Ben & Jerry's ingredient, Ben & Jerry's social-media-minded summer campaign allows consumers to vote online for potential new ice cream flavors. Yeah, that's not exactly new. But while brands like Lay's have been running similar efforts for months, Ben & Jerry's new digital shop, 360i, came up with a truly intriguing twist—subway trains, yellow cabs, plastic spoons, mustaches and beards get to vote, too.
The digital-and-offline initiative centers on the whereabouts of the brand's 11-stop "Scoop Truck" tour, which will be in Washington, D.C., for a month starting on Monday.
While the truck visits the nation's capital, every Red line subway train that arrives on time at the Metro Center station will count as a vote for the Oregon Cherries flavor. Orange line trains that come in at the transit station on time will garner a tally for Fairtrade Bananas flavor. Of course, this public-transportation-based aspect—technically possible by tapping into the data feeds of the city's metro system—is designed to fit into the brand's eco-friendly ethos.
When the Scoop Truck arrives in New York City on July 1, the Burlington, Vt.-based company will count hybrid-powered cabs that are driving via Gotham's Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Uptown-bound hybrid cabs are worth a vote for Peppermint, while Fairtrade Vanilla gets a tally for such vehicles going downtown.
Consumers will spearhead the voting, as they'll be able to make their preferences known via Twitter, Facebook and a "City Churned" microsite. And there are a few eco-minded offline options that will be manually executed. For instance, when a Scoop Truck (there are two of them, one going up the East Coast and one going up the West Coast) arrives in Portland, Ore., on July 18, the number of mustaches spotted walking into Cartopia, the city's dedicated food-cart plaza, by the truck employees will result in a vote for Marshmallows. Bearded faces will count as a vote for Graham Crackers. Once consumers are done eating their Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the truck, they can throw their spoon into a variety of recycling boxes that are labeled with an ice cream ingredient. Every spoon in each receptacle is a vote for that flavor.
Ben & Jerry's is also encouraging consumers to create and name an ice cream flavor while tweeting or Facebook-posting their ideas. It builds on what has been a bit of a tradition with the brand's Scoop Truck, which has implored folks to tweet during the last three years in exchange for free ice cream.
The East Coast truck was seen in Miami and Tampa this spring before heading north last week. After the New York stop, it will go to Hartford, Conn., and Boston for roughly month-long stays before the end of September. In addition to Portland, the West Coast truck is visiting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
Tasting events at five of those municipalities will be held later this summer, letting consumers have a first crack at the winning flavors.
"We haven't done anything at this scale in multiple markets before, " Mike Hayes, assistant digital marketing manager for Ben & Jerry, told Adweek. Hayes said that Ben & Jerry's is purchasing location-based Facebook and Twitter ads to support the offline component. "We will make sure that people in each market are aware of what's going on," he said.
A 360i rep exlained that a chief campaign goal is "to capture the pulse and unique elements of each city as a means towards making the flavor even more locally-driven and inspired."
Meanwhile, video footage of each city's quirks will be used in multimedia banner ads on city-specific websites to drive residents to the City Churned microsite.
"The bottom line is, we are trying to increase our sales," Hayes added. "But this is also about developing deeper relationships with our fans."
Home » Archives for 06/03/13
Monday, June 3, 2013
Killer bees death: 40,000 bees attack Texas man
Killer bees death: 40,000 bees attack Texas man, Killer bees stung to death a man in Texas after he disturbed their nest in an old chicken coop, KCEN-TV reported June 2.
Thousands of killer bees attacked Larry Goodwin, of Moody, Texas, on Saturday as he was cleaning up brush on a neighbor’s property. He apparently disturbed a hive of Africanized killer bees in an old chicken coop on the property.
Goodwin reportedly was attacked by a swarm of 40,000 killer bees, Sky News reported. He ran some 50 yards and tried to use a garden hose to fend off the killer bees.
Goodwin was stung so many times by the killer bees that he died, and family members said that it seemed as if no area of his body had been left untouched.
People who tried to rescue Goodwin from the killer bees — the neighbor’s wife and daughter — were themselves stung hundreds of times by the swarm of killer bees. Emergency workers tried to resuscitate Goodwin, to no avail, and he died in the killer bee attack.
Africanized honey bees are some hybrid varieties of the Western honey bee species, created originally by cross-breeding of the African honey bee with various European honey bees.
Several killer bees deaths have been documented over the years. Africanized honey bees are aggressive and will pursue a perceive threat for long distances, sometimes as much as a mile. Killer bees relentlessly attack and sting their victims.
Thousands of killer bees attacked Larry Goodwin, of Moody, Texas, on Saturday as he was cleaning up brush on a neighbor’s property. He apparently disturbed a hive of Africanized killer bees in an old chicken coop on the property.
Goodwin reportedly was attacked by a swarm of 40,000 killer bees, Sky News reported. He ran some 50 yards and tried to use a garden hose to fend off the killer bees.
Goodwin was stung so many times by the killer bees that he died, and family members said that it seemed as if no area of his body had been left untouched.
People who tried to rescue Goodwin from the killer bees — the neighbor’s wife and daughter — were themselves stung hundreds of times by the swarm of killer bees. Emergency workers tried to resuscitate Goodwin, to no avail, and he died in the killer bee attack.
Africanized honey bees are some hybrid varieties of the Western honey bee species, created originally by cross-breeding of the African honey bee with various European honey bees.
Several killer bees deaths have been documented over the years. Africanized honey bees are aggressive and will pursue a perceive threat for long distances, sometimes as much as a mile. Killer bees relentlessly attack and sting their victims.
Blown call confirmed by replay: Pivotal play cost Phillies loss to Brewers?
Blown call confirmed by replay: Pivotal play cost Phillies loss to Brewers?, The blown call heard around the sports world this weekend most likely cost the Phillies the game against the Brewers, or at least it took their chance away to even the score.
It was the second-base umpire Mike Estabrook that made this blown call in the ninth inning which adds more fuel to the fire about the expansion of replay in the MLB. If this blown call had been reversed, the Phillies could have gone on to win the game.
It was replay that eventually caught the blown call by Eastwood, according to USA Today on June 1, 2013. Tom Hallion, home base umpire, confirmed that after watching the replay of the call, that a mistake had been made. This call, although not correct, stood as the umpire called it, giving the Phillies their second out in the ninth inning.
It was at second base in the ninth inning when Eastwood ruled that pinch-runner Kyle Kendrick was out after Francisco Rodrigue's pickoff attempt. The replay showed that Jean Segura applied the tag without the ball in his glove, which was confirmed by the home-plate umpire after looking at the replay.
Video: Check out the blown call for the Phillies here or to the left of this article.
According to USA Today, it seems the ball went into the glove and right back out again. The ball came free and rolls into Segura's bare hand during the play, but the umpire's call gave the Phillies their second out in the ninth.
This was a pivotal play as Cesar Hernandez stepped up to the plate next and doubled off the wall. This was a play that Kendrick would have easily scored on if he had been found safe on second base. This would have put the game tied at 4, giving the Phillies a fair swipe at cleaning up with a win.
Kendrick, who sounded like a good sport saying it was “just a bad call,” did end his comments with his thoughts that this blown call ended up losing the game for the Phillies.
In May, Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations updated the team owners on the talks about expanding replay in MLB, according to MLB.com. During this time a few blown calls in May were pointed out among the different teams. It looks like a new list of June incorrect calls to bring to the next meeting starts with the Phillies-Brewers game.
It was the second-base umpire Mike Estabrook that made this blown call in the ninth inning which adds more fuel to the fire about the expansion of replay in the MLB. If this blown call had been reversed, the Phillies could have gone on to win the game.
It was replay that eventually caught the blown call by Eastwood, according to USA Today on June 1, 2013. Tom Hallion, home base umpire, confirmed that after watching the replay of the call, that a mistake had been made. This call, although not correct, stood as the umpire called it, giving the Phillies their second out in the ninth inning.
It was at second base in the ninth inning when Eastwood ruled that pinch-runner Kyle Kendrick was out after Francisco Rodrigue's pickoff attempt. The replay showed that Jean Segura applied the tag without the ball in his glove, which was confirmed by the home-plate umpire after looking at the replay.
Video: Check out the blown call for the Phillies here or to the left of this article.
According to USA Today, it seems the ball went into the glove and right back out again. The ball came free and rolls into Segura's bare hand during the play, but the umpire's call gave the Phillies their second out in the ninth.
This was a pivotal play as Cesar Hernandez stepped up to the plate next and doubled off the wall. This was a play that Kendrick would have easily scored on if he had been found safe on second base. This would have put the game tied at 4, giving the Phillies a fair swipe at cleaning up with a win.
Kendrick, who sounded like a good sport saying it was “just a bad call,” did end his comments with his thoughts that this blown call ended up losing the game for the Phillies.
In May, Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations updated the team owners on the talks about expanding replay in MLB, according to MLB.com. During this time a few blown calls in May were pointed out among the different teams. It looks like a new list of June incorrect calls to bring to the next meeting starts with the Phillies-Brewers game.
Free Kate update: Students blame Kaitlyn Hunt for graduation ticket limit
Free Kate update: Students blame Kaitlyn Hunt for graduation ticket limit, It is a busy week for Kaitlyn Hunt, the Florida teen facing felony charges for having sexual relations with a younger girl at her school, and her team.
While Hunt is busy getting ready for her high school graduation, her attorney, Julia Graves, is preparing for her trial. According to a June 1 Viral Read report, team Free Kate has lost the support of the local PFLAG affiliate.
Kaitlyn may also be losing the support of her fellow classmates at Sebastian River High School and their families. The school announced that seniors would each be given eight tickets for graduation just last week. Prior to this, students were under the assumption that they could invite as many people as they wanted. Many families now have relatives coming in from out of state and not enough tickets to go around.
Students are blaming this on the media attention the Free Kate campaign has stirred up. Senior Maira Cisneros told News Channel 5,
“Everyone assumed and is assuming that it’s because of (the Hunt arrest) and because the media is going to be there and whatnot. I don’t think it’s fair. Most of the seniors bought invitations and (some) invited more than 20 people.”
Kaitlyn Hunt was originally scheduled to go to court next month, but her lawyer has asked for more time.
While Hunt is busy getting ready for her high school graduation, her attorney, Julia Graves, is preparing for her trial. According to a June 1 Viral Read report, team Free Kate has lost the support of the local PFLAG affiliate.
Kaitlyn may also be losing the support of her fellow classmates at Sebastian River High School and their families. The school announced that seniors would each be given eight tickets for graduation just last week. Prior to this, students were under the assumption that they could invite as many people as they wanted. Many families now have relatives coming in from out of state and not enough tickets to go around.
Students are blaming this on the media attention the Free Kate campaign has stirred up. Senior Maira Cisneros told News Channel 5,
“Everyone assumed and is assuming that it’s because of (the Hunt arrest) and because the media is going to be there and whatnot. I don’t think it’s fair. Most of the seniors bought invitations and (some) invited more than 20 people.”
Kaitlyn Hunt was originally scheduled to go to court next month, but her lawyer has asked for more time.
Killer bees death
Killer bees death, A HIVE of 40,000 Africanized honey bees, known as "killer bees," killed a Central Texas man and hurt a woman who came to his aid.
It happened in Moody, about thirty minutes south of Waco.
McLennan County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Cawthon told the Waco Tribune-Herald that Larry Goodwin was driving a tractor on Saturday when attacked. Goodwin ran to a house about 50 yards away and tried to use a garden hose ward off the swarm.
A woman came out to help and was also stung. Goodwin was pronounced dead on the scene.
Allen Miller, owner of Bee Be Gone, who later destroyed the hive, said Goodwin apparently hit a pile of wood that housed a hive. Miller estimated it contained about 40,000 bees.
He said Africanized bees attack much more aggressively and in greater numbers than European bees.
It happened in Moody, about thirty minutes south of Waco.
McLennan County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Cawthon told the Waco Tribune-Herald that Larry Goodwin was driving a tractor on Saturday when attacked. Goodwin ran to a house about 50 yards away and tried to use a garden hose ward off the swarm.
A woman came out to help and was also stung. Goodwin was pronounced dead on the scene.
Allen Miller, owner of Bee Be Gone, who later destroyed the hive, said Goodwin apparently hit a pile of wood that housed a hive. Miller estimated it contained about 40,000 bees.
He said Africanized bees attack much more aggressively and in greater numbers than European bees.
Kenny chesney seahawks
Kenny chesney seahawks, Kenny Chesney is having a field day with his down time. Currently out on his No Shoes Nation Tour, the country star, 45, took a break from the stage to practice his football skills alongside the Seattle Seahawks at the Virginia Mason Athletic Facility in Renton, Wash. on Friday.
"I met [the team's coach] Pete a couple of years ago at our show at the Tacoma Dome," Chesney says of his invitation to the country star.
"We kept in touch and when we were coming he asked me if I'd like to work out with the team. I didn't have to think about it ... The answer was, 'Yes!' "
In between picking up a few pointers from wide receivers Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice during drills and admiring the athlete's abilities, Chesney worked with the 2012 Pepsi Rookie of the Year, quarterback Russell Wilson.
The experience tops his time tossing a ball around with his bandmates, jokes Chesney.
"You know when you've caught a pass from Russell Wilson. It's not like when we play football backstage ... it's pretty serious. And I caught a few of 'em, too. So it was a really good day!" he says.
"I met [the team's coach] Pete a couple of years ago at our show at the Tacoma Dome," Chesney says of his invitation to the country star.
"We kept in touch and when we were coming he asked me if I'd like to work out with the team. I didn't have to think about it ... The answer was, 'Yes!' "
In between picking up a few pointers from wide receivers Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice during drills and admiring the athlete's abilities, Chesney worked with the 2012 Pepsi Rookie of the Year, quarterback Russell Wilson.
The experience tops his time tossing a ball around with his bandmates, jokes Chesney.
"You know when you've caught a pass from Russell Wilson. It's not like when we play football backstage ... it's pretty serious. And I caught a few of 'em, too. So it was a really good day!" he says.
Discontinued Room service
Discontinued Room service, It is the perk that comes with expense accounts, the silver tray that wakes lovers in the morning, and the frequent indulgence of the superspy James Bond.
Room service has become all these things, and more, since it grew in popularity with the privileged guests of the Waldorf-Astoria in the 1930s and soon emerged as a standard for luxury excursions, and a plot device for tales of suspense and whimsy.
Just ask Eloise, the 6-year-old scamp living it up in the Plaza Hotel, who routinely called for room service to bring her, exactly, one roast-beef bone, one raisin and seven spoons.
And yet room service will soon be no more at one major New York City hotel.
In August, the New York Hilton Midtown, in the heart of Manhattan, will discontinue food and drink service to all 2,000 of its rooms. In its place will be a new self-service Herb n’ Kitchen stocked with grab-and-go items. A spokesman for the hotel, which is part of the chain that also operates the Waldorf, cited declining demand for room service as the reason; some hotel industry experts see the elimination of the labor-intensive amenity as a way for the chain to save money.
Initially, travelers bemoaned the loss of a cherished hotel perk — regardless of whether they used it. For even if they never ordered the expensive Three Scrambled Organic Eggs ($22.50) or the reliable Cobb Salad ($24.75) at 1 a.m., it was comforting to know that either could be delivered to the door, its arrival punctuated by a few knocks and exactly two words.
“I think it’s dehumanizing the service,” said Michael Henry, 78, a Jamaican author and publisher who likes to have his coffee waiting when he steps out of the shower in the morning, or while he makes business calls. “It’s what I call catering to the lowest common denominator.”
Mr. Henry’s wife, Dawn, added disapprovingly that she expected more of a hotel charging $300 a night.
The decision to jettison room service at the New York Hilton, reported by Crain’s New York Business, comes as other large hotels have cut back menus or reduced hours in recent years, and many newer boutique hotels have opened without offering it at all. Some hotels have even made arrangements with nearby restaurants to act as surrogate kitchens and deliver food to their hotel rooms.
John Fox, a consultant for the hotel industry, said nearly all hotels lost money on room service, which requires maintaining a staff of waiters and kitchen workers throughout the day, even though orders typically dwindle after breakfast and come in sporadically afterward. “Everybody’s doing what they can to engineer their properties to make more profit while still supplying the services their guests demand,” he said.
