Announcement
Total 100 articles, created at 2016-02-28 06:03 1 Hillary Clinton wins big in South Carolina Hillary Clinton finally got her landslide -- and it could redefine the Democratic race for the (3.01/4) White House. 2016-02-28 03:52 6KB www.cnn.com
2 Detroit Free Press - Home Detroit Free Press - HOme 2016-02-27 23:46 3KB rssfeeds.freep.com
(2.00/4)
3 Hillary smokes Bernie in South Carolina primary Contact WND Hillary Clinton swept to a commanding victory over Bernie Sanders in South Carolina’s (2.00/4) Democratic primary, with strong support from black voters who hope to see her carry on Obama’s legacy. With results from 38 out of 46 counties counted so far, Hillary is showing 73.61 percent and Sanders 25.84 percent... 2016-02-28 01:39 4KB www.wnd.com 4 Nursing and Allied Health Job Fair: Tuesday, March 8, 2016 Nursing and Allied Health Job FairTuesday, March 8, 2016Newton Marriott2345 Commonwealth Ave., Newton10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Job SeekersDon’t miss this exciting opportunity 2016-02-28 06:03 1KB www.bostonherald.com 5 Dutch princess breaks leg in Austria ski accident THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Young Dutch Princess Alexia broke her leg in a skiing accident in Austria on Saturday and was flown by helicopter to hospital for surgery, the palace said. The 2016-02-28 06:03 1KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 6 Syria truce takes hold despite limited violations DAMASCUS, Syria — Fighting subsided across much of Syria Saturday as the first major ceasefire of the devastating five-year war appeared to broadly hold despite sporadic breaches in parts of the 2016-02-28 06:03 5KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 7 Yoko Ono released from hospital after suffering flu symptoms NEW YORK, United States — Yoko Ono's son says his mother has been released from a New York City hospital after being treated for flu-like symptoms. Sean Ono Lennon said on 2016-02-28 06:03 1KB entertainment.inquirer.net 8 I thought I'd found the perfect guy. Until he replaced me. I ran blindly out into the streets of Hollywood. 2016-02-28 06:03 5KB www.latimes.com
9 Dear Daughter, I'm sending you a care package. It includes your mother. Dear daughter, 2016-02-28 06:03 4KB www.latimes.com 10 Poverty way of life for kin of man tagged as killer of Ninoy ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija—Saturnina Galman, 87, mother of Rolando Galman, who was implicated in the 1983 assassination of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., said she could no longer remember when she last 2016-02-28 04:14 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 11 1 of 2 accused in slay of UPLB student owns up to crime SAN PEDRO CITY—Relatives of slain University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) student Given Grace Cebanico are drawing near the closure of the more than four-year- old case after one of two 2016-02-28 04:12 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net
12 Rural bank closed THE BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas has shuttered a rural bank in Negros Oriental for insolvency. In a Feb. 24 letter, BSP Deputy Gov. Nestor A. Espenilla said the Monetary Board, the policy-making 2016-02-28 04:11 1KB business.inquirer.net 13 Raise on way for gov’t workers, military personnel STARTING tomorrow (Monday), the budget department will be releasing to various government agencies a total of P24 billion to cover the additional salaries of civilian employees and the new allowances 2016-02-28 04:09 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 14 Quake drills all for naught if land reclamation continues, says expert NATIONWIDE drills and other government initiatives to prepare the people for a magnitude-7.2 earthquake—“the Big One”—would not be of much use if construction on reclaimed land, particularly 2016-02-28 04:08 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 15 Poe: Marcos burial must be ‘in accordance with law’ PRESIDENTIAL candidate Sen. Grace Poe made it clear on Saturday that the decision whether or not to give former President Ferdinand Marcos a hero’s burial must be “in accordance with the 2016-02-28 04:05 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 16 Don’t look at us, says Duterte camp of Poe rally snafu DAVAO CITY—Anyone may stage a rally in the city even if they belong to another political party. The camp of presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte made the assertion following reports 2016-02-28 04:01 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 17 Labor, urban poor party declares backing for Escudero THE PARTIDO Lakas ng Masa (PLM), composed of labor and urban poor groups, has declared support for the vice presidential candidacy of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero. In a statement, PLM 2016-02-28 04:00 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 18 The man saving Mumbai water one tap at a time The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Mumbai meets award-winning author and cartoonist Aabid Surti who goes around fixing leaking taps in people's homes. 2016-02-28 05:07 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 19 US election 2016: Bernie Sanders' and Hillary Clinton's policies compared How radical is Bernie Sanders? Has Hillary Clinton shifted to the left? His a guide to the Democratic candidates' policies and where they belong on an ideological spectrum. 2016-02-28 05:07 8KB www.bbc.co.uk 20 Buncombe County Chairman Candidate Responds To Charlotte’s Gender Identity Bathrooms KMorgan 1130 posts 2016-02-28 05:26 1KB www.thetribunepapers.com 21 Breaking the law during World War Two Much is made of the Blitz spirit during World War Two but, while most people were mucking in and pulling together, some were using the devastation for criminal gains. 2016-02-28 05:14 10KB www.bbc.co.uk 22 Your pictures: Coffee break Readers' photographs on the theme of coffee break. 2016-02-28 05:14 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 23 The 'disruptive' businesses trying to crack the disability market The disability market is worth billions of pounds - and companies are coming up with ever more "disruptive" ways to break into it. 2016-02-28 05:14 6KB www.bbc.co.uk
24 Wonder woman: Canadian designer morphs into superheroes with epic body art (VIDEOS) A Canadian body artist is wowing social media with incredible photos and videos of her dramatic transformation into multiple superheroes. 2016-02-28 05:20 1KB www.rt.com 25 Swiss vote whether to expel foreigners for minor crimes Switzerland votes on whether to automatically expel foreigners who commit minor crimes, hardening a policy already in place. 2016-02-28 05:14 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 26 I believe in full equality, but I’ve spent too long watching women play the victim I'm interested in the ways that (some) women victimize men; that doesn't mean I'm not a feminist 2016-02-28 05:15 5KB www.salon.com 27 First sexually transmitted Zika case confirmed in Europe, as US reveals two cases France has confirmed its first European case of the Zika virus transmitted through sexual contact. 2016-02-28 05:20 2KB www.rt.com 28 How I hit the headlines on Siberian TV While reporting on the Russian economy, Steve Rosenberg and his BBC crew found themselves making the headlines in Novosibirsk. 2016-02-28 05:14 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 29 A Point of View: Will future generations condemn us? As statues of Rhodes are defaced in South Africa and debated in Oxford, Adam Gopnik looks forward. 2016-02-28 05:14 9KB www.bbc.co.uk 30 Newspaper headlines: Tory EU 'feud' and 'snoopers' charter' Claims of tensions in the Conservative Party between the two sides in the EU referendum, and the government's latest bid to bring in a "snoopers' charter", are on Sunday's front pages. 2016-02-28 05:14 762Bytes www.bbc.co.uk 31 Weekend Edition: The week's best reads Features to enjoy, including your comments. 2016-02-28 05:14 3KB www.bbc.co.uk 32 TOW missile v T-90: Syrian rebel video shows dramatic hit A video published online by a Syrian rebel group shows what appears to be a direct hit by a US-made BGM-71 TOW on the turret of a Russia-supplied T-90 tank of the Syrian Army. 2016-02-28 05:20 1KB www.rt.com 33 Toeing the poverty line: Alabama blocks cities from increasing minimum wage Alabama, the second poorest state in the US, has effectively banned local governments from increasing the minimum wage. The governor and legislature approved legislation that retroactively prevents Birmingham from setting a minimum wage of $10.10 an hour. 2016-02-28 05:20 3KB www.rt.com 34 Over 20 killed in series of suicide bombings in Afghanistan A loud explosion has taken place near a police headquarters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, local media reports. At least 12 people are feared to have been killed there – on top of another dozen killed by a suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan. 2016-02-27 22:10 2KB www.rt.com 35 ‘No safe havens’: Terrorism should be countered through teamwork, ambitions set aside – Lavrov There can be no safe havens from terrorism and the global terror threat should be confronted by a team effort, while double standards, selfish ambitions, and disputes need to be set aside, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Algerian media. 2016-02-28 05:20 2KB www.rt.com
36 Coal mine blast during rescue mission in northern Russia kills 5 Another explosion has rocked a coal mine in Vorkuta, Russia, killing five people and injuring one , according to the emergency services. The blast occurred during efforts to rescue workers trapped when same mine collapsed earlier this week. 2016-02-28 05:20 1KB www.rt.com 37 Tens of thousands march in London in largest #StopTrident demo in decades Protesters opposing the renewal of UK's costly nuclear deterrent, Trident, have taken to the streets of London. With a number of organizations participating, many young people are at the demo, saying there are better ways to spend taxpayers' billions. 2016-02-28 05:20 2KB www.rt.com 38 Tennessee chooses state gun with so much firepower ‘it can shoot down a plane’ Tennessee has chosen a state rifle so powerful it can blast a commercial aircraft out of the sky. The Barrett.50, which is produced locally, joins a list of state symbols, which includes milk as the official beverage and the raccoon as Tennessee’s wild animal. 2016-02-28 05:20 2KB www.rt.com 39 Unlikely NHL hero set for Hollywood John Scott captured the hearts of hockey fans across the world – now he's set to be introduced to a whole new audience. 2016-02-27 23:09 3KB www.rt.com 40 ‘We will see deaths’: Father warns of hoverboard danger after house destroyed by explosion (VIDEO) An Illinois father who watched his house burn when a hoverboard caught fire and exploded is warning people may die unless something is done about the combustible devices. 2016-02-28 05:20 2KB www.rt.com 41 Egypt 'to extradite' Frenchman to Dominican Republic over drugs case Egypt will extradite a Frenchman to the Dominican Republic for allegedly aiding the escape of two pilots sentenced in a drug case, his wife says. 2016-02-28 01:24 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 42 Halfway mark passed in 24-year photo project The latest set of images by a group of photographers documenting the first 24 hours of each year for 24 years. 2016-02-28 02:25 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 43 R. I. P. Friends Reunited School reunion website Friends Reunited has been shut down. Or should that be permanently excluded? 2016-02-28 02:25 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 44 Clinton clinches South Carolina as Sanders looks to Super Tuesday – campaign live Hillary Clinton wins resoundingly in first southern contest while Republican race continues with name-calling on all sides 2016-02-28 03:34 2KB www.theguardian.com 45 Homeless Britain: Numbers sleeping rough rocket by almost a third in one year New UK government figures reveal a dramatic increase in the number of people sleeping rough in Britain, with the figure rising by almost a third in one year and doubling over five. 2016-02-28 02:16 3KB www.rt.com
46 First McDonald's in Kazakhstan to offer horse meat burger A horse meat burger might appear on the menu of the first McDonalds restaurant to be opened in Kazakhstan. The owner Kairat Boranbayev announced his local menu ahead of the official opening of the restaurant on March 8 in the capital Astana. 2016-02-28 02:16 2KB www.rt.com 47 Detroit News - News Detroit News - News 2016-02-27 15:34 3KB rssfeeds.detroitnews.com 48 Mike Baird rejects drug experts' vow to trial pill testing even if it breaks the law Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation president and emergency medical specialist say they will begin trial with or without government’s approval 2016-02-28 03:31 2KB www.theguardian.com 49 Livonia - News Livonia - News 2016-02-27 16:45 2KB rssfeeds.hometownlife.com
50 “Bridge of Spies” is my grandfather’s story I always knew that James Donovan was someone special. Now, thanks to Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks, everyone knows 2016-02-27 20:52 4KB www.salon.com 51 Muncie - News Muncie - Local 2016-02-27 23:45 2KB rssfeeds.thestarpress.com
52 USATODAY - World Top Stories USATODAY - World Top Stories 2016-02-27 21:29 3KB rssfeeds.usatoday.com 53 WXIA - Local WXIA - Local 2016-02-27 21:29 3KB rssfeeds.11alive.com 54 Port Huron - News GANNETT Syndication Service 2016-02-27 22:38 2KB feeds.feedblitz.com 55 WUSA - News RSS Oubound Feed 2016-02-27 22:37 1KB rssfeeds.wusa9.com 56 SRSLY #32: Big Love Master of reality: on Henry James' non-fiction On the pop culture podcast this week, we discuss the Netflix TV series Love, the film A Bigger Splash, and the audiobook of Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes. 2016-02-28 01:26 18KB www.newstatesman.com 57 Gerard Butler accepts Marine Corps prom invite by female soldier The 46-year-old actor visited marines at the Camp Pendleton base on Friday when a young female soldier approached the star and asked him to escort her to the Marine Corps Prom 2016-02-28 03:17 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 58 All Properties - Nation Now All Properties - Nation Now 2016-02-27 22:26 2KB rssfeeds.usatoday.com 59 Livingston - Home Livingston - Home 2016-02-27 22:25 2KB rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com 60 World news: breaking news and current events - powered by FeedBurner Google has a new intelligent platform, PlaNet, which has the ability to find out the location at which a particular photograph has been taken. The system will provide answer after accessing the image’s pixels. Technically, a convolution neural network was trained with a massive dataset of images sourced from Google+... 2016-02-27 22:25 1KB feeds.feedburner.com 61 WXIA - Home WXIA - Home 2016-02-27 22:25 3KB rssfeeds.11alive.com 62 Large police presence in Rio Grande District after report of shooting SALT LAKE CITY — There is a large police presence in downtown Salt Lake City Saturday night, and dispatch officials confirm officers are responding to reports of a shooting. FOX 13 News first… 2016-02-28 03:13 1KB fox13now.com 63 Military Times - Adventure Military Times - Adventure 2016-02-27 23:28 4KB rssfeeds.militarytimes.com 64 From pornography to surrogacy, too few of us are ethical consumers of bodies To end the Tories' assault on the young, Labour must get back into power When it comes to buying access to other people's bodies, experience shows that it's a buyer’s market: those with the economic power set the terms. 2016-02-28 01:26 11KB www.newstatesman.com 65 Livingston - News Livingston - News 2016-02-27 23:25 2KB rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com
66 Christian Science Monitor | All Stories - powered by FeedBurner New research improves the ability to forecast rogue waves, also known as killer waves, which can rise without warning to tower over ships and rigs, with potentially catastrophic results. David Wayne Campbell shot and killed himself Friday on his wooded property near Seattle. Police suspect he also killed his wife... 2016-02-27 22:05 6KB rss.csmonitor.com 67 Ryanair pilot kicks groom and rowdy bachelor party off plane The flight from London to Bratislava landed in Berlin after the six men disturbed security and ignored the crew’s instructions 2016-02-28 02:51 1KB www.theguardian.com 68 GOP donors research independent presidential bid Contact WND (Politico) Conservative donors have engaged a major GOP consulting firm in Florida to research the feasibility of mounting a late, independent run for president amid growing fears that Donald Trump could win the Republican nomination. A memo prepared for the group zeroes in on ballot access as a looming obstacle... 2016-02-28 01:37 1KB www.wnd.com 69 38% of Florida voters: Cruz could be Zodiac Killer Contact WND (United Press International) A poll by Public Policy Polling found that a surprising number of Florida voters believe Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz could be the Zodiac Killer. While a 62 percent majority of voters answered “No” when asked if they believed Cruz was responsible for the string of murders... 2016-02-28 01:38 1014Bytes www.wnd.com 70 'Super lice' outbreak hits 25 states Contact WND (New York Post) A strain of so-called ‘super lice’ has hit a reported 25 states, causing concern and frustration among parents because the bugs can’t be killed with most over- the-counter treatments. The treatments, known as pyrethroids, had a 100 percent success rate in 2000 against lice but now only work... 2016-02-28 01:36 1KB www.wnd.com 71 Emails a window into state's Flint crisis-management efforts LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Thousands of emails newly released by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder provide a behind-scenes look at how his administration tried to manage... 2016-02-27 23:53 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 72 Bill Clinton gets into heated exchange with Benghazi protesters Former President Bill Clinton engaged in a heated back-and-forth with a military veteran at a campaign event in Bluffton, South Carolina, saying he would answer a question about the Benghazi attacks if the veteran would "shut up. " 2016-02-28 02:36 3KB www.cnn.com 73 England Women 13-9 Ireland Women: Croker and Scott score tries England Women made it three Six Nations wins from as many matches as they beat Ireland at Twickenham to top the table. 2016-02-28 02:30 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 74 Melissa Harris-Perry's feud with MSNBC stems from Beyonce disagreement MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry's long-running feud with the network stems from a disagreement over a segment on Beyonce's provocative hit 'Formation', sources say. 2016-02-28 02:24 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 75 These are your Trump voters: 1 in 5 wish the slaves were never freed That David Duke endorsement was no anomaly. New public survey reveals just how bigoted the Donald's base really is 2016-02-28 01:14 1KB www.salon.com 76 Jaguares, Sunwolves make exciting starts to Super Rugby Newcomers Japan's Sunwolves and Argentina's Jaguares had mixed fortunes as the curtain rose on the new Super Rugby season this weekend, while last year's fin... 2016-02-28 02:20 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 77 Loud booms heard in Sandy attributed to training at Camp Williams SANDY, Utah — Fire department officials in Sandy fielded several calls from people who reported hearing loud booms Saturday evening, and they said the noise is due to training exercises at Ca… 2016-02-28 02:14 1KB fox13now.com 78 Husband of Dr Teresa Sievers charged with her second- degree murder The husband of Dr Teresa Sievers, who was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in her Bonita Springs, Florida home in June last year, has been charged in her murder by police. 2016-02-28 02:14 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 79 'Spotlight' tops a richly diverse Spirit Awards SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — The 31st Independent Film Spirit Awards provided a clear rebuke to the Oscars, bestowing awards on "Beasts of No Nation" co-stars... 2016-02-27 17:13 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 80 High School Sports The Knights earn their first state championship with a 33-25 win. Boys’ hockey: No heavy favorites as playoffs get underway Top-seeded Scarborough (Class A South) and Yarmouth (Class B South) face challenges to reach the state title games. Boys’ hockey: Cheverus rallies from 4 goals down, wins in OT The... 2016-02-28 00:26 1KB www.pressherald.com 81 The Prince of Weedkillers: Charles forces quango to root out ragwort The Prince of Wales has declared war on the toxic yellow weed ragwort, which is 'invading' fields and country lanes, poisoning horses and livestock. 2016-02-28 02:04 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 82 MediaPost | Online Media Daily - powered by FeedBurner Perhaps the most concerning quote in all the copy devoted to cable channels dumping on Verizon for trying to do something everyone in the country wants was this one from a 65-year-old retired electronics salesman, who told the "WSJ:" "I've been paying for ESPN for 30 years and never watch... 2016-02-27 21:42 1KB feeds.mediapost.com 83 LIZ JONES: I'm manifesting a world without pseudo-hippy claptrap This manifestation nonsense is taking over the world. Manifestation, in case you haven’t been infected yet, is ‘GPS for your soul,' writes LIZ JONES. 2016-02-28 01:52 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 84 Armed bank robber wearing Deadpool mask makes off with $2,000 An armed man wearing a Deadpool mask stole $2,000 from a South Point, Ohio, US Bank branch on Friday. He is described as white, weighing 200 pounds and between 5ft 9in and 5ft 11in. 2016-02-28 01:36 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 85 The voice telling me to open the till didn't sound like a robber - more a bad actress playing a period heroine Master of reality: on Henry James' non-fiction He wasn't a big guy. In fact, he looked like he'd have trouble playing Twister, to be honest. 2016-02-28 01:26 19KB www.newstatesman.com 86 Navy petty officer admits secretly recording co-workers A petty officer 3rd class assigned to the aircraft carrier Enterprise admits he secretly recorded seven co-workers in a restroom. 2016-02-28 01:28 1KB mynorthwest.com 87 No. 22 Utah upsets No. 9 Arizona in Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah Runnin’ Utes upset No. 9 Arizona at home Saturday in a battle for Pac-12 supremacy. The Utes were No. 22 entering the game, but they led the No. … 2016-02-28 01:15 1KB fox13now.com 88 St. Louis County sued over warrantless arrest system Police in St. Louis County, Missouri, have long made warrantless arrests based on a procedure known as issuing a "wanted," a federal lawsuit has claimed. The system allows arrests and 24-hour holds for "questioning" without charge or judicial oversight. 2016-02-27 17:21 4KB www.rt.com 89 California weed worth up to $1m found in fake art crate during NY raid A daylight raid near New York University on Friday netted police up to $1million of Califnornia-grown marijuana disguised as art and auto parts. 2016-02-28 01:06 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk
90 Britain doesn't send ANY refugees back to Greece as it's 'too unsafe' Refugees must seek asylum in the first safe country they reach, and can be returned if they reach a richer nation. But ministers said no refugees have been returned to Greece since 2010. 2016-02-28 01:05 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 91 Donald Trump Returns Ire Against His Latest Enemies: New York's Attorney General and "Little Rubio" Facing attacks from Senator Marco Rubio over a fraud suit by the New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, against Trump University, Mr. Trump suggested the claims were politically motivated. 2016-02-28 01:03 4KB www.nytimes.com 92 Ukrainian man poses as high school student, police say Asher Potts said he was a student at John Harris High School in Pennsylvania. Police say he is a 23-year-old Ukrainian national named Artur Samarin. 2016-02-27 01:06:00 6KB www.cnn.com 93 NATO can’t fight Russians in Europe, says leading US think tank A report by influential US-based think tank the Atlantic Council says NATO’s European members can’t fight a war against Russia. Earlier, the commander of US European forces said Americans were ready to “fight and win” against Russia. 2016-02-27 23:47 3KB www.rt.com 94 Unlucky strike: Man charged for killing horse with bowling balls fired from homemade cannon A 65-year-old man from Wisconsin is facing criminal charges after firing bowling balls and pins from a homemade cannon, consequently killing his neighbor’s 10-month-old horse. 2016-02-27 23:47 1KB www.rt.com 95 The trouble with Duckie: How “Pretty in Pink’s” most lovable character gave a generation of teenage boys the wrong idea I, too, saw myself in John Hughes' nice guy—and like so many others, I learned all the wrong lessons from his story 2016-02-27 23:42 5KB www.salon.com 96 The Latest: Slovenian Protests for Migrants and Against Them The Latest on the massive movement of migrants into and across Europe (all times local): 7:55 p.m. Slovenian police have stepped in to keep apart two rallies — one that supports migrants and the other that does not want them in the Alpine nation. The two groups gathered... 2016-02-28 00:57 2KB abcnews.go.com 97 Brie Larson gushes about boyfriend at the Independent Spirit Awards The Room star turned her speech at the Santa Monica, California, ceremony into an adorable declaration of love on Saturday. 2016-02-28 00:52 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 98 Assad wants to undermine peace negotiations, visiting Bulgarian FM says Syrian President Bashar Assad opposes efforts to stop the turmoil in Syria and wants to undermine the negotiation process, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov told a breakfast meeting of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations in Jerusalem on Friday. Mitov, who accompanied Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on his two... 2016-02-28 00:51 4KB www.jpost.com
99 Taking on Goliath Morning call for 26 February Jon Tricker, Managing Director of KPMG in Gibraltar, looks at how Gibraltar’s positive growth continues to outstrip the competition 2016-02-27 23:51 7KB www.newstatesman.com 100 Ireland's 3 Political Tribes Share Bloody Past, Eye on Power The three Irish parties emerging strongest from Friday's election — Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein — all claim to be the one true church of Irish nationalism. Each claims direct succession from the Dublin rebels who challenged British rule in the Easter Rising of 1916. These forces... 2016-02-28 00:45 6KB abcnews.go.com Articles
Total 100 articles, created at 2016-02-28 06:03
1 Hillary Clinton wins big in South Carolina (3.01/4) (CNN) Hillary Clinton finally got her landslide -- and it could redefine the Democratic race for the White House. Her crushing defeat of Sen. Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary Saturday restored Clinton as the undisputed front-runner, as her southern firewall of minority voters held rock solid and her opponent fared poorly among African- American voters. 2016 Candidate Matchmaker The former secretary of state, after a narrow win in Iowa, a major loss in New Hampshire and a five-point victory in Nevada, has now captured three of the first four Democratic nominating contests. She's now primed for Super Tuesday , an 11-state Democratic matchup that includes a sweep of Clinton-friendly country in the Deep South. "Tomorrow, this campaign goes national," Clinton said, in a speech dominated by her new campaign mantra of breaking down racial, gender and economic barriers, which has been distilled from the experience of tough months on the campaign trail and the stronger-than- expected populist challenge from Sanders. With 99% of votes counted, Clinton led by a huge margin, 73.5% to 26%, and was ahead by a staggering 174,000 votes. Clinton's victory raised serious questions for Sanders, who sent shockwaves through her campaign with a 22-point victory in the New Hampshire primary earlier this month, but has so far failed to build on that triumph to prove he can connect with the Democratic Party's crucial bloc of minority voters. Her triumph was fueled by a massive advantage among African-American voters who overwhelmingly backed Barack Obama in an ugly primary eight years ago. This time around Clinton won more than 80% of South Carolina's African-American voters. Obama managed 78% from the same community in 2008, though that was in a three-way race that included John Edwards. Saturday's win also represented a moment of personal redemption for Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who spent years painstakingly repairing ties with the African- American community in the Palmetto State after 2008. This time around, Clinton clutched Obama close, billing herself as a former key member of his Cabinet, as the best possible protector of the President's legacy and making strong appeals to African-American voters as she promised to tear down barriers. Her victory speech was replete with racial themes, as she bemoaned violence against black youths and slammed authorities in Michigan over the Flint toxic water scandal. "We also have to face the reality of systemic racism that more than half a century after Rosa Parks sat, and Dr. King marched and John Lewis bled, still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in America and who gets left behind," Clinton said. Clinton mentioned the five mothers by name that she recognized at CNN's Democratic town hall on Tuesday -- five African-American women who have lost their children to senseless gun violence or at the hands of police. "They have not been broken or embittered, instead they have channeled their sorrow into strategy, and their mourning into a movement. And they are reminding us of something deep and powerful in the American spirit," Clinton said. She also slammed Republican front-runner Donald Trump, offering a message of compassion to counter the anger whipped up by the billionaire. "Despite what you hear, we don't need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great," Clinton said, referring to Trump's slogan. "But we do need to make America whole again. Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers. " Saturday's results appear to validate the Clinton campaign's argument that although Sanders could compete in some early states, he would be unable to match Clinton in less white, more diverse states in the South and the West. But Sanders, who was appearing in Minnesota Saturday, was defiant. He issued a statement congratulating Clinton -- but warning that his "grass roots political revolution" had only just begun. "Let me be clear on one thing tonight. This campaign is just beginning. We won a decisive victory in New Hampshire. She won a decisive victory in South Carolina. " As he arrived in Rochester, Minnesota, he said "sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. " "Tonight we lost. I congratulate Secretary Clinton on her very strong victory. Tuesday, over 800 delegates are at stake and we intend to win many, many of them. " He largely avoided mention of Clinton's commanding victory during his Minnesota rally, focusing mostly on Republicans. He did, however, take a swipe at Clinton for benefitting from a super PAC and refusing -- so far -- to release transcripts of paid speeches she delivered to Wall Street firms. Sanders noted Democrats in 11 states will pick 10 times more pledged delegates on Super Tuesday than have already been awarded. Vice President Joe Biden, who would have banked on South Carolina had he decided to seek the White House, congratulated Clinton for her "great victory today. " Speaking in California at the state's Democratic convention in San Jose, Biden went on to say he was "proud of both of them" and said the party had "two great candidates. " Sanders spent less time in the state than Clinton, but made a late run there on Friday, taking aim at her positions on trade and relationship with Wall Street. He also highlighted his opposition to the death penalty, saying its use had been responsible for the taking of innocent lives, including those of people of color. "We have so much ugliness and so much violence that I don't think the government should be involved in that violence and killing people," Sanders said. rt.com bloombergview.com 2016-02-28 03:52 Stephen Collinson, www.cnn.com
2 Detroit Free Press - Home (2.00/4) This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. Dennis Muchmore questioned if the move was only being made for the sake of "optics" amid the Flint drinking water crisis Bracing for the loss, Sen. Bernie Sanders has shifted strategy in recent days. Detroit had tried to move Jakub Kindl for two years now Strong beer aged in bourbon, rum or brandy barrels drew crowds at 11th annual festival near Grand Rapids It's unclear whether alcohol played a role in the accident which took place early this morning. The man was racing Friday when he lost control and slammed into a tower that makes snow. A Belmont man faces life in prison on charges he orchestrated weekly shipments of up to 30 pounds into west Michigan. SiriusXM host Jim Miller said Michigan State QB Connor Cook was 'impeccable' in parts of his NFL combine workout today Michigan coach has stayed in the news this winter and has helped draw plenty of attention to the football program Three people pleaded guilty to sex trafficking two minors. Official will leave position effective Tuesday, according to a county official. The Free Press' weekly arts podcast features Dennis Coffey, plus Detroit Party Marching Band and the weekend Top 5. The IRS "Get Transcript" hacking incident now has about 1.3 million tax filers on edge, based on new reports. Nye's funeral drew about 100 people who recalled her love of children, dedication, and "world- famous zucchini bread. " Funerals are often thought of as times of sadness, but laughter echoed off the walls of Calvary Bible Church. Florida’s Burmese python hunters are getting more efficient, taking more of the damaging species out of the Everglades this year than in 2013. The man was struck by a vehicle traveling in the center lane of northbound Van Dyke. Joseph Mauti is charged with first-degree murder and animal cruelty in the deaths. Veteran second baseman vents frustration on rule aimed to protect middle infielders It’s not uncommon to fudge some of life’s most sensitive numbers, such as age or weight. The two lawmakers were caught up in a sex and cover-up scandal. Courser resigned and Gamrat was expelled by House. Retired astronaut Jack Lousma talks about not going to the moon, the Challenger disaster and his unusual birthday. Authorities said the court order to protect another individual from abuse likely set off the gunman, who killed three people and wounded 14 others. Oakland University’s senior sharpshooter and his father talk constantly, with basketball always at the top of the list. For years, they’ve gone back and forth, walking Max’s basketball journey together. Former bankruptcy judge Steven Rhodes begins Tuesday to usher in new DPS reforms, return district to local control. The wife of the man charged in last weekend's deadly shooting spree in Kalamazoo has filed for divorce, according to an online news report. With spring on the horizon, here are some things to keep you busy. rssfeeds.freep.com rssfeeds.detroitnews.com 2016-02-27 23:46 rssfeeds.freep.com
3 Hillary smokes Bernie in South Carolina primary Contact WND (2.00/4) Hillary Clinton swept to a commanding victory over Bernie Sanders in South Carolina’s Democratic primary, with strong support from black voters who hope to see her carry on Obama’s legacy. With results from 38 out of 46 counties counted so far, Hillary is showing 73.61 percent and Sanders 25.84 percent. Voter turnout was 11.27 percent. Clinton’s margin is poised to exceed Obama’s 2008 victory, with black voters favoring her over Sanders by a stunning margin of 87 to 13, according to exit polls. This positions her to sweep the South on Super Tuesday, which may result in a “ significant and possibly irreversible lead.” Hillary sent out a grateful tweet to supporters after her win: Coming on the heels of tense primaries in New Hampshire and Nevada, her win provides an important boost for her campaign and erases, in part, the bitter memories of her loss to Barack Obama eight years ago. Polled showed Clinton with a strong lead over Sanders, 58.2% to 30.7%. Polling places closed at 7 p.m. EST. In Greenville, several voters cast Hillary Clinton as a practical choice while acknowledging the abstract appeal of Sanders’ values. Hillary was expected to win South Carolina by the wide margin. However Sanders continued to campaign, looking for a strong second-place finish. “A blow-out win for Clinton won’t just be bad publicity for Sanders; it will drop him ever further behind in the delegate count,” noted OregonLive . “That’s why he kept campaigning in the state this week even though Clinton maintained a sizable lead in the preference polls.” Hillary for prosecution, not president! Join the sizzling campaign to put Mrs. Clinton where she really belongs. Sanders won by a wide margin in New Hampshire, but Clinton came back and won in Nevada. After Saturday’s primary they’ll head to Super Tuesday, when 11 states vote. Sanders sent out an optimistic tweet looking to the future: Still, Hillary carried a great deal of baggage into the election, ranging from unanswered questions on Benghazi and her email scandals , to health concerns after numerous coughing fits prevented her from finishing speeches. The strain of campaigning on behalf of his wife appeared to catch up with Bill Clinton during an appearance in Bluffton, South Carolina on Friday. The ex-president lost his temper when a former Marine interrupted Clinton’s speech and asked him to address what Hillary was going to do about the VA. Another woman in the audience also jumped up and began shouting, “Hillary lied over four coffins!” Clinton snapped, “Shut up and listen to my answer,” but sheriff’s deputies removed both people. The former president never did address the accusations. Clinton and Sanders went into the South Carolina primary essentially tied in terms of earned delegates, the number they win at primaries and caucuses. Clinton had a big lead in "super delegates," who can change who they are supporting. There were 59 delegates up for grabs in South Carolina. Job creation and economic growth are the most important issues facing voters, followed by health care and national security. The State reported other primaries in that race ha on some voter opinions: The Palmetto State differed from other primaries in that race has played a huge role in state politics in the past year, and was expected to be instrumental for voters deciding between Clinton and Sanders. Get the hottest, most important news stories on the Internet – delivered FREE to your inbox as soon as they break! Take just 30 seconds and sign up for WND's Email News Alerts! Eight years ago, black voters turned their back on Clinton in favor of Obama, who won the primary by 29 points. This time Hillary had the support of many black voters; but their votes were likely motivated less by her ability to mobilize them than by their trust that she'll continue Obama's legacy. Black voters in South Carolina told BuzzFeed News their enthusiasm for Clinton paled in comparison to the excitement they had for Obama in 2008. "Voting for Obama was about this –" said Barbara F. Pettett, 72, patting her hand to indicate skin color. "It's just voting this time. It's voting for a Democrat. " Pettett placed her vote for Clinton. theguardian.com 2016-02-28 01:39 www.wnd.com
4 Nursing and Allied Health Job Fair: Tuesday, March 8, 2016 Nursing and Allied Health Job Fair Tuesday, March 8, 2016 Newton Marriott 2345 Commonwealth Ave., Newton 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Job Seekers Don’t miss this exciting opportunity The Boston Herald is hosting its bi-annual Nursing and Health Job Fair Tuesday, March 8th. Companies from the Greater Boston area will be in attendance looking for candidates to fill positions in the healthcare field, including, but not limited to registered nurses, licensed social workers, occupational therapists, and more! Look for a special pull-out section on Monday, March 7th in the Boston Herald for all the information you will need to make the job fair a success for you. There is no cost or obligation for attending. Proper attire is suggested. Please call 617-619-6168 with any questions or concerns. Following is a partial list of companies participating in the Tuesday, March 8th, Nursing and Allied Health Job Fair: Arbour Health System Atrius Health Bay Cove Human Services Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Commonwealth Care Alliance Eliot Community Human Services Emmanuel College Excella Home Health an Encompass Co. Functional Pathways MediTech Northeast Clinical Services, Inc. North Shore Medical Center and many, many more…..
