Source: www.buzzfeed.com - Saturday, January 31, 2015
After a reported 112 days of fighting, the city of Kobani has been released from ISIS control. Osman Orsal / Reuters Kurdish ground forces, aided by extensive airstrike from the U.S., have regained the Syrian town of Kobani from ISIS control, U.S. Lieutenant-General James Terry said on Saturday. Two suspected ISIS fighters admitted that the militant group has abandoned Kobani due to U.S.-led airstrikes in a video given to the ISIS-aligned Amak news agency, saying that aerial attacks from fighter jets led them to retreat, the Guardian reported . Earlier this week, Kurdish fighters battling ISIS said that after 122 of fighting, the city was no longer in ISIS control, CNN reported . Supporting the claim of the Kurdish forces, Lieutenant-General Terry said in a statement that "Kurdish ground forces, supported by our air component, were successful in retaking the town of Kobani." The Kurdish fighters, known as the YPG or People's Protection Units, were backed by an extensive campaign of airstrikes by the U.S.-led international coalition against ISIS. Osman Orsal / Reuters "Recently, we have withdrawn from Ayn Al-Islam bit by bit, because of the airstrikes and deaths of a number of our brothers," one of the two ISIS fighters said in the video , with most of his face covered. He claimed that ISIS members had raided 360 villages in and around Kobani, adding that the reason for leaving the city is that "we no longer had places to hold the
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After a reported 112 days of fighting, the city of Kobani has been released from ISIS control. Osman Orsal / Reuters Kurdish ground forces, aided by extensive airstrike from the U.S., have regained the Syrian town of Kobani from ISIS control, U.S. Lieutenant-General James Terry said on Saturday. Two suspected ISIS fighters admitted that the militant group has abandoned Kobani due to U.S.-led airstrikes in a video given to the ISIS-aligned Amak news agency, saying that aerial attacks from fighter jets led them to retreat, the Guardian reported . Earlier this week, Kurdish fighters battling ISIS said that after 122 of fighting, the city was no longer in ISIS control, CNN reported . Supporting the claim of the Kurdish forces, Lieutenant-General Terry said in a statement that "Kurdish ground forces, supported by our air component, were successful in retaking the town of Kobani." The Kurdish fighters, known as the YPG or People's Protection Units, were backed by an extensive campaign of airstrikes by the U.S.-led international coalition against ISIS. Osman Orsal / Reuters "Recently, we have withdrawn from Ayn Al-Islam bit by bit, because of the airstrikes and deaths of a number of our brothers," one of the two ISIS fighters said in the video , with most of his face covered. He claimed that ISIS members had raided 360 villages in and around Kobani, adding that the reason for leaving the city is that "we no longer had places to hold thefrom Top News on RSS Feeds http://ift.tt/1wOHqb8
From Michael Moore and Howard Dean to Jesse Ventura and Michelle Obama , we have spent a lot of time discussing the reaction in this country to Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated film American Sniper . But now that the movie has actually been seen by a number of people in Arab world, reports have started to come out this week that reveal their often unexpected reactions. American Sniper opened at Baghdad’s Mansour Mall theater earlier this month, but after just a week, it was pulled from screens because, as one theater employee told a reporter working for the GlobalPost, “the hero of this film boasts of killing more than 160 Muslims.” Another major movie theater in the city decided not to show the film “for fear of inciting protests and violence.” But before it was yanked from the theater, one Iraqi man named Gaith Mohammed said that it played to full and enthusiastic crowds. “Some people watching were just concentrating, but others were screaming ‘Fuck, shoot him! He has an IED, don’t wait for permission!!’” he said of one of the film’s many tense scenes. “I love watching war movies because especially now they give me the strength to face ISIS,” he continued, saying he did not find anything anti-Arab about the film. “No, why? The sniper was killing terrorists, the only thing that bothered me was when he said he didn’t know anything about the Quran!” But a government ministry employee named Wael said he’s happy the film is no longe
Islamic State (Isis) militants have released a video which appeared to show the murder of a journalist at the centre of hostage negotiations with the Japanese government.
The Chinese censorship of international websites is well known, and now it has become even tougher against social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and various other services. Read more...