Still, he said he did not expect room service to soon disappear from top-notch hotels. The guests at the Waldorf, for instance, will not be losing room service, and a Hilton spokesman said the company was evaluating its other hotels on a case-by-case basis.
At the Pierre Hotel, where some room service waiters are on a first-name basis with guests, one man said the offerings included Dover sole, lobster, lamb chops, and chilled Evian in glass bottles. He said he could even buy groceries and have room service personnel collect them to be cooked.
When Joel and Donna Kramer recently called for a pot of coffee at the St. Regis Hotel, it was delivered on a tray by a butler in a tuxedo. “It was very nice,” Mr. Kramer said, though he said he was not a big room-service person.
The New York Hilton’s room service menu covers three pages, and ranges from a Pat La Frieda custom burger ($28.50) to populist items like macaroni and cheese made with Velveeta ($23.50). In small print, the menu specifies that for each order there is an additional 15 percent service charge and an in-room dining charge of $5.50 per person.
Several hotel workers said guests often balked at the prices and ended up going out to eat, though one worker noted that the hotel still took in several hundred orders a day during busy times. Hilton guests can also have outside food delivered, but they must collect it in the hotel lobby.
Maria-Chiara Della Valle, 29, an engineer visiting from London with her husband, Aldo, said she counted on room service when she arrived late at night and was jet-lagged. She said she would not be returning to the Hilton if it discontinued room service.
“There are so many hotels to choose from,” Ms. Della Valle said. “If everyone is offering room service, I don’t know why I would pay the same rate with no service.”
Mr. Della Valle, a financial trader, said he might come back — if the Hilton offered a 10 percent discount off its room rate.
Room service has become all these things, and more, since it grew in popularity with the privileged guests of the Waldorf-Astoria in the 1930s and soon emerged as a standard for luxury excursions, and a plot device for tales of suspense and whimsy.
Just ask Eloise, the 6-year-old scamp living it up in the Plaza Hotel, who routinely called for room service to bring her, exactly, one roast-beef bone, one raisin and seven spoons.
And yet room service will soon be no more at one major New York City hotel.
In August, the New York Hilton Midtown, in the heart of Manhattan, will discontinue food and drink service to all 2,000 of its rooms. In its place will be a new self-service Herb n’ Kitchen stocked with grab-and-go items. A spokesman for the hotel, which is part of the chain that also operates the Waldorf, cited declining demand for room service as the reason; some hotel industry experts see the elimination of the labor-intensive amenity as a way for the chain to save money.
Initially, travelers bemoaned the loss of a cherished hotel perk — regardless of whether they used it. For even if they never ordered the expensive Three Scrambled Organic Eggs ($22.50) or the reliable Cobb Salad ($24.75) at 1 a.m., it was comforting to know that either could be delivered to the door, its arrival punctuated by a few knocks and exactly two words.
“I think it’s dehumanizing the service,” said Michael Henry, 78, a Jamaican author and publisher who likes to have his coffee waiting when he steps out of the shower in the morning, or while he makes business calls. “It’s what I call catering to the lowest common denominator.”
Mr. Henry’s wife, Dawn, added disapprovingly that she expected more of a hotel charging $300 a night.
The decision to jettison room service at the New York Hilton, reported by Crain’s New York Business, comes as other large hotels have cut back menus or reduced hours in recent years, and many newer boutique hotels have opened without offering it at all. Some hotels have even made arrangements with nearby restaurants to act as surrogate kitchens and deliver food to their hotel rooms.
John Fox, a consultant for the hotel industry, said nearly all hotels lost money on room service, which requires maintaining a staff of waiters and kitchen workers throughout the day, even though orders typically dwindle after breakfast and come in sporadically afterward. “Everybody’s doing what they can to engineer their properties to make more profit while still supplying the services their guests demand,” he said.
Still, he said he did not expect room service to soon disappear from top-notch hotels. The guests at the Waldorf, for instance, will not be losing room service, and a Hilton spokesman said the company was evaluating its other hotels on a case-by-case basis.
At the Pierre Hotel, where some room service waiters are on a first-name basis with guests, one man said the offerings included Dover sole, lobster, lamb chops, and chilled Evian in glass bottles. He said he could even buy groceries and have room service personnel collect them to be cooked.
When Joel and Donna Kramer recently called for a pot of coffee at the St. Regis Hotel, it was delivered on a tray by a butler in a tuxedo. “It was very nice,” Mr. Kramer said, though he said he was not a big room-service person.
The New York Hilton’s room service menu covers three pages, and ranges from a Pat La Frieda custom burger ($28.50) to populist items like macaroni and cheese made with Velveeta ($23.50). In small print, the menu specifies that for each order there is an additional 15 percent service charge and an in-room dining charge of $5.50 per person.
Several hotel workers said guests often balked at the prices and ended up going out to eat, though one worker noted that the hotel still took in several hundred orders a day during busy times. Hilton guests can also have outside food delivered, but they must collect it in the hotel lobby.
Maria-Chiara Della Valle, 29, an engineer visiting from London with her husband, Aldo, said she counted on room service when she arrived late at night and was jet-lagged. She said she would not be returning to the Hilton if it discontinued room service.
“There are so many hotels to choose from,” Ms. Della Valle said. “If everyone is offering room service, I don’t know why I would pay the same rate with no service.”
Mr. Della Valle, a financial trader, said he might come back — if the Hilton offered a 10 percent discount off its room rate.
Amanda Bynes evicted
Amanda Bynes evicted, Just over a week ago, Amanda Bynes was arrested for (allegedly) throwing a bong from a window in her luxury midtown Manhattan apartment. That arrest led to a bizarre court appearance, which was followed by claims of sexual harassment at the hands of the NYPD, a strange Twitter battle with Rihanna, and an announcement that she was taking up rapping. As a result of all this strange behavior, the management at Bynes's apartment has reportedly evicted Bynes from the building.
From In Touch Weekly:
The troubled star, who was arrested at her apartment on May 23 following a complaint that she was smoking marijuana in the building’s lobby, “was notified that she is no longer welcome as a tenant in the building in light of recent events,” an insider reveals.
“At 9 p.m. on Tuesday, movers showed up and removed Amanda’s belongings from her apartment,” the insider adds. “She is officially gone from the building.”
According to In Touch's definitely reliable source, management at the apartment building had been looking for ways to evict Bynes for weeks before her arrest. “Even before her arrest, residents had constant complaints about the smell of marijuana coming from her apartment,” the source told In Touch. “She had also cursed out residents and the doormen, and the smell of pot from her apartment was really annoying people.”
From In Touch Weekly:
The troubled star, who was arrested at her apartment on May 23 following a complaint that she was smoking marijuana in the building’s lobby, “was notified that she is no longer welcome as a tenant in the building in light of recent events,” an insider reveals.
“At 9 p.m. on Tuesday, movers showed up and removed Amanda’s belongings from her apartment,” the insider adds. “She is officially gone from the building.”
According to In Touch's definitely reliable source, management at the apartment building had been looking for ways to evict Bynes for weeks before her arrest. “Even before her arrest, residents had constant complaints about the smell of marijuana coming from her apartment,” the source told In Touch. “She had also cursed out residents and the doormen, and the smell of pot from her apartment was really annoying people.”
Pope Francis holy hour
Pope Francis holy hour, Pope Francis led Roman Catholics on Sunday in the first worldwide "Holy Hour," in which participants prayed at the same time around the globe for those suffering from war, slave labour, human trafficking and the economic crisis.
The Vatican asked Catholics to join him between 5-6 p.m. Rome time (1500-1600 GMT) in what is known as a Eucharistic adoration - praying before a consecrated communion host.
They were asked to gather in cathedrals, neighbourhood parishes and monasteries to pray for two general intentions penned by the pope, who prayed in St. Peter's Basilica.
One was for those "who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labour" as well as for the "unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners and those who experience marginalisation".
The other was for the 1.2 billion member Church itself and that it be "without stain or blemish", an apparent allusion to scandals that have undermined its credibility, such as the sexual abuse of children by clergy.
A Vatican official said it was "the first time in the history of the Church" that such an event was taking place. The Vatican said it was impossible to estimate immediately how many people took part.
The Vatican asked Catholics to join him between 5-6 p.m. Rome time (1500-1600 GMT) in what is known as a Eucharistic adoration - praying before a consecrated communion host.
They were asked to gather in cathedrals, neighbourhood parishes and monasteries to pray for two general intentions penned by the pope, who prayed in St. Peter's Basilica.
One was for those "who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labour" as well as for the "unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners and those who experience marginalisation".
The other was for the 1.2 billion member Church itself and that it be "without stain or blemish", an apparent allusion to scandals that have undermined its credibility, such as the sexual abuse of children by clergy.
A Vatican official said it was "the first time in the history of the Church" that such an event was taking place. The Vatican said it was impossible to estimate immediately how many people took part.
Michael douglas cancer
Michael douglas cancer, Michael Douglas has shared, perhaps over-shared, with readers of the Guardian, the news that oral sex caused the throat cancer he was diagnosed with three years ago. “Without wanting to get too specific,” he said, “this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus.” Could he be right?
The world of sexually transmitted infections is being turned upside down by the growing popularity of oral sex. All kinds of infections usually considered in terms of genitals are increasingly colonising the mouth. Herpes, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and, yes, the human papillomavirus – which is implicated in cervical cancer and can cause genital warts – can be transmitted through oral sex.
Evidence of the link between HPV and oral cancer has been building for several decades. While head and neck cancers have been declining since the 1970s along with smoking rates, scientists have noticed an increase in a particular type of oral cancer. Known as “oral squamous cell carcinoma”, it is linked to the same strains of HPV known to cause cervical cancer.
Prof Andrew Grulich, who heads the HIV epidemiology and prevention program run by the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, says that the majority of cancers in the back of the throat, the oropharynx in technical terms, are now caused by this virus. “Twenty years ago it was thought to be about 20% and now, depending on where you are, it seems to be 60-70%,” he says. This type of cancer is associated with having a larger number of sexual partners, and more oral sex, he says. “In terms of increased oral sex there’s solid data that an increasing proportion of people report oral sex than 20 to 30 years ago, especially for younger people.”
Older people who have oral sex are not immune. In 2010 a Taiwanese study noted the cases of two middle-aged couples, oral sex veterans with a history of more than 20 years of oral sex, where the wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer and the husband was diagnosed with oral cancer within a short period of time.
But it is not a simple case of “catching” cancer from cunnilingus. The human papilloma virus is so ubiquitous it has been found in the mouths of newborn babies. And while many sexually active adults carry the virus, very few will develop cancer.
Last year a review was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine asking Is Oral Sex Really a Dangerous Carcinogen? Let's Take a Closer Look. Psychologist Sara E Rosenquist noted the complexity of the research, including a Finnish study of married couples which found that husbands and wives often carried different strains of the virus in their genitals and mouths, and indeed had different strains of the virus from each other, and there was no clear link with oral sex.
She concluded that: “HPV should not be a cause for concern among monogamous couples with a rich and varied sex life, as long as the sexual system remains closed and other immune compromising factors are not present. HPV becomes a concern in the context of immune system compromise and infection persistence.”
So what are oral enthusiasts to make of all this? Is it time to raid the women’s rooms of universities for all those boxes of dental dams which have been gathering dust since the 90s? Or is it time to swear off cunnilingus for good?
Nice try. The UK’s official guidelines on safer sex advice note that when it comes to spreading infections cunnilingus is less risky than fellatio, and neither is as risky as vaginal or anal sex. The guidelines admit that “while routinely advocating condom use for oral sex is unrealistic, oral sex should not be promoted as risk-free”. Ways to make oral sex safer include abstaining when you have cuts or sores on your mouth, and not brushing your teeth or flossing before oral sex.
Grulich says the good news is that cancers caused by this virus are more treatable and survivable than other oral cancers. The best news of all is that the Gardasil vaccine, which targets the virus with the aim of preventing cervical cancer, is also likely to prevent the infections which lead to these oral cancers.
As for Michael Douglas, Grulich says “good on him for going public about it and raising awareness”.
The world of sexually transmitted infections is being turned upside down by the growing popularity of oral sex. All kinds of infections usually considered in terms of genitals are increasingly colonising the mouth. Herpes, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and, yes, the human papillomavirus – which is implicated in cervical cancer and can cause genital warts – can be transmitted through oral sex.
Evidence of the link between HPV and oral cancer has been building for several decades. While head and neck cancers have been declining since the 1970s along with smoking rates, scientists have noticed an increase in a particular type of oral cancer. Known as “oral squamous cell carcinoma”, it is linked to the same strains of HPV known to cause cervical cancer.
Prof Andrew Grulich, who heads the HIV epidemiology and prevention program run by the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, says that the majority of cancers in the back of the throat, the oropharynx in technical terms, are now caused by this virus. “Twenty years ago it was thought to be about 20% and now, depending on where you are, it seems to be 60-70%,” he says. This type of cancer is associated with having a larger number of sexual partners, and more oral sex, he says. “In terms of increased oral sex there’s solid data that an increasing proportion of people report oral sex than 20 to 30 years ago, especially for younger people.”
Older people who have oral sex are not immune. In 2010 a Taiwanese study noted the cases of two middle-aged couples, oral sex veterans with a history of more than 20 years of oral sex, where the wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer and the husband was diagnosed with oral cancer within a short period of time.
But it is not a simple case of “catching” cancer from cunnilingus. The human papilloma virus is so ubiquitous it has been found in the mouths of newborn babies. And while many sexually active adults carry the virus, very few will develop cancer.
Last year a review was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine asking Is Oral Sex Really a Dangerous Carcinogen? Let's Take a Closer Look. Psychologist Sara E Rosenquist noted the complexity of the research, including a Finnish study of married couples which found that husbands and wives often carried different strains of the virus in their genitals and mouths, and indeed had different strains of the virus from each other, and there was no clear link with oral sex.
She concluded that: “HPV should not be a cause for concern among monogamous couples with a rich and varied sex life, as long as the sexual system remains closed and other immune compromising factors are not present. HPV becomes a concern in the context of immune system compromise and infection persistence.”
So what are oral enthusiasts to make of all this? Is it time to raid the women’s rooms of universities for all those boxes of dental dams which have been gathering dust since the 90s? Or is it time to swear off cunnilingus for good?
Nice try. The UK’s official guidelines on safer sex advice note that when it comes to spreading infections cunnilingus is less risky than fellatio, and neither is as risky as vaginal or anal sex. The guidelines admit that “while routinely advocating condom use for oral sex is unrealistic, oral sex should not be promoted as risk-free”. Ways to make oral sex safer include abstaining when you have cuts or sores on your mouth, and not brushing your teeth or flossing before oral sex.
Grulich says the good news is that cancers caused by this virus are more treatable and survivable than other oral cancers. The best news of all is that the Gardasil vaccine, which targets the virus with the aim of preventing cervical cancer, is also likely to prevent the infections which lead to these oral cancers.
As for Michael Douglas, Grulich says “good on him for going public about it and raising awareness”.
Lauren Spierer: Boyfriend's mother claims drug overdose
Lauren Spierer: Boyfriend's mother claims drug overdose, This poor little girl is not with us today because of her drug abuse," said Nadine Wolff. She is the mother of Jesse Wolff, who was dating Lauren Spierer when she went missing 2 years ago today. It has been speculated since her disappearance that she may have suffered a drug overdose.
Lauren's last hours are somewhat indefinite, but "friends" who were last to see here say she left their home around 4 am on June 3, 2011, intoxicated and weaving, without her keys, shoes, cellphone, or ID. Corey Rossman claims, earlier that evening, Lauren had been snorting Klonopin and cocaine.
Jesse is not a suspect in Lauren's disappearance and he has passed a privately administered polygraph, but Lauren's parents want him to take one for the Bloomington, Indiana police department. And he's not the only one. The friends who last saw Lauren, Corey Rossman, Mike Beth and Jay Rosenbaum, are also being asked to take polygraphs to show their innocence. They have even gone as far as saying that Lauren's parents are harassing them.