2016-02-28 06:03 www.bostonherald.com
5 Dutch princess breaks leg in Austria ski accident THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Young Dutch Princess Alexia broke her leg in a skiing accident in Austria on Saturday and was flown by helicopter to hospital for surgery, the palace said. The 10-year-old, who is second in line to the throne, was on holiday with her parents King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima when the accident happened. “She was immediately taken to hospital by helicopter where a fracture was found in her right thigh,” the palace said in a statement. “She is being operated on.” The Dutch royal family visit the exclusive ski resort of Lech in western Austria every year, having holidayed there since the late 1950s. It is not the first accident to befall the royal family in Lech. King Willem’s younger brother Friso died from injuries sustained in a skiing accident. Friso was caught in an avalanche near Lech in February 2012 and buried for some 20 minutes under the snow, leaving the 44-year-old prince comatose and brain-damaged. He died in August 2013. Alexia is the second daughter of the king and queen. Her 12-year-old sister Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange, is the heir apparent to the Dutch throne. They have a younger sister, Princess Ariane, who is eight.
2016-02-28 06:03 Agence newsinfo.inquirer.net
6 Syria truce takes hold despite limited violations DAMASCUS, Syria — Fighting subsided across much of Syria Saturday as the first major ceasefire of the devastating five-year war appeared to broadly hold despite sporadic breaches in parts of the battle-scarred country. The truce, brokered by Washington and Moscow, is seen as a crucial step towards ending a conflict that has claimed 270,000 lives and displaced more than half the population. A special international task force co-chaired by the United States and Russia hailed the ceasefire. READ: US, Russia-brokered cease-fire goes into effect across Syria | Assad vows to retake all of Syria, keep ‘fighting terrorism’ “The United Nations, the United States and Russia have made a positive assessment of the first hours of the cessation of hostilities,” a western diplomat said after a meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Geneva. The UN reported “some incidents” in apparent violation of the truce, but “they have been defused”, he said. “We really need to wait for Sunday and Monday in order to make a full assessment,” the source added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry “hailed” the ceasefire in a phone call and discussed ways of supporting it through cooperation between their militaries, Russia’s foreign ministry said. The ceasefire faces formidable challenges including the exclusion of the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group and Al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate Al-Nusra Front, which control large parts of the country. “I think this is the first time we’ve woken up without the sound of shelling,” said Ammar al-Rai, a 22-year-old medical student in Damascus. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said peace talks would resume on March 7 if the ceasefire prevails and more aid is delivered — a key sticking point in negotiations. He said it was important that any incidents are “quickly brought under control” and a military response should be the “last resort”. Damascus shelling Russia, which has waged nearly five months of intense air strikes against rebels in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said it had halted bombing in all areas covered by the truce. Moscow has vowed to keep striking ISIS, Al-Nusra and other “terrorist groups”, but said it would ground its warplanes in the Syria campaign on the first day of the truce to avoid potential “mistakes”. “If it holds, it will create the conditions for full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Syria,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said. Among the limited ceasefire breaches, state media said “terrorist groups” fired a number of shells on Damascus but caused no casualties. Rebels also accused government forces of intermittent “truce violations” in parts of the country. In second city Aleppo, two people were killed and four wounded when shells hit the majority- Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsud, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. State media said one person was killed by sniper fire in the same district. The city is now almost completely encircled by pro-regime troops after a massive Russian- backed offensive that has caused tens of thousands to flee. On Saturday, however, children played in parks. “I hope the truce continues even for a limited time so we can get back part of our old lives from before the war,” said Abu Nadim, a father of four. Suicide bombings Jihadists attacked the border town of Tal Abyad in Raqa province, sparking clashes that killed at least 70 ISIS members, 20 Kurdish militiamen and two civilians, the Observatory said, adding that the attack was repulsed. US-led coalition warplanes launched at least 10 air strikes against the jihadists, it reported. Twin suicide bombings meanwhile killed six people outside the town of Salamiyeh in Hama province, where ISIS is present, state news agency SANA said. The complexities of a conflict which escalated from anti-government protests into a full-blown war drawing in rival world powers make brokering a lasting ceasefire a major challenge. Assad has been bolstered by support from Russia and Iran while the West, Turkey and Gulf states back rebel groups. “The pressure being placed by Russia and the US on regional actors is such that many of these regional actors can’t reject the political process entirely,” said Firas Abi Ali, an analyst for IHS Country Risk in London. “This is putting them in a bind where they’re compelled to behave as if they’re part of the process regardless of what they actually want from it.” Syria’s top opposition grouping, the High Negotiations Committee, said Friday that 97 opposition factions had agreed to respect the truce, for two weeks initially. In a particularly encouraging sign, a commander in the hardline Islamist faction Ahrar al-Sham said his group — allied with Al-Nusra — had not conducted any military operations since the truce started. “But the ceasefire is stillborn, because it began with violations from the regime. It will be very difficult for the ceasefire to hold,” Hussam Salameh warned.
2016-02-28 06:03 Agence newsinfo.inquirer.net
7 7 Yoko Ono released from hospital after suffering flu symptoms NEW YORK, United States — Yoko Ono’s son says his mother has been released from a New York City hospital after being treated for flu-like symptoms. Sean Ono Lennon said on Twitter Saturday afternoon that his mother was home and “running around as usual.” The 83-year-old artist-singer is the widow of John Lennon of the Beatles. She spent the night at Mount Sinai West Hospital in Manhattan. Her representative told The Associated Press that Ono went to the hospital Friday night on the advice of her doctor. RELATED STORIES At 83, Yoko Ono says she didn’t break up Beatles Yoko Ono comes home: Up close and personal for a few minutes
2016-02-28 06:03 Associated Press entertainment.inquirer.net
8 I thought I'd found the perfect guy. Until he replaced me. I ran blindly out into the streets of Hollywood. I just ran and ran. "Where did I park?! " My mind raced, trying to remember. Tears obstructed my view, and the moments that had just transpired fogged my thoughts. "That jerk.... He can go to hell! " Let's rewind a bit here. We met at a fashion event in Little Tokyo, downtown, where our eyes locked on each other from across the room. It was a scene straight out of a saccharine, unimaginative romantic comedy; in other words … it was perfect. His tall and slender frame was encased in a beat-up black leather jacket, and his dark eyes gleamed. Oozing charisma and confidence from his every pore, he cracked a wry smile at me. I was a goner. Thus began two months of losing myself in his world. Every pair of impractical high heels I bought, I wondered if he would appreciate my quirky fashion taste. Every amusing moment that transpired for me, I couldn't wait to spin into a charming anecdote to entertain him. Every time I went out with girlfriends, I made sure to post the most flattering photos on Facebook, hoping it would demonstrate to him what a catch I was. Silly, foolish girl. Of course I can say that now, but I digress. Then came the transition that changed it all. "I'm going to San Francisco for business, and it'll be for a month total," he told me. "I'm breaking it up into two separate trips, so you'll see me in two weeks. It won't be too long, right? " I felt the unease rise in my body like a slow wave about to crash onto shore. "I'll see ya in two weeks! " I chirped in a voice I didn't quite recognize. Meanwhile I could see the jagged rocks on the shoreline. Perhaps even then I knew what was to come. Days passed before I heard from him. Warm relief coursed through my body as I answered his call. "Hey, I'm thinking about you. How are you? " I heard him say from far away. "I'm good, How's San Francisco? " I asked, imploring my voice to sound upbeat. "Listen, some plans shifted, and they need me to stay the full month here," he said. "But, we'll stay in touch and I'll see you when I get back, right? " Two weeks. Three weeks. Four weeks later. I hadn't heard from him since that phone call, and as the days passed, a stubborn sense of pride took over. "Why don't you just call him? Maybe he's just really busy," my friends suggested. "No," I said. "If he wants to talk to me, he should reach out to me. " Of course, that didn't stop me from Facebook-stalking him, looking for clues. And then … there it was. His status update. "Hello LA! I'm back! " it read. The proverbial writing was on the Facebook wall. I threw on some clothes, swiped on some lipstick and flew out the door. And so, there I stood, facing his house. His car was parked in his driveway, proof that, yup, he was home. Did he miss me? Why didn't he call? I mean, I was his girlfriend, right? After all, I had already met his large Italian American family. All his friends. He had taken me on a weekend "staycation" aboard the majestic Queen Mary in Long Beach. We had shared tawdry inside jokes, contented nights in with pizza and '80s movies and spoke passionately about our prized record collections while traipsing through the aisles at Amoeba. All of these things meant something, right? As I walked up to his front door, I peeked inside his car. Suddenly, I felt all my insecurities subside. There on his passenger seat was an 8-by-10, black-and-white, glossy photograph. I didn't recognize the man in the photo — perhaps he was some obscure '80s actor? — but what got my attention was what was written on this photo. "To Grace. Thanks for being awesome! " My heart swelled. Yes he had failed to keep in touch … but he had thought of me. Enough to give me a little gift from his travels. I rang the doorbell expectantly. So imagine my surprise when a woman answered the door. Taken aback, I took in the sight of this unassuming, nondescript, portly little female before me, who was also Asian. She smiled vapidly at me, almost welcoming. Surely, she must be the new roommate who had just moved in. "Hi," I said hesitantly, "Is Michael home? " "Yeah, he's here, he's just resting from getting back. He got sick from traveling. " "Oh, OK. Did you just move in? " I asked. "Oh, no, I'm just visiting from San Francisco," she said sheepishly, almost blushing. "OK, well, I'm coming in to check on him. Oh, and by the way, I'm Grace. " I extended my hand. The vacant smile slowly dissipated from her face. She blinked once. Then again, before replying. "Hi. I'm Grace too. " 2016-02-28 06:03 Los Angeles www.latimes.com
9 Dear Daughter, I'm sending you a care package. It includes your mother. Dear daughter, Hope all is going well in your new home in Cincinnati, a place most of the nation can't even spell. Congrats! Remember, it's not where you live — it's how well you live. For instance, there are people here in Los Angeles with all the money in the world. Are they happy? Yes, they are extremely happy. They have all the money in the world, and they live in L. A. But that doesn't mean other people can't be happy too. My advice: Wherever you live, make a lot of money. We wanted you to know that we are working on a care package. In it, you will find a tub of still- warm brownies. Next to them, curled up like a kitty, will be your mother. We hope you have room for her. No way would I let her live there for free, but that's totally up to you and your new boyfriend, Alan. Such an exciting time for the two of you. Setting up a household. Furnishing an apartment. Establishing traditions. All that can really bring a young couple together. That your mother will be there to facilitate can only enhance the entire ordeal. Your mother reports that the first meal you served your boyfriend was salmon and lentils. Interesting choice. Did he even know what it was? Remember, sweetie, that Alan is from the Midwest, where steak sauce is considered a soup. Next time, serve him a fat rib-eye, crusted in sugar-frosted flakes, and accompanied by two baked potatoes the size of Jeeps. For dessert, maybe a rotisserie chicken. Tell him you found the recipes on ESPN — he'll trust that. Wait till he's full and asleep before explaining about your mother. Me? I'm fine, thanks for asking. To take my mind off your move, I ran a marathon, which turned out to be pretty easy. Next time, I'll probably just save myself the trouble and blowtorch my toes. Did Mom mention I am working on another book? I am already 20 words into a 75,000-word novel about the vagaries of life and love and middle age. It's no substitute for football season, but it's all I really have. I won't get into details, but essentially the plot revolves around a young woman who moves to Cincinnati to play for the Bengals and be with her handsome new boyfriend, Alan. Then her mother shows up. In the movie version, Robert De Niro will play your mother, who is a superhero in her spare time. The young woman will be played by Emma Stone. The boyfriend will be played by Batman. The great Alan Alda will play me. The rest just writes itself. As I said, I'm only 20 words in, but it's going very well. While working on it, I listen to Billy Joel, a very small man with a very large heart. I hope his sensitive nature rubs off on my novel. From what I've been able to tell, most novels are wistful contemplations on failed lives — and I definitely don't want that. What I want is an upbeat reflection on football and Cincinnati, with only occasional moments of Billy Joel melancholy. Those will keep it real. Plus, it'll give the movie built-in spots for husbands to use the restroom. Meanwhile, I am writing this letter from some Godforsaken baseball field on the outskirts of Nowhere, Calif., where your little brother is playing a four-hour game of zero consequence before a crowd of parents who care a tad too much. To date, your mother and I have spent approximately $32,000 on special coaches to groove your baby brother's baseball swing. I mention this because that was exactly the amount of money we'd set aside for your wedding. It was a tough call, but your mother and I see such potential in him. As you know, major league baseball can't get enough of freckly undersized kids from the better 'burbs. So, obviously, life goes on here. I have to confess that my gut tingles a little when I realize you're really gone, and we'll definitely miss your mother once we get her bubble-wrapped and comfortable in that little packing box (I'll throw in a few bucks for her daily mai tai). After that, I'll put a moratorium on any more cross-country moves. As I tell friends, adult children are like migrating birds: Often, they'll circle back to where they came from. You'll hear them before you see them. Sound just like ducks. Love, Dad
2016-02-28 06:03 Los Angeles www.latimes.com
10 Poverty way of life for kin of man tagged as killer of Ninoy ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija—Saturnina Galman, 87, mother of Rolando Galman, who was implicated in the 1983 assassination of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., said she could no longer remember when she last visited her son’s grave in Parañaque City. Not for lack of trying, she said. “You can’t travel there on a thousand peso budget. That’s all I have. I have no livelihood and life today is hard,” said Galman, whose son was tagged as the communist hit man who allegedly murdered Aquino at the Manila International Airport tarmac on Aug. 21, 1983. Galman, however, is widely believed to have been just a fall guy in the plot to murder Aquino. The murder triggered protests that led to the ouster of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos in a People Power revolt in 1986. A resident of Barangay Sto. Tomas here, Saturnina said she was certain her son was at peace, after the fact-finding commission headed by former Court of Appeals Justice Corazon Agrava cleared him of any involvement in the Aquino murder. “For us, [Rolando’s death] has become a closed book and we have moved on,” the mother said on Thursday when President Aquino and the participants in the 1986 Edsa People Power revolution celebrated its 30th anniversary. Instead of a celebration, Galman said she and her family offered a prayer for her son and went on with their day. Rolando’s sister, Marilyn Galman-Duldulao, said life had not been easy for her mother and the family when government agents took them under their custody shortly after the assassination. “We were under their watch for two months. We had no access to television or the newspapers. We had no idea then that our relatives were frantically looking for us while people were on the streets to protest Aquino’s murder,” Duldulao said. Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon
2016-02-28 04:14 Philippine Daily newsinfo.inquirer.net
11 1 of 2 accused in slay of UPLB student owns up to crime SAN PEDRO CITY—Relatives of slain University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) student Given Grace Cebanico are drawing near the closure of the more than four-year-old case after one of two accused owned up to the crime on Tuesday. During his arraignment on Tuesday, Lester Ivan Rivera, a former bank security guard in Los Baños town in Laguna province, reentered another plea, this time admitting guilt. He is facing three counts of rape with homicide and a count of theft. The court scheduled the case’s promulgation on April 19. “Definitely, this is good news, a development. We were sort of expecting it to end like this because we have strong evidence,” said Cebanico’s father, Jun, in a telephone interview on Thursday. Cebanico, a junior computer science student at UPLB, was raped and killed near the campus in October 2011. Police arrested a suspect, tricycle driver Percival de Guzman, after the killing. Rivera later surrendered to the police in Pampanga province. Cebanico’s death sparked public outcry, prompting UPLB officials and the Los Baños government to enforce tighter security measures in the campus and key areas in the town. De Guzman is detained at the Los Baños municipal jail while Rivera had been transferred to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City two years ago after he was convicted of theft in a separate case filed by his security agency. Rivera was sued by his employer after he used a gun owned by the security agency in shooting Cebanico. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. De Guzman’s camp, meanwhile, is scheduled to present its final witness on March 3 during the continuation of the hearing at the sala of Judge Alberto Serrano of the Calamba City Regional Trial Court Branch 92.
2016-02-28 04:12 Maricar Cinco newsinfo.inquirer.net
12 Rural bank closed THE BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas has shuttered a rural bank in Negros Oriental for insolvency. In a Feb. 24 letter, BSP Deputy Gov. Nestor A. Espenilla said the Monetary Board, the policy- making body of the BSP, had decided to stop the Rural Bank of Bayawan (Negros Oriental) Inc. from doing business. The bank’s assets were placed under receivership pursuant to Republic Act No. 7653, or the New Central Bank Act. The Monetary Board has designated state-run Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. as the bank’s receiver. PDIC is the statutory receiver and liquidator of closed banks in the country. Earlier, the BSP closed Lapu-Lapu Rural Bank Inc. in Carcar City, Cebu, and the Rural Bank of Villaviciosa (Abra) Inc. Ben O. de Vera
2016-02-28 04:11 Philippine Daily business.inquirer.net
13 Raise on way for gov’t workers, military personnel STARTING tomorrow (Monday), the budget department will be releasing to various government agencies a total of P24 billion to cover the additional salaries of civilian employees and the new allowances of military and uniformed personnel, Budget Secretary Butch Abad said Saturday. The money to be released by the Department of Budget and Management will be sourced from the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund in the P3.002-trillion 2016 budget. The initial tranche of pay adjustments granted by Executive Order (EO) No. 201 signed by President Aquino earlier this month will require P57 billion, the bulk of which would be released within the first half of the year. “Of the P24 billion, P18.64 billion will augment the compensation of civilian personnel, while P5.36 billion will go to the allowances and hazard pay of military and uniformed personnel,” Abad said. The pay-out for civilian workers and military and uniformed personnel is based on data from the Government Manpower Information System which show the number of filled positions as of Dec. 31, 2015. According to Abad, the balance of P33 billion has been “set aside for newly filled positions and for the midyear bonus, which will be released not earlier than May 15 of this year.” The appropriations for civilian personnel include the following: Salary differential, step increment due to length of service, 13th-month pay differential, PhilHealth differential, employees compensation insurance premiums differential, and retirement and life insurance premiums differential. That of military and uniformed personnel will cover the monthly provisional allowance, monthly officers’ allowance as well as the increase in monthly hazard pay to P390 from the P240. Immediate implementation “We want to ensure the immediate implementation of the new salary rates and the release of the pay and allowance differentials as the compensation adjustments apply retroactively to the start of the year,” Abad said. He explained that the first tranche of salary adjustments included a midyear bonus equivalent to one month’s salary and a productivity enhancement incentive in the amount of P5,000. “Given that benefits not exceeding P82,000 are exempt from tax, public servants with salary grades 1 to 11 will receive both bonuses tax-free, while salary grades 12 to 16 will receive the entirety of their midyear bonus,” Abad said. Employees of government-owned an -controlled corporations (GOCCs) are “included in the compensation adjustment, provided that they are not covered by Republic Act No. 10149, which establishes a separate compensation and classification system for GOCC personnel,” he said. GOCCs covered by EO No. 201 will pay their employees’ salary adjustments out of their corporate funds, Abad said.
2016-02-28 04:09 government workers’ newsinfo.inquirer.net
14 14 Quake drills all for naught if land reclamation continues, says expert NATIONWIDE drills and other government initiatives to prepare the people for a magnitude- 7.2 earthquake—“the Big One”—would not be of much use if construction on reclaimed land, particularly in the Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay areas, is allowed to continue, said a Filipino- American marine geologist. The government should “stop playing games” when it comes to the safety of the people—which would definitely be in jeopardy if reclamation projects such as the proposed airport either at Sangley Point in Cavite or the west Laguna de Bay area, or the Laguna Lake Expressway-Dike are allowed to proceed, said Kelvin Rodolfo in a talk organized by the Save Our Shores Manila Bay Coalition at Malate Church Saturday. He raised three safety concerns: Land subsidence, storm surges and liquefaction. The last is the deadliest hazard during earthquakes, said Rodolfo, professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He said the government had two choices: Either take the earthquake threat seriously by not adding to the potential disaster; or just “pretend the earthquake will never happen” and push through with construction. Joselito Gonzales, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) assistant general manager for reclamation and regulation, said Rodolfo’s statements were “sweeping” since reclamation projects undergo rigorous geotechnical investigation, which includes testing for earthquake risks, a standard operating procedure of the agency. Formal study “We also know the risks and environmental concerns. We may be a government agency, but we are balanced. Yes, Rodolfo is a scientist, but they have to submit a formal study. If it turns out that they have a strong case, then why wouldn’t we oppose the projects?” Gonzales said in a phone interview. Gonzales clarified that he could only speak for the Manila Goldcoast Development Corp. (MGDC) and the proposed airport since it was the Laguna Lake Development Authority, together with the Department of Public Works and Highways, that is in charge of the Laguna Lake Expressway-Dike, a major highway which would follow the lake’s shoreline from Bicutan to Los Baños. “To non-technical people, [the possibility of] liquefaction comes as a shock. But it doesn’t follow that it will happen just because the land is reclaimed. There is always that potential anywhere,” Gonzales said, citing the areas of Bohol which experienced liquefaction in the 2013 earthquake even though it wasn’t reclaimed land. Minimized risk “My point is that if the quality of sand used in a reclaimed area is excellent, and it is thoroughly compacted and treated against liquefaction using the best technology, the risk is greatly minimized,” he said. Gonzales said Rodolfo and others who strongly oppose the reclamation are free to submit their own technical studies to the PRA like the proponents of these projects—the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) for the airport, and MGDC and the Manila government for Solar City. The DOTC commissioned the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to conduct a feasibility study of Sangley Point and the west Laguna de Bay area to determine which would be a better airport site. Approval of local entities The MGDC and the Manila city government are in the process of fulfilling preconstruction requirements such as engineering studies and geological modeling for the PRA’s review. Rodolfo stressed at the forum that the government should be consulting with local marine and geology experts, not foreign entities like Jica. The DOTC is still for President Aquino and the National Economic and Development Authority to approve the airport project, while construction of the MGDC’s Solar City is on hold since the company is still subject to a 1992 suspension order from Malacañang, Gonzales said.
2016-02-28 04:08 Annelle newsinfo.inquirer.net
15 Poe: Marcos burial must be ‘in accordance with law’ PRESIDENTIAL candidate Sen. Grace Poe made it clear on Saturday that the decision whether or not to give former President Ferdinand Marcos a hero’s burial must be “in accordance with the law.” “The decision should be harmonized with the intentions of Republic Act No. 10368 on the reparation and recognition of human rights violations during the Marcos regime,” Poe said in a statement. “The law makes it the policy of the state, and I quote, ‘to recognize the heroism and sacrifices of all Filipinos who were victims of summary execution, torture, enforced or involuntary disappearance and other gross human rights violations committed during the regime of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos covering the period from Sept. 21, 1972, to Feb. 25, 1986, and restore the victims’ honor and dignity,’” she said. Poe issued the statement after the Inquirer reported that she was open to allowing Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The senator denied the report. “I have been consistent about this from the very beginning. Former President Ferdinand Marcos deserves to be accorded proper burial. As to where, I would like to clarify that I did not state in an earlier interview that I am open to allowing the burial, and I quote the report, “wherever that may be,” and which would naturally include the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” said Poe. “To state the fact, my exact quote was: ‘Dapat talagang malagay na sa maayos ang paglilibing kay President Marcos, kung ano pa man ‘yan.’ (President Marcos should be properly buried, whatever that is.)” But Poe said the matter of the burial of the late strongman “is not for the incumbent President alone to decide on.” The burial issue was raised by a reporter during a press conference in Tacloban City on Friday. In that presscon, Poe also said that the Marcos family should make a specific request to allow the former president to be buried at the Libingan.
2016-02-28 04:05 Maila Ager newsinfo.inquirer.net
16 Don’t look at us, says Duterte camp of Poe rally snafu DAVAO CITY—Anyone may stage a rally in the city even if they belong to another political party. The camp of presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte made the assertion following reports rival candidate Sen. Grace Poe and her running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero, had been barred from holding a campaign rally in this city. On Friday, lawyer Lorna Kapunan, a senatorial candidate on Poe’s independent ticket, said she was on a plane to this city for a rally but the aircraft was diverted to Tacloban City. “I was on the same flight this morning as the campaign organizers and I asked them why we were diverted to Tacloban and the answer was there was no issuance of permits,” Kapunanwas quoted as saying in news reports. Escudero said the Davao sortie did not push through because of changes in their campaign schedule. But he said it was unfortunate if it was true that they were not given a permit to rally in Davao. In a statement, Duterte’s spokesperson Peter Laviña said Poe’s camp had its organizers to blame for failing to secure a permit to hold a rally in this city. Laviña said the allegation that Poe and Escudero were barred from conducting a rally here was baseless if not ridiculous. “Their organizers are lazy. They did not do their job. That’s not our or the city government of Davao’s fault,” he said. Permits in 1 day He said those who wish to hold rallies in public parks here are required to pay only P150 for the electricity. They must also coordinate with the Traffic Management Center and Central 911 for standby emergency units. Permits are usually processed in one day, Laviña added. “We learned that there was an application, but it was not pursued. Hindi na bumalik ang nag-file. Tamad, napagod siguro o naghahanap ng rason. Kaninong kasalanan yan? (The one who filed it did not return. Maybe he was lazy, tired or looking for an excuse [not to file]. Whose fault is that?),” he said. He said Davao City was known for respecting and tolerating groups that may want to exercise their freedom and use public spaces to protest and express grievances or political views or religious beliefs peacefully. “It’s unfortunate the senator’s camp is twisting the facts, making it appear like a permit was not granted because of politics,” Laviña said. newsinfo.inquirer.net 2016-02-28 04:01 Nico Alconaba newsinfo.inquirer.net
17 Labor, urban poor party declares backing for Escudero THE PARTIDO Lakas ng Masa (PLM), composed of labor and urban poor groups, has declared support for the vice presidential candidacy of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero. In a statement, PLM chair Sonny Melencio said “an alliance has now been forced between the party (PLM) and the senator on the basis of advancing specific and concrete demands” of PLM. He said PLM leaders believe that Escudero would ensure that “the urgent, everyday problems of the Filipino masses are not list in the raucous electoral arena.” Melencio said PLM is pushing for seven key reforms on employment, social services, land use, climate justice, budget, corruption and sovereignty. PLM’s seven-point proposed agenda for the tandem of Grace Poe and Escudero is supported by seven senatorial candidates, 37 local candidates and three party-list groups. The senatorial hopefuls that have expressed support for the PLM’s proposals include retired general and Young Officers Union founder Dado Valeroso of PLM, former Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, Rep. Neri Colmenares of the Makabayan bloc, labor leader Allan Montano of the Federation of Free Workers, migrant workers advocate Susan Ople and legal counsels Lorna Kapunan and Levi Baligod. Melencio said that the elections present an opportunity “to organize the masses under a platform for social change and meaningful reforms.” Formed in January 2009, PLM is composed of national labor organizations Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon, Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod, Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura, Piglas Kabataan and Sanlakas.
