachers would love to be back at work," he said.
Iker, blaming the failure of the negotiations on government, also issued a request to British Columbians.
"I encourage all of you to contact your MLAs and let them know it's time for government to compromise, [and] increase funding to address the issues related to class size, and composition and learning specialist levels," he said.
B.C. teachers' strike: winners and losers2:59
B.C. teachers' strike: winners and losers2:59
Neither the teachers' union nor the employers' association has set a date for a return to the bargaining table.
The government has said it will not legislate teachers back to work, but has proposed giving parents of children aged 12 and under $40 a day to help with daycare costs should the strike continue.
It's back to the drawing board, but not the chalkboard, after Vince Ready declares an impasse in talks between the B.C. Teachers' Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association. (The Canadian Press)
It's back to the drawing board, but not the chalkboard, after Vince Ready declares an impasse in talks between the B.C. Teachers' Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association. (The Canadian Press)
<bot>: When veteran mediator Vince Ready declared an impasse and walked away from talks between British Columbia teachers and their employer Saturday, parents' hopes for the school year to start on time walked out with him.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014090119id_/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-teachers-strike-no-school-year-start-tuesday-1.2751930
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The family of war correspondent Marie Colvin, who was killed while covering the violence in Syria, is desperately trying to find out how to get her body back from the country.
Reports have surfaced that the Syrians are refusing to release the bodies of Colvin and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, who died after a rocket attack Wednesday on a house in the rebel city of Homs that which was being used as a makeshift media center by activists.
“We haven’t heard anything. We are waiting on word from the government,” Colvin’s brother, Mike, told FoxNews.com.
“We can’t say what’s true and what isn’t,” he said, regarding the latest rumors that have surfaced.
The Syrian ambassador to London was summoned by officials in the U.K., where they demanded that Syrian authorities facilitate immediate arrangements for repatriation of the bodies of Colvin and Ochlik, according to reports by Agence France-Presse.
In other developments, a video surfaced yesterday from the two other journalists who were injured during the same rocket attack, in which they ask for the help of government agencies.
"I was wounded in a rocket attack yesterday -- three large wounds to my leg. My colleague Marie Colvin was also killed in the same attack," said photographer Paul Conroy, who worked with Colvin at the Sunday Times.
"I'm currently being looked after by the Free Syrian Army medical staff, who are treating me with the best medical treatment available. It's important to add that I am here as a guest and have not been captured. Obviously any assistance I can be given by government agencies would be welcome,” he said.
<bot>: The family of slain war correspondent Marie Colvin is desperately trying to find out how to get her body back from Syria.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012022419id_/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/23/body-slain-journalist-marie-colvin-being-held-by-syria/?test=latestnews
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: One thing strikes you immediately: there are none of the usual medieval towers, and even the palazzos of the nobility seem modest in their vertical ambitions. This is not because of lack of funds or imagination on the part of the town's ruling classes. It's because Norcia lies on a fault line, and has suffered a series of devastating earthquakes over the years – such as the one in 1328 that razed it, leaving only the stout town walls in place. After several more, in the 18th century the town's pontifical rulers issued an edict that no building could be more than two storeys high. And so Norcia went for decoration rather than height, embellishing its civic and spiritual architecture with ornate balconies and intricately carved stone lintels and arches.
Today, Norcia is associated in the rest of Italy above all with its salumi, or pork and wild boar products, which come in sausages, salamis and cured hams of all shapes and sizes. As you stroll down the central Corso Sertorio, around the civic and religious hub of Piazza San Benedetto or in the lanes behind, every other shop seems to be a norcineria (a name adopted by cured pork butchers all over Italy, even if they don't come from Norcia).
That there may be a little more supply than demand right now is suggested by some of the signs on display outside these piggy emporia announcing "anti-crisi" offers if you buy a package that might include a jar of truffle paste, two wild boar salamis and two wild boar coglioni (literally "balls", referring to their shape rather than their anatomical provenance).
The skill of the norcini in making use of every inch of the pig had some interesting spin-offs. In Preci, a rather dour town a few miles north, pork butchery segued into human incisions: a school of self-taught surgeons sprang up here in the Renaissance that was famous throughout Europe. A surgeon from Preci, Cesare Scacchi, was even called to London to operate on Queen Elizabeth I's cataracts in 1588.
Norcia's other claim to fame is less earthy. These remote but gentle valleys have long attracted monks and hermits, and it was here in around 480 that Saint Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism and the town's patron saint, was born. The Benedictine order's mother church of San Benedetto in the main square has an unexpectedly simple interior – probably because it has been rebuilt so many times following earthquake damage – but the real draw is the ancient crypt downstairs (which purportedly stands on the site of the house where Benedict and his equally saintly sister Scolastica were born), especially if you get there at 7.45pm for Compline, when Gregorian chant resonates from the vaults. Make sure you're at the locked door down to the crypt a few minutes before: a monk will come up to let you in.
Another saint, Rita, is celebrated in nearby Cascia. Famous for a suppurating wound on her forehead (which miraculously stopped stinking only when she went to Rome to visit the Pope, thus sparing the pontifical nostrils), Rita is a real people's saint, and coachloads of pilgrims come to visit the gaudy Fascist-era basilica that consecrates her cult. Far more rewarding, at least in aesthetic terms, is the church of Sant'Antonio in the lower town, with its two 15th-century fresco cycles by supposedly "minor" artists. The life of St Anthony the Great has a tender delicacy of detail (note the grass and flowers beneath the camels' hooves), while Nicolò da Siena's scenes from The Passion have the Technicolor immediacy of a Renaissance graphic novel – which in a way is what this was.
Many visitors simply pass through Norcia on their way to Castelluccio and the Sibillini mountains. Italy's highest permanently inhabited village, Castelluccio stands on a rise overlooking the Piano Grande, a vast upland plain divvied up into a patchwork of lentil fields. It's an unforgettable sight, but the village offers only the most basic accommodation, and in the surrounding hills you're pretty much limited to mountain refuges. If you're looking for comfort and a certain gastronomic breadth of choice in the evening, the best approach is to take to the mountains by day, on foot or by bike, on horse or donkey back, by hang-glider or paraglider, and return to Norcia's excellent restaurants and wine bars in the evening, with burnt-off calories to replace.
Not only does Norcia now offer, in Palazzo Seneca, a boutique hotel to compare with Italy's best; it also has a lively cultural scene, with classical and jazz concerts livening up the cool but rarely chilly summer nights. If you've already visited Spoleto, and the tourist crowds of Assisi do not appeal, you could do worse than travel through the Forca di Cerro tunnel-portal to one of Umbria's most rewarding little historic towns. Neat and cultured, combining mountain air with urban grace, Norcia is the perfect next stop for the well-travelled Italophile.
Norcia is not the easiest place to get to – that's part of its appeal. By road, allow two hours from Rome, via Terni, and around two and a half from Florence, via Perugia. Public transport means buses: either from Rome via Terni (three-hour journey, twice a day Mon-Sat, once Sun) or from Spoleto (55-minute journey, six times a day Mon-Sat, four times a day Sun). Timetables at umbriamobilita.it.
Palazzo Seneca (Via Cesare Battisti 10, 0039 0743 817434; palazzoseneca.com, double room from 130 euros/£107), a 16th-century palace in the centre of Norcia close to Piazza San Benedetto, was brought back to life by its owners, the Bianconi family, after the damage the building suffered in the 1997 earthquake. Opened as a 24-room aristocratic town-house hotel in 2008, this elegant contemporary-modern five-star is currently the only Umbrian property in the Relais & Châteaux group. Service is efficient, the small spa with Turkish bath and sauna is perfect for relaxing after a day in the hills, and the hotel's upmarket restaurant, Vespasia, is the only real gourmet spot in a town more associated with hearty mountain fare.
Across the road from Palazzo Seneca, the bustling Granaro del Monte (Via Alfieri 6, 0743 816513, closed Tues, about 35 euros/£29 a head with wine), also owned by the Bianconi family, is the oldest continuously active restaurant in Umbria. It has been going since 1850, and the black truffle pasta and Chianina steaks served up underneath the cross-vaulted ceilings of what was once the municipal pawn shop fly the flag for traditional Umbrian-Tuscan cuisine.
Just outside the centro storico of Preci, on the main road, Il Castoro (Via Roma, 0743 939248, closed Thurs, about 30 euros/£25 a head with wine) is a buzzing wooden chalet restaurant where truffles every which way are the main attraction.
Perhaps the most scenic restaurant in the Valnerina – providing you can nab one of the few riverside tables – is Del Ponte (Via del Borgo 11, 0743 61253, closed Mon, about 35 euros/£29 a head with wine) in Scheggino, a pretty village that is like a (very) mini Venice, with a canalised but still fast-flowing branch of the Nera flowing down the main street. Grilled local trout is the dish to go for, but it's all good.
Norcia tourist office (0743 828173)
Lee Marshall is our destination expert for Tuscany, Florence, Rome and Sicily. Click on the links below to read his complete guides, featuring the best hotels, restaurants, bars, attractions and shops.
Rome city break guide Florence city break guide Tuscany travel guide Sicily travel guide
<bot>: Built on a fault line and encircled by mountains, Norcia is an ornate, low-rise retreat in a wild Umbrian valley.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20160723041758id_/http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/travel/destinations/europe/italy/umbria/articles/Norcia-grace-and-flavours-in-another-Italy/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: 3D is set to be the next big thing in home cinema this year, as the multitude of three-dimensional television launches at CES have shown.
While many of you may have caught a high profile 3D flick in cinemas over the last year with Up, Monsters vs Aliens, and of course, Avatar, it’s another thing to get ready to view 3D content on the small screen.
To help ease you into the prospect of things jumping out at you in your own living room, we’ve picked five great YouTubeYouTube videos that demo 3D well.
So, grab your glasses, make your own, or if you want to watch sans comic eyewear, then chose YouTube’s cross-eyed option from the drop-down menu on its recently organized 3D offerings.
You’ll need to watch the videos below on YouTube directly for the full 3D experience (double click on any video below to view it on YouTube.com), but you can begin your journey here.
We’re easing you in to the 3D experience gently. This is a great clip to start with as it’s so very genteel. Enjoy this footage of hot house flowers set to Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite. Take a moment to adjust those glasses or cross your eyes in the most civilized way.
Next up is a demo reel of various locations and activities, offered up in three dimensions that will gradually introduce you to more 3D action. Continue here so as not to induce any sudden nausea.
Easy-peasy so far, yes? Well, how about some driving footage to get your brain ticking and your stomach ready for bigger and better things? This user-generated video gives you an idea of what real life looks like shot in 3D. The wide-angle aspect and HD quality make it an immersive experience.
Now, always an IMAX classic, and for good reason, we have some old school roller coaster footage. Strap those cardboard glasses on and press play. If you can stand up while watching, it’s even better, as you may find yourself swaying with the motion. We dare your stomach not to lurch during this 3D clip.
Duh-dun, duh-dun… Jaws 3-D was made during a revival of interest in 3D in the 80s. As we’re due such a revival now, and because the horror genre is particularly suited to the 3D format, it seems an appropriate clip to end with. If you’re of a nervous disposition, then look away just before the end. Nah, not really, it’s pretty tame, but hopefully it’s enough to whet your appetite for the 3D-fest to come in 2010.
- YouTube Is the Top Social Media Innovation of the Decade - 8 Companies That Are Reinventing TV Online - 5 Best YouTube Sports Moments of 2009 - The 10 Most Innovative Viral Video Ads of 2009 - 7 of the Most Inspiring Videos on the Web
Image courtesy of iStockphotoiStockphoto, bluestocking
Jobs Hay, YOU! Superstars are easy to spot. They're bright, dynamic, and passionate. They don't settle for good enough, they demand excellence both of themselves and others. And at Hayneedle, superstar...
<bot>: With the bevy of 3D TVs and channels due in 2010, we thought we'd slowly immerse you in the 3D waters with these 5 great YouTube videos.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010011819id_/http://mashable.com/2010/01/09/youtube-video-3d/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Mount Sharp looms on Curiosity's horizon in this portion of a series of images taken by Curiosity's Navcam camera on Jan. 23, 25 and 26, 2013.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, dispatched to determine if the planet most like Earth in the solar system ever had the ingredients for microbial life, returns to work on Wednesday following a month-long hiatus due to the sun blocking radio communications with Earth.
The rover, which landed on Aug. 6, 2012, inside a giant impact basin, wasn't completely silenced by the communications blockage. Every day, it beeped a signal over its X-band radio, which was received on Earth.
“That was good confirmation that everything was going as expected,” mission manager Rick Welch, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told Discovery News.
NEWS: Curiosity, Interrupted: Sun Makes Mars Go Dark
Scientists also were able to retrieve some data from Curiosity’s radiation monitors through the orbiting Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which had intermittent transmissions during the solar blockage.
Now that Earth and Mars are again aligned for communications, the first order of business is to update the rover’s software. After that, scientists want to resume analysis of an area called Yellowknife Bay, where Curiosity already met the main goal of its mission by finding the chemical ingredients for life.
Hitting paydirt in the first rock sample analysis however raises the stakes for the primary target of Curiosity’s two-year mission, a three-mile-high mountain of what appears to be layered sediment rising from the floor of the Gale Crater landing site.
Scientists have yet to decide exactly when Curiosity will head over toward Mount Sharp. Much depends on what else the rover digs up in Yellowknife Bay, located in the opposite direction of Mount Sharp and within the rover’s elliptically shaped landing zone.
PHOTOS: Curiosity Drills Hole Into Mars Rock
“We just didn’t stumble into this area. This was something that took a lot of planning,” said Curiosity lead scientist John Grotzinger, with the California Institute of Technology.
“In case something happened with the rover we needed to make sure we had science to do in that landing ellipse. What was serendipitous was landing in a past aqueous environment and finding sulfates and clays,” Grotzinger told Discovery News.
Curiosity’s first rock drill sample contained six elements needed for microbial life -- hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus -- plus water that had not been not too acidic or too salty.
Additional analysis is planned to look for carbon from a different and possibly organic source. The first sample’s carbon was bound in carbon dioxide, which can be a source of energy for rock-eating microbes.
Scientists expect the search for organic carbon to be difficult. Even if it exists, there may not be enough of it to be detected. It also could have been chemically altered over time, or broken down by cosmic and solar radiation.
“The hope is we find some other examples of habitable environments. There are a bunch of different geological reasons why there could be more of less carbon in one place,” Grotzinger said.
ANALYSIS: Two Mars Rovers Search for Clues to Life
Yellowknife Bay is in a lowlands which, at some point in the past, was covered by water. Scientists, however, have no means to determine what happened before or after. In comparison, Mount Sharp offers scientists a sequence in time, with the record of older events preserved at the bottom of the mound and more recent alterations of rock rising above.
“Say we find something that looks like another attractive ancient potentially habitable environment and it’s 200 meters above the base of Mount Sharp. We can go up there and then from there we can go not just upward but also downward again. So if you’re looking for something, you can explore in both directions of time’s arrow,” Grotzinger said.
“Right now, (in Yellowknife Bay) we’re in the good stuff, but unfortunately, we can’t go downhill anymore. We’re there. That’s all Yellowknife Bay is going to give us,” he said.
Scientists plan to drill into at least one more rock to look for carbon and to verify the results of the first sample analysis.
“Yellowknife Bay still has some information to give us and it’s definitely worth one more drill target,” Welch said. “But from my point of view, if Yellowknife Bay is such a rich area, there probably are many other rich areas within Gale Crater and a lot of things to be discovered.”
<bot>: By Irene KlotzDiscovery News NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, dispatched to determine if the planet most like Earth in the solar system ever had the ingredients for microbial life, returns to work on Wednesday following a month-long hiatus due to the sun blocking radio communi …
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013050119id_/http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/01/18002682-whats-next-for-curiosity-mars-mountaineering
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: INDIANAPOLIS — Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors spent the first three quarters playing as flawlessly as their unbeaten record.
They spent the last 12 minutes Tuesday trying to protect their perfect quest.
On a night Thompson scored a season-high 39 points and reigning MVP Stephen Curry nearly had a triple-double, the Warriors improved to 23-0 by stopping Indiana's furious fourth-quarter comeback and holding off the Pacers 131-123.
"We've got to handle the end of the game better. We had a double-digit lead. You don't ever want to have to win the game twice or even three times," Curry said. "You want to make things as easy as possible when you have a night like we did for 36 minutes."
The defending NBA champions have made things look pretty easy in what has already been a milestone season.
They've won 27 straight dating to last spring, tying the 2012-13 Heat for the second-longest streak in NBA history. The 1971-72 Lakers hold the record with 33 wins in a row.
Golden State also has won 13 straight road games, breaking a tie with the 1969-70 Knicks for the league's best road start.
Curry, the league's leading scorer, finished with 29 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three 3-pointers, tying Rashard Lewis' NBA record of 87 consecutive road games with at least one basket from beyond the arc.
Thompson went 10 for 16 on 3s. He made a splash with his incredible first half when he scored 29 points, made 8 of 10 3s and was the key to a 22-0 run that forced Indiana to play catch-up the rest of the night.
"It was one of those nights where I got a lot of great looks. Going in I felt great," Thompson said. "I felt like I was due for a game like that."
For the Warriors there were only two big concerns.
Thompson rolled his ankle late in the game and said afterward he expected to be bruised for the next couple of days. Fortunately for Thompson, Golden State doesn't play again till Friday at Boston.
The other: Letting Indiana back into the game.
Golden State led 50-28 in the second quarter, extended the lead to 32 in the third quarter, started the fourth quarter with a 28-point advantage and was still up by 21 with 7:11 left in the game.
But Indiana (12-8) rallied with a 23-8 run to get within six in the final minute before the Warriors closed it out.
Paul George finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists while C.J. Miles added 24 points — not enough to prevent the Pacers from losing their third in a row.
"This team is good. One thing about them, they've got a championship confidence," George said. "Every guy is out there to make plays. They know how to put the ball in the hole. It's not just Stephen, it's not just Klay. All of them had that confidence to make plays and make shots."
Despite Golden State's late struggles, it may be the NBA's best at protecting leads. The Warriors have won 76 consecutive games when they lead by 15 or more points.
Indiana tied a dubious franchise record in its NBA era by allowing 44 first-quarter points and barely avoided another record-breaking defensive low when it trailed 79-60 at the half. The only other time the Pacers gave up 44 points in the opening quarter was at Chicago in December 1990. They also allowed a franchise-worst 80 points in the first half at the Lakers in November 1978. It was the first time Indiana allowed 130 points in a game since Jan. 3, 2010 against the Knicks.
Warriors interim coach Luke Walton has noticed some not-so-subtle changes around the league. A lot of teams, including the Pacers, are trying to take a page out of the Warriors' small-ball playbook. Good luck. Before the game, Pacers coach Frank Vogel noted Indiana's new up-tempo style was "light years" behind Golden State, and it showed.
Warriors: Golden State has shot 45 percent or better 20 times this season. ... The Warriors have topped the 100-point mark in all 23 games this season, the first time they've done that since 1966-67. ... The Warriors are the first franchise in the four major pro sports leagues to have 16-game winning streaks in consecutive seasons.
Pacers: Indiana has lost three straight for the first time since starting the season 0-3. ... In the previous 16 games, the Pacers had limited opponents to 96.9 points and 32.8 percent shooting on 3s. ... George came up one point short of notching his 5,000th career point. ... The Pacers were 14 of 33 on 3s.
Warriors visit Celtics on Friday.
Pacers host Heat on Friday.
<bot>: INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Golden State Warriors improved to 23-0 this season, with Klay Thompson scoring a season-high 39 points and Stephen Curry adding 29 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists Tuesday night in a 131-123 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015121019id_/http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/undefeated-golden-state-warriors-23-0-as-klay-thompson-scores-39-beats-indiana-pacers-120815
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.
Uber has just taken another detour on the way to an inevitable legal showdown. The ride-hailing service, valued at more than $60 billion in its latest funding round, on Thursday settled two class-action lawsuits claiming drivers in California and Massachusetts are employees rather than so-called independent contractors, agreeing to pay up to $100 million. But the Silicon Valley darling is only buying time.
In what’s known as the sharing economy, the likes of Uber and accommodation site Airbnb pride themselves on disrupting old-school taxi, hotel and other businesses. Their weaponry can include lower expenses. Airbnb’s hosts often escape hotel regulations and taxes; Uber’s drivers, as independent contractors, cost the company less than full-fledged employees. Losing this type of edge could undermine any number of upstarts’ financial viability.
Uber said its drivers were not employees because they used their own cars and could work whenever, and for whomever, they wanted. Drivers countered that Uber controls how they work and the operation of its service generally, making them employees.
The drivers’ early victories – including permission to sue as a group – were headed for appeals that could have overturned them. That may help explain why they agreed to remain independent contractors in exchange for $84 million guaranteed, potentially more if the company goes public, protections against Uber arbitrarily cutting them off, and the ability to form drivers’ associations.
The issue is far from closed, however. A judge must approve the deal, and another court or labor official could still find that Uber drivers are employees. Companies like TaskRabbit, which allows people to hire neighbors for small jobs, depend on individuals much as Uber does. They could challenge their employment status and, like FedEx workers in 2014, eventually win in court. A few sharing-economy peers have pre-empted the issue: Some Instacart shoppers and Shyp couriers are now employees.
Uber has covered drivers’ fines for illegally picking up passengers and thumbed its nose at other local regulations around the world. The tab is adding up, though. A single $100 million payment won’t hurt much. But string a few together and it could turn into a debilitating cost of doing business.
U.S. laws are fuzzy enough to ensure the status of Uber’s drivers will continue to be tested. The rise of the sharing economy is already provoking talk of new hybrid employment forms, too. Eventually, though, the question is likely to be decided by a collision in court.
<bot>: A $100 mln settlement resolves claims in two U.S. states that the $60 bln ride-hailing service should treat workers as employees, not cheaper contractors. Like paying driver fines for illegal pickups, though, the pact only buys time for Uber. Eventually, there’ll be a collision.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016042419id_/http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2016/04/22/uber-driver-deal-just-a-detour-from-legal-showdown/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The rapper and actor talks with Jon Caramanica about wrangling the Wu-Tang Clan and a cure for recurring nightmares.
The new Wu-Tang Clan record, “A Better Tomorrow,” is the first time all of the group’s members have been together on an album in years. It sounds very grown-up. I gotta take the blame for that. I always felt it was our duty to express hip-hop from a grown man’s perspective. The brothers give me what I ask for. Sometimes they don’t agree.
But they understand that part of being in the Clan is following your vision? Yeah, give RZA a shot. Now when they finish and they don’t like the vision, they’re gonna voice that, too. It’s like, Yeah, I was in that movie, but I don’t like it.
What percent of your work is psychological? I imagine that for every hour you’re in the studio, you probably put in three more on the phone wrangling the group. Today we had a conference call. Inspectah Deck was like: “You’re telling us what to write about, you’re telling us how to rhyme. I got nothing but respect, but I’m a grown man.” I said: “You’re right. But you can’t just plant the seed and expect it to grow; you gotta nourish it. If you don’t nourish it, it may grow, but it’d be a weak crop. If you do plant, nourish it and it grows, and you don’t harvest it, the crows eat it.”
Not all the members and affiliates have had lucrative solo careers. A while back, Cappadonna was driving a cab for a living. I assume that’s gotta pull on the heartstrings. Yeah, pull on my heartstrings. But Cappa, one minute he’s driving a cab, next minute he’s driving a Benz. He’s going to figure it out because he is not a normal guy. He has talent.
You’re paying for a lot of this record out of pocket, right? Studio time, musicians, everything? Everything. And I won’t recoup. I’m already overbudget. Maybe I’ll net out a half-million-dollar loss.
Some people with half a million dollars, they buy themselves two fancy cars, or maybe a house. What did you buy yourself for half a million dollars? I invested in the album. Look, if I never did anything again in music, it wouldn’t affect my life materially. I live a very satisfying life. Not because I’ve made a few dollars, but because I have a wife who loves me and children who wait for me to come home. And that is beautiful. I think that’s the American dream: to be at peace at home.
You’re 45. Are you a better parent now than you were in your 20s? I think I’m better. Parenting is something that I got early, because when you grow up without a father being there and you see a single mother struggle to feed the kids, you do not want to put your own blood through that.
What has it been like for you cultivating interests away from music, like acting? I got a chance to act in a film, “Derailed.” I was having a recurring nightmare, and after doing that film, the nightmares stopped. That character gets killed in that film. And the fear of the way he died, getting shot, left me.
The recurring nightmare that you were having was that you would be shot? Exactly, and it happens in the film. That helped a lot, psychologically.
You’re also not in charge on the film set. All I do is get up in the morning, I don’t even gotta really wash my face because they’re going to do that in the makeup chair. You just go downstairs, and the car guy, he’s waiting. So that life gave me something different to think about. A servant sometimes need to be served.
Wu-Tang has another album, “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” that no one has heard. The plan is to sell the only copy to one person for $5 million. How did you come to that figure? When we made the announcement, emails came in. People just started — “Yo, I want it.” My boy from London, 1.2. The biggest offer that came in was, “Yo, five million.” Whoever pays five million for this, I don’t know what they’re going to do with it. There’s potential to make much more, but I don’t think it’s a commercial thing.
You don’t? No, I think this is an art thing. You don’t buy the “Mona Lisa” to sell it.
<bot>: One member of the Wu-Tang Clan on the trials of leadership.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014112219id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/magazine/the-rza-a-servant-sometimes-needs-to-be-served.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: This cinematic quality video helped sell a home in Seattle's trendy Magnolia neighborhood this week for $1 million to an out-of-state buyer -- who never physically visited the property.
This may look like it was produced by a full film crew using a truck load of gear to get the lighting just so on what already was a picture perfect day in the Emerald City. Not so. It is actually the work of one person, Josh Phoenix, a do-it-yourself digital craftsman using pro-sumer tools anyone can buy.
Phoenix got the digital DIY bug in his 20s and was featured in this news story. Back then, with a guitar and keyboard -- and $3,500 worth of off-the-shelf digital audio recording and editing gear -- he produced some pretty sophisticated original music.
The natural next step for Phoenix was to master digital photos and videos. Now 30, Phoenix is fully focused on blazing new trails using his DIY digital skills to help realtors move high-end properties. His Seattle-based real estate photo service is called HD Estates.
"My goal is to use cutting edge technology to produce the highest quality marketing available for real estate," he says.
To create this particular video he used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera, that retails for around $2,000, mounted on a system of dollies to achieve scenes showing smooth, Hollywood-style movements around the home.
"I composed the shots the way you would move through a house," says Phoenix, praising the 5D Mark II's capacity to shoot 22 megapixel still images, while also doubling as a video camera that can imitate Hollywood camera techniques.
Using his knowledge of digital music production, Phoenix often inserts narrations and original music tracks timed to enhance the property's distinctive characteristics.
"I push myself creatively so that I can produce something beyond my customer's expectations," he says. "I try to think differently and deliver images and video that makes our clients homes stand out among the crowd of listings."
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor
. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to
. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
<bot>: DIYer's slick video helps sell million dollar home - USATODAY.com
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2011021019id_/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2011/02/diyers-slick-video-helps-sell-million-dollar-home/1
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: ”The Lottery is activating this feature across all of the approximately 500 PAT machines currently in the field to fully protect the integrity of ticket sales at retail locations,” said Mass. State Lottery Commission executive director Beth Bresnahan.
Facing criticism from antigambling groups that it is too easy for minors to buy scratch tickets, the Massachusetts State Lottery has quietly begun activating technology in its self-serve vending machines that requires players to prove they are 18 or older.
The change means that players who want to buy scratch tickets from vending machines commonly found in the checkout areas of large supermarkets — so-called Player Activated Terminals, or PATs — first need to scan their driver’s licenses.
Each of the 500 or so self-serve machines that were deployed beginning in 2012 came equipped with the ability to scan licenses, but the lottery began activating the feature only this month.
In a letter to retailers, the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission’s executive director, Beth Bresnahan, said the previous practice of having store employees guard against young patrons using the machines had proved effective.
“However,” Bresnahan added, “following some incidents of underage play that recently transpired . . . the Lottery is activating this feature across all of the approximately 500 PAT machines currently in the field to fully protect the integrity of ticket sales at retail locations.”
A spokesman for the lottery said the change will not affect the system’s other self-serve vending machines that don’t have license scanners.
There are about 1,200 of these older model Instant Ticket Vending Machines, found mostly in bars and convenience stores.
Bresnahan’s letter to retailers said the lottery’s long-term plan is for every vending machine to include an age-verification system, though it did not specify a deadline.
The move by the lottery comes after the national Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation sued Star Market in March, alleging the grocery chain had not blocked minors from accessing the vending machines in its stores.
The foundation, represented by the Boston-based Public Health Advocacy Institute, published a video that it says shows a 14-year-old buying scratch tickets from machines in two Boston-area Star Market stores.
The video and subsequent lawsuit prompted calls for better monitoring of lottery vending machines.
Activating the age-verification feature of the PAT machines is “a step in the direction,” said Andrew Rainer, who is litigation director at the Public Health Advocacy Institute.
“But I think we need more information about how reliable this technology is and what the lottery is planning to do with the 1,200 older machines,” he said.
Rainer said that he had also asked the lottery about privacy issues triggered by the new license-scanning technology, including whether personal information will be saved and used to track ticket purchases.
The lottery said Tuesday that the PAT machines only check licenses against the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ driver’s license data-verification service, and that it does not retain personal information.