There seems to be an issue with trust, not only between these men and Lauren's parents, but also between these men and the Bloomington PD. What's the deal? If there's nothing to hide, why is everyone being so illusive? Don't they want to help find their friend? If there really is nothing to hide, what would be the harm in answering their questions, even taking a polygraph, just so the focus can be taken off of them, and maybe replaced in other, more useful, areas? What's the issue, if they really don't know anything else?
The major question remaining unanswered: Where is Lauren Spierer? This question is haunting to Jesse Wolff, who has been in therapy since "the love of his life" disappeared. According to his mother, he had spent much of his time taking care of Lauren while they attended college, saying "The one night she went out without him and did what she did unfortunately cost her her life." Is she right?
Lauren's last hours are somewhat indefinite, but "friends" who were last to see here say she left their home around 4 am on June 3, 2011, intoxicated and weaving, without her keys, shoes, cellphone, or ID. Corey Rossman claims, earlier that evening, Lauren had been snorting Klonopin and cocaine.
Jesse is not a suspect in Lauren's disappearance and he has passed a privately administered polygraph, but Lauren's parents want him to take one for the Bloomington, Indiana police department. And he's not the only one. The friends who last saw Lauren, Corey Rossman, Mike Beth and Jay Rosenbaum, are also being asked to take polygraphs to show their innocence. They have even gone as far as saying that Lauren's parents are harassing them.
There seems to be an issue with trust, not only between these men and Lauren's parents, but also between these men and the Bloomington PD. What's the deal? If there's nothing to hide, why is everyone being so illusive? Don't they want to help find their friend? If there really is nothing to hide, what would be the harm in answering their questions, even taking a polygraph, just so the focus can be taken off of them, and maybe replaced in other, more useful, areas? What's the issue, if they really don't know anything else?
The major question remaining unanswered: Where is Lauren Spierer? This question is haunting to Jesse Wolff, who has been in therapy since "the love of his life" disappeared. According to his mother, he had spent much of his time taking care of Lauren while they attended college, saying "The one night she went out without him and did what she did unfortunately cost her her life." Is she right?
Spelling bee controversy: Did the National Spelling Bee misspell winning word?
Spelling bee controversy: Did the National Spelling Bee misspell winning word?, The spelling bee controversy over Thursday’s winning word “knaidel” is heating up. Experts say America's National Spelling Bee organization misspelled the word and that it should be spelled "kneydl."
“Arvind Mahankali, 13, successfully spelled the word ‘knaidel’, which refers to a small mass of leavened dough, to win the high-profile televised contest last Thursday,” reported The Telegraph on June 2, 2013.
However, linguists at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, who are regarded to be the experts in regard to the spelling of Yiddish words are saying America’s National Spelling Bee organization doesn’t know how to spell.
The word should have been spelled “kneydl.”
But what do linguists know. Gloria Birnbaum, who is 83 years old and has been around Yiddish longer than most of those linguists have lived, knows that both “knaidel” and “kneydl” are wrong.
The word should have been spelled “knadel.”
In addition to linguists and the elderly, pronunciation experts are chiming into the spelling bee controversy.
The New York Times reports that “Aaron Goldman, a former accountant and sales manager in a blue baseball cap, jumped to his feet and banged on the table as plastic ware bounced.”
“That would be ‘knawdle,’ not knaidle!” said Aaron Goldman.
And Aaron Goldman has a point. Since “knadel,” “knaidel,” or “kneydl” is pronounced like Middle High German, all of them are wrong.
The word should have been spelled “knödel.”
In response to the heated spelling bee controversy, America's National Spelling Bee is saying that the competition is using Webster's Third New International Dictionary as the authority on how to spell.
It appears with all the spelling bee controversy happening, the winner of Thursday’s National Spelling Bee, 13-year-old Arvind Mahankali from New York, knows just what to do – retire.
After having finished third the last two years running and having won the spelling bee competition this year, he is turning to physics.
He might say, if I have to deal with “a tempest in a soup bowl,” I rather do it with physics than with spelling. And how about trying to spell my name?
Arvind Mahankali -- or should that be spelled differently also?
“Arvind Mahankali, 13, successfully spelled the word ‘knaidel’, which refers to a small mass of leavened dough, to win the high-profile televised contest last Thursday,” reported The Telegraph on June 2, 2013.
However, linguists at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, who are regarded to be the experts in regard to the spelling of Yiddish words are saying America’s National Spelling Bee organization doesn’t know how to spell.
The word should have been spelled “kneydl.”
But what do linguists know. Gloria Birnbaum, who is 83 years old and has been around Yiddish longer than most of those linguists have lived, knows that both “knaidel” and “kneydl” are wrong.
The word should have been spelled “knadel.”
In addition to linguists and the elderly, pronunciation experts are chiming into the spelling bee controversy.
The New York Times reports that “Aaron Goldman, a former accountant and sales manager in a blue baseball cap, jumped to his feet and banged on the table as plastic ware bounced.”
“That would be ‘knawdle,’ not knaidle!” said Aaron Goldman.
And Aaron Goldman has a point. Since “knadel,” “knaidel,” or “kneydl” is pronounced like Middle High German, all of them are wrong.
The word should have been spelled “knödel.”
In response to the heated spelling bee controversy, America's National Spelling Bee is saying that the competition is using Webster's Third New International Dictionary as the authority on how to spell.
It appears with all the spelling bee controversy happening, the winner of Thursday’s National Spelling Bee, 13-year-old Arvind Mahankali from New York, knows just what to do – retire.
After having finished third the last two years running and having won the spelling bee competition this year, he is turning to physics.
He might say, if I have to deal with “a tempest in a soup bowl,” I rather do it with physics than with spelling. And how about trying to spell my name?
Arvind Mahankali -- or should that be spelled differently also?
Turkey protests
Turkey protests, Turkish protesters have clashed with police in Istanbul overnight, in some of the worst violence since unrest erupted three days ago.
Protesters in Besiktas district tore up paving stones to build barricades, and police responded with tear gas and water cannon.
The violence was sparked by plans to build on a city park but have broadened into nationwide anti-government unrest.
Protesters say the Turkish government is becoming increasingly authoritarian.
They fear Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trying to impose conservative Islamic values on the officially secular country and infringe on their personal freedoms, correspondents say.
Officials say more than 1,700 people have been arrested in demonstrations in 67 towns and cities, though many have since been released.
Late on Sunday, the White House said in a statement that all parties should "calm the situation", and reaffirmed that peaceful demonstrations were "part of democratic expression".
The US previously criticised the security forces for their initial response to the protest.
Roads sealed off
Mosques, shops and a university in Besiktas were turned into makeshift hospitals for those injured in Sunday night's demonstration.
Several thousand people took part in the protest outside the recently decommissioned Besiktas football stadium.
Observers say some of the protesters were coughing violently and vomiting after police fired gas canisters into the crowd.
Nearby, police also battled to protect the prime minister's office, which became another focal point for the protesters.
They were said to have sealed off roads surrounding Mr Erdogan's office in a bid to push back protesters.
Unrest was also reported in the capital, Ankara, and the western coastal city of Izmir in the west, as well as Adana in the south and Gaziantep in the south-east.
Police raided a shopping complex in central Ankara where they believed demonstrators were sheltering, Reuters news agency reported.
According to the Turkish Doctors' Association, 484 protesters have been treated in hospitals in Istanbul since Friday.
'A few looters'
Many of the protesters in Istanbul appear to be young and urban middle class.
Last week, the government passed legislation curbing the sale and advertising of alcoholic drinks.
Mr Erdogan says the protesters are undemocratic and have been provoked by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Speaking in a televised interview on Sunday, the prime minister dismissed those taking part in protests as "a few looters" and strongly criticised social media sites, singling out Twitter, which he said was "an extreme version of lying".
On Sunday, the area around Gezi Park, where the protests first erupted, was largely peaceful.
But after police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators, triggering accusations of excessive force, the numbers swelled in nearby Taksim Square.
The protests began on a small scale last week over redevelopment plans for the park to make way for the rebuilding of an Ottoman-era barracks, reportedly to house a shopping centre.
The demonstrators say the park is one of the few green spaces in Istanbul, and object to the loss of public space for commercial purposes.
Protesters in Besiktas district tore up paving stones to build barricades, and police responded with tear gas and water cannon.
The violence was sparked by plans to build on a city park but have broadened into nationwide anti-government unrest.
Protesters say the Turkish government is becoming increasingly authoritarian.
They fear Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trying to impose conservative Islamic values on the officially secular country and infringe on their personal freedoms, correspondents say.
Officials say more than 1,700 people have been arrested in demonstrations in 67 towns and cities, though many have since been released.
Late on Sunday, the White House said in a statement that all parties should "calm the situation", and reaffirmed that peaceful demonstrations were "part of democratic expression".
The US previously criticised the security forces for their initial response to the protest.
Roads sealed off
Mosques, shops and a university in Besiktas were turned into makeshift hospitals for those injured in Sunday night's demonstration.
Several thousand people took part in the protest outside the recently decommissioned Besiktas football stadium.
Observers say some of the protesters were coughing violently and vomiting after police fired gas canisters into the crowd.
Nearby, police also battled to protect the prime minister's office, which became another focal point for the protesters.
They were said to have sealed off roads surrounding Mr Erdogan's office in a bid to push back protesters.
Unrest was also reported in the capital, Ankara, and the western coastal city of Izmir in the west, as well as Adana in the south and Gaziantep in the south-east.
Police raided a shopping complex in central Ankara where they believed demonstrators were sheltering, Reuters news agency reported.
According to the Turkish Doctors' Association, 484 protesters have been treated in hospitals in Istanbul since Friday.
'A few looters'
Many of the protesters in Istanbul appear to be young and urban middle class.
Last week, the government passed legislation curbing the sale and advertising of alcoholic drinks.
Mr Erdogan says the protesters are undemocratic and have been provoked by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Speaking in a televised interview on Sunday, the prime minister dismissed those taking part in protests as "a few looters" and strongly criticised social media sites, singling out Twitter, which he said was "an extreme version of lying".
On Sunday, the area around Gezi Park, where the protests first erupted, was largely peaceful.
But after police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators, triggering accusations of excessive force, the numbers swelled in nearby Taksim Square.
The protests began on a small scale last week over redevelopment plans for the park to make way for the rebuilding of an Ottoman-era barracks, reportedly to house a shopping centre.
The demonstrators say the park is one of the few green spaces in Istanbul, and object to the loss of public space for commercial purposes.
IRS $50 million: ‘$1,500 to $3,500 per night’ presidential suites at hotels
IRS $50 million: ‘$1,500 to $3,500 per night’ presidential suites at hotels, The IRS spent $50 million at conferences paying for presidential suites at hotels which “currently cost between $1,500 to $3,500 per night.”
The IRS spent $4 million for just one conference held in Anaheim in California in August of 2010 and the 15 outside presentation speakers at the conference were paid a total of $135,000. “One of the speakers, who was paid $17,000, led a session called ‘Leadership Through Art’," reported CNN on June 2, 2013.
Whatever the IRS and the spending of $50 million has to do with leadership and art; at least one government watchdog group would like to know.
On Sunday, a House committee said that the IRS spent about $50 million to hold at least 220 conferences for employees between 2010 and 2012.
“The IRS spent close to $50 million on 225 conferences between 2010 and 2012, according to briefings given to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.”
On Tuesday, a report by the Treasury Department's inspector general is scheduled to be released.
Of specific interest to the House oversight committee hearing is the Anaheim conference which cost taxpayers alone $4 million.
Despite the standard government practice of negotiating lower room rates, the IRS did not feel the need to negotiate for the presidential hotel suites which today cost $1,500 to $3,500 per night.
With about 2,600 IRS conference attendees, spending just one night at a hotel would add up to almost $4 million. Added to that additional benefits for IRS conference attendees like baseball tickets, 15 guest speakers at a rate of $135,000 in fees, and not to forget two videos for $50,000 -- the $50 million IRS spending spree comes to no surprise.
“The IRS spent $50,000 to produce two videos that were shown at the event. One had a ‘Star Trek’ theme and was reported on earlier this year, while the other video – in which employees learned the Cupid shuffle dance – was released this weekend.”
Unfortunately, since there were no sign-in sheets posted outside the training sessions and no credits were given to conference attendees, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) could not really determine who did and who did not actually attend the conference sessions. The sessions' goal was “continuing professional education.”
Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel released a statement on Friday about the upcoming audit release and said that an IRS spending of $50 million is indeed "inappropriate."
The IRS spent $4 million for just one conference held in Anaheim in California in August of 2010 and the 15 outside presentation speakers at the conference were paid a total of $135,000. “One of the speakers, who was paid $17,000, led a session called ‘Leadership Through Art’," reported CNN on June 2, 2013.
Whatever the IRS and the spending of $50 million has to do with leadership and art; at least one government watchdog group would like to know.
On Sunday, a House committee said that the IRS spent about $50 million to hold at least 220 conferences for employees between 2010 and 2012.
“The IRS spent close to $50 million on 225 conferences between 2010 and 2012, according to briefings given to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.”
On Tuesday, a report by the Treasury Department's inspector general is scheduled to be released.
Of specific interest to the House oversight committee hearing is the Anaheim conference which cost taxpayers alone $4 million.
Despite the standard government practice of negotiating lower room rates, the IRS did not feel the need to negotiate for the presidential hotel suites which today cost $1,500 to $3,500 per night.
With about 2,600 IRS conference attendees, spending just one night at a hotel would add up to almost $4 million. Added to that additional benefits for IRS conference attendees like baseball tickets, 15 guest speakers at a rate of $135,000 in fees, and not to forget two videos for $50,000 -- the $50 million IRS spending spree comes to no surprise.
“The IRS spent $50,000 to produce two videos that were shown at the event. One had a ‘Star Trek’ theme and was reported on earlier this year, while the other video – in which employees learned the Cupid shuffle dance – was released this weekend.”
Unfortunately, since there were no sign-in sheets posted outside the training sessions and no credits were given to conference attendees, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) could not really determine who did and who did not actually attend the conference sessions. The sessions' goal was “continuing professional education.”
Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel released a statement on Friday about the upcoming audit release and said that an IRS spending of $50 million is indeed "inappropriate."
Lake Bell married
Lake Bell married, Lake Bell is a married woman.The actress, 34, married tattoo artist Scott Campbell at a star-studded ceremony on Saturday, June 1, at The Marigny Opera House in New Orleans, according to People.
The couple exchanged vows in front of 190 family and friends, including celebrity pals Eva Longoria, Kate Bosworth, Alicia Silverstone, Josh Hartnett, Cameron Diaz, Justin Theroux and fiancee Jennifer Aniston.
Bell reportedly looked lovely a in custom-designed Marchesa Couture gown and was escorted down the aisle by her father, Harvey Siegel. Campbell donned Marc Jacobs.
"Lake wore a white tiered dress, sleeveless with a high beaded neck and V-cut back," a source tells Us Weekly. "She was wearing a veil and carrying a crimson red rose bouquet."
Bell met Campbell on the set of her HBO show "How to Make It in America" in 2011 and got engaged on her birthday in March 2012.
The couple exchanged vows in front of 190 family and friends, including celebrity pals Eva Longoria, Kate Bosworth, Alicia Silverstone, Josh Hartnett, Cameron Diaz, Justin Theroux and fiancee Jennifer Aniston.
Bell reportedly looked lovely a in custom-designed Marchesa Couture gown and was escorted down the aisle by her father, Harvey Siegel. Campbell donned Marc Jacobs.
"Lake wore a white tiered dress, sleeveless with a high beaded neck and V-cut back," a source tells Us Weekly. "She was wearing a veil and carrying a crimson red rose bouquet."
Bell met Campbell on the set of her HBO show "How to Make It in America" in 2011 and got engaged on her birthday in March 2012.
Obama Clinton
Obama Clinton, Noted political writer Edward Klein claims in his latest book that Bill Clinton dismissed President Obama as inept and incapable of performing the duties of the White House — but that he formed a secret deal to give him an endorsement for office anyway.
Mr. Klein’s book is called “The Amateur,” and it’s published by Regnery. The deal was this: Mr. Clinton would endorse Mr. Obama for the White House in 2012 if Mr. Obama would endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for president in 2016, the book claimed.