Chaos in Yemen is leading to even greater Middle East instability, shines the spotlight of failure on a nation President Obama hailed as a foreign policy success just four months ago and forces an even tougher negotiating position with the Iranians, according to retired U.S. Navy Capt. Chuck Nash. As he laid out his approach to confronting the Islamic State, or ISIS, in September, Obama cited numerous operations targeting terrorists in Yemen as a major success of his effort to take the fight to the terrorists. “We took out Osama bin Laden and much of al-Qaida’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Obama said. “We’ve targeted al-Qaida’s affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia.” Nash said that’s looking pretty bad in hindsight. “It just adds to the overall instability and the mess that the Middle East has become ever since the Arab Spring,” he said. “This was the knife in the heart of Yemen, which the president has been holding out as a way of modeling our success post-Arab Spring.” Yemen has a complicated history in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism. Even before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, al-Qaida attacked the USS Cole as it refueled in Yemen, killing 17 Navy personnel. Since 9/11, the Yemeni government sporadically assisted in the fight against al-Qaida even as the terror group’s Yemeni chapter, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, grew in size and effect
A single case of measles was confirmed in Dutchess County on Thursday evening, January 29, 2015 at Bard College. The individual is a student at the college. The Dutchess County Department of Health is working in coordination with Bard College, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), local hospitals and emergency responders because the student had traveled recently on an Amtrak train creating the possibility of exposure beyond the college campus. ...
It can be argued that Russell Wilson is the most valuable player in the NFL thanks to his great ability and his extremely team-friendly contract that gives the Seattle Seahawks a huge advantage over the rest of the NFL. But that is about to change, and it is going to make life much more difficult for the Seahawks next season. As a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Wilson signed an entry-level contract worth $3 million over the first four years. Despite already proving himself as an NFL quarterback and helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship, Wilson is making only $817,000 this year. The Seahawks had just a combined $2.6 million committed to the three quarterbacks on their roster this season, or just 1.9% of their payroll, according to Spotrac.com . For comparison, 11 teams had more than 10% of their payroll allocated to the most important position on the team. The New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers each had more than $21 million, or 15.9% of their payrolls, going to quarterbacks. However, once the season is over, Wilson will be eligible for a new contract for the first time. One report says the Seahawks are preparing to make Wilson the highest-paid player in the NFL, which translates to an annual salary of at least $20 million . That is going to present "challenges" to the Seahawks, Seahawks general manager John Schneider told 710AM in Seattle , challenges the team has not faced during its rise to promine
Earlier on Saturday, Yasuhide Nakayama – the head of Tokyo’s emergency response team in the Jordanian capital of Amman – told journalists that there had been no progress in attempts to negotiate the release of Goto and Maaz al-Kassasbeh, a first lieutenant in the Jordanian Air Force. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Six Nations players face new sanctions aimed at stamping out “Hollywood” behaviour – rugby’s version of simulation in football – in a crackdown by disciplinary chiefs.
Though some reports point to an uptick in human trafficking around the Super Bowl , experts are increasingly denouncing the statistic as a "myth" that detracts from a reality in which the crime is a problem year-round. And on any given day, that crime is largely happening online. Research suggests the majority of human trafficking activity takes place digitally. A 2012 report by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that 76 percent of trafficking transactions for sex with underage girls started on the Internet, World Pulse pointed out. Those findings go hand-in-hand with a 2014 study that discovered 70 percent of child trafficking survivors surveyed were at some point sold online. "People are posted and sold online multiple times a day ," Asia, a survivor of sex trafficking, told Thorn -- the agency behind the 2014 report that studies technology's role in sex trafficking. "As far as the ad that was posted up [for me]… just [like] you can go find a car, there was a picture, and a description, and a price." Widespread Internet access also means the crime can occur anywhere -- not just in the places you may expect -- Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) pointed out. “We’re alarmed by what this industry is doing , how it’s growing in the United States, and not just in urban areas around big events,” Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) told EWTN. “Everybody thinks human trafficking and sex trafficking is happening at the Super Bowl, a
After nearly 7,000 miles in the air, Troy Bradley of Albequerque and Leonid Tiukhtyaev of Russia came back to earth on Saturday, landing their helium-filled balloon four miles offshore of Baja California, The Associated Press reports . Bradley (left) and Tiukhtyaev | ( AP Photo/Tami Bradley-Two Eagles Balloon Team ) The Two Eagles Balloon team took off from Japan early on Sunday morning; a little less than a week later, they had broken at least two long-standing records for ballooning; the pilots easily exceeded the previous distance record of 5,209 miles, and also set a new duration record of six days, 16 hours, and 38 minutes in the air. The official distance and time of the flight still has to be confirmed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, so in the meantime, feast your eyes on the views from above. —Sarah Eberspacher Crossing the Pacific Ocean | ( AP Photo/Two Eagles Balloon Team ) Passing over Mount Fuji | ( AP Photo/Two Eagles Balloon Team )
Order in the homeroom Sometimes these various bits of state gun legislation get a bit confusing for me. In Texas is it apparently already legal for teachers to employ “reasonable force” in disciplinary situations and be protected from legal repercussions. (Good for them.) That applies to normal situations of “discipline” and maintaining order, though.. not a full blown crisis […] Read this post »
Bobbi Kristina Brown, the 21-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found in unresponsive in a bathtub in her Georgia home Saturday, NBC reports : Brown's husband, Nick Gordon, and a friend found her in the tub in the morning and started CPR, the Roswell Police Department said in a statement. Police and rescue personnel arrived at the home at 10:25 a.m. and performed "life-saving measures" before Brown, 21, was brought alive to the nearby North Fulton Hospital. The incident remains under investigation, police said. It comes less than two weeks before the third anniversary of Houston's death. The Grammy-winning singer was found submerged in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills, California, hotel on Feb. 11, 2012. TMZ adds doctors have stabilized her breathing and that she is in ICU.