However, with casinos poised to debut in Massachusetts, the lottery has expressed interest in gathering more data on customer habits and sales patterns.
A voluntary loyalty card system expected to be introduced along with new counter-top terminals late next year would give frequent players discounts.
But the system would also track where and how often those players buy various scratch tickets, allowing the lottery to fine-tune its offerings for maximum profit in the face of new competition.
<bot>: The change comes after criticism from advocacy groups that minors can easily buy scratch tickets.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20150529163635id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2015/05/26/massachusetts-lottery-vending-machines-now-ask-for/spTDg0q3FuoJeCWBBsBSyI/story.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Come on, admit it. Unless your favorite team happens to play in the conference, you loathe the SEC. It might as well stand for "So Easy to Criticize." Just take a look at some of what it hath wrought, above. And yet, the sycophantic fawning by players and pundits continues unabated. Disgusting. Let's take the conference down a peg or two and discuss why we all hate-watch it.
Sure, the Southeastern Conference had an impressive championship run there for a while, but contrary to popular opinion, the SEC is NOT that good. It's just that a handful of its teams ARE that good. But for every SEC West power like Alabama, there's an SEC East doormat like poor Vanderbilt. And if the past two years have taught us anything, it's that national titles will not simply be handed out to the SEC anymore. Ask Florida State and Ohio State. Photo: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
'Nicky Satan.' 'Mad Hatter.' 'Darth Visor.' Sounds like a casting call for 'The Suicide Squad.'
Jeebus. Look at that thing. That's not a jet turbine. It's an actual cooling fan featured in a Florida-Georgia game, a few days before November hit. Keep it. It's yours. Welcome to the Deep South, y'all. Photo: Marc Serota
This is 'Murica, and this is football (not futbol), and yet we have to suffer through so-called 'games' like this LSU-'Bama snoozefest in 2011, featuring two of the most revered programs in the country -- and a cumulative offensive output of five field goals. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. No thanks. Photo: Kevin C. Cox
<bot>: Oh, come on. You know it's true
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015081019id_/http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/photos/hate-sec-football-alabama-nick-saban-lsu-les-miles-steve-spurrier-tim-tebow-johnny-manziel-081015
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Model shares saucy snap on Instagram with her 12.6million followers
AMBER Rose has joined Kim Kardashian on the no-bra train with a racy Instagram snap showing her in a see-through top with nothing underneath.
The talk show host flaunts her assets in a white mesh mock turtleneck, with heart emojis covering her nipples.
She shared the saucy photo with her 12.6million followers Instagram today, where it’s racked up 172,000 likes, and more than 2,500 comments.
Amber, 32, has never been shy about showing off her curves – although it’s not always on purpose.
She recently flashed her bum in transparent leggings on the way to rehearsals for Dancing With the Stars in the US.
Amber is competing on the show – the American counterpart to Strictly Come Dancing – with Maksim Chmerkovskiy as her partner.
<bot>: AMBER Rose has joined Kim Kardashian on the no-bra train with a racy Instagram snap showing her in a see-through top with nothing underneath. The talk show host flaunts her assets in a white mesh m…
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016101419id_/https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/1977548/amber-rose-leaves-little-to-the-imagination-in-busty-instagram-snap-that-shows-her-wearing-a-see-through-top/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: If it weren’t so tragic, the current European crisis would be funny, in a gallows-humor sort of way. For as one rescue plan after another falls flat, Europe’s Very Serious People — who are, if such a thing is possible, even more pompous and self-regarding than their American counterparts — just keep looking more and more ridiculous.
I’ll get to the tragedy in a minute. First, let’s talk about the pratfalls, which have lately had me humming the old children’s song “There’s a Hole in My Bucket.”
For those not familiar with the song, it concerns a lazy farmer who complains about said hole and is told by his wife to fix it. Each action she suggests, however, turns out to require a prior action, and, eventually, she tells him to draw some water from the well. “But there’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza.”
What does this have to do with Europe? Well, at this point, Greece, where the crisis began, is no more than a grim sideshow. The clear and present danger comes instead from a sort of bank run on Italy, the euro area’s third-largest economy. Investors, fearing a possible default, are demanding high interest rates on Italian debt. And these high interest rates, by raising the burden of debt service, make default more likely.
It’s a vicious circle, with fears of default threatening to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. To save the euro, this threat must be contained. But how? The answer has to involve creating a fund that can, if necessary, lend Italy (and Spain, which is also under threat) enough money that it doesn’t need to borrow at those high rates. Such a fund probably wouldn’t have to be used, since its mere existence should put an end to the cycle of fear. But the potential for really large-scale lending, certainly more than a trillion euros’ worth, has to be there.
And here’s the problem: All the various proposals for creating such a fund ultimately require backing from major European governments, whose promises to investors must be credible for the plan to work. Yet Italy is one of those major governments; it can’t achieve a rescue by lending money to itself. And France, the euro area’s second-biggest economy, has been looking shaky lately, raising fears that creation of a large rescue fund, by in effect adding to French debt, could simply have the effect of adding France to the list of crisis countries. There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza.
You see what I mean about the situation being funny in a gallows-humor fashion? What makes the story really painful is the fact that none of this had to happen.
Think about countries like Britain, Japan and the United States, which have large debts and deficits yet remain able to borrow at low interest rates. What’s their secret? The answer, in large part, is that they retain their own currencies, and investors know that in a pinch they could finance their deficits by printing more of those currencies. If the European Central Bank were to similarly stand behind European debts, the crisis would ease dramatically.
Wouldn’t that cause inflation? Probably not: whatever the likes of Ron Paul may believe, money creation isn’t inflationary in a depressed economy. Furthermore, Europe actually needs modestly higher overall inflation: too low an overall inflation rate would condemn southern Europe to years of grinding deflation, virtually guaranteeing both continued high unemployment and a string of defaults.
But such action, we keep being told, is off the table. The statutes under which the central bank was established supposedly prohibit this kind of thing, although one suspects that clever lawyers could find a way to make it happen. The broader problem, however, is that the whole euro system was designed to fight the last economic war. It’s a Maginot Line built to prevent a replay of the 1970s, which is worse than useless when the real danger is a replay of the 1930s.
And this turn of events is, as I said, tragic.
The story of postwar Europe is deeply inspiring. Out of the ruins of war, Europeans built a system of peace and democracy, constructing along the way societies that, while imperfect — what society isn’t? — are arguably the most decent in human history.
Yet that achievement is under threat because the European elite, in its arrogance, locked the Continent into a monetary system that recreated the rigidities of the gold standard, and — like the gold standard in the 1930s — has turned into a deadly trap.
Now maybe European leaders will come up with a truly credible rescue plan. I hope so, but I don’t expect it.
The bitter truth is that it’s looking more and more as if the euro system is doomed. And the even more bitter truth is that given the way that system has been performing, Europe might be better off if it collapses sooner rather than later.
<bot>: Itâs looking more and more as if the euro system is doomed as one rescue plan after another falls flat and a vicious circle takes hold.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2011102419id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/opinion/the-hole-in-europes-bucket.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Your wedding day creates memories that last a lifetime. Unfortunately, those memories often come at a high price, and that price is on the rise. The average wedding cost has grown significantly in recent years, making it more difficult for couples to save enough money to pay for their dream weddings.
To see if there's a way around spending too much on your wedding day — without sacrificing what's important to you — we provide this breakdown of the average cost of a wedding, and what exactly goes into that amount.
Related: 5 Wedding Budget Questions You Need to Ask Your Fiance
If you and your significant other announced your engagement and are now preparing to tally the overall cost of your wedding, you might be shocked by the fact that the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is equal to that of a brand-new car or a hefty down payment on a house.
According to a study conducted by The Knot, the average wedding cost about $31,213 in 2014, up from $29,858 in 2013. Despite the higher cost for weddings, however, couples are inviting fewer guests. In 2014, the average wedding had 136 guests, down from 149 in 2009.
Here's how much you can expect to spend on your wedding based on the number of guests you invite:
The truth is, a wedding doesn't need to cost anywhere near $31,213 -- a couple can cut wedding costs and still celebrate their nuptials in style. Here's how. With the average cost of a wedding estimated in the tens-of-thousands, here's a look at typical costs couples incur according to The Knot. Keep in mind these costs assume a wedding with 100 guests:
Related: 8 Tips for Haggling With Wedding Vendors Some people prefer to hire a professional wedding planner to handle the details of the event. When you factor in that wedding planner cost, your total spend will go up by another $1,973 on average.
Other items not mentioned in the list but that are not necessarily vital to a wedding include a videographer, rental car or limo, hair and makeup services, bridal shower, bachelor party and wedding favors.
A typical wedding encompasses a broad range of costs, depending on your preferences. However, just sticking to the low end of expenditures can get you a nice wedding that includes a lot of the major elements, most important being great food and music. View photos of 18 of the strangest bridesmaids photos:
The cost for each element of a wedding varies significantly depending on factors like location, the time of year you're getting married, and how far in advance you plan. Here's a look at the most expensive cities and the cheapest states to get married in the U.S.
Related: Why Millenials Put Mortgages Before Marriage
The first step in preparing for your wedding is actually setting up a wedding budget based on the number of people you plan to invite and the money you and your partner can save. The wedding budget should list must-haves along with a separate section for nice-to-have options — components that can be easily eliminated if they don't fit within your budget.
Next, call around to price everything from venues for the reception down to the cake and flowers. By acquiring estimates, you can quickly determine what's not necessary for your wedding. If you find some costs are too high, but you don't want to eliminate certain pieces of the puzzle, consider the following:
Send Out Electronic Wedding Invitations
Save some cash with eco-friendly save-the-date notices and invitations. There are a variety of designs and styles to choose from, so you can find something that suits your wedding. Beyond the classic Evite, sites like Greenvelope, Paperless Post and Punchbowl offer a great selection of electronic invitations — many of which are free.
Get Married on Thursday, Friday or Sunday
Saturday is the most popular day of the week for weddings, so venues charge a premium for that day. Hold your event on a weekday or a Sunday and you could snag your top-choice venue for much less money.
Have a Wedding in the Park
Many city parks allow people to have private gatherings at low costs, and sometimes for free — but scope out the area first to make sure it's spacious and suitable for well-dressed guests. You can go big on this idea while sticking to a small budget by considering national parks like the National Estuarine Research Reserves on the coasts. Many allow you to have your wedding on site for a small fee. For a special event in a natural setting, these reserves offer an unusual, low-cost option — and one that's beautiful to boot, certified financial planner Rebecca Schreiber of Pure Financial Education said.
Host the Reception at a Community Center
Many church basements are accustomed to holding large parties for dining functions. If you chose a church for your ceremony, you might be able to use the basement afterward to lower your costs. Community centers can also be a budget-friendly option. You won't have to skimp on style, depending on how you decorate and set up the venue, and you might be able to have the ceremony there, too.
If borrowing a gown is not an option, there are other routes you can take to beat the average wedding dress cost. Many wedding shops offer annual sales on gowns that can drop the cost as low as $100. Shop early and find a gown within your price range you're sure to love. If having a designer gown is a priority for you, check out options like Rent the Runway, which, for reasonable prices, rents out dresses that would normally cost thousands of dollars.
Instead of hiring a professional, cut the cost of a wedding photographer by asking a talented friend to take pictures and record video of the wedding and reception.
Rather than hire a traditional wedding DJ, rent or find a quality sound system and hook up an iPod to play hours of great music.
While most wedding party members have to pay for their own outfits, many brides and grooms still chip in for accessories and gifts. To cut costs (and headaches) associated with bridesmaids, groomsmen and ushers, eliminate the wedding rehearsal and dinner, or skip out on having a wedding party altogether.
Buy Low-Cost Invites, Table Decor and More
Consider purchasing table arrangements and more from budget stores. If electronic invitations aren't your style or if sending handwritten thank-you notes after the wedding is important to you, you can look for invitations or cards at the same kinds of stores.
"The number-one tip for saving on your wedding is not serving a sit-down meal," said Sara Margulis, founder and CEO of Honeyfund. Save a large portion of your food budget by reaching out to close family and friends and requesting they bring food (home cooked or store bought) to your affair in lieu of buying wedding gifts. This is an especially great option if you're close friends with a talented chef or baker. Another option is to put a fun, casual twist on the usual wedding fare by hiring a food truck to serve your party.
Ask a Friend to Officiate
Rather than hire someone to officiate your wedding, consider asking your own church pastor, who will likely be happy to take the job for free. You can thank him or her with a nice gift. You could also ask a friend to be ordained for your wedding and to officiate, in lieu of a physical wedding gift.
Trim Your Wedding Flowers Cost
Consider cutting your wedding-flowers cost by only placing flowers in key areas where photos will be taken. If your wedding party will carry flowers, consider putting those bouquets on double duty as centerpieces during the reception.
For every vendor you work with, brace yourself for negotiation. "Get ready to haggle," money-saving expert Andrea Woroch said. "Don't let your vendors know that they are your top choice, and ask if they can offer you a better rate or add value with free extras to make their offer a better value."
For her own wedding, she said, "My live band gave me $100 off the dinner music hour simply because I asked. The venue coordinator was able to throw in a free champagne toast and the hotel manager cut me a break on the cost of the hotel nights."
Even in high-cost cities like New York or Los Angeles, it's likely that you know people who have found ways to have a fantastic, low-cost wedding with absolutely no regrets. Margulis shared that she once attended a wedding that cost less than $1,500. "A public space for the ceremony, a small guest list and Mexican catering truck made it happen," she said.
Another option to consider is taking a vacation alone as husband and wife, and having the wedding and honeymoon in one trip. Plan your wedding during an off-peak season to save more. And if you want a really low-cost wedding, you can opt for a courthouse or home wedding with a few friends and family.
So, how much does a wedding cost? Regardless of figures and averages, keep in mind that you're in charge of how much you spend. You should feel free to spend any amount you want for your wedding as long as you can afford it; it's your big day and it should be as lavish as you desire.
However, if you want to cut corners on the cost of marrying the love of your life — or simply aren't interested in the frills of an extravagant wedding — you can still have a beautiful event within a modest wedding budget.
RELATED: Cities with the most expensive rent
7. Northern New Jersey, New Jersey
Ruth Sarreal contributed to the reporting for this article. More on GOBankingRates: Why You Should Invest at Least $5,000 Before 2016 What's the Tax Penalty for 401k Early Withdrawal? 10 Ways to Survive Rising Health Care Costs
<bot>: To see if there?s a way around spending too much on your wedding day -- without sacrificing what?s important to you -- here's a breakdown of all the costs.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20160628195115id_/http://www.aol.com:80/article/2016/02/23/how-much-does-the-average-wedding-cost/21317215/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: See what all the stars were up to this week ...
Fans are still reeling from the somber season finale of "Downton Abbey," but it's business as the cast returns to film season four of the hit British drama ...
It's a time-honored tradition in Hollywood for older men to date younger women, and cougar couples have become all the rage as well.
Jennifer Lawrence suits up and returns to set to shoot action-packed scenes from the franchise's highly anticipated second installment.
Many people dream of falling in love and traveling the world with the man or woman of their dreams. For one couple, this dream has become a reality - and an amazing photographic series. Take a trip ar...
Get ready to say "aww" -- these baby animals are too cute for words!
There's no better place for spotting celebrities than front row at Knicks and Nets games. See which stars we spotted sitting in the best seats in the house as they root for the home team.
The reason it's called underwear is because you're supposed to wear it on the INSIDE of your clothing. Check out celebs who've decided to flip flop their blouses for bras and their pants for panties.
<bot>: All in the family! These stars know that when it comes to hitting the red carpet, there's no better date to bring than a family member ... Best Actor nominee Bradley Cooper didn't fret seeing his ex Zoe Saldana at the 2013 Oscars because the actor had another lucky lady on his arm, his mother! Cooper escorted his feather clad mom Gloria down the red carpet as his date for the evening on Feb. 24, 2013. See who else is giving their families the star treatment ...
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013022819id_/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/stars-families-red-carpet-gallery-1.1235564
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The poll found that 40 percent approved of the president-elect’s cabinet choices and other appointments, while 41 percent were satisfied with his explanations of policies and plans for the future.
By comparison, in December 2008, 71 percent approved of Barack Obama’s cabinet choices. In January 2001, 58 percent had positive views of George W. Bush’s appointments. Similarly, 72 percent approved of the way Mr. Obama explained his policies and plans. Mr. Bush had a 50 percent rating in that regard.
Well before the emergence of a video of Mr. Trump bragging of sexual assault, his attitude toward women posed a political problem for him. With the president said to be reaching out to the fast-food executive Andrew F. Puzder to lead Labor, look for the questions to come back.
Why? A quick glance at the advertisements for his Carl’s Jr. burger chain is enough to get the point.
“I like our ads,” Mr. Puzder told the publication Entrepreneur. “I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it’s very American.”
Women’s groups, religious activists and academics have been complaining about the racy ads for years. But with Mr. Puzder coming before the Senate for confirmation, they will have a platform like never before.
The president-elect still says he does not think the Russians were behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee or the release of purloined emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John D. Podesta. Nor did he express much concern for Moscow’s annexation of Crimea or its threats to its neighbors.
But lawmakers are speaking out. In a bipartisan letter to the president-elect, 27 senators — 12 of them Republican, including Marco Rubio of Florida, John McCain of Arizona and Rob Portman of Ohio — demanded action to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“In light of Russia’s continued aggression and repeated refusal to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereign right to choose its own destiny, we also renew our call for the United States to increase political, economic, and military support for Ukraine.This includes defensive lethal assistance as part of a broader effort to help Ukrainians better defend themselves, deter future aggression, and implement key structural reforms. Similarly, we believe that Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea should never be accepted, nor should we lift sanctions imposed on Russia for its behavior in eastern Ukraine until key provisions of the Minsk Agreement are met. Accordingly, U.S. leadership on maintaining such transatlantic sanctions should remain a priority.”
The humiliation of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey just keeps coming: He has been told he will not be named to lead the Republican National Committee, according to several people briefed on the discussions in Mr. Trump’s transition.
Mr. Christie was pushed out of his role overseeing the transition almost immediately after the election.
The party committee role would have allowed him to remain governor while keeping a hand in national politics. But few people in Mr. Trump’s circle are offering support for Mr. Christie these days — even if he was the first national political figure to embrace Mr. Trump’s candidacy.
Among the remaining contenders for the job are Ronna Romney McDaniel, chairwoman of the Michigan G.O.P. and a niece of Mitt Romney’s; Nick Ayers, an aide to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, and Mercedes Schlapp, a Republican strategist. Ms. McDaniel, who strongly supported Mr. Trump during the campaign, is said to be favored by a number of people in his circle.
Oh, and on Wednesday, Mr. Christie got this news: At 19 percent, his job approval rating is the lowest of any governor in any state in more than 20 years.
The president-elect of the United States got into a fight on Wednesday with the president of a union local in Indiana, another sign that Mr. Trump has a hard time letting things go.
Chuck Jones, the president of United Steelworkers Local 1999, told The Washington Post on Tuesday that the president-elect had “lied his ass off” when he claimed he had saved 1,100 jobs at the Carrier furnace plant in Indianapolis from going to Mexico. That was pretty much backed up by the chief executive of United Technologies, the parent company of Carrier, who said on CNBC that he would automate the plant and lay off many of the workers anyway.
But it was Mr. Jones’s appearance on CNN on Wednesday that got Mr. Trump’s goat.
“What nobody’s mentioning is 550 people are losing their jobs,” Mr. Jones said, adding that 700 other positions at a different Indiana plant would be moving to Mexico.
The president-elect saw fit to fire back.
Mr. Jones appeared again on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday morning, and he didn’t back down.
“He didn’t tell the truth. He inflated the numbers and I called him out on it. You hear all the time how much of a skilled negotiator that he is. You know, he says about himself. So, I’ve been in a lot of negotiations as a union representative. So, I would have to assume that he sure as the world either knew the precise numbers or most certainly should have.”
As she ponders a likely move to Washington, Ivanka Trump, the president-elect’s eldest daughter, plans to develop a portfolio of issue advocacy, primarily on matters relating to women, she has told allies.
Among them is pay equity for women in the workplace and trying to push for the passage of the child care policy she urged her father to develop during the campaign.
Ms. Trump has also recently added climate change to her emerging set of issues, hosting the former Vice President Al Gore for a meeting at Trump Tower, and bringing Leonardo DiCaprio to her father Mr. Trump on Wednesday.
Ivanka Trump may be talking up the perils of climate change, but her father is showing little concern. On Thursday morning he made it official: Scott Pruitt, the attorney general of Oklahoma, has been chosen to be Mr. Trump’s E.P.A. administrator, potentially putting an ardent opponent of federal environmental regulations and a climate change denialist in charge of the agency.
“For too long, the Environmental Protection Agency has spent taxpayer dollars on an out-of-control anti-energy agenda that has destroyed millions of jobs, while also undermining our incredible farmers and many other businesses and industries at every turn,” Mr. Trump said. “As my E.P.A. administrator, Scott Pruitt, the highly respected attorney general from the state of Oklahoma, will reverse this trend and restore the E.P.A.’s essential mission of keeping our air and our water clean and safe.”
Mr. Pruitt’s confirmation may be one of the toughest to secure: Senate Democrats did not take a wait-and-see approach, and many said they would never support him.
“I expect the American people will be shocked that President-elect Trump has chosen someone with such disdain for their health as they learn more about Pruitt during his confirmation hearings,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island. “Stay tuned.”
On the same day the president-elect chose a climate change denialist to run the E.P.A., he sat down with Mr. DiCaprio to hear his pitch Wednesday on clean energy to repair a warming planet.
Terry Tamminen, chief executive of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, sounded optimistic:
“Climate change is bigger than politics, and the disastrous effects on our planet and our civilization will continue regardless of what party holds majorities in Congress or occupies the White House. The president-elect expressed his desire for a follow-up meeting in January, and we look forward to continuing the conversation with the incoming administration.”
But in this topsy-turvy world, most environmental activists are looking at what Mr. Trump does more than at what he says, and the choice of Mr. Pruitt, who has led the legal fight against President Obama’s climate regulations, is a bigger marker than another meeting with a celebrity.
Joseph W. Hagin, a deputy chief of staff for operations under President George W. Bush, is a strong contender in the eyes of some of Mr. Trump’s advisers to take the same role in the Trump administration, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions.
One person briefed on the discussions said that Mr. Hagin could play a role in informally advising the incoming staff, but that others in Mr. Trump’s circle of advisers did not want to see him take on that job.
Mr. Hagin would come to the job with deep experience in crucial aspects of managing a White House. But he also rose to prominence working for the man whose tenure Mr. Trump spent his campaign criticizing.
Mr. Hagin and aides to Mr. Trump did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
A new Bloomberg Politics poll indicated that 54 percent of adults believed stock prices would be higher at the end of 2017 than they are today, and that with Mr. Trump’s election, Americans are more optimistic about their finances.
Around 38 percent of respondents expected 2017 to be a better financial year than 2016, while 14 percent said they would be worse off and forty-five percent said things would be about the same.
In December 2012, after Mr. Obama’s re-election, 31 percent of respondents said they were more optimistic about their finances for the next year.
<bot>: The president-elect’s attitude toward women has been a problematic issue for a long time. With the tapping of the fast-food executive Andrew F. Puzder, look for more questions to emerge.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016120819id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/politics/trump-picks-twitter-fight-with-union-local-chief-in-indiana.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has endured top Arab leaders beating a path to his rival in Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas. Hamas may not have won militarily in this month's mini-war with Israel but it paid off politically and diplomatically big-time. From pariah Hamas emerged as the power-player in Palestinian politics with a clear message: violence pays.
By Martin Fletcher, NBC News
Updated at 5:21 p.m. ET -- With the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approving a resolution Thursday to implicitly recognize a Palestinian state, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas can chalk up the vote as a personal triumph on two levels.
From his headquarters in Ramallah on the West Bank Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has endured top Arab leaders beating a path to his rival in Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas. Hamas may not have won militarily in this month's mini-war with Israel but it paid off big-time, politically and diplomatically. From pariah status, Hamas emerged as the power-player in Palestinian politics with a clear message: violence pays.
Abbas, who all his political life has preached non-violence, has recently seen his already marginalized position eroded further. All the more reason for him to have insisted on the United Nations vote, fending off objections and threats from Israel and Washington. So victory in the General Assembly sounds his own strong message: non-violence pays, too.
Being accepted as a non-member state, a promotion from its previous observer state, is the Palestinians' biggest political victory. It places them on the path to full recognition as a member-state of the United Nations, and allows it to join U.N. agencies such as the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Arafat's body exhumed; experts to investigate if he was poisoned
The non-member observer state status could also open the way for possible war crimes charges against Israel at the International Criminal Court.
Israel's military said it had accomplished its objectives while Hamas claimed victory after the two sides exchanged deadly airstrikes and rocket attacks for over a week.
Another personal triumph for Abbas: For the last two years Abbas has threatened to resign, claiming he wanted a quieter life. U.N. victory means he can say to his compatriots: I have fulfilled my promise and leave you now with this new status in international politics. Now you take the baton and run with it. He could bow out on top. That's what Palestinians in Ramallah today were saying could be Abbas' next step.
Gazans move quickly to rebuild bombed tunnels to bring in food, weapons
Another result of success in the United Nations has already been the united voice of Palestinians today. In a rare show of unity, Hamas has joined Fatah celebrations in the West Bank and Gaza, celebrating together this historic political moment.
These symbolic breakthroughs for Abbas and the Palestinians may not mean any change on the ground, though.
Arafat's exhumation: Palestinians' desire for truth might be dashed again
Initially Israel threatened that if Abbas did not call off the vote it would punish Abbas: withhold tax payments, possible annex the Jewish settlements on the West Bank and impose harsh sanctions. In the past few days that position has softened.
But Israel still insists, joined by Washington, that Abbas' U.N. gambit is no substitute for face-to-face negotiations. The road to peace does not go via the U.N. Plaza in New York but via Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Palestinians: Settlers threaten West Bank's centuries-old olive harvest tradition
And although this appears like a Palestinian victory, analysts here point out that whatever Abbas has achieved in the United Nations today is less than Palestinians were offered 65 years ago. Back then they were offered a state in Palestine and full membership in the United Nations. Now celebrations are about their status as a "non-member state."
Martin Fletcher is the author of "The List", "Breaking News" and "Walking Israel."
More world stories from NBC News:
Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
<bot>: News analysis
Updated at 5:21 p.m. ET -- With the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approving a resolution Thursday to implicitly recognize a Palestinian state, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas can chalk up the vote as a personal triumph on two levels.
From his headquarter …
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012112919id_/http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/29/15542075-un-palestinian-statehood-vote-to-be-a-personal-political-victory-for-abbas
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Growing herbs at home is a fun, money-saving hobby that also happens to be good for your health. In addition to flavoring up your favorite dishes, herbs are filled with antioxidants and essential nutrients.
"Half of the nutritional value of plants is lost within thirty minutes of harvesting," said Brian Hetrich, a naturopathic doctor and gardening expert at the Hippocrates Health Institute, in West Palm Beach, Fla. "When you grow your own herbs you can use what you need at the moment by harvesting small amounts, fresh from the plant."
Here we break down 10 of the healthiest herbs, along with recipes and tips for growing them yourself.
This pretty, aromatic herb contains compounds, such as carnosic acid, that have been shown to fight cancer cells. What's more, the smell of rosemary may even improve your memory. In a recent study from the University of Northumbria, in the UK, people performed better on various memory tasks if rosemary scent was pumped into the room.
Grow tip: Rosemary grows best with full sunshine and frequent watering. "I like to plant it where you will brush it as you walk by," Hetrich says. "All you need to do is touch it and it'll release its very fragrant aroma."
Try this recipe: Red Potato and Rosemary Pizza
Thyme has long been used as an herbal remedy for respiratory problems such as bronchitis, and it also has antiseptic properties. (Thymol, one of the compounds it contains, is a key ingredient in Listerine.) Even better, thyme is virtually calorie-free and provides a delicious boost of flavor to soups, salads, and just about any other recipe you can think of, even champagne!
Grow tip: Small but plentiful flowers make this herb a pretty option for your home. Thyme's well suited for indoor growing because it stays small in size. Just make sure it has access to plenty of sunshine.
Try this recipe: Salmon with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Lavender isn't just a pretty plant; it's also packed with health benefits. Its fragrance is soothing (helping you to fall asleep), and it contains antioxidants known as polyphenols that fight belly bloating.
Grow tip: Lavender is a relatively large plant that grows best outdoors, Hetrich said. Keep it in a sunny area that gets eight hours of light each day. Lavender requires well-drained soil, so if you do opt to plant indoors, make sure your pot has holes in the bottom to provide adequate drainage.
Try this recipe: Honey-Roasted Peaches With Lavender
Basil is known to calm nerves, is a good source of fiber, and has a detoxifying effect on the liver. (Out late partying? Try incorporating basil into your brunch!) Basil oil has also been found to help clear skin blemishes, thanks to its powerful anti-inflammatory activity. A little basil goes a long way.
Grow tip: Basil is a hardy plant that grows easily, indoors or out. It doesn't need much care and requires watering only every other day.
Try this recipe: Broiled Cherry Tomato Skewers with Basil Dressing
Don't leave this common garnish sitting on the side of your plate! Parsley is full of nutrients. It contains vitamins A and C, and just one tablespoon offers more than half of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K, a nutrient that's essential for healthy blood.