2016-02-28 04:00 Philippine Daily newsinfo.inquirer.net
18 The man saving Mumbai water one tap at a time On a Sunday morning, an 80-year-old man arrives at the topmost floor of an apartment complex in Mumbai's Mira Road district. Over the next four hours, Aabid Surti, national- award winning author of 80 books, cartoonist and artist , rings the doorbells of all 56 apartments in the complex, asking a simple question of the residents: "Do you have a leaking tap in your home? " Mr Surti is accompanied by a plumber and a volunteer. "Sorry to disturb you," he apologises to those who say no. The plumber gets to work, plugging leaks in the homes of those who answer in the affirmative. "I was always troubled by leaking taps," Mr Surti tells the BBC. This is the fifth article in a BBC series Unsung Indians , profiling people who are working to improve the lives of others. More from the series: The doctor who delivers girls for free Cancer survivor bringing joy to destitute children A messiah for India's abandoned sick The woman whose daughter's death led her to save others "Whenever I would visit a friend or a relative's home, I could always hear any drop or leak, and I would ask them to repair it. " Mr Surti says he grew up on the pavements of Mumbai where, as a child, he saw his mother queuing up at 4am for a bucket of water. "I saw people fight for each drop. This childhood memory keeps haunting me whenever I see a dripping tap. " In 2007, he came across a newspaper report which said that if one drop fell per second from a leaking tap, each month 1,000 litres went down the drain. "I couldn't get that image out of my head, of someone pouring down 1,000 bottles of water into the gutter. " So he formed the Drop Dead Foundation , a one-man non-governmental organisation, with the tagline "save every drop, or drop dead". He hired a plumber and started going around fixing leaking faucets in people's homes free of cost. Soon he hit the first hurdle. "The door was generally answered by the women of the house and we were two men. They would get suspicious and shut the door in our faces. "So we recruited a female volunteer to help us," he says. His friends and family too were disapproving. "It's just a few drops, it's not the holy river Ganges flowing down the drain," they chided him. "Why not just write and paint? Why chase a few drops? " they asked. They were also worried about money - how would he pay the plumber and the volunteer? "When you honestly set out to do good work, the entire universe is there to back you. Not only that, God becomes your fund raiser," he says. Just days after he decided to set up the foundation, he received news that he had won a Hindi literature award which came with the prize money of 100,000 rupees ($1,458; £1,045). "My costs are low. I pay the plumber and the volunteer 500 rupees each. And I spent some money on getting publicity material, so the money lasted a couple of years," he says. "And whenever my finances are about to dwindle, God pokes the right person and I receive a cheque without having to ask. " Now, he says, the plumber and the volunteer refuse to take any money from him. Over the years, he says, his efforts have helped save 10 million litres of water - and also won him fans and followers. Recently, he was invited by Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan on his television show and the actor donated 1.1m rupees to his foundation. At Mira Road, a woman recognises him from the TV show. "I saw you on Mr Bachchan's programme," she tells him, excitedly. "See, I made Amitabh Bachchan popular," he jokes. Many of the residents compliment him, telling him "you're doing a great job" and "keep up the good work". Mr Surti tells them how important it is to conserve water and the message seems to be getting through. "For the past few years, Mumbai has received inadequate rains and there's a water shortage," says Gaurav Pandey who invites Mr Surti into his house to fix a tap that has been leaking for the past "four-five days". "We generally ignore small leaks, because we're not aware. In future I'll get it fixed immediately. I'm so glad Mr Surti knocked on my door," he adds. Mr Surti says "whenever there's a water shortage, we blame the government, but it's not just the government's job, it's also our job to conserve water". He is encouraging more people to do their bit to change lives around them. "I work six days a week, writing, painting and drawing. On the seventh day, I spend a few hours, trying to create awareness, and motivate people in my neighbourhood," he says. "You don't need grand plans. Because every drop counts. " Are there any "Unsung Indians" you would like to see recognised? Email their story to us at [email protected] Please remember to include your contact details. Or complete the form:
2016-02-28 05:07 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
19 US election 2016: Bernie Sanders' and Hillary Clinton's policies compared Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in a pitched battle for the Democratic nomination, fighting for the hearts and minds of left-leaning voters across the US. But where do they stand on the issues? While the candidates often agree on substance if not style, here's a look at five areas where they differ - not just from each other, but from their presidential predecessors, as well. They will go up - but for whom? Bernie Sanders promises he will reduce income inequality through changes to US through tax policy. He has called for a 10% tax surcharge on billionaires, raising the top three tax brackets and creating a new top rate, boosting capital gains and estate taxes, extending Social Security taxes, going after income made abroad by US corporations, and creating a new 0.2% tax on all earners to fund a paid family leave programme. Hillary Clinton 's tax plan is basically Sanders-lite. She wants a 4% surtax on income over $5 million, an increase in capital gains taxes, the closing of "tax loopholes" for the wealthy, taxing hedge fund managers' "carried interest" income at higher rates and increasing the estate tax rate. Bill Clinton also raised taxes on the wealthy - and caught considerably criticism from conservatives for doing so. He instituted two new high-level tax brackets, raised corporate taxes, and increased income subject to Medicare and Social Security levies. After Republicans took control of Congress two years into his administration, he signed legislation lowering the capital gains taxes. He also increased a tax credit for poorer workers. John F Kennedy was the original Democratic tax-cutter. He reduced the top rate in the US from 95% to 65% and the corporate tax rate from 52% to 47%. Today's conservatives love to quote his claim that a high tax rate "siphons out of the private economy too large a share of personal and business purchasing power". Pitching college education that's free or just affordable Bernie Sanders has set the bar when it comes to higher education policy in the modern Democratic Party, with his call for free college for all Americans that's funded by taxing Wall Street financial transactions. He points to the runaway costs of higher education as one of the driving forces behind growing income inequality in the US. Hillary Clinton supports a plan to make two-year community college free, but her higher education policies are more modest. She has called for lowering student loan interest rates, providing $17.5 billion to improve the quality of higher education and encouraging colleges to set affordable tuition rates that don't require student loans. Barack Obama signed legislation streamlining the student loan system, including provisions that allow the government to directly loan money to students rather than rely on for-profit middle-men. He has also proposed making the first two years of college free, with a programme modeled on a Tennessee system devised by the state's Republican governor. Lyndon Baines Johnson is the godfather of the modern Democratic Party's education policies. As president he spearheaded passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which increased federal funding for universities and provided low-interest student loans and grants for needy students. It was landmark legislation in its day - but now seems relatively modest. Mend it or end it - and start over from scratch. Barack Obama supported and signed legislation increasing government regulation of the health insurance industry and creating private insurance markets for individuals not covered by employer-provided insurance. The programme was based, in part, on Republican proposals from the 1990s and the system instituted in Massachusetts by then-Governor Mitt Romney. For Bernie Sanders , however, that particular half-loaf is far from enough. He wants to institute a single-payer government-run health insurance system fashioned on Medicare. He has also called for allowing the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies in order to lower prices and permitting Americans to import medication from Canada, where it is less expensive. Hillary Clinton has said Mr Sanders is advancing an unrealistic proposal that threatens hard-won healthcare reforms made during Mr Obama's tenure. Instead she wants to expand existing law to improve coverage for prescription drugs and allow the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers for better prices. The former first lady does know a thing or two about how hard it is to get healthcare bills through Congress. In 1993 she was the driving force behind Bill Clinton's proposed legislation, which created a federal minimum-benefits healthcare package with limits on out-of-pocket expenses, all provided by regional healthcare alliances. That effort went down in flames before it even came to a vote in Congress. The one place where Clinton comes at Sanders from the left Hillary Clinton is the first prominent Democratic presidential candidate to openly run on a gun- control platform since Al Gore's losing campaign in 2000. She supports holding gun manufacturers liable for deaths caused by their products, expanding background checks and prohibiting those on no-fly list from purchasing firearms. She has also supported reinstating the ban semi-automatic "assault" rifles. Bernie Sanders , a senator from the rural state of Vermont, has a more moderate position on guns - although he has moved to the left over the course of the campaign. He supports expanded background checks on gun purchases and an assault weapons ban, but opposes holding gun manufacturers liable for deaths. He voted against a gun purchase waiting period multiple times in the early 1990s and for allowing guns in national parks. Barack Obama shied away from campaigning on gun control in his two presidential campaigns, but the murder of schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012 convinced him to act. He has since called for an assault weapon ban and expanded background checks. He has taken unilateral executive action to increase enforcement of laws against gun trafficking and broadening the scope of federal regulation of firearm transactions. Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the first serious effort at gun control by a Democratic president dates and his call in 1934 to create a national firearm registry and institute a federal tax on all gun purchases. No major Democratic officeholder would even consider broaching such a proposal today. It wouldn't just be dead on arrival in Congress, for many politicians it would be political suicide. Remember the Iraq War? Bernie Sanders does. Hillary Clinton , as secretary of state, was one of the more hawkish members of Mr Obama's cabinet. It's no surprise then that as a presidential candidate she's well to the right of Mr Sanders and even Mr Obama. She's called for greater US involvement in the Syrian civil war, including enforcing a no-fly zone, and supports a continued US military presence in Afghanistan. Bernie Sanders generally agrees with Barack Obama's foreign policies - limited involvement in Syria and an emphasis on working with US allies. He contrasts himself with Mrs Clinton by noting the past US military action that she supported and he opposed - in Libya and Iraq. He supports a full US withdrawal from Afghanistan and no US training of rebels in the Syrian civil war. John F Kennedy 's foreign policy as president, compared to the current crop of Democratic politicians, seems downright bellicose. He was an interventionist at heart, authorising the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, taking a hard line against Soviet expansion in the Western hemisphere and initiating US involvement in Vietnam.
2016-02-28 05:07 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
20 Buncombe County Chairman Candidate Responds To Charlotte’s Gender Identity Bathrooms By Chad Nesbitt- Yesterday Charlotte City Council voted in favor of gender identity or expression bathrooms. Council members approved expanding the city’s existing nondiscrimination ordinance in a 7-4 vote which included Charlotte’s Mayor in support of the action. The changes mean businesses in Charlotte are forced to allow men in women’s bathrooms and women into mens depending which gender a person identifies with. Places of public accommodation, such as bars, restaurants and stores are subjected to the new policy. This will also apply to schools. Candidate for Chairman of the Buncombe County Commissioners Chad Nesbitt said, “There are several Democrats running for County Commission and they all support gender identity bathrooms. One of which is Miss Beach-Ferrara who is a militant lesbian activist and has received over $25,000.00 in out of state contribution funds to her local campaign.” Nesbitt said, “This mentally perverse Democrat gender identity action is dangerous to school children and women and I will never allow this to happen in Buncombe County.” “The first time an assault happens in a bathroom in Charlotte the victim should sue the city, the Council members that voted for it on an individual basis, and the LGBT groups that pushed it, for these are nothing but a gang of thugs and just like a ruthless member of a gang is caught in a violent crime the whole gang can be held responsible in a court of law.” Chad Nesbitt can be reached at 828-216-0147.
2016-02-28 05:26 By Chad www.thetribunepapers.com
21 Breaking the law during World War Two The new Dad's Army movie shines a light on the selfless volunteers who pulled together to defend the UK from the threat of Nazi invasion. But not everyone was necessarily in it together. Despite the Blitz spirit of World War Two, crime rose from 303,771 offences in 1939 to 478,000 in 1945. Why? During the early part of the war, British cities suffered repeated bombing raids that devastated large areas. This was the source of the famous Blitz spirit - the British people's determination to maintain the war effort. But while many pulled together, others used the raids as an opportunity for crime. Bombed and abandoned buildings were a treasure trove for looters. After a raid on Dover, one man returned home to find his entire house stripped. Even the carpets and pipes had been taken by opportunistic thieves. Others even looted while air raids were taking place. At the height of the air raid on Coventry in November 1940 two men were caught ransacking a wine seller's. "I cannot think of conduct more detestable than that, during the most dreadful air raid which has ever taken place, you should be found looting," the judge told them as he jailed them for six and seven years respectively. In Kensington, west London, a gardener was caught removing rings from four dead bodies in January 1941 while on one day in November 1940, 20 of the 56 cases at the Old Bailey were looters. Ten of these were auxiliary firemen. There were also cases of murderers hiding their victims in damaged houses. When the bodies were discovered it was assumed they had been in the house when the bomb hit. Harry Dobkin was hanged in 1943 after being found guilty of murdering his wife and burying her in the basement of a bombed-out Baptist chapel in Hackney, east London. Prosecutors said he had hoped people would mistake her for a victim of the raids should she be discovered. The government was so concerned about looting it brought in the death penalty and life sentences as a deterrent. However, perhaps with a view to the importance of morale, no-one was actually executed for looting and most were given heavy fines or shorter sentences. The courts could still be severe, however. "There was a warden who was looking through a bomb-damaged home looking for survivors," said historian Juliet Gardner, author of Wartime Britain 1939-1945. "He and his team came across a bottle of brandy, he decided to share it with his men to boost their spirits. He was prosecuted for looting, which just seems ridiculous. " More than 3.5 million people were moved from high-risk cities to the safer countryside during the war, many of them children. The combination of boredom and lack of parental control was blamed for a sharp rise in juvenile delinquency by the Police Review in November 1939. "In some parts of the country gangs of young hooligans are appearing partly because the restrictions on amusements have left no alternative but the streets as leisure-time resorts," the newsletter said. In 1939, 52,000 people under the age of 17 appeared before magistrates. Two years later that had risen to 72,000. In Bath, an 11-year-old London evacuee was sent to a remand home for a week after admitting stealing money from his foster mother, while two 10-year-old evacuees were fined after breaking flower pots and causing damage in the city's Henrietta Park. Birchings were regularly handed out as a punishment by the courts. One 13-year-old boy in Ipswich was sentenced to six strokes in 1939 after stealing food intended for evacuated children. And in 1944 two boys broke into a bombed-out house that had been converted into a munitions store and "stole enough anti-tank bombs to blow up themselves and their families", the Birmingham Mail reported. Perhaps nothing encapsulated the ideal of an "all in it together" wartime attitude than rationing, which required everyone to make sacrifices in order to ensure there was enough to go around. But the system was abused - and disputes could even lead to murder. An aircraft gunner at an aerodrome camp in the north of England was accused of shooting and killing a superior officer after the pair had argued over rations in March 1944. "He asked for it," the Birmingham Mail reported witnesses hearing the killer say. The use of the black market - as embodied by the spiv Private Walker in Dad's Army - was widespread amid the constraints of rationing and some sought to fiddle the system, much in the way benefits cheats operate today. One woman in Hartlepool was fined £160 in 1940 after using four ration books to get food for her family of three. Her 15-year-old son had accidentally been sent a child's book and an adult's and she used both for six months to obtain extra supplies. She claimed she thought the extra rations were because her son was a "big schoolboy", the Northern Echo reported. People were also caught using ration books belonging to elderly relatives who had died, while others simply swapped any rations they did not want with their neighbours. Several London hotels were fined in 1941 for illegally buying "at least" 150,000 eggs from a black market dealer from Folkestone. The hotels, which had paid up to twice the controlled price for the eggs, said they were "desperate to feed the guests". The dealer was sentenced to three months' hard labour. During the hours of darkness, all street lights were switched off in an effort to hide targets from the Luftwaffe. This had the unfortunate effect of providing cover for all manner of criminal deeds, including sexual assaults. A 14-year-old boy was bound over by Cornish magistrates after indecently assaulting a woman in a Newlyn street in January, 1940. He also admitted several other similar offences and said he had started by just bumping into women, using the excuse of the blackout before moving on to grabbing them. In January 1943, police were seeking a man using the cover of blackout to indecently assault women in the Kingstanding area of Birmingham. In Sheffield, the city's tram inspectors complained that passengers were exploiting the blackout to use incorrect money to pay for rides. Blackout blinds were commonplace and shining a light at night was a serious but commonplace offence. "It was terribly easy to break blackout," Ms Gardiner said. "Some people just forgot; for example you might remember to pull the curtains down at the front of the house but not the back. "They usually got a fine - it could be quite a hefty one. " While many relied on love to cope with the stresses of wartime, others used wartime to further their chances of finding love. One man threatened to falsely report a love rival to the police for being a German spy unless he stopped seeing a woman he was in love with, the Birmingham Mail said in 1939. And there were many cases of civilians masquerading as soldiers in order to attract members of the opposite sex. Women also committed offences under the influence of love, with several making the papers for passing love letters to Italian prisoners of war. One from near Newport, in south Wales, was sentenced to six weeks' hard labour for doing exactly that in February 1943. The object of her affection had been seen leaving his working party for up to three hours to go to the married woman's house. Court officials called her conduct "abominable". One of the reasons for the rise in crime was there were suddenly many more laws citizens could break, says Ms Gardiner. Numerous orders were issued by the government to keep the wheels of war rolling smoothly. For example, compulsory work orders were made and anyone failing to do their bit could end up in court. An engine tester in Coventry was sentenced to three months' hard labour in 1943 after taking 10 days off without permission when he got married. Two women from King's Norton, in Birmingham, were fined in January 1943 for refusing to do war work. Both said they were conscientious objectors and their services were "not at the disposal of the government". One said she could not "outlaw war with her left hand and help in its successful prosecution with the other". In Hebburn, South Tyneside, a 20-year-old apprentice driller irked magistrates in 1942 after he was late for work 33 times in 41 days. He was charged under the Essential Work Order, with the chairman of the bench telling him the best place for him would be the Army so he could "get discipline", the Northern Echo reported. People could also be punished for helping others break orders, such as a woman in Sheringham, Norfolk, who was caught hiding an absentee soldier in her cupboard in 1941. Other orders included maximum price controls to prevent businesses from profiteering. In 1941, in Newcastle, the Blaydon District Industrial and Provident Society was fined £290 after it sold two pounds of apples for about £11 when the maximum price was £4. Elsewhere a farmer near Darlington was fined more than £1,000 in 1942 after failing to grow two acres of potatoes, as ordered by the minister of agriculture. The Northern Echo reported County Durham needed to grow 23,000 acres of potatoes that year for the war effort which "depended entirely on each individual doing his share". Some opportunistic criminals worked out a way to earn money from the free, crowded and public air-raid shelters. They would charge people for places, using their lackeys to hold the spots until payment had been made. Others abused government compensation schemes set up to help those whose homes or businesses had been destroyed by bombs. One man in London was jailed for three years after claiming to have lost his home 19 times in a three-month period. On each occasion he had received at least £500 compensation. After the introduction of conscription, some doctors broke the law by agreeing to mark a patient as unfit for military service, usually for a financial reward. And civilians particularly keen to avoid the call-up paid the genuinely sick or injured to attend medicals in their place. "It's the underside of the world, but in a sense what do you expect? " said Ms Gardiner. "Human nature doesn't change. There was a great deal of bravery, strength and fortitude shown by many people but there were also those willing to abuse the situation for their own advantage. "
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
22 Your pictures: Coffee break Readers' photographs on the theme of coffee break. Each week, we publish a gallery of readers' pictures on a set theme. This week it is "coffee break", and we begin with a picture by Helen Errington. Si Cunneen: " I even found a mug with coffee break on it, so just had to buy it so I could break it. " Pete Edmunds: "My father enjoying a steaming cup of coffee complete with a mini milk bottle. This was shot in a Cheshire cafe in March 2015. A poignant shot, since it's the last photo I took of him. He passed away five months later. " Graham Denyer: "Its 11:05, and my coffee clock says it's time for coffee break. Be careful not to eat or drink the digits, as you'll lose track of the time. " Beowulf Mayfield: "I was hoping to make use of a sunny day by taking some pictures by the Thames and put a 1960s Halina 35x film camera in my bag along with my digital [single-lens reflex (SLR) camera]. It was just as well I did, because I forgot to replace the battery in my SLR after recharging. A useful lesson learned. I stopped for a cappuccino at a riverside cafe and enjoyed sitting out in the winter sun - even if it was freezing cold. " Nicola Santelmo: "In an operative room, all the coffee breaks are precious. These are some moments of relaxation between a lung transplantation and the surgery. " Billy Thursfield: "While on holiday in Namibia, my wife and I enjoyed a welcome coffee after an early start to climb Dune 45 for sunrise. A wonderful way to start an amazing day visiting Sossusvlei and the Namib desert. " Cynthia Ong-Lamb: "My love for coffee took me to this shot of our coffee-capsules holder. It's also a joy seeing the capsules sliding down each time a capsule is removed. " And finally, a picture by Kit Haigh who said: "A freshly made cup of coffee taken on the opening day of Catpawcino cat cafe in Newcastle upon Tyne. " The next theme is "Sundays", and the deadline for your entries is 1 March. If you would like to enter, send your pictures to [email protected]. Further details and terms can be found by following the link below this gallery or go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/inpictures and look for Share your photo.
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
23 The 'disruptive' businesses trying to crack the disability market The disability market is worth billions of pounds - and companies are coming up with ever more "disruptive" ways to break into it. Last summer was one of those rare occasions on Dragons' Den when someone pitches, nails the numbers and watches the Dragons try and outbid each other. Then in a twist, the business owner rejected an offer of £70,000 for 35% of the company. The deal collapsed and she walked away with nothing. Ellen Green from Blue Badge Company, which makes stylish accessories for disabled people, forged ahead anyway and now plans to expand internationally. "It started because my friend, who was in her 30s and very stylish, had just received her first blue badge for the car. "She was looking for a wallet to keep it in but all she could find was a blue one with a white wheelchair on it - it was just like many disability products, clinical and dull and difficult to use - so she made herself one with polka dots on. " The friends started selling them online, celebrating even if one was bought in a week, and slowly it evolved into a company which continues to challenge perceptions, including the way it operates. Green says: "My first employee used to be a pattern cutter. My second employee was disabled. " And so it expanded to a team of 16, offering jobs and training to those with disabilities or those who were carers. Green herself is not disabled. "The majority of our employees are doing assembly, which they can do from home, and it became really apparent to me that this was crucially important - because so many have barriers to accessing employment, and we're keen to break that cycle of unemployment. " The mixed workforce are often the originators of new products, designing items they want, as well as need, including stylish walking-stick bags. The company's turnover has increased from £64,000 to £325,000 in three years, with its products aimed at disabled people being sold by retailers including Argos, Boots and Halfords. "I think more retailers are coming to realise they have to offer products," she says. "A fifth of the population has a disability and those people aren't being particularly well served at the moment. " Her appearance on Dragon's Den helped highlight the strength of the so-called Purple Pound - the collective spending power of the nation's disabled people, their friends and family, currently valued at £212bn. The figure refers to the money spent on everything they want or need, be it clothes, holidays or necessary apparatus, and incorporates 20% of all consumers - a rather large niche market. "Our products are as sexy as disability gets," Green says. "We're cheeky and recognise this gap for practical solutions with bright designs which say more about someone's personality than their disability. " But she says selling the concept has not been easy. "If you're starting as a disruptive company and challenging the status quo, which we are, it's certainly very hard work and I've learned to react as positively as I can. "There is some resistance, but I hope we're going to start breaking down those stigmas and preconceptions. " She describes her company as "disruptive" because she says it actively challenges retail companies and what they consider the norm, as well as insisting their products get equal promotion. Matt Wadsworth from London is the director of Good Food Talks, an app which enables restaurants to create audible menus. "I've been blind since birth so I've always been entrepreneurial, it's about solving problems," he said. "I think in some ways as an entrepreneur you're in a good position if you've had to deal with a disability, as business is tough. " The app is free for users, with companies paying an annual subscription, and it is currently available in 1,000 venues including Carluccio's, Nando's and Pret A Manger, with the ambition to expand into America. "We found that people want to use their own device and access their menu with their iPhone or iPad, and restaurant websites are really inaccessible... so there was an opportunity to bridge the gap. " Wadsworth says his app is mainly used by visually impaired people but can help people with dyslexia and those who need more light too. "We've got access to over 100,000 users and Nando's are seeing about 1,000 hits a month and we can keep menus up to date in real time. " But there were challenges to overcome. "You've always got to explain the need for it and at the beginning that was quite difficult, but you've got to be very confident and believe in your idea. " Wadsworth said he believes many businesses just don't think about accessibility, but he is positive that they can be educated. "We just need to plug away, and now we live in a time where entrepreneurs are seeing the opportunity and using and developing technology to help with accessibility issues. " Lloyd's Pharmacy is one retailer which has reacted to a "growing demand" for accessibility products, opening six stores called Betterlife which only sell items to support independent living - from scooters to kettle tippers. They say they are accessible stores created with "usability and comfort in mind" and that they work with those "who have first-hand knowledge and experience" of what is needed. For Blue Badge Company, Ellen Green has her sights set on expanding into Europe, which recognises the parking scheme, but the company's ongoing objectives remain closer to home. "We're going to continue innovating to improve people's experience of everyday life and be the first brand to transcend the high end, and give traditionally dull and clinical products centre stage. "That would be an amazing step towards creating social change. " Blue Badge Company will feature on Dragons' Den: Pitches To Riches on Sunday 28 February at 20:00 GMT on BBC Two - catch up on BBC iPlayer.
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
24 Wonder woman: Canadian designer morphs into superheroes with epic body art (VIDEOS) Kay Pike, 28, a long time Cosplay fan, decided to take her passion for dressing up as her favourite comic characters one step further last year by painting the looks straight on to her body. The task, which begins with putting a layer of latex onto her skin, can take up to 14 hours to complete. As well as uploading photos and videos of her incredible superhero looks, Pike also livestreams her work in progress through her Twitch account . The artist only started her bodypaint project last year after being inspired by bodypainter Lianne Moseley at a Canadian comic expo. So far, she has chalked up superhero transformations of Poison Ivy, Deadpool, Spiderman, Batman, Two-Face, and Captain Planet.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
25 Swiss vote whether to expel foreigners for minor crimes People in Switzerland vote on Sunday on whether to automatically expel foreigners who commit minor crimes. The proposal has been put forward by the right- wing Swiss People's Party. The vote comes as unease grows among Swiss people at rising immigration and the social problems which, the People's Party says, come with it. But opponents say the law will create a two-tier justice system which will unfairly target foreigners who live permanently and legally in Switzerland. More than five million people are entitled to vote - not including the two million or so foreign nationals living there. If adopted, the proposal known as the "Enforcement Initiative" would strengthen moves adopted in 2010 to deport foreigners convicted of murder or sexual violence. The Swiss People's Party is now seeking automatic deportation with no right of appeal if a foreigner commits two minor offences within 10 years such as speeding or arguing with a police officer. Supporters of the proposals say it will make Switzerland a safer place, and point to statistics indicating that foreigners take up more than their fair share of prison cells. Opinion polls suggest the vote will be close. But if the Swiss do vote yes, they will have adopted some of the strictest laws on foreigners in Europe, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says.
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
26 I believe in full equality, but I’ve spent too long watching women play the victim Topics: Life stories , Editor's Pick , Feminism , Fiction , victim , Life News No one would argue that the position of women has not improved during the last few decades, at least in the West. It is similarly impossible to deny that there is still a long way to go to full equality: even in the countries with the most legal protections for women, shocking numbers of women are still being raped, beaten up and sometimes killed by abusive men. At work, women are still victims of sexual harassment, and they still earn less than a man for the same work–these are the facts. But, here’s the good news (for women): By stopping in the middle of the bridge to full equality, women are sometimes able to invoke both sexist stereotypes and feminist ideals. In other words, to play–and win–on both sides: to take full advantage of gender-based laws designed to protect women’s safety and equality, while still reverting, when it’s convenient, to long-standing social mores that grant women special treatment. For women today, it’s possible to echo the zero-tolerance tone being set by the media and whistle-blowing Twittersphere, while still participating in reactionary behavior–playing the role of helpless creatures in need of protection, or innocent victims—and playing it to our advantage. This realization came to me long ago, when, before becoming a writer, I was studying to become an engineer. I was very good in math and physics and successfully passed entry exams to a highly selective and renowned engineering school in Paris. It was the very beginning of the 1980s, when it was rare to see women embracing and succeeding in such a career; if I recall correctly, we were no more than eight or 10 women among more than a hundred men. Thrown into this unusual environment, I soon realized that in a way, I could have my cake and eat it too. In this prestigious program, no one would have dared put in doubt my intelligence and abilities, yet men were still holding doors for me, complimenting me on my looks and inviting me to restaurants. It was lovely and I enjoyed it very much. For me, it felt like I could have it both ways: respect as an equal, and yet special treatment as a woman. I thought at the time that the battle for equality was over. We’d won. All my male friends were feminists, we had won the right to birth control, we were free to pursue careers in all fields, or become mothers, or both. I could hitchhike across France by myself, racing my boyfriend, and win, because drivers, both men and women, would still stop for a woman far more often than for a man — what more was there to ask? Then something happened. I felt relationships between men and women hardened again as a new kind of feminism appeared, the one described and criticized by Elisabeth Badinter in a book that deeply impressed me, called “Fausse Route” (Dead End Feminism). Far from Simone de Beauvoir’s universalism, this “new” kind of feminism (often referred to as “essentialist”) not only claimed for women equal rights, but additional rights, female-only rights. And the cult of victimhood combined with a refusal to raise the question of female violence and abuse of power (in the name of a statistical asymmetry) made it now possible – and even pretty easy — for a woman to turn a man’s life into a nightmare if only she wanted to. At one point, I even observed this in my own life. While I could see how my female friends and I were making huge progress in the professional realm toward equality, I also witnessed several of my male friends go through very difficult times in their personal lives as a result of this double standard. One of them, happily married, had become suddenly very successful in business when, out of the blue, he received a phone call from a woman with whom he had had a casual relationship years before, telling him he was the father of her 8-year-old daughter. She asked him for financial support, which he gave, despite the strain this situation was putting on his marriage, only to discover years later through a DNA test that he was, in fact, not the biological father of that child. Another one of my friends went through a painful divorce, and endured a battle to obtain shared custody of his three kids, whom he adored. In an accusation that seemed ludicrous to those who knew him, his ex-wife accused him of mistreating the children. We were horrified to see how the judge (a woman, as is usually the case in the courts dedicated to family issues in France) gave her claims more than the benefit of the doubt, even though her assertions were totally–and evidently to everyone else but the judge–unfounded.