It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and you are frantically searching for some way to watch the game with all those friends you invited over at the last minute, right? That, or you are at home alone with a pint of ice cream. Either way, it's OK, and everything is going to be fine! It's actually super easy to watch the Super Bowl online this year. Just click over to NBC , and they'll have everything set up for you. You don’t even need proof of a cable subscription or anything. Yes, dear American, your online dreams have been answered Want to watch 10 straight hours of Super Bowl coverage in what can only be described as the modern-day equivalent of Chinese water torture? You can! NBC will start its livestream at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, Feb. 1, and will continue to stream Super Bowl coverage until around 10 p.m., when it’ll throw on a new episode “ The Blacklist .” The actual Super Bowl starts around 6:30 p.m. on NBC. This isn’t the first time NBC has streamed the Super Bowl, but it is the first time it’s been able to include the halftime show in the stream , which is good news for those of you who are forced to watch the Super Bowl but hate, you know, football. One thing to note: The streaming service won’t work on your smartphone . But honestly, you don’t want to be that guy anyway.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Serena Williams stuck out a fist in mock triumph and mouthed “C’mon,” careful not to push her point too far. The 33-year-old Williams was closing in on her 19th Grand Slam singles title, 16th straight win over Maria Sharapova and sixth Australian Open championship when she was docked a point by the chair umpire for hindrance —yelling in celebration too early when she thought she’d hit a service winner. She didn’t let that, or another early celebration on match point, or a hacking cough that made her sick, become distractions. Instead, Williams maintained her composure to beat Sharapova 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Saturday to stay perfect in finals at Melbourne Park and move closer to Steffi Graf’s record of 22 major titles in the Open era. “I got too excited and I hit a great serve . . . I didn’t expect her to get it back,” Williams explained of the hindrance call in the seventh game of the second set. “I said ‘C’mon’ a little too soon. I guess there’s a rule that you can’t do it. So I’m fine with it. I moved on very fast to the next point, just tried to stay as focused as I could.” The muted fist pump, she said, was just for fun. “I’m like, ‘C’mon.’ It just goes to show you I have more fun on the court. I would have never done that three years ago, four years ago,” said Williams, who has let similar calls upset her in the past, “so I just kind of made a little sarcasm after that.” On her third match point, she let her r
That video was captured by by EdMass and retitled Climate Change: The Best Evah Weather Report . Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) normally appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most recent Wednesday Spotlight can be seen here . More than 21,740 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it. Because of the relatively small number of eco-diaries the past few days, the categories usually included with the Green Spotlight have been dropped for this edition only. The Ugly Truth about Methane Pollution from Fracking —by Earthworks Action : "Recently, the Obama administration came out with its plans to regulate methane from oil and gas wells. These rules will be the first of their kind, and underscore two of the most important problems with fracking-enabled oil and gas production—its impact on the climate and its impact on human health. Oil and gas operations across the country are a major source of air pollution of all types. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), coupled with nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide (together known as NOx) and sunlight, produce ozone, which is hazardous
From Pew Research David Karol : We cannot know all the factors that went into Romney’s decision, and maybe we never will. Politics, as Bismarck said, is not an exact science, and neither is political science. But as far as it goes, the abortive Romney 2016 bid is consistent with a view of campaigns in which party elites play an important role. Romney had the poll numbers. He has the money. What he didn’t have was a warm welcome from party elites. Romney by now has a lot of experience in presidential campaigns. It seems he drew conclusions from the signals he got. Campaign analysts should, too. To be clear: I don't know what @MittRomney will say this morning, but every talk I've had w/ Mitt World leads me to believe he will run — @MarkHalperin Jonathan Bernstein doesn't have to scramble. Himself writing in 2014: A Catch to Philip Klein for demolishing the case for Mitt Romney, 2016. Yeah, it’s a thing, or at least some people are trying to make it one. It’s possible that, one of these Novembers, a presidential loser will win the nomination again, as Richard Nixon did in 1968. Before that, Tom Dewey got a chance to lose a second time in 1948, and Adlai Stevenson in 1956. Hubert Humphrey came very close to winning in 1972. I’d say that Al Gore would have been a very viable candidate in 2004 or 2008, and that John Kerry could have had an excellent chance in 2008. So it could happen. But Romney? See also Jan 2015 ( Do Republicans Real
A NASA satellite lifted off early Saturday on a three-year mission to track the amount of water locked in soil, which may help residents in low-lying regions brace for floods or farmers prepare for drought conditions.