Grow tip: Parsley is easy to grow, as it doesn't need much sunlight or maintenance. (Just make sure the soil doesn't get too dry; once the plant wilts it rarely recovers.) Parsley does grow at a slower rate than other herbs, but it's worth the wait.
Try this recipe: Lemony Asparagus with Parsley
Many beauty products include sage on their ingredient lists, and it's no wonder: Sage has antiseptic and antioxidant properties, which can help in the fight against early aging—a bonus for any beauty product. Sage has also been used as a natural remedy for anxiety and fatigue, and is thought to be a memory enhancer.
Grow tip: Sage is a relatively high-maintenance herb. To thrive, it needs plenty of sunlight, good soil, and a watering every other day.
Try this recipe: Three Cheese and Sage Ravioli
A staple of Mexican and Asian cuisines, cilantro supplies fiber and iron and helps clear heavy metals from your body. "Our body mistakes heavy metals for nutrients," Hetrich said. "Cilantro attaches itself to mercury, lead, and other toxic heavy metals and draws them out of your tissues."
Grow tip: Because of its deep taproot, cilantro needs deep soil to thrive and is one of the few herbs that are a real challenge to grow indoors. On the plus side, if your plant does go to seed, don't throw the seeds away; they're the tasty spice known as coriander.
Try this recipe: Spicy Shrimp Ceviche with Cilantro
This tasty herb—part of the onion family—can help boost your immune system. Multiple studies even suggest that eating allium vegetables, a category that includes garlic and scallions in addition to chives, is associated with a lower risk of developing certain cancers, including those of the prostate, stomach, and breast.
Grow tip: "Chives are one of my favorite herbs," Hetrich said. "They grow easily, can be grown indoors, and don't need much light." They grow to be about 18 inches tall, but don't require much space to flourish.
Try this recipe: Carrot couscous with Fresh Chives
This flavorful herb isn't just for pickles! It's a great source of antioxidants (such as beta-carotene), and is also said to cure hiccups. Next time you get the hiccups, mix a teaspoon of dill leaf with a cup of boiled water, strain out the leaves, and drink the liquid slowly.
Grow tip: Dill requires full sun and grows best in deep soil that's not too dense, so your best bet is to plant it outside or in a large pot indoors. Dill needs watering only once a week if planted outside; inside, it requires some additional attention.
Try this recipe: Poached Salmon and Watercress Salad with Dill-Yogurt Dressing
Mint is a rich source of vitamin A, providing more than half of your recommended daily intake in just two tablespoons. In addition, Hetrich said, "mint is good for the breath, digestion, nausea, headaches, respiratory disorders, asthma, pimples, [and] cavities." Need another reason to use this herb? A recent study found that essential oils in peppermint have a positive effect on exercise performance, respiratory rate, and blood pressure.
Grow tip: Watch out! This herb takes off fast and needs plenty of space. "Because it grows so well and fast, it will choke out anything else in its area," Hetrich warned. Try growing it outdoors, in a raised bed.
Try this recipe: Grilled Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Salad
Getting started is simple. Any nursery will have all the tools you need, and many farmers' markets sell already-sprouted starter plants for $5 or less.
What you need: For planting indoors, you'll need a planting tray, organic potting mix (100 percent organic is best, Hetrich said), and seeds or small starter plants. For planting outside, you'll need all the same items, but instead of a planting tray, a 2- by 8-foot wooden box bed works best.
More info: Hetrich suggested The Green Pharmacy by James Duke and From The Shepherd's Purse by Max Barlow for more info on the health benefits of herbs.
This article originally appeared on Health.com.
<bot>: Growing herbs at home is a fun, money-saving hobby that also happens to be good for your health.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013060819id_/http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/08/10-healthy-herbs-to-grow-and-eat-at-home/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Instagram is finally getting it together -- or at least making it easier for you to do so. On Monday, the company announced a new app that lets you stitch your photos together to make collages.
The new app, Layout, is available Monday for free on iOS devices. The app will let you flip, rotate and mirror photos. There are several layout options to choose from -- all with fairly clean horizontal and vertical layouts. Simplicity is the name of the game here -- there are no borders or stickers available to add to your photos. (Though certainly, because we're talking about Instagram users, there will be filters.)
The app also has a "Faces" feature that scans your camera roll to pick out the pictures that feature people -- useful if you're trying to quickly compile a collage of a group trip or family reunion. There's also a feature called "Photo Booth," which seems to work just like, well, a photo booth -- it shoots up to four pictures in rapid succession and lets you arrange them as you see fit.
Users can put up to nine photos into a collage and should be able to easily swap out pictures if they decide they want to explore other options. You can also zoom into photos and adjust them to make sure you get just the right part of the picture for your collage.
There are plenty of photo-collage apps out on the market such as Diptic or PhotoFrame, which users of Instagram and other photo-sharing networks have relied on to let their pictures say more than just a thousand words. Instagram said in a company blog post that Layout grew out of noticing that user behavior -- the company has "seen these kinds of visual storytelling happening on Instagram and we’re inspired by it."
The app, as one might expect, integrates so users can easily share with both Instagram and its parent company Facebook. An Android version of Layout is in the works; Instagram says it's on the way in "the coming months."
Hayley Tsukayama covers consumer technology for The Washington Post.
Continue reading 10 minutes left
<bot>: The new app, Layout, is available Monday for free on iOS devices.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015032319id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/03/23/instagram-introduces-layout-a-photo-collage-app/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Did Butch Cassidy, the notorious Old West outlaw who most historians believe perished in a 1908 shootout in Bolivia, actually survive that battle and live to old age, peacefully and anonymously, in Washington state? And did he pen an autobiography detailing his exploits while cleverly casting the book as biography under another name?
A rare books collector says he has obtained a manuscript with new evidence that may give credence to that theory. The 200-page manuscript, "Bandit Invincible: The Story of Butch Cassidy," which dates to 1934, is twice as long as a previously known but unpublished novella of the same title by William T. Phillips, a machinist who died in Spokane in 1937.
Utah book collector Brent Ashworth and Montana author Larry Pointer say the text contains the best evidence yet -- with details only Cassidy could have known -- that "Bandit Invincible" was not biography but autobiography, and that Phillips himself was the legendary outlaw.
"Total horse pucky," said Cassidy historian Dan Buck. "It doesn't bear a great deal of relationship to Butch Cassidy's real life, or Butch Cassidy's life as we know it."
Historians more or less agree that Cassidy was born Robert LeRoy Parker in 1866 in Beaver, Utah, the oldest of 13 children in a Mormon family. He robbed his first bank in 1889 in Telluride, Colorado, and fell in with cattle rustlers who hid out at The Hole in the Wall, a refuge in northern Wyoming's Johnson County. He left the area before cattle barons hunted down cattle-rustling homesteaders in the 1892 Johnson County War.
Cassidy then served a year and a half in Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie for possessing three stolen horses. But for most of the next 20 years, his Wild Bunch gang held up banks and trains across the West and in South America.
"Bandit Invincible's" author claims to have known Cassidy since boyhood and never met "a more courageous and kinder hearted man."
He acknowledges changing people and place names. But some descriptions fit details of Cassidy's life too neatly to have come from anyone else, said Ashworth, owner of B. Ashworth's Rare Books and Collectibles in Provo.
They include a judge's meeting with Cassidy in prison in February 1895. The judge offered to "let bygones be bygones" and to seek a Cassidy pardon from the governor. Cassidy refused to shake the judge's hand.
"I must tell you now that I will even my account with you, if it is the last act I ever do," Cassidy is quoted as saying by Philips.
Wyoming's state archives contain an 1895 letter by the judge who sentenced Cassidy. The letter relates how Cassidy seemed to harbor "ill-will" and didn't accept the "friendly advances" of another judge, Jay Torrey, who had visited Cassidy in prison.
Cassidy had sued Torrey's ranch two years earlier for taking eight of his cattle, Pointer said.
"What's really remarkable to me is that, who else cares?" Pointer said. "Who else would have remembered it in that kind of detail...about an offer of a handshake and refusing it in a prison in Wyoming in 1895?"
Gov. William Richards pardoned Cassidy in 1896.
"Bandit Invincible" also describes how Ed Seeley, a rustler and prospector, told Cassidy's gang how to find a remote hideout in northern Wyoming's Bighorn Canyon. Pointer, who authored "In Search of Butch Cassidy," said he believes the Wild Bunch hid there more than at Hole in the Wall, which had become known to authorities.
"It had been used by (Seeley) one summer when he had been badly wanted by the sheriff's forces along in ninety-one. Unless one had a guide who knew the entire country, it was impossible to find the place," the manuscript says of the canyon hideout.
Records show that a rustler named Edward H. Seeley was imprisoned at Wyoming Territorial Prison while Cassidy was there, Pointer said.
"That's just really exciting to me because this is really ephemeral stuff," he said. "No one who had not been there or done that would know that."
Nobody except for some cowboy who rode the range in the late 1800s, knew Cassidy's friends and maybe even knew the outlaw himself, Buck suggested.
"There's a sort of commonsense reason why Phillips would have got some stuff right," Buck said. "They knew each other."
In 1991, Buck and his wife, Anne Meadows, helped dig up a grave in San Vicente, Bolivia, said to contain the remains of Butch and his sidekick, Harry Longabaugh -- the Sundance Kid. DNA testing revealed the bones weren't the outlaws, but Buck, a writer who lives in Washington, D.C., said his research proved the two indeed died in a shootout with Bolivian cavalry in 1908.
Stories abound of Sundance living long after his time in South America. But they're outnumbered by purported Cassidy sightings. A brother and sister of Cassidy's insisted he visited them at a family ranch near Circleville, Utah, in 1925.
"The majority of those who were there believed that, believed it was him that came back," said Bill Betenson, who recalled that his great-grandmother, Lula Parker Betenson, used to talk about the visit by a man she identified as her brother, Cassidy.
The manuscript has an ending fit for Hollywood. Cornered by the Bolivian cavalry while holding up a pack train, Butch and Sundance make a stand. Sundance is killed. Butch escapes to Europe, has plastic surgery in Paris, and schemes to return to the U.S. and reunite with an old girlfriend from Wyoming.
Most of the manuscript's accounts bear little resemblance to known Wild Bunch exploits. Pointer insists that Cassidy, as Phillips, was writing fiction. Phillips did offer the story to Sunset magazine without drawing interest.
The earliest documentation of Phillips is his marriage to Gertrude Livesay in Adrian, Michigan, in 1908, three months after Cassidy's last known letter from Bolivia, according to Pointer. Buck insists they married several months before a documented Bolivian shootout that probably was the one in which Butch and Sundance were killed.
In 1911, the couple moved to Spokane, where their closest friends said years later that Phillips let them in on a secret: He was the famous outlaw.
In the 1930s, Phillips sold his interest in the foundering Phillips Manufacturing Company. He visited central Wyoming, where more than a few people in the Lander area, including one of Cassidy's old girlfriends, said it was Cassidy who spent the summer of 1934 camping out in the Wind River Range, telling tales about the Wild Bunch and digging holes in search of buried loot.
"All of these people were bamboozled by this faker from Spokane?" Pointer asked. "These weren't hayseed, duped ignorant people. These were pillars of our community. And if they said something, you had to better take it seriously."
Phillips' adopted son, William R. Phillips, believed his stepfather was Butch Cassidy, said Pointer, who interviewed him in the 1970s. William R. Phillips has since died.
In 1938, after her husband died of cancer, Gertrude Phillips told a Cassidy researcher that she and her husband had known Cassidy but that Phillips was not him. She did so only because she "didn't want the notoriety," Pointer said William R. Phillips told him.
DNA testing is unlikely to determine that Phillips, who was cremated, was Cassidy.
The many reports of later Wyoming sightings have convinced Carol Thiesse, director of the Fremont County Pioneer Museum in Lander.
"If Phillips wasn't, he certainly knew a heck of a lot about Butch," she said.
<bot>: Did Butch Cassidy, the notorious Old West outlaw who most historians believe perished in a 1908 shootout in Bolivia, actually survive that battle and live to old age, peacefully and anonymously, in Washington state? And did he pen an autobiography detailing his exploits while cleverly casting the book as biography under another name?
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2011081519id_/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/15/old-text-new-wrinkles-did-butch-cassidy-survive/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: WASHINGTON (AP) — Built to dominate the enemy in combat, the Army's hulking Abrams tank is proving equally hard to beat in a budget battle.
Lawmakers from both parties have devoted nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money over the past two years to build improved versions of the 70-ton Abrams.
But senior Army officials have said repeatedly, "No thanks."
It's the inverse of the federal budget world these days, in which automatic spending cuts are leaving sought-after pet programs struggling or unpaid altogether. Republicans and Democrats for years have fought so bitterly that lawmaking in Washington ground to a near-halt.
Yet in the case of the Abrams tank, there's a bipartisan push to spend an extra $436 million on a weapon the experts explicitly say is not needed.
"If we had our choice, we would use that money in a different way," Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army's chief of staff, told The Associated Press this past week.
Why are the tank dollars still flowing? Politics.
Keeping the Abrams production line rolling protects businesses and good paying jobs in congressional districts where the tank's many suppliers are located.
If there's a home of the Abrams, it's politically important Ohio. The nation's only tank plant is in Lima. So it's no coincidence that the champions for more tanks are Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Rob Portman, two of Capitol's Hill most prominent deficit hawks, as well as Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. They said their support is rooted in protecting national security, not in pork-barrel politics.
"The one area where we are supposed to spend taxpayer money is in defense of the country," said Jordan, whose district in the northwest part of the state includes the tank plant.
The Abrams dilemma underscores the challenge that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel faces as he seeks to purge programs that the military considers unnecessary or too expensive in order to ensure there's enough money for essential operations, training and equipment.
Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, faces a daunting task in persuading members of Congress to eliminate or scale back projects favored by constituents.
Federal budgets are always peppered with money for pet projects. What sets the Abrams example apart is the certainty of the Army's position.
Sean Kennedy, director of research for the nonpartisan Citizens Against Government Waste, said Congress should listen when one of the military services says no to more equipment.
"When an institution as risk averse as the Defense Department says they have enough tanks, we can probably believe them," Kennedy said.
Congressional backers of the Abrams upgrades view the vast network of companies, many of them small businesses, that manufacture the tanks' materials and parts as a critical asset that has to be preserved. The money, they say, is a modest investment that will keep important tooling and manufacturing skills from being lost if the Abrams line were to be shut down.
The Lima plant is a study in how federal dollars affect local communities, which in turn hold tight to the federal dollars. The facility is owned by the federal government but operated by the land systems division of General Dynamics, a major defense contractor that spent close to $11 million last year on lobbying, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
The plant is Lima's fifth-largest employer with close to 700 employees, down from about 1,100 just a few years ago, according to Mayor David Berger. But the facility is still crucial to the local economy. "All of those jobs and their spending activity in the community and the company's spending probably have about a $100 million impact annually," Berger said.
Jordan, a House conservative leader who has pushed for deep reductions in federal spending, supported the automatic cuts known as the sequester that require $42 billion to be shaved from the Pentagon's budget by the end of September. The military also has to absorb a $487 billion reduction in defense spending over the next 10 years, as required by the Budget Control Act passed in 2011.
Still, said Jordan, it would be a big mistake to stop producing tanks.
"Look, (the plant) is in the 4th Congressional District and my job is to represent the 4th Congressional District, so I understand that," he said. "But the fact remains, if it was not in the best interests of the national defense for the United States of America, then you would not see me supporting it like we do."
The tanks that Congress is requiring the Army to buy aren't brand new. Earlier models are being outfitted with a sophisticated suite of electronics that gives the vehicles better microprocessors, color flat panel displays, a more capable communications system, and other improvements. The upgraded tanks cost about $7.5 million each, according to the Army.
Out of a fleet of nearly 2,400 tanks, roughly two-thirds are the improved versions, which the Army refers to with a moniker that befits their heft: the M1A2SEPv2, and service officials said they have plenty of them. "The Army is on record saying we do not require any additional M1A2s," Davis Welch, deputy director of the Army budget office, said this month.
The tank fleet, on average, is less than 3 years old. The Abrams is named after Gen. Creighton Abrams, one of the top tank commanders during World War II and a former Army chief of staff.
The Army's plan was to stop buying tanks until 2017, when production of a newly designed Abrams would begin. Orders for Abrams tanks from U.S. allies help fill the gap created by the loss of tanks for the Army, according to service officials, but congressional proponents of the program feared there would not be enough international business to keep the Abrams line going.
This pause in tank production for the U.S. would allow the Army to spend its money on research and development work for the new and improved model, said Ashley Givens, a spokeswoman for the Army's Ground Combat Systems office.
The first editions of the Abrams tank were fielded in the early 1980s. Over the decades, the Abrams supply chain has become embedded in communities across the country.
General Dynamics estimated in 2011 that there were more than 560 subcontractors throughout the country involved in the Abrams program and that they employed as many as 18,000 people. More than 40 of the companies are in Pennsylvania, according to Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., also a staunch backer of continued tank production.
A letter signed by 173 Democratic and Republican members of the House last year and sent to then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta demonstrated the depth of bipartisan support for the Abrams program on Capitol Hill. They chided the Obama administration for neglecting the industrial base and proposing to terminate tank production in the United States for the first time since World War II.
Portman, who served as President George W. Bush's budget director before being elected to the Senate, said allowing the line to wither and close would create a financial mess.
"People can't sit around for three years on unemployment insurance and wait for the government to come back," Portman said. "That supply chain is going to be much more costly and much more inefficient to create if you mothball the plant."
Pete Keating, a General Dynamics spokesman, said the money from Congress is allowing for a stable base of production for the Army, which receives about four tanks a month. With the line open, Lima also can fill international orders, bringing more work to Lima and preserving American jobs, he said.
Current foreign customers are Saudi Arabia, which is getting about five tanks a month, and Egypt, which is getting four. Each country pays all of their own costs. That's a "success story during a period of economic pain," Keating said.
Still, far fewer tanks are coming out of the Lima plant than in years past. The drop-off has affected companies such as Verhoff Machine and Welding in Continental, Ohio, which makes seats and other parts for the Abrams. Ed Verhoff, the company's president, said his sales have dropped from $20 million to $7 million over the past two years. He's also had to lay off about 25 skilled employees and he expects to be issuing more pink slips in the future.
"When we start to lose this base of people, what are we going to do? Buy our tanks from China?" Verhoff said.
Steven Grundman, a defense expert at the Atlantic Council in Washington, said the difficulty of reviving defense industrial capabilities tends to be overstated.
"From the fairly insular world in which the defense industry operates, these capabilities seem to be unique and in many cases extraordinarily high art," said Grundman, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial affairs and installations during the Clinton administration. "But in the greater scope of the economy, they tend not to be."
Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rplardner
<bot>: Keeping the Abrams production line rolling protects businesses and good paying jobs in congressional districts where the tank's many suppliers are located. The Abrams dilemma underscores the challenge that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel faces as he seeks to purge programs that the military considers unnecessary or too expensive in order to ensure there's enough money for essential operations, training and equipment. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, faces a daunting task in persuading members of Congress to eliminate or scale back projects favored by constituents. Congressional backers of the Abrams upgrades view the vast network of companies, many of them small businesses, that manufacture the tanks' materials and parts as a critical asset that has to be preserved. The facility is owned by the federal government but operated by the land systems division of General Dynamics, a major defense contractor that spent close to $11 million last year on lobbying, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Jordan, a House conservative leader who has pushed for deep reductions in federal spending, supported the automatic cuts known as the sequester that require $42 billion to be shaved from the Pentagon's budget by the end of September. Earlier models are being outfitted with a sophisticated suite of electronics that gives the vehicles better microprocessors, color flat panel displays, a more capable communications system, and other improvements. Orders for Abrams tanks from U.S. allies help fill the gap created by the loss of tanks for the Army, according to service officials, but congressional proponents of the program feared there would not be enough international business to keep the Abrams line going. A letter signed by 173 Democratic and Republican members of the House last year and sent to then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta demonstrated the depth of bipartisan support for the Abrams program on Capitol Hill. Portman, who served as President George W. Bush's budget director before being elected to the Senate, said allowing the line to wither and close would create a financial mess. "From the fairly insular world in which the defense industry operates, these capabilities seem to be unique and in many cases extraordinarily high art," said Grundman, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial affairs and installations during the Clinton administration.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013042919id_/http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Army-says-no-to-more-tanks-but-Congress-insists-4470089.php
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: IRVING, Tex. — Woody Johnson says he is depressed over the Jets’ dismal season and can’t take the losing anymore. He sounds ready to blow up the coaching staff and front office and start over.
Johnson, in his 15th season owning the Jets, offered no guarantee Wednesday that either Rex Ryan, his longtime coach, or John Idzik, his embattled general manager, will be back in 2015. Ryan has been considered a goner since early in his sixth season and the heat has been turned way up the last six weeks on Idzik, even though he’s in just his second year.
“I’m in the business — I got to win games,” Johnson told the Daily News at the NFL meetings. “I’m a fan, I represent the fans. We’re both frustrated by this. Ultimately, I am going to have to look for something that I believe is going to right the ship, whether it’s the current way, the way we are doing it now with the people we have now or going down a different pathway. I’m looking at everything. I’m analyzing what’s happened and why it’s happened.”
RELATED: JETS MIGHT NOT BE BAD ENOUGH TO LAND FRANCHISE QB
Black Monday is just 17 days away, but Johnson insisted Wednesday he has not yet made up his mind what to do about Ryan and Idzik. A source said Johnson has not yet indicated his plans.
Even so, Johnson’s words strongly indicate big changes are coming as a result of the Jets winning just two of their first 13 games. Before Johnson spoke to the Daily News, Idzik, who was also at the meetings, did not want to comment on his or Ryan’s future.
Johnson has always loved Ryan. He made retaining him a job condition when he was searching for a new general manager after he fired Mike Tannenbaum following the 2012 season. Then, after the Jets won three of their last four games to finish 8-8 last year, Johnson extended Ryan’s contract with one more guaranteed year through 2015. But he has now missed the playoffs four years in a row.
RELATED: WOODY MUST KNOW REX RYAN ISN'T LONE CULPRIT
So, will it be tough to fire a coach who he is so fond of?
“It’s not a question of fondness,” Johnson said. “I’ve always thought he’s a very good coach. He’s an excellent coach, excellent teacher. The fans are going to want to see something different. They’re not going to let us get along and I don’t want to do exactly the same thing. So it’s going to be either the way we coach or the way we approach it. It could be with the same people. It might be with different people. That’s the case each and every year.”
While two years is not very long to give a general manager to get his program in place, Johnson said, “I can’t really comment whether it is short or long. I’m a fan, I represent the fans, we’re both frustrated by this.”
When it was suggested that nobody’s job is secure, he said, “This is a results-oriented business. You try to put a package together to help you right the ship.” He added, “We evaluate everybody. Everybody in football is evaluated. It’s going to happen at the end of the year, that’s the way we normally do it. That’s the way most teams do it.”
There’s no way Johnson can sell Jets fans on bringing back Ryan and Idzik in tandem, or perhaps either one of them. It would be hard to keep Ryan and fire Idzik and then expect another GM to inherit the coach. And Jets fans have turned so decisively on Idzik that it might be impossible to bring him back and then trust him to hire his own coach and continue to make personnel decisions.
Johnson said the Jets’ 2-11 season has caught him by surprise.
“Oh my God,” he said. “I would never have imagined. I thought we were going to be actually very good. That’s how much I know.”
As much as this season has disgusted Jets fans, they can at least be comforted knowing Johnson is suffering right along with them and is aware changes need to be made.
“It’s hard to lose. This is the hardest year I’ve had in terms of losses,” he said. “You live and die with it. It’s been extremely painful. For me, I go out and see fans every week. I know they are loyal Jets fans. But it’s hard every week to be disappointed with the thing you love, which is your team, is frustrating. They love their team, but they don’t like seeing it go through this kind of agony.”
So, what’s going to happen the Monday morning after the Jets finish their season in Miami? Is it the end of Ryan and/or Idzik?
“It’s safe to say you got to do things differently that you did to get you to this point,” he said. “The thing about football is that after every season, everybody is up for grabs. You take a look at everything. You’re trying to get to the Super Bowl. It doesn’t sound like I should even be saying that at this point. But that’s what my goal is. That’s what the fans want. They want to have a clear direction in terms of how they get to where they want to go. I have to give them confidence they are going to have a chance to get where they want to go.”
Idzik has been on the job 23 months. Johnson could not have imagined having to consider a change so quickly. “There’s been a lot of pressure on John,” he said. “This is a team sport. There are a lot of people involved.”
Does he have any regrets hiring somebody who made his reputation in the NFL handling the salary cap and not running a draft or pro personnel?
But he could soon be looking for a new coach and general manager.
MOBILE USER? CLICK HERE TO SEE JETS VIDEO
<bot>: Woody Johnson tells Gary Myers that he feels the fans' pain over the Jets’ dismal season as he vows to make changes.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014121119id_/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/myers-woody-chop-jets-owner-talking-ax-fall-article-1.2041386
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Two people were killed Friday night in Prince William County when their car was struck by a vehicle driven by a man thought to be under the influence of PCP, county police said.
The victims were identified by police as Meghan Christine Jandrositz, 20, of Galesbury Lane in Chantilly and David Vernon Richardson, 50, of Warrenton. Police said the car they were in was driven by a 21-year-old Strasburg man, who was severely burned in the Gainesville area crash.
Debbie Wines, Jandrositz's mother, described her daughter as "a beautiful child, a wonderful spirit" who was "such a joy to have around."
The young woman had attended Westfield High School, and had planned to interview Saturday for a job as a nanny, to earn money for college.
"We're just devastated," Wines said.
Police said that shortly after 9 p.m. a 2005 Chevrolet was headed north on Lee Highway, approaching James Madison Highway "in excess of the posted speed limit." According to police, the vehicle went into the median, then back onto the highway, where it struck the victims' 1996 Honda and forced it into the intersection.
Jandrositz was ejected and died shortly afterward, police said. The Honda caught fire and Richardson was unable to get out, police said. The driver was pulled out by other motorists and flown to a hospital.
Police said Carlos Eugene Lucas, 22, of Shire Place in Gainesville was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and possession with intent to distribute PCP.
<bot>: Two people were killed Friday night in Prince William County when their car was struck by a vehicle driven by a man thought to be under the influence of PCP, county police said.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010112119id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/20/AR2010112003851.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: John Mayer's ex-manager plotted to jack "American Idol" champ Phillip Phillips out from under his contract with the show -- according to a new lawsuit, but the bigger news is Phil is a freakin' millionaire!
In the suit ... 19 Entertainment, the management company for all 'Idol' singers, claims Michael McDonald (not the singer or the actor) gave Phillips the opening act gig on a John Mayer tour back in 2013, and spent that time cozying up to him.
McDonald has a management company called Mick Management -- and in the docs, 19 Ent. says McDonald lured Phillips to sign ... partially out of desperation because founding client Mayer was bailing.
Cut to December 2014 ... when Phillips informed 'Idol' he wanted out of his contract, presumably to jump ship to Mick Management.
19 Ent. isn't giving up its cash cow without a fight, because while some people think Phillips has been a commercial failure -- 19 Ent. points out he reportedly netted about $5 million in 2013 and even more in 2014.
And that's for a guy who's only had one major hit and one moderate hit!
Bottom line, Phil's 'Idol' overlords want at least $4 million from McDonald for poaching their guy.
<bot>: John Mayer's ex-manager plotted to jack "American Idol" champ Phillip Phillips out from under his contract with the show -- according to a new…
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016061919id_/http://www.tmz.com/2015/09/21/phillip-phillips-american-idol-lawsuit-management-company-poaching/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Laura Meckler reports on the presidential race from Springfield, Mo.
Sen. John McCain is occasionally interrupted by Iraq war protestors, but Wednesday he was confronted by a young man angry about energy.
McCain shakes hands with supporters after speaking at Missouri State. He was also heckled. (AP)
As McCain was talking about his energy plans, a protester in the audience at Missouri State University yelled out that McCain had accepted a half million dollars this year from big oil.
Thats more than any other senator! he yelled. How can you be trusted?
After the event, McCain was asked in a news conference if that were true, though the questioner mistakenly quoted the protestor as saying McCain took in a half billion dollars.
I don’t know what he’s talking about. So I can’t respond, he said.
Indeed, McCain does lead all other senators, and all others who ran for president, in contributions from the oil and gas industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal data in the 2007-08 election cycle. McCain collected $724,000 through May.
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, took in $304,000 from the industry.
<bot>: Laura Meckler reports on the presidential race from Springfield, Mo. Sen. John McCain is occasionally interrupted by Iraq war protestors, but Wednesday he was confronted by a young man angry about energy. McCain shakes hands with supporters after speaking at Missouri State. He was also heckled. (AP) As McCain was talking about his energy plans, a protester in the audience at Missouri State University yelled out that McCain had accepted a half million dollars this year from big oil. Thats more than any other senator! he yelled. How can you be trusted? After the event, McCain was asked ...
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2008062619id_/http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/06/18/protester-drills-mccain-on-oil-money/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Brian Cashman typically chooses his words very carefully. Tuesday, that wasn’t the case.
During a conference call to announce his own new contract, Cashman began an answer about A.J. Burnett by saying, “If he’s with us, he’s in the rotation."
While some interpreted that as a sign that Cashman was planning to deal the enigmatic righthander this winter, the general manager clarified himself Wednesday, saying that wasn’t the case at all.