2016-02-28 05:15 Nelly Alard www.salon.com
27 First sexually transmitted Zika case confirmed in Europe, as US reveals two cases Marisol Touraine, minister for social affairs and health, revealed that the case was recorded in a woman in Paris. The minister told the AFP that the woman had been infected by her partner who had recently returned from Brazil, an active Zika zone. Two cases of the deadly Zika virus being contracted through sexual contact have also been confirmed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC said on Friday that laboratory tests had confirmed separate cases in two women who had recently been in contact with an infected male. It follows the health department’s earlier announcement that it was investigating 14 new cases of the disease’s possible sexual transmission. In an update, the CDC describes four further sexually transmitted Zika cases as “ probable ,” with two suspected cases being disproven. Six more patients remain under observation. The two cases confirmed in the US were found in “women whose only known risk factor was sexual contact with a symptomatic male partner with recent travel to an area with ongoing Zika virus transmission,” a CDC statement read . Zika is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that has been linked to complications in pregnant women. Since the virus has been found to be present in semen, men who have travelled to Zika affected areas are advised to abstain from sexual activity if their partner is pregnant, or to “correctly use condoms during sex.” It is not known whether women can transmit the virus to sexual partners. READ MORE: Brazilian state suspends chemical used to fight Zika over fears it may be behind brain defects According to the CDC, no Zika related deaths have been confirmed in pregnant women in the US, but in two cases infants were lost before full-term. One child whose mother had Zika during her pregnancy was born with an abnormality known as “severe microcephaly,” which prevents full development of babies’ heads and, in some cases, can lead to mental development problems. There are currently Zika virus warnings in place in 34 countries and territories around the world, according to the latest CDC data. In a situation report updated on Friday, the World Health Organization noted that links between Zika and neurological disorders “remain circumstantial, but a growing body of clinical and epidemiological data points towards a causal role for Zika virus.” Almost 4,000 infants in Brazil have been born with microcephaly since October of 2015, compared to 147 for the whole of 2014.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
28 How I hit the headlines on Siberian TV On a recent trip to Siberia, the BBC Moscow correspondent, Steve Rosenberg, was pursued by a local journalist. The next thing he knew, he was featured on the TV news and criticised for showing a less than idyllic view of Russia. When morning breaks over the River Ob, the commuter trains rumbling across the railway bridge disappear into clouds of mist. They are the ghost trains of a Siberian dawn. Through a pink-and-orange sky bursts a golden sun, and the Ob is bathed in light. But it is bitterly cold. The wind sweeps across the frozen river and chills to the bone. What could be colder than a Siberian winter? I'll tell you what - the icy reception we're about to receive in Novosibirsk. We're out on the streets filming a report about the Russian economy. Suddenly I hear a voice. "I'm from Novosibirsk Television - are you the BBC? " The reporter from this pro-Kremlin channel has tracked us down and his cameraman is already filming me. "The journalist community of Novosibirsk wants to know why you are here? What kind of film are you making? " he asks. He informs me that a recent BBC Panorama programme on alleged Kremlin corruption was a "pack of lies… a provocation". "Are you making the same kind of film here? " he barks. I tell the journalist, whose name is Alexander, that we're making a news report about life outside Moscow. "Is that a problem? " I ask. "Yes it is," he replies, "judging by the kind of programmes the BBC makes. " In the hotel that evening, I switch on the TV to see what kind of programmes Siberian Television makes - rather imaginative ones, judging by its main evening bulletin. "BBC in Novosibirsk" is headline news. But it's more fairy tale than fact. The newsreader introduces us - incorrectly - as the same BBC team that made that Panorama programme about the Kremlin. "Now they've received a new assignment straight from BBC headquarters! " says the reporter, as if this is some kind of spy thriller. The reporter says that we've been filming things which we haven't. And, at the end, the newsreader makes this announcement: "Tune in tomorrow to find out what the BBC's report is really about. " Next morning we drive to a business centre to interview the head of a local internet company about Russia's recession. And who should turn up uninvited? Yes, it's Alexander again with cameraman and questions. "I want to know what kind of a report about Russia are you making? " By now it's clear we're being followed. I tell Alexander it's very strange that we are being pursued. "I haven't been following you," he replies. "I just got a telephone call telling me you're here. " I tell Alexander I don't think it's very polite to barge in to someone's private office. "But we're doing the same job," he explains. "You're making a report about Russia - and so am I. " We get on to the subject of Russia's economic crisis. "Yes, but everyone's got economic problems now, haven't they? " says Alexander. "There are problems in Britain, in America... " "Yes," I respond, "but Russia's economy - much more than Britain's - is reliant on its energy exports, so when global oil prices fall, Russia is hit badly. " That night, when I sit down to watch the local news there we are again. Not surprisingly the part of the conversation that mentioned being followed, barging in and Russia's oil dependency didn't make it into this report. Instead, in his news piece, Alexander declares, sarcastically, that "the BBC knows how to show the 'pretty side' of Russia," accusing us of filming "food markets, bus stops and private houses". "We may have plenty of dirt in our city," he says, "but there's plenty of dirt in the West, too. " And in a bizarre attempt to prove his point, he shows some photographs of dilapidated homes in the Essex seaside town of Jaywick - officially the most deprived neighbourhood in England. "The BBC would never show this," he declares. I'm not too surprised by Siberian TV's frosty coverage of our visit. As relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated, the amount of anti-Western reporting on pro-Kremlin TV channels has risen. The Russian authorities, too, often complain about what they see as increasing anti-Russian rhetoric in the Western media. But I wonder how effective this message is in Russia? Next day, out on Lenin Square, I interview some pensioners who are protesting against the government's economic policies. "Hang on, I saw you on TV last night. You're that British journalist aren't you? You're bad! " one woman suddenly says to me. "Do you believe everything you see on pro-Kremlin channels? " I ask. "You've come on to the street to criticise your authorities. So why are you so ready to believe that the BBC is bad? " "Well, it's all right for us to criticise our government," she replies, "but if we complain to you about our government, that's not patriotic. " How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent : BBC Radio 4: Thursdays at 11:00 GMT and Saturdays at 11:30 GMT Listen online or download the podcast. BBC World Service: At weekends - see World Service programme schedule or listen online . Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
29 A Point of View: Will future generations condemn us? Protesters in South Africa and now Oxford have demanded the destruction of memorials to Cecil Rhodes, a man whose behaviour and beliefs they say are unacceptable in the modern world. But Adam Gopnik asks if our 21st Century ways will look acceptable to future generations. Like many of you, I suspect, I've been following the fight over that statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oxford. Since Rhodes, once seen as a hero of Empire, now looks like a racist and an imperialist - both bad things - the notion is that he should not be honoured in an institution of knowledge. Should we tear his statue down? The French have a nice all-purpose idiom to cover the destruction of things of the past in pursuit of the values of the present. "Il faut bruler" they say - it must burn. But must we burn down Sartre or Louis XIV or Victor Hugo over a big thing they got wrong? I row no boat for Rhodes - though I do think this kind of inquiry can easily become an inquisition. We can rummage through the past of any historical figure and find something obnoxious by the standards of 2016. Even so saintly a character and prescient a man as the philosopher John Stuart Mill - who with Harriet Taylor invented modern feminism - can be shown to have been insufficiently attentive to the very real sufferings of the Irish in Ireland or the Indians in India. My own standard is simple - what were the moral positions broadly articulated at the time, and where does the historical figure stand within those? Not too many, but some, saw just how wrong slavery in the American south was in 1860, and Mill was one of them. Not too many people thought imperialism evil in and of itself, and Mill was one of those, too. But more to the point, we should use these inquiries not as a moment of moral arraignment of others but as moral instruction to ourselves. What attitudes and practices that we accept blithely now as just part of the necessary arrangement of the world will seem horrific to the future? What will we be morally arraigned for tolerating by our more pristine descendants? I've arrived at a tentative list of four such horrors. I don't say that this is the right or complete list - or even that we ought actually to "bruler" these things - just that these are the things that morally curious people with an eye to the future might to be curious about now. The first is mass cruelty to animals in the pursuit of food. The industrial farm, the industrialised slaughterhouse - for all that we have been told of these things, we still effectively hide away this truth from ourselves and from our sight. The conditions of animals - chickens forced to spend their lives motionless, pigs, such sentient and feeling beings, crowded in pens and slaughtered on assembly lines of panic - may seem to our descendants as unspeakable as that of the slaves in the middle passage seem to us. Inside the chicken farms Do people know where their chickens come from? (Oct 2014) That we blithely sit down to eat veal chops at conferences on ethics (I did, once) may well seem to them as brutally hypocritical as American slaveholders praising liberty. My own view, articulated at numbing length in my book about eating, The Table Comes First, is that since we would always eat scavenged beasts, the real issues involve the treatment of animals, not just their consumption. An animal raised kindly and slaughtered painlessly seems to me fairly harvested - though I am in the minority in my own pescatarian family and may, someday soon, convert. The next moral outrage the future may condemn is cruelty to children in schooling. This may seem like much the lesser sin - certainly not getting any schooling at all, like so many girls in Islamic countries, is far worse. But the Western school day and school regimen we accept uncritically, are, on the whole, remnants of an earlier time, living symptoms of the regimentation of life in the 19th Century that also brought us mass conscription and military drill. We've outgrown mass conscription, but we still too often teach our children to a military timetable. We take it for granted that long school days, and much homework, will benefit them, though there is not a scrap of evidence that this is true, and a large body of evidence that it is false. We take it for granted that waking teenagers in the early morning, then having them sit still and listen to lectures for eight hours, and then doing three or four more hours of homework at home, is essential and profitable. All the evidence suggests that this is the worst possible way of educating anybody, much less a 15-year-old in need of much sleep, freedom of mind, and abundant creative escape-time - of the kind that John and Paul found by skipping school to play guitars in the front room, or that Steve Jobs found when, in a California high school, he tells us he discovered Shakespeare and got stoned, at the same time and presumably in equal measure. We are taught that the over-regimented Asian societies with their tiger mothers will overtake us, but it is Apple, invented by that stoned Shakespearean high schooler, that sends its phones to be made in China, not the other way round. Genuine entrepreneurial advance comes from strange people and places. In the future, when kids arrive at school in the late morning, and we teach math the way we now teach sports, as an open-ended, self-regulating group activity, we may well recognise that each mind bends its own peculiar way, and our current method of teaching, I think, will seem quite mad. The third moral outrage I imagine the future espying is our cruelty to the ill and aged in our fetish for surgical intervention. Modern scientific medicine is a mostly unmixed blessing, and anyone who longs for the metaphysical certainties of medieval times should be compelled to have medieval medicine for his family. But no blessing is entirely unmixed, and I suspect that our insistence on massive interventions for late-arriving ills - our appetite for heart valves and knee replacements, artificial hips and endlessly retuned pacemakers - will seem to our descendants as fetishistic and bewildering as the medieval appetite for bleeding and cupping and leeching looks to us now. Yes, of course, we all know people whose lives have been blessedly extended and improved by artificial joints and by those wi-fi pacemakers. But our health system is designed to make doctors see the benefits of intervention far more clearly than their costs. Not long ago I was reading these words from a doctor about the seemingly benign practice of angioplasty procedures for heart patients: "It has not been shown to extend life expectancy by a day, let alone 10 years - and it's done a million times a year in this country. " Every age puts up a fight with mortality - and every subsequent age looks back, and shudders at the weapons the past ones used. Finally, I suspect the future will frown on any form of sexual rule-making, aside from ones based entirely on the abuse of power. Gay and straight or bi or trans - numbers and kinds and kinks - all that really matters is the empowered consent of two people capable of being empowered and informed. When Oscar Wilde was condemned by society more than a century ago in London for having sex with underage male prostitutes, he became a figure of evil, his life and career destroyed. Within half a century this persecution seemed to us intolerable - and for most of the second half of the 20th Century Oscar was seen as a saint of gay liberation. Yet a scant 20 years later, the table has turned again - exactly because it is not homosexuality but rather the exploitation of younger teenagers for sexual purposes that we now rightly, I think, realise is among the blackest of all possible sins. I suspect that the future will be even more tolerant of sexual variety, and even more censorious of the exploitation of the powerless. And that perhaps is the central point. Morality does clarify over time - only not to the wrong willing partner or the wrong way of eating or the wrong way of thinking, but into what's fair and isn't in a relationship of power. If we want a simple moral rule to take through the centuries it might be - see who's helpless, and help them. That always looks good in retrospect. Meanwhile, moral curiosity needs to separate itself from moral hysteria, and even as we condemn our moral ancestors, we need to hold our ears to the wind, and listen for the faint sounds of our descendants telling their melancholy truths about us. More from the Magazine Protesters have attacked statues of Cecil Rhodes in South Africa and England. Why does this once-lauded diamond trader and patron of education inspire such strong reactions? When is it right to remove a statue? (Dec 2015) Why is Cecil Rhodes such a controversial figure? (April 2015) A Point of View is broadcast on Fridays on Radio 4 at 20:50 BST and repeated Sundays 08:50 BST Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
30 Newspaper headlines: Tory EU 'feud' and 'snoopers' charter' The Daily Star Sunday says the BBC has been "slammed" for still having a "gushing interview" with serial sex abuser Jimmy Savile on a Top of the Pops website. The BBC said the website was old and had been archived, and it does not automatically remove all references to Savile.
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
31 Weekend Edition: The week's best reads A collection of some of the best features from the BBC News website this week, with an injection of your comments. "Crying while reading this article," posted Godwin Okechukwu. An estimated 1,000 acid attacks take place in India every year. In the latest of our immersive stories told using videos, pictures and text, Naomi Grimley speaks to the women who refuse to be classed as victims, preferring instead to tell their stories of survival despite the many barriers they now face. After she was attacked, Dolly (pictured) says "I even thought it would have been better if I had died" - now she hopes to become a doctor. The women fighting back after acid attacks "Well-written, worth the read," tweeted Amanda Aldous. Accolades continue to be bestowed upon Adele, with four more Brit Awards added to an already substantial collection last Wednesday. In this long read, Will Gompertz charts the progress of the woman who has made frank honesty her trademark. She once said: "I don't make music for eyes, I make music for ears. " Adele: The full story "I think any dancer will love this story," tweeted Sophie Bennett. "Night after night we sat around, semi-naked, sewing our tights, and baring our souls," writes Bee Rowlatt, who was scandalised to find herself on stage alongside topless dancers as a teenager. It was a line she chose not to cross, refusing to bare her breasts. "Being a dancer is a short-lived, fragile joy - a temporary and precious triumph over gravity," she adds. Inside the topless sisterhood "A lone genius, a tight deadline, and hubris," tweeted David Barnes. Imagine being asked to complete something which usually takes at least half a year in just five weeks. That's what happened to Howard Scott Warshaw who was tasked with designing a video game off the back of the enormous success of the ET film. It was a flop and Atari buried truckloads of the unsold games in the New Mexico desert. "It was the hardest I've ever worked on anything in my life," says Warshaw, who was the game's sole programmer. The man who made 'the worst video game in history' This is not simply a tale of helping your daughter to gain a Russian visa following a failed application. It's about knowing somebody in a position of influence, who might be inclined to help you - the French call it "du piston". Hugh Schofield's account of benefiting from this for the first time in 20 years of living in France is well worth reading. How it helps, in France, to have a bit of 'piston' The digital vigilante taking on revenge porn - Wired How architects have rebuilt cities destroyed by natural disasters - City AM The Real-Life Addicts Who Taught the 'Trainspotting' Cast How to Be Junkies - Vice Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
2016-02-28 05:14 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
32 TOW missile v T-90: Syrian rebel video shows dramatic hit The video is one of a multitude of instances of the use of TOW missiles by rebels in Syria, but it may be the first time the anti-tank weapon was used against the advanced T-90 main battle tank. The clip shows the optically-guided missile approaching the partially-covered tank, followed by a bright explosion and a cloud of smoke. Moments later one of the tank crew members is seeing escaping the turret hatch and diving for cover. The results of the attack are significantly less spectacular than in many videos showing direct hits on older armor like the T-72 used by the Syrian Army. A TOW usually devastates its target after a direct hit, causing ammo to explode and killing the crew. The alleged T-90 seems to have been saved by its reactive armor, which uses explosions to disrupt the supersonic jet of an anti-tank warhead and reduce its impact. Russia reportedly supplied about a dozen T-90 missiles to an elite tank unit of the Syrian Army, which deployed them sometime in November, 2015. Some rebel groups are said to have offered a large bounty to whoever manages to destroy one of them. The video is reported to have been taken west of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
33 Toeing the poverty line: Alabama blocks cities from increasing minimum wage On Thursday, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed a bill that blocked Alabama cities from setting their own minimum wage or require employers to provide leave or health benefits. The bill, AL HB174 , not only prevents local governments from setting a higher minimum wage than federally required, but also bars them from mandating benefits and leave, solidifying Alabama’s reputation as a right-to-work state. Right-to-work laws prohibit union security agreements and abolish requirements forcing workers in certain occupations to join unions. As a result, jobs that are frequently unionized are no longer protected. With no state minimum wage, Alabama uses the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. An adult earning the federal minimum wage working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, would earn $15,080 before taxes. However, that number only applies to those working full time jobs. Alabama has the fourth highest unemployment rate. Eleven percent of its potential employees are either seeking employment, or would like and are available for full time work, but can only find part-time jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Birmingham’s race to increase the city’s minimum wage began in August of 2015, when officials voted to raise it to $8.50 by July 1, 2016, and then to $10.10 by July of 2017. The state began attempts to repeal the bill in February, however, forcing the Birmingham city council to speed up the process. On Tuesday, the council voted to increase the minimum to $10.10, effective immediately. However, the law was to go into effect on March 1 and state legislators acted faster. State Senator Jabo Wagonner (R-Vestavia) opposed Birmingham’s wage increase, claiming that a wage increase would hurt the economy more than help it. “ We want businesses to expand and create more jobs – not cut entry-level jobs because a patchwork of local minimum wages causes operating costs to rise ,” Wagonner told the Guardian . Birmingham Council President Johnathan Austin told Al.com that, “It certainly is unfortunate and, if it stands up, it is a loss for those who deserve to earn a livable wage in the city of Birmingham and, for that matter, the state of Alabama ,” adding, “ But the state obviously disagrees .” The average per capita income in Birmingham was about $19,650 between 2009 and 2013, the Guardian reports. Meanwhile, overall average per capita income in the US was $28,155 for that same period, according to the US Census. Alabama’s struggle with poverty is very real. The US Census reports that 18 percent of Alabamians live below the poverty line. Johnathan Austin told the Guard, “ People cannot pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they can’t afford boots. ”
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
34 Over 20 killed in series of suicide bombings in Afghanistan READ MORE: At least 11 killed in suicide bombing near governor's office in Kunar, Afghanistan The blast in the capital also left eight more people wounded, Pajhwok Afghan News reported, citing the Afghan Defense Ministry. However, Kabul’s police chief said nine people were killed and 13 were injured. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion took place at around 3:25 p.m. local time in the 2nd city district. The explosion occurred hours after a suicide bomber killed at least another 12 people in the eastern province of Kunar. Provincial Governor Wahidullah Kalimzai said the attacker arrived on a motorcycle to the entrance of the government headquarters, and blew himself up "Most of victims were civilians and children who were either passing by or playing in the park," he told Reuters. No organization immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but tribal elder and militia commander Haji Khan Jan was killed. He had participated in several operations against the Taliban over the last year. Violence in Afghanistan has been escalating since the US-led international coalition withdrew the majority of its troops fighting the Taliban Islamist movement in 2011-14. The US continues to provide the Afghan government with training and logistical assistance, as well as with air support. In October 2015, the US Air Force targeted a hospital in the city of Kunduz operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) killing at least 42 people, including 14 MSF staff. According to a UN report, last year the conflict in Afghanistan left more than 3,500 civilians killed and about 7,500 injured.
2016-02-27 22:10 www.rt.com
35 ‘No safe havens’: Terrorism should be countered through teamwork, ambitions set aside – Lavrov In an interview with Algerian newspaper L’Expression, Lavrov said that progress in the fight against terrorism can only be made through the joint efforts of the international community coordinated by the United Nations. “Fighting terrorism can be efficient only if we work together, based on the solid ground of international law, with the UN in the role of central coordinator, and by putting aside double standards,” he told the newspaper. “Today it is necessary to put aside disagreements, ambitions, and pre-conditions,” for the sake of defeating Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) and other extremist groups that “have challenged human civilization,” he said. Commenting on various issues concerning Russian-Algerian relations, Lavrov said that both countries are working together for a common cause. The foreign services of the two countries have set up an ad hoc committee that holds regular meetings to discuss how to counter the threat, the minister said, adding that Algeria and Russia are quite experienced in dealing with “terrorist aggression.” “A series of deadly terrorist attacks has not only shown the barbaric nature of IS ideology and its practices, but has also shown that, in the contemporary interdependent world, the wish to create individual ‘safe havens’ to isolate oneself from your neighbors is impossible,” he said. A series of IS terrorist attacks hit Paris last year, with the Charlie Hebdo and kosher market shootings in January, and the terror assaults in Paris that killed 130 people in November. Lavrov also brought attention to the close ties enjoyed between Russia and Algeria in the interview, welcoming the countries’ collaboration in the military and energy sectors, as well as others. “Traditionally, Algeria is among Russia’s top trading partners,” Lavrov noted. “It’s important – and our Algerian partners agree with us – not to be satisfied with what has been achieved, and look for new potential areas to work on,” he added.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
36 Coal mine blast during rescue mission in northern Russia kills 5 Five coal mine rescuers were killed in a new blast, emergency services spokesman told Interfax on Sunday. A source in the emergency services told RIA Novosti earlier that six people had been killed and five injured. There is a high risk of a “ secondary explosion ” at the mine, Russia’s emergency services said, as citied by TASS. RT’s Roman Kosarev said that 26 miners were still missing from the first collapse on Thursday, citing emergency services. Authorities had been warning that the second blast was possible. Four people have been killed in the Severnaya coal mine, as a blast caused the mine to collapse on Thursday. Rescue operations have been ongoing. Of the 110 people trapped under the rubble, 80 have been evacuated. At this point, there are 550 people and 100 pieces of equipment involved in the rescue effort, according to emergency services. Underground blasts remain a danger because of the high levels of methane in the mine, they said. READ MORE:Coal mine collapse in northern Russia Making matters more difficult, is the mine’s location, which is beyond the Arctic Circle, making it difficult to reach. The stricken Severnaya coal mine belongs to Vorkuta, an integral part of the industrial giant Severstal.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
37 Tens of thousands march in London in largest #StopTrident demo in decades People gathered Saturday noon at Marble Arch, and headed for Trafalgar Square, turning central London into a sea of banners. The movement's #StopTrident hashtag has been trending on Twitter. " Tens of thousands " took to the streets, according to the Evening Standard. People arrived to attend the London march not only from across the UK, but also from around the world, the Guardian reported, saying that there were protesters from as far away as Australia. Many have been chanting " Cameron out, Corbyn in! " expressing their support for the Labour opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Addressing the protesters in Trafalgar Square, Corbyn thanked the thousands-strong crowd “ for wanting a peaceful future for this country and the rest of the world .” “ Everyone who is about to make a decision on what we do about our nuclear weapons, should think about the humanitarian effects on wholly innocent people anywhere across this globe if they are ever used ,” the Labour leader said, adding that peace in the modern world cannot be achieved “ by planning for war and grabbing each other’s resources, and not respecting each other’s human rights .” Other politicians, as well as academics and celebrities have joined the anti-nuclear campaigners in the national march, which was organized by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Trident whistleblower William McNeilly breaks silence ahead of London demo (VIDEO) A plan to renew UK's nuclear-weapon submarine carrier Trident has been put forward, with MPs due to vote on funding later in the year. While the upgrade would only affect the defense program's submarines and not the nuclear missile, Trident is still estimated to cost the nation nearly £170 billion. Meanwhile, activists have been calling for total nuclear disarmament, saying the billions of pounds should be spent on other causes, such as education, healthcare and climate protection rather than on weapons of mass destruction.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
38 Tennessee chooses state gun with so much firepower ‘it can shoot down a plane’ State senators in Tennessee voted on February 24 to pass a motion, which would mean the Barrett.50 would become the state’s official rifle. The bill easily passed by 27 votes to 1. The only person to vote against the bill was Democratic state senator Jeff Yarbro, from Nashville, who said the state should not be endorsing a private enterprise. He added that politicians in the state would not want to choose between other Tennessee-made products such as Jack Daniels and George Dickel as the official whiskey, mentioning “anarchy might reign,” the AP reported. “What we’re being asked today is to make a product … an officially endorsed product,” he said. “ That is a little bit of a dangerous precedent for us to take on.” The gun was invented by Ronnie Barrett and can penetrate light armor and destroy commercial aircraft, according to a report by the Violence Policy Center, which advocates gun safety. The Republican is from Tennessee and a member of the influential pressure group, the National Rifle Association (NRA). Barrett’s company, which is manufactured in Christiana, not far from Murfreesboro, first began to sell arms to the US military in 1980s, while he now provides weapons to 70 countries around the globe. Republican senator Mae Beavers, who was the resolution's main Senate sponsor, said that the gun “honors Tennessee’s integrity and manufacturing.” However, given its firepower, it can also prove to be a formidable weapon, the Washington Post reports. Tennessee is the seventh state in the US to endorse a state weapon. This is a relatively new trend. Utah was the first state to do so, adopting the Browning M1911 pistol in 2011. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence website, a .50 caliber rifle can shoot a target accurately from distances of 900 to 1,800 meters and have massive power. A 2007 report by the International Association of Chiefs of Police recommended that Congress ban .50 caliber rifles, while 85 percent of Americans believe that their sale should be restricted. The sale of the weapons is banned in California and Washington, DC.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
39 Unlikely NHL hero set for Hollywood Mandalay Sports Media has acquired the feature rights to Scott's story, and top American writer Mitch Albom will write the movie script of the Canadian’s life and hockey career, which exploded in dramatic fashion at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville. After a fan-led social media campaign catapulted Scott into the public consciousness, the NHL did their best to prevent him from taking part in the game. The Arizona Coyotes traded Scott to Montreal after he was voted into the All-Star line-up, with the Canadiens quickly sending him to St John's of the AHL, as the league looked to exclude the enforcer from the event. Backed by the fans, Scott refused to withdraw and was subsequently allowed to take part. He went on to captain the Pacific Division to victory during the 3-on-3 tournament and won a share of the $1 million prize. Scott also claimed the game's MVP award and was hoisted onto his teammates' shoulders in celebration. READ MORE: Chewbacca, mullets & John Scott - NHL All-Star game highlights His wife, Danielle, who was pregnant with twins at the time of the game, was on hand to witness her husband become a hockey legend. She gave birth to twin girls on February 5. Albom, who has compared Scott's story to that of fictional character Rocky Balboa from the 'Rocky' franchise, says it's a dream project for a screenwriter because he doesn't have to fabricate anything. "This just seemed to be a story that'll hold up," he said. "And for people that don't know that it's a true story, and they watch it if it becomes a movie, they're going to be pinching themselves, going, 'Oh, c'mon. They had to make that up.' We don't have to make anything up. " The 57-year-old has written three movies and sold over 35 million books worldwide, in addition to working for the Detroit Free Press and ESPN, and says he's looking forward to finding out more about Scott and his family. "I'm interested in telling this incident as a story, but also just the whole life of a guy on the fringes of hockey," said Albom. "He only once in his life had a two-year contract, and I think people can relate to that, and that's the kind of film I would like to see. You don't have to be a hockey fan to understand it. " Albom had previously turned down opportunities to write sports movies, but says this one feels like a film that will appeal to everyone. "To me, this is really not a sports movie," he said. "This is really a story for our time, because the internet and what the internet does to people is very current. "John's a stand-up guy, and he's very intelligent. He has this all in perspective, and while he makes his living with his fists, it's clear that he has a mind and he's got a love for his family and he's watching out for his family. "
2016-02-27 23:09 www.rt.com
40 ‘We will see deaths’: Father warns of hoverboard danger after house destroyed by explosion (VIDEO) Dan Perper returned home from a drive when he opened the front door to find his wife’s jacket “completely in flames” and smoke filling up the property. It has since emerged that house fire was caused by an exploding Christmas present (technically, a balancing scooter, which doesn’t actually hover). Alarming CCTV footage of the fire shows sparks flying dramatically from the Segway-like device, before black smoke fills the room and flames spread to a countertop. Fire brigade units reportedly extinguished the fire within a matter of minutes, but the Perper family will not be able to return to the property for a number of months. “I stood there watching my house burn,” Dan Perper told ABC7 News . “I had no idea what smoke damage could do but we’re probably out of the house for about a year.” Nobody was injured in the blaze, but the family dog did suffer smoke inhalation. Perper has now urged owners of the devices to dispose of them, before someone is killed or seriously injured. “I am very scared for people because I know many people bought these at the holidays. My theory is that we will start seeing an abundance of explosions,” he warned on Facebook. “We will see deaths. We need to do anything we can to limit these disasters.” “I am going to find out how [hoverboards] can be safely disposed of and will post when I know.” The latest hoverboard-linked explosion comes as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) declared that no brand of hoverboard can be considered safe. READ MORE: ‘Unreasonable risk of fire’: Feds rule hoverboards unsafe Lithium-ion batteries used to power the devices have been found to be volatile, and the CPSC estimate more than $2 million worth of damage has been done to US properties by the incendiary two-wheelers. “Consumers risk serious injury or death if their self-balancing scooters ignite and burn,” the CPSC warned earlier this month.
2016-02-28 05:20 www.rt.com
41 Egypt 'to extradite' Frenchman to Dominican Republic over drugs case Egypt will extradite a Frenchman to the Dominican Republic for allegedly aiding the escape of two pilots sentenced in a drug case, his wife has said. Christophe Naudin, a criminologist and aviation security expert, was arrested in Cairo earlier in February. A judge in the Dominican Republic had issued arrest warrants for him and two others in December. The pilots were arrested in 2013 preparing to take off in a plane carrying 26 suitcases of cocaine. They were sentenced to 20 years in prison but during the appeal process fled to the French Antilles and then on to France. Naudin's wife Michele told French media that she was informed of the Cairo attorney general's decision and that the process would be fast. The extradition procedure will begin on Sunday, an unnamed Egyptian official told the AFP news agency. Naudin and two other French nationals - Aymeric Chauprade and Pierre Malinowski - are accused of helping to organise the escape from the Dominican Republic of pilots Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos. The pilots were convicted in Santo Domingo last August in the so-called "Air Cocaine" drug- trafficking case. They had been arrested in March 2013 at the resort of Punta Cana on a privately hired jet carrying 680kg (1,500lb) of cocaine. After their conviction they were freed under the judicial review process and barred from leaving the country. But they managed to escape, reportedly by boat to the French Antilles and from there by plane to France. French media said the pilots had previously worked for the French navy and had been helped by former intelligence agents. The French government, however, said it had nothing to do with their escape. The pilots say they are innocent and have vowed to clear their names. They were arrested last November in Lyon but legal experts say an extradition is unlikely.
2016-02-28 01:24 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
42 Halfway mark passed in 24-year photo project Those of you who have followed my ramblings for some time will know that at this time of year I like to catch up with the 24 photography project, which involves 24 photographers capturing the first 24 hours of a new year for 24 years. Each photographer is assigned an hour of the day in which to shoot their picture, wherever they are in the world. The original 24 photographers met while studying at Central Saint Martin's in London, though some have now left the group and been replaced by others. Claire Spreadbury, the founder of 24photography, said: "The exhibition is going from strength to strength and now in our 13th year we've really developed an identity and feel that we're an established part of London's art calendar. " This year's show has been curated by Brian Harris, who is well known for his work on the Independent and the Times. He said: "This was a challenging brief well executed by 24 completely different photographers over a 24-hour period of time, giving us 24 different ways of seeing our world. I thank them all for opening my eyes to yet another way of seeing. " Here is a selection of images from the project, on show in Soho Square, London, until 18 March. You can see more images from the series on the group's website www.24photography.org/ .
2016-02-28 02:25 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
43 R. I. P. Friends Reunited School reunion website Friends Reunited has been shut down. Or should that be permanently excluded? The final school bell has rung. In the days when accessing the internet for many still involved firing up the modem and popping off for a cup of tea, Britain was briefly obsessed by Friends Reunited. Conceived in 1999, long before Facebook, it was many Britons' first dip into the tricky waters of social media. For those too young to remember, you added your school and year of leaving on the site, then marvelled at the list of classmates you'd long since forgotten. Before Friends Reunited, attempting to track down former schoolmates involved, well, tracking them down. The prospect of perusing the electoral roll and interrogating mutual acquaintances was too much and too undignified for many. Suddenly, all it took was one click to find out that the mean kid who used to kick your violin case and made your life hell in primary school was now making his second million (at which point a little of you died) or, alternatively, had just gone bankrupt (admit it, you smiled at this point). There was an art to reading the biographies people left. "I've tried my hand at a number of things since school" meant "I've never kept a job very long". "Still managing to avoid being tied down" meant "I've been single for a very, very long time". There were also the posters who made a bridge-burning statement about their schooldays, along the lines of "You all made my lives hell, but now I'm beautiful and rich and YOU'RE THE LOSERS! " People started to track down teenage crushes. Soon the newspapers were bemoaning the site's supposed effect on divorce statistics. The most high-profile example reported in the papers was goalkeeper David James who left his wife and reconnected with a former flame. The ability to leave comments about old ill-remembered teachers also caused trouble. In 2002 a retired teacher won libel damages over a Friends Reunited comment. Friends Reunited's time in the sun was very brief. By the time it was sold to ITV in 2005, many users on the site had already realised there was a reason why they hadn't stayed in touch with their schoolmates. Facebook would soon eclipse Friends Reunited (and much else besides). No flowers. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
2016-02-28 02:25 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
44 Clinton clinches South Carolina as Sanders looks to Super Tuesday – campaign live In Rochester, Minnesota, Bernie Sanders came on stage to the sound of Neil Young, and then didn’t mention South Carolina at all… Bernie Sanders spent most of Saturday acting as if South Carolina didn’t exist. His first public appearance after news of his thumping loss to Hillary Clinton was no different. Speaking to 2,600 supporters in Rochester, Minnesota, he came across a little more subdued than the fiery orator we had seen in Texas in the afternoon. But it had been a long day in more ways than one. In a none-too-subtle sign that he plans to fight hard for a dozen more states on Super Tuesday, Sanders came on stage to the sound of Neil Young singing: “Keep on rockin’ in the free world.” Perhaps, I was imagining it, but the only slight change to the standard stump speech that followed was a fraction more reticence when it came to bashing his Democratic opponent in public. “Let me take a brief moment to outline some of the differences between ours and Secretary Clinton’s campaign,” he told the Rochester crowd, almost apologetically, before reeling off a truncated version of his standard attacks on her Wall Street links. There is a palpable sense in the campaign now that even if it carries on through to this summer’s convention, Clinton is likely to be the nominee that all Democrats rely on to beat Donald Trump come November. While some candidates might be expected to go more negative after a night like tonight, this progressive champion will not want to be remembered as the man who guided Trump toward the chinks in Clinton’s armour.