ATLANTA (AP) — The daughter of late singer and entertainer Whitney Houston was found unresponsive in a bathtub Saturday and taken to a hospital in the north Atlanta suburbs, police said.
Eric Decker is trying to get Demaryius Thomas to take his talents to the Big Apple.
A photo of a Halifax grocery store clerk walking a 72-year-old customer home on icy sidewalks has gone viral, getting more than 12,000 likes on Facebook.
Serena Williams wins sixth Australian Open Getty The superstar continued her domination of the tennis world and rival Maria Sharapova despite a hacking cough Saturday night. Sharapova's kind words for winner In other sports news What Super Bowl tickets look like Katy Perry on halftime performance
NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory, on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket, is seen after the mobile service tower was rolled back Friday, Jan. 30 at Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls At dawn this morning (Jan. 31) NASA launched an advanced Earth science satellite aimed at making measurements of our planet’s surface soil moisture and freeze/thaw states from space that will revolutionize our understanding of the water, energy, carbon cycles driving all life on Earth. NASA’s new Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory lifted off at (...) Read the rest of NASA Launches Revolutionary Earth Science Satellite Measuring Soil Moisture Cycle (595 words) © Ken Kremer for Universe Today , 2015. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: cats , CATS ISS , Delta II rocket , Earth , Earth Observation , Earth science , Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) , NASA , smap , soil moisture active passive , soil moisture measurements , ULA , United Launch Alliance , Vandenberg Air Force Base , water cycle Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
Bruce Jenner is 'transitioning into a woman' Getty Rumors have been swirling for months about the former Olympian, and it seems that those close to him are finally discussing his journey. 'He is finally happy' In other entertainment news Heidi Montag's father arrested Sean Penn on his next marriage
Google X laboratories, located in Mountain View, California, has been working on a wristband that can detect cancer cells and warn of impending heart attacks and other diseases transmitted through a person’s blood. The Atlantic visited the semi-secretive research center, which employs more than 100 doctors and scientists, and asked its head why Google is making human skin. The project is still in its infancy, said Andrew Conrad, head of Google Life Sciences. However, scientists are hopeful they will “ change medicine from being episodic and reactive, like going to the doctor saying ‘my arm hurts,' to being proactive and preventative.” He explained that in order to find cancer cells, the technology would use disease-detecting nanoparticles, ingested via a pill, that send data back to a sensor on a wristband. The “light up” cells make their way underneath the detector which, like a magnet, attracts the nanoparticles. “We have [the nanoparticles] circulate around your whole body looking for those cells and we collect them using a magnet and basically ask them what they saw, ” Conrad said. READ MORE : Google nanobots: Early warning system for cancer, heart disease inside the body The head of research explained that these nanoparticles with cancer cells will “light up.” In order to catch the light, scientists need to study how it passes through the skin. Thus, Google started making “practice arms” with synthetic skin and real human sk
In a Facebook post, Netanyahu railed against the “false accusations against me and my wife that seek to topple the Likud and bring the left to power.” Netanyahu criticized local media who jumped at the opportunity to ridicule Sara, just a month-and-a-half ahead of scheduled snap elections which will pit Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party against a united center-left front. "All of this aims to detract attention from what is really important – who will lead the country," he wrote. But Israeli media did seize the chance to make fun of Sara. A frequent target for left-leaning Haaretz, she is often portrayed as out of touch and extravagant. In the wake of the revelation, Haaretz published a cartoon of her seated in her living room, watching the recent spat between Israel and Hezbollah on television, surrounded by empty bottles and ordering her staff to take the bottles to the supermarket. Path now open for police to question Sara Netanyahu on bottle deposit scandal http://t.co/RRqrBqo0nt http://ift.tt/16bN55J — Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) January 31, 2015 In 2013, the Netanyahu couple returned $1,000 from used bottles to the state, according to a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office. However, Meni Naftali, a former manager for the prime minister’s residence, alleges in a lawsuit for wrongful treatment that the actual sum was much higher. He claims that Sara made around $6,000 over the course of four years during her husband’s