“I guess it was a bad choice of words,” Cashman said. “My intention wasn’t to imply that we were looking to trade him. I tried to explain that for everybody that doesn’t have a full no-trade, I’m willing to be open-minded, listen and try to be creative. I’m trying to add to my rotation, so if I subtract from it, I’ll have to add even more.”
Burnett is 34-35 with a 4.79 ERA in his three years with the Yankees, and that includes a 21-26 record and 5.20 ERA over the past two seasons. He’s 2-2 with a 5.08 ERA in seven postseason starts, although he did throw 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in Game 4 against the Tigers last month to extend the AL division series to a decisive Game 5.
“Even though he’s been inconsistent, he provides a lot of ability,” Cashman said. “He won one of our two playoff games (this year) and he’s not afraid of this environment. There’s something to be said for that.”
There’s also something to be said for Burnett’s ability to stay healthy, something that hasn’t been an issue during his time in New York. Burnett has made 33, 33 and 32 starts in his three seasons, averaging 195 innings per season.
With CC Sabathia re-signed to a new five-year deal, the Yankees have Sabathia, Burnett, Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes lined up for four of the five rotation spots. The Yankees will look to add at least one more starter this winter, although they could bring in more and create a competition for the spots in the back end of the rotation as they have in each of the past two seasons.
“It would be hard for me to move him, because we need the innings,” Cashman said. “Subtracting from the rotation puts even more pressure on us to add to it. I won’t be shopping anybody, I can tell you that.”
<bot>: Brian Cashman typically chooses his words very carefully. During a conference call to announce his own new contract, Cashman began an answer about A.J. Burnett by saying, “If he’s with us, he’s in the rotation."
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2011110319id_/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yankees-gm-brian-cashman-clarifies-remarks-a-burnett-team-plans-season-article-1.971587
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Police in the Dominican Republic said Saturday that they have arrested three men suspected in the killing of former major league pitcher Pascual Perez during an attempted home robbery. Another two suspects remain at large.
Maximo Baez, the police department's criminal investigations director, said one of the arrested men personally knew Perez and confessed that he and four others had planned to steal the $2,400 monthly pension he received for his 11-season career in the Major Leagues.
The 55-year-old's ex-wife found his body on Thursday at the home where he lived alone in San Gregorio de Nigua, a town west of the capital of Santo Domingo. Police said he had severe head wounds caused by being hit repeatedly with a hammer.
Authorities said they expected to file charges against the suspects later Saturday.
Police identified another one of those arrested as a low-level drug dealer. A third suspect was arrested Saturday after police said he sold one of Perez's cell phones for $6.25.
Police said they have also identified the two fugitives.
During his time in professional baseball, Perez had a rocky career including two suspensions for drug use.
The right-hander was first signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in January 1976 as an amateur free agent, according to Baseball-Reference.com, an online sports information site. He then pitched for the Atlanta Braves from 1982-85. He was 15-8 in 1983 and 14-8 in 1984.
Perez last played in the majors for the New York Yankees in 1991, compiling a lifetime record of 67-68 with the Braves, Pirates, Expos and Yankees.
In March 1992, he was suspended after failing a drug test the day he arrived for spring training with the Yankees. He was entering the final season of a three-year, $5.7 million contract, but never returned to major league baseball.
<bot>: Police in the Dominican Republic said Saturday that they have arrested three men suspected in the killing of former major league pitcher Pascual Perez during an attempted home robbery. Another t...
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012110319id_/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/03/dominican-police-arrest-3-in-killing-former-yankees-pitcher-pascual-perez/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: By Larry Shaughnessy CNN Pentagon Producer
The Arab Spring of revolution has given rise to a new summer of concern in North Africa.
While Moammar Gadhafi is gone, the weapons used by the rebels who overthrew him are now a threat to the whole region, according to Amanda Dory, a top Defense Department policy official on Africa.
"The breakdown of security in Libya has generated a significant flow of militants and weapons and has decreased legitimate cross-border traffic at a time of great economic fragility and turbulence," said Dory, the deputy assistant secretary of defense on African affairs.
Many of those weapons, the Pentagon fears, are ending up with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) the branch of the terrorist network in North Africa, especially in Mali, which in recent months has seen a coup and a separatist effort.
The al Qaeda affiliate "continues to increase its activities, including collecting large sums of money through kidnapping for ransom schemes," Dory said Monday. The Department of Defense "is closely watching what this will mean for the stability of the region and the ability of AQIM to target partner and U.S. interests."
Beyond Libya and Mali, the Defense Department is also active in the effort to hunt down the Lord's Resistance Army, a group that's been terrorizing central Africa and has for years kidnapped children and turned them into soldiers.
"Regional governments clearly have the lead in the effort to counter" the Lord's Resistance Army, Dory said. "They're the ones who are ultimately responsible for ending the LRA threat and protecting local communities. And the United States is seeking to help them in these responsibilities."
Some 100 U.S. troops, mostly Special Forces, are in Africa working to stop the LRA.
<bot>: By Larry Shaughnessy CNN Pentagon Producer The Arab Spring of revolution has given rise to a new summer of concern in North Africa. While Moammar Gadhafi is gone, the weapons used by the rebels who overthrew him are now a threat to the whole region, according to Amanda Dory, a top Defense...
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012061919id_/http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/18/libyan-weapons-falling-into-somali-al-qaedas-hands-u-s-official-warns/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: (Fortune Magazine) -- The death of Helen Robson Walton at 87 last month - and a will that provides for philanthropy - may finally turn America's richest family into one of its most charitable.
Helen and her late husband, Wal-Mart founder Sam, always appeared to be heading toward large-scale donations. But when Sam died in 1992, most of his money passed to Helen. And though she increased her giving to an extent, the Waltons remained - as critics have noted - a relatively small force in philanthropy.
That is going to change, and the money will come from Wal-Mart (Charts, Fortune 500) shares. On March 30, according to Wal-Mart's just-published proxy statement, Helen owned only about $37 million of Wal-Mart shares directly. But the family's true vault of wealth is a company called Walton Enterprises LLC, which holds about 1.68 billion Wal-Mart shares, worth $82 billion.
And at her death Helen, by all indications, owned one-fifth of the LLC. It would be simplistic to say that she was therefore worth one-fifth of $82 billion, or $16.4 billion. For complex reasons, one-fifth of Walton Enterprises is worth less than one-fifth of that firm's assets.
Even so, Helen died a billionaire many times over, and if her will were to say - just to speculate - that all her wealth should go directly into the already existing Walton Family Foundation, it would leap from an also-ran to one of the three largest foundations in the U.S. Eventually the enlarged foundation would need to be financed by sales of Wal-Mart stock. The Waltons indeed announced after Helen's death that sales could be expected down the line.
The plot thickens, because one of Sam and Helen's sons, John, then 58, was killed tragically in 2005 in the crash of an experimental plane he was piloting. He, too, appears to have died owning a one-fifth interest in Walton Enterprises - and today that share is owned by his estate.
John Walton was considered the most philanthropically minded of the Walton children, who also include Rob, 62; Jim, 58; and Alice, 57. But no one knows what John's will said about philanthropy or bequests to his wife and son because it has been sealed, without explanation, by a judge in his hometown of Jackson, Wyo. It is extraordinarily unusual for a will to be sealed, but Wyoming is known as "friendly to wealth" - it has no estate tax or income tax - and the Jackson court appears to be a special pal.
No doubt the lawyers handling the John Walton estate have been arguing with the IRS about the valuation of Walton Enterprises. But in the meantime, the estate and certain affiliates have been getting impressively richer because they control a hot Phoenix solar-module maker, First Solar, that went public last November at $20 a share and was recently $64. The estate and its affiliates sold $115 million of stock in the IPO and still own stock worth $2.5 billion. That doesn't match holding Walton Enterprises, but it's not bad.
<bot>: Helen Walton's will could finally turn the Walton family into a philanthropy powerhouse, says Fortune's Carol Loomis.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2007050119id_/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/05/14/100008717/index.htm
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The indelible image of Winston Churchill is that of a cigar-chomping curmudgeon glowering behind spectacles, features gnarled by years of war, worry and wine. But even Churchill was not always thus. There was a time when he was young soldier with a face round and full who had journeyed to the outer reaches of the British empire. There, in northwest India and Sudan at the turn of the 20th century, he came into contact with a religion his family feared would consume him.
In 1907, Lady Gwendoline Bertie, who would go on to marry Churchill’s brother, Jack, wrote the future prime minister an impassioned note. She was concerned with Churchill’s dalliance with what she called the “Orient.” “Please don’t become converted to Islam,” she wrote him in a note recently uncovered by a Cambridge historian and reported by the British press on Sunday. “I have noticed in your disposition a tendency to orientalize … If you come into contact with Islam, your conversion be effected with greater ease than you might have supposed, call of the blood, don’t you know what I mean, do fight against it.”
The letter casts a fresh light on one of the 20th century’s most prominent characters — a man who defended Britain’s right to rule large swaths of the Muslim world and took a prominent role in demarcating the borders that define and bedevil the Middle East today. Due in large part to the work of historian Warren Dockter, a more nuanced picture of Churchill’s early years has emerged, depicting a time when the future leader’s religious predilections were fluid.
He regularly played polo with Muslims, reported Dockter, who’s working on forthcoming book called “Winston Churchill and the Islamic World.” And Churchill, who at times even wished he was Muslim, once claimed in 1897 he wanted to fight for the Ottoman Empire.
In the same year his brother’s wife wrote him that letter, he penned one himself, lauding that empire. “You will think me a pasha,” Churchill wrote to British activist Constance Lytton, referencing an Ottoman Empire rank of distinction. “I wish I were.”
At that time, he was also in close contact with Wilfrid S. Blunt, a poet and fierce proponent of Muslim causes, and Dockter found they sometimes donned the dress of the Arab world together. “Blunt and Churchill met several times, at first to discuss young Winston’s impending biography of his father, but then simply as friends,” Dockter wrote in the Journal of Historical Biography. “On some occasions, they dressed in Arab clothing, a tradition Blunt and Churchill would carry on into the twilight of their friendship.”
Still, despite Churchill’s admiration for the Ottoman Empire’s history of territorial expansion and military acumen, Dockter contends Churchill’s family’s concerns were unfounded. “Churchill never seriously considered converting,” the historian told the Independent. “He was more or less an atheist by this time anyway. He did however have a fascination with Islamic culture which was common among Victorians.”
And what about the dress-up parties he and pal Blunt had? “Though he and Churchill were friends and dressed in Arabian dress at times for Blunt’s eccentric parties, they rarely agreed,” Dockter said.
For example, Churchill criticized Islam in his account of Sudan, “The River War.” “Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it,” Churchill observed. “No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith.”
Unencumbered by the “orientalist prejudices” that entrapped many of his contemporaries, Dockter wrote Churchill had a “nuanced understanding of the edges of the British Empire.” Though the map that he helped draw wasn’t perhaps the best representation of that understanding, conceded Dockter, who told the Telegraph those borders birthed “the Middle East we know, warts and all.”
writes on foreign affairs for The Washington Post's Morning Mix. Follow him on Twitter
<bot>: "Do fight against it," urged one correspondent.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014122919id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/29/family-of-young-winston-churchill-feared-he-might-convert-to-islam-according-to-long-lost-letter/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Sergio Ruzzier’s illustrations always manage to be soft and fluffy and kind toward children — without slipping into saccharine gauziness. In two new picture books, one written and illustrated by Ruzzier, the other written by Eve Bunting, Ruzzier’s spare pen-and-ink pictures charmingly enliven animal stories in just the way preschoolers like.
Both tales concern befuddled yet lovable animals, trying to bumble their way out of confusing circumstances. The pleasure for young listeners is getting to laugh at these characters, while at the same time feeling at once superior to and affectionate toward them. Isn’t it comforting to know that other creatures forget things, make mistakes and generally have the wrong idea?
For example, children derive great pleasure from those moments when a grown-up who can’t lay hands on his hat or keys or gloves finds the missing object close at hand. In “Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?,” observant readers will notice halfway through that the hapless green duck is wearing his sought-after socks inside his shoes; they’ve just kind of sunk below the heel. (Come on, it’s happened to you.) This isn’t the only story to make much of this particular silly-goose premise; another new picture book, “Mister Whistler,” by Margaret Mahy and Gavin Bishop, concerns a man whose lost train ticket is held all the while between his teeth.
After he can’t find his socks in a box, Duck rhymes out his dismay in simple couplets every child will identify with: “I know I put them somewhere near./How could they simply disappear?” When he sets off to ask his “friend the fox,” readers may guess his next visit will be to Mr. Ox — and then, of course, he will ask peacocks. What makes this version particularly enjoyable are offbeat touches that mirror a preschooler’s precipitously escalated emotions. “I’m trying not to be depressed,” the downcast duck says at one juncture. “Without my socks I feel undressed.”
In this bighearted landscape, everyone wants to help and no one is made to feel stupid or foolish — even at the inevitable moment of epiphany. As they did in their earlier book, “Tweak, Tweak,” Bunting and Ruzzier work together well, capturing preschool fears and uncertain sentiments but, in the end, making it all O.K.
While “New Blue Socks” is about mishap, “Bear and Bee” is about misunderstanding. A putty-colored bear would love some honey but is dreadfully afraid of bees. He has never seen a bee and would prefer not to. When a bee offers a taste, Bear admits he’d love to try. “But what about the bee?” he asks. “Bees are terrible monsters! They are big, and they have large teeth, and they have sharp claws.”
When Bee points out that Bear actually fits this description, the stunned beast is forced to confront reality. “Poor me!” he wails. “I am a bee!” Ever the busy helper, Bee points out the error in Bear’s thinking. All is cleared up, honey is shared, friends are made. On the surface, this is a simpler tale than “Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?” though young readers who still haven’t completely distinguished their bears from their bees may be as mystified as Bear. But it does all get sorted out, sweetly, in the end.
<bot>: In two new picture books illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier, befuddled yet lovable animals try to bumble their way out of confusing circumstances.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013031319id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/books/bear-and-bee-and-have-you-seen-my-new-blue-socks.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: A coordinated campaign of terror started at 6pm local time on Saturday, when seven bombs were planted outside shops, supermarkets and a karaoke bar in Pattani Town, the capital of Pattani Province, one of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand with a Muslim majority population.
Bomb disposal experts defused five of the bombs. But further devices were detonated later that night and on Sunday, while a wave of arson attacks gutted shops in Pattani Town and targeted mobile phone towers, security cameras and local defence bases elsewhere in Pattani Province.
Shops in Pattani City were closed on Monday and streets deserted, as residents stayed indoors fearing more violence. The bombing and arson campaign is being regarded as revenge for the killing of 16 militants who attacked a marine base in Narathiwat Province last Wednesday. It was the deadliest day the insurgents have suffered in almost a decade.
Almost 5,400 people have died, and more than 9,500 have been injured, since the insurgency started in earnest in 2004.
Around 80 per cent of the 1.8 million people in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand – Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala -, that border Malaysia are ethnic Malay Muslims. Many regard the overwhelmingly Buddhist Thai state as a colonial power and want their own independent nation.
On Monday, deputy prime minister and deep south security chief Chalerm Yubamrung said he had been "forced" by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to agree to travel to the deep south next month. Mr Chalerm has been repeatedly criticised for his failure to visit the region during his 19 months in office.
<bot>: Muslim insurgents fighting for a separate state in Thailand's deep south launched 50 bomb and arson attacks over the weekend, killing three members of the security forces as violence in the troubled region intensifies.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20160723182100id_/http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/9877429/Muslim-insurgents-launch-50-attacks-in-Thailands-deep-south.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential election on November 4 hinges on a handful of battleground states where opinion polls show Democrat Barack Obama making significant gains against his Republican rival John McCain.
Obama leads in all of the states won by Democrat John Kerry in 2004 as well as in several states won by Republican President George W. Bush, recent polls show.
Even Florida and Ohio, pivotal states that swung the 2000 and 2004 elections to the Republicans, also appear to be leaning toward the Democratic candidate, according to poll results.
Obama or McCain need 270 electoral votes to win the Electoral College and capture the White House.
The president is determined not by the most votes nationally but a majority of the Electoral College, which has 538 members allotted to all 50 states and the District of Columbia in proportion to their representation in Congress.
Each state except Maine and Nebraska awards its votes to the candidate who gets the most votes in the state. Maine and Nebraska split them by congressional district.
Here are some battleground states with their electoral vote totals, 2004 results and recent details about the contests in each state.
* Colorado -- Nine electoral votes. Bush beat Kerry 52 percent to 47 percent in the state in 2004 but since then Democrats have won the state legislature and governor's office. Two polls this week show Obama ahead by 6 points, holding a lead that opened as the financial crisis moved to center stage in the campaign.
* Florida -- 27 electoral votes. Bush beat Kerry 52 percent to 47 percent in a state known for the disputed result that decided the 2000 election. Florida is a classic swing state with a heavy concentration of older voters who could favor McCain. It also has many Jewish voters who are normally Democratic but have been wary of Obama. A poll on Friday gave Obama an 8-point edge, while earlier surveys have shown him with a narrower lead in a state McCain must win. Continued...
<bot>: (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential election on November 4 hinges on a handful of battleground states where opinion polls show Democrat Barack Obama making significant gains against his Republican rival
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2008101219id_/http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4986E320081010
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Debra Messing arrives at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Actress Debra Messing arrives at the Glamour Women of the Year award ceremony in New York November 10, 2008. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES)
Debra Messing and her husband are officially divorced.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Juhas entered a divorce judgment on Tuesday, more than three years after the former "Will & Grace" star filed to end her marriage writer-producer Daniel Zelman.
The pair were married in September 2000 and separated in February 2010. They have an 11-year-old son together.
The judgment ends their marriage, but it does not address any custody or financial arrangements.
Zelman is the co-creator of the Netflix series "Bloodline" and co-created the television drama "Damages," which starred Glenn Close and Rose Byrne.
The 47-year-old actress won an Emmy Award in 2003 for her role in "Will & Grace." She now stars in the NBC police detective series "The Mysteries of Laura."
<bot>: Debra Messing and her husband are officially divorced.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016030319id_/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/03/03/judge-ends-debra-messing-marriage-to-writer-producer-who-co-created-bloodline/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Two local software developers figured they could help.
Bob Bertsch, an employee with the North Dakota State University Extension Service, and Jake Joraanstad, an NDSU computer engineering major, had just finished developing an app to help residents during floods when the blizzard hit in March, convincing them to shift their attention to winter disasters.
Winter Survival Kit was born. The free program, available for iPhones and Android smartphones, is both a primer to help motorists prepare for winter driving and a beacon when things go badly.
It can pinpoint a motorist's location, call 911, notify friends and family, and monitor how long the gas will hold out. The app also gives potentially life-saving alerts when users tap a big red button on its simple home screen that reads, "I'm Stranded!" Among the advice: stay with your vehicle and keep the tailpipe clear of snow, since a backup can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
"It's our sincere hope that no one ever has to use it," said Bertsch, an NDSU Extension Service web technology specialist who led the team that developed the app. "But if one person does have to use it and it keeps them in their car or keeps them from succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning, then it is definitely worth the time and effort that was spent on the app."
The app also helps drivers prepare for bad weather by inputting phone and policy numbers for insurance and roadside assistance, and designated emergency contacts. And it gives guidance on putting together a physical survival kit to keep in vehicles in case of emergencies.
"Any tools developed which arm people with information that will help keep them safe is of value," North Dakota Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong said.
The app does have limitations. Joraanstad said some especially rural areas of the country — particularly in the Great Plains— have shoddy cellphone coverage that could impede some features such as GPS. At that point the app would tell users that their location couldn't be pinpointed and instruct them to call 911.
Still, the app has emergency numbers handy, allowing users to send text messages for help. Text messages often can be sent by weaker signals than are needed for clear phone calls. And the app would give emergency advice on braving the elements — even telling users how to use parts of a vehicle to keep warm.
The Midwest hasn't seen much heavy snowfall in the last few months, so the app's developers haven't heard of any success — or horror — stories yet. But they're convinced that when the time comes, their app will help.
"This app can literally save someone's life. We take great pride in that," said Joraanstad, the 22-year-old chief operating officer for Myriad Devices, a startup company in NDSU's research and technology park that produced the app.
Bertsch, Joraanstad and two colleagues who teach at NDSU have become experts in disaster apps. Last year they developed a program to help residents deal with flooding that has overwhelmed North Dakota in the last few years. The H2O app provides news feeds, river levels, road closure maps and other information.
Winter Survival Kit, which works in the U.S. and Canada, joins several apps from other developers that were designed to help smartphone users in a bind, such as Help I Crashed My Car, Emergency Radio, iMapWeather Radio, iTriage, Close Call and pMonitor. As of this week, there didn't appear to be other winter survival-specific apps in either iTunes' or Android's app stores.
"I think we hit a particular niche," Bertsch said.
About 12,000 people downloaded the app in the first week it was released, and Joraanstad said that at last check, there were another 3,000 downloads. The early returns have been mostly favorable. Out of 16 user reviews on the Android website, 13 gave 5-star ratings. "Practical … yet simple," reads one review. It had a 4-plus average rating among Apple iPhone users.
People posting lower ratings reported trouble with the app crashing. Joraanstad said those glitches are being addressed as they arise with updates.
The app is being promoted by Texas, where it can be downloaded directly from the Texas Extension Disaster Education Network website. In an unusual climate swap, Texas saw snow this winter before much of the rest of the country.
"With the amount of snow and ice during winter in the Panhandle and North Texas, plus the possibility of unusual cold weather occurrences elsewhere in the state, we felt it would be helpful to many Texans to make this app accessible," said Joyce Cavanagh, Texas extension service spokeswoman.
"People here aren't used to driving in that kind of weather. It gives some peace of mind while traveling," she said.
Cavanagh also said she felt more at ease knowing that many students traveling for the holidays had downloaded the app before hitting the roads.
College student Jessica Rush said she could have used such an app in March. The 21-year-old and a friend were traveling in separate cars in North Dakota when the fast-moving storm left her so blinded that she was on the highway's left shoulder when she thought she was driving over the warning bumps on the right. She figured she was about a half-mile from her friend's car.
"I called my dad and told him I was going to get out and walk to her car and he said, 'Do not leave your car. You don't know where she is,'" recalled Rush, who had cellphone coverage where she was stuck.
Rush stayed in her 2000 Oldsmobile Alero for four nerve-racking hours until she was rescued by a truck driver, and she came away with a new appreciation for the dangers of winter driving.
"When your parents tell you not to go somewhere you should probably listen," Rush said. "I guess this app is the next best thing."
Associated Press writer Amber Hunt contributed to this report from Sioux Falls, S.D.
<bot>: The app can help pinpoint a stranded motorist's location.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012010719id_/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/story/2012-01-06/winter-survival-kit-app/52420180/1
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The Redskins officially listed seven players as questionable for Sunday’s contest against the New England Patriots. Cornerbacks Chris Culliver (knee), DeAngelo Hall (toe) and Bashaud Breeland (hamstring), center Kory Lichtensteiger (neck), wide receiver DeSean Jackson (hamstring) and linebackers Ryan Kerrigan (hand) and Keenan Robinson (shoulder) were among the injured players who have a 50-50 shot at suiting up at Gillette Stadium.
While Culliver was the only player who did not practice Friday, the team still has plenty of question marks. Robinson is the only player listed as questionable that isn’t a concern. He said after practice that he expects to play against the Patriots.
“You wish they were all probable and full strength, but some of them aren’t,” Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said. “And that’s pro football nowadays. I think a lot of teams are going through this, not just us. But we have to find our most healthy 46 guys.”
Culliver was a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday, but he watched practice from the sideline during the final day of media availability. He instead participated in a pool workout to keep his left knee active. Culliver, who has missed the past three games, said he had his knee drained at some point over the past few weeks.
“Just going strong the past couple of days,” Culliver said. “You come from an injury and don’t just want to pound, pound, pound, pound, pound, pound. You also want to get in your workout.”
Hall was massaging his right toe in the locker room following his first full week of practice since suffering the injury in Week 3 against the New York Giants. He has made some positive strides, but Hall still isn’t sure whether he’ll be active.
“I’m not quite to a point where I feel like myself, but I feel like I’m almost at a point where I can go out there and function and help this team win,” Hall said. “I’ll talk to the coaches and trainers to figure out what they think, how they thought I looked and go from there. It’s not necessarily specially on me.
Lichtensteiger has missed the last two games since suffering the neck injury. Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said the center will be a gametime decision.
“I think this is something that really is going to come down to the wire with Kory as far as his strength, how he feels, talking with the trainers and all that stuff come Sunday,” Gruden said.
Breeland was sidelined during Wednesday’s practice but has been a limited participant over the last two days. He has slowly attempted to increase his workload after tweaking the hamstring in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“He did a little bit more today and did some more things, so that’s good to see,” Gruden said. “It’s positive on him, but again, we’ll see how he feels tomorrow morning.”
Five story lines to follow in Sunday’s Redskins-Patriots game
Dan Steinberg: The Redskins should ignore the Patriots, prepare for Saints
Key matchups in Sunday’s Redskins-Patriots game
Bashaud Breeland proving he’s NFL-worthy cornerback
Redskins can’t afford poor tackling against top-scoring Patriots
Redskins try to unlock Preston Smith’s star power | Thursday injury report
More NFL: Redskins | Around the league | Bog on Redskins | Fantasy
Follow: @MikeJonesWaPo | @lizclarketweet | @MasterTes | @Insider
<bot>: The Redskins have six players officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest against the New England Patriots.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015110719id_/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2015/11/06/redskins-list-six-key-players-as-questionable-against-the-patriots/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: (CNN) -- Police in Hallandale Beach, Florida, are looking for at least two victims of underage sexual abuse seen in videotapes found in the apartment of a man arrested last week on child pornography charges.
Hundreds of videos were found in apartments rented by Kent Sheley, police say.
Matthew Kent Sheley, 36, is being held in a Broward County jail on $110,000 bond after being charged Friday with 11 counts of possession of child pornography. He does not yet have an attorney, according to the county state attorney's office.
Sheley was arrested after police received five videos showing attacks on two girls, both about 7 to 9 years old, from a property manager cleaning up an apartment where Sheley recently lived, Hallandale Beach police spokesman Andrew Casper said.
"It's pretty graphic," property manager Martin Halladey said. Watch Halladey describe what's on videos »
Although the faces of neither Sheley nor the girls are shown in the video, police identified him through star tattoos on his left arm and hand that are seen in the video, Casper said.
Police also released an image of the arm of one of the young girls in the hope that it will help authorities find her. The image shows a "kidney-shaped mole" on her left interior forearm. In the picture, the same arm is handcuffed.
Police did not release a picture of the second girl, but Casper said that a date on the tapes indicates the alleged abuse took place five years ago. Both girls would now be in their early teens, he said.
"We need the public's help in identifying these victims," Casper said.
Sheley was arrested by police Friday at an apartment in Hollywood, Florida, where police found more videos. Police are going through them to identify more possible victims and may add more charges against Sheley, Casper said.
"We have hundreds of videos," he said. "It's going to be a long, arduous process."
Casper said that Sheley is originally from Texas and had lived in Gainesville, Florida, before moving to South Florida about 10 years ago. He led "a transient life" and, Casper said, he may have victimized girls in other states.
Sheley's criminal record includes convictions for burglary and marijuana possession, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report.
All About Child Abuse • Crime • Sexual Offenses
<bot>: Police in Hallandale Beach, Florida, are looking for at least two victims of underage sexual abuse seen in videotapes found in the apartment of a man arrested last week on child pornography charges.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2008040719id_/http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/07/abuse.videos/index.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: As she cross-examines Maureen C. McDonnell, the former governor’s sister, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber seems to be trying to highlight for jurors the discrepancy between the former Amerigroup executive’s optimistic testimony Tuesday about her and her brother’s finances and the more ominous warnings she wrote in e-mails years ago.
In an April 2009 e-mail, for example, Maureen C. McDonnell wrote of “financial pressures” compelling her and her brother to list for sale their rental properties in Virginia Beach “asap.” Aber inquired about the urgency to sell the homes, given that Maureen C. McDonnell had offered a somewhat rosier view Tuesday.
“When I say financial pressure, it was in the [real estate company] account, not for me personally,” McDonnell said, referencing the company, MoBo Real Estate Partners, that she owned with Robert F. McDonnell.
Aber also asked — and gently requested that the witness answer with a yes or no — if it was true that she, in 2009, had already receiving nearly $110,000 in loans from her father. Maureen C. McDonnell said she had, and “he and my family were fine with that.”
And Aber asked McDonnell about a December 2009 e-mail from her husband, who was inquiring if she and the governor had found a “magical partner” for the rental properties. McDonnell testified previously she responded to the e-mail with the added commentary “we are in trouble and need to act NOW,” so that she would get the attention of her brother, who had yet to respond.
Wasn’t it true, Aber asked, that her e-mail to the governor came only about an hour after her husband’s?
“Yes, it might have been an hour, but I wanted to put my commentary on it before I sent it on to Bob,” she said, adding that both she and the governor sometimes ignored e-mails from her husband.
At Aber’s questioning, Maureen C. McDonnell then denied having ever seriously considered bankruptcy or short sales of the properties, though she mentioned both in an e-mail.