2016-02-28 03:34 Martin Pengelly www.theguardian.com
45 Homeless Britain: Numbers sleeping rough rocket by almost a third in one year The “snapshot” figures published by the Department for Communities and Local Government found that 3,569 people were sleeping on the streets on a typical night in the autumn of 2015, compared to 2,744 the year before, marking an increase of 30 percent – the greatest single hike in the last 5 years. The 2015 figure was double that of 2010, when 1,768 people were found sleeping rough on a typical autumn night. Jon Sparkes, CEO at the homelessness charity Crisis, said the figures are a “stark and sobering wake-up call.” The charity is calling on the government to extend support currently offered to first-time home buyers to homeless people who are looking to rent but can’t afford to do so. The ten local districts with the highest number of people sleeping rough were Westminster, Bristol, Brighton and Hove, Manchester, Cornwall, Brent, Luton, Bedford, Croydon, and the City of London. London has experienced a 27 percent increase in street sleepers since 2014, while in the rest of the country the difference grew by 31 per cent. In London, 43 percent of people sleeping rough are from the UK, 36 percent are from central and eastern Europe, and 18 percent of the total are from Romania. READ MORE:‘Desperate situation’: Majority of landlords refuse to let properties to homeless, survey reveals Labour housing spokesman John Healey said the figures were a reminder of the Conservative ministers’ failure to deal with the UK’s housing crisis. In response to the figures, homelessness minister Marcus Jones said that the government has pledged to increase funding to tackle homelessness to £139 million over the next four years. “We have protected homelessness prevention funding and expect local authorities to provide quality advice and assistance to all those that approach them for help,” he said in a statement. “Many rough sleepers have complex needs that include mental health difficulties or addiction, and we are developing a £5 million social impact bond that will help entrenched rough sleepers move off the streets.” A report published this month by the homeless charity St Mungo’s found that the number of people recorded sleeping rough in London with an identified mental health problem has more than tripled over the last five years – surging from 711 in 2009-2010 to 2,342 in 2014-2015. The Stop the Scandal report found that many mental health teams specializing in homelessness were downsized or closed as a result of funding cuts – by an average of 45% – between 2009- 2010 and 2014-2015. The charity is gathering signatures and writing to David Cameron to urge him to “stop the scandal” by launching a new national strategy offering rough sleepers specialist supported housing, mental health assessments, and professional support.
2016-02-28 02:16 www.rt.com
46 First McDonald's in Kazakhstan to offer horse meat burger “We are planning to launch 15 more outlets in Astana and Alma-Ata and expand the chain across the country,” Boranbayev told journalists on Thursday. As the company adapts menus to cater for local tastes, Kazakh McDonald's will probably offer a horse meat burger on the menu, said Boranbayev. “We’ll try to adjust our consumers’ requests and cater to Kazakh national cuisine,” he added. The first McDonald's in Kazakhstan will seat more than 200 people and run the whole range of services including a drive-through and self-order kiosks. The menu will feature traditional Big Macs, french fries and Chicken McNuggets. Boranbayev has invested $3.5 million in the project, according to the president of McDonald's Russia unit, Khamzat Khasbulatov. Another 15 outlets in the former Soviet republic are expected to open their doors to visitors soon. Boranbayev was previously involved in Kazakhstan's gas business and his daughter is married to Kazakh President Nazarbayev's grandson. Khasbulatov did not answer a question if Boranbayev's personal connections to the Kazakh leader would help develop McDonald's restaurants in Kazakhstan. McDonald’s has significantly expanded the number of franchises in the former Soviet Union to face a challenge from international fast-food rivals like Burger King and KFC. The first owned restaurant in Russia opened in 1990 and now has a total of 545 restaurants. Eleven restaurants in the ex-Soviet republic of Belarus are owned by Kairat Boranbayev as well. Kazakhstan will be the 120th country where McDonald’s restaurants are located.
2016-02-28 02:16 www.rt.com
47 Detroit News - News This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. School officials say the macabre coincidence shouldn’t be a reflection of Comstock’s students New committee will be headed by 2 officers with controversial histories: John Bennett, Joseph Weekley Attorney General Bill Schuette said he plans to file felony charges against ex-state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat Hourslong standoff at rural home Friday ends with suicide; girl related to victims survives, taken to hospital Snyder’s outgoing chief of staff disagreed with a decision to remove Department of Environmental Quality director Gov. Rick Snyder made the comments after signing a $30M spending bill giving Flint residents relief on water bills Flint’s 2014 switch to Flint River as water source resulted in lead contamination and public health fears The emails are the earliest indication that some Snyder advisers were worried Flint’s water troubles could mushroom About 46 teams of students took part in competitions showing off their STEM prowess during the annual competition Police say the man disregarded the lowered crossing arm signaling a train was coming Athletic association says dad smelled of marijuana and was ‘irate, cussing’ when asked to leave The revelation was unveiled as part of Mayor Mike Duggan’s proposed $1 billion balanced general fund budget The cougar, a 110-pound male, was killed elsewhere and found by a woman walking her dog in western U. P. Lawsuit claimed dog owner’s constitutional rights were violated when officer shot ‘Babycakes’ at home in 2015 The resort says the man was racing Friday when he lost control and slammed into a tower The man had just exited the bus on Van Dyke south of 14 Mile and was was walking in front of the bus when he was struck Police: Man tied up woman in 4000 block of Bagley, fled with her rental car, laptop, phone, jewelry, credit cards The UAW-Ford Department has donated millions to the school system in recent years Kristi Crago’s rare Daniel Rauch French horn was recovered by law enforcement Monday six years after it was stolen Border collie named Piper is used to chase birds, including geese, ducks and owls, off airport’s runways Dexter Williams is accused of killing his girlfriend and mutilating her body in their Redford Township apartment Detroit Water and Sewerage Department officials say water quality was not affected for 30 homes on Memorial The suspects are wanted in connection with assault and battery that occurred inside a liquor store located in the 12800 block of Plymouth. Roger Tam and Ada Lei have been indicted on six counts of harboring undocumented immigrants and profiting off them
2016-02-27 15:34 rssfeeds.detroitnews.com
48 Mike Baird rejects drug experts' vow to trial pill testing even if it breaks the law The NSW premier, Mike Baird, has dismissed a planned trial of pill testing at music festivals as “ridiculous”. “We are not going to be condoning in any way what illegal drug dealers are doing,” he told reporters in Sydney on Sunday. His comments follow reports the Sydney doctor Alex Wodak, the president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, wants to begin a privately funded pill testing trial – and is prepared to break the law to do so – to save lives. Wodak and an emergency medical specialist, David Caldicott, say they will begin a privately funded trial with or without the Baird government’s approval. “I am prepared to break the law to save young people’s lives,” Dr Wodak told Fairfax Media. In January, the New South Wales government threatened to shut down some music festivals after a spate of drug overdoses. The threat followed several people being rushed to hospital suffering suspected drug overdoses at Sydney’s Field Day music festival, which is held on New Year’s Day. More than 180 others were charged with drug offences. There were three drug-related deaths at similar events in 2015. The NSW premier, Mike Baird, said in January that ministers would be asked to review the regulations for granting permits for events on public land. “Enough is enough, this simply has to stop,” he told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph . On Saturday, seven people were charged with drugs offences after the first day of the Secret Garden Music Festival in Camden, south-west of Sydney. Police said they searched more than 100 people at the three-day festival on Friday and those arrested face 11 charges between them. They were all granted conditional bail to appear at Picton Local Court on April 26.
2016-02-28 03:31 Australian Associated www.theguardian.com
49 Livonia - News This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. Farmington Hills will join Farmington and Novi in dissolving SWOCC. Programs in Detroit and Flint keep more families together for a fraction of what the state spends on foster care. Chief: Milford continues to be ranked among Michigan’s safest communities Redford Township police arrested an older white male without incident after he attempted to rob a Plymouth Road bank on Feb. 17. The new Shops of Canton are coming to Canton’s Ford Road corridor The Livonia City Council held a public hearing on the proposed rezoning of the property. Someone tried to set fire to a shed near the school’s football field This is the third and final month of the summer with a Supermoon. It's when a full or new moon coincides with the moon's closest point to Earth in its orbit. Basically, the moon appears bigger and brighter than usual in the night sky. Lyon Township octogenarian pens memories of living on Army base, prisoners of war Hills Mayor Ken Massey wants to hear from residents. Roksana Sikorski was just 15 when she attacked her younger brother with a knife. Tickets are available for the eighth WWCCA dinner, gun raffle. Donation made to Jefferson Barns learning lab in memory of late teacher Canton Chicks 4 Charity will host Trivia Night to help kids. Staff at South Redford’s Vandenberg Elementary are using a combination of methods to help students improve behavior and enhance learning. The Churchill High School band took part in programs at Disney. U. S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is opening a campaign office in Westland.
2016-02-27 16:45 rssfeeds.hometownlife.com
50 “Bridge of Spies” is my grandfather’s story Topics: Bridge of Spies , James B. Donovan , tom hanks , CIA , Academy Awards , 2016 Oscars , Steven Spielberg , Oscars News , Entertainment News I once heard director Sydney Pollack speak about the importance of the passage of time for artists to have enough perspective and distance from a subject to create real art. In 1964, my grandfather , James B. Donovan , published a memoir called “ Strangers on a Bridge, ” in which he recounted in diary format his legal defense of Russian spy Col. Rudolf Abel and his negotiations with the Soviet Union for the exchange of Abel for the captured American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. At that time, the book was to have become a movie starring Gregory Peck. But that movie never materialized. Cold War tensions were too high and the political climate too strained, so the studio decided not to make it. With the significant passage of time, though, has come a movie that has not only brought his story to the world, but is also a piece of timeless, classic art: Steven Spielberg’s “ Bridge of Spies, ” starring Tom Hanks as my grandfather, depict s the same historical events shared firsthand in Jim Donovan’s book. It was largely because of the release of this beautifully crafted film that I was successful in getting the book republished, giving the storytelling in the film some authentic historical context. Growing up, I always knew that my grandfather was “someone.” My paternal grandfather had died before my parents married and James Donovan – my maternal grandfather – died when I was only 3, so I have very little, if any, memory of him. The grandfather I knew was through the pictures and books in the breakfront of my parents’ living room, through his medals encased in a wooden box with a glass display case, and through the images of his den that are etched in my memory. I remember his den (and the apartment in which my mother was raised) vividly – a cozy oasis of dark wood and leather, a warm rainbow of midnight blue, mahogany and hunter green forming a cozy sanctuary for learning, teaching, reflecting and sharing ideas. I looked at his picture daily, his cherubic grin, shaking hands with President Kennedy, fishing with Fidel Castro, and at his kind gaze in the portrait hanging in my grandmother’s living room on Prospect Park West in Brooklyn. I heard about him from the man with a front row seat to history – my grandfather’s driver and a loving member of our family, Aston Taylor. Most of all, I heard about him from my grandmother, who spoke so proudly of his achievements, and for years of how Hollywood needed to tell his story. Sadly, she is not here to enjoy these exciting moments celebrating my grandfather’s life story with us. She would want to thank Mr. Spielberg herself. I grew up in these shadows of history, not fully realizing the gravity of what my grandfather had accomplished until I began to write my admissions essay for college, the subject of which was my role models. Needless to say, he was the inspiration for my chosen topic. He was a Harvard Law graduate, general counsel for the OSS in WWII, associate prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials; and following the historic Abel-Powers exchange, President Kennedy sent him to Cuba, where he successfully negotiated the release of 1,100 Bay of Pigs prisoners (9,700 people’s freedom was ultimately secured as the direct result of those negotiations). He also ran for U. S. Senate, was president of the New York Board of Education during busing and integration, and was president of Pratt Institute during the late ’60s student uprisings. He accomplished all of this, yet died at 53 years old in 1970.
2016-02-27 20:52 Beth Amorosi www.salon.com
51 Muncie - News This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. The Walker/Roysdon Report looks at local government and politics. Governor has no deadline to fill board vacancies New board members for East Central Indiana Regional Partnership, small business seminars and promotions A convicted child molester faces a felony charge over his decision to work at a New Castle bowling alley. An Indiana Legal Services will offer free legal advice to eligible citizens on Tuesday. Prosecutors have requested more time to file formal charges against an retired deputy. A Muncie man with a long criminal record has pleaded guilty in a meth-related case. Turns out, a lot of them don't remember fifth-grade math or 10th-grade science. Nearly 50 spellers from local schools will compete in the first WIPB Spelling Bee, set for 9 a.m. March 12. Mike White lost his leg and nearly lost his life. On Thursday night, the Burris assistant coach returned to the sideline A felon accused of conspiring to smuggle drugs into a “local penal institution” has drawn a two- year sentence. A Winchester man and his teenage son were arrested on heroin-related charges Wednesday. The cause of a Wednesday fire that hospitalized a Muncie man remains under investigation. A Michigan man accused of shooting his girlfriend on Sunday was arrested Wednesday night by Muncie police. Almost exactly a month after the board vote, MCS employees will officially be Chartwells, SSC Servivces employees. Firefighters pulled a man and a dog from a burning house at 305 E. Cowing Drive Wednesday afternoon. A Muncie man maintained Wednesday he "blacked out" and can't recall stabbing his girlfriend's husband 23 times. The discovery of two abandoned dogs, one of them dead, has led to animal cruelty charges against a Winchester couple. Two people have been killed in a traffic accident near Selma, authorities say 2016-02-27 23:45 rssfeeds.thestarpress.com
52 USATODAY - World Top Stories This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. Iranian officials onSaturday celebrated a large turnout in the nation's elections, and touted preliminary results, based on just 3% of the votes cast, showing reformist backers of President Hassan Rouhani in the lead, according to Iranian news outlet DUBLIN — Ireland could be on course for a historic coalition between two longtime political foes — the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties — as the first official election results were announced Saturday. The Islamic State group, which is not a party to the cease-fire, launched several attacks after the truce went into effect. The small former Soviet Republic is alarmed by growing Russian exercises and rhetoric. Authorities allowed the peaceful rally to proceed even as many expressed bleak prospects for the future. 'Cape Breton if Donald Trump Wins' website has attracted 650,000 visitors since Feb. 16. Yemeni security officials say Saudi-led airstrikes targeting Shiite rebels have killed at least 30 people, mostly civilians, in a district outside the capital, Sanaa. This video from 2012 that went viral showed two brothers dancing as women clapped at a wedding party in a northern Pakistan village. A council of elders issued a death sentence again the pair, as well as four women and a 12-year-old girl. Around 500 people, mostly women and girls, died in honor killings last year. CDC: 9 pregnant U. S. travelers infected with Zika, with one baby born with birth defects Five militants were also killed. Swiss voters will cast ballots on whether the country should automatically expel foreigners who break the law. An Asia Pacific Airlines cargo plane landed at Guam's international airport using it's nose when landing gear failed to function. Video captured the incident in Guam. No one was hurt. French officials tried to convince hundreds of migrants in a camp in northern France to leave Friday, after a court approved the government's plan to demolish part of it. Voting gets under way in Ireland in an election which could see it become the latest eurozone country to face political instability as anger against hardship and austerity erodes support for traditional parties. Video provided by AFP Made in China? Don’t count on it. KATHMANDU, Nepal - A small plane carrying 11 people crashed Friday in mountainous western Nepal, in the country’s second deadly plane accident this week, officials said. A Syrian truce brokered by the USA and Russia is supposed to begin midnight Friday, in Damascus time. "History would judge us harshly" if U. S. didn't try to resolve Syrian civil war, president says. However, organizers say virus "will not affect our Games" rssfeeds.usatoday.com 2016-02-27 21:29 rssfeeds.usatoday.com
53 WXIA - Local This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. A Georgia man convicted of burglarizing race-team trailers at Daytona International Speedway and other tracks is facing 10 years in prison. The co-founders of a Hixson nursing home business paid themselves six-figure salaries and drove company-financed Porsches while failing to pay employees, utility bills, taxes and creditors. Thousands showed up to see and hear from Marco Rubio the Saturday ahead of Super Tuesday. Marco Rubio was in Atlanta Saturday for a campaign rally before Super Tuesday when he got a tough question from an unlikely person: a teenager. WILMINGTON, Del. — A passenger who was aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship when it was battered during a major coastal storm earlier this month has filed a federal lawsuit against the cruise line. ATLANTA — Police are investigating, after two people were shot in southwest atlanta. EAST POINT, Ga. — A woman is recovering from gunshot wounds after she was found shot in the head outside a sports bar, according to authorities. A car seat company has issued an extensive recall for one of its products after it's been shown that children have been able to loosen the car seat's safety harness. JONESBORO, Ga. — Police are searching for the driver involved in a hit-and-run accident that killed a 27-year-old woman. Cedric Alexander named as possible finalist for new Chicago Police Superintendent A child is safe after a car theft in Atlanta, late Friday night. The family of a security guard killed by a Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy wants to see if video showing the incident can be enhanced. The 11Alive Investigators go beyond reporting the headlines of the day by exploring those stories that can effect change. Gangs - think they're just a city problem? Think again. Days after allegations surfaced accusing the police chief of choking a handcuffed teen, the Lithonia city council is calling a special meeting. The notice was posted Friday morning at City Hall. BROOKHAVEN, Ga. -- Police are looking to identify a man who they said took pictures up a woman's skirt at a Brookhaven Publix. The Federal Highway Administration is conducting a national assessment study geared toward providing better signage and guidance for motorists using Express Lanes across the nation. A proposal to expand MARTA's rail system with a portion of a new sales tax was declared dead by its sponsor Friday. The parents of a baby injured by an errant flash-bang grenade will be awarded $3.6 million after a federal judge's decision on Friday. Former Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche spoke at the NFL combine Friday afternoon, opening up about what happened in Atlanta. Friday Feb. 26 is the last day to cast an early vote at polling places for the presidential primary election. The 2016 Presidential Race: People are really split on who will win. Some think it's still anyone's race while others think this thing is too far gone. Republicans and Democrats can both agree on one thing: The minority vote is extremely important. Every candidate has ramped up their efforts to bring their minority voters out to the polls. In this political season, expressing your opinions at work could put your job in jeopardy. The outcome in the case of a controversial, deputy-involved shooting death could rely, in part, on a decision under the gold dome.
2016-02-27 21:29 rssfeeds.11alive.com
54 Port Huron - News This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. Students learn how to think on their feet Walkers got a little cold Saturday so other people could stay warm. Loud Music and Apparel to open in April in downtown Port Huron More than 225 people walk to raise money to help people pay their winter utility bills. The Rockin' the Rivers concert series at Kiefer Park in Port Huron has returned. Visitors talk about their favorite vendor foods to eat while listening to the music. The two lawmakers were caught up in a sex and cover-up scandal. Courser resigned and Gamrat was expelled by House. Today in history in the Blue Water Area It’s 2016, and while we may not have flying cars yet, we do have robotic-assisted surgery. No, it’s not a robot that performs the surgery. Rather, surgeons use robotic technology to perform highly precise, delicate procedures through tiny incisions. Today in history in the Blue Water Area Long testified for a little more than an hour Friday. Her testimony will resume Tuesday. The Michigan Department of Transportation and local agencies are enacting annual spring weight restrictions Wind turbine ordinance, fire and road tax renewals are on Argyle Township ballot March 8 Voters in four townships in Sanilac County and one in St. Clair County will consider road tax requests on March 8. At a bill signing in Flint today, the governor was more self-critical about Flint failures than in past statements The Canadian Coast Guard’s Samuel Risley will be clearing ice out of the St. Clair River’s North Channel today. Jonathan Witz & Associates, an Oakland County-based event producer, has been hired to run Blue Water Fest Testimony is scheduled to continue this morning in the trial of a woman charged with killing her 16-month-old son. Some of Gov. Snyder’s top advisors pushed to move Flint back to the Detroit water system because of quality problems Emails show several people in Gov. Rick Snyder’s inner circle received information about Legionnaires’ cases in March 2015. A state lawmaker has introduced legislation to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Michigan. Scattered flurries are likely through the morning. The following schools will be closed Friday: A 27-year-old Port Huron man remains hospitalized after police said he caught his house on fire while cooking methamphetamine, a volatile and hazardous process.
2016-02-27 22:38 feeds.feedblitz.com
55 WUSA - News This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WUSA9) -- Three people are dead, and one is seriously injured after a multi-car crash on River Road. COLUMBIA, S. C. (USA TODAY) — Hillary Clinton has picked up her biggest win yet over Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential race, winning Saturday's South Carolina primary. Her win in the Palmetto State, where African-Americans made up a large percentage of the electorate, gives Clinton a boost heading into Tuesday, when a number... MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WUSA9) -- How it's even possible that a driver in Maryland can have 6, 7, 8 or even more drunk driving convictions and still get behind the wheel? It will be chilly, with lows in the mid 20s to mid 30s. The sun sticks around for Sunday and temps climb! You can make outdoor plans for Sunday as temps head to the low, possibly mid 60s! While there may be an early shower on Monday in a few spots, the next best chance for rain will be late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. WHEATON, Md. (WUSA9) --Police are looking for six to seven black males in their 20s after a Maryland car jacking. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WUSA9) -- A man was arrested after police say he prevented a woman from leaving a residence in Alexandria, Va., according to police. WASHINGTON (WUSA9) --It was one year ago Friday that marijuana became legal in D. C. ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WUSA9) -- Delays are expected on I-66 W at Sycamore Street after a car crash Saturday afternoon, according to Arlington County police. HYATTSVILLE, Md. (WUSA9) -- Hyattsville residents may have more water problems Saturday night. 2016-02-27 22:37 rssfeeds.wusa9.com
56 SRSLY #32: Big Love Master of reality: on Henry James' non-fiction This is SRSLY, the pop culture podcast from the New Statesman. Here, you can find links to all the things we talk about in the show as well as a bit more detail about who we are and where else you can find us online. Listen to our new episode now: ...or subscribe in iTunes. We’re also on Stitcher , RSS and SoundCloud – but if you use a podcast app that we’re not appearing in, let us know. SRSLY is hosted by Caroline Crampton and Anna Leszkiewicz, the NS ’s web editor and editorial assistant. We’re on Twitter as @c_crampton and @annaleszkie , where between us we post a heady mixture of Serious Journalism, excellent gifs and regularly ask questions J K Rowling needs to answer. If you’d like to talk to us about the podcast or make a suggestion for something we should read or cover, you can email srslypod[at]gmail.com . You can also find us on Twitter @srslypod , or send us your thoughts on tumblr here. If you like the podcast, we'd love you to leave a review on iTunes - this helps other people come across it. The Links (02:30) Love Gillian Jacobs: Learning How to Act Like Myself for Lenny Letter. Anna's piece about the anti-rom com stance of Love. (12:30) A Bigger Splash A detailed look at the costumes and props in the film. An interveiw with “Marianne Lane”, Tilda Swinton’s character. Robbie Collin makes a good case for why it was a good film (he's wrong though). Some great stills from the film. (22:00) Year of Yes The video of Shonda Rhimes’ commencement address at Dartmouth. The audiobook of Year of Yes Next week: Caroline is watching Short Term 12 . Your questions: We love reading out your emails. If you have thoughts you want to share on anything we've discussed, or questions you want to ask us, please email us on srslypod[at]gmail.com , or @ us on Twitter @srslypod , or get in touch via tumblr here. We also have Facebook now. Our theme music is “Guatemala - Panama March” (by Heftone Banjo Orchestra) , licensed under Creative Commons. See you next week! PS If you missed #31, check it out here . /* */ Henry James was the originator in English of novel-chauvinism, the idea that the extended prose fiction is, as he put it, “the book par excellence ”. Between 1871 and 1904, during which time he published 19 novels, including The Europeans , Washington Square , The Portrait of a Lady and What Maisie Knew , plus novellas such as Daisy Miller , The Aspern Papers and The Turn of the Screw , James also wrote dozens of reviews, essays on “The Art of Fiction” and “The Future of the Novel”, and half a dozen stories about the novelist’s earthly tribulations and posthumous mistreatment. In the words of a later novel-chauvinist, F R Leavis, James set out to accomplish “a general full recognition among the educated that creative talent – creative genius – was at least as likely to go into the novel as into any mode of art”. In this effort, James employed all the big rhetorical guns, not just French tags (“ par excellence ”), but capitals and superlatives. In the closing words of his preface to The Ambassadors , which he considered “the best, ‘all round’, of my productions”, he stated that “the Novel remains still, under the right persuasion, the most independent, most elastic, most prodigious of literary forms”. The chauvinist position had a limiting effect on his relationship with non-novelists. T S Eliot, a fellow uprooted American and like-minded elegist for the unlived life, looking back on the arid years of his apprenticeship, said that he “learned something, no doubt, from Henry James”. That “something” went a long way, in terms of borrowed images and allusive phrasing. But Eliot felt he would have learned more if not for James’s “exclusive concentration on his own kind of work”. James moved through the world in a pair of novel-blinkers. Confronted with the volumes of Browning’s The Ring and the Book , he claimed, in a 1912 lecture, to experience “the sense, almost the pang, of the novel they might have constituted”. He called this phantom novel “a work of art. . . smothered in the producing” – hardly an orthodox way to mark the hundredth birthday of a poet. But, for all this, the most prominent new publications during the centenary of James’s death, on 28 February 1916, do not relate to his fiction: a Library of America edition of his autobiographical writing, edited by Philip Horne, and Oliver Herford’s Henry James’s Style of Retrospect , a diligent and minutely argued study of the “late personal writings”. It is true that the Library of America has already produced 11 volumes of James’s fiction; that Cambridge University Press is in the process of doing a scholarly version of the same thing in 34; and that the James industry has already yielded writing on every inch of that work. Still, for almost three decades there has been a growing critical and editorial engagement with his non-fiction writing from the decade after his “major phase” novels – The Wings of the Dove , The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl – during which he published virtually no fiction. This work, amounting to a “second major phase”, includes the contentious travelogue The American Scene , an account of his 1904-05 tour of the much-changed United States he had left for Europe 30 years earlier; the long explanatory prefaces to the 24 volumes of the New York Edition of his fictions; the essays collected in Notes on Novelists (1914); and the autobiographies A Small Boy and Others (1913) and Notes of a Son and Brother (1914), which are printed alongside essays, notebook entries and an uncompleted third instalment in the Library of America volume. If the late novels, with their snaking, nuance-laden sentences and relentless tracking of the characters’ inner lives, show that James was in at the beginning of literary modernism, the later non-fiction shows why he might be considered modern and even modish. The recent writing on him as a novelist talks of impressionism, vagueness, religious experience, melancholia. In the non-fiction, we meet James the Freudian, the explorer of family dramas and selfhood, the proto- psychogeographer given to flâneries , a figure whose descendants are neither self-conscious Jamesians such as Alan Hollinghurst and Cynthia Ozick nor self-declared modernists such as Eimear McBride and Tom McCarthy, but rather the likes of Karl Ove Knausgaard and David Shields, who embrace the literary potential of the memoir and the essay. In a letter written in 1908, when the prefaces had followed The American Scene in monopolising his attention, he spoke about being taken away from “‘creative’” work, throwing the primacy of the novel into doubt many decades before somebody offered the first graduate seminar in “literary non-fiction”. In his book Reality Hunger (2010), a plea for realistic art which proceeds from the conviction that the novel, far from being the only game in town, has long since had its day, Shields fingers James as an enemy – perhaps the enemy. It was James, he alleges, who took the novel away from its exciting “mongrel” origins, in documentary, topographical writing and autobiography, and asserted that it “must be the work of the imagination alone”. It isn’t clear where Shield got this idea, which is equally wrong about what James rejected and what he embraced. Tony Tanner, in his book Henry James and the Art of Non-fiction (1995), pointed out that James insisted from the start “on the truth and reality of the novel; almost . . . on the non-fictionality of fiction”. Any reader of James’s prefaces or his working notebooks will know him as a serial plagiarist of dinner-party anecdotes. As if to win Shields’s approval, James said The Princess Casamassima , his 1886 novel about Victorian anarchism, emerged “from the habit and the interest of walking the streets”. In “The Art of Fiction” (1884), his own Reality Hunger , James urged novices: “Write from experience, and experience only.” James gave more thought than David Shields could ever dream of doing to the problem of accommodating reality in writing. He believed that the “most fundamental and general sign of the novel, from one desperate experiment to another, is its being everywhere an effort at representation” – and representation for James is founded on a troubling conflict of priorities which he wanted to resolve. *** In their feisty exchange of letters in 1915, H G Wells advised James that life “must not be whittled or distended for pattern’s sake”. But James did not need telling. It had been his life’s ambition to give a sense of reality through what he called form, which in his work usually meant that characters occupied a clear role in the book’s moral or conceptual structure, and that the plot would unfold in dramatic scenes, not through exposition or overt meditation. It is understandable that Wells and others, such as E M Forster in Aspects of the Novel , might have thought that James favoured “pattern” over “life”. In his preface to The Tragic Muse , James had written that a picture without composition “slights its most precious chance for beauty”, and invoked by way of negative example “such large loose baggy monsters” as War and Peace , Thackeray’s The Newcomes and The Three Musketeers. Pre-empting the reply that these books exhibited “life”, he said it was the wrong kind – wasteful, otiose. What, he wondered, do these books “artistically mean”? For James, the Victorian novel was guilty on this count, not just Thackeray, but also Dickens, Trollope, Hardy and even George Eliot, who in Middlemarch provided a “treasure-house of details, but an indifferent whole”. The English novelist did not excel in what James called the “literary part of the business”. For examples of “what composition, distribution, arrangement can do”, he said, you have to “go elsewhere”: namely to the French and their superior display of audacity, neatness, acuteness, intellectual vivacity, fine arrangement of material, and so on. But the French approach carried its own vices. It might not produce books that were large, loose and baggy, but it did produce books that, as James put it in an 1893 essay on Flaubert, were unconsoled, unhumorous and unsociable. In Zola’s Rougon-Macquart sequence, which considered a French family through heredity and environment, method became “almost the only thing we feel”. Here James praised the English for being “strong, genial, and abundant” – for being at home in the “moral world” and holding “their noses close. . . to the texture of life”. The novel’s tendency to “appear more true to its character” when it bursts its mould was, he wrote, its “high price. . . as a literary form”. Pattern without life was no better than life without pattern. The reconciling of these opposites, achieving “a selection whose main care . . . is to be inclusive”, produced in him a sense of novel-anxiety, even defeatism. He lamented that there is “no art at all. . . that is not on too many sides an abject compromise”. David Shields recognised James as a predecessor for his committed thinking on this problem, but not as a novelist practising an unmixed sort of non-fiction. In Reality Hunger , he identifies John Cheever’s journals, F Scott Fitzgerald’s misery memoirs and E M Forster’s Commonplace Book at the expense of their well-kempt novels as the work that gets closest to their experience of reality. But James should be Exhibit A in Shields’s case. He wrote in all of Shields’s beloved observational and introspective modes and did so when handling subject matter that Shields, too, has treated in non-fiction: American capitalism, the importance of reality in literature, his own life. James was the first novelist to publish, in A Small Boy and Others , a work of personal history that didn’t resemble the “Life” of a statesman (Trollope) or a saint (Tolstoy), pipping Proust by seven months – and besting Proust, by Shields’s criteria, because he did not feel the need to invent. Reminiscences of schooldays, visits to the theatre and museums, the food in the family larder, the “sweet taste of Albany”, came, James said, “from everywhere at once”. His amanuensis Theodora Bosanquet, in a vivid memoir printed as the appendix to Horne’s volume, recalled that “no preliminary work was needed”: “A straight dive into the past brought to the surface treasure after treasure, a wealth of material which became embarrassing.” Embarrassing? Perhaps; but justified in the text itself, which, like Knausgaard’s My Struggle , is as preoccupied with remembrance as with memories. Early in James’s memoir, realising that he can only recall how he behaved during one long boyhood walk downtown with reference to another, and finding himself divided between the “still present freshness” of some memories and “my sense of perhaps making too much of these tiny particles of history”, he decides he will be guided by a rule: . . . from the moment it is a question of projecting a picture, no particle that counts for memory or is appreciable to the spirit can be too tiny, and that experience, in the name of which one speaks, is all compact of them and shining with them. Soon enough, as in Knausgaard, we return to voluminously subclaused sentences rich with evocation of a younger brother’s youthful callowness, escape through reading and dreams of future glory as a novelist. James was glad to have chosen a “vast miscellany” that accommodated “everything”. But he still hoped the book would achieve “a grace of its own”, and a line from the opening paragraph of A Small Boy and Others implied a belief that, by some kind of internal logic or magic, it could achieve the synthesis similar to the one he sought in his fiction. To “knock at the door of the past”, he discovered, was “to see the world within begin to ‘compose’ with a grace of its own round the primary figure”. In a notebook entry from 1905 printed in the new Library of America volume (the closest he came to a non-fiction credo) James dismisses the intense memories that were visiting him while writing The American Scene as “irrelevant strayings of the pen, in defiance of every economy”, before deciding that “to present these accidents” – to catch in full the unstaunched flow of recovered experience – “is what it is to be a master”. Oliver Herford explains that the critic Richard Poirier, reviewing an edition of James’s notebooks, insisted that James must have written “prevent”. Herford has seen the original. The S may be “cramped”, but an S it is. In a formulation that David Shields would feel obliged to cheer, Herford writes that the “stylistic accomplishment of the late personal writings may indeed be called a mastery of accidents” – that is, a masterly presentation and not a masterful prevention of them. But, like Wells and Forster, Poirier also seems to miss James’s perennial ambivalence towards pattern, and how he had always been concerned with presenting “accident”, but in such a way that – unlike in the baggy monsters, “with their queer elements of the accidental and the arbitrary” – it would yield meaning. Why, you might wonder, did James not just stick to the independent, elastic, prodigious novel? That was the chink in his chauvinism: not an insistence that there were places the novel couldn’t go, but an openness to the virtue of non-fiction. Unlike Shields and Knausgaard – “just the thought of a fabricated character in a fabricated plot made me feel nauseous”, he writes in book two of My Struggle – James saw possibilities and not an ultimatum. He turned to non-fiction despite his belief in the supremacy of the novel, and he returned to the novel for the same reason. In 1915, in a letter to Wells, he wrote: “It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance. . . and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process.” And the 1908 letter where he placed “creative” between inverted commas also expressed the feeling that he “could really shed salt tears of impatience and yearning” to get back to novel writing. For all the difficulties that the novel posed, there was one practitioner who offered James hope of a resolution: Balzac, “the father of us all”. After despatching Tolstoy and Thackeray in his preface to The Tragic Muse , James talked of his delight in “a deep-breathing economy and an organic form” – terms that encode his belief in a fusion of the novel’s warring priorities. This is what Balzac had achieved: a “solidly systematic” literary composition, combined with “free observation” and “personal experience”. And in The Portrait of a Lady and The Ambassadors , James felt that he had managed the same. Others agreed. In his essay “Henry James: an Appreciation”, published in 1905, Joseph Conrad, who along with Ford Madox Ford sought to emulate Jamesian form, noted that the reader is “never set at rest” by his novels. “His books end as an episode in life ends. You remain with the sense of the life still going on. . .” A century later, James offers an escape route from our present bind. His personal writing supports the claims for non-fiction, while the obstinacy of his novel-chauvinism serves as a rebuke to anti-novel sloganeering. Working on his final novel, The Ivory Tower , and returning to questions of “matter” and “manner”, form and life, he wrote: I come back, I come back, as I say, all throbbingly and yearningly and passionately, oh, mon bon, come back to this way that is clearly the only one in which I can do anything now. . . That The Ivory Tower avoided treating the Great War does not mean that James considered the novel a form unequal to this task. That he died before completing it was not a Freudian slip. “Henry James: Autobiographies”, edited by Philip Horne, is newly published by the Library of America Oliver Herford’s “Henry James’s Style of Retrospect: Late Personal Writings (1890-1915)” will be published by Oxford University Press in May
2016-02-28 01:26 Frances Ryan www.newstatesman.com
57 Gerard Butler accepts Marine Corps prom invite by female soldier Showing support: Gerard Butler, 46, visited marines at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California on Friday Prom proposal: As Butler mingled with the troops, a young female soldier approached and asked him to escort her to the Marine Corps Ball 'Yes!': Without hesitation, the hunky Scottish actor immediately replied Heartwarming: But the brave servicewoman - Corporal Maclellan - had one more small request as she handed him a poster and asked for his autograph Exclusive: The 300 Spartan star was there to screen his upcoming film London Has Fallen Action flick! Gerard is back in the thriller as Secret Service Agent Mike Banning protecting President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) from peril, yet again Highly-anticipated: London Has Fallen is set for a U. S. release on March 4 Rumoured romance: While the award-winning actor remains officially single he was reported to have enjoyed a romantic date last month with pop sensation Rita Ora, 25, according to Us Weekly
2016-02-28 03:17 Sarah Jones www.dailymail.co.uk
58 All Properties - Nation Now This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. Decisive victory in South Carolina is a template for Clinton's path to prevail over Sanders. Donald Trump has repeatedly clashed with media during his campaign for president. An altercation between a group of KKK members and counter-protesters erupted at a Klan rally in Anaheim, with both sides involved in violent attacks, Sgt. Daron Wyatt with the Anaheim Police Department told The Associated Press. Vonn was transported off the hill on a rescue sled in Andorra. Florida’s Burmese python hunters are getting more efficient, taking more of the damaging species out of the Everglades this year than in 2013. A rock slide Friday is forcing trucks with heavy or wide loads to detour almost 150 miles. How safe are you when doing mobile banking? Not very, if you're not smart about it. Nancy Jo Sales talked to teenage girls who spend their lives on their phones. Wentz has quickly become one of the fastest-rising players up draft boards. The officers were injured in a domestic related shooting Saturday night in Woodbridge in suburban Washington, D. C., authorities say. Melissa Harris-Perry, a television personality on MSNBC, refused to host the show bearing her name Saturday, in a clash with the network over campaign coverage. Long before Apple and the government squared off over the contents of an iPhone, there was another cataclysmic clash. For each sighting, the Air Force created a file and each file ended with a specific conclusion about what the witness likely saw, be it a meteor, aircraft or, in some cases, birds. Wearing her mythical unicorn horn, Juliet “threw up her head, pulled the lead rope" and ran for freedom. Time to get serious about making predictions for the big night. The directors of 'Inside Out' and 'Anomalisa' got real before Sunday's ceremony. Just a reminder that Tacko Fall doesn't need to jump to dunk Keeping Brock Osweiler from free agent market needs to top John Elway's list. Margot Robbie drops the Oscar stand-in and Kevin Hart brings down the lights. Both actresses championed the issue at a pre-Oscar event in Hollywood on Friday. On Oscars weekend, these indies are winning big. Patrick Foster and Jim Lenahan talk music weekly on 'Dad Rock,' a podcast from USA TODAY
2016-02-27 22:26 rssfeeds.usatoday.com
59 Livingston - Home This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. The Hartland wrestling team won its first team state championship by defeating Davison, 36-23, on Saturday It was a stroll down the runway — and maybe into the future. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will hold an event at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center on Wednesday night. Sushi, a boost in Lilac Festival fun and cocktails on Arnold Line ferries all are on tap starting in May. LANSING -- Attorney General Bill Schuette announced four felony charges against former state Rep. Todd Courser and two against former state Rep. Cindy Gamrat. A 7-year-old border collie named Piper has won the hearts of hundreds of Internet users Nearly 300 expected for Sunday grand opening of Made 2 Inspire Boutique Coast-to-Coast railroad service between Detroit and metro Grand Rapids, with a stop in Howell, judged viable. Neighbor says Jason Dalton would regularly shoot off his guns, sometimes for hours at a time. Programs in Detroit and Flint keep more families together for a fraction of what the state spends on foster care. The Pinckney and Brighton girls basketball teams won while the Fowlerville boys lost on Tuesday night LANSING - The courts took away one man's four daughters without charging him with a crime. Parent advocates say Michigan erects a wall between kids and their families because DHHS is the only agency helping parents overcome their struggles and at the same time is their courtroom opponent, logging those struggles as possible evidence agains Eighty percent of a typical fire department's calls are first responder. So why so few lady firefighters? Hartland only needs two more wins to claim its first team state title, but those wins certainly will not come easy The Hartland wrestling team did what was expected of it, blowing out Bedford, 53-24, to reach the state semifinals All Livingston County buildings getting tested in light of discovery of unsafe lead levels at Howell elementary school Can't pay for college? Howell students learn how At a bill signing in Flint today, the governor was more self-critical about Flint failures than in past statements The governor is releasing 8,000 to 10,000 Flint water e-mails dating back to 2011 New Brighton City Manager Nate Geinzer sees many positives in career move Some of Gov. Snyder’s top advisors pushed to move Flint back to the Detroit water system because of quality problems
2016-02-27 22:25 rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com
60 World news: breaking news and current events - powered by FeedBurner Google has a new intelligent platform, PlaNet, which has the ability to find out the location at which a particular photograph has been taken. The system will provide answer after accessing the image’s pixels. Technically, a convolution neural network was trained with a massive dataset of images sourced from Google+ with geo-tag data or image metadata. More exactly, in order to train the network, Google has used a dataset of 126 million images from the web with Exif image metadata and then split off 91 million images for training and 34 million images for validation.