By now we are all aware of Syriza’s win in the Greek elections last week. In the postmortem analyses, more than a few observers have wondered if the radical Left’s success in Greece will embolden similar parties in other European nations. Now, it looks like we’re starting to get our answer. In Spain, who probably has the worst economic and fiscal situation in Europe outside of Greece, the fledging Podemos (“We can”–sound familiar?) Party was able to turn out what’s estimated to be hundreds of thousands of people for a rally. As the Associated Press reports : Hundreds of thousands of people marched through Madrid on Saturday in a show of strength by a fledgling radical leftist party, which hopes to emulate the success of Greece’s Syriza party in the Spanish general election later this year. Podemos supporters from across Spain converged around the Cibeles fountain Saturday before packing the avenue leading to Puerta del Sol square in what was the party’s largest rally to date. [...] The party’s rise is greatly due to the charisma of its pony-tailed leader, Pablo Iglesias, a 36-year-old political science professor. Hailing from the Madrid working class neighborhood of Vallecas, Iglesias prefers jeans and rolled up shirt sleeves to a suit and tie and champions slogans such as Spain is “run by the butlers of the rich” and that the economy must serve the people. “We want change,” Iglesias told the crowd. “This is the year for change a
This post originally appeared on Bustle . By Rosanne Salvatore Hey world, are you sitting down? I need to talk to you about something, and some of you probably won't like it, but I'm just going to come out and say it. There are millions of real female football fans out there, and I am one of them. Holy shit, did some of you just faint? If you've regained consciousness, please quickly run through all your stages of shock (it usually goes something like denial, anger, acceptance) so we can get on with this conversation. As Super Bowl Sunday approaches (aka my favorite religious holiday of the year), I find it absolutely mind boggling how confused people are by female sports fans. I'm not sure when females liking football became some rare disease that afflicts only remote sections of our population, but I've actually lost count of how many men, and yes women, are mystified by me. And I'm not even talking about my hidden talent to spill my beer, pick it back up, and spill it again, repeatedly. I'm talking about my sincere love for the game of football. Like all great love stories, me and football have had our ups and downs. I am well aware that the NFL is not having the ~best~ year. It's my hope that the more we talk about issues like domestic abuse in the NFL , the closer we are to tackling these issues in society too. I wish I could say that I get most pushback because of the stigma of violence in the NFL, but actually the most ign
Their children have been sent home from school. Their families are barred from birthday parties and neighborhood play dates. Online, people call them negligent and criminal. And as officials in 14 states grapple to contain a spreading measles outbreak that began near here at Disneyland, the parents at the heart of America’s anti-vaccine movement are being blamed for incubating an otherwise preventable public-health crisis.
Amagansett, New York. Architect Julian Neski built this three-bedroom, award-winning home. Set on 2 acres of mature beech trees, this house has a sun porch, tall exposed-beam ceilings, a fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls throughout. Additional amenities include a heated swimming pool, a two-car garage, and access to area beaches. $1,792,000. Martha P. Gundersen, Brown Harris Stevens, (631) 903-6131. Barrington Hills, Illinois . This five-bedroom contemporary was built in 2001 and sits on a 5.1-acre wooded lot. Interior details include floor-to-ceiling doorways and windows, a gallery hall, a chef's kitchen, and a glass sunroom. The property features an infinity pool, slate decking, and a greenhouse. $2,250,000. Mimi Burke, Remax/Top Agent Network, (847) 421-2836. Litchfield, Connecticut. Renowned architect Marcel Breuer constructed the Stillman House I in 1950. Lying at the end of a quiet lane, the home was restored in 2010 using the original plans. Details include an open-floor plan with walls of windows, a main level bedroom, and two fireplaces. Outside, a floating staircase leads to a pool with a mural painted by Alexander Calder. $2,495,000. Rick Distel, Sotheby's International Realty/William Pitt, (860) 868-6933. Los Angeles. This four-bedroom house was the former home of actor Mario Van Peebles. Built in 1961, it has a kitchen with seamless cabinets, a vaulted-ceiling living room, and a master suite with a fireplac
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — A NASA satellite lifted off early Saturday with the hope it will transmit data that will help the world do a better job of preparing for floods and droughts.