At the same time, Mr. Clinton wasn’t completely happy about the deal — he would have preferred his wife challenge Mr. Obama for the White House in 2012, Mr. Klein’s book claimed.
Bluntly, Mr. Clinton thought Mr. Obama wasn’t up to the job, Mr. Klein wrote. In the book, Mr. Klein writes that several sources attributed Mr. Clinton as saying: “I’ve heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I’ve heard from Obama. I have no relationship with the president — none whatsoever. Obama doesn’t know how to be president. He doesn’t know how the world works. He’s incompetent. He’s an amateur.”
Nonetheless, Mr. Clinton ultimately endorsed Mr. Obama for a second term — at the pushing of political adviser David Axelrod, who was watching Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s rising poll numbers with alarm, Mr. Klein said in his book.
Mr. Klein has previously penned books about Mrs. Clinton and the Kennedys, and is a former foreign editor with Newsweek.
Mr. Klein’s book is called “The Amateur,” and it’s published by Regnery. The deal was this: Mr. Clinton would endorse Mr. Obama for the White House in 2012 if Mr. Obama would endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for president in 2016, the book claimed.
At the same time, Mr. Clinton wasn’t completely happy about the deal — he would have preferred his wife challenge Mr. Obama for the White House in 2012, Mr. Klein’s book claimed.
Bluntly, Mr. Clinton thought Mr. Obama wasn’t up to the job, Mr. Klein wrote. In the book, Mr. Klein writes that several sources attributed Mr. Clinton as saying: “I’ve heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I’ve heard from Obama. I have no relationship with the president — none whatsoever. Obama doesn’t know how to be president. He doesn’t know how the world works. He’s incompetent. He’s an amateur.”
Nonetheless, Mr. Clinton ultimately endorsed Mr. Obama for a second term — at the pushing of political adviser David Axelrod, who was watching Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s rising poll numbers with alarm, Mr. Klein said in his book.
Mr. Klein has previously penned books about Mrs. Clinton and the Kennedys, and is a former foreign editor with Newsweek.
Manny Pacquiao latest news
Manny Pacquiao latest news, By now, everyone knows that eight-division world champ and boxing cash cow, Manny Pacquiao is taking his show to Asia-- More specifically, to China's offshore gaming hideaway, Macau. It has been widely reported that the move has to do with taxes and Uncle Sam's hunger for a bigger chunk of Pacquiao's earnings.
According to promoter Bob Arum and manager Michael Koncz, the 39.6% now demanded in taxes, effective January 1 of this year, pushed their fighter over the threshold and ran him away from the red, white, and blue.
On the surface, it's a completely valid premise and one that doesn't require much explanation. Who among us hasn't objected to a high tax rate and an aggressively unfair tax code?
Really, though, this move across the world may have very little to do with taxes. Rather, it might be more about a veteran fighter looking to close out the last chapter of his career on his own terms and under his own conditions.
The augment in taxes, from last year's 35% to the current rate, is a 4.6% increase, but hardly a deal killer given the many options Pacquiao has to cut costs and also considering the uncertainty of what will happen by taking his show to China.
On paper and without any investigation, a move to Macau, where the top tax rate is 12%, would bring him an extra $6.9 million from a proposed $25 million purse. But this is assuming all things will be equal in terms of sales and revenue-- a huge assumption.
According to Arum, himself, a major pay-per-view based outside of North America could cost his company as much as 50% of the typical buy rate. So, assuming Pacquiao-Brandon Rios on November 23 would've had one million buys if based out of Las Vegas, that number could drop to as low as 500,000. In terms of revenue, the move could cost Top Rank Promotions as much as $15 million dollars.
To combat this, Pacquiao-Rios will be staged in the morning, Chinese time, to accommodate HBO Pay-Per-View and the U.S. market. There will also be an experimental push to sell the event online to Chinese consumers at a greatly reduced rate. Still, Pacquiao's absence on American soil to hype the fight will take its toll on the bottom line buy rate.
So, what will likely happen is that Pacquiao will get a greater share of a smaller purse, thereby nullifying the financial benefits of the move to China.
The 4.6% increase in taxes from last year to this year amounts to a $1.15 million hit on a proposed $25 million payday. If Pacquiao really wanted to keep fighting in America, that relatively small amount of money could be eliminated in any number of ways.
Pacquiao and his team could refuse to have his upcoming bout sanctioned by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. Currently, there is no title attached to his fight with Brandon Rios, but it will be just a matter of time before one of the organizations generates a fake belt for the contest in an effort to squeeze out a sanctioning fee.
The 3% Pacquiao would save from refusing sanctioning body overtures would amount to an extra $750,000 in his pocket.
Of course, Pacquiao could also restructure his financial relationship with Arum so that his deal more closely resembles that of arch-rival Floyd Mayweather, who was once again named Forbes' richest athlete this year.
Mayweather, thanks in great part to his adviser Al Haymon, takes home considerably more money than Pacquiao and was recently cut a check for $32 million in base pay, before bonuses, from his May 4 PPV bout with Robert Guerrero. In contrast, Pacquiao takes home a fraction of his total earnings, with a relatively small base pay and the rest coming in drips and drabs over time.
Last December, the Filipino icon received $8.595 million in base pay for his KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, but stood to earn as much as $25 million after sales bonuses.
If Pacquiao were to actually take control of his financial dealings, the money would come rolling in and an additional $1.15 million tax burden would not be felt at all.
What's really happening here is that the Pacquiao product has grown stale in the States and his team is eager to take him to a fresh market where the fans are desperately eager for his presence and somewhat less discerning as consumers. By the time the Pacquiao honeymoon is over and the Asian market begins to demand more of him, he will be long retired with several additional paydays under his belt.
For Pacquiao, whose empire continues to grow in his native country, competing a few hours from home is much more appealing than having to travel to, literally, the other side of the planet to make a living. And if he has been sold on the idea that the money will be the same, the decision to leave America was an easy one.
While the tax excuse may be used to curtail any possible backlash from American consumers, the move is all about lengthening a career that appears to be on the decline. It's about packing up the tent and taking the circus to another town before the act gets old.
According to promoter Bob Arum and manager Michael Koncz, the 39.6% now demanded in taxes, effective January 1 of this year, pushed their fighter over the threshold and ran him away from the red, white, and blue.
On the surface, it's a completely valid premise and one that doesn't require much explanation. Who among us hasn't objected to a high tax rate and an aggressively unfair tax code?
Really, though, this move across the world may have very little to do with taxes. Rather, it might be more about a veteran fighter looking to close out the last chapter of his career on his own terms and under his own conditions.
The augment in taxes, from last year's 35% to the current rate, is a 4.6% increase, but hardly a deal killer given the many options Pacquiao has to cut costs and also considering the uncertainty of what will happen by taking his show to China.
On paper and without any investigation, a move to Macau, where the top tax rate is 12%, would bring him an extra $6.9 million from a proposed $25 million purse. But this is assuming all things will be equal in terms of sales and revenue-- a huge assumption.
According to Arum, himself, a major pay-per-view based outside of North America could cost his company as much as 50% of the typical buy rate. So, assuming Pacquiao-Brandon Rios on November 23 would've had one million buys if based out of Las Vegas, that number could drop to as low as 500,000. In terms of revenue, the move could cost Top Rank Promotions as much as $15 million dollars.
To combat this, Pacquiao-Rios will be staged in the morning, Chinese time, to accommodate HBO Pay-Per-View and the U.S. market. There will also be an experimental push to sell the event online to Chinese consumers at a greatly reduced rate. Still, Pacquiao's absence on American soil to hype the fight will take its toll on the bottom line buy rate.
So, what will likely happen is that Pacquiao will get a greater share of a smaller purse, thereby nullifying the financial benefits of the move to China.
The 4.6% increase in taxes from last year to this year amounts to a $1.15 million hit on a proposed $25 million payday. If Pacquiao really wanted to keep fighting in America, that relatively small amount of money could be eliminated in any number of ways.
Pacquiao and his team could refuse to have his upcoming bout sanctioned by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. Currently, there is no title attached to his fight with Brandon Rios, but it will be just a matter of time before one of the organizations generates a fake belt for the contest in an effort to squeeze out a sanctioning fee.
The 3% Pacquiao would save from refusing sanctioning body overtures would amount to an extra $750,000 in his pocket.
Of course, Pacquiao could also restructure his financial relationship with Arum so that his deal more closely resembles that of arch-rival Floyd Mayweather, who was once again named Forbes' richest athlete this year.
Mayweather, thanks in great part to his adviser Al Haymon, takes home considerably more money than Pacquiao and was recently cut a check for $32 million in base pay, before bonuses, from his May 4 PPV bout with Robert Guerrero. In contrast, Pacquiao takes home a fraction of his total earnings, with a relatively small base pay and the rest coming in drips and drabs over time.
Last December, the Filipino icon received $8.595 million in base pay for his KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, but stood to earn as much as $25 million after sales bonuses.
If Pacquiao were to actually take control of his financial dealings, the money would come rolling in and an additional $1.15 million tax burden would not be felt at all.
What's really happening here is that the Pacquiao product has grown stale in the States and his team is eager to take him to a fresh market where the fans are desperately eager for his presence and somewhat less discerning as consumers. By the time the Pacquiao honeymoon is over and the Asian market begins to demand more of him, he will be long retired with several additional paydays under his belt.
For Pacquiao, whose empire continues to grow in his native country, competing a few hours from home is much more appealing than having to travel to, literally, the other side of the planet to make a living. And if he has been sold on the idea that the money will be the same, the decision to leave America was an easy one.
While the tax excuse may be used to curtail any possible backlash from American consumers, the move is all about lengthening a career that appears to be on the decline. It's about packing up the tent and taking the circus to another town before the act gets old.
Cleveland indians apology
Cleveland indians apology, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon admitted his team was dragging a bit in Saturday's 5-0 loss to Cleveland.
It's easy to see why. After rolling to a 9-2 win in a game that began on Friday night and ended at 2:53 a.m. Saturday, the Rays were back on the field quickly. Tampa Bay managed only four hits while starter Chris Archer was knocked out in the fifth inning as the Rays' six-game winning streak came to a halt.
"Our guys legitimately were tired today and I don't blame them," Maddon said.
Saturday's game began about 10 hours following the conclusion of Friday night's contest that had nearly five hours of rain delays. No one could blame either team for feeling tired after a long night at the ballpark when three rain delays totaling 4:49 pushed a game that began on the last day of May into the early hours of the first day in June, finally ending at 2:53 a.m. Neither team took batting practice on the field Saturday for the game that began at 1:05 p.m.
"I really respected their effort today," Maddon said. "It was a tough day to come back and play this game. We'll get a good night's sleep and come back and do well tomorrow."
Archer was looking forward to pitching against the team that drafted him in 2006, but the Indians greeted him with a pair of two-run homers. Archer (0-1), called up from Triple-A Durham before the game, pitched four innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits.
"My fastball command wasn't really there as consistently as I would like it," he said. "And if you fall behind a good-hitting team and then leave pitches up, you're going to get banged. And a good-hitting team got me on a day where I was a little off."
Jason Giambi, the Indians' 42-year-old designated hitter, started the scoring for Cleveland with a two-run homer over the right field wall in the second inning, following a long at-bat for Nick Swisher that resulted in a walk.
Giambi, signed to a minor league contract in February, also hit a pinch-hit home run Monday against Cincinnati and added a three-run homer against the Reds on Wednesday.
After adding another run in the third on a Giambi single, the Indians busted the game open in the fifth inning.
Jason Kipnis led off with a single, and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a two-run homer. Nick Swisher then ripped a single up the middle that took off Archer's glove and knocked him to the ground, ending his day, though he was left uninjured.
"We just got out-pitched and out-Giambied today. That's about it," Maddon said.
Alex Torres, also called up from Triple-A Durham before Saturday's game, pitched four innings of relief, giving up one hit, striking out six and providing a much-needed break for the rest of the Rays' bullpen.
"That was an outstanding performance, that's twice he's done that for us," Maddon said. "Fastball command was about as good as I've seen him have, a fastball going where he wants it to go. Curveball, change-up , everything was really, really good."
Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3), winning for the first time since May 11, came within three outs of his fourth career complete game shutout and first since 2011 while pitching for Colorado. He was pulled after throwing 108 pitches. Vinnie Pestano pitched the ninth for Cleveland's eighth shutout of the season.
Of the Rays' four hits, two were infield singles and another was Luke Scott's bunt single in the second inning.
Desmond Jennings extended his hitting streak to eight games with a double in the seventh and Jose Molina extended his own streak to nine games on one of those infield singles. Matt Joyce saw his own eight-game hitting streak come to an end.
It's easy to see why. After rolling to a 9-2 win in a game that began on Friday night and ended at 2:53 a.m. Saturday, the Rays were back on the field quickly. Tampa Bay managed only four hits while starter Chris Archer was knocked out in the fifth inning as the Rays' six-game winning streak came to a halt.
"Our guys legitimately were tired today and I don't blame them," Maddon said.
Saturday's game began about 10 hours following the conclusion of Friday night's contest that had nearly five hours of rain delays. No one could blame either team for feeling tired after a long night at the ballpark when three rain delays totaling 4:49 pushed a game that began on the last day of May into the early hours of the first day in June, finally ending at 2:53 a.m. Neither team took batting practice on the field Saturday for the game that began at 1:05 p.m.
"I really respected their effort today," Maddon said. "It was a tough day to come back and play this game. We'll get a good night's sleep and come back and do well tomorrow."
Archer was looking forward to pitching against the team that drafted him in 2006, but the Indians greeted him with a pair of two-run homers. Archer (0-1), called up from Triple-A Durham before the game, pitched four innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits.
"My fastball command wasn't really there as consistently as I would like it," he said. "And if you fall behind a good-hitting team and then leave pitches up, you're going to get banged. And a good-hitting team got me on a day where I was a little off."
Jason Giambi, the Indians' 42-year-old designated hitter, started the scoring for Cleveland with a two-run homer over the right field wall in the second inning, following a long at-bat for Nick Swisher that resulted in a walk.
Giambi, signed to a minor league contract in February, also hit a pinch-hit home run Monday against Cincinnati and added a three-run homer against the Reds on Wednesday.
After adding another run in the third on a Giambi single, the Indians busted the game open in the fifth inning.
Jason Kipnis led off with a single, and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a two-run homer. Nick Swisher then ripped a single up the middle that took off Archer's glove and knocked him to the ground, ending his day, though he was left uninjured.
"We just got out-pitched and out-Giambied today. That's about it," Maddon said.
Alex Torres, also called up from Triple-A Durham before Saturday's game, pitched four innings of relief, giving up one hit, striking out six and providing a much-needed break for the rest of the Rays' bullpen.
"That was an outstanding performance, that's twice he's done that for us," Maddon said. "Fastball command was about as good as I've seen him have, a fastball going where he wants it to go. Curveball, change-up , everything was really, really good."
Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3), winning for the first time since May 11, came within three outs of his fourth career complete game shutout and first since 2011 while pitching for Colorado. He was pulled after throwing 108 pitches. Vinnie Pestano pitched the ninth for Cleveland's eighth shutout of the season.
Of the Rays' four hits, two were infield singles and another was Luke Scott's bunt single in the second inning.
Desmond Jennings extended his hitting streak to eight games with a double in the seventh and Jose Molina extended his own streak to nine games on one of those infield singles. Matt Joyce saw his own eight-game hitting streak come to an end.
Whitey bulger trial
Whitey bulger trial, The long-awaited trial of James “Whitey” Bulger is set to begin Tuesday with the daunting task of finding 18 impartial jurors in a pool of 675, an extraordinary number to choose from that reflects the first challenge of the complex case.
Given the epic nature of Bulger’s life, it is likely that all the potential jurors will have at least heard his name or perhaps even known him or his cohorts — or his alleged victims — legal observers said.
“The question is, ‘Based on what you know, do you feel you can be fair,’ ” said Dan Medwed, a law professor at Northeastern University. “Almost everyone in Boston is going to know about it. The goal is to find anyone who is impartial.”