2016-02-27 22:25 feeds.feedburner.com
61 WXIA - Home This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. The parents of a baby injured by an errant flash-bang grenade will be awarded $3.6 million after a federal judge's decision on Friday. In the affluent Atlanta suburbs, there's a deadly secret. Here's how we found the truth. Cedric Alexander named as possible finalist for new Chicago Police Superintendent Days after allegations surfaced accusing the police chief of choking a handcuffed teen, the Lithonia city council is calling a special meeting. The notice was posted Friday morning at City Hall. The family of a security guard killed by a Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy wants to see if video showing the incident can be enhanced. Tonight: Clear skies Low 38 Sunday- Sunny and warmer. High 65. CLICK HERE FOR FORECAST "It is a customer magnet," says Rob Gurney, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, North America. Just over a year ago, astronaut Scott Kelly left Earth to spend a year at the International Space Station. He returns late Tuesday night. JONESBORO, Ga. — Police are searching for the driver involved in a hit-and-run accident that killed a 27-year-old woman. A child is safe after a car theft in Atlanta, late Friday night. University of Mississippi defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche said he’s told NFL teams at the scouting combine that he was drunk when he fell 15 feet out of a hotel window in December. ATLANTA — Police are investigating, after two people were shot in southwest atlanta. The 11Alive Investigators go beyond reporting the headlines of the day by exploring those stories that can effect change. Three years ago, a young woman was murdered in broad daylight. Now, two pieces of evidence may be the key to solving who killed Monique Marlowe. Police are looking for three male suspects in a string of shoplifting incidents. 11Alive has learned how a 16-year-old saved more than a dozen Clydesdales – including a three week old baby -- from a burning barn in Oconee County. Emergency crews are working at the scene of what's being called a fatal accident just outside of Atlanta. A proposal to expand MARTA's rail system with a portion of a new sales tax was declared dead by its sponsor Friday. If you've been near a TV recently, chances are you've seen ads by some of the top candidates for President. BROOKHAVEN, Ga. -- Police are looking to identify a man who they said took pictures up a woman's skirt at a Brookhaven Publix. An exclusive 11Alive poll conducted by SurveyUSA shows Donald Trump marching through Georgia on Super Tuesday with a win. The poll was conducted after Trump's wins in Nevada and South Carolina. Casino bill re-animates as legislative session heads to its conclusion A mom is calling for a student to be expelled over a horrifying case of bullying at Gwinnett County's Lanier High School. Join now to become an 11Alive Community StormTracker A Georgia man convicted of burglarizing race-team trailers at Daytona International Speedway and other tracks is facing 10 years in prison.
2016-02-27 22:25 rssfeeds.11alive.com
62 Large police presence in Rio Grande District after report of shooting SALT LAKE CITY — There is a large police presence in downtown Salt Lake City Saturday night, and dispatch officials confirm officers are responding to reports of a shooting. FOX 13 News first heard reports of shots fired in the area of the 300 South and Rio Grande Street just before 8 p.m. Salt Lake City Police dispatch confirms there was a shooting in the area, but no further details were immediately available. FOX 13 News has a crew on the way to the scene, and we have reached out to police for further details. We will update this story as more information becomes available. Watch News at Nine Saturday for the latest on this developing story. 2016-02-28 03:13 Mark Green fox13now.com
63 Military Times - Adventure This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. Olympic skeet shooter and Army veteran Vincent Hancock reveals the mind tricks that helped him claim two gold medals as he prepares to go for a third at Rio. Here are three ideas from Arizona, Michigan and Colorado to help get you started on your own adventure. An Army sergeant who enjoys long runs has 4 tips on training for endurance. Active-duty members traveling on Spirit Airlines will no longer have to pay baggage fees on up to two checked bags and one free carry-on, officials said. Seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. These Marine captains took the top spots, and set a new world record. It’s interesting to introduce experienced hunters and shooters to a new, unfamiliar rifle and, after they inspect it, ask, “So what do you think this would cost?” Three inaugural crewmates in Military Times’ new travel club are headed for the Caribbean. Obstacle course racing is hitting the big leagues with major prize money, a growing roster of world championship competitions, and now even prime-time TV coverage. But as 2015 Spartan Race champ Capt. Until a few months ago, Army Capt. Robert Killian hadn’t given much thought to obstacle course racing. Of course, the increasingly popular sport hadn’t given him much thought, either. Hours after getting the news that his NFL dreams would have to wait, former Staff Sgt. Nate Boyer found a new direction: Up, about 19,300 feet. Many of us may be dreaming of a white Christmas, but chances are good visions of warm, sandy beaches will be dancing in our heads soon enough, if winter winds haven’t pushed them there already. New Military Waypoint members are giving us some great travel ideas in hopes of winning one of three cruises — and to help launch this exclusive online community for military travelers. Read on to see what they’re posting, and go to MilitaryTimes. Most bass anglers today probably wouldn’t recall when the black bass was considered a second-class citizen and tournaments, if any, were usually local, small-money events. New Military Waypoint members are giving us some great travel ideas in hopes of winning one of three cruises — and to help launch this exclusive online community for military travelers. Centuries of rainfall and punishing Texas sunshine are slowly doing what cannon fire and barrages of Mexican bullets couldn’t back in 1836 — disintegrating the Alamo. Tuesday’s launch of the ORS-4 went awry when the experimental Super Strypi launch vehicle failed midflight. If there’s one thing the military community knows better than most, it’s how to travel. When it comes to hiring veterans, U. S. Customs and Border Protection has a great track record: Of its 21,000 agents, 28.8 percent are prior military. Ever since the Willys Jeep drove off the battlefields of World War II to become one of America’s favorite off-roaders, military gear has been crossing over into the off-duty pursuits of outdoors enthusiasts. Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Riley knows exactly what he’s going to do when he retires from his full- time job in the West Virginia Army National Guard. It’s the little things that can get you. A. J. Schurr came off the bench to run for two touchdowns and threw for the winning score to help Army beat Bucknell 21-14 on Saturday. If you really want to get your seasonal scare on, it’s time to head to the Gauley River. The heavy metal fanatics at Wargaming.net have put together a killer video of a World War II tank battle. Summer is over, but you can still get your outdoor fitness fun on at a slew of fun runs coming your way this fall. "Let’s face it, if you agree that a greater-than-300-yard, offhand shot borders on unethical, then we all need a rest," says Wayne Correia, longtime benchrest shooter. Three Army marksmen and one pentathlete are among the first 10 Americans to earn Team USA spots for the 2016 Rio games
2016-02-27 23:28 rssfeeds.militarytimes.com
64 From pornography to surrogacy, too few of us are ethical consumers of bodies To end the Tories' assault on the young, Labour must get back into power Sometimes I wish I was better at maths, because there’s a diagram I really want to draw. Here are the two axes – up the side, need for item or service; across the bottom, responsibility for obtaining that item or service ethically. As your need for something increases, the ethical burden on how you obtain it diminishes. This model would be useful for conceptualising the morality of, say, stealing a loaf because your child was hungry. Squatting in an empty house because you are homeless. Buying a battery chicken because it’s the only way you can afford to eat any meat. Stranded on the wrong side of the line would be conflict diamonds, fur coats and setting yourself up as a bloodthirsty dictator in order to afford a gold toilet. In all of these cases, the need is non- existent, so the ethical obligations can never be met. Where I find my imaginary graph most useful, however, is in deciding how to feel about services involving human – often female – bodies. This helpfully refocuses the question on to those with the economic power in any given situation, whereas too often (even among feminists), it is the conduct of the seller that’s under scrutiny. Take sex work. It’s a term of abuse nowadays to say that a feminist is “sex-worker exclusionary”. It’s more interesting to ask, though, if buying sex is compatible with feminism. In the unbearable formulation of a million op-eds: Can You Be A Feminist And A Punter? I would argue that it’s difficult, and that any moral imperative is on the buyer not to shop around to find the migrant sex worker or street prostitute with the lowest price, but instead to ensure that whoever they are paying for sex isn’t being coerced (physically or financially) into acts they would rather not perform. The same goes for porn. I shudder to think of the number of guys who piously lecture me about feminism’s lack of attention to issues of class, then go home to get off on watching freelance workers with poor employment protection and terrible long-term career prospects carry out potentially dangerous physical labour. And most of them refuse even to pay for it. Anyone on the left who pretends to care about ethics shouldn’t watch porn if they don’t know how it’s made. A few years ago, I spent an instructive few months reading porn actresses’ memoirs and learned – surprise! – that an industry run by older men and relying on a turnover of young women in need of quick cash is prone to extreme abuse. In Oriana Small’s Girlvert , for example, she recounts going with her boyfriend to a porn set and being pressured to get him free merchandise. “Tyler’s eyes were shining like it was Christmas. He was told that any chick that went to the Anabolic warehouse and blew someone could have free shirts and hats.” Small tries to resist, so Tyler tries emotional blackmail. “He knew he could persuade me to do anything if he threw a fit or made a big enough commotion about it.” On set, the director tries to make her cry by asking her what her parents think of her becoming a “whore”, then convinces her to let Tyler urinate on her, saying the video will go only into his private collection. And then he releases it on a site called pissmops.com. It is worth noting that Small isn’t telling her story for sympathy, or arguing that porn is inherently harmful. (It isn’t a good advert for it, mind.) Later in the narrative, she gains more control over her career and co-workers, and she certainly doesn’t end up becoming a nun. The problem is that there is no pressure for the industry to be ethical, because sex, which is deemed to be a private matter, is involved. That is exactly the wrong way round; it should be particularly ethical because sex is involved. Naturally, this puts a heavy burden on consumers. Until recently, progressives used to congratulate themselves for watching scenes featuring Stoya and James Deen, a couple in real life as well as on screen. And then, two months ago, Stoya accused Deen of raping her. (He denies those allegations, as well as accusations made by others in the industry.) It turns out if you want to watch ethical porn you have to work quite hard. But so what? You won’t die without it. The latest point I’ve added mentally to my graph is surrogacy. On 5 March, an organisation called Families Through Surrogacy will be holding a conference in London. A news report in the lead-up to the event contained alarming language, speaking balefully of couples being “driven” to seek surrogates abroad to “commission a child”. This seems an oddly entitled way to refer to the use of someone else’s body. Every year, up to 2,000 surrogate babies are born on behalf of British couples, 95 per cent of them to mothers overseas. That is because currently, in Britain, surrogacy is permitted only as a non-commercial relationship. This is firmly the way it should stay; informal agreements might be more difficult where a personal arrangement becomes messy, but surrogacy should be seen as a gift, not a service with a monetary value. The rise of commercial surrogacy has led to women in developing countries such as India being encouraged to sign legally binding contracts that turn them into walking incubators. (The Sensible Surrogacy website offers women in Ukraine for $47,570 and those in Cambodia for $42,500; a “host” in the US will cost double that.) As women in the West leave childbearing until later in life – and struggle to conceive as a result – and as diminishing homophobia frees more gay men to have children, the demand for babies is sure to increase. And so there will be louder calls for the ban on commercial surrogacy to be overturned. That is something the left should resist. When it comes to bodies, experience shows that it’s a buyer’s market: those with the economic power set the terms. I only wish I could capture that truth on a graph, too. Today I’m looking forward to meeting our young members as they prepare for a raft of elections and debates in the Labour youth movement. Our young members have come from far and wide across the country to sunny Scarborough – where their minds will be on far more important matters than picking up sticks of rock or heading down to the beach. Since May, the number of young people in the Labour Party has nearly tripled. We now have over 55,000 young members – a figure which dwarfs the youth membership of other parties. But now, under a Tory majority government t hat no one saw coming, it has never been more important for young people to get involved in politics, and stand up for what they believe. We are Labour because we believe that everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, should have access to the ladders that can help them move up in the world. Just this week we saw figures from the Sutton Trust, showing 71 per cent of military officers, almost two thirds of top doctors and about half of leading journalists went to private schools – which only 7 per cent of the country has the privilege to attend. David Cameron talk s about social mobility, but where is the evidence that this generation of young people will be able to get on in life, whatever their background? The Tories are hitting young people hardest; with wages low, maintenance grants for the poorest students scrapped, and voter registration rules cynically changed to lock young people out of democracy. The number of young people owning their own home is at its lowest level since records began. Universit y tuition fees have trebled. 853,000 young people are not in employment, education or training. The proportion of people in zero hours contracts is three times higher for young people than for other age groups. Labour introduced EMA and worked so hard to get 50 per cent of school-leavers into university - so that, whoever you are, and whatever your backgrou nd, y ou had the support and foundations to make your way in the world. In the last government they came for FE students, scrapping EMA and trebling tuition fees. In this Parliament they are coming after poorer students by scrapping maintenance grants , and they don’t think that under- 25s deserve a living wage. We know that FE and HE aren’t the only way to get on in life – but only 5 per cent of 16 year olds currently go on to do an apprenticeship. But if you are a young person reading this, thinking how unfair it is that your needs seem to be completely ignored by the g overnment – just wait until you see how little they care when you don’t even have a vote at the ele ction. They have taken away the ladders for you to get on in the world , now they are coming for your democratic voice. We meet in a week where we learn ed that 1.4 million people have fallen off the electoral register since the rushed changes to voter registration, with young people and student areas some of the worst affected. Some 40 per cent of 16 and 17 year olds who would soon have been eligible to vote for the very first time have disappeared from the electoral register in the last two years , due to the Tories’ hasty, partisan changes. That’s why I have written to the government to ask them to do more to encourage voter registration in schools and universities. Please register now and do all you can before May’s elections and the June EU referendum to encourage friends, family members and anyone e lse you come across to register. Our young activists will be enjoying themselves this weekend, making good friends and exploring their own and others’ views. But they will all agree on one thing. T he most important task any young activist has – the thing that will make all the difference to their own life chances and those of their peer group - is getting rid of this terrible Tory government. The only way we can change things in this country is by getting into power – just think of everything we achieved from 1997-2010. EMA, civil partnerships, redistribution of wealth, lifting people out of poverty, the minimum wage, better pay for public sector workers …the li st goes on and on. I hope that our young members will be shouting from the rooftops about what we achieved then , and then hitting the doorstep to show our determination to do even more in 2020. Labour people, young and old, must do everything they can in the months ahead to win May’s elections and change lives across the country. newstatesman.com newstatesman.com newstatesman.com 2016-02-28 01:26 Frances Ryan www.newstatesman.com
65 Livingston - News This feed's current articles are shown below. Subscribe for updates to all the content available in this feed, or click through here to see the original article. It was a stroll down the runway — and maybe into the future. All Livingston County buildings getting tested in light of discovery of unsafe lead levels at Howell elementary school Can't pay for college? Howell students learn how At a bill signing in Flint today, the governor was more self-critical about Flint failures than in past statements New Brighton City Manager Nate Geinzer sees many positives in career move Some of Gov. Snyder’s top advisors pushed to move Flint back to the Detroit water system because of quality problems Emails show several people in Gov. Rick Snyder’s inner circle received information about Legionnaires’ cases in March 2015. A state lawmaker has introduced legislation to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Michigan. Students shouldn't have to worry about making up snow days this summer A child’s body that was found in a burned-out vacant house in Detroit has been identified as a 4- year-old girl Livingston County residents were largely spared from widespread damage as a result of the winter storm. State social workers took Angela Donnellon’s niece from her biological mother, when she was 2 days old in 2014. Some school districts bump up annual water testing in reaction to Flint's water crisis situation The Brighton Township Zoning Board of Appeals meeting for Wednesday has been postponed Tiana Carruthers was at a playground late Saturday afternoon at her Richland Township apartment complex with her young daughter, a niece and three other children when a man pulled up to the curb in a silver-colored SUV and motioned for her to come ov 15-year-old who allegedly made threats to “do a Columbine” shooting at a local school district was “joking,” police say Court action that took place Feb. 5 in Livingston County Circuit Court LivingstonDaily.com is the only place to find all of the automotive deals in Livingston County. Howell, Brighton schools are weighing whether to send students home early, no decision has been made yet
2016-02-27 23:25 rssfeeds.livingstondaily.com
66 Christian Science Monitor | All Stories - powered by FeedBurner New research improves the ability to forecast rogue waves, also known as killer waves, which can rise without warning to tower over ships and rigs, with potentially catastrophic results. David Wayne Campbell shot and killed himself Friday on his wooded property near Seattle. Police suspect he also killed his wife and her two children. The World Trade Center transportation hub, set to open in March, was designed as a symbol of renewal but has been bogged down by a growing budget costs and delays. The weapon used by a shooter to kill three people at a Kansas factory was purchased by a friend. Isn't that what happened in the San Bernadino shooting? Eleven states will hold GOP presidential primaries Tuesday, when 595 delegates will be at stake. Trump has won the last three contests. Northrop Grumman will build the new B-21 bomber. But many details about the bomber remain shrouded in secrecy. In the market for a place to put your money? There are several important things to consider when deciding where to place your cash. More than 1,000 people from 29 states registered to remove pythons from South Florida's beleaguered Everglades as part of the hunt. Why black voters say they are leaning toward Hillary Clinton in Saturday's Democratic primary in South Carolina. The testimony is an unusual demonstration of holding even the most senior Roman Catholic bishops accountable. Nemtsov was a charismatic figure and a vehement critic of President Vladimir Putin. He was shot last year as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin. Antonin Scalia was perhaps the most vociferous abortion opponent among the nine justices. Ten affected automakers including BMW, Ford, and General Motors joined together last year to figure out the issues that caused deadly explosions of Takata airbags. They've identified three -- possibly four -- culprits. First Amendment advocates condemned Trump's suggestions, pointing out that he could not change libel laws as they affect public figures by executive order or even with an act of Congress. Mark Zuckerberg examined hate-speech and free-speech restrictions, both at home and away, as he responded to Black Lives Matter issues at Facebook and anti-refugee commentary in Germany this week. The Spirit and Oscar winners have often aligned in acting and best picture categories. Why this year is different. A victory for reformists would be a boost for President Hassan Rouhani, who championed the Iranian nuclear deal in the face of hard-line opposition. Google has developed a deep-learning neural network program that beats well-traveled humans at guessing where a photo was taken. Voters in South Carolina head to the polls Saturday to vote in the Democratic primary, in what is expected to be a clear victory for Hillary Clinton. After Birmingham, Ala., voted to raise the city's minimum wage to $10.10 by 2017, state lawmakers passed a law forbidding such ordinances. An escaped pony dressed as a unicorn led police on an almost four-hour case through Madera, Calif., a reminder of the challenges of real vs. fake 911 calls. In Florida, there's a clash between the First Amendment guarantee of free speech and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The recent poll found that the Fine Gael party has received 24.8 percent of first-preference votes, while the party's age-old enemy Fianna Fail has won 21.1 percent. A US and Russian-brokered cease-fire brought calm to some parts of Syria for the first time in years on Saturday. But the Islamic State launched several attacks. A new study that looks at glacial deposits and hydrothermal fields at the bottom of the ocean disputes the conventional belief that Earth, in its earliest years, had scorching temperatures. Only 19 percent of Americans say they would be more likely to vote for a woman as presidential candidate, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. These technologies could change the world. A 702(j) plan is not actually a retirement plan at all; it's a life insurance contract. But the idea of using it to supplement retirement income isn't new. Economists expect stronger consumer spending to lift overall economic growth in 2016. The fourth-quarter GDP was revised upward. In his annual letter to shareholders, CEO Warren Buffett explains his optimism for the lives of the coming generation of American children. This week's laptop deals feature a handful of mid-price machines loaded with features, including the best price you'll see on the latest-edition 13-inch MacBook Air. Letters to the editor for the Feb. 29, 2016 weekly magazine. A roundup of global commentary for the Feb. 29, 2016 weekly magazine. There are many factors behind what's led to two straight years of all-white acting nominees, but one is the stifling limitation of what gets considered an 'Oscar movie.' 'The nomination process is essentially run by, dictated by money and public relations maneuvering,' actor Viggo Mortensen says. Grocery shopping when you live alone and only have to cook for one person can be surprisingly overwhelming sometimes. But it doesn't have to be that way. Eleven women testified against soldiers who sexually enslaved them during the country's civil war, in the first case of its kind. Guatemala is at the forefront in the region in using its justice system to pursue justice for civil-war era crimes. Germany's grant to the Global Crop Diversity Trust is the largest single donation the Crop Trust has ever received. Paleontologists have long wondered why human wisdom teeth are so much smaller than those found in fossils of homonin species. A team of evolutionary biologists say they have solved the mystery. City officials set a Friday deadline to clear out a tent city due to health concerns. San Francisco's streets are home to thousands of homeless people. A new study refutes the perception that transgender children who change their appearance are bound to suffer from mental illness.
2016-02-27 22:05 rss.csmonitor.com
67 Ryanair pilot kicks groom and rowdy bachelor party off plane German police say the pilot of a Ryanair plane from London to Bratislava made an unscheduled landing to eject members of a bachelor party – including the groom. Federal police say the six men had disturbed security on board the plane and ignored the crew’s instructions, prompting the pilot to land in Berlin late on Friday. In a statement police said the drunken Englishmen aged 25 to 28 from Southampton were met by officers upon landing at Schoenefeld airport. They now face fines of up to €25,000 (£19,700) each and civil claims from the airline. The other 164 passengers, including six members of the bachelor party who hadn’t taken part in the rowdy behaviour, were able to continue their flight to Slovakia.
2016-02-28 02:51 Associated Press www.theguardian.com
68 GOP donors research independent presidential bid Contact WND (Politico) Conservative donors have engaged a major GOP consulting firm in Florida to research the feasibility of mounting a late, independent run for president amid growing fears that Donald Trump could win the Republican nomination. A memo prepared for the group zeroes in on ballot access as a looming obstacle for any independent candidate, along with actually identifying a viable, widely known contender and coalescing financial support for that person. The two states with the earliest deadlines for independent candidates, Texas and North Carolina, also have some of the highest hurdles for independents to get on the ballot, according to the research.
2016-02-28 01:37 www.wnd.com
69 38% of Florida voters: Cruz could be Zodiac Killer Contact WND (United Press International) A poll by Public Policy Polling found that a surprising number of Florida voters believe Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz could be the Zodiac Killer. While a 62 percent majority of voters answered “No” when asked if they believed Cruz was responsible for the string of murders in the early 70s, 10 percent answered “Yes” and an additional 28 percent said they were unsure.
2016-02-28 01:38 www.wnd.com
70 'Super lice' outbreak hits 25 states Contact WND (New York Post) A strain of so-called ‘super lice’ has hit a reported 25 states, causing concern and frustration among parents because the bugs can’t be killed with most over-the-counter treatments. The treatments, known as pyrethroids, had a 100 percent success rate in 2000 against lice but now only work in 25 percent of cases, KSDK.com reported. A new FDA-approved treatment called AirAlle, which was developed by Lice Clinics of America, has been found to be effective against the super lice, with treatments costing about $170. “We use heated air, and we dehydrate the lice and the eggs in a single treatment,” Claire Roberts, CEO of Lice Clinics America, told KSDK.com. “It takes about an hour, and we guarantee it.”