The International Monetary Fund is meant to be the firefighter of the world economy. Recently, though, it is China that has responded to the ringing of alarms. First, it lent Argentina cash to replenish its dwindling foreign-exchange reserves. Next, with the rouble crashing, China offered credit to Russia. Then Venezuela begged for funds to stave off a default. Strategic interests dictate where China points its financial hose: these countries supply it with oil and food. But if a government anywhere goes bust, it now has an alternative to the IMF. In the past six months China has also invaded the development patch of the other great Bretton Woods institution, the World Bank. First, China--along with Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa--established the New Development Bank. Then it unveiled the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Finally it launched the Silk Road Fund, backed by yet another development bank. None has started operating, but China has pledged more than $140 billion to these new institutions. China's clout should not be exaggerated. The yuan is not yet fully convertible and will not be for several years, which limits its influence. But the country's leaders are clearly marshalling the cash and the strategy to become a banker to the world. This is at once welcome and worrying. It is welcome because it is in everyone's interest to have China's vast savings, stashed away for too long in low-yielding American govern
Patriots secondary challenge for Russell Wilson, but Seattle D nearing NFL legend status.
Karen Butler LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, John Krasinski, Chris Evans, Steven Tyler and Eli Roth are taking the blame for deflating the New England Patriots' footballs.
Mark Danner in The New York Times: On or about Sept. 11, 2001, American character changed. What Americans had proudly flaunted as “our highest values” were now judged to be luxuries that in a new time of peril the country could ill afford. Justice, and its cardinal principle of innocent until proven guilty, became a risk, its indulgence a weakness. Asked recently about an innocent man who had been tortured to death in an American “black site” in Afghanistan, former Vice President Dick Cheney did not hesitate. “I’m more concerned,” he said, “with bad guys who got out and released than I am with a few that, in fact, were innocent.” In this new era in which all would be sacrificed to protect the country, torture and even murder of the innocent must be counted simply “collateral damage.” “Guantánamo Diary” is the most profound account yet written of what it is like to be that collateral damage. One fall day 13 years ago Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a 30-year-old electrical engineer and telecommunications specialist, received a visit at his house in Noakchott, Mauritania, from two officers summoning him to come answer questions at the country’s intelligence ministry. “Take your car,” one of the men told him, as Slahi stood in front of his house with his mother and his aunt. “We hope you can come back today.” Listening to these words, Slahi’s mother fixed her eyes on her son. “It is the taste of helplessness,” he writes, “when you see your be
Poor earnings have hurt Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) so badly that its share price drop is the largest among the 30 Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks so far this year. American Express Co.’s (NYSE: AXP) loss is a very tiny tick better for the same period, as is the drop of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM). The software maker’s stock is off 13.2%. The quarterly earnings problem may be overblown, if Microsoft can grow much, much faster in the cloud sector. However, first Microsoft will need to get around the perception that its revenue was bolstered almost entirely by its handset business last quarter. Total revenue for the period rose from $24.5 billion in the period a year ago to $26.5 billion. However, Microsoft did not have any revenue from “phone hardware” in the quarter last year. This year the number was $2.3 billion. While much of the anxiety about the numbers was centered on Windows (devices and consumer licensing), the artificial boost from phones tells more about the ground Microsoft’s other businesses have lost, or are barely gaining. ALSO READ: Top Analysts Defend Battered Technology Stock Leaders Microsoft management continues to flog the value of its venture into cloud computing. That revenue growth is impressive. But Microsoft has cast it in a way that does not take into account the fierce battle within the industry. The headline was that commercial cloud revenue rose at a three-fold rate “for the sixth consecut
This weekend will be a significant one to sports fans everywhere as the NFL's annual Super Bowl will air Sunday -- but it also marks another historic moment worth honoring. On this day in 1988, former American football player Doug Williams was named the first African-American player to earn the MVP title. Williams also broke barriers by becoming the first black football quarterback to play in a Super Bowl game. Williams, now 59, played for the Washington Redskins and helped the team defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII at the Jack Murphy stadium in San Diego, California. The final score was Washington 42, Denver 10. The former quarterback eventually retired from the sport after the 1989 season and went on to take on head coaching roles at numerous schools including Morehouse College and Grambling State. He later accepted a position in the front office with the Washington Redskins last February. Take a look back at some of Williams' impressive career highlights in the pictures below as we honor his contributions to sports -- and black -- history:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two pilots in a helium-filled balloon landed safely off the coast of Mexico early Saturday after an audacious, nearly 7,000-mile-long trip across the Pacific Ocean that shattered two long-standing records for ballooning.