The line of inquiry seems designed to attack the notion that the McDonnells were not scrambling for funds, as Maureen C. McDonnell asserted on the witness stand Tuesday. Prosecutors have alleged financial distress led the former first couple to seek the generosity of Richmond businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr., who lent $70,000 to MoBo Real Estate Partners.
<bot>: Former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell, center, arrives at federal court on Monday with his attorneys, John Brownlee, left, and Henry Asbill, right, in Richmond. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014081919id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-day-17-of-the-mcdonnell-corruption-trial/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Long before the dentists and the doctors got there, before the nurses, the hygienists and X-ray techs came, before anyone had flicked on the portable mammography unit or sterilized the day’s first set of surgical instruments, the people who needed them showed up to wait. It was 3 a.m. at the Wise County Fairgrounds in Virginia — Friday, July 20, 2007 — the start of a rainy Appalachian morning. Outside the gates, people lay in their trucks or in tents pitched along the grassy parking lot, waiting for their chance to have their medical needs treated at no charge — part of an annual three-day “expedition” led by a volunteer medical relief corps called Remote Area Medical.
The group, most often referred to as RAM, has sent health expeditions to countries like Guyana, India, Tanzania and Haiti, but increasingly its work is in the United States, where 47 million people — more than 15 percent of the population — live without health insurance. Residents of remote rural areas are less likely than their urban and suburban counterparts to have health insurance and more likely to be in fair or poor health. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly half of all adults in rural America are living with at least one chronic condition. Other research has found that in these areas, where hospitals and primary-care providers are in short supply, rates of arthritis, hypertension, heart ailments, diabetes and major depression are higher than in urban areas.
And so each summer, shortly after the Virginia-Kentucky District Fair and Horse Show wraps up at the fairgrounds, members of Virginia Lions Clubs start bleaching the premises, readying them for RAM’s volunteers, who, working in animal stalls and beneath makeshift tents, provide everything from teeth cleaning and free eyeglasses to radiology and minor surgery. The problem, says RAM’s founder, Stan Brock, is always in the numbers, with the patients’ needs far outstripping what his team can supply. In Wise County, when the sun rose and the fairground gates opened at 5:30 on Friday morning, more than 800 people already were waiting in line. Over the next three days, some 2,500 patients would receive care, but at least several hundred, Brock estimates, would be turned away. He adds: “There comes a point where the doctors say: ‘Hey, I gotta go. It’s Sunday evening, and I have to go to work tomorrow.’ ”
<bot>: What do the uninsured in America do when they need health care? Some turn to a volunteer medical group that was set up to provide free services in third world countries.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2007112319id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18healthcare-t.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: When teams are tossed about as potential Final Four contenders in this wide-open college basketball season, there are names you hear again and again.
There is North Carolina, the preseason No. 1 and the deepest, most experienced team in college basketball. There are Maryland and Kansas, who are the only other teams that can challenge UNC for that deep-and-experienced crown. There's Kentucky, which is Kentucky and therefore always a real contender. There's Oklahoma, which may have the nation's best starting five, and Virginia, which has become the nation's most reliable and consistent program the past few years. There's Duke, with another haul of freshmen to complement Player of the Year candidate Grayson Allen, and Michigan State, which on the shoulders of Denzel Valentine has deservedly become the top-ranked team a month into the season.
These are the teams whose names you hear again and again and again when pundits like me are prophesying about which four teams will still be standing come April 2 in Houston.
But this story is not set in the Land of the Bluebloods.
Instead, this story is set in the Land of the Overlookeds, in the Flyover Country of College Basketball, where teams reside whose names you rarely hear in the Final Four discussion -- but, after this unpredictable first month of the college hoops season, need to be there, and now.
This story resides in places like Cincinnati, the home of 9-0 and 12th-ranked Xavier. It resides in West Lafayette, home of 10-0 and 11th-ranked Purdue. It resides in Coral Gables, (8-1 Miami) and Salt Lake City (7-1 Utah); in Dayton, and Providence and Louisville, places where only the hometown fanatics believe there's a chance at a Final Four.
But in this season where no elite teams have yet to emerge, this is a time when those hometown fanatics may be right.
On an unseasonably warm December day in the cornfields, this is a story that resided in Hilton Coliseum, where the Iowa State Cyclones -- an undefeated team ranked fourth in the AP Poll but frequently unmentioned in talk of serious Final Four contenders -- found themselves down 20 points in the second half to their unseasonably hot-shooting in-state rival Iowa Hawkeyes.
Then Hilton Magic happened, and Iowa State pulled off the type of miracle that national title contenders pull off, winning 83-82 on a frantic end-of-game layup by the Cyclones' often-overlooked point guard Monte Morris.
As the court was stormed in Ames, the Cyclone message was loud and clear: "How you like me now?"
Don't believe this team was overlooked going into the season? Consider: Despite returning the most unique player in college basketball (Georges Niang), the best ball-control point guard in college basketball (Morris), the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (Jameel McKay) and a bevy of complementary pieces, talk about Iowa State heading into the season was of the Cyclones being an unknown commodity. The reason was because the man who built this program, Fred Hoiberg, left for the NBA, and nobody knew how new coach Steve Prohm would handle the high-flying offense and the big-time pressure.
At the beginning of the season, 28 college basketball experts on ESPN.com predicted their Final Fours and national champion. In total, there were 112 Final Four spots available among the experts. Not a single one picked Iowa State. (I am proud to say that I did have Iowa State in my own preseason Final Four; you could point out that I am infected by a bit of homerism from spending a decade of my life in Iowa, and I suppose you would be right.)
But despite sometimes-atrocious defense on Monday night which contributed to Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff being allowed to channel Larry Bird in a 30-point first half, Iowa State made a statement with four of its upperclassmen scoring 16-plus points in an absurdly entertaining and telling comeback win.
As the court was stormed, Iowa State made a statement that could be echoed by so many teams in College Basketball Flyover Country in the first month of this season:
How you like us now?
"You knew the magic was going to happen -- you just didn't know when," McKay said after the floor cleared of thousands of delirious fans in McKay's first-ever court-storming. "I knew if we got a stop (on Iowa's second-to-last possession) -- I knew for sure we would win the game. There was never a doubt in my mind. We are too talented. We got the best player in the country, the best point guard in the country, and great role players."
"That's our goal, to make the Final Four," McKay said. "We know we have the talent, but we can't listen to what outsiders say. Right now we're ranked No. 4. If we were ranked No. 12, it wouldn't matter. In our heart we'd still be a Final Four team."
In the middle of the screaming fans, McKay was completely gassed. Niang had a bloody lip. Morris had cramped-up legs. Prohm just wanted to get to his wife and 9-month-old son for a hug. It was an ugly win for Iowa State, a game full of mistakes and matador defense, a home game they probably should have lost to an unranked team, a game that certainly exposed plenty of flaws. Yet it also exposed the things you can't see when you measure a team by blueblood status by and recruiting rankings: Heart, and confidence, and belief.
Those are the things you may not know about a team when the season began on Nov. 13 but you'll come to learn by April 2.
"That's a great moment," Prohm said. "Those college kids have been camping out here for three days. There's probably only 10 schools who do that in the country. I thought it was pretty cool. I probably should have enjoyed it more, but I was more just (thinking), ‘Thank God I don't have to come into this media session my first year and answer questions on why you lost to Iowa.'"
But instead, Prohm could breathe, because Iowa State didn't lose. And Purdue hasn't lost, not yet. Nor has Xavier. There's Miami and Louisville, Utah and Dayton: So many teams have already showed us so much promise we didn't expect.
Look: Nonconference basketball is still nonconference basketball. I get that. December ain't March. Things will change.
But what December is is this: A time to look at our preconceptions about College Hoops' Flyover Country and readjust them to a new reality. There's gonna be a ton of teams this season who feel worthy of a Final Four, and plenty of those teams are coming from places you never expected.
Follow Reid Forgrave on Twitter @reidforgrave or email him at ReidForgrave@gmail.com.
<bot>: Iowa State's big win over Iowa to remain unbeaten just latest example of how the little guys have some big plans this season ... and they may be legit
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015121119id_/http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/story/iowa-state-beats-iowa-nation-lesser-known-teams-winning-make-noise-final-four-must-listen-121015
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: With the unemployment rate topping 8% and the government $16 trillion in debt, it's easy to question why taxpayers are spending $2.5 billion on an SUV-sized Mars rover named Curiosity, which landed successfully on the red planet in the early hours of Monday.
Mars: A first image taken by the Curiosity rover.
Mars: A first image taken by the Curiosity rover.
Couldn't this money go toward something closer to home, such as providing shelter for the homeless or building roads? Yes, it could. But this kind of thinking is shortsighted.
The Mars project is the latest manifestation of America's restless desire to answer previously unanswerable questions and take on new challenges. To paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, America does things like this not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
Getting the probe down safely on Mars, after a 350 million mile journey, was certainly no easy feat. Monday's relief and jubilation among NASA scientists attested to degree of difficulty. Virtually all the technology used in the approach and landing was new, or used in new ways.
Once settled in, Curiosity should be a particularly awe-inspiring project. It is designed to shed light on big questions: Could life forms have ever existed on Mars? Might they still exist? And, more cosmically, are we alone in the universe?
When budgets are tight, space projects such as Curiosity come in for particular abuse. They are often portrayed as esoteric flights of whimsy. They are not. They are both inspirational and immensely practical.
Opinions expressed in USA TODAY's editorials are decided by its Editorial Board, a demographically and ideologically diverse group that is separate from USA TODAY's news staff.
Most editorials are accompanied by an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature that allows readers to reach conclusions based on both sides of an argument rather than just the Editorial Board's point of view.
Technology is, after all, an engine of economic growth. If that is a goal, as well it should be, why not support a program that makes science exciting and showcases some of the most interesting things that technology can do? In the days after the smaller and less capable Spirit and Opportunity probes landed on the Martian surface in 2004, their Internet pages generated more than 1 billion page views from space buffs.
One of the main benefits of projects like this one is to promote a confident America. Throughout history, nations that explore, and engage in science, lead the world. Beginning in the 15th century, for example, European nations sent mariners around the globe and provided the impetus for thinkers such as Copernicus, Galileo and Newton to invent modern physics and astronomy. Not coincidentally, Europe came to dominate the world until the dawn of the 20th century.
Those who would slash space program budgets apparently haven't learned history's lessons and don't see the great possibilities that the future presents — possibilities reflected in every image transmitted back from the rover.
, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor
. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to
. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the
<bot>: When budgets are tight, space projects come in for particular abuse. But these projects are inspirational and practical.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012080719id_/http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/story/2012-08-06/Curiosity-Mars-rover-NASA/56831796/1
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: A.A. Bronson is a former Winnipegger and the only surviving member of General Idea. Jorge Zontal and Felix Partz both died of AIDS several years after creating Fin de Siecle. Bronson says the piece meant to be a portrait of themselves in the era of AIDS:
"It can be seen as -- and for some people it is -- a memorial to my two partners, but from my point of view it's the work itself which particularly deserves to survive." The members of General Idea produced a significant body of work during their almost 30-year collaboration. Bronson says the group's archives will be going to the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
A.A. Bronson says Fin de Siecle portrays the members of General Idea in the era of AIDS.
<bot>: An influential work created a decade ago by the Canadian art collective General Idea is back on display.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2000122819id_/http://www.infoculture.cbc.ca/archives/visart/visart_12192000_generalidea.phtml
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: ABC’s MICHAEL FALCONE: No doubt about it, Rand Paul was CPAC’s rock star. Although Paul, the GOP senator from Kentucky, might have won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference over the weekend without his filibuster the previous week as a backdrop, it was certainly that 13-hour display on the Senate floor that won him not only the support but also the hearts of conservatives. During Paul’s speech to the gathering on Thursday, the standing-room-only-crowd waved a sea of “I Stand with Rand” signs as he told them: “The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered. I don’t think we need to name any names here, do we?” Paul won one-quarter of the votes in the completely unscientific survey of nearly 3,000 conference-goers (Marco Rubio finished a close second), but it must have been a nice reward for the Kentucky Republican after fellow senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, dismissed his filibuster as “stunt.” The other lesson of the straw poll: Conservatives are conflicted. The number three finisher was “Other/Write In,” meaning that 14 percent of straw poll voters were all over the board when it came to who they see as their favorite 2016 GOP contender. Finally, don’t forget, one big name wasn’t even on the ballot: Jeb Bush.
ABC’s Z. BYRON WOLF: Rand Paul won the CPAC straw poll. So what? His father won the CPAC straw poll in 2010 and 2011. That didn’t help him win any presidential primaries or caucuses. That’s not to say that one Paul equals the other. But their politics align in a lot of ways and while Rand Paul’s filibuster won him acolytes on the right, his position on the issue of drones doesn’t feel exactly mainstream. You could feel that tension when Marco Rubio, the runner up in the straw poll, gave a speech that was full of nationalist symbolism. It would be hard to imagine Rand Paul joining onto that platform. But it is still a lot easier to imagine a Rubio platform as one that makes it to a November election.
ABC’s SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: Sarah Palin lit up the room Saturday at CPAC getting the crowd off their feet several times in a way the other speakers — even the big names — just did not. She may have compared the president to Bernie Madoff, but she also went after Washington, DC Republicans telling them to “get over” themselves. Her barnburner of a speech wasn’t just to remind her supporters, haters, and the media that she is still around, it was also meant to entertain the crowd rather than simply recite dull policy positions. Who but Sarah Palin could really say this about her husband, Todd, and his gun — “He’s got the rifle, I got the rack” — and not only get away with it, but have everyone talking about it? Does this mean she will enter elected politics again? Probably not. But it’s clear she wants to be part of the conversation as 2014 nears. Look for her to back like-minded conservatives, get on the campaign trail for them, and annoy Karl Rove and other establishment Republicans along the way. Of course, Democrats will say this only helps them. We’ll see if they are right.
BUDGET BATTLE AHEAD. The Senate will attempt this coming week to stave off a government shutdown by working to pass a continuing resolution in order to keep the government funded, ABC’s Sunlen Miller reports. The continuing resolution, known in Washington shorthand as the CR, is a stopgap appropriations measure. Congress is up against a March 27 deadline this time around to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year through September. The CR passed in the House of Representatives last week but hit roadblocks this week in the Senate, stalled by amendments, battles over amendments and some senators objecting to not even having time to read the actual text. “To not allow us the time to assess what you have produced by being able to read and study the bill goes against the best traditions of the Senate,” Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said on the floor of the Senate this week. “Are we just to blindly say that we approve this bill because we have a deadline at the end of the month?” The Senate bill keeps the same spending levels as the House bill, setting the top-line overall rate of spending at $982 billion, down from $1.043 trillion the previous fiscal year, but adds three appropriations measures — for homeland security and the commerce; agriculture; and justice and science funds. http://abcn.ws/ZK7ZOz
–RAND PAUL PREVAILS. Rand Paul 2016? The Kentucky senator emerged as the potential 2016 presidential candidate preferred by the largest share of those who participated in a straw poll at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. Paul commanded 25 percent of straw poll voters, but another possible GOP contender, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, was close on his heels with 23 percent, according to the results of the survey announced this weekend. None of the other Republicans whose names appeared on the straw poll ballot managed to break double digits. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who tried but failed to win the Republican nomination in 2012, finished third with 8 percent of the vote. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was right behind Santorum with 7 percent, followed by last year’s vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan, at 6 percent. Paul’s win comes a little over a week since his attention-getting, 13-hour filibuster of CIA director nominee John Brennan. And it was clear at the gathering this week that Paul was a crowd favorite. Here’s a rundown of the top 2013 CPAC straw poll finishers: http://abcn.ws/WqSeQd
–MATTHEW DOWD ON CPAC: ‘A BUNCH OF DINOSAURS.’ “To me imagery and who is there and what you say is important. And I don’t think divisions are a bad thing,” ABC News Political Analyst Matthew Dowd said Sunday on “This Week.” “I actually think that a conservative message that is built for the 21st century would be a good thing. CPAC to me reminds me of going to the ‘Land Before Time.’ And it’s like going to a ‘Flintstones’ episode in my view. It’s like a bunch of dinosaurs, most of them are like throwbacks in times. It’s like who’s running for Grand Poobah of the “Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes” is what it looks like to me. … I think CPAC’s time has come and gone. And it’s time for somebody to put together a 21st century conservative agenda.” http://abcn.ws/1450qJf
–SARAH PALIN’S GREATEST HITS. Sarah Palin served up a generous helping of conservative red meat on Saturday, comparing President Obama to white-collar criminal Bernie Madoff, mocking New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his support of a jumbo soda ban and criticizing the GOP’s post-election attempt at “putting a fresh coat of rhetorical paint on our party” rather than focusing on “restoring the trust of the American people.” Palin delivered one of the most well-received speeches of a weekend that has featured such Republican luminaries as Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. Pausing numerous times for standing ovations, she reserved particular vitriol for President Obama. “He is considered a good politician,” the former vice presidential nominee said, referring to Obama, “which is like saying Bernie Madoff was a good salesmen. The difference being, the president is using our money.” Palin also delivered a series of memorable one-liners:
On gun ownership: ”You should have seen what Todd got me for Christmas. Well, It wasn’t that exciting. It was a metal rack, case for hunting rifles to put on the back of a four-wheeler. Then though, I had to get something for him to put in the gun case, right. So, this go-around, he’s got the rifle, I got the rack.”
On Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s large soda ban: Palin held up a Big Gulp, sipped from a straw and said, “Bloomberg is not around, our big gulps are safe. We’re cool. Shoot, it’s just pop with low-cal ice-cubes in it.”
On the current state of politics in Washington: ”We don’t have leadership coming out of Washington, we have reality television.”
On young conservatives: ”My only piece of advice to our young college Republicans is you’ve got to be thinking Sam Adams, not drinking Sam Adams.”
–TED CRUZ, PROUD TO BE A ‘WACKO BIRD’. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he’s willing to embrace the “wacko bird” label given to him by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., if it means he is defending the Constitution, reports ABC’s Arlette Saenz. “If standing for liberty and standing for the Constitution makes you a wacko bird, then count me a proud wacko bird,” Cruz said as he delivered the keynote address Saturday at CPAC. (In an interview with the Huffington Post earlier this month, McCain singled out Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., as “wacko birds” when asked whether he felt they are a “positive force” within the Republican Party). As he closed out the three-day conservative convention, Cruz took pride in joining Paul’s 13-hour filibuster over the nomination of John Brennan to be director of the CIA, and without naming names, he criticized the senators who refrained from participating in the filibuster. “There were more than a few senators who were not there with us that have had their manhood cheapened as a result,” Cruz said. http://abcn.ws/1304ZVR
–LOVE IN THE TIME OF CPAC. CPAC has launched hook-ups, dates and even marriages, but for some, the annual conference of like-minded conservatives — many of whom are college students and twenty-somethings — romance can be about as hard to find here as a copy of “The Audacity of Hope,” notes ABC’s Chris Good. “I came here to meet a nice conservative girl, but I think I’m only gonna meet crazy conservative girls,” one lovelorn young man, wearing a red tie, remarked to his friend on the opening day of CPAC. The annual gathering is part serious stage for GOP stars who deliver big-time speeches, part expo for activist groups, and part networking confab for consultants and behind-the-scenes GOP power players, but it’s also part party and flirtfest, well attended by young, college-aged conservatives from across America, who gather at happy hours every evening, decked out in suits and dresses, all staying in the same hotel. “There’s a lot of hooking up that goes on,” said one Republican strategist who met his future wife organizing a CPAC trip in his youth. Asked for the worst pickup lines they’d heard at the conference, several young CPAC women revealed exceptionally bad ones: http://abcn.ws/1324niv
–FIVE QUESTIONS FOR FOSTER FRIESS. ABC’s Shushannah Walshe asked the same five questions to several conservatives conference-goers at CPAC. Here’s Republican donor and philanthropist Foster Friess, the man who helped bankroll Rick Santorum’s 2012 presidential bid:
ABC: Should Republicans Back Immigration Reform?
Foster Friess: I think the number one thing Republicans can get behind is one thing- guest worker permits. Forget about all the other issues, what you do with the people here and when you send them back. Everyone pretty well agrees if you catch someone at 6AM in the morning, you send them back at 9AM. Then the question becomes what if you catch them a year later or two years later so there’s all kinds of dates as to where he would get sent back. So I think if you minimize those issues and talk on one single issue, like Clinton said ‘it’s the economy, stupid’, if we get guest worker permits as the number one key issue that will drive the inclination of people to embrace our point of view, where the Democrats will oppose that very, very viciously.
ABC: Who will be the next president?
Foster Friess: Well that will be Rick Santorum for sure.
ABC: Why did Mitt Romney lose?
Foster Friess: I don’t think he lost. He just didn’t win.
ABC: The Tea Party Dead or Alive?
Foster Friess: The Tea Party is going to be very, very critical to our future as a country. It is going to be rejuvenated with a new surge of energy. I think the left’s attempt to demonize the party has fallen away a bit, I like to tell a story, ‘we’re too old to be violent’ and I believe the tea party will morph into Freedom Dinners where people will go to a country club or a high end restaurant and have a speaker come in and talk about the issues about how we get the state budgets squared away in terms of shifting from defined benefit to defined contribution plans, so it’s not a big problem that builds up.
ABC: Who’s the Democrat you would least like to go up against in 2016?
Foster Friess: I think Hillary Clinton is going to be pretty tough. But Michelle Obama wouldn’t that be tough? I think the Democrats are so clever. And they know how to communicate, they communicate to the emotions and the heart. Republicans tend to the brain and intellect until we learn their skill set we are going to be at a disadvantage.
More “Five Questions” with Gregg Keller. Executive Director of the American Conservative Union; Steve Bannon, Executive chairman of Breitbart News Network; Alfonso Aguilar, Executive Director, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles; Tom Intorocio, Former Santorum aide, author of blog “Who Said? You Said.com”; and John Horvat, Author of “Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society — Where We’ve Been, How We Got There and Where We Need To Go.” http://abcn.ws/13XKQPf
BOEHNER: THE ‘TALK ABOUT RAISING REVENUE IS OVER’ House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz during an exclusive interview for “This Week” that talk of including revenue as part of an effort to strike a so-called “grand bargain” to address the $16 trillion debt of the United States was “over,” leaving Democrats and Republicans where they have been for months — at loggerheads. “The president believes that we have to have more taxes from the American people. We’re not going to get very far,” Boehner said. “The president got his tax hikes on January 1. The talk about raising revenue is over. It’s time to deal with the spending problem.” Boehner said the United States does not face an immediate debt problem, agreeing with recent comments by President Obama — but he added debt is an issue that will have to be addressed. “We do not have an immediate debt crisis — but we all know that we have one looming,” he said. “And we have one looming because we have entitlement programs that are not sustainable in their current form. They’re going to go bankrupt.” http://abcn.ws/ZKde0H
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: FOREIGN POLICY HAS BECOME ‘MUCH HARDER’ After a roundtable appearance on “This Week,” former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright joined Martha Raddatz for an ABC News web exclusive. Albright discussed her career, gave advice for the current Secretary of State John Kerry, and talked about how U.S. foreign policy has changed since she served in the Clinton administration. “I think that in many ways it’s gotten much harder because we have this evolution of what we call ‘non-state actors.’ Various, obviously, terrorist groups that roam around. It’s very hard to figure out what tools to use against them. And lack of faith, frankly, in the various international institutions that exist. It’s uncharted waters in many ways.” WATCH are more of Albright’s responses to viewer questions from Facebook and Twitter: http://abcn.ws/115Umzn
POLL: IRAQ RE-EXAMINED. Ten years after U.S. airstrikes on Baghdad punctuated the start of the Iraq war, nearly six in 10 Americans say the war was not worth fighting — a judgment shared by majorities steadily since initial success gave way to years of continued conflict, notes ABC News Pollster Gary Langer. Nearly as many in the latest ABC News-Washington Post poll say the same about the war in Afghanistan. And while criticisms of both wars are down from their peaks, the intensity of sentiment remains high, with strong critics far outweighing strong supporters. A key reason: A substantial sense that neither war did much to achieve their goals of enhancing U.S. security. Only about half of Americans say either war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, and just two in 10 say either contributed “a great deal” to U.S. security — clearly insufficient, in the minds of most, to justify their costs in lives and lucre. More poll results: http://abcn.ws/15TUrVH
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JOE BIDEN? Vice President Joe Biden has a busy day in Rome, notes ABC’s Mary Bruce. This morning, he met with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and the Prime Minister. Later he meets separately with the president of Poland and Serbia.
@shushwalshe: .@Reince Priebus on 2012 loss: Our msg was weak, ground game was insufficient, we weren’t inclusive, we were behind in both data + digital
@NKingofDC: RNC chairman says the GOP autopsy is the most comprehensive of any party in history.
@PhilipRucker: Smart @PostScottWilson preview of Obama’s Israel trip. http://wapo.st/XTGozO Follow Scott, fmr Jerusalem buro chief, for insights this wk.
@TheFix: Can Reince Priebus save the Republican party? http://ow.ly/j9fls
@SalenaZitoTrib: Also today is RNC chair @Reince birthday.
<bot>: Alex Wong/Getty Images By MICHAEL FALCONE (@michaelpfalcone) NOTABLES REPUBLICANS RELEASE 2012 AUTOPSY: This morning the Republican National Committee unveiled its 2012 election “autopsy,” which also charts a path forward for a party set back on its heels by Mitt Romney’s defeat and other GOP losses last year. ABC’s Shushannah Walshe notes that the 100-page “Growth and Opportunity Project” report focuses on an abbreviated presidential primary process with fewer debates; extensive outreach to minorities, including hiring paid outreach staffers in the states in a $10 million push that begins right away; and a better digital effort to try and catch up…
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013031819id_/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/gop-re-boot-re-brand-re-think-the-note/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The following is a guest post by Mike Vorhaus, president of consultancy Magid Advisors. The opinions expressed are his own.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show is usually associated with the latest gadgets – those devices that you might have seen years ago on the Jetson’s or Get Smart. But as this year’s CES wraps up on Sunday it clear that this show is no longer just about electronic devices. It’s about consumer entertainment and consumer entertainment services.
This is a big change for the consumer electronics manufacturers, whose profits largely have come from selling the devices they make. This new reality, which has been a long time developing, is forcing makers to move toward connected devices, online storefronts, online wallets and content for sale.
We are now in a world of entertainment services that are closely tied to the devices they work with and sometimes managed by the hardware manufacturer, too. Think Apple’s iPod or Microsoft’s Xbox.
In this new world, companies and executives who have focused on levers such as efficient manufacturing, labor relations and costs of components must think more about digital commerce, portability of content across connected devices, digital services, and content that can be “rented” or “sold” to the consumer across devices.
This will have a profound effect on how a company is organized and operated. The people and the skill sets at the consumer electronics companies will have to change. These new business models require new partnerships and new capabilities.
No longer can engineers and product designers be the reigning forces at consumer electronics companies. These companies will need teams that truly understand how the consumer is entertained, how they spend their entertainment money and timing and the impacts of multi-tasking. They will have to decide which content is most important to consumers and could drive subscriptions, versus which content is better for a la carte sales.
The consumer electronics companies will need to build up expertise in billing, customer service, licensing arrangements for content and business relationship with independent application and content developers. The alternative is akin to what happened to telecoms companies, which have become easily interchanged “dumb pipes”. Dumb pipes make a lot less money than smart pipes that deliver services and content; witness the strategy that Verizon is pursuing with its FiOS cable service.
If Ford is driving toward connected-cars, and the drivers (or rather, one would hope, the passengers) want to download content, play games on the Internet, update their Facebook status, or balance their checkbook while in the car, then where is the money for Ford? Only in selling the car with the new hardware? Or will Ford build a team and business partners that allow them to mine the ongoing value of content and services? That would allow Ford to generate revenue beyond just selling a piece of steel with more electronics.
If the device/gadget manufacturers want to compete successfully and find new revenue for their shareholders, they will have to build up their expertise with hybrid business models where they can make money not just on the device, but on the “value stack” as Steve Ballmer likes to say, that exists in the TV, mobile, and other consumer electronics industries.
You can contact the author at MVorhaus@magid.com and follow him at twitter.com/mikevorhaus.
<bot>: No longer can engineers and product designers be the reigning forces at consumer electronics companies.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010011119id_/http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2010/01/10/what-ford-can-learn-from-apple/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: <![if ! lte IE 8]> <![endif]>
Norm Bagi, 46, a property maintenance director from Oakland, N.J., on his Ford Pintos, as told to A.J. Baime.
In 2006, I was hunting on eBay for a Ford Mustang when I came across a 1977 Pinto with shag carpets and orange/brown plaid seats. Both my parents drove Pintos when I was young, so I practically grew up in the back of one, like millions of other kids. I showed the car to my wife and she said, “That’s the ugliest car I’ve ever seen!” I said, “Nah, it’s beautiful.” I ended up buying one a year later for $4,500.
In 2011, I organized a drive for Pinto owners I called the Pinto Stampede. It went from Denver to the Ford Nationals—the largest all-Ford car show in the world—in Carlisle, Pa. The drive celebrated the Pinto’s 40th anniversary. I was amazed at how many owners showed up. There were 70 cars, the owners from California, Minnesota, Texas, even Canada.
When you’re driving a Pinto, there’s no road rage. No one cuts you off or yells at you, the way people do where I live. People want to tell you their stories. Ford made nearly 3.2 million of these cars from model year 1971 to 1980.