The last time so many prospective jurors were called in was for the sentencing stage for serial killer Gary Lee Sampson, according to legal observers. That was to determine whether he should receive the death sentence. And it took weeks to empanel a jury.
US District Court Judge Denise J. Casper has set a tight deadline for picking a final jury in the Bulger case, scheduling opening statements for next Monday. While completing jury selection by then is seen as highly unlikely, the goal is a sign that the judge is determined to move the case along, legal observers say.
“It will be fascinating to see if she can do it . . . but it tells you she wants to run a tight ship,” said Jeffrey T. Frederick, director of jury research services for the National Legal Research Group and a writer of books on the selection process.
The lawyers involved in the case, he said, “better be focused on what you want asked or how you want to run things, because she’s basically running the clock on you.”
Bulger’s trial is set to be the climactic end to a decades-long crime story, perhaps the most notorious in Boston’s history. His reputation for alleged acts of murder and terror and his corrupt relationship with the FBI have already become the storyline for movies and books, putting pressure on lawyers and the judge to keep the trial separate from any fiction jurors may have heard before.
At a recent hearing, Casper outlined her strategy for jury selection: She will divide the pool of 675 jurors, drawn from Eastern Massachusetts, into three batches of 225. She will introduce herself, the lawyers, Bulger, and the case to the first batch of jurors Tuesday morning and then will have them fill out a 13-page questionnaire, to screen their background and potential conflicts in sitting on the panel. She will repeat the process Tuesday afternoon and again Wednesday morning with the third batch.
During that time, and into Wednesday evening, prosecutors and defense lawyers will be screening the completed questionnaires to determine whether anyone demonstrates any immediate reason to be excluded from the panel: Whether he or she knows Bulger’s family or any of the key witnesses, for example, or whether they have any particular interest in the case.
“Have you formed an opinion about the guilt or innocence of James “Whitey” Bulger with respect to the charges in this case?” goes one question.
Jurors who pass this first stage of the process will be called back to the court beginning Thursday to take part in more in-depth interviews with lawyers and prosecutors.
“What the lawyers are trying to figure out is, who the people are, and for whom you need to dig deeper,” said Edward P. Schwartz, a former law professor and a litigation and jury consultant with the national law firm TrialGraphix. “You need to keep your eyes out for people who have certain answers who raise red flags.”
Anyone who seems to defer to the rules of the court might be favorable to the prosecution, he said. Anyone who opposes drug laws might be preferred by the defense.
“It’s not even the answers they give, but the way they provide answers that might give you insight into their lives,” he said.
Casper has also approved a prosecution request to conduct criminal background checks on potential jurors.
Ultimately, Casper hopes to clear at least 40 jurors she considers suitable to serve on the jury, meaning they have no conflict or bias in serving on the panel.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers can then object to a total of 22 jurors based on legal strategies, but Casper plans to select a final panel of 18 – 12 jurors and six alternates.
In addition to the issue of whether they have heard of Bulger and can remain impartial, jurors will also have to address another key consideration – whether they can serve on a lengthy trial in the middle of the summer.
Lawyers in the case expect the trial could last three months, with testimony going into September. Casper said she plans to hold court sessions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, with testimony extended to 3:30 p.m. one day a week, expected to be Thursdays.
Jurors will have to claim a hardship in arguing they could not serve for so long, for instance a medical condition or planned activities such as a wedding. Jurors may also claim they could not afford to go so long without working.
The length of the trial itself could shape what type of person will end up on the jury, legal observers said.
“Who are the people who can afford to spend the summer doing this anyway?” said Schwartz. “It’s one thing to miss a couple of days of work, but what judge is going to make someone miss their mortgage payment or not be able to put food on someone’s table to cover this?”
But he and other legal observers said that Casper will have to draw a thin line between a legitimate hardship and an excuse to escape jury service if she intends to sit a jury of 18 people.
“It’s really going to depend on how strict the judge is going to be,” Frederick said.
Also, the lawyers will have to be wary of anyone too willing to serve on the jury.
“In big cases like this, there are people who are drawn to it and may want to be part of the case,” Medwed said. “You have to be careful about the attention-seekers.”
On a recent day outside the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse in South Boston, at least two Massachusetts residents had their own take on the trial.
Christin Swartz, a 36-year-old mother from the South Shore, said she could not endure a three-month trial.
“It’s just too detailed for me,” she said. “It would definitely be interesting, just too much.”
But Adam Dani, a 31-year-old financial adviser from Framingham, said sitting on the case would be witnessing history.
“There are few cases that have this significance in Boston, with the FBI scandal,” he said. “It would be easy to have an open mind, because no one knows what the story is.”
Given the epic nature of Bulger’s life, it is likely that all the potential jurors will have at least heard his name or perhaps even known him or his cohorts — or his alleged victims — legal observers said.
“The question is, ‘Based on what you know, do you feel you can be fair,’ ” said Dan Medwed, a law professor at Northeastern University. “Almost everyone in Boston is going to know about it. The goal is to find anyone who is impartial.”
The last time so many prospective jurors were called in was for the sentencing stage for serial killer Gary Lee Sampson, according to legal observers. That was to determine whether he should receive the death sentence. And it took weeks to empanel a jury.
US District Court Judge Denise J. Casper has set a tight deadline for picking a final jury in the Bulger case, scheduling opening statements for next Monday. While completing jury selection by then is seen as highly unlikely, the goal is a sign that the judge is determined to move the case along, legal observers say.
“It will be fascinating to see if she can do it . . . but it tells you she wants to run a tight ship,” said Jeffrey T. Frederick, director of jury research services for the National Legal Research Group and a writer of books on the selection process.
The lawyers involved in the case, he said, “better be focused on what you want asked or how you want to run things, because she’s basically running the clock on you.”
Bulger’s trial is set to be the climactic end to a decades-long crime story, perhaps the most notorious in Boston’s history. His reputation for alleged acts of murder and terror and his corrupt relationship with the FBI have already become the storyline for movies and books, putting pressure on lawyers and the judge to keep the trial separate from any fiction jurors may have heard before.
At a recent hearing, Casper outlined her strategy for jury selection: She will divide the pool of 675 jurors, drawn from Eastern Massachusetts, into three batches of 225. She will introduce herself, the lawyers, Bulger, and the case to the first batch of jurors Tuesday morning and then will have them fill out a 13-page questionnaire, to screen their background and potential conflicts in sitting on the panel. She will repeat the process Tuesday afternoon and again Wednesday morning with the third batch.
During that time, and into Wednesday evening, prosecutors and defense lawyers will be screening the completed questionnaires to determine whether anyone demonstrates any immediate reason to be excluded from the panel: Whether he or she knows Bulger’s family or any of the key witnesses, for example, or whether they have any particular interest in the case.
“Have you formed an opinion about the guilt or innocence of James “Whitey” Bulger with respect to the charges in this case?” goes one question.
Jurors who pass this first stage of the process will be called back to the court beginning Thursday to take part in more in-depth interviews with lawyers and prosecutors.
“What the lawyers are trying to figure out is, who the people are, and for whom you need to dig deeper,” said Edward P. Schwartz, a former law professor and a litigation and jury consultant with the national law firm TrialGraphix. “You need to keep your eyes out for people who have certain answers who raise red flags.”
Anyone who seems to defer to the rules of the court might be favorable to the prosecution, he said. Anyone who opposes drug laws might be preferred by the defense.
“It’s not even the answers they give, but the way they provide answers that might give you insight into their lives,” he said.
Casper has also approved a prosecution request to conduct criminal background checks on potential jurors.
Ultimately, Casper hopes to clear at least 40 jurors she considers suitable to serve on the jury, meaning they have no conflict or bias in serving on the panel.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers can then object to a total of 22 jurors based on legal strategies, but Casper plans to select a final panel of 18 – 12 jurors and six alternates.
In addition to the issue of whether they have heard of Bulger and can remain impartial, jurors will also have to address another key consideration – whether they can serve on a lengthy trial in the middle of the summer.
Lawyers in the case expect the trial could last three months, with testimony going into September. Casper said she plans to hold court sessions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, with testimony extended to 3:30 p.m. one day a week, expected to be Thursdays.
Jurors will have to claim a hardship in arguing they could not serve for so long, for instance a medical condition or planned activities such as a wedding. Jurors may also claim they could not afford to go so long without working.
The length of the trial itself could shape what type of person will end up on the jury, legal observers said.
“Who are the people who can afford to spend the summer doing this anyway?” said Schwartz. “It’s one thing to miss a couple of days of work, but what judge is going to make someone miss their mortgage payment or not be able to put food on someone’s table to cover this?”
But he and other legal observers said that Casper will have to draw a thin line between a legitimate hardship and an excuse to escape jury service if she intends to sit a jury of 18 people.
“It’s really going to depend on how strict the judge is going to be,” Frederick said.
Also, the lawyers will have to be wary of anyone too willing to serve on the jury.
“In big cases like this, there are people who are drawn to it and may want to be part of the case,” Medwed said. “You have to be careful about the attention-seekers.”
On a recent day outside the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse in South Boston, at least two Massachusetts residents had their own take on the trial.
Christin Swartz, a 36-year-old mother from the South Shore, said she could not endure a three-month trial.
“It’s just too detailed for me,” she said. “It would definitely be interesting, just too much.”
But Adam Dani, a 31-year-old financial adviser from Framingham, said sitting on the case would be witnessing history.
“There are few cases that have this significance in Boston, with the FBI scandal,” he said. “It would be easy to have an open mind, because no one knows what the story is.”
Southern california wildfire
Southern california wildfire, A fire that destroyed at least five structures and threatened hundreds of others exploded in size overnight, burning dangerously close to two communities north of Los Angeles.
Erratic wind spread the blaze in the Angeles National Forest to nearly 41 square miles early Sunday, triggering the evacuation of nearly 1,000 homes in Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth, officials said.
Matt Corelli of the Forest Service told The Associated Press that five structures had been burned down. He said they could be homes but crews were waiting for more daylight to make a positive determination.
“That’s the only number we have confirmed right now,” he said.
At least 10 other structures were damaged.
Patty Robitaille, 61, grabbed personal photos and documents before fleeing her Lake Hughes home with her pit bull, Roxie, as flames approached Saturday night. She said her home was among the first in the direct path of the fire.
“Driving away, you could see the town burning up,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t think there’s going to be much left.”
Crews working in steep terrain expected cooler weather Sunday after triple-digit temperatures a day earlier.
The wind pushed the fire up and down steep slopes, creating embers that sparked spot fires in different directions.
The fire was 20 percent contained.
A huge plume of smoke could be seen from much of various parts of northern Los Angeles County throughout Saturday, and air-quality officials warned against strenuous outdoor activity.
The blaze broke out Thursday just north of Powerhouse No. 1, a hydroelectric plant near the Los Angeles Aqueduct, forcing about 200 evacuations in the mountain community of Green Valley.
Evacuations remained in effect for the Cottonwood campground and two youth probation camps along Lake Hughes Canyon Road.
The flames were chewing thick, dry brush that hasn’t been burned in about a dozen years.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Elsewhere in the West, firefighting crews in New Mexico battled wildfires that have blackened thousands of acres and threatened homes and buildings, spurring numerous evacuations.
An uncontained blaze near Santa Fe, N.M., had spread to nearly 10 square miles by Saturday night, placing the city under a blanket of haze. The thick smoke also covered the Gallinas Canyon and Las Vegas, N.M.
Officials asked residents in about 140 homes, mainly summer residences, to evacuate as a crew of more than 400 battled the flames near the communities of Pecos and Tres Lagunas.
Another New Mexico blaze, the Thompson Ridge fire near Jemez Springs, grew to nearly 2 square miles by Saturday night, state forestry officials said. Between 40 and 50 homes in the area were evacuated as more than 200 crew members and a helicopter were fighting the blaze burning through pine forests and brush.
Forecasters said some rain was possible in both fire areas on Sunday as well as gusty winds.
And in Colorado, a spokesman for the Rio Grande National Forest said a fire 15 miles southwest of the small town of Creede was reported. No structures have been damaged, but three homes and several outbuildings were threatened Saturday.
Erratic wind spread the blaze in the Angeles National Forest to nearly 41 square miles early Sunday, triggering the evacuation of nearly 1,000 homes in Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth, officials said.
Matt Corelli of the Forest Service told The Associated Press that five structures had been burned down. He said they could be homes but crews were waiting for more daylight to make a positive determination.
“That’s the only number we have confirmed right now,” he said.
At least 10 other structures were damaged.
Patty Robitaille, 61, grabbed personal photos and documents before fleeing her Lake Hughes home with her pit bull, Roxie, as flames approached Saturday night. She said her home was among the first in the direct path of the fire.
“Driving away, you could see the town burning up,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t think there’s going to be much left.”
Crews working in steep terrain expected cooler weather Sunday after triple-digit temperatures a day earlier.
The wind pushed the fire up and down steep slopes, creating embers that sparked spot fires in different directions.
The fire was 20 percent contained.
A huge plume of smoke could be seen from much of various parts of northern Los Angeles County throughout Saturday, and air-quality officials warned against strenuous outdoor activity.
The blaze broke out Thursday just north of Powerhouse No. 1, a hydroelectric plant near the Los Angeles Aqueduct, forcing about 200 evacuations in the mountain community of Green Valley.
Evacuations remained in effect for the Cottonwood campground and two youth probation camps along Lake Hughes Canyon Road.
The flames were chewing thick, dry brush that hasn’t been burned in about a dozen years.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Elsewhere in the West, firefighting crews in New Mexico battled wildfires that have blackened thousands of acres and threatened homes and buildings, spurring numerous evacuations.
An uncontained blaze near Santa Fe, N.M., had spread to nearly 10 square miles by Saturday night, placing the city under a blanket of haze. The thick smoke also covered the Gallinas Canyon and Las Vegas, N.M.
Officials asked residents in about 140 homes, mainly summer residences, to evacuate as a crew of more than 400 battled the flames near the communities of Pecos and Tres Lagunas.
Another New Mexico blaze, the Thompson Ridge fire near Jemez Springs, grew to nearly 2 square miles by Saturday night, state forestry officials said. Between 40 and 50 homes in the area were evacuated as more than 200 crew members and a helicopter were fighting the blaze burning through pine forests and brush.
Forecasters said some rain was possible in both fire areas on Sunday as well as gusty winds.
And in Colorado, a spokesman for the Rio Grande National Forest said a fire 15 miles southwest of the small town of Creede was reported. No structures have been damaged, but three homes and several outbuildings were threatened Saturday.
Russia bans gay adoptions
Russia bans gay adoptions, Russia will ban foreign same-sex couples from adopting Russian children, an official has said, underscoring a growing rift over gay rights between President Vladimir Putin and the west.
Putin said in April that a French law allowing same-sex marriage went against traditional Russian values and signalled that Moscow would take steps to ensure gay couples from abroad did not adopt Russian orphans.
An amendment restricting foreign adoptions to "traditional" families would be submitted by the government to parliament in its autumn session, Alexei Levchenko, a spokesman for the deputy prime minister, Olga Golodets, said on Saturday.
Russian legislation sets several requirements for adoptive parents from abroad, such as sufficient income and a clean criminal record. But it does not mention sexual orientation or address the issue of same-sex couples.
Putin has frequently championed socially conservative values and courted the conservative Russian Orthodox church during a new term he started in May 2012, after a series of large street protests by mostly liberal Russians in big cities.
Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalised in Russia in 1993, but prejudice runs deep.
A poll by the independent Levada Centre found that 38% of Russians believed gay people needed medical treatment and another 13% said they should face prosecution. A March poll found that 85% opposed same-sex marriage.
Putin has said Russia does not discriminate, but he has criticised gay people for not adding to Russia's population, and the ruling United Russia party is backing legislation that activists say will amount to a prohibition on public support for gay rights.
Western governments have criticised the legislation and Putin faced protests by supporters of gay rights on a visit in April to the Netherlands, the first country to allow same-sex marriage.
Russian gay rights activists say Putin's statements and the legislation encourage discrimination against gay people. The brutal killing last month of a man who investigators said had told drinking partners he was gay has fuelled fears of more violence.
Rights campaigners say Russian orphanages are rife with criminal violations, including sexual abuse. But Olga Batalina, a politician with United Russia, said last week that adoption by same-sex families should not be an option.