If you are the boss, your behavior may be speaking volumes without your even recognizing it, and it says different things around the world. Take a simple action like riding a bike to work. In countries like Denmark, when the boss rides a bike to work (which is common), it may symbolize to the egalitarian Danes a strong leadership voice: "Look, I'm one of you." Something similar applies in Australia, as explained by Steve Henning, an executive in the textile industry: One of my most proud lifestyle choices back in Australia was the fact that I was a near-full-time bicycle commuter. My Surly Long Haul Trucker bike wasn't just a toy; it was a fully equipped work-horse that was used for shopping, getting around, travelling to and from work, weekend leisure rides, and anything else I needed. I'm a senior vice president in our company, and my Australian staff thought it was great that I rode a bike to work. If anything, they liked that their boss showed up to work in a bike helmet. So I decided to bring my bicycle with me when I was assigned to a new job in China. Henning had been using his bike during his daily commute in Shanghai for a while when he discovered that the tactic had certainly attracted attention from his team members. "Just not the type of attention I was hoping for," Henning sighs. While sharing a dinner and drinks with a Chinese colleague and friend, Henning learned what his staff was saying about him: My team was hum
Rolling Stone are bringing pieces of history to our smartphones and tablets today by making their vast archives available on Google Play. Iconic issues dating back almost 50 years to the magazine’s 1967 launch are now just one touch away via the Google Play Newsstand app — and it’s all free. Read more below… “From Fear and Loathing to the financial crisis, John and Yoko to Janet Jackson, Rolling Stone produced some of the most iconic music and political coverage in America for the past five decades,” said Brian Irving, global head of marketing for Google Play. “We’re proud to offer this rich history to people for free, where they can explore and interact with every issue on Play Newsstand.” For those who’d rather read old issues on a larger screen, Rolling Stone have also launched a desktop edition called CoverWall , allowing users to seamlessly browse the magazine archives and read “three to four major stories” from each issue (and, of course, spend like 10 minutes staring at those magnificent covers). Here’s to hoping rap magazines follow suit soon. Can you imagine being able to flip through classic issues like Death Row on VIBE in ’96 or Jay, Ja and X on XXL in ’99? All from the comfort of your iPhone!? Make it happen. Related: Rick Ross Has His Own Advice Column In Rolling Stone
WASHINGTON -- Political observers to the left of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are calling a release of bids for the construction of new housing units in West Bank settlements an intentional gambit to boost Netanyahu's Likud party ahead of Israeli elections in mid-March. On Friday, Israel published what are known as "tenders" for 450 new homes across four existing settlements in the West Bank. The announcement was the first of its kind since October, leading Netanyahu critics to suggest the move is an attempt to curry favor within the nationalistic settler movement ahead of the elections, which are set for March 17. About 600,000 Israeli civilians now live in settlements in the territories Israel seized from Jordan in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Palestinians hope to establish a state in the territories, and much of the international community consider the construction of settlements there a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace. Israel says the status of the settlements must be decided in negotiations. The announcement by the Israeli Housing Ministry, led by pro-settlement Jewish Home party member Uri Ariel, immediately drew condemnation from the Palestinian Authority. The U.S. government also criticized the decision : State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the move would further isolate Israel internationally and would "inflame tensions," while White House spokesman Josh Earnest said new settlements wou
Concern over gas prices has fallen steeply in the past few months, but a gas tax hike remains unpopular. The percentage of Americans for whom gas prices are at least a somewhat serious problem has fallen 20 points over the last three months, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll . Just a quarter currently say gas prices are a problem for their family, down from 45 percent in last November, and nearly 80 percent in 2012. An even smaller fraction -- 6 percent -- say the price is a serious problem. Chart created using Datawrapper. Lower gas prices have somewhat energized advocates for raising the federal gas tax , which hasn't gone up since 1993. Money from the gas tax goes to the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for building and repairing infrastructure, and is set to run out around May. "If something like this is going to be done, now is the time to do it,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who last year co-sponsored a bipartisan gas tax bill, told The New York Times . Yet only 25 percent of Americans in the latest HuffPost/YouGov poll approve of the proposal to raise the gas tax by 12 cents over the next two years -- and to continue to increase it in accordance with inflation -- in order to fund highway road improvements. Fifty-five percent oppose the increase, and another 20 percent are unsure. Republicans reject the idea of a tax hike by a margin of more than 3-to-1. Democrats are more evenly divided but still opposed, with 36 percent