2016-02-28 01:36 www.wnd.com
71 Emails a window into state's Flint crisis-management efforts Gov. Rick Snyder displays the $30 million budget supplemental Water Bill during a news conference on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 at University of Michigan Flint, Riverfront Banquet Center in Flint. Snyder signed the $30 million budget supplemental, reimbursing Flint residents with credits on their water bills for water used for drinking, cooking and bathing. (Rachel Woolf/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT The Flint Water Plant tower is seen, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 in Flint, Mich. Flint is under a public health emergency after its drinking water became tainted when the city switched from the Detroit system and began drawing from the Flint River in April 2014 to save money. The city was under state management at the time. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
2016-02-27 23:53 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
72 Bill Clinton gets into heated exchange with Benghazi protesters Washington (CNN) Former President Bill Clinton engaged in a heated back-and-forth with a military veteran at a campaign event in Bluffton, South Carolina, saying he would answer a question about the Benghazi attacks if the veteran would "shut up. " "I'm not your commander in chief anymore, but if I were, I'd tell you to be more polite," Clinton told the man on Friday, who said he was a military veteran. "And I wouldn't listen. I would just raise my voice," the man shouted back at Clinton, according to video taken at the event by another protester. Clinton was interrupted by the protester while he was discussing his experiences during 9/11, part of a speech he was giving for Hillary Clinton 's presidential campaign. The protester started by explaining that he served two tours in Iraq and was "anxious" to talk about the troubles at the Department of Veterans Affairs. But before Clinton could respond, the man brought up the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks, which claimed the lives of four Americans during Hillary Clinton's waning months as secretary of state. The issue has since been cited as a reason she is not qualified for the Oval Office. "What do you think should be done with the VA? " Clinton asked. "The thing is that we had four lives in Benghazi that were killed and your wife tried to cover it up," the man responded. The crowd -- clearly displeased -- responded in a chorus of "boos. " "Those four lives, those four American lives, if someone lost their grandchild, their son, their brother," the individual shouted over the audience's booing. Clinton thanked the man for his service, insisted that the room settle down and asked for a chance to respond. "I heard you, can I answer? " Clinton said while the man continued to shout back. "This is America -- I get to answer back. " Security escorted the man out of the event. "Do you have the courage to listen to my answer? Don't throw him out. If he'll shut up and listen to my answer, I'll answer it," Clinton said. While Clinton continued to respond, another woman began to shout. "Hillary lied over four coffins of our military men. She lied," the woman shouted while being escorted out of the event. This came the same day the State Department released another 1,500 pages of Hillary Clinton's emails , which critics have also sought to make an issue for her presidential campaign.
2016-02-28 02:36 Sophie Tatum, www.cnn.com
73 England Women 13-9 Ireland Women: Croker and Scott score tries England lock Abbie Scott (left) scores a try during the Women's Six Nations match at Twickenham Hooker Emma Croker drives over to score a try during England Women's 13-9 victory over Ireland Women Fly-half Amber Reed kicked a penalty in England's triumph over Ireland on Saturday Niamh Briggs (right, pictured tackling Lauren Cattell) kicked three penalties for the visitors at Twickenham
2016-02-28 02:30 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
74 Melissa Harris-Perry's feud with MSNBC stems from Beyonce disagreement MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry's long-running feud with the network stems from a disagreement about devoting a segment to discussing Beyonce's provocative hit 'Formation', sources say 'Formation' (Beyonce shown above in a scene from the video) was released on February 6 and has been widely touted as a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement Harriws-Perry penned a letter to her colleagues that was shared publicly on Friday, in which she aired her frustrations with being deemed 'worthless' by the cable network Beyonce pictured above as she performs during the Super Bowl. Harris-Perry, 42, who spotlights conversations about race, politics and gender on her show, wanted to discuss the Formation video during a February 7 segment. But executives wanted her to focus on presidential politics Andrew Lack, the chairman on NBC News and MSNBC, is reportedly trying to move the cable channel away from its liberal leanings In her letter to colleagues she wrote: 'I am not a token, mammy, or little brown bobble head,' but later clarified she didnt not think she was being treated because she is black
2016-02-28 02:24 Dailymail.com www.dailymail.co.uk
75 These are your Trump voters: 1 in 5 wish the slaves were never freed Topics: AlterNet , Donald Trump , 2016 Elections , 2016 presidential election , Politics News A new set of public opinion survey results reveal the extent to which Trump’s current campaign success is rooted in his supporters’ pre-existing religious, social and racial intolerance. According to data gathered from YouGov and Public Policy Polling , Trump’s conflation of race and religion with current problems facing the United States has proven key to his campaign strategy. In this regard, reported the New York Times , Trump has bridged the conservative divide “uniting parts of the party that have been on opposite sides of recent nomination battles.” For instance, Trump’s proposal to ban Muslim immigrants saw him dominate the South Carolina primary. Poll numbers revealed that nearly half the Republicans who turned out to vote in South Carolina were in support of deportation. Trump subsequently secured 47 percent of that vote. In addition, almost a fifth of Trump voters believe it was not a good idea to free the slaves in the Southern states following the Civil War. Five percent of Rubio’s voters hold this view.
2016-02-28 01:14 Robin Scher www.salon.com
76 Jaguares, Sunwolves make exciting starts to Super Rugby Shota Horie (2nd R) of the Sunwolves passes the ball to teammate Harumichi Takekawa (R) as he is tackled by Howard Mnisi and Jaco Kriel of the Lions during the match in Tokyo on February 27, 2016 ©Toru Yamanaka (AFP) South Africa's Raymond Rhule of the Cheetahs (R) tackles Argentina's Jeronimo De la Fuente of the Jaguares during their Super Rugby match on February 26, 2016 in Bloemfontein, South Africa ©Charl Devenish (AFP) Waratahs captain Michael Hooper (C) is tackled by Reds defenders Karmichael Hunt (L) and Chris Feauai-Sautia (R) during the Super Rugby match in Sydney on February 27, 2016 ©William West (AFP)
2016-02-28 02:20 Afp www.dailymail.co.uk
77 Loud booms heard in Sandy attributed to training at Camp Williams SANDY, Utah — Fire department officials in Sandy fielded several calls from people who reported hearing loud booms Saturday evening, and they said the noise is due to training exercises at Camp Williams. Sandy residents called FOX 13 News to report hearing loud booms around 5 p.m. Saturday, and dispatch officials in Sandy said they had also received several calls regarding the noise. Sandy Fire dispatch confirmed around 7 p.m. the noises came from Camp Williams and were caused by some kind of training exercise. Camp Williams is a National Guard training site in Riverton. FOX 13 News reached out to the National Guard Saturday for more details about the training exercises causing the noise, but so far has not yet received a response.
2016-02-28 02:14 Mark Green fox13now.com
78 78 Husband of Dr Teresa Sievers charged with her second- degree murder Charged: Mark Sievers (pictured left) has been charged with second-degree murder. His wife Teresa (pictured right with Mark and their daughters Carmi and Josephine) was killed with a hammer in June of last year Evidence: Teresa's body was found next to the hammer (pictured) in her Florida kitchen. Mark Sievers is accused of paying two men to murder her while he and his daughters were in Connecticut visiting family 'Accomplices': Mark Sievers allegedly paid Jimmy Rodgers (pictured left) and childhood pal Curtis Wayne Wright Jr (right) to kill Teresa. Cops say Rodgers's hire car was tracked to Wright's and Sievers's houses Testified: Wright and Rodgers appear here alongsie Rodgers's girlfriend, Taylor Shomaker (pictured center), who testified to police that he had admitted his role in the murder to her. Wright admitted guilt on Friday Arguments: Neighbors say that the Sievers had frequently argued, both had engaged in 'multiple affairs,' and they were considering divorce prior to Teresa's murder. They had a $4.4million life insurance policy Crime scene: Teresa's body was discovered in her home (pictured) in Bonita Springs, Florida. Police claim that Mark told his mother-in-law to deactivate the burglar alarm hours before his wife came back Custody: A custody hearing for the Sievers' daughters (pictured, with their father) will be held on Monday. It is not clear at present who is caring for them now
2016-02-28 02:14 James Wilkinson www.dailymail.co.uk
79 'Spotlight' tops a richly diverse Spirit Awards Michael Sugar, center, and the cast and crew of ¿Spotlight¿ accept the award for best feature at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Brie Larson accepts the award for best female lead for ¿Room¿ at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Idris Elba poses with the award for best supporting male for ¿Beasts of No Nation¿ in the press room at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Mya Taylor poses with the award for best supporting female for ¿Tangerine¿ in the press room at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Tom McCarthy accepts the award for best director for ¿Spotlight¿ at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Abraham Attah accepts the award for best actor for his role in ¿Beasts of No Nation¿ at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
2016-02-27 17:13 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
80 High School Sports The Knights earn their first state championship with a 33-25 win. Boys’ hockey: No heavy favorites as playoffs get underway Top- seeded Scarborough (Class A South) and Yarmouth (Class B South) face challenges to reach the state title games. Boys’ hockey: Cheverus rallies from 4 goals down, wins in OT The Stags get a spark after goalie Colby Benway enters the game and beat the Tigers. The Flyers survive a comeback by Winthrop, pulling out a 43-41 victory. Thomas and Colin Coyne combine for 35 points in a 58-44 win over Brunswick. The Seahawks have no trouble with Madison, 40-24. The Wildcats will play Lawrence for the Class A state championship in a battle of unbeatens. The Bears take Class D North with an overtime victory. Boys’ basketball: Lake Region headed to first state final in 31 years The Lakers win Class B South with a 53-43 victory over Yarmouth. Boys’ basketball: Valley challenged but still moves on The dominant Cavaliers are tested by Seacoast Christian before capturing the Class D South title, 52-45. The Patriots are headed to the state final for the first time since 2002.
2016-02-28 00:26 www.pressherald.com
81 The Prince of Weedkillers: Charles forces quango to root out ragwort The Prince of Wales has declared war on the toxic yellow weed which is 'invading' fields and country lanes, poisoning horses and livestock Growing higher than 6ft, the weed has historically been known by other names including St James- wort, stinking ninny and dog standard
2016-02-28 02:04 Chris Hastings www.dailymail.co.uk
82 MediaPost | Online Media Daily - powered by FeedBurner Perhaps the most concerning quote in all the copy devoted to cable channels dumping on Verizon for trying to do something everyone in the country wants was this one from a 65-year-old retired electronics salesman, who told the "WSJ:" "I've been paying for ESPN for 30 years and never watch it. " Really? My head would not have snapped back if he had said Nickelodeon or Home Shopping Network or even Food Network, but ESPN? As in no college football? No "Monday Night Football? " No Little League baseball playoffs? No "Around the Horn!! " I think that is grounds for excommunication from the "Mystic Knights of The Male Persuasion. " Leave it to the "Journal" to track down the singular exception to the rule.
2016-02-27 21:42 feeds.mediapost.com
83 LIZ JONES: I'm manifesting a world without pseudo-hippy claptrap A woman came over to me: blonde, wearing a ski jacket. A normal mum, with a daughter and horses. She told Liz Jones she has manifested a brand new car Manifestation is a panacea for middle-class mums who want to live in the moment because worrying whether their husband will have an affair is too painful to contemplate writes Liz Jones (stock image)
2016-02-28 01:52 www.dailymail.co.uk
84 Armed bank robber wearing Deadpool mask makes off with $2,000 An armed man wore a Deadpool mask when he robbed a South Point, Ohio, bank on Friday afternoon. He walked away with $2,000 after brandishing his gun The suspect, who wore a red and black mask similar to the one Ryan Reynold's character dons in the wildly popular superhero movie based on the comic books of the same name The incident occurred at a US Bank branch on Friday around 2pm. The suspect fled in a vehicle heading east
2016-02-28 01:36 Jessica Chia www.dailymail.co.uk
85 The voice telling me to open the till didn't sound like a robber - more a bad actress playing a period heroine Master of reality: on Henry James' non-fiction Much like happiness, fear is something I don’t think you’re aware of in the moment. Adrenalin catapults us into hyper-capable mode: cocaine without the twattiness. We will survive. It’s only in recollection, as our brains repeatedly skitter down the endless cul-de-sacs of things that could have happened, and try to make sense of what did, that we feel afraid. I used to work on a food stand at a London station, when the internet boom was still resounding loud off the lenders’ wallets. It was three in the afternoon and I was talking to my Lithuanian colleague about Lithuanian food when I heard a voice say, “Open the till.” It was a weak and faltering voice, like the voice of a bad actress playing a period heroine. I looked up to see a small, gaunt man with a pale, open face, like a child’s. “Open the till,” he repeated, flatly and without emotion, as if he was saying, “You need a new fan belt.” I’ve watched a lot of films where stuff like this happens. It just didn’t ring true. There was no threatening note in his voice, no weapon. He wasn’t a big guy – he looked like he’d struggle to play Twister, to be honest. More than anything, though, it was 3pm. This kind of stuff happens after dark, in a covert way. I didn’t feel scared. At all. Sod you, I thought. I’m in the middle of a conversation about Lithuanian food, which, it turns out, has a dumpling dish that translates as “cold little noses”. I’m tired. This doesn’t fit with my picture of how today will pan out. Sod you. So I said, “No.” He moved towards me and reached into the inside pocket of his coat, never breaking eye contact. He was inches away. I moved towards the till to hit the panic button, something I had rarely even registered before – rather like the pre-flight safety chat on a plane: just make sure you’re not sitting next to the emergency escape route, and then rip open the Revels. “I know what you’re doing,” he said to me, slowly and quietly. “I’ve got a knife in here. Open the fucking till.” I felt the blood rush from (or to?) my head, and heart. The station whirled. My colleague couldn’t speak great English, but she could sense that this wasn’t good – the man wasn’t about to hand me a piece of carrot cake – and I felt so protective of her that I had to stop myself from rushing to her. I still wouldn’t open the till. The police arrived almost immediately and arrested him. Then it sank in. “Robbers” don’t wear masks and carry sacks with “Swag” written on them. Some people don’t know they’re robbers until they find themselves saying, “Open the till.” And some people don’t know themselves until they find themselves saying, “No.” The Actual One by Isy Suttie, published by Weidenfeld &Nicolson, is out now Henry James was the originator in English of novel-chauvinism, the idea that the extended prose fiction is, as he put it, “the book par excellence ”. Between 1871 and 1904, during which time he published 19 novels, including The Europeans , Washington Square , The Portrait of a Lady and What Maisie Knew , plus novellas such as Daisy Miller , The Aspern Papers and The Turn of the Screw , James also wrote dozens of reviews, essays on “The Art of Fiction” and “The Future of the Novel”, and half a dozen stories about the novelist’s earthly tribulations and posthumous mistreatment. In the words of a later novel-chauvinist, F R Leavis, James set out to accomplish “a general full recognition among the educated that creative talent – creative genius – was at least as likely to go into the novel as into any mode of art”. In this effort, James employed all the big rhetorical guns, not just French tags (“ par excellence ”), but capitals and superlatives. In the closing words of his preface to The Ambassadors , which he considered “the best, ‘all round’, of my productions”, he stated that “the Novel remains still, under the right persuasion, the most independent, most elastic, most prodigious of literary forms”. The chauvinist position had a limiting effect on his relationship with non-novelists. T S Eliot, a fellow uprooted American and like-minded elegist for the unlived life, looking back on the arid years of his apprenticeship, said that he “learned something, no doubt, from Henry James”. That “something” went a long way, in terms of borrowed images and allusive phrasing. But Eliot felt he would have learned more if not for James’s “exclusive concentration on his own kind of work”. James moved through the world in a pair of novel-blinkers. Confronted with the volumes of Browning’s The Ring and the Book , he claimed, in a 1912 lecture, to experience “the sense, almost the pang, of the novel they might have constituted”. He called this phantom novel “a work of art. . . smothered in the producing” – hardly an orthodox way to mark the hundredth birthday of a poet. But, for all this, the most prominent new publications during the centenary of James’s death, on 28 February 1916, do not relate to his fiction: a Library of America edition of his autobiographical writing, edited by Philip Horne, and Oliver Herford’s Henry James’s Style of Retrospect , a diligent and minutely argued study of the “late personal writings”. It is true that the Library of America has already produced 11 volumes of James’s fiction; that Cambridge University Press is in the process of doing a scholarly version of the same thing in 34; and that the James industry has already yielded writing on every inch of that work. Still, for almost three decades there has been a growing critical and editorial engagement with his non-fiction writing from the decade after his “major phase” novels – The Wings of the Dove , The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl – during which he published virtually no fiction. This work, amounting to a “second major phase”, includes the contentious travelogue The American Scene , an account of his 1904-05 tour of the much-changed United States he had left for Europe 30 years earlier; the long explanatory prefaces to the 24 volumes of the New York Edition of his fictions; the essays collected in Notes on Novelists (1914); and the autobiographies A Small Boy and Others (1913) and Notes of a Son and Brother (1914), which are printed alongside essays, notebook entries and an uncompleted third instalment in the Library of America volume. If the late novels, with their snaking, nuance-laden sentences and relentless tracking of the characters’ inner lives, show that James was in at the beginning of literary modernism, the later non-fiction shows why he might be considered modern and even modish. The recent writing on him as a novelist talks of impressionism, vagueness, religious experience, melancholia. In the non-fiction, we meet James the Freudian, the explorer of family dramas and selfhood, the proto- psychogeographer given to flâneries , a figure whose descendants are neither self-conscious Jamesians such as Alan Hollinghurst and Cynthia Ozick nor self-declared modernists such as Eimear McBride and Tom McCarthy, but rather the likes of Karl Ove Knausgaard and David Shields, who embrace the literary potential of the memoir and the essay. In a letter written in 1908, when the prefaces had followed The American Scene in monopolising his attention, he spoke about being taken away from “‘creative’” work, throwing the primacy of the novel into doubt many decades before somebody offered the first graduate seminar in “literary non-fiction”. In his book Reality Hunger (2010), a plea for realistic art which proceeds from the conviction that the novel, far from being the only game in town, has long since had its day, Shields fingers James as an enemy – perhaps the enemy. It was James, he alleges, who took the novel away from its exciting “mongrel” origins, in documentary, topographical writing and autobiography, and asserted that it “must be the work of the imagination alone”. It isn’t clear where Shield got this idea, which is equally wrong about what James rejected and what he embraced. Tony Tanner, in his book Henry James and the Art of Non-fiction (1995), pointed out that James insisted from the start “on the truth and reality of the novel; almost . . . on the non-fictionality of fiction”. Any reader of James’s prefaces or his working notebooks will know him as a serial plagiarist of dinner-party anecdotes. As if to win Shields’s approval, James said The Princess Casamassima , his 1886 novel about Victorian anarchism, emerged “from the habit and the interest of walking the streets”. In “The Art of Fiction” (1884), his own Reality Hunger , James urged novices: “Write from experience, and experience only.” James gave more thought than David Shields could ever dream of doing to the problem of accommodating reality in writing. He believed that the “most fundamental and general sign of the novel, from one desperate experiment to another, is its being everywhere an effort at representation” – and representation for James is founded on a troubling conflict of priorities which he wanted to resolve. *** In their feisty exchange of letters in 1915, H G Wells advised James that life “must not be whittled or distended for pattern’s sake”. But James did not need telling. It had been his life’s ambition to give a sense of reality through what he called form, which in his work usually meant that characters occupied a clear role in the book’s moral or conceptual structure, and that the plot would unfold in dramatic scenes, not through exposition or overt meditation. It is understandable that Wells and others, such as E M Forster in Aspects of the Novel , might have thought that James favoured “pattern” over “life”. In his preface to The Tragic Muse , James had written that a picture without composition “slights its most precious chance for beauty”, and invoked by way of negative example “such large loose baggy monsters” as War and Peace , Thackeray’s The Newcomes and The Three Musketeers. Pre-empting the reply that these books exhibited “life”, he said it was the wrong kind – wasteful, otiose. What, he wondered, do these books “artistically mean”? For James, the Victorian novel was guilty on this count, not just Thackeray, but also Dickens, Trollope, Hardy and even George Eliot, who in Middlemarch provided a “treasure-house of details, but an indifferent whole”. The English novelist did not excel in what James called the “literary part of the business”. For examples of “what composition, distribution, arrangement can do”, he said, you have to “go elsewhere”: namely to the French and their superior display of audacity, neatness, acuteness, intellectual vivacity, fine arrangement of material, and so on. But the French approach carried its own vices. It might not produce books that were large, loose and baggy, but it did produce books that, as James put it in an 1893 essay on Flaubert, were unconsoled, unhumorous and unsociable. In Zola’s Rougon-Macquart sequence, which considered a French family through heredity and environment, method became “almost the only thing we feel”. Here James praised the English for being “strong, genial, and abundant” – for being at home in the “moral world” and holding “their noses close. . . to the texture of life”. The novel’s tendency to “appear more true to its character” when it bursts its mould was, he wrote, its “high price. . . as a literary form”. Pattern without life was no better than life without pattern. The reconciling of these opposites, achieving “a selection whose main care . . . is to be inclusive”, produced in him a sense of novel-anxiety, even defeatism. He lamented that there is “no art at all. . . that is not on too many sides an abject compromise”. David Shields recognised James as a predecessor for his committed thinking on this problem, but not as a novelist practising an unmixed sort of non-fiction. In Reality Hunger , he identifies John Cheever’s journals, F Scott Fitzgerald’s misery memoirs and E M Forster’s Commonplace Book at the expense of their well-kempt novels as the work that gets closest to their experience of reality. But James should be Exhibit A in Shields’s case. He wrote in all of Shields’s beloved observational and introspective modes and did so when handling subject matter that Shields, too, has treated in non-fiction: American capitalism, the importance of reality in literature, his own life. James was the first novelist to publish, in A Small Boy and Others , a work of personal history that didn’t resemble the “Life” of a statesman (Trollope) or a saint (Tolstoy), pipping Proust by seven months – and besting Proust, by Shields’s criteria, because he did not feel the need to invent. Reminiscences of schooldays, visits to the theatre and museums, the food in the family larder, the “sweet taste of Albany”, came, James said, “from everywhere at once”. His amanuensis Theodora Bosanquet, in a vivid memoir printed as the appendix to Horne’s volume, recalled that “no preliminary work was needed”: “A straight dive into the past brought to the surface treasure after treasure, a wealth of material which became embarrassing.” Embarrassing? Perhaps; but justified in the text itself, which, like Knausgaard’s My Struggle , is as preoccupied with remembrance as with memories. Early in James’s memoir, realising that he can only recall how he behaved during one long boyhood walk downtown with reference to another, and finding himself divided between the “still present freshness” of some memories and “my sense of perhaps making too much of these tiny particles of history”, he decides he will be guided by a rule: . . . from the moment it is a question of projecting a picture, no particle that counts for memory or is appreciable to the spirit can be too tiny, and that experience, in the name of which one speaks, is all compact of them and shining with them. Soon enough, as in Knausgaard, we return to voluminously subclaused sentences rich with evocation of a younger brother’s youthful callowness, escape through reading and dreams of future glory as a novelist. James was glad to have chosen a “vast miscellany” that accommodated “everything”. But he still hoped the book would achieve “a grace of its own”, and a line from the opening paragraph of A Small Boy and Others implied a belief that, by some kind of internal logic or magic, it could achieve the synthesis similar to the one he sought in his fiction. To “knock at the door of the past”, he discovered, was “to see the world within begin to ‘compose’ with a grace of its own round the primary figure”. In a notebook entry from 1905 printed in the new Library of America volume (the closest he came to a non-fiction credo) James dismisses the intense memories that were visiting him while writing The American Scene as “irrelevant strayings of the pen, in defiance of every economy”, before deciding that “to present these accidents” – to catch in full the unstaunched flow of recovered experience – “is what it is to be a master”. Oliver Herford explains that the critic Richard Poirier, reviewing an edition of James’s notebooks, insisted that James must have written “prevent”. Herford has seen the original. The S may be “cramped”, but an S it is. In a formulation that David Shields would feel obliged to cheer, Herford writes that the “stylistic accomplishment of the late personal writings may indeed be called a mastery of accidents” – that is, a masterly presentation and not a masterful prevention of them. But, like Wells and Forster, Poirier also seems to miss James’s perennial ambivalence towards pattern, and how he had always been concerned with presenting “accident”, but in such a way that – unlike in the baggy monsters, “with their queer elements of the accidental and the arbitrary” – it would yield meaning. Why, you might wonder, did James not just stick to the independent, elastic, prodigious novel? That was the chink in his chauvinism: not an insistence that there were places the novel couldn’t go, but an openness to the virtue of non-fiction. Unlike Shields and Knausgaard – “just the thought of a fabricated character in a fabricated plot made me feel nauseous”, he writes in book two of My Struggle – James saw possibilities and not an ultimatum. He turned to non-fiction despite his belief in the supremacy of the novel, and he returned to the novel for the same reason. In 1915, in a letter to Wells, he wrote: “It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance. . . and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process.” And the 1908 letter where he placed “creative” between inverted commas also expressed the feeling that he “could really shed salt tears of impatience and yearning” to get back to novel writing. For all the difficulties that the novel posed, there was one practitioner who offered James hope of a resolution: Balzac, “the father of us all”. After despatching Tolstoy and Thackeray in his preface to The Tragic Muse , James talked of his delight in “a deep-breathing economy and an organic form” – terms that encode his belief in a fusion of the novel’s warring priorities. This is what Balzac had achieved: a “solidly systematic” literary composition, combined with “free observation” and “personal experience”. And in The Portrait of a Lady and The Ambassadors , James felt that he had managed the same. Others agreed. In his essay “Henry James: an Appreciation”, published in 1905, Joseph Conrad, who along with Ford Madox Ford sought to emulate Jamesian form, noted that the reader is “never set at rest” by his novels. “His books end as an episode in life ends. You remain with the sense of the life still going on. . .” A century later, James offers an escape route from our present bind. His personal writing supports the claims for non-fiction, while the obstinacy of his novel-chauvinism serves as a rebuke to anti-novel sloganeering. Working on his final novel, The Ivory Tower , and returning to questions of “matter” and “manner”, form and life, he wrote: I come back, I come back, as I say, all throbbingly and yearningly and passionately, oh, mon bon, come back to this way that is clearly the only one in which I can do anything now. . . That The Ivory Tower avoided treating the Great War does not mean that James considered the novel a form unequal to this task. That he died before completing it was not a Freudian slip. “Henry James: Autobiographies”, edited by Philip Horne, is newly published by the Library of America Oliver Herford’s “Henry James’s Style of Retrospect: Late Personal Writings (1890-1915)” will be published by Oxford University Press in May
2016-02-28 01:26 Frances Ryan www.newstatesman.com
86 Navy petty officer admits secretly recording co-workers NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- A petty officer 3rd class assigned to the aircraft carrier Enterprise admits he secretly recorded seven co-workers in a restroom. The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/1XRD1nA ) reports that Ricardo Pilola agreed to a plea deal Friday at his sentencing at Norfolk Naval Station. As part of his pleading he will be confined two years, be reduced to a seaman recruit and be dishonorably discharged from the Navy. Pilola was a watch commander on the Enterprise, but the recordings occurred on a barge where sailors were assigned as a work station while the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier undergoes defueling in Newport News. Among the seven co-workers Pilola secretly recorded were his boss and two women he supervised. The recordings happened between March 2013 and March 2014. ___ Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
2016-02-28 01:28 Associated Press mynorthwest.com
87 No. 22 Utah upsets No. 9 Arizona in Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY -- The University of Utah Runnin' Utes upset No. 9 Arizona at home Saturday in a battle for Pac-12 supremacy. The Utes were No. 22 entering the game, but they led the No. 9 Wildcats by 11 at 40-29 at halftime. But the Wildcats manged to narrow the gap in the second half, at one point even leading 64-63 with less than three minutes to play. Utah managed to surge back for the win, however, taking home a 70-64 victory. Brandon Taylor led the Utes in scoring with 19 points, and he also tacked on five steals. Jakob Poeltl had 14 points and Lorenzo Bonam added on 11. For Arizona, Allonzo Trier led the team with 23 points. Taylor has struggled at times this season, but he said after a talk with Coach Larry Krystkowiak he felt more able to contribute. "At a point in the season, um, I was really, I was at a low point, I was at a very low point, like my confidence was shot," Taylor said after the game. "I wasn't believing in myself, you know, but I had a talk with Coach K, and it was really just, 'Regain your confidence and go out there, cause this team needs you,' and I really understood that, and I think that's what I really took to heart. " Utah improves to 23-7 overall and 12-5 in conference. Utah takes the court next on March 5, when they will host Colorado at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
2016-02-28 01:15 FOX 13 fox13now.com
88 St. Louis County sued over warrantless arrest system The lawsuit , filed Wednesday by the ArchCity Defenders, seeks class action status for anyone arrested in this manner in the last five years. The "wanted" system of extralegal arrests was mentioned in the US Department of Justice report on policing practices in Ferguson, Missouri, one of many municipalities within St. Louis County. The Defenders, a nonprofit that provides legal representation to low-income communities around the St. Louis region, called the "wanted" practice a systemic problem with county police protocol that ignores constitutional probable cause requirements for arrests. "This secretive and unaccountable exercise of police power has long devastated largely impoverished black residents of St. Louis County, as hundreds of human beings have been swept from their homes, schools, and families, and brought in for 'questioning' by St. Louis County police officers who have been trained that they can arrest and detain people without warrant," the suit said. The procedure is unconstitutional and "has no place in a free society," it added. Thomas Harvey, executive director of the ArchCity Defenders, said the practice is widespread in the entire region, not just in St. Louis County, which surrounds the City of St. Louis on the eastern edge of Missouri. The "wanted" system, he said, has been in Missouri for years. Furthermore, county police have used "wanteds" as "a tool for harassment for people who have exercised their right not to talk to the police,” Harvey told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The St. Louis County, its police chief Jon Belmar, and a county police officer identified only as “Walsh” are named as defendants in the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Dwayne Furlow, 31, an African-American resident of the county. On January 25, Furlow declined to speak to a county police officer regarding a domestic assault allegation that was filed against him. On January 26, the allegation was retracted, the suit said. Yet on January 28, Furlow was stopped in Jennings by an "Officer Walsh" for driving with a suspended license, according to the suit. He was only arrested after police found there was a "wanted" out for him based on the domestic assault allegation; he was not arrested for the suspended license, the suit said. Furlow was transported to the St. Louis County Justice Center, where he refused to talk to other police officers – not Walsh – who tried to question him. Furlow was held for 24 hours, even though his legal counsel told police he was being held without probable cause. The suit seeks unspecified damages for Furlow's "unlawful seizure" and the deprivation of his civil rights. The suit claims the "wanted" was issued in order to retaliate against Furlow for not speaking with police. In September, Furlow was featured in a Post-Dispatch story about jail fees he and his wife had accumulated and were unable to pay. Missouri allows municipalities to charge those they arrest with jailing fees, a system, coupled with high cash-bail costs, derided by some as "debtors prisons" in federal lawsuits filed last year. State legislation passed last year capped a municipality's level of general operating revenue generated from traffic fines at 12.5 percent. ArchCity would seek an injunction and declaratory relief that would bar the county from utilizing the "wanted" system, Harvey told the St. Louis Business Journal. Neither the police nor the county counselor's office have responded to media requests for comment. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice sued the city of Ferguson after city officials voted to adopt changes to a police reform deal between the two entities. In the lawsuit, the Justice Department said that the city, via its police, municipal court system and the city's prosecuting attorney's office, "engages in an ongoing pattern or practice of conduct, including discrimination, that deprives persons of rights, privileges and immunities secured and protected by" the US Constitution and federal law.