Russia banned all adoptions by Americans this year in a dispute with the United States over human rights.
Putin said in April that a French law allowing same-sex marriage went against traditional Russian values and signalled that Moscow would take steps to ensure gay couples from abroad did not adopt Russian orphans.
An amendment restricting foreign adoptions to "traditional" families would be submitted by the government to parliament in its autumn session, Alexei Levchenko, a spokesman for the deputy prime minister, Olga Golodets, said on Saturday.
Russian legislation sets several requirements for adoptive parents from abroad, such as sufficient income and a clean criminal record. But it does not mention sexual orientation or address the issue of same-sex couples.
Putin has frequently championed socially conservative values and courted the conservative Russian Orthodox church during a new term he started in May 2012, after a series of large street protests by mostly liberal Russians in big cities.
Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalised in Russia in 1993, but prejudice runs deep.
A poll by the independent Levada Centre found that 38% of Russians believed gay people needed medical treatment and another 13% said they should face prosecution. A March poll found that 85% opposed same-sex marriage.
Putin has said Russia does not discriminate, but he has criticised gay people for not adding to Russia's population, and the ruling United Russia party is backing legislation that activists say will amount to a prohibition on public support for gay rights.
Western governments have criticised the legislation and Putin faced protests by supporters of gay rights on a visit in April to the Netherlands, the first country to allow same-sex marriage.
Russian gay rights activists say Putin's statements and the legislation encourage discrimination against gay people. The brutal killing last month of a man who investigators said had told drinking partners he was gay has fuelled fears of more violence.
Rights campaigners say Russian orphanages are rife with criminal violations, including sexual abuse. But Olga Batalina, a politician with United Russia, said last week that adoption by same-sex families should not be an option.
Russia banned all adoptions by Americans this year in a dispute with the United States over human rights.
Al capone auction
Al capone auction, A New England auctioneer is now accepting bids on a cache of correspondence, photos, medical documents, including eye charts, as well as related bric-a-brac that, taken together, tell the tale of that which no mortal force on Earth could seemingly engineer: the dissolution and demise of Al Capone.
According to the website of RR Auction House, which is overseeing the sale, the trove boasts a signed photo of Capone, who once commanded the infamous organization known as the "Chicago Outfit," private medical correspondence exchanged by the doctors principally charged with the mobster's late-life care, and even a reportedly rare handwritten missive in which the gangland great requests of his doctor, “2 boxes [sic] of them red pills for bowels movement.”
It’s an, “exceptional archive originating from Capone's doctor—complete with a signed photo and a virtually nonexistent handwritten letter—and fascinating private medical correspondence which sheds light upon Capone's battle with neurosyphils,” according to the Amherst, N.H., auction house.
By all accounts, Capone died in January 1947 after his parole from an eight-year stint in stir spent, among other places, at the then-newly-opened Alcatraz Prison. The twilight of his life was then spent battling against a slow descent into dementia wrought by the syphilis he reportedly contracted early in life.
The materials for sale, according to RR Auction House, were once the property of Kenneth Phillips, the Florida physician who, along with Dr. Joseph Moore of Baltimore, valiantly fought to forestall the Mafiosi’s ultimate demise.
At last check Sunday, four bids had so far been submitted, with the most lucrative bid thus far quoted at $12,100. The next bid that will be accepted, according to RR Auction House’ website, will amount to at least a little more than $13,000. The auction is tentatively scheduled to conclude June 19.
According to the website of RR Auction House, which is overseeing the sale, the trove boasts a signed photo of Capone, who once commanded the infamous organization known as the "Chicago Outfit," private medical correspondence exchanged by the doctors principally charged with the mobster's late-life care, and even a reportedly rare handwritten missive in which the gangland great requests of his doctor, “2 boxes [sic] of them red pills for bowels movement.”
It’s an, “exceptional archive originating from Capone's doctor—complete with a signed photo and a virtually nonexistent handwritten letter—and fascinating private medical correspondence which sheds light upon Capone's battle with neurosyphils,” according to the Amherst, N.H., auction house.
By all accounts, Capone died in January 1947 after his parole from an eight-year stint in stir spent, among other places, at the then-newly-opened Alcatraz Prison. The twilight of his life was then spent battling against a slow descent into dementia wrought by the syphilis he reportedly contracted early in life.
The materials for sale, according to RR Auction House, were once the property of Kenneth Phillips, the Florida physician who, along with Dr. Joseph Moore of Baltimore, valiantly fought to forestall the Mafiosi’s ultimate demise.
At last check Sunday, four bids had so far been submitted, with the most lucrative bid thus far quoted at $12,100. The next bid that will be accepted, according to RR Auction House’ website, will amount to at least a little more than $13,000. The auction is tentatively scheduled to conclude June 19.
111-year-old yankees fan
A 111-year-old fan met with the New York Yankees this week during batting practice., Derek Jeter and manager Joe Girardi greeted the man, who is probably the oldest Yankees fan there is.
Bernando LaPallo was in fact born the same year that the Yankees were founded. The devoted fan said, "This is the greatest day of my life. The Yankees and I were born in the same year, 1901," according to the New York Post.
LaPallo reportedly has lived in New York for the past 90 years, having originally been born in Brazil.
The fanatical Yankees fan explained that when he met Jeter he "spoke about his accident and hoped he would get back to hit more homers and steal more bases."
Sunday night will see the Yankees face off against the Boston Red Sox, in one of the most fierce rivalries in American sports. The two arch rivals have each won one of the games in the series so far, with the Red Sox cleaning up on Saturday by claiming an 11-1 rout.
Bernando LaPallo was in fact born the same year that the Yankees were founded. The devoted fan said, "This is the greatest day of my life. The Yankees and I were born in the same year, 1901," according to the New York Post.
LaPallo reportedly has lived in New York for the past 90 years, having originally been born in Brazil.
The fanatical Yankees fan explained that when he met Jeter he "spoke about his accident and hoped he would get back to hit more homers and steal more bases."
Sunday night will see the Yankees face off against the Boston Red Sox, in one of the most fierce rivalries in American sports. The two arch rivals have each won one of the games in the series so far, with the Red Sox cleaning up on Saturday by claiming an 11-1 rout.
Russell brand muslims
Russell brand muslims, This week on The Big Three we say bye bye to Michele Bachmann; comedian Russell Brand joins us (naked, apparently) to talk about his column condemning group-blame in the wake of the brutal beheading of a British soldier; and Dean and Margaret offer their take on a commencement address for the Class of 2013.
First, one of the most polarizing figures in American politics decided not to run for re-election this week. I think I heard church bells ringing in reaction. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was briefly an icon of the tea party movement and even pursued an ill-advised presidential campaign that resulted in numerous -- and ongoing -- ethics investigations.
Bachmann used her 15 minutes of fame to divide and demagogue our national debates, routinely accusing opponents of being anti-American and parroting conspiracy theories from her congressional pulpit. Her frequently fact-free accusations made her a favorite on the far-right, but interestingly it is liberal Democrats like Dean who already think they're going to miss her the most, while Margaret sees her departure as a win for reforming the Republican Party.
Russell Brand is best known as a British comedian and TV/film star, who, in addition to co-starring in the upcoming animated film "Despicable Me 2," is also a Solzhenitzyn-quoting, part-time essayist. In the wake of the barbaric beheading of a soldier in London, Brand wrote an essay in The Sun called "Blame this on madness...not Muslims."
Dean was particularly touched by the effort to defend the Muslim community from the ugly passions stirred by group blame. Brand's perspective is that mental illness is more at fault in the attack than the influence of radical Islam and that root causes must be analyzed, as well.
While I agree with Brand's assertion that we can't let extremists determine the terms of debate for the rest of society, especially when their goal is to take us off center by inspiring further hate and distrust, I'm not convinced that taking troops out of Afghanistan would stop terrorism -- and, unlike Brand, I think that evil exists. But it's a lively, thoughtful conversation -- especially considering that Brand informed us afterward that he conducted it naked looking in a mirror.
Which is a sideways segue to commemorating the end of another college year. Yes, its commencement address season and already words of wisdom are being dispensed on college campuses across the country by the likes of Stephen Colbert, President Obama and Wolf Blitzer. The millennial generation is coming of age and we debate whether the "everybody gets a trophy" ethos (plus the uphill economic climb) has left them well prepared for life after college.
Dean orates a commencement address of his own, while Margaret and I dispense our advice (you have to be willing to work hard if you want to follow your bliss). Plus, I trot out a dimly remembered quote I like: "The only place where success comes before work is the dictionary." Our collective consensus slogan: Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of 2013: Lower your expectations.
First, one of the most polarizing figures in American politics decided not to run for re-election this week. I think I heard church bells ringing in reaction. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was briefly an icon of the tea party movement and even pursued an ill-advised presidential campaign that resulted in numerous -- and ongoing -- ethics investigations.
Bachmann used her 15 minutes of fame to divide and demagogue our national debates, routinely accusing opponents of being anti-American and parroting conspiracy theories from her congressional pulpit. Her frequently fact-free accusations made her a favorite on the far-right, but interestingly it is liberal Democrats like Dean who already think they're going to miss her the most, while Margaret sees her departure as a win for reforming the Republican Party.
Russell Brand is best known as a British comedian and TV/film star, who, in addition to co-starring in the upcoming animated film "Despicable Me 2," is also a Solzhenitzyn-quoting, part-time essayist. In the wake of the barbaric beheading of a soldier in London, Brand wrote an essay in The Sun called "Blame this on madness...not Muslims."
Dean was particularly touched by the effort to defend the Muslim community from the ugly passions stirred by group blame. Brand's perspective is that mental illness is more at fault in the attack than the influence of radical Islam and that root causes must be analyzed, as well.
While I agree with Brand's assertion that we can't let extremists determine the terms of debate for the rest of society, especially when their goal is to take us off center by inspiring further hate and distrust, I'm not convinced that taking troops out of Afghanistan would stop terrorism -- and, unlike Brand, I think that evil exists. But it's a lively, thoughtful conversation -- especially considering that Brand informed us afterward that he conducted it naked looking in a mirror.
Which is a sideways segue to commemorating the end of another college year. Yes, its commencement address season and already words of wisdom are being dispensed on college campuses across the country by the likes of Stephen Colbert, President Obama and Wolf Blitzer. The millennial generation is coming of age and we debate whether the "everybody gets a trophy" ethos (plus the uphill economic climb) has left them well prepared for life after college.
Dean orates a commencement address of his own, while Margaret and I dispense our advice (you have to be willing to work hard if you want to follow your bliss). Plus, I trot out a dimly remembered quote I like: "The only place where success comes before work is the dictionary." Our collective consensus slogan: Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of 2013: Lower your expectations.
Maloofs kings
Maloofs kings, With a $534 million valuation price tag, the Maloof family sold the Sacramento Kings to a group headed by Vivek Ranadive. The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the team and the transfer of ownership was completed Friday.
With everything resolved, the Maloofs making a record amount of money for the sale of their team, and the team staying in Sacramento, the Maloof family took out a full-page ad in the Sacramento Bee on Sunday thanking the fans for 15 years of supporting the team while the family owned it."Thank you Sacramento for 15 wonderful years.
The amazing memories created during these past seasons were because of you, the fans, and our dedicated employees. We truly cherish our time as stewards of the Kings franchise. The people of Sacramento warmly brought the Kings into their hearts and for that we will always be greatful. Many thanks to Bob Hernreich and our partners Bud Benvenuti, John Kehriotis, and Dave Lucchetti for their support and commitment to the Kings organization.
We also recognize Mayor Kevin Johnson, the City Council, and the City of Sacramento staff for their efforts and loyalty to the people of Sacramento. We wish the new ownership group, led by Vivek Ranadive and Mark Mastrov, all the best. We will always love the Kings and we will always be Kings fans.
Go Kings!"
There were plenty of contentious times over the past three years with the Maloof family and the city of Sacramento. The Maloofs attempted to move the team to Anaheim in 2011, backed out of an arena deal with the city of Sacramento in 2012, and then sold the team to a Seattle-based ownership group with the intent of the team being moved out of Sacramento.
But after an incredible grassroots effort to keep the team in Sacramento by the fans and the ownership coming together with the leadership of Mayor Kevin Johnson, the league eventually rejected the relocation bid to Seattle and the Maloofs agreed to sell the team to the Ranadive group.
It's a great gesture by the Maloofs to put water under the bridge.
With everything resolved, the Maloofs making a record amount of money for the sale of their team, and the team staying in Sacramento, the Maloof family took out a full-page ad in the Sacramento Bee on Sunday thanking the fans for 15 years of supporting the team while the family owned it."Thank you Sacramento for 15 wonderful years.
The amazing memories created during these past seasons were because of you, the fans, and our dedicated employees. We truly cherish our time as stewards of the Kings franchise. The people of Sacramento warmly brought the Kings into their hearts and for that we will always be greatful. Many thanks to Bob Hernreich and our partners Bud Benvenuti, John Kehriotis, and Dave Lucchetti for their support and commitment to the Kings organization.
We also recognize Mayor Kevin Johnson, the City Council, and the City of Sacramento staff for their efforts and loyalty to the people of Sacramento. We wish the new ownership group, led by Vivek Ranadive and Mark Mastrov, all the best. We will always love the Kings and we will always be Kings fans.
Go Kings!"
There were plenty of contentious times over the past three years with the Maloof family and the city of Sacramento. The Maloofs attempted to move the team to Anaheim in 2011, backed out of an arena deal with the city of Sacramento in 2012, and then sold the team to a Seattle-based ownership group with the intent of the team being moved out of Sacramento.
But after an incredible grassroots effort to keep the team in Sacramento by the fans and the ownership coming together with the leadership of Mayor Kevin Johnson, the league eventually rejected the relocation bid to Seattle and the Maloofs agreed to sell the team to the Ranadive group.
It's a great gesture by the Maloofs to put water under the bridge.
Blown call
Blown call, — Francisco Rodriguez and the Milwaukee Brewers had a little extra help holding off the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Second-base umpire Mike Estabrook called pinch-runner Kyle Kendrick out on a pickoff even though shortstop Jean Segura tagged him without the ball and the Brewers held on to beat Philadelphia 4-3.
Kendrick was the second out of the inning, and the next batter doubled before Rodriguez was able to nail down his third consecutive save.
After the game, crew chief Tom Hallion told a pool reporter that it was an incorrect call after looking at replay.
"The ball goes in the glove and comes out of the glove with Kendrick diving back in and with Segura diving back for the ball," Hallion told the reporter. "Obviously, Mike was in the right position to make a pickoff play call like that. But the way that the play developed, the ball comes free and rolls right in Segura's bare hand and he comes up shows him the ball."
Before the ninth, Jonathan Lucroy homered and Wily Peralta tossed seven strong innings for Milwaukee.
After Rodriguez intentionally walked Domonic Brown, he retired Michael Martinez on a groundout to end the game. Kendrick went right to the video room after the play and said he was "just mad" when he saw the replay.
"He was in a bad position to see that, but that was the game," Kendrick said. "I score right there and we have a tie game and anything can happen."
Logan Schafer went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI for Milwaukee, which won its second in a row after finishing May tied for the worst winning percentage (.214) in club history.
"We got some breaks again today," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "This game is fun because you're always trying to figure it out. It's frustrating because you can't do anything about it. It really isn't fair."
Peralta (4-6) entered on a four-game losing streak but had one of his best outings of the season, surrendering two runs and eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Peralta successfully pitched out of trouble throughout and stranded runners at second in four of his seven innings, including when he struck out Brown with his final pitch in the seventh.
Brown had 12 homers in May, with six in his last five games. He went 1-for-4 with a single and a pair of strikeouts Saturday. Freddy Galvis homered and Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a double for Philadelphia, which lost its third in a row and fifth in seven games. The Phillies dropped to 8-24 when scoring three runs or fewer.
Galvis homered to lead off the ninth before Jimmy Rollins, who didn't start because of a sore foot, followed with a pinch-hit single. Kendrick ran for Rollins and went to second on Ben Revere's sacrifice bunt, but was picked off.