As most people know, the Pinto had some bad times, regarding exploding gas tanks. People will say what they want. But I can say this: I have climbed through hundreds of these cars in junkyards all over the place, looking for parts. And I have yet to discover any burn marks on any of them.
I still own my 1977 Pinto, and I modified it with 1970 Mustang Boss 302 parts. I also bought my wife a 1976 Pinto, for $5,000. She loves it, and I had a hand bag made for her to match her plaid seats. My car is heavily modified, and hers had the factory recall work done, so the gas tank thing is a nonissue. As far as collector cars go, you could buy a Pinto for every day of the week for the money you’d spend on a mint-condition Mustang.
On June 1, our group will kick off another Pinto Stampede, celebrating the car’s 45th anniversary. These cars spark so many memories. And we’re keeping those memories rolling.
Contact A.J. Baime at facebook.com/ajbaime.
<bot>: Norm Bagi loves his Ford Pintos. So much so he’s organized a rally for other fans—the Pinto Stampede.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016051719id_/http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ford-pinto-rides-again-1463494967
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Sunday, May 31st 2009, 4:00 AM
Even without a car, New Yorkers have plenty of ways to hit the trails.
Now that the warm weather is here to stay, it's time to lace up those hiking boots and hit the trails.
On Saturday, the American Hiking Society celebrates its 17th annual National Trails Day. Outdoor enthusiasts across the country will rejoice in the beauty of America's trail system by participating in more than 1,500 events that include hiking, trail maintenance, horseback riding, biking and running (for more information: 1-800-972-8608; www.AmericanHiking.org).
Even New Yorkers can find great trails not too far from the city.
"While other parts of the world might be phenomenal for hiking, New York has a lot of trails, too," says Michael Brochstein, founder of www.NYCDayHiking.com. "More than you might imagine."
Here are some of the best spots to hike in the area:
Breakneck Ridge. With spectacular views and a variety of trails, Breakneck Ridge, in New York's Hudson Highlands State Park, is a popular destination for all types of hikers. But the crowds dissipate the higher one climbs. "If you have a fear of heights, this is not the hike for you," warns Brochstein.
Only 60 miles north of the city, Breakneck Ridge can be reached in 1 hour and 15 minutes by Metro-North.
Lake Skenonto. A mere 32 miles north of the city, Harriman State Park offers more than 200 miles of hiking trails. Brochstein recommends an 8-mile hike around Lake Skenonto that starts and finishes on the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail. Hikers will be able to enjoy impressive views and even take a dip in the lake.
To get to the Ramapo-Dunderberg trailhead, take the Short Line bus ($14) from Port Authority to the Route 17 bus shelter in Tuxedo. The trip should take about an hour; the hike, about six.
The Timp. Located on the other side of Harriman State Park from Lake Skenonto, the Timp-Torne trail has magnificent views of the Hudson River and, on a clear day, a distant view of New York City. Timp-Torne is not a loop, so Brochstein recommends starting on the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail at Jones Point and hiking up Bear Mountain for a little variety (although this adds a fair amount of difficulty to the hike as well).
"There are great panoramic views," Brochstein says. "But this is not a beginner hike unless you are in really good shape."
To get there by car, drive north on the Palisades Parkway to Route 9W north, which leads to Jones Point. By bus, take the Short Line from the Port Authority and ask the driver to drop you off on 9W at Jones Point.
Schunemunk Mountain. With an elevation of 1,664 feet, this is the highest mountain in Orange County. It also offers some of the best hiking trails in the area. Start on the famous Long Path and continue on the Jessup Trail before turning right on Sweet Clover trail to make a big loop.
Possibly the most unusual part of this hike is that it passes by the Woodbury Commons outlet mall. "Some people like to combine their hiking and shopping," Brochstein says.
To get to Schunemunk, 60 miles from the city, take the Palisades Parkway to the New York State Thruway (Route 287W/87N) to Route 32N, or catch the Short Line to Woodbury Commons.
Palisades Interstate Park. Perfect for family trips, this park runs along the cliffs of the Hudson River for more than 20 miles and offers an easy and beautiful escape from the city - without being too far from such amenities as bathrooms and food vendors.
Choose among six trails, ranging from easy to challenging. If hiking with kids, be sure to check out the Shore Trail, which leads to the Giant Stairs, massive boulders that have piled up at the foot of the cliffs. Leashed dogs are allowed in the park (don't forget tick repellent).
By car, cross the George Washington Bridge and head north on the Palisades Parkway. For parking options, see www.NJPalisades.org.
<bot>: Even New Yorkers can find great trails not too far from the city. Here are some of the best spots to hike in the area, all of which are accessible from public transportation.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2009061719id_/http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/travel/2009/05/31/2009-05-31_the_nynj_path_system_is_your_ticket_to_the_tristate_areas_hiking_trails.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The city of San Jose picked Microsoft’s suite of cloud services for its more than 5,000 city employees, delivering another blow to Google’s efforts to sell online productivity apps to districts in its own backyard.
As Microsoft was eager to point out in its press release, San Francisco, Santa Clara County and the State of California have also picked Microsoft’s cloud tools. Back in 2011, the city of San Francisco struck a deal to transition more than 20,000 city employees onto Microsoft Exchange Online, as we reported at the time.
San Jose’s staff will be using Microsoft Office 365, Windows Azure and StorSimple. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“The combination of these services supports both our long-term technology strategy and the immediate needs of our employees and residents,” said Vijay Sammeta, San José Chief Information Officer, said in a statement.
<bot>: San Jose opts for Microsoft’s cloud offerings
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013071519id_/http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2013/07/15/san-jose-opts-for-microsofts-cloud-offerings/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: By Gianluca Mezzofiore2016-08-12 16:28:14 UTC
Egyptian judo fighter Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with his opponent, Israel's Or Sasson, in a major breach of judo etiquette during the Rio Olympics.
El Shehaby, who had come under pressure from Islamist-leaning and nationalist voices in Egypt to withdraw entirely from the fight, was loudly booed by the crowd for his gesture.
Sasson in an automatic victory defeated the Egyptian with two throws in the first round.
He extended his hand, but El Shehaby backed away, shaking his head.
It's customary for judo players to bow or shake hands at the beginning and end of a match as a sign of respect in the Japanese martial art.
Even when the referee called El Shehaby back to the mat, he just gave a quick nod of his head.
The International Judo Federation said that the fact that the fight even took place between those two athletes was a major sign of progress.
"This is already a big improvement that Arabic countries accept to (fight) Israel," spokesman Nicolas Messner said in an email.
He said there was no obligation to shake hands, but that bowing is mandatory.
Messner said that even though El Shehaby ultimately bowed, "his attitude will be reviewed after the games to see if any further action should be taken."
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
<bot>: Gesture is a major breach of judo etiquette during the Rio Olympics.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016081219id_/http://mashable.com/2016/08/12/egypt-judo-israel-shake-hand/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: “Law & Order: SVU” went for the jugular with the anti-vaccine debate on Wednesday night during an episode that guest-starred Missi Pyle bearing a suspicious resemblance to actress/TV host Jenny McCarthy, who is known as the celebrity face of the controversial anti-vaccination movement.
While “SVU” is normally about sex crimes, the show pounces on any opportunity to rip from the headlines. And it’s hard to get more topical than vaccines. The episode started in a fairly typical way: Detectives investigate a high school party that led to explicit photos of underage kids going viral. But the investigation stalls when the detectives can’t interview every student because, strangely, many are out sick with the measles.
[Jenny McCarthy tries to mend her anti-vaccine reputation with reality TV. It’s too little, too late.]
Detectives find out the whole outbreak started with a mom named Trudy Malko (Pyle), the “queen bee” of Tribeca who runs a lifestyle site that promotes holistic treatments and herbal therapies. Trudy believes vaccinations could lead to autism, so she roped her doctor into falsifying her son Gabriel’s immunization papers, which say he was vaccinated. Trudy spread her anti-vaxxer views to the other neighborhood moms, and the doctor faked their forms as well. Then, 15 years later, there’s this measles epidemic — and it’s not a coincidence.
The case gets personal when Sgt. Olivia Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) baby son, Noah, is infected when he picks up the disease from Gabriel’s infant stepbrother while in a doctor’s waiting room. Through various scenes, the show rails against “hippie-dippy” parents who don’t vaccinate their kids. The writers also present the anti-vaccination point of view, though drive home how dangerous it is. Such as this scene between Trudy and Olivia:
Trudy: “I’ve always insisted that Gabriel be raised in ways that strengthen his natural immunity.”
Olivia: “Is that why he was never vaccinated?”
Trudy: “The risks of vaccination outweigh the benefits. When Gabriel was born, I tried to get a medical or a religious exemption, but I couldn’t get either one.”
Olivia: “So that’s why you had the doctor lie on his records?”
Trudy: “He believes parents should have the right to decide what’s best for their children.”
ADA Rafael Barba: “Did you recommend him to other families looking to get around the law?”
Trudy: “The law is unjust. As a mother protecting my child, I can’t tell you how many mothers thank me for what I’m doing.”
Olivia: “Doing? So you’re still steering parents to [this doctor]? Okay, we’re going to need their names.”
Trudy: “I won’t betray them. The AMA, the CDC, the Board of Health, the Department of Education, they are the villains here. Go after them.”
Olivia: “After them? You’re encouraging other parents. You are endangering the health of every child in this city.”
Trudy: “So this is personal? Because your son took ill, you and you are coming after me?”
Rafael: “No, this has nothing to do with Sgt. Benson’s son. You are openly flouting the law. This is reckless endangerment. And we will stop you.”
Later, the detectives take Trudy (or “Typhoid Trudy,” as she’s called) to court for coordinating an effort to hide the unimmunized kids at the school, which had to be shut down and decontaminated. Trudy is charged with reckless endangerment, conspiracy and falsifying business records.
[Chart: New measles cases skyrocketed in January]
The courtroom case plays out in a similar way to the above scene: The show includes many facts about vaccines while Trudy throws back every one with an idea of her own. “SVU” executive producer Warren Leight told Entertainment Weekly this was intentional. Though he and his staff were “horrified” by statistics about some kids not being vaccinated, the writers decided to tackle both viewpoints. “The people who are anti-vaxxers, they’re not Looney Tunes: They believe what they say. They believe it fervently, and they believe they have science to back it up and/or life experience to back it up,” Leight said. “We present both sides of the debate as articulately as we can.”
Toward the end of the episode as Trudy is on trial, a doctor on the stand explains the dangers of measles (a higher infection rate than Ebola, can lead to pneumonia, bronchitis or death) and that Trudy’s son contacted measles while he was in the under-vaccinated community of Pacific Palisades. The Centers for Disease Control determined he was patient zero and so far, there are 48 cases of measles in the area. The only people infected? Those who were not vaccinated.
Trudy’s defense attorney shoots back as they spar about potential serious side effects of the MMR vaccine, such as pancreatitis. The doctor says those cases are so rare that they’re statistically insignificant.
Later, Trudy takes the stand and explains why she made her choice: Shortly after her nephew was vaccinated, he was diagnosed with autism, so she vowed she would never do the same thing to her son.
“Are you aware that Institute for Medicine, the CDC and numerous other research groups have found no links between vaccines and autism?” Rafael asks her.
Trudy says she doesn’t trust the CDC or “big pharma.”
“I’m aware of every argument used to ostracize and vilify the so-called ‘anti-vaxxers.’ Again, I’m not anti-science. I’m not against vaccines,” Trudy says. “I believe it should be a choice made by individual parents, not imposed by the bureaucrats.”
In the end, Trudy is found guilty of reckless endangerment, sentenced to three months in prison and nine months of probation. The detectives are relieved, but it’s little comfort: Benson’s baby Noah is still in the hospital, though he’ll likely recover.
Moral of the story? As executive producer Leight told EW, in this episode, “We’re doing our job by making every parent in America feel anxious about everything.”
– I used to be a vaccine skeptic. Now I’m a believer.
– Refusing vaccination is anti-social, not irrational
– Moral of Alec Baldwin’s role on ‘Law & Order: SVU': The media ruins everything
<bot>: The NBC drama drove home how dangerous it is when parents don't vaccinate their kids.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015040919id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/04/09/law-order-svu-tears-apart-anti-vaxxers-in-episode-with-jenny-mccarthy-lookalike/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The crisis in Ukraine was deepening on Saturday as Crimea's pro-Russian prime minister called for Vladimir Putin to intervene while Washington warned Moscow any military action would lead to 'costs'.
Sergei Aksenov, the pro-Russian prime minister of Crimea, declared himself in charge of all military forces, police and other security services in the autonomous Ukrainian region, while also making a direct appeal to the Russian president.
In a statement reported by local and Russian news agencies, Aksenov said any elements of the armed forces, police, national security service and border guards who did not agree to answer only to his orders should leave their posts.
"Understanding my responsibility for the life and security of citizens, I appeal to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness on the territory of the autonomous republic of Crimea," Aksenov said in his statement.
With pro-Russian forces already in apparent control of Crimea's key airport and parliament building, and Russian troops reportedly on the move across the peninsula, the White House warned against any further escalation in what has rapidly degenerated into the most tense regional crisis since the Russia-Georgia war six years ago. Aksenov, the head of the main pro-Russia party on the peninsula, was appointed by the Crimean parliament on Thursday as tensions soared over the authorities resistance to the new authorities in Kiev, who took power last week.
In a stark message delivered after fresh US intelligence assessments of Russia's presence in the southern region, Obama said any Russian intervention would constitute a "clear violation" of international law.
"We are now deeply concerned by reports over Russian military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine," Obama said. "Any violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilising."
He added: "Just days after the world came to Russia for the Olympic Games it would invite the condemnation of nations around the world. Indeed, the United States will stand with the international community in affirming there will be costs for any military intervention in the Ukraine."
The president took the unusual step of issuing the remarks from the White House late on Friday, after postponing a scheduled appearance at a Democratic national committee meeting in Washington DC.
His remarks came amid reports from Ukrainian officials in Kiev that hundreds of Russian troops were in Crimea. Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, accused Putin of "provocations" and urged him to pull back, while interior minister Arsen Avakov described the takeover of the airports as a "military invasion and occupation".
In his statement, Obama praised the interim authorities in Kiev for their restraint.
Pentagon and White House national security advisors had spent the day scrambling to obtain reliable information about the nature of armed forces taking control of government infrastructure in Crimea.
Earlier in the afternoon, the US administration had been vague about the assessment of Russian activity in Ukraine, saying only that officials were "investigating … whether Russia might be crossing the line in any way" and raising concerns about the nature of pro-Russian forces in Crimea.
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, said he had phoned Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and received assurances about reports of Russian forces in Crimea.
"We raised the issue of the airport, raised the issue of armoured vehicles, raised the issue of personnel in various places," Kerry said. "While we were told that they are not engaging in any violation of the sovereignty and do not intend to, I nevertheless made it clear that that could be misinterpreted at this moment and that there are enough tensions that it is important for everybody to be extremely careful not to inflame the situation and not to send the wrong messages."
However, the Obama administration hardened its stance through the afternoon, as doubts grew over Moscow's assurances. Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Yuriy Sergeyev, called for a security council meeting, claiming that 10 Russian military transport aircraft and 11 Russian military attack helicopters had crossed into Ukraine's airspace.
"We are strong enough to defend ourselves," Sergeyev told reporters outside the council chamber.
Moments before Obama's remarks, the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, addressed reporters in New York. "We are gravely disturbed by reports of Russian military deployments in the Crimea," she said, adding that Moscow should "pull back" and "stand down" its military presence in the peninsula.
A senior administration official said the US is considering pulling out of the G8 summit in Russia.
A US boycott of the June meeting would be a major blow to Putin, particularly if backed by European G8 members- the UK, Italy, Germany and France.
"We are consulting with European partners and considering options," the senior administration official told the Guardian. "It is hard to see how we and other European leaders would attend the G8 in Sochi if Russia is intervening in Ukraine."
The forthright US demands contrasted with the cautious approach taken by Washington for much of the week, amid some criticism that the Obama administration has been impotent in the face of a rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine's primarily Russian-speaking regions in the east and south.
Earlier on Friday, the White House press secretary, Jay Carney, repeatedly avoided questions about what the Obama administration would do if Russia was judged to have intervened across the border.
"I'm not going to speculate on what we might do if something might happen," Carney said.
The British prime minister, David Cameron, spoke to Putin on Friday and reinforced the message that Moscow should respect Ukraine's territorial integrity. Downing Street said both agreed that free and fair elections were the best way to secure the country's future. A No 10 spokesman said: "The prime minister emphasised that all countries should respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. President Putin agreed, stressing that Russian military exercises in the area had been planned before the current situation in Ukraine."
Speaking to Cameron and other EU leaders, including Angela Merkel, Putin insisted that Russia was not violating Ukraine's sovereignty and had no intention of doing so. But Putin's constructive tone and telephone diplomacy was starkly at odds with the reality on the ground in Crimea, where the parliament and both airports have fallen into the hands of pro-Russian armed units in rapid succession.
The EU seems to have been taken by surprise by the fast-moving events. Three governments in the EU on Friday voiced concern about the sudden armed manoeuvres in Crimea. But the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland – all in Kiev last Friday to mediate a settlement in Ukraine – failed to make any mention of Russia in their statement, while pressing the new government in Kiev to assuage Russian alarm about discriminatory policies.
"We are deeply concerned with the tensions in Crimea. Everything must be done to decrease the tension in the eastern region and promote peaceful discussions among relevant parties," the ministers said.
The Europeans are leaning on the new government in Kiev to make a gesture that would help deny Moscow a pretext for intervening in Ukraine, primarily by providing assurances of Russian minority and language rights. In one of its first acts at the weekend following the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych, the new parliament in Kiev rescinded legislation allowing for Russian to be the country's second official language. The Europeans want that new policy reversed.
"There are expectations on the part of minorities, especially on the part of the Russian minority in Ukraine," said Germany's foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. "They want their rights to be respected. Protecting the rights of minorities is something that the new government has to provide for and has to be very clear and outspoken, not only in their words but also with the respective legislative action.
"The government now has to prove that it is the government of the whole of Ukraine, the north, the south, the east, and the west, that they actually stand up for those parts of the country. Legislative measures, as have been taken recently, have to be made redundant. We have to make sure that that is the case."
Meanwhile, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, said they were freezing the assets of Yanukovych and his millionaire dentist son, Oleksandr, in response to a request from Kiev targeting the fortunes of up to 20 of the Yanukovych clique. Yanukovych's family, his former prime minister and former chief of staff all have substantial properties, businesses, and bank accounts in Austria. The foreign ministry in Vienna said assets were being frozen. But the details were leaked to the Viennese press before being implemented, leaving it unclear whether the assets had already been shifted.
The move follows claims that Yanukovych and his deposed government stole £40bn from the Ukrainian treasury.
Swiss authorities said the asset freeze would come into force on Friday at noon. The prosecutor's office in Geneva said it had also launched a money-laundering investigation against Yanukovych and his son. "A penal investigation for severe money laundering is currently being conducted in Geneva against Viktor Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr," a statement said.
It said prosecutor Yves Bertossa and the police had searched the office of a company owned by the son on Thursday morning and seized some documents. The same day Switzerland said it would order Swiss banks to freeze any funds found to be linked to the family.
Austria said it would freeze the bank accounts of 18 Ukrainians as a precaution until EU sanctions came into force.
In London, the Foreign Office said it was still working with EU partners on implementing sanctions against individuals after they were agreed on Thursday last week. No individuals to be targeted have yet been named.
Italy will take punitive measures if and when adopted by the EU, foreign ministry spokesmen Aldo Amati said. Spain said Austria had made a bilateral decision and Madrid would move in line with European Union policy on the matter.
<bot>: US president tells Vladimir Putin that armed action would constitute 'clear violation' of international law and would lead to 'costs'
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014030119id_/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/28/barack-obama-vladimir-putin-ukraine-russia
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: KABUL, Afghanistan â The number of civilians killed or wounded in Afghanistan rose by 23 percent in the first six months of 2013, according to a United Nations report on civilian casualties, reversing a decline last year and signaling the challenge Afghan forces face as they take over all combat duties from American soldiers.
The Taliban continued to cause the majority of casualties, stepping up violence through the indiscriminate use of roadside bombs and suicide attacks in major population centers, according to the report, released Wednesday by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
With the American pullout planned for the end of 2014, responsibility for the fighting is increasingly falling to the Afghans. Aware of the security transition in place, the insurgency has stepped up its efforts to strike the Afghan forces, hoping to undermine confidence in government institutions. That effort has included a focus on complex and daring attacks in major cities like the capital, Kabul, where Afghans often find themselves in harmâs way.
In many areas where the international forces have shut down bases or otherwise reduced their footprint, the fight for control between the Afghan forces and the insurgency has intensified â with women and children often bearing the brunt of the violence. Fighting between the two groups over such areas of the country was the second biggest cause of civilian deaths and injuries.
From January to June, the number of civilians killed in war-related violence rose to 1,319 from 1,158 a year earlier. In the same period, 2,533 civilians were injured, compared with 1,976 in 2012.
Throughout the first half of the year, women and children were being killed by roadside bombs almost daily, particularly in south Afghanistan, where insurgents have sown homemade bombs through much of the terrain. The United Nations report found that the devices accounted for more than a third of the civilian casualties in the first half of 2013, helping drive a 30 percent increase in injuries and deaths of children.
Meanwhile, the intensifying ground battles helped propel a 60 percent jump in deaths and injuries among women.
The Taliban have been under pressure in recent years to reduce civilian casualties. The groupâs leaders have issued edicts demanding more caution from fighters and have set up a committee to prevent the loss of innocent lives. Still, the data from the United Nations reflects a trend in the opposite direction.
âUnfortunately, the reality has not been borne out, and we have not seen a great reduction in civilian casualties by them,â said Georgette Gagnon, the United Nations director of human rights for Afghanistan.
The Taliban rejected the report as little more than a tool of the American strategy. In addition to denouncing the coalitionâs responsibility for innocent Afghan deaths, the group took issue with what it viewed as the United Nationsâs use of the word civilian to describe government employees, like judicial workers.
âCalling them civilians is Unamaâs own judgment,â the statement said, referring to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. âWe donât consider people civilians who are directly involved in our countryâs occupation.â In the past several months, the Taliban have condemned attacks that killed civilians, blaming Afghan and coalition troops for using excessive force. In May, the group denied responsibility for â and condemned â an attack in Jalalabad on the International Committee of the Red Cross, which it sees as impartial.
<bot>: The 23 percent rise in civilian casualties signals the challenge Afghan troops face as they take over the combat role from American forces.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013073119id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/world/asia/civilian-casualties-in-afghanistan-rise-23-percent.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17, 2014.
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday,
Mae Hendon, left, and Nathalie Pataky share a moment on the VTA Lightrail on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2014 in Santa Clara, Calif. 49ers fans came from all over the Bay Area to attend the first game at the Levi's Stadium.
Mae Hendon, left, and Nathalie Pataky share a moment on the VTA Lightrail on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2014 in Santa Clara, Calif. 49ers fans came from all over the Bay Area to attend the first game at the Levi's
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17, 2014.
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday,
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17, 2014.
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday,
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17, 2014.
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday,
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17, 2014.
49er's fans board a VTA light rail train as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday,
49er's fans walk along fencing leading them to a VTA light rail station as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17, 2014.
49er's fans walk along fencing leading them to a VTA light rail station as they leave Levi's Stadium during halftime of the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos
VTA light rail trains wait for passengers on Tasman Dr. as Levi's Stadium hosts the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17, 2014.
VTA light rail trains wait for passengers on Tasman Dr. as Levi's Stadium hosts the first preseason football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, August 17,
Depending on your point of departure from within the city, foregoing overpriced parking for transfer-filled public transit will cost about $16 round-trip. That includes BART and VTA fares.
Depending on your point of departure from within the city, foregoing overpriced parking for transfer-filled public transit will cost about $16 round-trip. That includes BART and VTA fares.
VTA expected to sell 2,500 49ers train tickets to Levi's, have only sold 11
The 49ers can count on 11 fans coming to tonight's game, and possibly no more.
Santa Clara VTA has only sold 11 49ers Express Train season passes so far, reports NBC Bay Area. They'd planned to sell 2,500 passes.
"It's not going as well as we hoped," VTA spokeswoman Stacey Hendler Ross told NBC Bay Area in the understatement of the year.
The 49ers Express Train passes are billed as a quicker way for fans to get to Levi's Stadium, although that claim has also come up short. VTA admitted that the express stadium trains are often stuck behind regular VTA trains, delaying them by three or four minutes each.
Express train tickets cost $149 per person for the full season or $20 per game. With the express train ticket, fans are allowed to board trains first (which sounds like a recipe for a French Revolution-style platform uprising).
Regular round-trip tickets are $4.
Since 2014, VTA told NBC Bay Area it has lost $500,000 a year running stadium service due to extra trains, extra drivers and overtime pay. They were hoping the express train packages would help them break even.
"We're sending people to the Niners games with taxpayer money," Hendler Ross told NBC. "And the 49ers have not stepped up to help us recover the costs.
"We think they could be doing something more to offset this service."
<bot>: Seriously. Eleven.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20160913095710id_/http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/VTA-49ers-express-train-tickets-sales-9217741.php
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Doug Hempstead is CBC Ottawa's traffic specialist and can be heard on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning and All In A Day. Sometimes, he even sleeps. Originally from the Ottawa Valley, he is a musician and family man - married with two daughters. Doug is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience in the region covering all types of news. He welcomes your input on traffic issues and can be called directly while the shows are airing at 613-288-6900. Tweet him at @cbcotttraffic or @DougHempstead. His e-mail is doug.hempstead@cbc.ca.
<bot>: Follow live traffic news for Ottawa and Gatineau every weekday morning starting at 6 a.m., and every weekday afternoon starting at 3 p.m.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015091519id_/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-and-gatineau-traffic-updates-for-sept-15-2015-1.3065860
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Google Glass, Google's most exciting, as-yet-unfinished experiment, may finally be moving officially out of the "Project" phase. On Wednesday, the search giant launched an application contest to let regular people from all walks of life try out the head-mounted, augmented reality "glasses." They simply have to prove they deserve it.
To kick off the "contest" Google launched a new Glass web site (See? No "Project" in the site name). The Spartan destination features just three links: "How it Feels," "What It does" and most importantly, "How to Get one."
The first link is a point-of view video (see below), compiled from dozens of Glass wearers. All we can say is that their lives look a lot more exciting than ours. The second link explains in a running gallery just what Glass does and how it works. It walks through the built-in voice recognition, on-board, hands-free video recording, voice recognition, and photo and video capture, on-the-spot shareability, helpful overlays like directions, built in search and translation, and a bit about the design.
This is also the first time we're seeing all the color options: Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, Cotton and Sky.
The last link described the application process. Owing to the somewhat usual nature of Google Glass, this process may not be what you expect. Google wants to know what you'll do with wearable technology. They even launched a hashtag, "#ifihadglass, but you’ll have to make your case in 50 words or less on either Google+ or Twitter (no Facebook for now).
You can enrich your plea with up to five photos and a short 15 second (max) video. Google plans on contacting winning applicants on Google+ and/or Twitter and suggests you follow "+ProjectGlass" on Google+ and "@ProjectGlass" on Twitter.
Up until now, the only people wearing Google Glass have been Google employees, developers (those who made it into the initial Explorer program) and Sergey Brin. In an email to Mashable, a Google spokesperson explained that Google is now ready to extend the Explorer program to a more "diverse group, with people from all sorts of backgrounds, hobbies, jobs and lifestyles."
Google's accepting applications until February 27. And, no, winners will not be receiving a free pair of the pricey eyewear. Google's web site says, "Explorers will each need to pre-order a Glass Explorer Edition for $1,500 plus tax and attend a special pick-up experience, in person, in New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles."
Are you ready to drop $1,500 and start wearing Google's brand of a head-mounted computer? Let us know in the comments if you applied and link to the Tweet or Google+ post you used to try and win.
BONUS: Inside Google's Top Secret Glass Foundry Event
<bot>: On Wednesday, the search giant launched an application contest to let regular people from all walks of life try out Google Glass, its head-mounted, augmented reality project. They simply have to prove they deserve it.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013022019id_/http://mashable.com/2013/02/20/get-google-glass/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The issue of how to weigh the cost of paying insurance brokers under the new federal health care law is up for debate again, even though state regulators made their final recommendations last year.
In a letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners sent on Tuesday, Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, the West Virginia Democrat, expressed concern that the brokers would succeed in persuading regulators and lawmakers to change the health care law so that their commissions would not be included in the calculation of health insurer administrative expenses.
Under the law’s rules governing an insurance company’s minimum medical loss ratio, insurers must spend at least 85 cents out of every dollar they collect in premiums on the health care of their customers. While acknowledging the important role brokers play in helping people buy insurance policies on their own, the regulators included the cost of commissions in their calculation of administrative expenses.
The brokers and others, including some state regulators, are now actively lobbying to exclude commissions, and Senator Rockefeller said he is against the new treatment of these costs.
“I cannot support a proposal that would allow agents, brokers, and health insurance companies to retain the estimated $1 billion in benefits that American consumers will receive next year thanks to the health care reform law,” Mr. Rockefeller wrote to Susan E. Voss, the Iowa regulator who is now president of the association.
For brokers, the decision about how to count commissions is critical to determining how and how much they are going to be paid.
As Senator Rockefeller notes in his letter, some of the health insurers have already signaled they plan to cut commissions as a way of lowering their expenses to meet the new rules. Some brokers have also discussed moving toward more of a fee-based system of being paid, where the person or company buying coverage would pay a fee for the broker’s services.