Everyone knows that Katy Perry is prepping to take her place on the field this weekend for the XLIX Super Bowl half-time show, but did you know that Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott are also performing? Earlier this month, the she announced that Lenny would be joining her during her half-time performance. Today (Jan. 30), AP added onto the surprises by reporting the the return of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and the performance of her 2002 hit "Work It." After the 2006 release of her greatest hits album, "Respect M.E.", she went on a hiatus. A hyperthyroid disorder called Graves' disease had inhibited her from working. She opened up about it to People magazine back in 2011. Thankfully after strenuous treatments, her condition stabilized and she is now getting back to working on her music career. This hasn't been the first time that Missy Elliot and Katy Perry have performed together either, so nothing less than a fire dynamic is expected. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Mike Huckabee's hard-line stance against gay marriage went over well with First Baptist Church of Charlotte's congregation Thursday night. Said one attendee at the event: "He's logical, he makes sense...and he's a Christian. He would make a great president." WNBA star Brittney Griner and her fiance Glory Johnson will pick a wedding dress on tonight's episode of Say Yes to The Dress: Atlanta . Idina Menzel is set to star in Ellen DeGeneres' new single-camera comedy series Happy Time . Mitt Romney isn't running for president again. But he's going to get what he wants in the 2016 race. St. John's basketball player Rysheed Jordan tweets anti-gay slur, apologizes. Media Matters for America on Sarah Palin and the demise of the tea party media . "Note that Palin's accelerated descent this week represents a larger trend within the conservative media. It represents the decline of the tea party wing of the right-wing press and how a once-flourishing enterprise of outside upstarts, with their eyes on disrupting the GOP hierarchy, have in recent years faded in terms of importance and prestige within that sphere." The GOP-controlled Senate has passed the Keystone XL pipeline. Eddie Murphy is returning to Saturday Night Live for the first time in 30 years. Philly radio station releases video of Chris Christie falling off a chair . Singer James Blunt has upset some folks with a "dropping the soap in the shower" gay joke. Two men are on trial in
After being thrown into the national spotlight on issues of sexual assault, the University of Virginia will consider plans to create a research institute on violence, offer new courses on campus safety and use surveys to create new strategies - all in an effort to become a national leader in improving campus safety. U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan made the remarks Friday during a speech to the campus community to address "recent issues." Recently, a U.Va. student was abducted and killed, and then Rolling Stone magazine published a story describing a culture of sexual violence at the school. Sullivan called the previous semester one of the most traumatic in the university's history. "Before the Rolling Stone story was discredited, it seemed to resonate with some people simply because it confirmed their darkest suspicions about universities - that administrations are corrupt; that today's students are reckless and irresponsible; that fraternities are hot-beds of deviant behavior. Working together, we have soundly refuted those suspicions through our actions over the past two months," Sullivan said. The Rolling Stone article focused on an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in 2012. Charlottesville police said earlier this month that there's no credible evidence that an assault happened here, and other parts of the story have been called into question. The university has been re-evaluating its culture, particularly in regard
3 Americans killed by Afghan soldier Twitter Taliban officials claimed responsibility for the assailant, who killed three U.S. contractors and wounded a fourth on Thursday. New measures put in place More in the news Japan, Jordan seek news Death toll rises in Ukraine
It's on Sunday , Feb. 1 , at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time , and it's on NBC. The New England Patriots are playing the Seattle Seahawks. That's all you need to know.
Ready? Mitt Romney’s not running for President again, telling supporters that it’s time for the Republican Party to look to other leaders for its future. Democrats may wonder whether they have to tell Hillary Clinton the same thing. In a PPP poll taken this week, Hillary Clinton can’t get to 50% against any Republican challenger paired against […] Read this post »
Could this be the big halftime show surprise? Katy Perry will rock University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, during the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday, but no one knows exactly how she'll do it just yet. Perhaps ... COMPETITIVE CHEERLEADING?! YouTube user Thomas Jung nearly destroyed the Internet when he combined Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" with an aerobics video from the late '80s . Swift herself even retweeted the video , and the power unleashed was greater than that of a thousand suns. Well, Jung's back at it with a brand new mashup, just in time for the Super Bowl, creatively pairing Katy Perry's "Firework" with a competitive cheerleading video from 1984 (the very year Perry was born ... coincidence?! Yes, probably).
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid the measles outbreak stemming from California, the White House is telling parents that science indicates they should vaccinate their children. President Barack Obama's press secretary says the science on vaccinations "is really clear." Josh Earnest tells journalists that Obama believes vaccination decisions should be made by parents, with a bias toward good science. About 100 cases of the measles have been reported in the U.S. since last month in the second-biggest outbreak in at least 15 years. Most have been traced directly or indirectly to Disneyland in Southern California. Earnest says federal officials are closely monitoring the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is 97 percent effective at preventing measles.