"It's unfortunate, but it's one of those plays that if any one of us — any umpire — had seen the loose ball, we certainly would have come in and helped Mike out with that," Hallion said. "The problem was that I don't think anybody saw the ball. I don't think anyone from the Phillies dugout or the Brewers dugout or Kendrick knew that the ball was on the ground."
After the Kendrick out, Rodriguez intentionally walked Brown to put runners on first and second with two outs before getting Michael Martinez to ground out to end the game.
"It's kind of how things have been going for us," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
Tyler Cloyd (1-2) gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk in seven innings.
Delmon Young was responsible for two of the Brewers' first three runs, as his throwing error in the second inning allowed Lucroy to score after Schafer's RBI single that also scored Aramis Ramirez and gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.
Kevin Frandsen's RBI groundout in the fourth pulled the Phillies within 2-1. But the Brewers got the run back in the fifth when Segura tripled for a 3-1 lead.
Philadelphia closed within 3-2 on Erik Kratz's RBI single in the sixth, but Lucroy homered to left with two outs in the eighth off reliever Mike Adams. It was the third homer in two games for Lucroy, who went 5-for-5 with two homers and a double in Friday's 8-5 win over Philadelphia.
Second-base umpire Mike Estabrook called pinch-runner Kyle Kendrick out on a pickoff even though shortstop Jean Segura tagged him without the ball and the Brewers held on to beat Philadelphia 4-3.
Kendrick was the second out of the inning, and the next batter doubled before Rodriguez was able to nail down his third consecutive save.
After the game, crew chief Tom Hallion told a pool reporter that it was an incorrect call after looking at replay.
"The ball goes in the glove and comes out of the glove with Kendrick diving back in and with Segura diving back for the ball," Hallion told the reporter. "Obviously, Mike was in the right position to make a pickoff play call like that. But the way that the play developed, the ball comes free and rolls right in Segura's bare hand and he comes up shows him the ball."
Before the ninth, Jonathan Lucroy homered and Wily Peralta tossed seven strong innings for Milwaukee.
After Rodriguez intentionally walked Domonic Brown, he retired Michael Martinez on a groundout to end the game. Kendrick went right to the video room after the play and said he was "just mad" when he saw the replay.
"He was in a bad position to see that, but that was the game," Kendrick said. "I score right there and we have a tie game and anything can happen."
Logan Schafer went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI for Milwaukee, which won its second in a row after finishing May tied for the worst winning percentage (.214) in club history.
"We got some breaks again today," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "This game is fun because you're always trying to figure it out. It's frustrating because you can't do anything about it. It really isn't fair."
Peralta (4-6) entered on a four-game losing streak but had one of his best outings of the season, surrendering two runs and eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Peralta successfully pitched out of trouble throughout and stranded runners at second in four of his seven innings, including when he struck out Brown with his final pitch in the seventh.
Brown had 12 homers in May, with six in his last five games. He went 1-for-4 with a single and a pair of strikeouts Saturday. Freddy Galvis homered and Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a double for Philadelphia, which lost its third in a row and fifth in seven games. The Phillies dropped to 8-24 when scoring three runs or fewer.
Galvis homered to lead off the ninth before Jimmy Rollins, who didn't start because of a sore foot, followed with a pinch-hit single. Kendrick ran for Rollins and went to second on Ben Revere's sacrifice bunt, but was picked off.
"It's unfortunate, but it's one of those plays that if any one of us — any umpire — had seen the loose ball, we certainly would have come in and helped Mike out with that," Hallion said. "The problem was that I don't think anybody saw the ball. I don't think anyone from the Phillies dugout or the Brewers dugout or Kendrick knew that the ball was on the ground."
After the Kendrick out, Rodriguez intentionally walked Brown to put runners on first and second with two outs before getting Michael Martinez to ground out to end the game.
"It's kind of how things have been going for us," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
Tyler Cloyd (1-2) gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk in seven innings.
Delmon Young was responsible for two of the Brewers' first three runs, as his throwing error in the second inning allowed Lucroy to score after Schafer's RBI single that also scored Aramis Ramirez and gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.
Kevin Frandsen's RBI groundout in the fourth pulled the Phillies within 2-1. But the Brewers got the run back in the fifth when Segura tripled for a 3-1 lead.
Philadelphia closed within 3-2 on Erik Kratz's RBI single in the sixth, but Lucroy homered to left with two outs in the eighth off reliever Mike Adams. It was the third homer in two games for Lucroy, who went 5-for-5 with two homers and a double in Friday's 8-5 win over Philadelphia.
Queen elizabeth celebrates
Queen elizabeth celebrates, Queen Elizabeth the second is celebrating sixty years since her coronation.
The British monarch is spending the anniversary in private.
A commemorative service will be held on Tuesday in Westminster Abbey, where the young Elizabeth was crowned.
Earlier this week, the queen visited the London barracks of Lee Rigby – a soldier killed in a brutal attack in the capital last month that shocked the nation.
The queen was crowned on the second of June nineteen fifty three, at the age of twenty seven.
The coronation took place more than a year after Elizabeth acceded to the throne, to allow a period of mourning for her father King George the sixth.
Six decades on, a festival will be held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace in July to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
The British monarch is spending the anniversary in private.
A commemorative service will be held on Tuesday in Westminster Abbey, where the young Elizabeth was crowned.
Earlier this week, the queen visited the London barracks of Lee Rigby – a soldier killed in a brutal attack in the capital last month that shocked the nation.
The queen was crowned on the second of June nineteen fifty three, at the age of twenty seven.
The coronation took place more than a year after Elizabeth acceded to the throne, to allow a period of mourning for her father King George the sixth.
Six decades on, a festival will be held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace in July to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
IRS $50 million
IRS $50 million, A government watchdog has found that the Internal Revenue Service spent about $50 million to hold at least 220 conferences for employees between 2010 and 2012, a House committee said Sunday.
The chairman of that committee, Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican, also released excerpts of congressional investigators’ interviews with employees of the IRS office in Cincinnati. Issa said the interviews indicated the employees were directed by Washington to subject Tea Party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status to tough scrutiny.
The excerpts provided no direct evidence that Washington had ordered that screening. The top Democrat on that panel, Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said none of the employees interviewed have so far identified any IRS officials in Washington as ordering that targeting.
The conference spending included $4 million for an August 2010 gathering in Anaheim, Calif., for which the agency did not negotiate lower room rates, even though that is standard government practice, according to a statement by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Instead, some of the 2,600 attendees received benefits, including baseball tickets and stays in presidential suites that normally cost $1,500 to $3,500 per night. In addition, 15 outside speakers were paid a total of $135,000 in fees, with one paid $17,000 to talk about ‘‘leadership through art,’’ the House committee said.
The report by the Treasury Department’s inspector general, set to be released Tuesday, comes as the IRS already is facing bipartisan criticism after agency officials disclosed they had targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups.
Agency officials and the Obama administration have said that treatment was inappropriate, but the political tempest has put the White House on the defensive.
Three congressional committees are investigating, a Justice Department criminal investigation is underway, President Obama has replaced the IRS’s acting commissioner, and two other top officials have stepped aside.
The Treasury Department released a statement Sunday saying the administration ‘‘has already taken aggressive and dramatic action to reduce conference spending.’’
IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge said Sunday that spending on large agency conferences with 50 or more participants fell from $37.6 million in the 2010 budget year to $4.9 million in 2012. The government’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1 the previous calendar year.
On Friday, the new acting commissioner, Danny Werfel, released a statement on the forthcoming report criticizing the Anaheim meeting.
‘‘This conference is an unfortunate vestige from a prior era,’’ Werfel said. ‘‘While there were legitimate reasons for holding the meeting, many of the expenses associated with it were inappropriate and should not have occurred.’’
Issa’s committee also released excerpts from interviews congressional investigators conducted last week with two IRS employees from the agency’s Cincinnati office. The excerpts omitted the names of those interviewed and provided no specifics about individuals in Washington who may have been involved.
One of the IRS employees said in an excerpt that they were told by a supervisor that the need to collect the reports came from Washington, and said that in early 2010 the Cincinnati office had sent copies of seven of the cases to Washington.
The other said ‘‘all my direction’’ came from an official that the transcript said was in Washington.
One of the workers also expressed skepticism that the Cincinnati office originated the screening without direction from Washington, according to the excerpts.
Appearing Sunday on CNN’s ‘‘State of the Union,’’ Issa said this conflicted with White House comments that have referred to misconduct by IRS workers in Cincinnati. Without naming White House spokesman Jay Carney, Issa said the administration’s ‘‘paid liar, their spokesperson’’ is ‘‘still making up things about what happens in calling this local rogue.’’
He added, ‘‘This is a problem that was coordinated in all likelihood right out of Washington headquarters and we’re getting to proving it.’’
In briefings with reporters, Carney has not referred to the Cincinnati IRS office as ‘‘rogue.’’
‘‘He’s good at throwing out outlandish charges but it’s unclear what he’s saying he lied about,’’ White House spokesman Eric Schultz said of Issa’s remark.
Cummings said Issa’s comments conflicted with a Treasury inspector general’s report that provided no evidence that the Cincinnati office received orders on targeting from anyone else.
The chairman of that committee, Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican, also released excerpts of congressional investigators’ interviews with employees of the IRS office in Cincinnati. Issa said the interviews indicated the employees were directed by Washington to subject Tea Party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status to tough scrutiny.
The excerpts provided no direct evidence that Washington had ordered that screening. The top Democrat on that panel, Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said none of the employees interviewed have so far identified any IRS officials in Washington as ordering that targeting.
The conference spending included $4 million for an August 2010 gathering in Anaheim, Calif., for which the agency did not negotiate lower room rates, even though that is standard government practice, according to a statement by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Instead, some of the 2,600 attendees received benefits, including baseball tickets and stays in presidential suites that normally cost $1,500 to $3,500 per night. In addition, 15 outside speakers were paid a total of $135,000 in fees, with one paid $17,000 to talk about ‘‘leadership through art,’’ the House committee said.
The report by the Treasury Department’s inspector general, set to be released Tuesday, comes as the IRS already is facing bipartisan criticism after agency officials disclosed they had targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups.
Agency officials and the Obama administration have said that treatment was inappropriate, but the political tempest has put the White House on the defensive.
Three congressional committees are investigating, a Justice Department criminal investigation is underway, President Obama has replaced the IRS’s acting commissioner, and two other top officials have stepped aside.
The Treasury Department released a statement Sunday saying the administration ‘‘has already taken aggressive and dramatic action to reduce conference spending.’’
IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge said Sunday that spending on large agency conferences with 50 or more participants fell from $37.6 million in the 2010 budget year to $4.9 million in 2012. The government’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1 the previous calendar year.
On Friday, the new acting commissioner, Danny Werfel, released a statement on the forthcoming report criticizing the Anaheim meeting.
‘‘This conference is an unfortunate vestige from a prior era,’’ Werfel said. ‘‘While there were legitimate reasons for holding the meeting, many of the expenses associated with it were inappropriate and should not have occurred.’’
Issa’s committee also released excerpts from interviews congressional investigators conducted last week with two IRS employees from the agency’s Cincinnati office. The excerpts omitted the names of those interviewed and provided no specifics about individuals in Washington who may have been involved.
One of the IRS employees said in an excerpt that they were told by a supervisor that the need to collect the reports came from Washington, and said that in early 2010 the Cincinnati office had sent copies of seven of the cases to Washington.
The other said ‘‘all my direction’’ came from an official that the transcript said was in Washington.
One of the workers also expressed skepticism that the Cincinnati office originated the screening without direction from Washington, according to the excerpts.
Appearing Sunday on CNN’s ‘‘State of the Union,’’ Issa said this conflicted with White House comments that have referred to misconduct by IRS workers in Cincinnati. Without naming White House spokesman Jay Carney, Issa said the administration’s ‘‘paid liar, their spokesperson’’ is ‘‘still making up things about what happens in calling this local rogue.’’
He added, ‘‘This is a problem that was coordinated in all likelihood right out of Washington headquarters and we’re getting to proving it.’’
In briefings with reporters, Carney has not referred to the Cincinnati IRS office as ‘‘rogue.’’
‘‘He’s good at throwing out outlandish charges but it’s unclear what he’s saying he lied about,’’ White House spokesman Eric Schultz said of Issa’s remark.
Cummings said Issa’s comments conflicted with a Treasury inspector general’s report that provided no evidence that the Cincinnati office received orders on targeting from anyone else.
Rihanna fans sue
Rihanna fans sue, You’d think that Rihanna is pretty used to having her face plastered across everything from CD covers, to shop windows, to those electrical singing toothbrushes (we definitely don’t own the One Direction one...) But rumour has it she was apparently OUTRAGED recently to hear that Topshop have been selling a t-shirt with her face on, allegedly without asking her permission.
Oooh crumbs. Sounds like it’s all kicking off in the high street fashion world.Ri-Ri’s legal team are said to be in serious heated debate with Toppers over the tee, and have apparently told them to stop both the selling and the production of it, even though the top has proven to be a huge best seller for the shop.
The troublemaking tee apparently features a cheeky snapshot from the We Found Love video, and Rihanna is said to have demanded £3 million in compensation for all the chaos it’s caused. Talk about a drama llama.
As if that wasn’t enough, things are said to have become even more tense between Rihanna and Topshop, as even though it’s believed the claim was filed in March, the shop haven’t actually stopped selling the t-shirt, or reached a settlement to sort things out.
A source told the New York Times that “What is most offensive for Rihanna is that they basically told her ‘Go to hell, we don’t care, we are going to continue selling you.’ Even though the UK laws don’t protect the artist, she has decided to move forward and sue Topshop... What they are doing is wrong.”
So that’s that then. We imagine Topshop’s reply went something along the lines of ‘I wish we could all just get along like we used to in middle school. I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles, and everyone would eat and be happy.’ Meanwhile, River Island shouts TOPSHOP DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE.
What do you reckon to all this? Is it unfair of Topshop to use Rihanna’s face on a tee, or is she over-reacting? Comments please folks.
Oooh crumbs. Sounds like it’s all kicking off in the high street fashion world.Ri-Ri’s legal team are said to be in serious heated debate with Toppers over the tee, and have apparently told them to stop both the selling and the production of it, even though the top has proven to be a huge best seller for the shop.
The troublemaking tee apparently features a cheeky snapshot from the We Found Love video, and Rihanna is said to have demanded £3 million in compensation for all the chaos it’s caused. Talk about a drama llama.
As if that wasn’t enough, things are said to have become even more tense between Rihanna and Topshop, as even though it’s believed the claim was filed in March, the shop haven’t actually stopped selling the t-shirt, or reached a settlement to sort things out.
A source told the New York Times that “What is most offensive for Rihanna is that they basically told her ‘Go to hell, we don’t care, we are going to continue selling you.’ Even though the UK laws don’t protect the artist, she has decided to move forward and sue Topshop... What they are doing is wrong.”
So that’s that then. We imagine Topshop’s reply went something along the lines of ‘I wish we could all just get along like we used to in middle school. I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles, and everyone would eat and be happy.’ Meanwhile, River Island shouts TOPSHOP DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE.
What do you reckon to all this? Is it unfair of Topshop to use Rihanna’s face on a tee, or is she over-reacting? Comments please folks.
Powerball winner
Powerball winner, It's been two long weeks since the small city of Zephyrhills learned that a $590 million Powerball ticket was sold at a supermarket here.
No one expected the winner to come forward in the first days after the announcement. After all, curious residents reasoned, the person might need a few days to absorb the shock, or to consult with financial advisers.
But then a week passed, and more, and now folks are so anxious to know the winner's identity they could jump out of their skin.
"Being in a small town, everybody knows everybody and in some cases, everybody's business," said Dave Walters, a longtime reporter at the Zephyrhills News community newspaper. "It's hard to keep a secret in this town, but this is one of the biggest mysteries we've had in a long, long time."
Zephyrhills, population 13,337, is about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tampa. Like many Florida communities, it features a small, old-timey downtown strip where restaurants, gift shops and clothing stores sit under a canopy of oak trees. Around the city's perimeter, there's the suburban sprawl of big box stores. It was in that sprawl, at a Publix supermarket, where the winning ticket was sold.