In his letter, Senator Rockefeller emphasized that he expects “independent agents and brokers will play a crucial role in this new marketplace, and that they will benefit from these higher potential sales volumes.”
Like the insurers, he argues brokers may make less profit on each transaction, there should be many more transactions.
For its part, the National Association of Health Underwriters, which represents the brokers, is arguing strenuously that its members’ very livelihood is at stake. The new rules are “currently having a devastating financial impact on the country’s approximately half-million licensed professional health insurance agents and brokers,” wrote the association’s chief executive, Janet Trautwein, to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in a letter last January.
“Many agents are seeing a net reduction of their business incomes of 30 to 50 percent. This means that fewer agents and brokers will be able to afford to stay in business, and many will have to begin reducing services to their clients and cutting jobs,” she said.
Expect more discussion in the coming weeks. A Politico story on Tuesday suggested the issue could gain some traction among lawmakers.
What’s your opinion on how brokers’ commissions should be treated under the health care law? Feel free to respond in the comments section below.
<bot>: A senator questions whether there's a move afoot to undo what had appeared to be an agreement on calculating insurance expenses.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2011031519id_/http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/the-debate-over-brokers-fees/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: When you think about Subway restaurants, you probably don't think, "Great place to go when you're super drunk," unless you're the ex-leader of the '90s R&B group Jodeci.
TMZ has learned DeVante Swing -- real name Donald DeGrate Jr. -- was arrested at a Subway in Burbank, CA this past weekend. Cops say he was so hammered, he couldn't even walk straight ... and it was all caught on tape.
Law enforcement sources tell us police received a call from a concerned citizen around 5:00 PM on Sunday after DeVante was sloppily crashing into tables and falling on the floor.
When officers arrived, they arrested the 41-year-old singer for being drunk in public -- and hauled him to a nearby jail.
We're told DeVante was released around 11 PM after cops determined he had finally sobered up, but we're told he won't be charged with a crime.
<bot>: When you think about Subway restaurants, you probably don't think, Great place to go when you're super drunk ... unless you're the ex-leader of the '90s R&B group Jodeci.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010111319id_/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/11/12/jodeci-singer-arrested-toasted-subway/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Justin Bieber was at a recording studio in Australia Sunday night ... and a woman who was there claims she was drugged -- but other people at the studio say nothing like that happened.
In a social media post, the girl, an Australian model named Bailey Scarlett, says she was invited to the studio in Melbourne, Australia and poured herself a drink of vodka and lemonade. She claims she set the drink down and was chatting with some other girls there.
However, not long after that -- Scarlett says she began to feel woozy and her vision became blurred. She says she began to cry and Justin sat down with her to calm her down.
Scarlett says she then went outside after her condition got worse and the police were called.
Law enforcement in Melbourne tells TMZ, they responded to a call at the location for a woman who "believed her drink had been spiked." She was then taken to a local hospital and advised to make an official report about the incident. We're told at this point she has not yet filed a report.
Jimi Wyatt, who owns the recording studio, says they have reviewed footage from the event and claims Bailey's cup is visible the entire time -- he says her drink was never touched. Alex McDonnell, who organized the event, tells TMZ he believes the girl was having a panic attack.
Bailey Scarlett has since made the post private claiming it was for legal reasons.
<bot>: Justin Bieber was at a recording studio in Australia Sunday night ... and a woman who was there claims she was drugged -- but other people at the…
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015100419id_/http://www.tmz.com/2015/09/27/justin-bieber-girl-drugged-australia-police-listening-party/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard scores 18 points and grabs six rebounds against Kris Humphries and the Nets Friday night.
ORLANDO — Dwight Howard rubbed it in Friday night, intentionally or not, smiling and dancing his way through a celebration at the Nets’ expense. The crowd cheered his half-commitment to Orlando for another season of speculation, and then his teammates huddled around to watch him limbo-style dance for what apparently is a pregame ritual. His team pounded the Nets, 86-70, before Magic owner Rich DeVos rolled into the locker room in his wheelchair to applaud the Orlando journalists for their great stories. It seems the entire city bought into Howard’s pledge of “loyalty.” The Nets, meanwhile, are hoping for something more concrete from Deron Williams. Williams is a family man first, the rare kind of star athlete who would bring his entire family — wife and four kids — with him to Turkey while he played overseas during the lockout. So unlike Howard, Williams isn’t going to roll the dice with his future. He’s telling the Nets to roll theirs, saying Friday that he won’t follow Howard’s lead and exercise the one-year option on his contract. “I’m not going to opt-in. It’s not monkey see, monkey do,” Williams said. “Wherever I go is hopefully where I’m going to retire.” Williams didn’t play Friday night because of a sore calf, sitting at the end of the Nets' bench to watch his team’s latest flop, which seemed like a schedule-maker’s cruel joke. Beforehand there was a festive atmosphere celebrating Howard's decision Wednesday to waive his early termination option — and thus spurn the Nets, who had hoped to acquire him either via trade this week or as a free agent this summer — but the excitement was sapped by a blowout. Howard played 33 ho-hum minutes, finishing with 18 points and six rebounds. Williams and Howard had conspired during the lockout to play together, but Howard’s stunning about-face killed that dream. Howard couldn’t make up his mind, so his reputation suffered. Williams has played his impending free agency with a consistent message, therefore avoiding the criticism that distressed Howard. “I can’t be worried about Dwight Howard,” Williams said. “I have to worry about Deron Williams. I’m not (going through the same things) because I’ve said all year I’m going to play this whole year out and see what happens.” Williams can sign a five-year deal with the Nets or a four-year deal elsewhere in the offseason, earning about $30 million more over the life of the contract by playing in Brooklyn. After Friday, it’s clear Williams will either stay long-term or go forever.
<bot>: Deron Williams didn't play Friday night's game in Orlando because of a sore calf, sitting at the end of the Nets' bench to watch his team's latest atrocity - an 86-70 loss Friday to the Magic that seemed like a schedule-maker's cruel joke.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012031719id_/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/a-day-dwight-howard-waives-contract-option-nj-nets-lose-orlando-magic-deron-williams-sits-sore-calf-article-1.1041182
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Nothing is screamingly cheap. The easy money has been made in both equities and fixed income. From the low point in March, it seems you can't pick an asset class that hasn't gained something in the area of 60%. That was some fear discount back in March. During this universal recovery, as in most post-recessionary periods, lower-quality high-yield bonds have outperformed quality issues, and lots of smart guys who had the guts and money to buy them at the depths are cashing out--convinced that risks of continued exposure outweigh possible rewards of staying long.
"It's past the time to lighten up, no reason to chase risk assets from currently lofty valuations," says Paul McCulley, managing director at Pimco. "To the contrary, the time has come to begin paring exposure to risk assets, and if their prices continue to rise, paring at an accelerated pace."
That's what Guardian Life Insurance chief investment officer, Thomas G. Sorell, has been doing with his $30 billion portfolio after unexpected gains of 50% in high-yield bonds and leveraged bank loans that he purchased at distressed levels. The problem is that the yield on cash is zero. Cash is trash right now, and promises to continue to be.
Jim Oberweis bought Baidu.com at $79, Ctrip.com at $16. Click here for the latest recommendations on these two stocks and two dozen more small caps and Chinese stocks in the Oberweis Report.
Money market funds, according to latest numbers, are down half a trillion on the year. Stock mutual funds have drawn a measly $5 billion, while taxable bond funds have drawn almost $250 billion, and municipal bond funds $60 billion.
The big winners since the stock market bottomed in March have been emerging-markets stocks, up a stunning 99% on the iShares MSCI EAFE Index ( eem - news - people ). Corporate junk bonds are up 50% as measured by the iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ( HYG - news - people ) ETF, while the iShares iBoxx Investment Grade Corporate Bond ( LQD - news - people ) fund is up a comparatively modest 21%.
The truth is that few investors have taken the risk of equities. Most have taken a more conservative route, though the payoff has been commensurate with stocks. Even some municipal bond funds are up double-digits in the past year.
The reason is that the Fed has resolved to maintain "exceptionally low levels of the Federal funds rate for an extended period." The yield spread is steepest in a very great time, allowing traders to borrow dollars at zero cost to hold securities yielding anywhere from 3.4% on 10-year Treasuries to 6% to 8% on riskier corporate paper.
Canadian energy trusts yield 11% and higher. Preferred shares and master limited partnerships get you 8% and better. Where are your best buys for yield? Click here for instant access to the model portfolios in Forbes-Lehmann Income Securities Investor.
So, what to do? Guardian Life's Sorell is putting money to work at 5% in residential mortgage-backed bonds with three- to four-year maturities--a risk worth taking. He's also ventured more bravely into 10-year BB corporate bonds yielding 8%--good if you feel comfortable taking the risk. That's kosher for life insurance companies that can afford to hold to maturity.
In the bigger picture, though, there's a major disconnect between stocks and Treasuries. Stocks are predicting a V-shaped recovery, while bonds are forecasting a more subdued U-shaped recovery--maybe even the dreaded W brand of a double-dip recession. I'm going to give greater weight to the clues I'm getting from the bond market, for I learned a valuable lesson in 2007 to scrutinize the credit markets as a hint of what's in store for equity markets.
Yes, there is euphoria baked into the prices of gold and oil, and money is pouring into Asian markets threatening another possible bubble. Behind all the combustible elements that could trigger inflation are still sizable deflationary forces, like the potential disasters lurking in commercial U.S. real estate. Stock market bulls do not see the bearish signals being sent by the vulnerable part of the credit markets. Is there a trillion-dollar meltdown coming in commercial real estate, or has it already been discounted?
We are back to levels seen in 2007 and early 2008 in some credit markets, as represented by the action in the residential mortgage-backed bond index, ABX, a prime indicator of the credit quality of subprime real estate loans. The ABX Triple A index is only 31 cents on the dollar, having fallen 50% since May, contrary to the euphoria in equity and bond markets.
Even more worrisome is the Armageddon reading for the commercial real estate index, CMBX. The cost of protecting non-investment-grade mortgages on commercial projects has skyrocketed to 3250 basis points, more than three times greater than the cost of insuring commercial real estate loans back in June. It translates into an annual $3.2 million premium for insuring $10 million in real estate.
There's also the peril of prolonged U.S. budget deficits. We're talking about the long-term financial deterioration of the United States. Look at the Fed's total net borrowing and lending in credit markets. The numbers of the domestic nonfinancial sector are down by over a trillion dollars; the private sector is deleveraging.
Meanwhile, the public sector--state, local and national governments--are adding debt. What does it mean if the U.S. loses its triple-A credit rating next year? Or if its $12 trillion in outstanding government securities become rated "junk bonds."
The recession is over and all is well, right? Wrong. Click here to get Gary Shilling's latest advice and forecast in the November issue of his Insightnewsletter.
Consider that the present value of Uncle Sam's liabilities, including Social Security and Medicare, is four times the value of the nation's economy. The cost of servicing that debt could be $2.5 trillion, according to William Cline of the Peterson Institute. That $2.5 trillion is equal to the nation's entire cost of health care today.
Opines Richard Clarida, Pimco global strategic adviser, "The relative attractiveness of U.S. assets has [declined] and will likely continue to decline, and global investors may seek to rebalance away from their 60% increase in their net exposure to U.S. assets that occurred in 2008. This is negative for the dollar, and also likely negative for the relative performance of U.S. equities."
So, if you trust the fellows who manage one of the largest accumulations in the world of other people's money, you should bloody well not be greedy. Take your large profits that seemed hard to imagine a year ago.
The markets may have more run in them due to all the cash on the sidelines and the bullish sentiments evident on blogs and cable television.
But the bottom line is that it's getting very hard to find obviously undervalued shares, or other assets for that matter. Don't obsess right now about getting zero income; it's better than double-digit losses.
<bot>: Odds are the huge rebound since March has run its course. And even though it yields nothing, it's time to raise cash.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2009121319id_/http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/20/pimco-high-yield-personal-finance-investing-ideas-life-insurance.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: The level of gun violence in the top selling PG-13 movies has risen dramatically, and now exceeds that of more restrictive R-rated films, according to a study published in the December issue of Pediatrics.
Violent shootings within leading PG-13 films have tripled since the rating was introduced in 1985, researchers found. In 2009, the levels of gun violence in such movies rose as high as those rated R. But by 2012, a year when Hollywood blockbusters The Avengers, The Amazing Spiderman and Taken 2, an action thriller starring Liam Neeson, were all rated PG-13, the levels of gun violence surpassed those aimed at older audiences by a "significant" margin.
"Most parents would be horrified to learn that the very films that target young people are the ones with the most violence" said Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology of the Ohio State University and the study's lead author.
"Parents rely on these ratings to make decisions about that is appropriate for their children."
Researchers from the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Ohio State University said their findings were troubling, given the large body of research evidence showing that violent media can have harmful effects on children and youth. They cited the "weapons effect" a finding that just the sight or depiction of a gun can make people behave more aggressively. They also said that, with ready access to the internet and cable, children no longer need to go a movie theatre to view films, making it more likely PG-13 movies can be watched by younger children.
The study, "Gun Violence Trends in Movies", analysed 945 movies, sampled from the 30 top-grossing movies every year from 1950 to 2012. They found the level of violence overall doubled during this period.
In 1985, when PG-13 was first introduced, the level of violence in such movies was similar to that in movies rated G and PG.
“It’s disturbing that PG-13 movies are filled with so much gun violence,” said Dan Romer, director of the Adolescent Communication Institute of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) and a co-author of the study. “We know that movies teach children how adults behave, and they make gun use appear exciting and attractive.”
Romer said that not all of the most popular films analysed from 2012 had a high level of gun violence. PG-13 movies the Hunger Games and Snow White and the Huntsman, although violent films, had no guns, he said. But those films served to bring down the average, he said.
Violent encounters with guns, defined by the study as a shooting of a live target, now occur on average 2.6 times an hour in PG-13 movies, it found. In a two-hour movie, that could represent five five minute segments of gun violence, Romer said.
The researchers acknowledged that, by focussing on the top selling movies, their study could also reflect a desire among teenagers for violent films.
Romer said: "Clearly these are popular. Partly the reason they get that boost in popularity is that [when rated PG-13] children can get in without a parent having to buy a ticket. If a five-year-old had an older brother, they could get in."
By definition, a PG-13 movies is supposed to have less violence than an R movies. The Motion Picture Association of America says on its website that the violence in a PG-13 movie "does not reach the restricted R category".
When contacted by the Guardian, the MPAA declined to comment.
<bot>: Researchers say most successful PG-13 films feature gun violence 2.6 times an hour, triple since MPAA ratings began
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2013111219id_/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/11/pg13-movies-more-gun-violence-ratings
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Reid Cherner and Tom Weir have been with USA TODAY since 1982 and they have written Game On! since March 2008.
Reid has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.
Tom has covered every Summer and Winter Olympics since 1984, and has made numerous trips to the Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four and NBA Finals. In 2009, he put more miles on his bicycle than on his car.
Michael McCarthy and Michael Hiestand have more in common than their first names.
Both have covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY. Both have tackled the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.
But they usually come at things from different directions, and it's no wonder. Hiestand is an Oregon native who went to Stanford while McCarthy is a native New Yorker who went to St. John's.
Sign up for Game On e-mail alerts
<bot>: Golfer John Daly is lamenting the past and present of Arkansas football but is looking to the future for his alma mater.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012041119id_/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/04/john-daly-wants-jon-gruden-to-come-to-arkansas/1
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Fighting for bin space can be one of the worst parts of modern air travel. (iStock)
Airlines are trying to save time by speeding up a part of flying that creates delays even before the plane leaves the gate: the boarding process.
This summer travel season, Delta plans to preload carry-on bags above passengers' seats on some flights. Southwest wants to get families seated together more quickly.
Airlines have tinkered with different boarding systems almost since the days of Orville and Wilbur Wright, who tossed a coin to decide who would fly first aboard their biplane. Plenty of people have offered ideas for improvement, but no perfect method has ever emerged.
Most airlines let first-class and other elite customers board first. After that, some carriers fill the rear rows and work toward the front. Others fill window seats and work toward the aisle. Some use a combination of the two. Airlines have also tried other tricks, like letting people board early if they do not have aisle-clogging carry-on bags.
It's not trivial stuff. With many flights full, anxious passengers know that boarding late means there might not be any room left in the overhead bin.
And it matters to the airlines. Slow boarding creates delays, which mean missed connections, unhappy customers and extra costs.
Researchers from Northern Illinois University once figured that every extra minute that a plane stands idle at the gate adds $30 in costs. About 1 in 4 U.S. flights runs at least 15 minutes late. Multiply that by thousands of flights each day, and it quickly adds up for the industry.
Delta's Early Valet service will offer to have airline employees take carry-on bags at the gate and put them in the bins above assigned seats. The airline wants to see if its own workers can load the bins faster than passengers.
The service began Monday on about two dozen flights, and that number is expected to rise steadily during June, Delta spokeswoman Morgan Durrant said.
Early Valet will be offered through August on some departures from Delta's busiest airports — Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Seattle.
It will be available only on flights that typically have a high number of vacationers. Presumably, business travelers know how to board a plane efficiently. Specially tagged bags will be stowed on the plane before boarding begins, Durrant said.
Delta tested the process last summer in Atlanta and Los Angeles and saw some reduction in boarding time, Durrant said.
Gary Leff, co-founder of frequent-flier website MilePoint, said the service will be the biggest help to passengers in the final boarding groups — the ones most likely to find the overhead bins full. Their bags will go in the cabin instead of being gate-checked as cargo.
"This has the potential to come across as a nice, high-end service," Leff said, "but I'm skeptical that it will go mainstream" because of labor costs.
Southwest Airlines wants to reduce complaints that families can't find seats together because flights are so crowded.
Unlike most airlines, Southwest does not offer assigned seats. Instead, passengers line up at the gate by group — first "A," then "B'' and finally "C'' — and pick their seat once they are on the plane. The system lets families board together after the "A'' group, but only with children up to 4. Some families pay extra for priority boarding to improve their odds.
Flight attendants often have to ask other passengers to move to accommodate older children or families that don't get to the gate on time. That usually works, said Teresa Laraba, a senior vice president who oversees customer service, but Southwest recently tested expanding family boarding to include children up to 6, 8 or 11.
"We've always tried to finesse it," Laraba said, but the test is designed to see "if there is a tweak that would improve the overall experience for everyone."
The airline is now surveying customers and expects to make a decision in a few weeks, she said.
<bot>: Delta plans to preload carry-on bags above passengers' seats on some flights.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015060719id_/http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2015/06/04/airlines-look-to-speed-up-boarding-delta-testing-pre-load-carry-on-program/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: In New York’s mixed-income buildings, market-rate tenants live right next door to low-income tenants.
Brandon Deese lives just a few blocks from where he grew up, but it might as well be another world.
Mr. Deese, 23, spent his childhood at the Chelsea-Elliott Houses, a public-housing project in the West 20’s. But last year, thanks to a housing lottery, he beat out thousands of others for an affordable apartment at the Chelsea Park, a luxury rental at 260 West 26th Street.
“I used to go downstairs and see crack heads and drug dealers, and now when I go downstairs I see doormen,” said Mr. Deese, who himself works as a night doorman on the Upper West Side. He pays $540 a month for a studio, a discount of about 83 percent from the market-rate rent, which is around $3,200 a month, according to listings on StreetEasy.
Private developers have taken advantage of various programs to construct more than 100 mixed-income buildings like the Chelsea Park over the past two decades, mostly in Manhattan and gentrified parts of Brooklyn. In these buildings, the majority of apartments are market rate, with set-asides, typically 20 percent, for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. In return for including these units, developers can receive lucrative tax abatements, permission to construct larger buildings and bond financing.
The competition for these units in these buildings, often called 80/20s, is fierce. Thousands of New Yorkers apply, but the stipulations are strict. There are income requirements and applicants must provide extensive documentation, such as pay stubs, telephone bills and bank statements. Good credit is also a necessity, typically a score of 650 or more. Making even one mistake, such as mailing an application express rather than by regular mail, can disqualify you from a lottery. Developers are generally required to give preference to those who live in the area.
Under Mayor Bill de Blasio, these mixed-income developments could become even more widespread. The administration has set a goal of financing the construction or preservation of 200,000 affordable units over the next 10 years. One approach is likely to be mandatory inclusionary zoning, whereby developers are required to include a certain number of lower-priced housing units within a market-rate project when building in neighborhoods that have been rezoned to allow for more density. In the past, that program has been voluntary.
“Our goal is really to foster more economically diverse neighborhoods,” said Alicia Glen, the deputy mayor for housing and economic development. “We are committed to increasing affordable housing production, and making sure we create more mixed-income projects in the process.”
For many people, the current system is working, even with the occasional problems that inevitably crop up.
Farse Omar, 27, grew up with Mr. Deese at the Chelsea-Elliott Houses, although he, too, left public housing recently for a nearby luxury rental building, on West 28th Street. That move almost didn’t happen.
Last October, Mr. Omar was walking to Public School 41 in the West Village, where he works part time as a teacher’s aide, when he saw a woman handing out fliers. “I went right by her and thought nothing of it,” he said. “But then, when I was halfway down the block, I thought better of it and went back and took one.”
On the flier was information for a housing lottery for the AVA High Line, a sprawling development at 525 West 28th Street. The rental building is adjacent to the elevated park and features a backyard fire pit, a fitness center and an enormous lobby resembling a furniture showroom, with artfully hung mirrors, scattered seating areas and bookshelves stocked playfully with board games like Monopoly. The building, which has 710 market-rate apartments, offered 142 affordable spaces — 50 studios, 69 one-bedrooms and 23 two-bedrooms. Mr. Omar entered the lottery, setting his sights on a studio, which required applicants to earn between $19,749 and $36,120 a year.
Mr. Omar, who earns $22,000 a year, won a spot, and in June moved into a $520-a-month studio; for a market-rate apartment in the building, rent starts at $3,065 a month, according to the building’s website.
Like some but not all mixed-income buildings, the AVA High Line allows all residents to use amenities such as the backyard and the lounge, although the fitness center costs an additional $500 a year, a fee Mr. Omar says he is unlikely to pay.
Though under the same roof, low-income and market-rate apartments are not identical.
“There are significant differences between affordable and market-rate rents,” said Martin Piazzola, a senior vice president of AvalonBay, the building’s developer. “There are of course some differences between the units in finishes — stainless steel versus solid colors in kitchens — but appliances are similar and of the same size.”
Mr. Omar, who was living with his mother when the lottery wheel — actually a computer — spun his way, said renting the studio has made him more mature; he’s now keeping a budget and shopping for himself, for example.
“Since moving in, I’ve become more independent,” Mr. Omar said recently, standing among a group of summer campers as he organized a game of kickball. In addition to working as a part-time teacher’s aide, Mr. Omar is also an activities coordinator at the Hudson Guild, a neighborhood community center. “I don’t really know exactly what I want to do, if I want to continue working two jobs. But moving out on my own has forced me to become more responsible and to think about those things.”
Ray Bell, 24, is Mr. Deese’s neighbor at the Chelsea Park. Mr. Bell works in finance and moved to the building from Murray Hill last month with two roommates. He did not know, until a reporter told him, that interspersed among the luxury apartments were low-income units.
“I had no idea, no one ever told us,” Mr. Bell said.
“If someone asks, I’m perfectly happy to explain it,” said Adam Disick, the chief executive of the Triumph Property Group, which leases out the Chelsea Park with the Heller Organization. “I would not disclose it without being asked because I don’t think it is material to leasing the apartment. It isn’t like I would say, ‘Hey, the person next door to you is a banker and makes $3 million,’ or ‘The person on the other side won a housing lottery.’ It is a delicate balance, but if they ask, I’m fully transparent.”
Building policies vary. For instance, the AVA High Line website notes at the bottom of a list of “social features”: “Affordable housing available.” And some market-rate residents are well aware that there are lower incomes under the same roof.
“It is pretty obvious,” said Matt Amico, a real estate broker at Urban Compass and a market-rate tenant of the Westminster, a luxury rental at 180 West 20th Street. Some residents of the building’s affordable units spend a lot of time in the lobby with their laptops, making use of the free Wi-Fi service, said Mr. Amico, who knows some of them. “It is a rental building, and you know going into it that it’s an 80/20, so it isn’t a big deal,” he said. “And if it is a big deal, then you won’t go there.”
Like most New Yorkers who live in close quarters, tenants in mixed-income buildings rarely socialize beyond a polite nod of the head or a brief wave. And while they may live in the same neighborhood, they tend to patronize different stores — Mr. Omar, for example, does his food shopping at Western Beef, a grocery store on West 16th, where prices are a far cry from the $5 iced coffees at the Chelsea Market across the street.
Yet while they may not overlap often, there is occasional friction between the two groups. At the Westminster, for example, Mr. Amico said he has heard some grumbling about the tenants hanging out in the lobby, and notices have been posted reminding residents of proper lobby etiquette, although a spokeswoman for the building’s owner, the Related Companies, said she knew of no complaints.
For Mr. Deese, who is African-American and stands at an imposing 6-foot-1, there have been some uncomfortable moments. He and a friend were walking out of Mr. Deese’s apartment and down the hallway when a white neighbor, seeing them approach, “slammed her front door, locking all the locks,” he said. “It was ridiculous, because the door locks automatically when you close it, so no one ever uses the extra locks.”
Mr. Omar, who only just moved into the AVA High Line, is still a bit self-conscious of his status. “If there was a building-wide social event, like drinks or something, I would go, but I would want to bring a friend,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to show up and stand out, like, ‘Oh, there goes the low-income guy.’ ”
In most of these 80/20s, the affordable and market-rate units are interspersed throughout the same building, and the two groups of tenants live cheek by jowl.
At some mixed-income developments, however, the affordable apartments and the market-rate units are in separate buildings. And then there is the so-called poor door, a separate entrance for nonmarket-rate tenants. That setup has come under fire in recent months, and the city says it is working to revamp a 2009 change in the zoning regulations that allowed 40 Riverside Boulevard, for example, to have the separate entrances.
“It reminds you of who you are,” said Daisy Fermin, 34, of her living situation in the affordable low-rise component of the high-rise Edge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Her building, at 34 North Sixth Street, has neither a doorman nor amenities, and its small lobby is painted an institutional green, with just a few wilting houseplants and an ATM machine. It is a far cry from its sister building, a market-rate luxury tower just a few doors down, where residents enjoy unimpeded views of the water, numerous amenities and a soaring lobby with a fireplace, glossy tiles and a concierge. Douglaston Development, which declined to comment, constructed both buildings as part of a mixed-income project.
“These people have an amazing building with a pool, all kinds of amenities. I can see it through my window, but it isn’t like I can go in there myself,” said Ms. Fermin, who works as an eligibility specialist at the New York City Human Resources Administration. She earns $31,500 a year, and her rent is $976 a month. Her take-home pay, she said, is $1,600 a month, “and rent is almost a thousand, so it doesn’t leave me much.”
Because of the rising rents, and an apartment that she says features vinyl countertops that buckle when they get wet and tile floors that chip, Ms. Fermin is looking to re-enter the housing lottery and move.
But the housing lottery is a formidable process. “They tell you to submit the application by regular mail — not express, not registered mail — and you have to follow every direction perfectly or you will be disqualified,” said Natalia Padilla, an agent at Citi Habitats, who has applied to the housing lottery herself and has helped clients with their applications.
When Ms. Fermin was applying for the studio on North Sixth Street, for example, she was rejected twice and appealed both times. “At one point they said I made too much, then they said I made too little, then finally they said I made the right amount. I was like Goldilocks.”
With the number of mixed-income developments expected to jump — about 1,100 new affordable apartments are to come online in Downtown Brooklyn alone over the next three years, according to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership — housing advocates, often in conjunction with developers, have begun holding tutorials to help applicants through the process.
Some are also pushing to soften the strict income cap requirements, which dictate that applicants must earn a certain amount — and not a dollar less or a dollar more — while still having strong credit and the ability to cover the rent. Another concern is that many mixed-income developments exclude very low-income New Yorkers in favor of higher earners, and that many of the buildings have studio and one-bedroom apartments, with few larger units for families.
“The perception is that developers are happy to have singles and couples, young professional types who may be income-eligible, rather than larger low-income families,” said Brad Lander, a member of the New York City Council, representing the 39th District in Brooklyn. “You don’t get more subsidy for larger units, but they are more expensive to build, so there is an economic incentive to build smaller apartments.”
Developers also struggle with the lottery, including the painstaking process of wading through thousands of applications to find those that meet all the criteria. At the Chelsea Park, for example, 15,000 applicants made a bid for just 51 apartments. For those who make it through the sieve, the effect can be profound.
“It has changed my life,” Mr. Deese said. “Some people may look at me and see this minority guy, and maybe put their head down, but I don’t mind,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m there, that I’m 23 with my own place. I always thought I would live good, but just not this soon.”
<bot>: Private developers have built more than 100 mixed-income buildings over the past decade, mostly in Manhattan and gentrified parts of Brooklyn.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014090419id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/realestate/affordable-housing-in-new-yorks-luxury-buildings.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: From Amy Adams to James Earl Jones, these A-listers have missed out on the ultimate acting prize — many, many times.