2016-02-27 17:21 www.rt.com
89 California weed worth up to $1m found in fake art crate during NY raid Crate expectations: Police were monitoring the West Village address on a tip-off when 193 bags of marijuana worth up to $1million arrived in crates (pictured) marked 'art' and 'auto parts.' Three men were arrested Scene of the crime: Patrick Johnson, 46, lives at 144 Bleecker Street (pictured), where one of the crates was unloaded before police swooped in. He and two others were charged with criminal possession of marijuana
2016-02-28 01:06 James Wilkinson www.dailymail.co.uk
90 Britain doesn't send ANY refugees back to Greece as it's 'too unsafe' Britain has not sent any asylum seekers back to Greece for five years after human rights judges ruled that conditions there were inhumane. Pictured, migrants and refugees make a dash for the Eurotunnel in 2015 It ruled that conditions in the Mediterranean country were inhumane and degrading after hearing of an Afghan man who was reportedly ‘locked up in a small space with 20 others’ in a filthy detention camp. Pictured, migrants and refugees queue for food at the port of Piraeus, Athens
2016-02-28 01:05 Martin Beckford www.dailymail.co.uk
91 Donald Trump Returns Ire Against His Latest Enemies: New York's Attorney General and "Little Rubio" Donald J. Trump suggested Saturday a lawsuit filed against him by the New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, over his Trump University was part of a conspiracy involving President Obama. He also mentioned that the judge in the case is Hispanic, and said that he might ask the judge to recuse himself from the case. At a rally in Bentonville, Ark., on Saturday, where he was introduced by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, Mr. Trump repeatedly defended himself over questions about the educational seminars known as Trump University , which is the subject of Mr. Schneiderman’s lawsuit claiming it defrauded students. “So the attorney general gets a campaign contribution from the law firm that’s suing me,” he added, saying that Mr. Schneiderman is “not respected in New York.” “He meets with Obama, gets a campaign contribution, I think,” said Mr. Trump, adding, “And all of a sudden, he meets with Obama in, I believe Syracuse, and the following day or two he brings a lawsuit against me.” He insisted that he has won most of the case, but that it should have been thrown out. “There is a hostility toward me by the judge — tremendous hostility — beyond belief,” Mr. Trump said. “I believe he happens to be Spanish, which is fine. He’s Hispanic, which is fine. And we haven’t asked for a recusal, which we may do. But we have a judge who’s very hostile.” A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump did not immediately respond to an email asking on what grounds he would seek a recusal. In a statement, Mr. Schneiderman said, “There is no place in this process for racial demagoguery directed at respected members of the judiciary. The State Supreme Court has already ruled that Trump University operated illegally in New York as an unlicensed educational institution, and we look forward to prevailing on the rest of our claims as the legal process moves forward.” Senator Marco Rubio of Florida seized on the Trump University issue during the Republican debate on Thursday in Houston, and an outside political group is now running ads featuring some of those who claim they were defrauded. Mr. Trump on Saturday also kept his sights on Mr. Rubio, whom he called “little Rubio,” and who has been lancing Mr. Trump with criticism about his looks, his skin tone and, more significantly, his claims of success as a businessman. Both Mr. Rubio and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Mr. Trump said, are “world-class liars.” Mr. Trump said neither Mr. Rubio nor Mr. Cruz could have the kind of successes that he has had, noting that he got into the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton business school. “The Rubios of the world could not get into that school. Oy. They don’t have the capacity.” He allowed that Mr. Cruz, a Princeton graduate, might be smart enough. “I will address little Rubio,” Mr. Trump said at one point. “The guy has a fresh mouth.” He repeated one of Mr. Rubio’s main charges against him, saying, “The last thing I am is a con man.” Instead, he insisted it was Mr. Rubio who has committed fraud, alleging he “stole from the Republican party” of Florida, a reference to a controversy over paving-stone charges for Mr. Rubio’s driveway that were on a party credit card. He has said he pulled out the wrong card and reimbursed the party, but the issue has been used against him in the past. The biggest surprise of the day may have been Mr. Trump receiving a supportive nod from Jean- Marie Le Pen, the far-right founder of the National Front in France, and who was tossed from the party over racially-tinged rhetoric. “If I were an American, I would vote Donald Trump,” said Mr. Le Pen in a Twitter post in French. “But may God protect him.” His support for Mr. Trump could be an attack line exploited by Democrats should Mr. Trump become the G. O. P. nominee. Also Saturday, Mr. Trump’s campaign announced the endorsement of Jan Brewer , the former Arizona Republican governor. She signed a tough-on-illegal-immigration bill in 2010, but also took the Medicaid expansion offered under Mr. Obama’s signature health care law, upsetting some conservatives.
2016-02-28 01:03 By www.nytimes.com
92 Ukrainian man poses as high school student, police say (CNN) To his Pennsylvania classmates and others, Asher Potts seemed to be the perfect high school student, a National Honor Society member who was active in his community and a lieutenant in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. But to authorities he is an impostor: not a teenager at all, but a 23-year-old Ukrainian national. On Tuesday, the Harrisburg Police Department arrested Artur Samarin, 23, on charges of identity theft, tampering with public records and theft by unlawful taking. Additional charges were announced Friday in connection to an alleged sexual relationship involving Samarin and a then-15-year-old student in 2014. He was 22 years old at the time of that relationship, police said in a statement Friday. Already in custody, Samarin was charged Friday with statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors, the police statement said. Samarin's attorney did not have a comment about the case when reached by CNN on Saturday. Police said Samarin had obtained a driver's license under the name "Asher Potts. " He later obtained a Social Security card and additional documents using his fake identity and false date of birth, police said. According to police, Samarin arrived in the United States on a three-month exchange visitor visa while working for a local company. When that expired, he applied for and was granted a tourist visa. That visa expired on March 1, 2013. In 2012, he began attending John Harris High School under the fake name, according to police. To enroll, police say he used a falsified Social Security card, which was approved "after multiple attempts at several Social Security Administration offices," according to the statement released Friday. Police received a complaint in December 2015 that alleged that the student then known as Asher Potts was "in the United States illegally, and was having sexual relationships with female students," according to a statement released Friday by police. It was not clear from the statement who initiated the complaint. The tip about alleged sexual relationships led to uncovering the false identity, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico. It's unclear exactly when Samarin arrived in the United States, but authorities said he stayed beyond the expiration of his visa, eventually assuming the false identity. Before his arrest, Samarin had been living with a married couple who had taken him in, according to Marsico. It is unclear how he met the couple and how long he lived with them. "It was shocking," Brian Vasquez said of Samarin's arrest. Vasquez knew the Ukrainian national from their time together in Navy ROTC. "He was in the honors society, the food bank program. We were in ROTC together. My interactions with him were based on bettering the school. " In May 2014, Pennsylvania State Rep. Patty Kim posted a picture with Samarin on Twitter with the message: "Asher Potts, #HBG HS [sophomore] with a 4.16 GPA in ROTC is a new member of the Nat'l Honor Society. #goingplaces #proud. " Asher Potts, #HBG HS soph with a 4.16 GPA in ROTC is a new member of the Nat'l Honor Society. #goingplaces #proud pic.twitter.com/s2wmjj6lTk Later the same year, Samarin appeared in a picture posted to Pennsylvania State Rep. Mauree Gingrich's Facebook page, praising "Asher Potts" for "a commendable job in his fundraising. " The post appeared to have been taken down Thursday afternoon. Kim told CNN she has known "Asher" for two years. "I keep thinking back if I had missed any signs as I'm still in shock," she said in an emailed statement. "I observed that he lived his life to the fullest by accomplishing so much in a short period of time. It seems to me now that he wanted to maximize his time before he would get caught. ... He must have had a rough life in his homeland to not want to go back. I just wish he'd found a way to stay here legally. " Gingrich did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Vasquez said his friend spoke with a "Russian accent" and "always tried to cheer people up. " Samarin could be bossy at times, Vasquez said, but he held the rank of lieutenant in his military training and "his job was to make sure we follow the rules. " Vasquez said Samarin didn't share a lot of personal history but spoke in general terms about "some rough patches in his life" and not knowing "who he was. " "It just breaks my heart," Vasquez said. "It doesn't change the character of who he was, the character he left behind. But we don't know his motives. We don't know why he did what he did. " U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security is "closely monitoring" the Samarin case, according to a federal official. The Navy Recruiting District in Pittsburgh and the major who ran the high school's ROTC program did not return calls seeking comment on Thursday. Harrisburg School District spokeswoman Kirsten Keys said in a statement that the district was cooperating with the investigation, CNN affiliate WPMT reported. In a statement, Harrisburg School District spokeswoman Kirsten Keys said that the district has been and will continue to fully cooperate with the police investigation. "While we do not know all of the details surrounding the arrest, we are treating this as a serious matter," said Keys. Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney told CNN affiliate WGAL that "Asher Potts" recently took part in a youth panel on violence. "I was told that he was arrested ... at his home," Knight-Burney told the station. In December 2014, the Lebanon Daily News in Pennsylvania quoted a 17-year-old Harrisburg High School junior named Asher Potts at a food drive for military families. "My parents and I were at Walmart, and when we were in the check-out line, the lady in front of us couldn't pay for her food and had to put it back," Potts told the newspaper. "That's when a lightbulb went on and I knew I needed to help the less fortunate. " Potts told the newspaper that he asked for canned food for his birthday and raised 1,000 pounds of food for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. Samarin appeared in Harrisburg Magisterial Court on Tuesday night, according to court documents. His plea was not available from the court on Thursday. Samarin is in Dauphin County Prison, according to the prison's website. He has a preliminary hearing on March 4, according to court documents.
2016-02-27 01:06:00 Lorenzo Ferrigno, www.cnn.com
93 NATO can’t fight Russians in Europe, says leading US think tank The report , due to be released Friday, was prepared by six senior defense experts, including former NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, deputy supreme commander Sir Richard Shirreff and former Italian defense minister and NATO military committee chair Giampaolo di Paola. The Financial Times said it warns of a “lack of progress” in NATO’s build-up plans. Many of the key members of the alliance are dogged by “chronic underfunding” and “critical deficiencies” in their “hollowed out” militaries, the report says. For example, Germany has only 10 usable Tiger helicopters out of its fleet of 31, and just 280 of its 406 Marder armored infantry vehicles are in full working order. For the UK “the deployment of a brigade, let alone a division at credible readiness, would be a major challenge,” Shirreff says in the report. For one of the military exercises conducted in Europe in 2015, the UK had to redeploy tanks from Canada, “because the serviceability and spares situation in the UK’s fleet was so dire.” If NATO really is not capable to defend itself from a possible Russian attack in Europe, it only means that it doesn’t use its defense budget well, Jan Oberg, director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, told RT. “The Russians have 8 percent military expenditure of NATO’s. It means all this is propaganda and should not be taken on face value,” he said. “If NATO cannot muster an attack [sic] from Russia – which apparently is very unlikely – when it has 12 times more military power and higher technology, it’s because you are a lousy manager,” he added. The report comes shortly after US Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO’s top military commander, told the US House Armed Services Committee that American troops were ready to beat Russia in a European war. "To counter Russia, Eucom, working with allies and partners, is deterring Russia now and preparing to fight and win if necessary," Breedlove said. NATO has drumming up the perceived threat of a Russian aggression in eastern Europe since 2013, when Crimea seceded from Ukraine in response to a West-endorsed armed coup in Kiev, and voted in a referendum to rejoin Russia. Washington and Brussels called it an illegal annexation under a threat of military force. NATO has since redeployed extra troops and military hardware to Eastern Europe and conducted the largest military exercise since the Cold War era. Moscow believes that NATO is using Russia as a convenient boogeyman to justify increased military spending by member states. European members of NATO have been for years failing to meet the benchmark for defense spending, but the budgets have been increasing in the past two years, a fact that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commended in his latest annual report.
2016-02-27 23:47 www.rt.com
94 Unlucky strike: Man charged for killing horse with bowling balls fired from homemade cannon Ricky Thorne brought the cannon to his brother’s house on the 4th of July because clearly fireworks just aren’t serious enough for this Napoleon wannabe, who shot 10 bowling balls plus 10 bowling pins from the homemade device. In total, seven balls and three pins ended up on Lisa Kroll’s property ‒ nearly a half mile away, according to Fox9 . READ MORE: Swan-believable: Belligerent bird brings traffic chaos to Prague (VIDEO) Kroll’s horse suffered a fatal head injury, which she believes came from a bowling ball that crashed through the roof of her barn. “At least it was a horse not a human, but it was a very nice horse that got killed, very unfortunate,” said Kroll to the local new station. “Been prosecuting 34 years, this is the first case we’ve had where someone was shooting bowling balls out of a cannon,” said St. Croix County Attorney Eric Johnson to Fox9. We bet. Thorne is being charged with recklessly endangering safety and negligent handling of a weapon. Kroll estimates the damage to the barn at $4,000 and the price of her horse at $10,000.
2016-02-27 23:47 www.rt.com
95 The trouble with Duckie: How “Pretty in Pink’s” most lovable character gave a generation of teenage boys the wrong idea Topics: pretty in pink , John Hughes , jon cryer , Brat Pack , Movies , Film , Editor's Picks , Entertainment News Find me an American adult male who identifies with Blane McDonough, Andrew McCarthy’s character in 1986’s “Pretty in Pink” and I’ll show you a giraffe wearing a prom dress. Blane is the rich, handsome, well-meaning teenager who falls in love with the movie’s protagonist, a young working-class woman named Andie Walsh played by Molly Ringwald. Blane loves Andie’s strength, individuality and beauty. Andie loves Blane’s kindness, devotion and beauty. They end up together in a memorable kiss in the parking lot outside the prom, an ending that still infuriates a critical mass of the fanbase of “Pretty in Pink,” which celebrates its 30th birthday this weekend. Those fans thought Andie should have kissed her best friend Phil “Duckie” Dale (Jon Cryer), a fellow working-class kid in thrift-store finery who loves her and can’t seem to tell her so. To identify with a privileged dreamboat like Blane, even though McCarthy plays him with great sensitivity and longing, feels either like being too proud of being rich, popular and handsome yourself, or like cheering for Big Tobacco in a class action lawsuit. Instead, a generation of American male teenagers, me included, saw themselves in Duckie—charming, quirky and overlooked. Duckie belonged an elite gang of best friends “Pretty in Pink” screenwriter John Hughes made the beating heart of his ’80s teen filmography—Cameron Frye in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Farmer Ted in “Sixteen Candles” and Watts in “Some Kind of Wonderful”—characters who embodied the pain of being young and not yet able to be honest about your own desires. Beyond Hughes’ other sidekicks, “Duckie” has become synonymous with “weird friend thrown over for safe, popular choice,” adolescent canon reinforced by a generation of boys who mimicked Duckie—in dress, manner and seduction—to joke and serenade their way into the hearts of their dream girls. Disciples of Duckie, we had it all wrong. No, you don’t get to be with the girl of your dreams just because you want to. No, you don’t get to avoid telling her how you feel and then resent her for showing interest in another guy. No, it’s not romantic, but rather a little sad that you can only express how you feel to her father and in charming but empty gestures like lip-synching Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.” And no, you aren’t an unsung hero because your dream girl doesn’t dream of you. You’re a bad best friend for not respecting her decisions and thinking that means her love for you isn’t worth anything. Re-watch “Pretty in Pink” and Duckie comes off not as a role model but as a cautionary tale about what we can destroy while growing up: The movie may end happily for everyone — even Duckie, who doesn’t win Andie’s heart but nobly tells her to forgive Blane for canceling on taking her to the prom. Before all that, Duckie comes dangerously close to losing Andie forever: Not 30 seconds after the Otis Redding serenade, Blane shows up to take Andie on their first date. Duckie, not knowing about the date, accuses Andie of disrespecting herself by going out with a rich guy, and then threatens to not be there (i.e., not be her friend) if she gets her heart broken. Never mind that Duckie doesn’t know Blane and has no claim on Andie, and, since Andie is a smart, self-possessed, attractive young woman, she has probably received this kind of attention before. Since Andie and Duckie have been friends since childhood, Duckie having his world rocked when Andie goes on a date feels less like unfairness and more like Duckie ignoring an entire adolescence’s worth of evidence that Andie isn’t just his pal or his valentine, but a woman and a person in her own right. “But Duckie’s pain was real!,” I just heard a squad of ex-Duckies cry. I used this excuse to not grieve my own teenage heartbreak but instead make it the heartbreaker’s fault. I wish had known better than to think my high school best friend/crush would fall for me after months of not letting on, and then getting mad when she fell for someone else, and in between trying to woo her with a lip-synch performance (mine was Mötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home.” Laugh all you want.). I can only imagine what it would have been like for a girl in Andie’s position who likes a guy who likes her and doesn’t want to hurt her best friend, who seems have trouble being straight with her anyway. I wish someone had clued me — and teenagers like me — in to the realization that writer Todd Goldberg outlined in his 2007 essay “That’s Not a Name, That’s a Major Appliance: How Andrew McCarthy Ruined my Life”:
2016-02-27 23:42 Kevin Smokler www.salon.com
96 The Latest: Slovenian Protests for Migrants and Against Them The Latest on the massive movement of migrants into and across Europe (all times local): 7:55 p.m. Slovenian police have stepped in to keep apart two rallies — one that supports migrants and the other that does not want them in the Alpine nation. The two groups gathered Saturday several blocks away from each other in the capital, Ljubljana, but hundreds of right-wing protesters later marched toward about 1,000 liberals favoring open- door policies toward the migrants. The pro-migrant camp carried banners reading "Nobody is Illegal" and "No to Fascism," while the counter group shouted slogans against the center-left government, holding banners reading "Stop to Islam" and "Islamists not Welcome. " The two groups shouted at each other but there were no other incidents. Nearly half a million migrants hoping to reach wealthy EU countries have passed through Slovenia since last October. ——— 1:25 p.m. Iraqi and Syrian migrants and asylum-seekers are protesting peacefully on the Greek side of the Greek-Macedonian border since early Saturday, demanding admission into Macedonia . Macedonia has effectively shut down the border to all migrants since late Thursday night, when about 50 people were allowed through. Migrant flow along the so-called "Balkan route", through Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, had slowed to a trickle before that. About 150 people are currently close to the fence marking the border, carrying placards reading "Open the border" and shouting the same slogan. Earlier Saturday, about 300 staged a similar protest. About 5,500 migrants are braving rainy weather at a tent camp close to the border and another 500 are camped at a gas station 17 kilometers away.
2016-02-28 00:57 By abcnews.go.com
97 Brie Larson gushes about boyfriend at the Independent Spirit Awards Her biggest fan: Brie Larson and her boyfriend Alex Greenwald stole the show at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday Already a winner: The 26-year-old was named Best Actress at the awards and catching her musician beau's eye midway through her acceptance speech, she decided to let the world know how she feels about him Beat her to it: The Oscar nominee, only got out 'to my incredible boyfriend Alex...' before he shouted out 'I love you' from the audience Feeling is mutual: Obviously sharing his sentiment, the star then said 'I love you' back to him Support system: Brie also thanked the cast and crew of The Room, including her young co-star also Jacob Tremblay, who she said is her 'spirit animal' and also thanked her parents The look of love: Even before she declared her love on stage, Brie's feelings for her beau were pretty obvious with the pair sharing numerous loving glances during the presentation His girl: As the actress' name was read out, Alex jumped up to give her a big kiss and a hug Her lucky charm: Despite what was on the line, the 26-year-old seemed calm perhaps because she had her beau with her Stuck close: Allowing her to have her moment but there if she needed him, the musician stepped back his love as she posed on the red carpet but kept a watchful eye on her Gorgeous: Wearing a stunning blue mosaic dress, the actress was a walking piece of art Longtime lovers:The couple have been dating for at least two years and Brie has previously described her older boyfriend as her best friend Grim: In Room she portrays Joy Newsome, a woman who is help captive in a tiny garden shed and kept as a sex slave for seven years, and gives birth to a son (Jacob Tremblay) while there Style: The Cali-born beauty bookended her outfit by tying her dirk blonde hair roughly up n top, and with a pair of silver strappy heels down below Competition: Brie was up against Carol's Cate Blanchett for Best Actress at both the Independent Spirit and Academy Awards
2016-02-28 00:52 Chelsea White www.dailymail.co.uk
98 Assad wants to undermine peace negotiations, visiting Bulgarian FM says Syrian President Bashar Assad opposes efforts to stop the turmoil in Syria and wants to undermine the negotiation process, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov told a breakfast meeting of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations in Jerusalem on Friday. Mitov, who accompanied Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on his two day visit to Israel, said that it had been very successful and that talks with Israeli officials had been most productive. Relating to the overall chaos in the Middle East, Mitov said that the world is witnessing a loss of territorial integrity and a rise of pseudo states. Mitov said that the tensions and turbulent events of the Middle East could shape the European agenda and are already provoking new isolated and unilateral decisions. “A conflict can quickly be turned into an ethnic or religious fire,” he said, adding that a guarantee of security is one of many shared interests of Israel and Europe. While confident that the fight against terrorism will eventually be won, Mitov was annoyed that more attention is being paid to the consequences of terrorism and the migration of refugees than to winning the fight against terrorism, which he said cannot be measured in days, but in civilian casualties. The conflicts in the region are religious, political, national and ideological, and will continue to recur until religion is put into a different context, he opined. There is already a push for change he said, “but it needs to gain speed. Europe can be part of the conversation without imposing solutions.” The big problem in international politics, as Mitov sees it, is lack of trust. “Trust is being lost among the major players. The EU is now shaped by circumstance. EU citizens expect us not to be shaped by history, but to make history. Otherwise other people will make history for us.” The EU functions brilliantly in times of calm, said Mitov, but in times of crisis, the EU lacks political integration. “European citizens want us to regain control. Right now, they feel we’re incapable.” The migration and refugee issue, which is a direct reaction to terrorism, is becoming increasingly worrisome, especially as fewer than half the people migrating to Europe are refugees, said Mitov. While advocating that EU resources should be applied to those who need them, “for the rest we have to apply an efficient repatriation process.” Turning to energy, which was one of the key areas of discussion between Borissov and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mitov said the security of Europe is largely dependent on energy. Bulgaria, in particular, is dependent on a monopoly for its supplies. This poses a security threat and is another reason why normalization of relations is so important to Europe, said Mitov, emphasizing that the Middle East is a significant source of energy resources. On the subject of security, Mitov was proud to report that there is no evidence in his country that any of Bulgaria’s Muslim citizens have joined ISIS or any other radical movement, but this knowledge does not have a calming effect, he said. “We need to take measures to prevent radical elements from coming to Bulgaria.” Ten percent of Bulgaria’s population is Muslim, Mitov noted, “but we have never had any trouble from them. They are all EU citizens.”
2016-02-28 00:51 GREER FAY www.jpost.com
99 Taking on Goliath Morning call for 26 February As David and Goliath stories go, the Gibraltarian economy would definitely fall into the camp of the plucky small contender when set against the major trading nations of the world. Yet, while larger countries all around Europe, and indeed globally, have been embracing austerity measures and struggling to achieve any significant economic traction in recent years, Gibraltar has produced four years of double digit growth, securing an ambitious five-year GDP target almost a year earlier than predicted. So how has this relative minnow, at just 2 square miles in size, bucked the trend so it now enjoys the world’s third highest per capita income (£50,941) out of 187 jurisdictions?* In fact its small size is perhaps Gibraltar’s biggest advantage. With a population of around 32,000, comparatively small steps forward have a significant impact on economic growth – as proven in recent years during which the economy has grown from £1.1bn in 2012 to £1.64bn in 2015. Being small means Gibraltar can be more nimble than its larger neighbours and this has inherent advantages for commerce as the jurisdiction can adapt quickly to changing circumstances – successive governments have been decidedly pro-business and this is felt for example in the speed with which laws can be changed for the better. Gibraltar’s status within the EU as a well-regulated, low tax regime has long been an attraction for financial services companies and more recently the jurisdiction has also been able to draw operators from the burgeoning online gaming industry: a selective approach to licensing, coupled with the significant tax and lifestyle advantages apparent to executives, has positioned the territory as an EU centre of excellence and a jurisdiction of choice for many of the biggest operators in the business. Helped by high profile events such as KPMG’s highly successful eGaming summit which attracts over 250 industry professionals from all over the gaming world, the transition has been so successful that eGaming is now the highest contributor to the economy ahead of financial services, insurance, shipping and tourism. As well as being hugely significant in terms of additional employment, the growth in eGaming has brought other benefits such as reinvestment in the local economy and a sense of entrepreneurialism to a reinvigorated business community: Gibraltar now enjoys virtually full employment and the economy as a whole benefits. But it is not just its size and agility which serves Gibraltar so well - its location on the European mainland and its position as the only British Overseas Territory within the European Union offer a unique set of opportunities to businesses operating there. Not only can financial services products be passported to the EU, Gibraltar also benefits from the positives of EU membership such as free movement of workers ensuring there are no skills gaps as there are in other similar jurisdictions, all the while within a legal framework based on UK common law. EU membership and the implementation of EU directives give Gibraltar additional credibility as a low tax jurisdiction and further reassurance to incoming businesses. Whilst Spain still harbours historical sovereignty ambitions over the territory, in many ways that situation has helped foster the environment which has made Gibraltar so attractive for entrepreneurs and established businesses: for example governments in Gibraltar go to great lengths to ensure there is a robust and reliable infrastructure – all of the nation’s electricity supplies are generated from within its borders, for example, and undersea telecoms links (so important to the gaming sector) are available to operators to ensure uninterrupted supply. Spain’s claim also worked for the jurisdiction as it transitioned many years ago from offshore centre to a mainstream low-tax EU finance centre, ensuring as it did that Gibraltar retained focus on a culture of compliance and best practice, fully aware that anything less would have received heavy criticism and publicity on the other side of the border. In fact, whilst the long-standing sovereignty dispute occasionally hits the news and grabs headlines, any change in the status quo seems extremely unlikely, and recently the biggest threat to Gibraltar’s continued success comes more from what is happening in the UK than its neighbours. The result of UK’s EU membership referendum planned for June 2016 will be a key factor for Gibraltar’s economy. A British departure from the EU, which would necessarily include Gibraltar, could, depending on how Gibraltar’s status within the EU were to change, significantly reduce the attraction of the jurisdiction to the financial services sector. So whilst the chances are that Gibraltar’s 2016 budget will report back another year of phenomenal growth, there is a degree of caution. Gibraltarians, who are far more pro-EU than their UK counterparts, will be following the debate around the referendum closely and hoping the result will help and not hinder their positive growth performance. * According to figures from the International Monetary Fund You’ll have noticed that Europe is somewhat in the news lately, so it’s timely that Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia has taken an exhibition on Gibraltar to Brussels, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle. The idea is to spread awareness of the issues facing Gibraltar at the moment among MEPs. It can’t come soon enough, with a new survey in the Daily Mail suggesting many kids think “Rock of Gibraltar” is a new sort of music! Europe is going to be a recurring theme in the coming months. British Prime Minister David Cameron has pretty much staked his legacy on keeping Britain (and therefore Gibraltar) in the EU and he’s been urging Gibraltarians to vote ; given the geographical location it’s reasonable to suppose that very few of them will want to leave. Other international considerations are even more urgent; Gib has been preparing for a possible terrorist attack. On a happier note (not that ‘being prepared’ is anything but positive) GBC reports on the annual general meeting of the Friends of Gibraltar, and if you own property on the Rock there’s good news – it’s been ranked the highest in a “spend to sunshine” index, drafted somewhat inevitably by an estate agency business . We’re not sure where mainland UK comes in that particular index, although this weekend we’re in a good position so far to say it can be sunny and damned cold at the same time…
2016-02-27 23:51 Frances Ryan www.newstatesman.com
100 Ireland's 3 Political Tribes Share Bloody Past, Eye on Power The three Irish parties emerging strongest from Friday's election — Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein — all claim to be the one true church of Irish nationalism. Each claims direct succession from the Dublin rebels who challenged British rule in the Easter Rising of 1916. These forces are still vying for power as Ireland prepares to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rising, Ireland's opening salvo in its successful war of independence from Britain. Here's a look at those parties — and their bloody pasts. ——— IN THE BEGINNING Once upon a time, Ireland had a Sinn Fein party that sought to wrest the island from the United Kingdom . But that party, founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, was torn in two in 1922 amid civil war following Ireland's acceptance of a treaty with Britain that offered autonomy, not full independence. Sinn Fein leaders who accepted the treaty became Fine Gael; those who tried to overthrow it, Fianna Fail. And those left behind in the new U. K. territory of Northern Ireland spawned a new generation of militants who, decades later, claimed the Sinn Fein mantle as their own. The three Irish political parties today differ less on policy — all promise no more austerity, tax cuts, better housing and health services — than on mutual enmity. It remains to be seen who will swallow their pride and compromise, or whether the trio will stay separate and Ireland will face a second early election. ——— FINE GAEL "The Tribe of the Irish" has a martyred father figure: Michael Collins. He fought in the Rising, oversaw Sinn Fein fundraising, led IRA intelligence operations and a Dublin hit squad during the 1919-21 War of Independence, joined Griffith in negotiating the treaty with Britain that ended the war and established the Irish Free State, and was assassinated by former comrades the following year. Collins' pro-treaty camp routed anti-treaty forces and won all elections from 1923 to 1932 as its anti-Fianna Fail posters warned voters they must keep "the shadow of the gunman ... from your home. " But since then, Fine Gael never again has won back-to-back elections as it positioned itself as the party of law, order and Roman Catholic virtue. Fine Gael has regained power only in alliance with Labour, the party of Ireland's unions. That partnership has helped Fine Gael evolve into a more socially progressive force open to ending bans on divorce and gay marriage and permitting abortions when doctors deem a woman's life is at risk. But Labour suffered heavy losses as results came in Saturday, and Fine Gael has conceded it has few options besides turning to Fianna Fail. ——— FIANNA FAIL "The Warriors of Destiny" were founded in 1926 by Eamon de Valera, who had commanded a rebel unit in the Rising, became Sinn Fein's president in the wartime rebel government, broke with Collins over the treaty and championed a disastrous civil war that created bitterness for generations. Initially determined to observe a Sinn Fein boycott of the new Irish state, de Valera ultimately led most Sinn Fein activists into his new party and parliament — and in the process became Ireland's most dominant political figure of the 20th century. With heavy doses of free-spending populism, Fianna Fail won the most parliamentary seats in every general election from 1932 to 2011, although it didn't always win enough to block the Fine Gael-Labour alternative. Fianna Fail never has stayed long in opposition and proved surprisingly resurgent against Saturday, drawing nearly even with Fine Gael barely five years after being blamed for bankrupting the country. While Fine Gael supported a minority Fianna Fail government in 1987-89, Fianna Fail has never returned that favor and still calls its opponents "Blueshirts," a reference to Fine Gael's flirtation with Fascism in the 1930s. ——— SINN FEIN Today's party is technically Provisional Sinn Fein, a breakaway movement formed in 1970 in the Northern Ireland capital, Belfast, amid the rise of Catholic-Protestant street violence and the deployment of British troops to support the police. The new Sinn Fein initially served as the public face of the outlawed Provisional IRA, a paramilitary group bent on overthrowing Northern Ireland's Protestant government and forcing the territory into the independent south. The Provisionals pursued a deadly feud with former colleagues in what was rebranded the Official IRA and Sinn Fein. The Provisionals' most politically savvy commander, Gerry Adams, transformed his Sinn Fein faction over two decades into a well-organized, highly motivated political party. In 1983, while still reputedly serving as an IRA commander, he was elected Sinn Fein president, a position he still holds today at age 67. In 1986 he ended Sinn Fein's refusal to take seats in the Irish parliament, though it took another 11 years to win one. Adams helped deliver 1990s IRA cease-fires that allowed Sinn Fein to become increasingly palatable to northern Catholics, who have made the party their dominant representative in a Northern Ireland coalition government with Protestant leaders. Gains have taken longer in the Irish Republic, where successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fail governments banned Sinn Fein's northern brogues from the airwaves until 1994. Throughout this month's campaign, Adams has faced repeated questioning about his IRA past and unsolved crimes. While this week's rise to third place represents another breakthrough for Sinn Fein, many analysts think the party would do better if it permitted a new generation with no Provisional background to take charge. ——— Online: Fine Gael, http://www.finegael.ie/our-plan/the-plan/ Fianna Fail, https://www.fiannafail.ie/fianna-fail-election-hub/ Sinn Fein, http://www.sinnfein.ie/manifesto2016
2016-02-28 00:45 By abcnews.go.com
Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-02-28 06:03