Rumors were swirling about who the winner could be: Publix deli employees, single moms working at Wal-Mart -- even the cousin of a friend of a guy who lived clear in another county.
"Anybody who did not show up for work on that Monday was considered to be the lottery winner," Walters said. "If you had the flu and didn't show up for work, everyone thought you were the lottery winner. If you took a personal day or a sick day, they thought you had won the lottery."
The city is known around the Tampa Bay area for a few things: as the source for bottled spring water, as an area where people like to skydive and as the home to several mobile home parks that cater to the elderly.
Joe Abed, who owns Manolo's Italian restaurant in the historic downtown, thinks the ticket was sold to a senior citizen.
"It's a conspiracy theory," he said, using his hands to make quote marks. "I believe it's a senior citizen that purchased the ticket and they just have no idea that they won the ticket."
Marsha Decena, a Zephyrhills clothing store owner, said she's anxious to find out who won.
"I've heard so many different rumors through town, from it being a 23- or 26-year-old woman to somebody might have washed it in their pocket, the ticket is just lost and they don't know that they won," she said. "It's crazy."
The winner has 60 days from the date of the May 18 drawing to claim a lump-sum payment, and until mid-November to claim annual cash payments.
Zephyrhills resident Don Lawrence thinks the winner is just lining up legal and accounting staff.
"Lost the ticket or something like that? No, I don't think so," he said. "I think somebody's taking their time, doing it the right way."
Newly elected Mayor Danny Burgess -- who turned 27 on Saturday -- said he hopes it's a resident.
"Just because one person won the lottery, we all feel like we won, that's the kind of community this is," Burgess said. "I absolutely hope for the lottery winner that this is a positive, life-changing event. Only in America can you go to bed with a lottery ticket and wake up a mega-millionaire. I hope that they understand, appreciate and recognize the significance of this."
Abed wonders if the ticket eventually is "just going to go back into the system" so the country can have "another huge lottery."
But that's wishful thinking. According to the Florida Lottery website, if a Powerball jackpot isn't claimed within 180 days from the draw date, "the funds to pay the unclaimed jackpot will be returned to the lottery members in their proportion of sales for the jackpot rollover series."
In other words, state coffers will claim the jackpot, and the people of Zephyrhills will be left to wonder.
No one expected the winner to come forward in the first days after the announcement. After all, curious residents reasoned, the person might need a few days to absorb the shock, or to consult with financial advisers.
But then a week passed, and more, and now folks are so anxious to know the winner's identity they could jump out of their skin.
"Being in a small town, everybody knows everybody and in some cases, everybody's business," said Dave Walters, a longtime reporter at the Zephyrhills News community newspaper. "It's hard to keep a secret in this town, but this is one of the biggest mysteries we've had in a long, long time."
Zephyrhills, population 13,337, is about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tampa. Like many Florida communities, it features a small, old-timey downtown strip where restaurants, gift shops and clothing stores sit under a canopy of oak trees. Around the city's perimeter, there's the suburban sprawl of big box stores. It was in that sprawl, at a Publix supermarket, where the winning ticket was sold.
Rumors were swirling about who the winner could be: Publix deli employees, single moms working at Wal-Mart -- even the cousin of a friend of a guy who lived clear in another county.
"Anybody who did not show up for work on that Monday was considered to be the lottery winner," Walters said. "If you had the flu and didn't show up for work, everyone thought you were the lottery winner. If you took a personal day or a sick day, they thought you had won the lottery."
The city is known around the Tampa Bay area for a few things: as the source for bottled spring water, as an area where people like to skydive and as the home to several mobile home parks that cater to the elderly.
Joe Abed, who owns Manolo's Italian restaurant in the historic downtown, thinks the ticket was sold to a senior citizen.
"It's a conspiracy theory," he said, using his hands to make quote marks. "I believe it's a senior citizen that purchased the ticket and they just have no idea that they won the ticket."
Marsha Decena, a Zephyrhills clothing store owner, said she's anxious to find out who won.
"I've heard so many different rumors through town, from it being a 23- or 26-year-old woman to somebody might have washed it in their pocket, the ticket is just lost and they don't know that they won," she said. "It's crazy."
The winner has 60 days from the date of the May 18 drawing to claim a lump-sum payment, and until mid-November to claim annual cash payments.
Zephyrhills resident Don Lawrence thinks the winner is just lining up legal and accounting staff.
"Lost the ticket or something like that? No, I don't think so," he said. "I think somebody's taking their time, doing it the right way."
Newly elected Mayor Danny Burgess -- who turned 27 on Saturday -- said he hopes it's a resident.
"Just because one person won the lottery, we all feel like we won, that's the kind of community this is," Burgess said. "I absolutely hope for the lottery winner that this is a positive, life-changing event. Only in America can you go to bed with a lottery ticket and wake up a mega-millionaire. I hope that they understand, appreciate and recognize the significance of this."
Abed wonders if the ticket eventually is "just going to go back into the system" so the country can have "another huge lottery."
But that's wishful thinking. According to the Florida Lottery website, if a Powerball jackpot isn't claimed within 180 days from the draw date, "the funds to pay the unclaimed jackpot will be returned to the lottery members in their proportion of sales for the jackpot rollover series."
In other words, state coffers will claim the jackpot, and the people of Zephyrhills will be left to wonder.
Steve austin tony romo
Steve austin tony romo, Steve Austin has some Stone Cold straight-talk for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The former WWE wrestler verbally body-slammed the the 33-year-old QB in his podcast last week, saying Romo has "(s---) the bed" in the clutch for the franchise that hasn't won a Super Bowl in 18 (going on 19) years.
“My problem with Dallas is I think Tony Romo is a damn good quarterback, but he (s---) the bed at the most inopportune times. So when I look for leadership, I can’t say that Tony Romo is the clear cut leader,” Austin said on “The Steve Austin Show.”
The 48-year-old former champ described himself as something of a free agent fan, saying he can't fully support America's Team until they “get their (s---) together.”
But he's clearly got an eye on his home-state Cowboys, adding that Jerry Jones needs to let someone else make the personnel decisions and predicting that the weight of his $100 million contract will weigh Romo down.
"I just read in the newspaper that he was going to spend more Peyton Manning-like time in the film room. Now this is what, six, eight years into his career (he's entering his 10th year),” Austin asked. “He shoulda been doin' that from the get-go. So I think he's finally understanding what the game is about. He's inherently accurate, he's got a quick release, he doesn't have the strongest arm in the world but he can damn sure throw it. So he just needs to do some brain work."
“My problem with Dallas is I think Tony Romo is a damn good quarterback, but he (s---) the bed at the most inopportune times. So when I look for leadership, I can’t say that Tony Romo is the clear cut leader,” Austin said on “The Steve Austin Show.”
The 48-year-old former champ described himself as something of a free agent fan, saying he can't fully support America's Team until they “get their (s---) together.”
But he's clearly got an eye on his home-state Cowboys, adding that Jerry Jones needs to let someone else make the personnel decisions and predicting that the weight of his $100 million contract will weigh Romo down.
"I just read in the newspaper that he was going to spend more Peyton Manning-like time in the film room. Now this is what, six, eight years into his career (he's entering his 10th year),” Austin asked. “He shoulda been doin' that from the get-go. So I think he's finally understanding what the game is about. He's inherently accurate, he's got a quick release, he doesn't have the strongest arm in the world but he can damn sure throw it. So he just needs to do some brain work."
400-year-old plants
400-year-old plants, Calling it the Rip Van Winkle of the plant world, nature is providing awe-struck researchers with a live sample of a plant that has woken up after being dormant for 400 years.
Incredibly, while exploring Teardrop Glacier way north in the Canadian Arctic, researchers noticed something "green." And it was growing.
It turns out the plant is an ancient bryophyte that emerged when the ice receded and began growing again - after being dormant for 400 years!!!
Since the Little Ice Age, this plant has been covered by ice, which is now receding because of climate change.
What's amazing is that these plants precede the bryophyte we know on earth today. They do not have the vascular tissue necessary to pump fluids, Dr. Catherine La Farge, who found the plant, told BBC News.
Moss is a bryophyte, for example. "After 100 years, a moss may look perfectly natural and even retain it's green color," explains Jonathan Shaw, who runs a bryology lab at Duke University, in an interview with PBS.
The other amazing thing, he says, is the ability for bryophytes to regenerate, but no one expected it would wait for 400 years.
As the world's glaciers recede, more bryophytes will appear and repopulate the landscape the glaciers leave behind.
In fact, many plants are emerging from a long sleep under ice, such as cyanobacteria and green terrestrial algae, and some plants scientists have never seen before.
"It's like lifting a blanket," La Farge told PBS.
Incredibly, while exploring Teardrop Glacier way north in the Canadian Arctic, researchers noticed something "green." And it was growing.
It turns out the plant is an ancient bryophyte that emerged when the ice receded and began growing again - after being dormant for 400 years!!!
Since the Little Ice Age, this plant has been covered by ice, which is now receding because of climate change.
What's amazing is that these plants precede the bryophyte we know on earth today. They do not have the vascular tissue necessary to pump fluids, Dr. Catherine La Farge, who found the plant, told BBC News.
Moss is a bryophyte, for example. "After 100 years, a moss may look perfectly natural and even retain it's green color," explains Jonathan Shaw, who runs a bryology lab at Duke University, in an interview with PBS.
The other amazing thing, he says, is the ability for bryophytes to regenerate, but no one expected it would wait for 400 years.
As the world's glaciers recede, more bryophytes will appear and repopulate the landscape the glaciers leave behind.
In fact, many plants are emerging from a long sleep under ice, such as cyanobacteria and green terrestrial algae, and some plants scientists have never seen before.
"It's like lifting a blanket," La Farge told PBS.
Spelling bee controversy
Spelling bee controversy, We're always a little miffed this time of year when the Scripps National Spelling Bee gets big-time sports coverage like it's the Super Bowl.
So with the Bee (thankfully) finished on Thursday, we can at least give you a real tie to sports — with some of the best recent sports spelling screw-ups. And we won't even make anyone spell out Coach K's name.
You would think simple spelling would not be a problem at some of America's finest institutions of higher learning. You would be wrong.
Even Notre Dame, a school who preaches constantly about its high standards, cannot always be trusted. In gearing up for what would be a magical 2012 football season, the official team gloves included a minor goof. Unless Cha Pion was one of the school's past fencing champions, perhaps?
Sheesh, I hope at least they didn't wear the jersey of the opposing team. Because that would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?
In one case, the respected Duke Blue Devils — a school with head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who really should be a spokesman for Webster's Dictionary — once lost out on a recruit because they couldn't get the kid's name right. So he went to rival North Carolina.
It's not like the NCAA (wait, did we spell that correctly?) is any better. During the 2012 National Championship telecast at the NCAA Tournament, marketing wizards smartly utilized on-court banners to promote the site of the ensuing year's Final Four location. But we bet no one realized the 2013 tourney would be held in some Lithuanian town.
So with the Bee (thankfully) finished on Thursday, we can at least give you a real tie to sports — with some of the best recent sports spelling screw-ups. And we won't even make anyone spell out Coach K's name.
You would think simple spelling would not be a problem at some of America's finest institutions of higher learning. You would be wrong.
Even Notre Dame, a school who preaches constantly about its high standards, cannot always be trusted. In gearing up for what would be a magical 2012 football season, the official team gloves included a minor goof. Unless Cha Pion was one of the school's past fencing champions, perhaps?
Sheesh, I hope at least they didn't wear the jersey of the opposing team. Because that would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?
In one case, the respected Duke Blue Devils — a school with head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who really should be a spokesman for Webster's Dictionary — once lost out on a recruit because they couldn't get the kid's name right. So he went to rival North Carolina.
It's not like the NCAA (wait, did we spell that correctly?) is any better. During the 2012 National Championship telecast at the NCAA Tournament, marketing wizards smartly utilized on-court banners to promote the site of the ensuing year's Final Four location. But we bet no one realized the 2013 tourney would be held in some Lithuanian town.
Firefox redesign
Firefox redesign, A Firefox redesign is trending on top news headlines this week, as Tools for Black Hats reported this Saturday, June 2, that the Vice-President of Mozilla Firefox is considering making some new changes and updates to its browser in order to meet more modern Web surfers’ needs.
According to the report, the Firefox redesign has called the very term of “browser” into question.
“Maybe we shouldn’t even call it a browser anymore,” said the VP of Mozilla Firefox engineering, Jonathan Nightingale, in a statement on the potential future update. “‘Browser’ is really an antiquated word. People don’t really browse all that much anymore.”
The Vice-President of the popular search engine instead said that the future of Internet searching will come to Web users through the use of social networking sources, updated productivity tools on the Web, and various mobile apps. All of these may make an impact on the future of the Firefox redesign.
A possible start to the redesign of Mozilla Firefox has been hinted to be called Australis (which may get its name from another star system). The new project is said to possibly make use of new and updated release channels via Firefox.
In a somewhat similar appearance to Google Chrome, the new Firefox redesign would feature Australis having tabs that appear as rounded corners for easier access for users, as well as an easy-access icon near the upper search box and URL that will offer customized settings and searches.
What do you feel may be part of the new Firefox redesign? Do you believe a new Mozilla Firefox update is necessary, and that many Internet browsers have indeed become savvy enough for more advanced updates?
For the most recent top news, please feel welcome to follow Ryan on Twitter here or check out his community Examiner page for alerts via email, The Top News Examiner. Thank you.
According to the report, the Firefox redesign has called the very term of “browser” into question.
“Maybe we shouldn’t even call it a browser anymore,” said the VP of Mozilla Firefox engineering, Jonathan Nightingale, in a statement on the potential future update. “‘Browser’ is really an antiquated word. People don’t really browse all that much anymore.”
The Vice-President of the popular search engine instead said that the future of Internet searching will come to Web users through the use of social networking sources, updated productivity tools on the Web, and various mobile apps. All of these may make an impact on the future of the Firefox redesign.
A possible start to the redesign of Mozilla Firefox has been hinted to be called Australis (which may get its name from another star system). The new project is said to possibly make use of new and updated release channels via Firefox.
In a somewhat similar appearance to Google Chrome, the new Firefox redesign would feature Australis having tabs that appear as rounded corners for easier access for users, as well as an easy-access icon near the upper search box and URL that will offer customized settings and searches.
What do you feel may be part of the new Firefox redesign? Do you believe a new Mozilla Firefox update is necessary, and that many Internet browsers have indeed become savvy enough for more advanced updates?
For the most recent top news, please feel welcome to follow Ryan on Twitter here or check out his community Examiner page for alerts via email, The Top News Examiner. Thank you.
Tatum baby
Tatum baby, Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Channing Tatum have welcomed their first child into the world. Dewan gave birth to their bundle of joy while in London, E! News confirms. Details, such as the baby's gender and name, have not yet been disclosed.
The actress' father, Darryll Dewan, tells us, "Becoming a grandad and grandmom while speaking for Jenna's mom, is a wonderful life experience. Emotional, cant stop smiling. Anxious to meet our grandchild and hug Jenna and Chan. They are an amazing couple and will be great parents. I'm very excited for everyone in each of our families."
The pregnant actress had been settling into her overseas life while her hubby was filming his latest flick, Jupiter Ascending, with Mila Kunis and Robin Williams.
The Magic Mike actor previously told E! News that the couple opted not to know the baby's gender, saying, "it's one of the only real surprises that you're going to get that's legit."
He also spilled that he thinks his pregnant wife was "one of the sexiest things ever."
The actress' father, Darryll Dewan, tells us, "Becoming a grandad and grandmom while speaking for Jenna's mom, is a wonderful life experience. Emotional, cant stop smiling. Anxious to meet our grandchild and hug Jenna and Chan. They are an amazing couple and will be great parents. I'm very excited for everyone in each of our families."
The pregnant actress had been settling into her overseas life while her hubby was filming his latest flick, Jupiter Ascending, with Mila Kunis and Robin Williams.
The Magic Mike actor previously told E! News that the couple opted not to know the baby's gender, saying, "it's one of the only real surprises that you're going to get that's legit."
He also spilled that he thinks his pregnant wife was "one of the sexiest things ever."