Peter O'Toole Nominated 8 times. The “Lawrence of Arabia” star received an honorary award in 2003, but never won an acting Oscar for any of his roles. Reed Saxon/AP
<bot>: From Amy Adams to James Earl Jones, these A-listers have missed out on the ultimate acting prize — many, many times.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015022219id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-stars-you-think-have-acting-oscars--but-have-never-actually-won/2015/02/17/4f8757ce-ad60-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_gallery.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: SAO PAULO – Brazilian police are investigating the case of an elderly woman who was declared dead — only to wake up hours later inside a coffin in a funeral home.
The 88-year-old woman died two days after the incident and police in Minas Gerais state want to know if poor medical care and the misdiagnosis contributed to her death.
The O Globo newspaper, citing a press release from the Ipatinga mayor's office, says doctors thought Maria das Dores da Conceicao died Wednesday afternoon. She awoke inside the coffin four hours later and was rushed back to the hospital.
The mayor's statement said she died Friday. It did not give a cause, but said she suffered from hypertension.
Calls to the Ipatinga hospital, police and mayor's office were not answered late Sunday.
<bot>: Brazilian police are investigating the case of an elderly woman who was declared dead — only to wake up hours later inside a coffin in a funeral home.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010122719id_/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/12/26/brazil-woman-buried-alive-dies-days-later/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Rose Gray, a founder and chef of the River Café in London, a restaurant that transformed the image of Italian cooking in Britain by emphasizing fresh ingredients and authentic country dishes, died Sunday at her home in London. She was 71.
Jonathan Player for The New York Times
Rose Gray, left, and Ruth Rogers at the River Café in 2004.
The cause was cancer, her business partner and fellow chef, Ruth Rogers, said.
Ms. Gray and Ms. Rogers opened the River Café in 1987 in a converted warehouse on the Thames in Hammersmith. Instead of cliché trattoria staples like spaghetti Bolognese, they offered northern Italian cucina rustica peasant dishes like grilled polenta and Tuscan bread soup, made with seasonal ingredients often flown in from Italian markets. The wine list was all Italian. The desserts, led by the signature “chocolate nemesis” cake, were killers.
“North Italian is what the River Café does with greater brio than has ever been done before in London,” wrote Jonathan Meades, the restaurant critic for The Times of London in 1988, when he conferred his annual Good Taste awards. “Indeed, it does north Italian home cooking with a greater brio than any north Italian restaurant in Italy seems capable of.”
Like her partner, Ms. Gray was self-taught as a chef. She had developed a passion for Italian home cooking while living in Lucca, Italy, and a liking for New York-style restaurants when she ran the kitchen at Nell’s, a Manhattan club, in 1986.
Impeccably sourced ingredients served in stylishly casual surroundings made the River Café a critical sensation and, in no time, a magnet for a flashy international cast of actors, rock stars, writers and politicians.
Clemency Anne Rose Swann was born on Jan. 28, 1939, in Bedford. Her father, a Royal Air Force pilot, died before her birth in an unsuccessful attempt to save his baby daughter and her nanny from a fire at the family’s timbered manor house.
Ms. Gray grew up believing her father had died during the war and did not discover the truth until she was in her 60s.
After earning a degree at the Guildford School of Art in Surrey, she taught art at a state-run school in East London. In 1961 she married Michael Gray. The marriage ended in divorce. She is survived by her second husband, David MacIlwaine; three children from her first marriage, Hester, Lucy and Ossian, all of London; a son by her second marriage, Dante, also of London; and 11 grandchildren.
With a friend, she started a business making paper lampshades. She also developed a crepe business on the side.
In the early 1980s, the family moved to Lucca. When Mr. MacIlwaine, a sculptor, showed his work in New York in 1985, Ms. Gray was invited to run the kitchen at Nell’s, whose owner, Nell Campbell, was a friend of her first husband’s. She found the work to her liking. On returning to London, she put in a stint cooking at Carluccio’s and then struck up a partnership with Ms. Rogers, a longtime friend, whose husband wanted a place to eat lunch when he opened his new architectural offices in Thames Wharf.
The restaurant opened soon after, with one waiter and one dishwasher. Ms. Gray, a maternal presence, was a dynamo in the kitchen and a missionary for the restaurant’s high-minded back-to-basics philosophy.
A year after opening, the restaurant earned a Michelin star, which it retains. The restaurant has generated a half dozen highly successful cookbooks and the British television series “The Italian Kitchen.”
It has also has been a training ground for dozens of chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and April Bloomfield, the chef and an owner of the Spotted Pig and the Breslin, in Manhattan.
“I really enjoy the sense of theater,” Ms. Gray told The Independent in 1992. “I think you get totally hooked on it I couldn’t stop now. It’s like being an actress onstage.”
<bot>: Ms. Gray was a founder and chef of the River Café in London, a restaurant that transformed the image of Italian cooking in Britain by emphasizing fresh ingredients and authentic country dishes.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2010030219id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/garden/02gray.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Blackstone Group LP on Thursday said its first-quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago on increased selling of corporate stakes and properties by its private-equity and real-estate businesses as the firm topped Wall Street expectations by a healthy margin and said it would pay out the largest quarterly dividend in its history.
Blackstone said it would pay a dividend of 89 cents for the quarter, an increase from 35 cents a year ago. That is more than the firm has paid out in many full years and will produce a...
<bot>: Blackstone Group said its first-quarter profit more than doubled on increased selling of corporate stakes and properties, and said it would pay out the largest quarterly dividend in its history.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015041619id_/http://www.wsj.com/articles/blackstone-earnings-surge-on-selling-of-corporate-stakes-properties-1429183768
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: A tad frivolous? Perhaps. A touch showman-esque? Certainly. But if there’s one item of clothing in a man’s wardrobe that denotes a definite shift from day to night, it’s the evening slipper, a remnant of a latter-day dandyism that’s being revived for the present day by a host of designers from Dolce & Gabbana to Tom Ford. Could there be any more impractical garb for icy climes, than going sockless and bravely donning less-than-substantial slipper in a fabric or patina that isn’t exactly versed for winter weather? Perhaps not, but the potent allure of the evening slipper defies the codes of everyday dressing.
Whether in lustrous velvet or high shine patent, decorated or embroidered – or simply left plain – there’s something deliciously treasure-like about its addition to an ensemble. Given that touches of festive exuberance are distinctly limited within a man’s sartorial framework, existing only in the flash of a cufflink or sheen on a jacquard tuxedo, evening slippers allow a rare hint of exoticism, as associated with after-dark devilry as cocktails and carriages at 1am. They can’t help but set a more seductive mood.
And for those who shy away from their inherent theatricality, it’s wise to note that the full impact of a standout pair of evening slippers works best when the rest of your ensemble is a more subdued affair; a sleek black suit with crisp white shirt is instantly given a charismatic touch with the addition of a jewel-toned pair. They have echoes of the raffish types who once frequented the gentleman’s clubs and dark haunts Jermyn Street before swaying back to their rooms at Albany. They hint at Noel Coward affectedness and – in the case of a jewelled pair of wonders – can’t fail to start a conversation at an awkward drinks party. So forget the adjusting of the tie and angle of the pocket square and go all-out in the most decadent of all men’s accessories.
<bot>: How to mark a shift from day to night during party season? Don a sumptuous pair of lustrous evening slippers
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015121219id_/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/mens-style/94685/the-most-dazzling-evening-slippers-for-men.html
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: <![if ! lte IE 8]> <![endif]>
When it comes to bad news, many companies bury the announcement in a boilerplate press release. Silicon Valley entrepreneur Ryo Chiba decided the best medicine was to narrate his company’s layoffs in excruciating detail.
“I closed my eyes and counted to three while in an empty and dark conference room,” wrote Mr. Chiba, the 26-year-old co-founder of San Francisco marketing startup Tint, in a blog post last month. “I told myself that I was ready to tell my friend and co-worker that I would be laying him off.”
Mr. Chiba’s 3,000-word essay admitted business blunders, revealed Tint’s cash balance, revenue and salaries, and gave an impassioned play-by-play of the “brutal and ugly” process behind layoffs.
“Suddenly, the valve in my heart twists open, and all of the feelings start flooding out: The disappointment, the guilt, the anger, and sadness,” he wrote.
In the more established corporate world, Mr. Chiba’s detailed confession is alien. Fortune 500 CEOs don’t usually unburden themselves so personally or admit mistakes.
But there is a history of introspection and commentary about failure in Silicon Valley startup culture, where success is rare. Founders have found catharsis writing postmortems of their collapsed companies. Conferences examining failure have been created. The mantra “fail fast” has been adopted by a generation of startups.
As investors pull back on funding and startups struggle to stay afloat, some founders and CEOs are taking to the blogs to spill their guts.
“One beautiful Tuesday afternoon, Dmitry and I went out for a late lunch,” wrote Alex Fishman, a co-founder of food-discovery app Dishero Inc., at the start of a 2,000-word blog post last month. “I asked my close friend of 20 years how he was doing. Dmitry answered, ‘Awesome! I love what we’re doing these days!’…Little did we know then, that Dishero, the company we had co-founded a year and a half ago, would be shut down within the next 72 hours as a direct result of his answer.”
The dialogue, Mr. Fishman explained, led to a difficult conversation about the company’s options. He wrote about some of the company’s accomplishments, then noted, “But here is the thing—mediocre success is worse than failure. Much worse.” On Sunday, he posted another 2,300 words about the shutdown’s final 36 hours.
Mr. Fishman, 37, says he wanted to contribute to the entrepreneurial information available online. “I decided to pay it back to the community that I learned from,” he said in an interview. Dmitry Fink, his co-founder, said he helped serve as Mr. Fishman’s editor.
Behind the posts is startup esprit de corps combined with a millennial sharing culture, says Christine Mathews, who runs a human-resources consulting firm catering to startups. “In the millennial generation, what I find is the leadership is focused on transparency,” she says, adding that intense startup atmospheres mean people feel like “we’re all going to live and die by what we do here.”
Mr. Chiba, in an interview, said his values include being truthful and open, recalling a daily blog he published in middle school dealing with adolescent stress. “Now the angsty middle schoolers who used to blog every day on Blogger are becoming CEOs at young companies,” he said.
Entrepreneur Joel Gascoigne wrote a 3,500-word online essay in June explaining why he laid off 10 people. “It’s the result of the biggest mistake I’ve made in my career so far,” wrote Mr. Gascoigne, the 29-year-old co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Buffer Inc. “Even worse, this wasn’t the result of a market change—it was entirely self-inflicted.”
Buffer, which helps people manage their social-media accounts, grew too optimistic last year, nearly tripling its workforce to 94 due in part to “ego and pride,” wrote Mr. Gascoigne.
Excessive hiring meant the company was on course to empty its bank account by this fall, he wrote. “We moved into a house we couldn’t afford,” he continued, outlining how he first cut perks like gym reimbursements, the company’s planned retreat to Berlin and his salary by 40%.
His mea culpa was widely praised online. “Appreciate @buffer transparency,” tweeted Om Malik, a technology investor with no stake in Buffer. “More startups should do this!”
Departing employees were also grateful. “I’m sure there are times you get laid off and you don’t get answers to all your questions,” said Tia Fomenoff, a Buffer account manager hired three months before she was laid off. She appreciated that Mr. Gascoigne acknowledged the layoffs weren’t performance related.
The company shares other unconventional information, including each employee’s salary and its daily revenue. “We already had this trend of sharing things that other people don’t share,” Mr. Gascoigne said, adding that it helps build trust with employees and with customers.
The tone has shifted as venture capital has tightened. Now more startups must support themselves and are pledging allegiance to profitability instead of growth-at-any-cost.
Kevin Gibbon, chief executive of package pickup service Shyp Inc., used some version of “sustainable” five times and “profitability” nine times in a March blog announcing an 8% layoff. Announcing 40 layoffs also in a March blog, Dan Siroker, chief executive of website testing firm Optimizely Inc., said the goal is “controlling our own destiny.”
FailCon, a conference founded in 2008 to talk about failures, continues in other cities, but since 2013, not in San Francisco. Failure became so popular to talk about that it no longer made sense, says the conference creator, Cassie Phillipps.
She points to the startup postmortems available online. “It’s WAY too much,” she said in an email. “It makes a lot of founders think it’s okay to fail. Like it’s a badge you get to wear.”
Even Mr. Chiba’s co-founder, Tim Sae Koo, says there is a limit to sharing. Tint tried regularly publishing its financial numbers in 2014, but stopped in 2015 after a downturn in revenue caused customers to ask hard questions.
“I had full confidence our company is safe,” said Mr. Sae Koo, Tint’s CEO, who once blogged about managing his mental health as a founder. “But needing to explain that over and over distracted me from running the business.”
Mr. Chiba, who says it is therapeutic to hear reaction from his peers, held little back in his post.
“My eyes begin to water and my throat closes up. I try to speak, but can’t. I hoarsely force a couple words out, but stop mid-sentence…How did it get to this?”
—Scott Austin contributed to this article.
<bot>: With investors pulling back on funding, some startup executives use blogs to describe the pain of missteps and layoffs in excruciating detail.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20160721204649id_/http://www.wsj.com:80/articles/emote-control-silicon-valley-slump-has-millennial-ceos-sharing-feelings-1469035848?mod=rss_Technology
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: At 76 years old, Bill Ellermeyer is an elder statesman of the job search world. He founded an Irvine, CA outplacement firm in 1981, which he sold to staffing firm Adecco in 1990, then ran that office as a division of Adecco subsidiary Lee Hecht Harrison until going out on his own as an independent coach in 2004. He specializes in what he calls “career transitions” for people who have lost their jobs at the executive level, mostly from the c-suite or as vice presidents. Some of his clients have been out of work for more than a year when they come to him. He pushes them until they find a new position. After three decades in the career coaching business, he’s come up with eight rules, some counter-intuitive, that he says promise to land his clients a job.
1. Stop looking for a job. Too many unemployed people equate looking for a job with sending out a résumé or answering an ad on a job board. “If you send out 500 résumés to friends, family and companies, nobody is going to take the time to help you,” he says. The only time you should send a résumé is when you’ve established there is a real job at a company for which you’re being considered, or a headhunter is trying to fill an open position and requests one. Instead of presenting yourself as an out-of-work job seeker, come across as a resource. Let people know you can solve problems. Approach your job hunt as a search for quality relationships. Instead hand out business cards that portray you as a consultant.
2. Stop working on your résumé. You need to have a printed résumé but increasing numbers of employers prefer to just look at your LindedIn profile. Also many companies just want the basic facts about your career, rather than a long, carefully crafted story about you in the form of a C.V. I’m not sure I agree with Ellermeyer on this point, but I like his basic advice: Your résumé should be clean, clear, simple and no more than two pages. It makes sense to update it when you’ve made a major accomplishment, like increasing sales by 75% in your department or in journalism, writing a cover story. But you should be able to make those fixes in a few minutes. Do keep your LinkedIn LNKD +1.29% profile up to date.
3. Hold your elevator speech. “After 20 seconds, no one can remember your elevator speech,” contends Ellermeyer. Instead, he recommends telling a story about yourself that runs for 60-90 seconds. “People remember stories,” he says. “Nobody wants to hear facts and figures.” You should come up with a short, possibly humorous moniker for yourself. Ellermeyer calls himself a “connector.” One of his clients branded himself “rent-a-CFO,” and then told a story about how he had gone from project to project over the last year, and how he had found success at each job. Other possible short-hand titles: IT Problem-Solver, Deal Finder, Resource Solution-Finder.
4. Don’t talk about yourself. Instead of leading a conversation with the latest news about your life, says Ellermeyer, “find out how you can serve other people.” Be inquisitive about others and when you learn about them, try to suggest a book or article they may want to read or an event they might want to attend. Many people think that networking requires that they list their accomplishments. But it can be much more effective to ask others about their interests and needs.
5. Don’t go to networking events. Instead try hosting them yourself. Form your own breakfast group of eight or ten people. In other words, create your own network with people you hand-select. Though it’s tempting to sit at your computer and meet virtually, make the effort to get together face-to-face.
6. Take breaks. The job search process can make us pretty emotional, especially when you go on the fifth interview and then you’re told that the firm has hired someone else. “Don’t take your downers to the outside world,” advises Ellermeyer. If you’re having a bad day, do research or catch up on email. I agree with this piece of advice but I also have to acknowledge that it can be awfully tough to keep your spirits up if you’ve been job hunting for a long time with no success. A single day off may help but you might need to seek more support from family and friends.
7. Don’t say you’re unemployed. Instead of presenting yourself as an out-of-work executive, hand over a business card. Remember, you’re not out of work. You’re just between jobs.
8. Avoid headhunters. Headhunters only handle roughly 10% of the available jobs. Also, they’re working for companies and not for you. After you’ve made sure your résumé is in their database, move on.
This is an update of a story that ran previously.
<bot>: At 76 years old, Bill Ellermeyer is an elder statesman of the job search world. He founded an Irvine, CA outplacement firm in 1981, which he sold to staffing firm Adecco in 1990, then ran that office as a division of Adecco subsidiary Lee Hecht Harrison until going out on [...]
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2014082719id_/http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/08/27/eight-surprising-rules-that-will-get-you-the-job-2/
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Donald Trump refused to back down from his false claim that Barack Obama was “the founder of Isis” on Thursday, insisting: “He was the founder ... The way he got out of Iraq was the founding of Isis.”
The Republican presidential candidate was speaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who had attempted to reframe his remark, telling him: “I know what you meant – you meant that he created the vacuum, he lost the peace.”
But Trump disagreed. “No, I meant that he’s the founder of Isis, I do,” he said. “He was the most valuable player – I gave him the most valuable player award. I give her too, by the way,” he added of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
Trump did acknowledge that the root of his argument was that if Obama “had done things properly, you wouldn’t have had Isis”, but he repeated: “Therefore, he was the founder of Isis.”
And he doggedly pursued that line of thought in a later speech to homebuilders in Miami on Thursday, now suggesting it was Clinton who would be given “the most valuable player award” by Islamic State. “Her only competition is Barack Obama,” he said, adding of Clinton: “Oh boy, is Isis hoping for her.”
Trump’s remarks about Isis came while he is still dealing with backlash from his hint that gun rights supporters might attack Clinton, something that seemed to cause genuine shock in a country that has grown used to Trump pushing the boundaries of appropriate political discourse. On Thursday, Patti Davis, the daughter of late Republican former president Ronald Reagan, joined his critics to lambast him for what she called a “glib and horrifying comment”.
“I am the daughter of a man who was shot by someone who got his inspiration from a movie, someone who believed if he killed the president the actress from that movie would notice him,” she said, referring to the attempted assassination of Reagan by John Hinckley in 1981.
Trump’s remark about Clinton, she said, “was heard by the person sitting alone in a room, locked in his own dark fantasies, who sees unbridled violence as a way to make his mark in the world, and is just looking for ideas. Yes, Mr Trump, words matter. But then you know that, which makes this all even more horrifying.”
Trump first claimed Obama was “the founder of Isis” on Wednesday night at a rally in Sunrise, Florida.
“Isis is honoring President Obama,” Trump said of Islamic State. “He is the founder of Isis. He founded Isis. And, I would say the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton.”
On Thursday, Clinton attacked Trump for the remarks on Twitter. “It can be difficult to muster outrage as frequently as Donald Trump should cause it, but his smear against President Obama requires it,” she wrote. “No, Barack Obama is not the founder of Isis. Anyone willing to sink so low, so often should never be allowed to serve as our commander-in-chief.”
Since July’s Republican convention, Clinton has taken a firm lead in the polls as Trump has struggled from controversy to controversy, pursuing a feud with the Muslim family of a dead US army captain and suggesting Russia publish any of Clinton’s missing emails it has hacked, before this week’s inflammatory remarks. The Democratic candidate is 7.9 points ahead in the latest polling average compiled by Real Clear Politics.
On Thursday, Time magazine claimed that Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus had told Trump that if he did not manage to right his campaign, the party might abandon support for his presidential bid and focus instead on Republicans running for Congress elsewhere in the country.
Quoting two anonymous party officials familiar with the conversation, Time said Priebus had told Trump that internal polling suggested he was on track to lose the election and that he would have been better off heading to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a break than hitting the trail after the convention.
Trump dismissed the story. “Reince Priebus is a terrific guy,” he told Time. “He never said that.”
Clinton was attempting to shift the focus to the economy on Thursday with a speech in Detroit. She intended to try to make the case that Trump’s policies would benefit him and his wealthy friends, and to characterize his plans as an update of “trickle-down economics”.
Her speech was in part a response to one given by Trump in the beleaguered Rust Belt city on Monday, when he proposed dramatically slashing taxes, reducing income tax brackets from seven levels to three – of 12%, 25% and 33% – and eliminating income taxes for individuals who earn less than $25,000 annually, or $50,000 for a married couple.
That speech had been intended to reboot his flagging campaign, but was soon overtaken by the controversy over his “second amendment people” comments, which in turn gave way to Wednesday’s remarks about Obama and Isis.
Republicans have long sought to blame the turmoil in the Middle East on the Obama administration’s foreign policy, often criticizing the president for underestimating the threat Isis poses. But Trump has routinely gone a step further by stating directly that Obama is sympathetic to terrorists. Immediately after the 12 June mass shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida, which left 49 dead and 53 injured, Trump said cryptically that Obama “doesn’t get it or he gets it better than anybody understands”.
In his speech on Wednesday, the former reality TV star pointedly chose several times to repeat the president’s full name, Barack Hussein Obama.
The origins of Isis trace back to the aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The group has been deemed an offshoot of al-Qaida, which carried out the attacks on 9/11. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant terrorist viewed as the founder of Isis, was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in 2006.
Although Isis has expanded rapidly during Obama’s tenure, seizing in particular on the Syrian civil war, the administration has also made gains in its military campaign against the extremist group. US army Lt Gen Sean MacFarland said on Wednesday an estimated 45,000 fighters linked to Isis had been killed in the two years since the US-led military coalition against the network was launched.
Trump has not articulated a clear strategy against Isis, other than to threaten a ruthless bombing campaign and continuously push his proposal to ban Muslim immigration from the US.
<bot>: Given a chance by radio host Hugh Hewitt to clarify his comments, Trump doubles down on literal interpretation and calls him Isis’s ‘most valuable player’
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2016081119id_/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/11/donald-trump-obama-founder-isis-most-valuable-player
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: Samsung has unveiled the latest editions of its Galaxy handset, featuring a curved screen and payments technology designed to replace credit cards, as the South Korean group attempts to reboot its flagging smartphone business.
With Apple waiting in the wings to seize the crown as the largest smartphone maker by volume, Samsung’s answer to lacklustre sales of last year’s Galaxy S5 was to release not one, but two handsets on Sunday.
The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, which features a screen that curves over the left and right hand sides of the body, were unveiled at a seafront venue in Barcelona, where 2000 exhibitors and more than 86,000 visitors are gathering this week for the Mobile World Congress trade show.
Taking a leaf from Apple’s book, both phones also use processors designed in-house. In a break with tradition – the S5 processor was made by Qualcomm – both handsets are powered by Samsung’s eight-core Exynos chip.
“Tonight is big,” said Samsung mobile boss JK Shin. “We are sharing with you the results from the most significant team effort in this company’s history.”
In an upmarket tilt, Samsung has replaced the plastic casings of old with metal, including a gold version whose tones bear more than a passing resemblance to the gold edition of the iPhone. The compromise, which may not please busy executives who like to carry spare batteries, is that the back case is no longer detachable for inserting freshly charged spares. Instead, wireless charging is now possible.
In a presentation tightly focussed on besting Apple, one marketing chief promised the body would be 50% stronger than “other high end smartphones”. “My first language may not be engineering but I do know that this stuff will not bend,” she quipped, in a reference to reported problems with the iPhone 6 casing.
The standard-shaped S6 has a screen that is 5.1 inches on the diagonal, a width of 6.8 mm, and both handsets have 16 megapixel rear cameras and selfie-friendly 5 megapixel front cameras.
On sale in 20 countries from 10 April, both S6 models are designed to show off Samsung’s technical prowess not only to consumers but to other smartphone makers, such as Huawei and Microsoft, who buy its components. Selling to other vendors is potentially lucrative: operating profit at the Samsung chip division surged 36% in the fourth quarter.
The S6 will be competing in a crowded market. Hours before its unboxing, Taiwan’s HTC unveiled an annual update to its flagship phone. The HTC One M9 has a 5-inch display and an eight-core Snapdragon processor, the handset has a 20 megapixel rear-facing camera, and the phone now comes paired with a fitness band.
The HTC Grip contains five sensors including GPS location pinpointing, to track route, distance, pace and calories burned.
With Apple preparing to launch its digital watch on 9 March, the emphasis for many handset makers at this year’s Mobile World Congress has shifted from phones to wearables. China’s Huawei on Sunday revealed two wearables and one ”hearable”: the W1 Android Wear smartwatch, the TalkBand B2 wristband and an activity tracking headset called the TalkBand N1.
But for Samsung, except for a glimpse of its updated virtual reality headset, the emphasis was very much on the smartphone. The Edge’s screen, said analysts at CCS Insight, would set it apart in a “sea of smartphone sameness”.
Despite its eye-catching appearance, the practical benefits of the Edge’s multisided screen weren’t immediately clear, which may explain why the company has paired it with the more traditionally shaped S6. Potentially more useful is the payments offering. Samsung bought LoopPay last month, a US company whose technology allows phones to be swiped or tapped at tills just like credit cards, and on Sunday night unveiled its answer to Apple Pay. The fingerprint scanner, which made its debut in the S5, will help keep payments secure in the S6.
Champions are quickly toppled in the fast changing smartphone business, as both Nokia and Blackberry found to their cost, and Samsung’s business took a turn for the worse last year. Earnings have tumbled, and so has its leading share of the smartphone market.
Samsung sold 84m handsets in the fourth quarter of 2013, but only 75m in the same period last year. By contrast Apple’s volume exploded to 74.5m in the fourth quarter, with just 600,000 fewer units sold than Samsung, according to analyst IDC.
For the previous 11 quarters, Samsung had outsold any other mobile phone vendors, but the smartphone map of China, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing electronics markets, has been redrawn and the change is hurting Samsung’s business. Apple is taking a much larger share of high-end sales, while cheaper alternatives from Chinese makers like Xiaomi are eating away at Samsung’s budget phone following.
<bot>: Korean firm takes aim at Apple with latest handsets featuring curved screen and new payments technology
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2015030119id_/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/01/samsung-galaxy-s6-and-s6-edge-smartphones-handsets
|
{'source': 'newsroom'}
|
<human>: Produce an article summary of the following news article: A snake stretching longer than a school bus and too thick to fit through a doorway may sound like a creature in a Hollywood bio-horror flick, but this one actually ruled the roost on part of the planet millions of years ago.
Weighing 2,500 pounds and stretching 48 feet long, Titanoboa — whose name combines "titanic" for its size and "boa" for its close relation to modern-day boa constrictors — roamed the Earth 65 million years ago and was the largest snake that has ever lived. Titanoboa: Monster Snake, premiering Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on the Smithsonian Channel, gives viewers an insight into the life of a species that was once the largest predator on Earth. The special will also air Monday at 6 p.m. ET and be available for viewing on the channel's website.
A life-size replica of the ancient snake appears in the film and was put on display at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, as of Friday. It will remain in Washington until Jan. 6, 2013, after which it will begin a nationwide tour through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
"There's no question that facts can be far stranger than fiction," says David Royle, executive vice president of programming and production at the Smithsonian Channel. "You might say it sounds like Hollywood, but it's not fantasy. It's real-life discovery."
The first fossils of Titanoboa were discovered in a coal mine in northeastern Colombia during an expedition led by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Florida Museum of Natural History in 2004. Fragments of the ancient snake's skull — a rare find since snake skull bones typically break into shards because of their fragile structure — revealed that it could open its jaw nearly 180 degrees, allowing it to swallow a crocodile. Moreover, the snake could squeeze its prey at 400 pounds per square inch, equivalent to the weight of three Eiffel Towers on top of one another.
According to Jason Head of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the era's warm climate allowed the snake to grow this large and cooling temperatures may be a possible explanation for the disappearance of the snakes.
"The bigger an animal is, the higher temperature it needs to survive," says Head, a vertebrate paleontologist who helped conduct field work at the Colombian coal mine.
So is it possible for a snake of such enormity to come back into existence? Many scientists, including Head, say they would not rule out the possibility.
"I think if we saw global temperatures rise, we would see the living species of snakes potentially become larger," says Jack Conrad, research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. "But it would take a period of a couple million years to evolve a species that was anywhere near the size of Titanoboa."
The coal mine site in Colombia has unveiled more than just one fascinating species. Scientists have also unearthed fossils of early bean, banana and chocolate plants as well as giant turtles and crocodiles, on which Titanoboa most likely preyed.
"We know so little about the tropical ecosystems of that time period that having any information is very valuable," says Catherine Badgley, a researcher at the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology. "The tropics were very unusual in ways that we would never be able to predict from modern ecosystems."
For paleontologists, the discovery of Titanoboa is a reminder that the fossil record is full of surprises.
"Every year, you see some new mind-blowing example of paleontology shattering our previous boundaries and greatly expanding our understanding of the world," Conrad says. "Titanoboa is a perfect example of that."
<bot>: A Smithsonian Channel special tells of a snake stretching longer than a school bus and too thick to fit through a doorway.
<human>: What could be a url for this news article?
<bot>: A url for this news article could be:
https://web.archive.org/web/2012040119id_/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/story/2012-03-31/titanoboa-prehistoric-snake/53903042/1
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.